And we are far, far from home

[foxsays]

WHO: Araceli Bonaventura; open
WHAT: Parkour lessons part 2; writing letters home in the library; gals being pals with Korrin and Sina
WHEN: early Wintermarch;
WHERE: Skyhold; various locations
NOTES: Tavern thread is closed to Korrin and Sina but feel free to see and/or hear them

parkour;
It's been too long since she last organised real parkour lessons and so for a few days there have been notices tacked up on the bulletin board regularly to announce the start of a new batch of lessons.  The ropes are gone now that she's more sure of her teaching skills and her place within Skyhold, and there are a few more places with bales of hay beneath different chunks of the battlements now, not just that first crumbling section of the wall down by the stables.

The warm up is still mandatory though, and for a newbie, she'll still insist on watching you fall though this time it's only from the fence and into the hay, and no, she doesn't care if you feel stupid, you'll feel more stupid if you fell badly and broke a few bones for your trouble.

library;
When the rift pulled her through from Castileos, it was still summer, seemingly endless days spent longing for a breeze to blow in off the seas, the markets packed, a riot of noise and colour.  Even the smell of the fish market carried on the salt air is something she longs for as finds a seat somewhere quiet in the library, a neat stack of letters to one side of her as she stretches out her right arm with a muttered curse, trying to ease the cramp in it.  A smear of ink stretches up from her cheek, across and over her nose.  If someone were to read over her shoulder, they'd find letters addressed mainly to her mother, her father, or to a woman named Leandra more than to anyone else, all of them recounting bits and pieces of what she's seen here, what she's learned.

No one can say that a letter shoved through a rift won't go back home.

tavern;
Now it's not a crime if a person doesn't drink but sometimes a drink is good to help your forget, and well, Korrin likes drinking, Araceli likes drinking but Sina, well Sina might have told Araceli once that she's hasn't had a drink.  Not of anything that Araceli or Korrin are used to, that's for certain.  So what is a good friend to do?  Well if they're Araceli Bonaventura then they call in Korrin Ataash who just so happens to be the person who introduced her to the strongest alcohol she'd ever tasted in her life.

Not that it's on offer for Sina.  Babysteps.  Babysteps and watering it down to an almost criminal degree but such is life.

wildcard;
[Feel free to have spotted her elsewhere, for whatever reasons you'd like!]

Comments

Tavern

[gatheringstorm]

Normally, Korrin isn't a fan of watering down anything alcoholic. It ruins a good drink and far too many taverns try to get away with that crap, anyhow. The Herald's Rest is a nice exception, in her experience, and she doesn't want to encourage that sort of thing.

...but Sina isn't exactly robust, and Korrin doesn't want to overwhelm her. So, they'll start slow. As soon as time permits, a corner table for the three of them, hoping Sina will feel more at ease with a little seclusion. It's close enough to hear the bard's lute, at any rate, and music helps the ambiance.

Re: Tavern

[eolasemah]

Sina is a bit proud of herself for coming into the tavern at all without the herb basket to hide behind, though she still glances around nervously to make sure nobody's drunk and/or violent and/or coming for her and her pointy ears. She smiles with visible relief when she spots Korrin and Araceli, and hurries over to perch on the corner chair, with her back to the wall.

"Hello," she says, with a smile both shy and impish, already blushing despite nobody having said anything yet. She's still reeling from the flattery of being invited somewhere.

[foxsays]

"Hello, hello, I trust this day finds you well?" Whilst a smiling Araceli is the usual sort of Araceli to be found, there's something just a bit more impish than usual about her tonight. It may have everything to do with the glasses she's arranging on the table, keeping the pitcher of water away from where a stray elbow or hip of a passing serving girl might knock it over.

"I'm so glad you came, we both are, isn't that right?" One of her knees knocks against Korrin's before it starts jiggling because she's bad at this sitting still thing. "I thought Korrin the best to be here as a native who knows her drink, and as one kind enough to introduce me to such pleasures here."

If that sounds dirtier than it should then only Korrin can confirm it and she might be testing a bit of a theory here herself anyway.

[gatheringstorm]

"Of course. You're always welcome, Sina." Korrin nods and darts a warm smile at the young Dalish woman in response to that question, a little surprised and very pleased that she actually arrived. It's a step, and while Korrin doesn't ever expect the tavern to be Sina's favorite place, at least she can realize there are friendly faces here.

That last comment of Araceli's gets a chuckle and knee-nudge in return, as that impishness is contagious. "Advertising me as a horrible influence already? Alright, then, might as well live up to it. But don't worry, we'll start off with something light."

parkour;

[ungovernable]

With a tendency to make note of most things posted on the bulletin board (for various reasons, some of them repeatable) and less of one to actively respond to any of them, Benevenuta doesn't seek Araceli out beforehand, but simply presents herself at the designated place and time. It's unusual to see her in trousers and with her hair braided if she isn't also wearing a coat and on her way out of the hold, but it isn't really unusual for her to be intrigued by any opportunity to learn. The training with mages and former templars is more about developing the skills for war that are suited to mages, more about learning how to best work together cohesively than developing entirely different skillsets--

And it is interesting, and it is valuable, but the things Benevenuta wants most to learn are those things that are outside of what she might otherwise have access to. This will compliment nicely some of her goals, and moreover, prevent any repeats of her first encounter with Dorian. After all, not everyone can be trusted not to push her down a crevasse given the opportunity.

(But 'deciding whether or not to try to kill each other on the mountainside' is an excellent method of making a friend, apparently. Worth noting.)

--she isn't precious about the fall. She does it once, and then, frowning, squints up at the fence she tumbled from.

"I will do that again."

[foxsays]

Having spent most of her time up high, running around and watching people, the face is familiar but not one she could put a name to. All sorts come to her for lessons, and she'll take whoever comes to her and put them through their paces just the same way she always has.

For those starting out though she remains on the ground, perched close to watch carefully, because even a small mistake here counts. Holding yourself stiffly, not exhaling, tensing in anticipation - just a small hurt and a few bruises falling off a fence but from the top of the battlements? Or an unexpected fall, and being up mountains keeps that to the forefront of her mind.

"It takes time to get used to," she offers as she crouches down, an open smile on her face. "We all think we know how to fall but when we are through today, you will fall without any true hurts."

A bruise is nothing, not compared to a broken wrist, or a leg.

"Up again, back on the horse is that what they say here?"

[ungovernable]

Wry, "It is one of the things, but I think I should not speak to southern custom." For all that she isn't from quite so far away as Araceli, come tumbling through a rift. It isn't really purposeful that she hasn't spent much time with the rifters, but it isn't precisely accidental, either; they are a puzzle, but one among many. A puzzle for someone else, she had thought, and let them be, diffident but not unkind in her disinterest.

In time, perhaps, it will be easier to see them individually, to grasp their adaptation to the Inquisition and consider them in relation to herself. Perhaps learning from her now is a good start.

"I breathed wrong," she says, a bit more critically - but undeterred, in the tone of someone who is prepared to do it as many times as it takes to get it right. Being new to something is - well, nothing new.

This is one more thing for her to master.

[foxsays]

"I only know of one person I've met from the north thus far, you will still be better qualified speaking about their ways." And the one she met had been a priest, and here a priest is someone with a very different way of looking at things though he had been perfectly polite, charming even. Someone with a sincere interest in a person from so very far away and it had been enough to pull her out of the certain kind of dark clouds on the horizon mood you fall prey to when you realise how impossible an awful lot of things are.

Still, a new year in a new world, small wonder she wants to keep herself busy until this month at least is through.

"Before you fall, you need to let it all out, but the first thing we do to prepare is gasp. It helps to take as deep a breath as you can at first, hold it and then exhale, when there's nothing left, you let yourself go. Even from a small height, being winded is bad and your body will remember it."

Parkour

[the_effect_she_has]

Of course Katniss is there for her second batch of lessons - she's been practicing as religiously as a Templar does the Verses of Transfiguration. Climbing, falling, working on her rolls. So with her nose and mouth mostly healed up at this point, and her hands healed up completely, she's there to work on falling into bales of hay, because seriously, learning how to fall from heights was going to save her in Emprise du Lion.

She climbs up the side of the crumbling tower, and balances herself, before letting herself dive-fall down into the hay.

"How was that, Ara?"

[foxsays]

Perched up on the roof of the stables is a good spot for Araceli to watch most of those participating from, since most involved seem confident and comfortable enough to not require her to hover over them the whole time. It's actually fun this time, or more than the last lessons were when she was too nervous to relax completely. Still, she doesn't want to give Bruce extra patients if she can help it.

She watches Katniss as she goes, rising to her feet on the stable roof to watch the whole progression before swinging down from the roof to approach the pile of hay.

"You always have to remember to exhale all the way before you go," she begins but that's standard advice because most people will still take an involuntary gasp first. "Remember that falling is just letting go too, just letting your body go and meet the ground."

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss breathed out again, before she pushed herself out of the hay, shaking the stalks out of her hair as she put her intense gaze on Ara, listening to everything she said. She huffed out a breath, nodding, before she looked up.

"All right. What else?" The exhaling thing she was definitely going to have to work on.

[foxsays]

"Allow me to show you, some things work better with a demonstration."

Plus she's been sat watching everyone since she had to do a few demonstrations in the morning so she's getting that itchy feeling she gets from sitting still for too long. Unlike most of the climbers who go from standing then pulling and pushing themselves up, she makes a run at the wall to boost herself, her light frame only helping her when she gets to the top.

The fall is quick and simple, and she picks the hay from her hair as she gets to her feet.

"Everything has to be relaxed, that...that's easiest to master when you're as young as I was when I learn but you're doing well. Arms have to be kept about where they would be when you stand naturally, that's the key to it, being natural, listening to the body and not the head. The head is very stupid when it comes to this, it wants you to panic and brace, not do the opposite."

Parkour and friends

[el_tybs]

Ever since getting back Sam has been keeping up with lessons with the Rifter since he had joined up from the beginning, using the time to get better and to just spend time. While it was nice having the one-on-one, Sam thinks it's a great idea that Araceli is willing to teach openly again.

Maybe a bit too eager that she was doing so because no sooner had the flier gone up, Sam was sure to drag along a couple people to the area where Araceli had them meet to start.

A while back he had promised Salvatore that they would do something together that would help the other mage get a bit stronger. While this wasn't exactly what the other mage had in mind, Sam figure this was a good start, important to know, and certainly would get his mind off of a certain someone.

For Pel it was really just a way to get her out - not the kind with certain Templars. Course he hadn't told her what they were doing, but just asked her if she wanted to do something different.

[salvatore_underfoot]

No. This wasn't at all what he had in mind. Salvatore frowned at the set-up, a little put off, a lot intimidated. "Did I ever tell you what happened the last time I climbed a ladder?"

[el_tybs]

Sam blinks, grin firmly planted on his face as he looks down from the wall to his friend. "No, but it must've been quite exciting if you have a story about it." Sal does not at all look pleased, but that doesn't seem to deter Sam one bit. Placing a hand on the other mage's shoulder and giving it a small shake to get him excited, Sam chuckles. "Well look at it this way. If you can learn to climb this you won't have issues climbing in the future. Come on. If I can do it so can you."

[salvatore_underfoot]

"The sex was good," he mumbles. He wobbles as he's shook, exaggerating the motion with a roll of his eyes and giving Sam a dry look. "If you can do it? Look at the size of you. You could do it in one step." He sighs. "Alright. Let's do this. I'm blaming any broken bones on you."

parkour

[aceso]

Christine has no interest in learning to fall, but she takes great interest in those who are participating. Though she sits not far away in a little wooden chair to observe, she sits with a book in her lap, so she isn't merely staring at the participants. But she wants to see them do this, because even as Araceli explains that this technique is so they learn how not to hurt themselves from a fall, Christine predicts some will get it wrong and require medical aid. Which she is here to provide.

So she sits and waits, eyes scanning a few lines in her book before she hears someone impact the hay, which makes her look up to check if the person's hurt themselves. Once she's satisfied they're fine, she reads a few lines and listens for the sound again. On and on it goes until the lesson is over for the day and Araceli is alone.

"How do you think they are coming along?"

[foxsays]

An audience is always expected when she gives lessons, more now that the word has had time to spread of a rifter teaching someone who knows someone how to climb up the walls and fall off them. But someone sitting and reading during the whole time? That catches her attention but her focus is on her students until she dusts the last one off.

Cleaning up is always her job, she worked that one out with the horsemaster.

"Better." Arching up on her toes to stretch the last of the aches from her muscles, better is as good an assessment as she can give. "The biggest hurdle to overcome is unfortunately the hardest one, and that's because it's instinct to brace for any sort of hurt. We spend a lifetime learning that and the older we are? The harder it is to unlearn. Still, the broken bone count is at zero and that? I shall take that a win."

[aceso]

"That is good to hear. It means they are listening well to your instructions." She closes her book, resting her hands lightly on top. Her spirit healer studies are coming along well. It shouldn't be long before she can reach out to a spirit. That is, of course, the most dangerous part of the whole endeavor.

"But this is not the end goal, is it? You are teaching them to climb buildings later on, yes?"

Library

[motherfucking_ghost]

He can't help but feel like a nerd, but he only minds it as far as his image is concerned. He's not stupid enough to think that he doesn't need whatever information he can gather. There are plenty of texts on stuff he doesn't really understand yet, so he's mostly been focusing on locations, maps, getting a lay of the land. Though he's also looking at a couple books about some of the various societies, given what he's heard about elves, and a whisper or two about dwarves, and jesus christ, don't get him started on qunari... And, yeah, also maybe magic stuff but god damn there's a lot.

At least maps are easy in that sense. So a couple scrolls and a book carried under one arm to take up some table space for a couple hours or so and--oh hey. Hey! It's one of the rifter chicks! "Hey." He glances around, wondering for a moment if this is like a public library and doesn't want to be too loud. "Hey, you um. You've got something on your face." Church makes a motion across with his free hand.

[foxsays]

Lost in her thoughts, she jumps at the sound of a voice actually addressing her, just managing not to crack her knee off the bottom of the table before she touches her face with her free hand but the ink has long since dried so it’s a long slow look down at the offending hand.

“Well shit,” she mutters, not particularly cross but well, after a certain age you expect writing to be a less messy business. “Thank you, at least someone told me instead of just sniggering on their way past.” Seriously, two seconds of work to let her know she’s got ink everywhere, she’ll need to scrub up before she goes anywhere much after this.

A distraction is welcome though instead of working on what has her arm cramping up and she takes in the book, the scrolls and gives a quiet sigh. “A little light reading?” Except nothing here is light, ponderous rambling tomes of having to read something then go read another book just to understand a few remarks the author made. “Being here makes me feel like I’m a little girl back at my lessons, just so I don’t look like a complete tit in front of folk.”

[motherfucking_ghost]

Ponderous sure is fucking right. He rolls his eyes and decides to set up shop at the other side of her table, where he can. "Man, it's like every other sentence is a reference to something I don't have any god damn idea about. Like, hello, I'm not exactly from around here? Context is key."

As for what he's setting shop up for, he starts unrolling a map, pinning ends with some makeshift paperweights (more books). "All I'm trying to do is figure out where's where first. There's a whole everything out there, not just this place and a few shitty towns. ...Was kinda hoping it'd look like an alternate Earth or something, but no such luck."

Library

[lettersfromhome]

"Well, I'm glad the art of letter-writing exists even beyond the Fade. Now Cullen really does have no excuse."

Mia hadn't mean to peer over her shoulder, really. She'd simply been passing through and noticed those familiar dark curls. Remembering the woman's anxiety regarding her family and friends back home, who likely had no notion of where she'd disappeared to, she could likely hazard a guess as to whom those letters might be addressed.

Her book tucked under her arm, Mia strays closer, a curious crook to her eyebrow. If she wishes to share the conditions of the letter-writing endeavor she's more than welcome to, but Mia is trying to be better about prying lately.

[foxsays]

"I am shamefully far behind, my hand is going to fall off before I'm done recounting my adventures thus far."

From now on, she's going to make time, even if it's just a little note here and there, almost like a journal but addressed to the people she misses whenever she sees or hears something they'd like. All the letters have the same flowing script, extra twirls and flourishes where they're perhaps not exactly needed but it's all still very neat, though the top one is simply addressed to papa.

"Trying to recount what it's like to live so far from the sea to a man who has never spent a single night away from his ship though...that challenge might best me." The letter is revealed with a frown, the usual mentions of snow, how high up they are then nothing beyond a very rough sketch for scale. "The only mountains he's seen are from a deck and miles away."

[lettersfromhome]

"Much like trying to explain the sea to someone who's only ever seen the mountains," she replies with a crook to her lips. "The closest I can remember was Lake Calenhad. I still don't think I've seen it properly. Words probably couldn't do it justice. That's the way of it. Some experiences there simply aren't words for."

But it's impressive that she tries. Even if it's just a simple account, writing to family must provide some sense of comfort, of connection to the world that poor young woman's left behind.