Open log for Wintermarch

[unshadowing]

Well. Nevarra sucked. He's not entirely surprised with how things turned out, but it's still frustrating. At least they're back in Kirkwall now.

A. Not exactly a scholar

Oh yes, this is a rare sight. Carver Hawke, in the library. Reading. Well, attempting to anyway. The rather tall man is almost dwarfed by the stack of books around him; clearly he's been here for awhile, judging by the stacks and the empty plate next to him. His brow's creased in a perpetual frown as he pages through the book in front of him. Occasionally, he'll jot down something in a little piece of parchment next to him. But often he'll just cross it out later. Whatever he's trying to discern, it's not going well.

After awhile, he shoves the book away from him, blowing out a frustrated breath. Calloused hands run over his face, scrubbing at it. "I'm not cut out for this," he mutters.

B. Gotta keep in shape

Now this is much more his style. Despite the cold weather, Carver's still outside, practicing his sword form. He whet his blade plenty on the undead that swarmed them in the Grand Necropolis, but that doesn't mean he gets to slack off. And really, it's more something to just keep his mind occupied and feel somewhat productive. For now, he's practicing on one of the dummies set up... somewhere. Someone probably propped up a few somewhere, right? Right.

Of course, a real partner that can react and swing back would be ideal. But Carver's never been much of one to ask for a sparring partner; too used to doing it on his own and all. Still, he won't say no if someone offers. If he knows you, he'll wave in greeting. If not, he'll either likely ignore you or just nod. Or if you're REALLY lucky and he likes you, you might just get a smile.

Or just don't let him know you're there and ogle him from a distance. He's getting warm from the movements, so he's ditched the coat. Now he's just rocking a threadbare shirt and pants, so.

C. Griffons are better than people

Because fuck people, honestly. Griffons don't care about politics or image or whatever. They just want food and head scratches. And after the Grand Necropolis debacle, Carver's happy to spend time up there with the beasts, giving them bits of food and learning about them. They're used to him enough now that they're not quite as rambunctious and screechy when he comes up, though that might have more to do with the fact that he always comes with food.

Carver's also wisened up; most of the shiny things on him are hidden or just entirely absent. Still, it doesn't stop one from trying to pick at a button on his shirt. Carver gently whaps its beak. "Don't you try it. Beth will give me that look and chide me, and I can't sew for shit." A protesting squawk. "Look, I'll bring you something big and shiny to play with next time. Knowing our luck, you'd swallow this thing and choke on it."

He gets perturbed look.

"I'm right and you know it."

D. Wildcard

You know the drill

Comments

[unshadowing]

Maker help him, he's going to make a mask with a big grin on it and just wear it everywhere from now on. Orlesian comparison be damned, at least it would keep people from feeling like they need to inject him with cheer, like he's sick or something.

"I'm allowed to not be cheerful at all hours of the day." He was lost in thought, thank you very much. "For the record, I was ice skating the other day, so yes." Granted, half the fun was watching Fenris attempt to ice skate and laughing as he fell on his ass repeatedly. But hey, he still had fun!

The cold doesn't bother him, no, though he feels some dampness seeping in from the snow and that's gonna suck later. If this is how it's gonna be, then fine. With no warning, Carver scoops up a pile of snow in his arms and tosses it at Kaisa.

[unbrokenoath]

"Actually, no, it's illegal now." Kaisa replies cheerfully, and looks rather pleased when he admits that he had actually been off having some kind of fun. Well, how was she supposed to know? She's not always around. Maybe she could have asked, but then where would the fun in that be?

She gives a little shriek, half alarm and half laughter, when he dumps a bunch of snow on her, and she raises her hands to try to block some of it. And then swat at him. "Oh, well, if that's how it's going to be!" The declaration is given with a grin, even as she shakes her head to get some of the snow off.

"It is on." And with that, she moves to tackle Carver again, perfectly willing to wrestle him right in the middle of a snowbank. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And this is, clearly, something that needs doing.

[unshadowing]

"Hm. A criminal's life for me, then." It technically wouldn't be the first time, given his indentured servitude and his employer during his first year in Kirkwall. Luckily, he has far fewer qualms about the "crime" he'll be regularly committing here.

Her shriek makes him smirk. Ha. Serves her right. Of course, he figured she'd retaliate and she does just that. Granted, he figured it'd be more snow to the face or something, not a full bodied tackle to the ground. Carver grunts as he's knocked back down - again - but this time he's not gonna take it lying down. "Who does this in a snow drift?" he grits out as he wrestles with her, trying to roll over and pin her underneath him.

[unbrokenoath]

"I ought to drag you down to the city guard right now, but I hear you have friends there. And you're a Warden. We need our very own Warden jail for Wardens who commit serious crimes, like you." A Warden jail actually wouldn't be a bad idea, now that she thinks about it. There are so many Wardens (CLAREL) that do shitty things and get to get away with it.

But that's a little deep for when you're joking around about stupid things like how cheerful a guy is. Maybe she'll ask Nathaniel, well telling him he'll also be imprisoned for similar crimes.

It's been a while since she's had someone who can go toe to toe with her. Alistair can manage it if he tries, but he doesn't like going all out, and is always Delicate about where he touches her. Kaisa doesn't make it easy for him, but Carver has weight, height, and even skill on her, which impresses her more than the other two. Who knew those biceps were actually good for something?

A grudging grunt escapes her as she's pinned to the cold, snowy ground. This is, officially, not one of her better ideas. Nevertheless, Carver is given a smug look. "Well, the two of us do, apparently. And even in public, goodness."

[unshadowing]

"Good luck getting that to fly with Howe and Alistair." Well, Alistair would probably find it funny. Nathaniel, not so much. He's as much of a stick in the mud as Carver can be when he wants to.

Given how easily she tackled him earlier, Carver's not entirely surprised at how much of a fight she's putting up. A part of him wonders why he's even doing this, but well, he's kind of committed now. After quite a struggle, he's finally got her pinned underneath him. There's a smirk of triumph that appears, but as he stares down at her, something else surfaces that he didn't expect.

He finds himself liking this positioning a bit too much. And with it, thoughts that he should absolutely not be entertaining. He needs to get off her. Now.

"Well, it's not like we're going to turn this into a multi-match wrestling fest or something." That sounded stupid, but it at least gives him the space to get off of her and shove those earlier thoughts aside. He holds a hand to help her up.

[unbrokenoath]

"Alistair would side with me. And I could get Teren's support if I told her that it'd annoy Nathaniel." Not that Teren technically wields that much power anymore, but that's hardly the point.

For a few moments, Kaisa stares peacefully up at Carver, the most innocent look she can muster on her face. This can only last for so long, however, and as soon as he gets off her, a grin breaks across her face. And stays there, as she accepts his hand and tugs herself to a standing position.

"You sure about that?" Kaisa asks casually, as she reaches up to brush off snow and whatever debris had gotten into her hair from the ground. "Because a moment ago, you didn't seem to mind the idea of a second round."

[unshadowing]

"Yeeeeah you'd still have convince Howe, so good luck with that." Carver's pretty secure in the assumption that a Warden jail will never be a thing that happens. Though honestly, he'd like to be there to see Kaisa try and convince them.

Oh, that grin... that's probably not a good thing for him. At all. But Carver's not an awkward teenager anymore. So he cocks his head to the side. "Wouldn't mind a good spar. Or wrestling match, if that's your speed." She'd be a good partner for it, at the very least. "But like you said, not really the place for it." Or the weather, honestly...

[unbrokenoath]

"Maybe if I convinced Anders. He'd listen to his husband, surely." Doubtful, and doubtful that Anders would agree to it, since it would be his husband getting incriminated for being a giant grump. It seems like the Warden Prison For Grumps might never come to pass. A true shame.

Carver manages to turn the topic, and Kaisa looks even more interested in the idea of an actual spar than any innuendos about other kinds of wrestling.

"We need to get an inside arena, is what we need. Training in this weather can be dangerous. Sure, you get warm, but then you get too warm, work up a sweat, and then you're in the middle of winter with damp clothing." It's something that anyone who's learned to fight in the cold has learned--or anyone who's had to live long in the cold, really. There is definitely such a thing as being too warm.

"I wonder if anybody would mind if we turned one of those dormitories into a training area? It's big enough. I could ask Ser Coupe, she's in charge of forces. That sounds like her wheelhouse, right?" It's probably a good thing that Kaisa is so easy to distract, especially when it comes to something that she's very invested in. Fighting is very important, possibly the most important.

[unshadowing]

Keeeeeep dreaming, Kaisa. You just keep dreaming.

Thank the Maker she latches onto the new subject. It's safer ground, and a topic he's far more ready to address and discuss.

"Right, then you get sick. I've seen it happen." Neighbors who fell ill from working out in the cold for too long. He's come close once or twice, saved by his father and later Bethany or Marian. But others without family with magic weren't so lucky. "Maybe. Don't know a thing about Circles, but wouldn't the mages have had some kind of room to, I don't know, practice magic in? One that would have a fair amount of space?" Surely something like that existed in the Gallows that they could also use, if it wasn't already being used for something else.

[unbrokenoath]

"I would...guess they do?" It's not like Kaisa knows much more than Carver about Circles--less, maybe, since he at least has a sister for a mage. "How much space do you need? I mean, I guess if they're lobbing around fireballs and whatever else they can do, you'd probably want space."

It makes sense to Kaisa, but then, mages don't make much sense in general. Isn't that part of the whole being a mage thing? Managing to do things that go against the natural order of things?

"I...guess I'll talk to Ser Coupe about it at some point. She might know. Or know someone who'd know. I suppose it'd have to go through her in any case, with the whole...fighting thing." Forces, fighting, same thing. "If they don't already have it set up--that'd be fun, wouldn't it? Getting to put together a training ring inside?" She looks remarkably excited about the idea, for what it is.