faderift | OPEN

WHO: Kain and OPEN
WHAT: Getting back up to speed (ish) and sort of overdoing it, sleepwalking, writing home, dealing or not dealing with things, etc
WHEN: Early part of this month
WHERE: Different places around the Gallows
NOTES: Potential references to captivity (or skirting around the issue anyway)

I. Training Area

The moment he's cleared to resume regular duties, Kain gets out to the training area immediately and returns every day after that. He's there for hours at a time, pushing himself as hard as he can manage, not stopping most days until he literally falls over.

This particular session, he's really getting into it, jumping and whirling around as he puts his Dragon Warrior specialization to work, grimacing and growling as he attempts to use his Reaver abilities. He exerts himself harder and harder until he's moving around the field with brutal motions, cutting and slicing into those dummies with a little bit... too much... exertion. Kain doesn't even realize how hard he's pushing it, as he slices and stabs those dummies to smithereens. He isn't thinking about it, just feeling this boiling, burning rage building up the further he goes, pushing him to keep going.

II. Gallows Housing

Late at night, well after most people are probably well settled into bed, Kain is suddenly up and moving around. Not that he even realizes it himself, though... because, of course, at the moment, Kain is still very much asleep. There's been insomnia, nightmares, and many attempts to find the right bunch of herbs to help him snooze off... so it's no wonder that now, he's having some pretty obnoxious side effects.

In this sleepwalking state, he simply wanders, making it out of his room and off along the halls. Eventually, he tries to open a random door to someone else's room so he can step inside. If the door is locked, he simply curls up to resume regular sleeping right up against the door.

III. Library

Brow furrowed as he leans over a stack of papers, Kain is intensely concentrating. He's settled in at a desk beside a window so he can occasionally pause and stare outside. He's... not getting very far with his task, though. The stack of papers are clearly letters that he's received, complete with opened envelopes alongside them. Directly in front of Kain on the desk is a blank piece of paper, one which he's attempting to start writing on. But all he's managed so far are some smears of ink as his mind wanders and he's again staring out the window...

Writing home to his close friends should be easier than this, so why is he having such a difficult time coming up with words right now? He owes them an explanation as to why he'd stopped writing for an entire month.... and longer now, since he still hasn't gotten around to writing them.

He taps the quill onto the paper distractedly, as he moves his gaze around the room.

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Kain had settled in to just... continue sleeping, completely oblivious to the change of scenery. Of course, that all changes completely the moment that she actually opens the door. He falls over... not very far, considering he was essentially seated, propped up against the door. But even so, it's probably a surprise to have Kain there, just half-falling in her direction.

He wakes abruptly with a shout and looks around frantically, trying to get his bearings.

"Nessa!? What..."

Taking a step backward in surprise, Inessa snaps out of it and leans down to help him up. Not that she'll be of much assistance, but she'll try anyway. Gesturing to Garahel to give them room before the mabari licks him to death, she sighs.

"I should be the one asking that. What are you doing out here? You could have just entered, you know."

"I... Right, I could..."

After all, he has before, or she might come to him. But that hadn't been the case this night, had it? He blinks, needing a moment to orient himself better. The last he'd remembered, he was in his own bed, sleeping soundly.

Kain finally gets enough strength to stand, trying not to lean too heavily on Inessa, not wanting to crush her. "But... I don't think I meant to do this. I wasn't even... awake. The last I remember, I was in bed..."

Garahel lets out a concerned grunt, moving to Kain's other side to afford him some further aid. Inessa, listening, frowns in concern and shakes her head. "Sleepwalking is not a healthy habit to acquire. Stay here, and I'll lock to the door. If Garahel sleeps before it, you won't have the opportunity to go wandering."

The mabari wags his tail, eager to assist.

"All right, as long as you don't mind..." Not that he could ever be an intrusion on her, he knows that. But still, he's always been all too cautious about not wanting to overstay his welcome somehow, as if he ever could. He wants to respect her space if she ever needs it, is all. "Garahel, you'll be up for the task of standing guard, I'm sure?"

He can tell he's ready to help, just based on that tail wagging alone. Kain looks over at Inessa. "This hasn't been a problem before, but... well... I'm still trying to figure out what will work best, for sleep. I try one thing and it does calm the nightmares for a time, but then it stops working, so I must try something else..." Clearly tonight's experiment is something not to repeat. "Perhaps I ought to just try sleeping as normal without taking anything, and see what happens."

Garahel merely responds with a reassuring grunt, leaning into Kain before plopping himself down in front of the door. Kain won't be able to open it without moving a huge mass of muscle, and by then he'll most definitely have woken up. That might also be due to the mass amount of licking that will happen by that point, as well.

"I never mind, you know that. If I had, I wouldn't have offered." She guides him over to the bed, with gentle persistence. "That might have some merit. You could be trying too hard, which isn't uncommon for you. Just stay here with me, let Garahel's snoring lull you to sleep." Her lips twitch as Garahel whines a little. He doesn't snore that much, Mom.

Kain glances at Garahel's position, then gives an approving nod. If Inessa doesn't manage to stop him first, then Garahel most certainly will. There's no way he can just mindlessly sleepwalk past an obstacle like a large mabari in the way. "That surely ought to stop me, thank you, Garahel."

He takes a seat on the bed, on the side that he usually tends to prefer, then moves into a half laying position. "There's no sense in trying if I'm not giving it my all. Even for a matter like this... but... you're always a better judge of things like this than I am. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just... too desperate for everything to return to normal. It... it will return to normal someday, won't it?" He at least looks a bit amused at the notion of Garahel's snoring. "Ah, though I always appreciate the gentle music of mabari snores."

"Don't encourage him." Inessa shakes her head, then her all too brief smile fades as she joins him on the bed. "For our given definition of 'normal', anyway. I hope so, but I just don't know. Maybe it won't be exactly as we knew it, but that doesn't mean we can't adapt. If there's one thing we've learned as Wardens, it's that you can adapt to all sorts of circumstances you never thought you could."

"Right... I guess there is no normal as far as a Warden's life is concerned. Who would have thought we'd end up where we are now?" He'd never have guessed where this path would take him. He'd known it would be difficult and challenging, but that's what he'd wanted from it. He wasn't meant to sit by idly and play the Game, he was made for the action of battle. "I just wish that adaptation would hurry up and come sooner. I've too much to do to let this get in my way."

There's a small quirk of her lips that could almost be a smile. Of course, but we don't always get the luxury of having all go to plan. I used to be worse about it, certain I could force mind and body to behave as I needed, when I needed it. But we're flesh and blood, not dwarven machines. We can only force so much, and if we go too far it will set us back. Some part of you knows this."

"I guess sometimes I've wished I could be more like one of those machines, never having to rest or be set back by certain things... but it's probably no good way to exist." He sighs quietly, shifting position a little bit, trying to make himself as comfortable as he can. "And I know, plans often fall through... it seems that happens a lot, these days." But given what they're up against, maybe that's to be expected.

"So we do what we can, and adapt when they change. Or at least, we try." Inessa leans into him and stifles a yawn. "I won't make you sleep...but at least rest here, with me. If you want to read by the glow stone's light, it's still better than pacing the halls."

Kain nods agreement to that. He can manage that much, after all, it's not as if he particularly wants to go anywhere else, anyway. He tries himself to hold back a yawn, but it doesn't quite work.

"I'm… not too eager to sleep, but maybe if I read a little it'll put something else in mind before I drift off." He'd rather have dreams of epic dragon battles and such than of darkspawn and Tevinter. Or darkspawn in Tevinter, which seems to be the theme of a lot of the nightmares, a melding of his time in captivity alongside the usual Warden-related themes. Basically all the worst things just conspire in his head if he's not taking something to block it out. But he doesn't want to sleep walk, so… he'll try to sleep naturally. If he can.

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