[Open] Keep my eyes to serve and my hands to learn.

[somethingwild]

WHO: Newt Scamander + You!
WHAT: Open post/catch-all; moving to a new place and dealing with the aftermath of Tina vanishing.
WHEN: Early Harvestmere, in and around Kirkwall.
WHERE: In and around Lowtown, the Wounded Coast, the Hanged Man, and the training area/stables.
NOTES: Newt is sad and trying to ignore feelings. What could possibly go wrong? Nothing else that I can think of! Will update/add if this changes.

I. Home Is Where…(Lowtown, slums near the Alienage)

His room at the Gallows is almost certainly of better quality than the flat he’s just moved into as of late. Perhaps not by much, but it was more…comfortable in a more stable way. (Less rats to share with, too, but Newt doesn’t mind the rats, really. Not that they’ll be much long for his apartment, what with his two cats.)

But Newt has no desire to remain in the Gallows. Not anymore. Not with the growing brood of critters he seems to be gathering like weeds for himself. And not, of course, now that Tina’s presence, or rather, the lack of it, echoes so resolutely in the space they once shared together. (And, as his traitorous heart is so keen on reminding him: the heavy weight of all that remains left unsaid between them, lingering in the air like so much smog.)

So here he is, in the sketchier parts of Lowtown, newly moved in with his companions: Macha, the Demiguise, and Merlin and Circe, his two cats, one black and the other bald. He doesn’t mind the location either, really. He’s lived in worse places, after all, and, as a rifter mage, he can’t expect to do much better than this as it is.

His flat is currently bare, with only the few bits and pieces of furniture he could afford, secondhand, of course.

But this is for the best, he supposes. A new start in the wake of what he’s lost. Or so he hopes.

II. In A Kingdom By The Sea (The Wounded Coast)

Whenever Newt can find a way to wrangle himself out of Kirkwall, he jumps at the opportunity to do so. The city of chains especially feels confining as of late, what with the various realities of war creeping in all over and Tina’s sudden, painful disappearance.

So this afternoon finds him on the beaches of the Wounded Coast, Macha hanging loosely yet sturdy over his shoulder as he watches the waves lapping at the shore. His Demiguise seems as lost in thought as he is, but he’s grateful for her presence, all the same. It’s almost like having Tina still here next to him.

There’s a wildness to the sea, he thinks. No matter where he goes or what sorts of adventures he stumbles into, the sea is always as loud and thunderous as an erratic heartbeat, ringing out against the rest of the world like a church bell. He finds comfort in that vivid music of the tides, savoring the symphony of it as he wraps his arms around himself. He isn’t, so to speak, entirely, properly dressed for this sort of weather.

Bother, he thinks as the air, laden with the weight of so much sea salt, sinks its claws deep into his skin. There could very well be bandits gathering behind him, preparing to launch themselves at him for what pitiful amounts of coin he does happen to have in his purse. But he doesn’t care; he would, in fact, welcome such a distraction, actually.

All the restless ghosts entangled in his thoughts need somewhere to go, after all.

III. To Live My Life As It’s Meant To Be (The Hanged Man)

Newt finds himself frequenting the Hanged Man more often as of late. Partly because it is, in fact, the closest pub to where he now lives, and partly, he finds, because he genuinely enjoys the atmosphere of the place. He’s even becoming fond of the terrible alcohol, if he’s honest with himself.

He has, miraculously, given how crowded the Hanged Man is, found a space for himself in one of the back corners, shit ale in hand and a pile of books he’d bought cheaply from a questionable merchant to the side.

One of the books is on the history of dragons in Thedas, naturally. Newt is fairly deep into it, even for having just bought the book, but he also can’t help but to alternate between it and the other of his purchases, though this second book is much less intellectual in nature.

Frankly, it is terribly written, and entirely implausible in plot. But Newt finds himself all the more endeared to it for that, truthfully. He can’t keep himself from reading it in the same way he can’t stop drinking what passes for ale in the pub. There are dragons, too, in this book. To say nothing of the variety of creative uses for mages staffs. And haunted castles. And dark and forbidding storms.

He winds up losing himself to the pull of cheap drinks and even cheaper literature for the rest of the night. Or so it seems, for the moment.

IV. In The End We Are Waiting To Be Lit (Training Area/Stables)

Newt throws himself into training and practicing, when he has the time to do so in between his tasks for the Inquisition. Having just transferred from the Research division to Scouting, he’s learning to navigate his new assignments, still. But he thinks he’s getting the hang of it. And training provides another, excellent way to avoid thinking about Tina leaving.

He’s still working with a staff, of course. His progress is…well, it’s something, but he knows he could be better, and that frustrates him, a bit. And that frustration, of course, impacts his actual training. On top of that, he’s also working with daggers, instead of the sword he was previously working with. The daggers are lighter and easier for him to carry and wield, and there’s something immensely satisfying in slicing the air with them. (He may or may not have sliced himself a fair few number of times by now.)

When he isn’t training himself, he’ll watch others as they train, trying to take notes and pick up tricks.

And when he isn’t training, he can usually be found near or around the stables, generally enjoying the company of the variety of animals he comes across in that vicinity.

V. Wildcard!

[If you'd like a different prompt/starter, PM me here or on my plurk at andhereyeswerewild.]

Comments

IV

[zombra]

After freaking out the Seneschal with news of her new acquisition (her wolf puppy), Tessa finds herself ruminating on everything at the stables. At some point she's going to have to move outside the Gallows to raise this little terror, and the thought of not having the Inquisition's safety net right there is a little nerve-wracking. It's always been in her nature to sit back and let others take the wheel. More specifically, to take care of her. Sure, she managed to live on her own in an apartment for years until she lost her job and just couldn't find another, forcing her to move back in with her parents. Striking out on her own in a city that's doing better about Rifters but not phenomenal is definitely a concern of hers.

Sighing, she flicks a red ribbon in front of her wolf. He stole it off a cart earlier, which just reinforces the idea that Tessa needs to learn this Ranger skill to keep him in line as soon as possible. Looking around her, she spots Newt looking at home with the animals here. There's something open in his expression that tells her he's listening to the creatures, and she smirks a little.

"That one telling you anything interesting?"

[somethingwild]

Newt is currently enjoying the company of a particularly cheerful dracolisk. He doesn't know who it belongs to, but he is very much delighted by the creature. Dracolisks seem to be a combination of dragons and horses, a combination of which Newt has come to find he is, in fact, very fond.

He may or may not have been feeding him some treats he snuck in with him into the stables prior to Tessa's friendly inquiry.

"I think, if I am to understand him correctly, he is feeling that he is not receiving as many treats as he should," he says with a sheepish smile. Whether geunine or just a ploy to actually obtain more treats, it has certainly worked on Newt.

He catches sight of the wolf cub with her, and grins.

"New friend of yours, I take it?"

[zombra]

"Ha. Isn't that always the way?" Despite Tessa's lack of experience with a wolf, she grew up with a dog, and she was a bottomless pit who always craved more treats.

"New responsibility. The jury's still out on 'friend.' He stole this off a market cart and I had to pay way more than what it was worth to get the woman to stop screaming." Tessa flicks the ribbon in the air and the wolf goes wild trying to catch it in his mouth.

"I heard that Rangers can train wolves and bears to listen to them. Even giant spiders, but I dunno if that's a myth or not. I'm hoping to find more info on that so I can control this little guy before he grows up and starts attacking people."

[somethingwild]

"Indeed," Newt agrees heartily enough. "Though, given how much they do for us, I can't say I mind providing them with treats, myself."

He tries biting back a smile at the tale but finds that he can't help himself. That wolf puppy really is awfully charming, especially chasing after a ribbon.

"Really?" Newt perks up, very much interested now. "I believe Rangers are...what do they call them, specializations? Are you studying to be one?"

[zombra]

"Not yet, but I'm gonna be once I find out more. Like, I'd heard of them, but then I found this little guy and it seems right up my alley, y'know? And not only the animal training part, but like, survival and tracking too." She tilts her head as she looks over her pet, a sad smile coming to her face.

"I got a crash course in surviving back home, so I already have a base to work up from, and I could always do with learning how to better track things, right? There's gotta be a study guide or a class or something for me to follow."

[somethingwild]

"Excellent choice," Newt nods, very much fully in favor of the idea. Surviving and tracking are essential skills, he thinks. Even when one isn't tracking down magical creatures in the wild to study. And the gift of animal training, well. He can think of few higher callings than to be able to work so closely with creatures.

"I have some experience in tracking, myself," he offers. "I could help you with that, if you like?"

But he doesn't miss the sad smile on her face. Nor the fact that she mentions having had to learn to survive quickly back home.

"I take it your home is a very dangerous place?" He says, quietly. Another offer, in its own way. She doesn't have to talk about her world if she doesn't want to, but he'd like her to know the option is there.

[zombra]

"Dude, yes. I'll take all the help I can get." It seems essential for a place like Thedas, where there's danger around every corner and she'd like to know there's an enemy nearby before they know she is.

"Yeaaah, it's pretty bad. Like society has collapsed bad." It's gotten easier and easier to say the more people she tells. Dealing with the reality had been tough, but Tessa is made of tougher stuff than she had realized. "So no electricity or commerce or anything outside the quarantine zones. Lot of foraging and breaking into abandoned homes."

[somethingwild]

Newt grins, delighted by her response. Not only does he enjoy talking about his experiences throughout nature, the opportunity to demonstrate his skills and teach them to another gives him the chance to get out of Kirkwall and explore more of the nature surrounding the city. Never a bad thing, he finds.

"Merlin," he says, shaking his head. Things were tense and terrible back home, but, as far as he knows, at least, society hasn't collapsed on itself in the way Tessa describes.

"That must have been difficult," he says, considering her. "It sounds like it was a struggle to survive."

[zombra]

"Pretty much," she agrees, though she isn't really in the mood to go any further with explaining her world. She may have some distance from it now, but she knows full well that she could easily end up back there if the Fade decides to suck her back through.

"Why Merlin?" she asks. "Where I'm from, that's the name of this guy from legends." But Tessa's not sure if that's the Merlin he means as an exclamation.

[somethingwild]

"He was a real person, back home," Newt explains, easily shifting focus from talk of her home world. He isn't one to force people to talk about what makes them uncomfortable, and she seems to not want to go into further detail regarding her home, so he's happy to talk about his own, instead.

"One of the wizards of legend," he continues. "So he's still kind of got that air of myth about him."

"His name has been uttered like that for as long as anyone can remember," he says with a shrug. "Much like Muggles tend to utter 'oh my God' or 'Jesus Christ.'"

[zombra]

"Whoa, a real wizard. Huh." By now, nothing should really surprise her, should it? Her world doesn't have magic, yet she turns up here and the world is doused in it. Makes sense that other worlds where the Rifters are from would have magic too. She now recalls seeing Jester use magic when they both arrived out of the rift. It's really more common that Tessa initially thought.

"Uhhh, Muggle? What's a Muggle?" Sounds like a kid's stuffed animal or something.