[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

[somethingwild]

Newt glances up, a bit startled, but the surprise in his gaze quickly turns to warm delight at finding Korrin across from him with another beer.

"The beer fairy's presence is greatly appreciated, thank you," he says with a grin, accepting the drink gratefully. He closes his book, taking a quick sip of the ale before replying.

"Could be worse," he says, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "It's a nice night, and I've got beer and books."

"How about yourself?" He asks. "How are you? Er, would you like to join me?" He scoots over, clearing the table for her, if she likes.

[gatheringstorm]

Pausing to assess the room, Korrin turns back to face him afterward with a brief nod, as she straddles a chair. "...sure, why not. It's still technically my shift, but as long as I continue to throw out the rowdy assholes, I can spend it as I choose."

She shrugs, not at all concerned. Most people she can take deal with rather effectively, and those she can't tend to attract the ire of the entire establishment. Regulars really don't care for people destroying their watering hole.

"All things considered, I can't complain too much. Keeping busy, but that's the norm. It's closing in on three years since I first joined up...fuck, that almost seems like too much time and not enough, all at once." She shakes her head, a little incredulous when she thinks about it. "If you'd asked me then where I'd be in three years, I wouldn't have thought of any of this."

She waves her hand around the taproom vaguely, meaning here whole life in Kirkwall.

[somethingwild]

"Seems like the rowdy assholes have settled down for the time being, too," Newt points out. Or, at least, they aren't being as obvious in their rowdy ways. Either way, he's glad for Korrin's company, and he makes sure to clear the table to provide her plenty of room. He hasn't expected to run into anyone he knows tonight, but he finds it a pleasant surprise, now that he actually has done so.

"Three years?" He repeats, eyes widening slightly. "That's quite the amount of time, isn't it?"

"I know what you mean, though, about time seemingly speeding up and slowing down all at once," he says.

He takes another sip of his drink.

"Where did you expect to end up, before all of this?"

[gatheringstorm]

"Oh, that's easy. I thought I'd end up going back to mercenary work, after avenging my fallen company." She shakes her head and snorts at that, realizing long ago that her expectations had no place in reality. "I thought it would be quick, one way or another. Either Corypheus would kill me, or I'd have one hell of a story to tell around mercenary campfires forever afterward. I wouldn't have thought it'd take this long; whether a good end or a bad one, I'd expected it to be quick in coming. And that was before strange people from beyond arrived to make things even more complicated and interesting."

She darts a smile at Newt, hardly meaning offense by any of that. "Of course, that ended up working out for me, so I can't complain, can I? Though I'm sorry for what it means for you and the rest."

[somethingwild]

"You were a mercenary?" Newt asks, curious. He wonders about the fallen company but doesn't pry; he would guess that particular story isn't a happy one, or one Korrin might want to tell. "That sounds like quite the adventure, in and of itself."

He shakes his head, chuckling a bit at that.

"I'm rather used to complicated," he says. "In fact, I'm rather used to making things more complicated for my part, so I suppose it's a measure of my success, then."

He shrugs. "I'm not. We were on the verge of war, ourselves, back home. And you have so many fascinating creatures here! I must admit, I'm becoming quite fond of those mabari."

[gatheringstorm]

That gets a chuckle out of Korrin. "You're quick to look on the bright side of things. I bet Ferelden would claim you for one of theirs, just for saying that." They sure do love those pups...and Korrin's pretty fond of them, relatively. Though not enough to have one at her side. "I'd be more surprised if you don't end up with a mabari, a griffon and maybe one of those weird miniaturized animals from Tevinter.

"And I'm still part of the company more or less, it's just the Valo-Kas are loaning me to the Inquisition while Corypheus is still a problem." The way things are looking, it might as well be a permanent loan, but she doesn't say that when it sounds like Newt has enough to worry about. "So how do you feel about how things are going? And be honest, you don't need to be diplomatic for my sake."

[somethingwild]

"See, the fact that Ferelden is known for being a country of dog loving people just endears it to me," Newt admits with a grin, eyes crinkling at the edge. "I'd be glad to be claimed by them."

"I admit, I do like the griffons very much," he says with a sheepish laugh. "And they've just had babies recently, I believe?"

It might not be quite the collection he has back home, but the animals Newt has managed to gather here in Thedas is still something of a start all the same.

"Honestly?" Newt takes a sip of his drink. "After what happened in Tevinter, it's difficult to be optimistic, at this point. I think the Inquisition is doing what it can but." He shrugs. "That attack certainly points in Corypheus' favor, I think. What about your thoughts?"

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin's silent for a moment, not used to sharing her thoughts in-depth with anyone but Araceli of late. Not that she's shy about sharing them, but there just hasn't been the time or opportunity. She takes a deep breath, drumming her fingers against the table.

"It's taking longer than I thought it would, though I guess I was naive for thinking it'd be over quickly to begin with. The shit that's happening in the Andefels -and beyond, now that they're invading- is going to be a bitch and a half to fix, and if we could have easily done it, we would have by now. Not to mention all the red lyrium at the bottom of the sea still creeps me the fuck out; we still don't know how far that shit's spread, and it'll be near-impossible to clear it all out, which will affect the seas in countless ways.

...I'm not saying defeating that darkspawn asshole is impossible, but even if we do, we'd better be prepared to deal with the fact that this world is irreparably changed."