Wintermarch Is Always Interesting

[el_tybs]

WHO: Samouel Gareth and Anyone
WHAT: Sam celebrates the 16th quietly with a letter from home. Catching up. Work and lessons as usual.
WHEN: (Backdated to) Wintermarch 16 and onward
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES:No warning at the moment. Catch all for some CR with Sam. Birthdays are weird.

After First Day it had taken a few days for Sam to pull himself out of the weird rut he had fallen into, what with a variety of good and bad things to start off the year; seeing James and the others from Ostwick, finding out that the First Enchanter and Knight-Commander had been killed, Krem having gone off on a mission, playing in the snow with others, etc. After that Sam seemed like his old self, falling into his usual routine of various lessons, magical and otherwise, as well as work. Even so it seemed like around the middle of the month his attitude took a dip again, appearing when he wasn't actively doing anything or paying attention.

[Magic Lessons]
Lessons sure have gotten more interesting since getting back from Emprise du Lion. Sam is even more determined to progress his training in spirit healing, and the other schools of magic. Even so he still has fun with it, learning to chill his hand without freezing it for the most part, or letting the younger mages 'teach' him how to do spells.

[Sparring: Magic or Melee]
For Sam being efficient in both his magic and his physical strength together or separate were important, both himself and anyone else who might be with him on missions. What little he had learned before Emprise du Lion had certainly saved him rear, so he makes a habit in shadow sparring about every day. Anyone is welcome to give him some pointers or kiss his butt challenge him to a spar.

[Armory]
Without any orders, Sam has been spending less time in the armory, though he still goes in some evenings to practice. Anyone looking to have something made or just wanting to talk where it's warm are more than welcome to join or meet up with him here.

[Tavern]
Even though he isn't a big drinker Sam has been enjoying certain drinks now and again at the tavern since he isn't needed at the armory as much. For the most part he spends his time chatting to various members of the Chargers, or just sitting in their general area, listening to their stories. Otherwise he can be found a the bar, the bartender giving him a look every time he decides to just drink tea instead of alcohol.

[Baking with Christine]
Christine had mentioned that she was starting to bake. Curious to how things were going and wanting to be of some support, Sam figures it would be a nice gesture to show up. Maybe offer a hand to help her with whatever is she is planning on making.

[Sina: This is how you pot (a plant)]
Well Sam had agreed on First Day that he would help with potting and moving plants with her. Even so he hadn't been expecting to be grabbed after magic lessons by the Dalish and getting his hands dirty. Not that he's complaining, but it was unexpected.

[Birthday The 16th]
The day before Sam let everyone know that he was planning on taking this day off, that nothing was wrong, but just needed a little time. For the most part Sam takes the chance to sleep in, wasting as much of the morning while he can, and coming out once lunch was being served. It's during his meal that he receives a letter that he tears into with a bit of urgency. Halfway through a small smile spreads across his face, though just as sad as it seems happy. The rest of the day he can be found sitting around watching other in the training ring, taking a walk along the battlements or in the tavern drinking, checking out his letter every so often.

[Wildcard]
Pick your own adventure.

Comments

Wildcard - Birthday buddies

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss dropped next to Sam when he was pausing on the battlements, and as tall as she was Sam still towered over her by a good three to four inches. That was all right though, because it let her tuck right next to him and bump him with her hip.

"So, happy birthday, birthday twin. I wanted to warn you - your troupe of insane Templar buddies are going to surprise you later."

Buddy

[el_tybs]

It must be an elf thing to suddenly drop in like that. Though he's gotten used to it, it still gives him a bit of a start when they're not there and then they are. Startled, Sam teeters just a bit at the bump, but quickly getting his feet steady under him.

Birthday twin? Before he can ask anything about confirming that, Sam stops, blinking at the mention of his Templars. "... Oh. Oh- Maker. They aren't..." Sam gives a long sigh, but as much as he wants to look bothered by it, he can't help but smile instead. He had wanted to keep things quiet about his birthday, but it looked like James and the others had other plans. Without them in the Circle it seemed as though they wanted to go a bit big with it.

"It's your birthday, too?"

Re: Buddy

[the_effect_she_has]

"Oh yes. They are. I think they're currently giving sad puppy eyes to the Chef to bake you a birthday cake." She gave him a wry little smile, as she leaned against the stone wall. "Never thought I'd see anything so weird - but welcome to the Inquisition."

She dipped into a mock-bow with a mock salute. "I have turned twenty one years today. Considering I shouldn't have made it past twenty, I'm fairly impressed with myself."

Sparring

[nadasharillen]

One afternoon, when he looks up, Nahariel is sitting there. She waves lazily, then jumps to her feet.

"I was just visiting Boggy. It misses you, I think. Saw you on the way back. Would you mind going a couple of rounds?" She smiles crookedly and rubs her upper arm. "I need practice fighting spells, I don't feel right going full-tilt against Sina, and I don't really know any other mages."

[el_tybs]

"Boggy?" It takes a moment for Sam to catch on to what the nickname is referring to. Course 'it' and 'misses you' certainly help. She was talking about the bog unicorn more than likely, to which Sam makes a bit of a face and turns towards where the dead horse was housed. "I'm sure it does. I see it plenty."

At the mention of going a few rounds, Sam grins, up until Nahariel says spells. She wanted to fight him while he used spells? Why did it always have to be difficult. "That's... certainly a tough request. I can't go full out on you, you know that?"

[nadasharillen]

The elf looked a little crestfallen. "Oh. Well, it doesn't have to be full out." She stretched her arms across her chest, one after the other, a kind of barrier against the awkwardness she'd accidentally created. "It's just that I'm sure we're going to run into conflict with mages, and I'd like to learn something about what that might mean before it happens. The only time I've ever even seen magic used in combat was when the era'harel attacked, and that was just Sina's root tangle. Defensively."

Nari made a face. "But I guess we don't fight with live steel while practicing for a reason, and there's no way to make magic less potentially deadly. Which is why I want to practice in the first place, so I don't find myself getting dead when I'm supposed to be protecting..." she trails off with an exasperated noise, then strides over to where the practice weapons are kept, sorting through the short wooden blades.

[aceso]

Christine is well aware that no one likes a crowded kitchen, but after helping the cooks with easy tasks, they've trusted her with more and more, and also allow her to go off and make her own things, as long as somebody's going to end up eating them. Today she stands at the counter, hair pulled up and wearing one of the outfits Krem made for her, with tighter-fitting sleeves that can be pushed back and stay up. She also wears an apron, as she's rolling out a pie crust and doesn't want to get flour all over herself.

When the door opens, she glances up and smiles.

"Sam! You see, I told the truth. Were I to change my mind about healing, I could now become a pastry chef."

[el_tybs]

"What you couldn't be both?" he says with a smile, closing the door behind him before wandering over to see what Christine was doing. "Look at you, wearing an apron and everything." It's not too different from his own work in the forge, wearing an apron, but Christine definitely looks cuter in one.

"Is that a new dress?"

[aceso]

"This is not the newest one, no," she replies, looking down at her outfit. "That one is silk and I would not dare ruin it with all this. But it is a newer dress. Krem made it for me." And frankly, she's surprised Sam even noticed. He doesn't seem the type to take notice of new clothes, or perhaps that's just because she assumes most Fereldens can't even tell when they're covered in mud.

birthday!

[samahl]

Cyril watches Sam whenever he can, which is probably a bad sign that he'll try to ignore as long as possible. This tendency means that he notices that Sam is carrying the letter around. This is what prompts him to actually go up to him this day.

"Good news?" he asks when Sam is reading it again for like the third time since Cyril has seen him throughout the day.

\o/

[el_tybs]

You would think by now Sam would be used to Cyril sneaking up on him, but no, still makes him jump - though he's been better about falling out of his chair like that second time.

The letter if quickly folded in half when he looks up, more out of habit than trying to hide anything from Cyril really. Well maybe to hide it a little bit considering he's trying to cover up just how much he has been reading it. No matter how many times he looks it won't change.

Smiling slightly, Sam motions for Cyril to grab the seat next to him at the table, unfolding the letter again and skimming it. "Kind of," he says a bit offhandedly. "It's a letter from my aunt. I wrote her right before I went to Emprise. Guess it found her."

[samahl]

Cyril's brow raises at that. He knows Circle mages lose their families and the thought that Sam might have been able to get some of that connection back is important. He moves to sit by Sam.

"That is really good, then," Cyril says, smiling a bit. "Are you going to try to meet her?"

Magic lessons

[justice_is_blond]

After several lessons and days of helping out, Anders is starting to get a feel for the various students and where they are. It's interesting, teaching. He actually likes it, and it's another way his life could have gone but didn't.

Shaking that thought off, Anders heads over to Sam. "Have you been thinking about which spirit you'd like to see about working with, yet?"

[el_tybs]

Sam's not sure what he was expecting Detlef to say when he came over. Maybe 'good job' or some other question about their lessons, certainly not asking him about a possible spirit. It shouldn't surprise him, but it's been something dangling in the future for a while that he hadn't figured it would come up soon.

"I'm afraid I haven't given it much thought just yet. I get to choose?"

[justice_is_blond]

"Mm. It's more like you can have an idea of what spirit your personality would best work with, and seek them out. It doesn't always mean you'll get what you hope for."

He gestures at a chair and takes a seat himself. "There are some spirits that are more inclined toward healing than others. And some that aren't inclined to heal at all, but if they're pointed toward how healing fulfills a purpose might be persuaded."

Pot Adventures

[eolasemah]

Sina has of course seen the plants in pots in the garden, but she never conceived of... smaller pots, that could be moved elsewhere. She's as excited as a kid in a candy store, and is all too eager to grab Sam once he's done with his lessons.
"This could really change everything!" she chirps, beginning to dig around one of the failing desert plants.

[el_tybs]

Getting grabbed in such a manner and being lead to and fro certainly was a rush, and once Sina gives him a moment to catch his breath, he leans forward on his knees, chuckling a bit.

There's a line of pots next to her, already one getting filled up with dirt and poor looking plant. "How many are we moving exactly?"

wildcard!!! (also birthday i guess?? idk)

[amygdalae]

[Even while on break Bruce doesn't quite stop working, and right now he's busy grinding some herbs with his mortar and pestle, working hard while taking shelter in the shade of a tree. The cold is still hanging around, although its not as bad these days and substantially more tolerable. Probably not the best kind of weather to be outside making poultice, but he's worked in worse conditions and the cold would help preserve the ingredients a bit longer - some of them were particularly tricky to keep in the heat.]

[el_tybs]

That doesn't seem all the comfortable for your back.

[That being said, Sam is leaning on his knees, looking down at Bruce's work, to see what he was doing. He hadn't been looking for the surgeon, but it was kind of hard not to miss him, what with the sound of stone rubbing against stone.]

What are you making if I might ask?

Armory

[fleurdesel]

It isn't much- he hadn't seemed like one to want a fuss made and Adelaide meant to respect that- and as such there was nothing more than a small package bound with ribbon waiting for Sam on his usual work table in the armory. Within a card and a travel sized journal with a pen.

[el_tybs]

A card would have been more than enough for him, but the simple gift is welcomed, more so since it had been considered that he could take it with him on the road.

Later on when he isn't being stopped and congratulated, Sam eventually finds his way to where Adelaid has holed herself up. He doesn't say much when he enters, but when she looks up he holds up the journal for her to see. "You didn't have to, you know."

The 16th

[arlathvhen]

When Beleth found out that Sam's birthday was approaching soon, she felt that she ought to do something, at least. What did she know about Sam? More importantly--what did she know about appropriate gifts for humans on their birthdays? She didn't want to get him something that would be insulting, somehow. A little asking around, and she figured something out.

So she approached Sam while he was wandering on the battlements. She held a small box, filled with little dog-shaped cookies. Sweets, she'd discovered, were an acceptable gift for pretty much any occasion. Something humans had in common with the Dalish. And he liked dogs, right? He was Fereldan, wasn't he? Oh, Creators, what if he didn't like dogs--oh, there he was.

"Sam," She smiled at him, holding out the box. "Here, this is for you."

[el_tybs]

He hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him on the battlements, but Beleth always managed to surprise him. More so when she held out a box for him, making the Mage blink curiously at the bow on the top of it. She hadn't- "Thanks, Beleth. You didn't have to," he mutters with a bit of a blush, not sure if he was supposed to open the gift now or wait. Seeing as she was looking at him like she was it would be better just to do it now.

The ribbon is easy enough to pull off, wrapping it around his hand so he doesn't lose it, before peering into the box. At first he simply tilts his head when he sees the shapes, but after a few moments he grins, reaching into the box to pull out the dog shaped treat. It's amusing to say the least, knowing Beleth was probably trying to get him something that reminded him of home.

Taking a testing bite, he grins before holding the box towards her. "Want one?"

16th~

[kallian_endris]

Kallian had a small basket in her arms covered in a cloth. The smell of freshly-baked goods wafted from it.

She spied Sam, and shyly approached.
"I made muffins for all the healers working here so hard... Would you like one?" she offered.

Do you know the muffin man?

[el_tybs]

It's the smell of freshly baked food that catches his attention first, as well as a few others, that has Sam turning in Kallian's direction at first. Course once he sees her, Sam can't help but grin a bit when she comes up.

"I don't think I could say 'no' if I wanted to. They smell really good. What kind did you make?"