You know I said it in a prayer like a war cry

[kremdelacreme]

WHO: KREM and basically THE ENTIRETY OF SKYHOLD
WHAT: Krem is coming back from his private mission in Antiva and fulfilling some promises.
WHEN: 18 Wintermarch and onward
WHERE: Various places about Skyhold
NOTES: Attractive shirtless men?

He was stiff, sore, not exactly moving well, but when he finally mounted the stone bridge leading into Skyhold, damned if the smile on Krem's face wasn't as brilliant as the glare of sunlight on the snow. It was damned good to be home. He'd held up a hand when one of the front gate guards offered to run inside and inform the Iron Bull of his return, letting them know that he would be seeing Bull himself, as well as most anyone else that needed to know he was home.

As soon as all was said and done and the appropriate parties warned (Except for Cullen, Cullen could be just as surprised as everyone else) the toys would be collected, loaded en mass into the catapult, and seconds later, there would be stuffed toy nugs in a large variety of different fabrics hitting the ground with squeaks bordering on deafening in volume from the sheer amount of them. There would be enough for every child in the hold, plus a good portion of the adults that might come along and pick them up.

-Training Ring-

It was time for drills now. He had the ring to himself, most people were off and occupied elsewhere, and someone had set up a practice dummy at the edge of the ring that would make the perfect partner for a bout of shadow boxing.

Anyone that had ever witnessed Krem's drills before knew that sound: the maul swinging through the air fast enough for it to be faintly whistling, occasionally thudding down into the dirt. But if they approached, they'd immediately notice a difference. Where was Krem's armor?

Bracers on, boots grinding into the dirt, gauntlets on, but other than a pair of comfortable breeches, Krem wasn't actually wearing his armor. In the late afternoon light, the muscles of his arms, back, shoulders, and chest were gleaming faintly with sweat. He'd been at this for a little bit now, and it had warmed up just enough that he actually could break into a sweat as he trained. He was still trying to get used to his center of gravity changing, and as such was moving more carefully than usual. It lent a sort of grace to his movements that wasn't usually present.

If anyone wanted to come and spar with him now, they would have to get his attention first. He's entirely focused on the mild ache of his muscles, and moving to compensate.

Comments

[fleurdesel]

"We'll talk later on it, yes? For now come in and sit." It had been so long and she has missed him dearly- and it would offer her a moment to subtly look him over when the others aren't quite so busy watching. "I've coffee ready if you'd care for any."

As sparing as she's been with the beans, today warranted them with all that needed to be written and how sluggish her mind felt. Krem's return did help her have that much less to worry over, that much less to work through when putting pen to paper. The box, now...

She peered down, untying the ribbon and blinking at it's contents. Those she'd been sent by her family she'd traded for favor or influence- or to simply pamper one of her students. These were Antivan. And all the richer for it."Krem you did not have to."

[kremdelacreme]

"I didn't, but I did anyway." Krem smiles faintly, laying his hand briefly over hers then glancing around for a chair to settle into. "Coffee'd be nice. Can't remember the last time I had a cup that wasn't the sludge that Rocky tries to pass off as anything but flavored mud."

He knows that look she's giving him, and he sighs quietly, unbuckling the side of the chestplate he'd been wearing. It isn't his usual one, doesn't fit quite right, and when he puts it on the floor and reclines back in his seat, he doesn't fidget a bit to get comfortable again, like he might have done before to account for the leathers underneath. "If you've got time later, I have a small favor to ask of you. Long as you don't mind, of course."

[fleurdesel]

"Coffee you shall have. I've a pot brewing." How timely his arrival, though she wouldn't have thought anything of grinding more. Soon as it's finished she pours him out a mug, sugar cubes wrapped and waiting in a dish on the edge of her desk.

The breastplate gets a quirked brow, the reclining-

Something's different with the way his shirt falls. The ache Compassion pings to makes slightly more sense but- she'll not say anything for certain until she is actually certain.

"Of course, Remi. I am happy to offer my help as best as I can, as long as it does not involve explosions or templars." Then she makes no promises.

[kremdelacreme]

"I'd be worried if either of those things were required," he jokes, then glances over to the students before dropping his voice some, taking the offered coffee mug and a couple of the sugar cubes, crumbling the latter between his thumb and fingers. "I'd hoped you might be able to do something about scar tissue."

He knows it's different, compared to preventing a scar from forming as a wound was healed. But he has faith that if anyone knows how to take care of such things, it's Adelaide.

[fleurdesel]

"That depends on how old the scarring is. The fresher? The more that can be done." She's trying to place the why of it before the shape of Krem's torso, the different breastplate, the lack of shifting induced by leathers comes together.

She does know something of surgery but that? That seems...horribly extensive. She reaches out, resting a hand on Krem's wrist, eyes subtly glowing with Compassion's power as they extended their awareness over Krem to check for injury or illness. An ache where something was cut away- it's an incongruant twist of thought. An ache from something lost but-

It's something that never ought to have been. Compassion, confused, dithers in the back of Adelaide's mind as a headache blooms behind her eyes- the awareness and spell fade. "I- we should be able to help with this, yes."

[kremdelacreme]

As the awareness comes into Adelaide's expression, Krem starts to worry some. He wants to reach up and rub her temples in an attempt to relieve her headache (by now he can tell from the furrow of her brow when one starts to creep up on her, particularly from Compassion's shifting back and forth behind her eyes) but rather than overstep her boundaries, he just lays his hand over her wrist, giving her a soft frown.

"It's maybe two weeks old by now, healing helped along by dwarven medicine. It was what helped me to get back on my feet and get back here in the shape I'm in now. But I can't do much as I am, not when it hurts to lift my arms over my head. You know I trust you with this," he adds quietly, looking her in the eye as his hand squeezes down briefly, then comes away.

[fleurdesel]

"Something that fresh? We can mend and mend easily. We can also minimize scarring." It'd take some time and some focus- but they had that to spare as of late. Delegating tasks for the council, for most of her not quite so private research- that freed up more than she'd expected. She turns her hand around in his to squeeze it back, palm to palm.

None of the usual flinching, none of the frustrated tension. Here she is safe- and with Krem? She is never in danger.

"You will need to adjust your diet to compensate for the accelerated healing. More red meat, which should not be difficult."

[kremdelacreme]

"As little scarring as possible'd be the best. I need to be able to move still," Krem added, bringing Adelaide's hand up to press briefly against his chest, a gesture of trust and affection. "Thank you for this. You know there aren't many others I'd trust with this."