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it takes me back to where i first started; | ota
WHO: Scout Harding and you!
WHAT: A catch-all for all your Lace needs, including mothering scouts going on adventures, gossip from her underlings about her supposed relationship with Bruce, tavern time with friends, and runs back and forth to the Hinterlands -- but if there's something you want to do with her, now's the time!
WHEN: From the beginning of Haring prior to the Scout departure, and until the middle weeks.
WHERE: Skyhold and the Hinterlands, potentially.
NOTES: None at the moment.
WHAT: A catch-all for all your Lace needs, including mothering scouts going on adventures, gossip from her underlings about her supposed relationship with Bruce, tavern time with friends, and runs back and forth to the Hinterlands -- but if there's something you want to do with her, now's the time!
WHEN: From the beginning of Haring prior to the Scout departure, and until the middle weeks.
WHERE: Skyhold and the Hinterlands, potentially.
NOTES: None at the moment.
1. SCOUT TEAM PREPARATIONS ;
She is not going with them.
It is strange to not be, to be surrounded by those who were recruited with her and after her and those that are her fellow scouts, her Inquisition family, and to not be joining them in this venture. She will, with time - wherever the Inquisition goes to next, these are only forward scouts, and she trusts them to do the job assigned, to chart the way for when she and the others do get there, for when they start to make a holding in these places.
Harding's front is perfect, and practiced. Outwardly, it does not bother her, and she makes busy. She reiterates orders from the top, goes over the plans and the information the Inquisition has scrounged up on both destinations multiple times, checks and rechecks supplies, goes to the quartermaster, goes to the armory, prepares. But it is not for her -- and despite it all, it is still strange not to be going with them. She trusts in what she and each of them have to do, and yet - do they spread themselves too thinly? Should they concentrate their efforts and not have her go elsewhere, when she could help here?
She has her own things to do, after this. And despite the inner questions, Harding is firm.
In the day leading up towards the scouting party's departure, Harding makes her final checks, but most of all, she lends an ear to any nerves that might need soothing, and mothers over her effective flock. If you don't see her beforehand, you'll find a drink heading your way in the tavern that night from her but also a quiet reminder to not sit here all night and go to bed.
2. SCANDALOUS GOSSIP!!, OR, ON MARIGOLDS AND HIGHTOWNS ;
It does not take long for the rumours to find their way back to Harding.
For one thing, the scouts in the mire had already talked about her secret paramour in earshot after she'd written several letters to Bruce, so she was aware - she had laughed once, and then firmly told them to cut it out. That had done little to dissuade them once they had a face (and a name) to attach to this 'B' that their boss had been writing to, apparently, as the rumours circulated around the mire and Skyhold and made their way back to her, in paper form as well as eavesdropping. Really, they should have expected no less from their boss who worked for their spymaster, who knew everything.
Plus this piece of paper with to the minute breakdowns of time she and Bruce spent together. If only they put this level of detail into their reports.
Still, at first it was only the scouts, but now it seems that everyone and their mabari knows, from the dignitaries arriving to the scullery maid to the horsemaster, and each retelling gets wilder and wilder. A passionate kiss had been in the latest retelling, and, frankly, this was getting out of hand.
Harding's first port of call is to seek out Bruce.
Of course, you can approach her before or after that about the rumours. Who wants to know about Harding n' Hightown? Everyone, apparently.
3. TAKING A BREAK ;
Whilst not making preparations or seeing to scout duties, Harding is a frequent visitor to the Herald's rest. She comes and goes without a word, sometimes bringing her work, sometimes making the the tavern itself her work and occasionally dropping coin into more than just an ale for herself.
She invites friends on occasion, and sometimes seeks them out. Sometimes she writes, sometimes she reads, sometimes she spends too long watching a particularly handsome individual for no reason than maker, they're so aesthetically pleasing and please stay for the rest of the night, thanks.
4. ON ASSIGNMENT (THE HINTERLANDS, THE FROSTBACKS);
The presence may be known, but there is still much to be done and connections to be upheld. It's all about presence as well as making the Inquisition stronger, making them seem more reliable and a constant. Harding knows this well; whilst the Herald ploughed ahead, those below were the ones to be her reach where she could not be, and now with her passing, that was even more important. They had gone to the mire and done what was needed well enough, but the Hinterlands remained.
Harding makes frequent runs to The Crossroads and further to Redcliffe, bringing people for deal-making, scouts with supplies, sometimes on covert missions selling stuffed nugs with another dwarf (don't ask). Sometimes she goes further afield across the Frostbacks, sticking to the mountain paths that may or may not have been forged by the Inquistion, to keep watch, to wait for those from Orlais and Ferelden and further afield who have announced their intention on visiting the Inquisition. Sometimes she takes people back, rather than to, but there are many hours to spend in the cold, waiting, watching.
Do you go with her on one of these excursions?
5. OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE YOU HAD IN MIND?
2 obviously
Then again, he had to remember that the refugees weren't exactly immune to gossip as well.
When Harding finds him Bruce is currently occupied with an elderly old lady, and there is an extremely patient smile on his face as the lady gives him as assorted variation of advice about 'chasing that fine young lady' and how to treat her right. Clearly, unless somebody intervenes, Bruce is going to be there for a while.
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"Bruce," Harding announces, finally covering the remaining space and standing alongside him, far enough away that the lady gives her a brief look and a smile of encouragement to take his arm or something. Who knows. "M'aam. Is something the matter? Anything I can do to help?"
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The elderly lady starts to speak, but Bruce politely cuts her off before much can be said, telling her that yes, he will go spend some time with the very fine lady now, and she did not need to worry about him. She was pleased, as expected, and Bruce gave Harding an apologetic glance as he gestured for her to move first, himself trailing behind right after her.
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"So you've heard about the rumours, I take it," Harding says, once they're out of earshot and the lady has gone about her business (to inform everyone who will listen about this pairing, potentially).
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He gave her a concerned look then, guessing a few reasons as to why she might have brought it up. "Are you alright with it? I haven't really said anything since I didn't want to make things worse, but..." He certainly didn't want her work to be affected because of all of this - Bruce would feel really bad if that was the case.
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Harding gives a short, but also relieved, sigh. Then she chuckles briefly, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm in charge of a scout operation for one of the fastest growing organisations in Thedas, there's bound to be some gossip about me. Maybe not for it to spread as much as it has, but... honestly, I think I'd be more concerned if they wasn't anything at all. I'm alright with it. You're a good man, Bruce, and there are worse people to be attached to in romantic speculation."
And she means that. There's nothing between them except platonic amiability, but she does care, is fond, and that underpins much of her concern on the matter. "But you shouldn't have to deal with it. That's what I was more worried about."
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Bruce lets out a small laugh himself, bemused by it all, but it soon quickly settles into something a bit more serious as Harding continues to speak. The thought of her being this concerned for him is... honestly touching, although really he thinks she should put that concern on somebody else instead. Compared to everything else he's been though, a little turn on the rumor mill was nothing to him - especially when he knew just how false those rumors were.
"I'm fine, Harding. A little scandalous gossip, as it were, isn't really going to affect me and my work." And besides, it was a little flattering that people actually thought him having some sort of chance with her when Bruce knew there was pretty much none. She deserved much more than a person like him. "But I do appreciate your concern. Thank you for coming to check up on me."
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Harding pauses, letting out a contemplative sound. The question is, does she care? Not really. "I could make them stop," she adds, "or, let them keep talking. If they want to believe it, they can. Might mean some playing along, though." Well, that cunning, mischevious streak has to rear it's head sometime. Might as well be this.
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Still, Harding's suggestion was tempting, if only because she would get a kick out of it and Bruce did like being able to bring some amusement to other people. And its not like it was a particular hardship anyway - he guessed no matter what they did at this point, people were going to take it the wrong way.
"If you want to, I don't mind," he says after that moment of deliberation, an amused expression on his face as he replies to her. "I just hope I can perform adequately."
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