On The Road - Emprise du Lion and Western Approach

[the_effect_she_has]

WHO: Christine Delacroix, Merrick Ashara, Samouel Gareth, Korrin Ataash, Kain Highwind, Katniss Everdeen, Cremisius Aclassi, Rachette Dakal, Salvatore, Dismas, Clint Barton, and Fenris
WHAT: Movin' right along, to our separate missions ...
WHEN: First week of Haring
WHERE: The Frostbacks - riding, camping, general hijinks
NOTES: Warnings for sarcasm and probable showing off.

The journey through the Frostbacks is, of course, a grueling one, but only if you are traveling alone. The Inquisition scouting forces are, without a doubt, not alone. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

So clearly, new stories and new friendships or hatreds are just waiting to be written...

Comments

Katniss Everdeen - On the Road - In Camp

[the_effect_she_has]

On the Road

Katniss is riding slightly ahead of the others, to keep an eye out for any trouble. Venatori, red templars, bandits, and of course ... druffalo. She's riding an ill-tempered yellow beast by the name of Haymitch. If you get too close to him, he bites, but he seems to like Katniss just fine.

If you're riding next to her, or riding to catch up, you'll see her giving him an affection pat and call him, "You fat old bastard."

Camp

When at camp, Katniss will help the others set up their tents, gather firewood, food and water from around them, and of course, be hunting when she's not on watch. Typically on watch she'll be up in a tree, her bow across her lap as she scans the forest and path around them.

She is quiet, for the most part, but she will sing to herself when she is taking care of the skins and meat of the animals she has hunted.

[sistertohermen]

"What is that?"

She could be asking about the remains of the hunted animal, but Rachette isn't looking at that, she's looking at Katniss now that her armful of firewood is deposited. Her eyes are squinted in concentration, like listening to a sound in the distance. "That song. Was that you singing?"

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss looked up, seeing the dwarven woman looking at her curiously. Her expression lost a little of it's apathy, before she answered, "It's a song we like to dance to, down in the Hinterlands, during the festivals. It's about being free to follow your own way."

[sistertohermen]

Well now that gets a grin out of her. "Sounds like my kind of song. I'm not much of a singer," not that she's really tried much, "but I can definitely appreciate the meaning."

Camp

[dalishious]

Merrick slides back into his Dalish lifestyle as easily as breathing. He hunts and gathers, builds shelters and fires, at home in the wilderness. It's like muscle memory. He doesn't seem interested in imparting that knowledge on anyone else, though.

Late at night he walks out of the tent to sit outside for his watch. He crouches near the fire to light his pipe, and smokes it calmly as he starts tending to his knives. While Katniss skins and cleans her game, he hears her singing, and he chooses to listen quietly.

Once she's done, he'll start in on his own song. It's a Dalish tune, often sung near the fires when the work was done, low in his throat. It's like the two of them are trading something, loners at home in the wild.

Re: Camp

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss, as true her word to pretty much half of the Clan Ashara, has been keeping an eye out for Merrick. He hasn't been broody, just distant, and that she cannot fault him on. So she keeps her peace and she does teach the others how to avoid stepping on branches.

Because she does not want to die.

She hears the Dalish tune, and a sad smile touches her lips, before she answers his song with the next verse. It is a tune she knows well, from her mother, as the sun went down and she moved about Katniss's father's cabin.

[dalishious]

It's a surprise to Merrick that Katniss knows the song, but he keeps it going, joining in with her at the chorus and carrying it through. He's still focused on his knives when it finishes, as if he doesn't even acknowledge she's there or that they just sang together.

Then he speaks. "I knew you had Elven blood, but Dalish is a surprise. Most of our kind won't even get close enough to a human to spit on them, much less sleep with one."

Christine Delacroix

[aceso]

{ leaving skyhold and on the road (please just one tagger for this one) }
Christine is most decidedly not an experienced rider. In fact, she should probably be riding with someone else on a beast that can bear two, because on her own, the animal would just take off and then the others would waste time chasing after her. And so before they even leave Skyhold, Christine is standing at the stables, looking over the horses with a dubious glance before looking to the others.

"Would someone be willing to let me ride behind them?" Once she has a volunteer, they're off, and left to make conversation on the road ahead.

{ making camp }
It's only been recently that Christine has started learning how to cook, but one of the first lessons is on how to not burn things. So she tends to the fire and gets it to the level of flames she wants before dragging out some hot coals to set a skillet over. She tends to the food with care, perhaps even a little obsessively, not willing to allow errors here. She has to cook the food evenly and without burning, or she'll ruin the meal. Being on this mission is good for her, because she doesn't like staying idle. There was too much of that in Montsimmard Tower for her tastes. She just hopes that the environment is better than the Mire was.

Leaving Skyhold

[gatheringstorm]

At the stables, Korrin's just about finished re-checking the riding bags, not wanting to risk forgetting anything that might be needed on the road. She's almost certain there's something missing, but just what that might be escapes her at the moment. Frowning in thought, she's then distracted by the question and glances over to Christine.

"You're welcome to ride with me, if you like. I was going to pick one of the larger mounts anyway, so there's plenty of room."

[aceso]

"Thank you," Christine replies, the relief evident from the way her tense shoulders relax under her traveling clothes. For the first time since she was a young girl in Velun, she isn't wearing some form of mage's robes and it feels so freeing. Of course she still has her staff, but that will have to be hidden when they reach Emprise du Lion. And then no one will know what she is. "I am not the best rider. I should have thought to learn here, but there were other tasks to attend to and now it will have to be put off until our return."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin shrugs, not about to chastise her for something that can be easily corrected. "Not necessarily. I can give some tips when we have free moments here and there. There was no choice about me learning; when you live as a traveling mercenary, your own two feet will only get you so far. As long as it's not that 'bog unicorn' they found in the mire, I'll ride it."

Korrin Ataash

[gatheringstorm]

[On the road]

Korrin's a fairly experienced rider, preferring her own two feet but definitely not complaining about having a mount in their current terrain. The one she's chosen is a spirited beast, with a willfulness to match her own, but they seem to cancel each other out well enough for the time being. Nonetheless, if there are any signs of trouble on the way, she'll be the first to leap off and tend to it on foot. Mounted combat isn't her forte and she prefers the flexibility of Fade Step over that, no contest.

[Camp]

Upon reaching camp, everything is sore but Korrin does her best not to show it while there's still work to do. Whether or not she can successfully hide that weariness, the Vashoth mage will insist on setting up tents, creating a fire pit, making extra potions for any lost on the way, and so on. If you need her for anything, you have only to ask--or perhaps she'll spot you and offer to assist.

And because she knows people will need something warm, once the cook-fire is set up, Korrin will make something special. That spiced wine recipe is one of the few she knows by heart, and she made certain to pack plenty of ingredients for it, since the Fallow Mire taught her that these assignment locations can't be trusted for decent alcohol. Either help assist or she'll call people over when it's ready, if the aroma doesn't reach them first.

Camp

[dragoon_pride]

"...Please tell me that's not maraas-lok again."

Look, he might be a real man and all, but that stuff was harsh by any standards. Still, he did drink it and live to tell the tale, even though he definitely felt like death the day after drinking. Whatever the case, Kain is ready to settle in for the night after a long day of traveling... so perhaps anything would be welcome.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin can't hide her snicker at that comment, though she is a little impressed that Kain lasted as long as he did. It wasn't that long compared to qunari standards, but still. It could have been worse.

"Maker, no. I wouldn't bring anything that strong on a scouting mission. What would be the point in sabatoging ourselves? No, this is just spiced wine. Something to warm us up, because the campfires along aren't doing the trick."

[dragoon_pride]

It could have been far worse. Really, overall, Kain is glad he went for it and tried the stuff, even if he'd spent the whole next morning cursing himself for it and having the worse hangover of his life. But no regrets, really.

"That sounds much more inviting at the moment." Kain nods. "I could use some... I hadn't realized it would be like this. The terrain, I can handle, but the cold..." They just don't have this kind of snow or anything where he's from, even on the mountain that he prefers as his general hangout area.

On the road!

[kremdelacreme]

The good thing about the Inquisition having so many mounts in varying sizes, it meant that a lot of men didn't necessarily have to walk the entire way. The carts were reserved for the supplies, and the men charged with protecting those supplies, though some were to walk outside of it to keep an eye out for bandits, red templars, wild animals. The closer they got to the Emprise, the colder it got, and the more layers were wrapped around the armored men.

Atop a pretty chestnut Forder laden down with more supplies, mainly weapons, Up at the front of the ranks, Krem sits and squints ahead into the snow, his face half-concealed by a high fur collar on the cloak he'd been almost forcibly wrapped in before leaving. Damned fussing mages on every side of him...

"Whooa," he murmurs, pulling gently on the reins as the first spires of red lyrium came into view. He holds up a hand in a fist to stop the men behind. Then he holds up a couple of fingers and gestures ahead, swinging down off of his mount.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin doesn't seem to need as many layers as the rest, or at least she strives to give that impression. She wants her armor to be protection enough, from both violence and the elements. At some point, though, she has to give in and grudgingly unpack the fur-lined cloak placed among her things. But there's no verbal complaints from her; after the mire, she's just glad to have anything else as terrain, no matter how harsh.

Hearing Krem, the Vashoth mage gently tugs on the reins of her own mount, halting alongside him. Slipping off, because she's been riding too long and needs to feel the ground with her own two feet, Korrin stares ahead and frowns at view. "Ugh, red lyrium. I knew it was coming, but still...not an auspicious sight."

[kremdelacreme]

At least she wears it well, as opposed Krem almost drowning in the extra layers. Still, he moves quietly enough accompanied by a pair of his own men that shuffle through the snow with their heads down. The Lieutenant himself flanks to the right and up a sharp stone ridge, pulling himself up to peek over a drift of snow almost as tall as himself.

"Don't touch it," he hisses back at the others. He's only ever heard of the stuff, what it does when it touches organic matter, and the last thing he wants is half his company becoming contaminated with it. He makes a wide, sweeping gesture with two fingers, silently commanding the men under him to make a wide path around it and observe what lay ahead. Where there was red lyrium, there were bound to be red templars.

[dragoon_pride]

[On the Road]

Although he's more accustomed to riding chocobos, it's not too hard, getting used to other mounts. Of course, he's already becoming a major dracolisk fan, and the mount he's picked seems as determined and stubborn as himself. He manages to command it well enough. If only it weren't so cold, because otherwise being in the mountains makes him feel right at home... much better than that foul mire.

He also keeps an eye out for trouble, and is ready to deal with anything threatening that might cross their path. He tends to keep to the fringes of the main group, riding off a ways anytime he hears something that could be a problem. He has a bit of a bad habit for disappearing and reappearing from sight, but not for any bad reasons: it's just how he does things.

[Camp]

Kain keeps to himself, for the most part. He has that stubborn "do it himself" attitude, so is reluctant to accept any help as he sets up his tent and his own things. But he'll definitely aid with anything needed in the camp overall, since he's done this sort of thing many times. There are plenty of practical things to see to, such as keeping watch, a task he volunteers for readily.

Still, he remembers the words of friends he's been long parted from, so Kain does make some effort to sit around the campfire among the others for meals.

Samouel Gareth

[el_tybs]

{On the Road}

It feels like they had only just arrived back to Skyhold and already they're leaving. He travels in the back, mostly spending his time looking over his shoulder towards the fortress up until it disappears around a bend.

Since they're at a simple marching pace Sam lets the reins rest in his lap, letting the horse lead itself for the most part. Every once in a while he'll stretch, bringing a leg up and crossing it over to rest over the saddle and his other leg. Left to himself, Sam hums lightly - for the horse or himself isn't clear - watching and keeping tabs on everyone - though his eyes keep moving to a certain person - riding in the group. Though he doesn't mind any company if anyone feels they need it.

{Camp}

Upon stopping to setup camp, Sam feels a bit antsy after having sat for so long without much to do. He wanders around the camp helping anyone who needs it, but for the most part Sam goes around clearing out sections of snow and setting up places for fires.

At some point he's left to tend one of the pots of food, stirring it lazily.

Camping

[kremdelacreme]

It's damned cold out, so the prospect of being able to sit down by a fire and maybe have a warm meal, start feeling a little more human again. He's not entirely sure if it's luck or providence that puts Sam right in the path of where he was wandering.

Bowl in hand, he settles down beside the fire, huddling about as close as he dares while still wearing the layers over the top of his armor. The fur collar of the cloak he'd nearly been wrestled into is hiding most of his face from view, his breath puffing out in clouds.

"Remind me to kill Bull for not coming with us," he mutters, peeking into the pot to see what is on the menu.

[el_tybs]

He's gotten used to people walking by, taking a seat and just handing him their bowls, enough so that he holds out his hand out of habit when he sees someone sit near him out of the corner of his eye. At hearing the voice, as soft as it was, he blinks, his fingers curling into his palm as he looks up from the pot to his company.

Sam knows the voice, something he's missed during Skyhold, and while it takes him a moment to find the Charger under all the layers, it is undoubtedly Krem. He looks rather miserable with the cold, the way he's huddling close to the fire and hiding under his furs, but it's also a bit, ah, adorable at the same time? Not that he's going to say that. Least not as the first thing he says after so long.

"It's rabbit, if you're wondering." His fingers uncurl and he leans closer so that Krem doesn't have to reach so far out to give him his bowl for the stew. "Why didn't he come with us?"

[salvatore_underfoot]

On the Road

Reading and riding is a bit of a trick, especially when you aren’t all that experienced with riding. He’d been assured the horse was as mild tempered as they came, however, and so far that seemed to hold true. Once the group started moving, the mare was content to plod along with the rest of them. Confident that he won’t fall off or be thrown, Sal digs out a book he brought along. If there’s anything interesting happening around him, well, he’s not paying attention.

Camp

At camp, he’ll be as helpful as can. Though, he’s crap at tents and he never learned to cook. He can gather wood for the fire, though he’s distracted by noises and things that are not wood and things inside his own head.

Later, he’s sitting close to the fire so he can make the words in his book.

Camp

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss is making sure to make her way around to everyone at night - just checking in on her friends, trying to get a better feel on those she hasn't met. When she sees Salvatore, she rolls her eyes good naturedly and plucks up a blanket to wrap around his shoulders.

"You're going to freeze, if you pay more attention to the book than your own skin, Puppy."

[salvatore_underfoot]

He comes up from his book, suddenly aware there are other people around him, and the weight of a blanket has been draped over him. "The fire's warm."

Even so, he pulls the blanket more tightly around himself. "What about you?"