faderift | [Open] [I can move mountains, move mountains.. ]

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[Open] [I can move mountains, move mountains.. ]

WHO: Bethany Hawke and You
WHAT: Exploring the Inquisition
WHEN: The next few days of Wintermarch
WHERE: The garden, the tavern, the courtyard, the library.
NOTES: Content warnings, OOC notes, links to other relevant posts, etc.

The first thing Bethany did after arriving at Skyhold?

A bath. A beautiful, long hot bath where she soaked with nice soap and some sort of fancy oil and just ... cleansed herself from about a week's worth of sand and dirt. After that though, well.

Bethany used to be the sort of person who would keep to the edges to not be noticed. Kept herself hidden, to keep herself from being taken to a Circle. Her family went through such risks to keep her free - keeping her head down seemed to be a small sacrifice to make.

Now, nine years - almost ten! - years a Warden and she still observed quietly from the background. Yet now, she would step forward. Move more boldly, with more confidence and a great deal more poise. She also, as she had been apt to do even in her days in Kirkwall, stopped to help people.

So there you will find her, all around Skyhold, quietly soaking up everything, or chatting happily with someone as she helps them carry firewood or food out to the hungry troops training in the yard. The first thing you will know is that smile - dimples and bright, and completely unfeigned. Who knows, maybe it's just pointing at you.

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Smile, meet other smile. Merrill is simply looking around when she catches the flash of teeth, dimples and brown hair; she's smiling back automatically when her mind catches up to her reflexes, and then she's not smiling at all. No, she's beaming, and Merrill is darting over in the next second to wrap her in a hug.

"Bethany! Oh, it's been ages-!"

Or close enough. Too long, at any rate, and Merrill remains horribly glad that Anders was able to help Bethany survive and join the Wardens, even if she had to leave Kirkwall after.

"When did you get here?"

Now that Korrin has returned and assembled her spirit blade, she's taking as much time as she can to get accustomed to it before heading back out. Keeping her distance from the regular troops, she goes through her practice sets, learning how it feels to wield a sword instead of a staff. The balance is entirely different, but not an insurmountable obstacle, and she seems to enjoy the challenge if her time spent there is any indication. A lot of her training is repetitive, working through the same motions over and over until she gets them right, her spirit blade winking in and out of existence as needed.

Bethany smiles at the dark-haired Dalish elf with the big green eyes and the soft look about her that's both endearing and makes you want to just protect her - waitaminute.

She lets out a happy noise, as Merrill's hug is returned with interest and she squeezes her friend back.

"Merrill! Maker, it is so good to see you!" She leans back, scanning over her friend, "All right, two ears, two hands, two feet, ten fingers and ... yes, not wearing boots, ten toes."

She gave her another impulsive hug. It was almost like coming home. "Not long ago, a day. I arrived with my friend Nathaniel."

Bethany has just brought out a platter of sandwiches for said soldiers, beaming even as they thank her quizzically (Wardens bringing sandwiches?). She is putting the platter back, heading back up to Skyhold proper when she is faced by

A

Qunari

With a glowing blade.

She immediately grabs for her staff, her body moving automatically to defensive stance as she raises her hand to pull down the Maker's Fury -- when she notices three things.

One, the Qunari isn't even looking at her.

Two, that Qunari is a woman.

Three ... that's a magical blade.

So instead of pulling a spell, Bethany just gawks.

It's not an unusual sight to see Ellana jogging up to someone in Skyhold who is carrying a burden and offer to help them with it. If it's something she can lift with her own two arms, she'll do it. She can also lift boulders and scaffolding with magic, but with most of the direly needed repairs to Skyhold already done, there hasn't been need of her services there.

Seeing the woman carrying firewood, Ellana comes over with a friendly smile. She's been learning from Morrigan how to deal with people who don't take kindly to elves or mages, so some of her apprehension on meeting new people has slipped away. She'll be nice and if others are mean, she'll cut them down to size, as Morrigan said to.

"Hello. Would you like some help carrying all that?"

Rather proud of her progress, Korrin pauses and grins, admiring the blade for a moment longer before letting it vanish. Straightening, she wipes her brow, and that's when something in the corner of her vision catches her attention. Glancing over at the new Warden in a defensive stance, her smile doesn't fade any. Her practice session wasn't perfect, but it'd gone well enough that she's not embarrassed about having had an audience.

"Which is it, the horns or the blade? Or both?" Yeah, she's used to human gawking for one reason or another. At this point, it doesn't faze her at all.

Bethany turns with her arms filled with wood, and beams at the young elven woman who came to help her. Gracious, she thought she would drop them on her own feet here after a moment. "Yes, oh thank you! The healers said they needed more wood for the fires, and all the soldiers are busy so I said I would make a run..."

She put about three or four logs off the top into Ellana's hands, laughing a little, as she shifted a little so her staff would stop banging her between the shoulder blades. "And of course, ended up loading myself down. Come on, this way."

A pause, before she shook her head, "Maker, my manners. I'm Bethany Hawke, who am I thanking again?"

Bethany inhaled, deeply, before standing up straight with her staff in one hand. She leaned back a little, giving the Qunari woman a long look before answering with a wry grin.

"I'm going to say the blade, and the gender. I've never seen a female Qunari before, much less a mage." Her gaze goes back to the blade, "I've never seen anything like that before - is that made of spiritual energy?"

That's better. If the woman was going to attack, she would have done it already, but Korrin's happier with not having a staff directed her way. "I'm a Vashoth, actually. Never lived under the Qun. I don't care about being called qunari as much, but I'm passing on the distinction because some of my kind here are touchy about that."

At mention of the blade, she summons it again and holds it out so that Bethany can have a look...only a look, though, she's not offering the hilt. "A spirit blade hilt has a bound wisp essence that will weave mana into a blade of solid magic, one that will disappear and reappear at will and never break. It's what Knight-Enchanters use; staff in one hand, spirit blade in another."

Well, now Bethany has learned something new. Several somethings - she knew that Tal Vashoth were the mercenaries who lived out on the outskirts of Kirkwall, giving into their primal rage and killing whomever they came across. Qunari who did not grow up under the Qun were simply called Vashoth and -- did not seem that violent or stern-faced. "Well, greetings to you, Vashoth. Sorry, I'm from Kirkwall and it's something of a gut reaction now. I'll get over it though. As my father always said - judge the individual and their actions, never the group."

She offered a grin, as she stepped forward to inspect, not touch, the blade, swinging her own Warden staff out of the way so she could take a closer look. "Fascinating -- look, it pulsates quietly. You can feel the spirtual energy off of it."

Edited 2016-01-23 16:15 (UTC)

Helping the healers isn't something Ellana often does, because she feels she'll get in the way. It's better to just let them work and stay back. But wood for fires? That, she specialized in. Back in the clan, the furthest she was allowed to wander was in the nearby woods, looking for dead fall.

"Ellana Ashara," she replies, the name 'Bethany Hawke' registering to her as someone Varric's written about. "Have you just arrived? I don't recall seeing you before, but it is a big place."

Bethany's talents had spread far, and she had solid healing spells, but she was no Circle trained healer herself. Yet whatever she could do, she would do to help those suffering.

"A pleasure, Ellana. What a pretty name! Sounds like poetry." She smiled again, glancing over at her, "Oh, yes, I just arrived a day ago with my friend Nathaniel. We'd been traveling for ... quite some time to get here." By going to one end of Thedas and then all the way to the other. "I have to admit I spent my first day here bathing, and sleeping."

Mention of Kirkwall has her grimacing briefly as she nods, completely understanding now. "Ah, Kirkwall. That explains a lot. What those assholes did there will set back any chance the rest of us have to live there or at least pass through without incident...as I recently found out. And I'm Korrin...Korrin Ataash, a member of the mage council."

She's finally learning to integrate that into her greetings, though referring to her actual title will take some time.

Staring at the blade with no small amount of pride, she nods. "For what I had to go through, we'd better. Wisp essences are easiest found in the Fallow Mire, and that Maker-forsaken bog is good for practically nothing else. It was worth it to begin this training, though. I was surprised enough that Lady Vivienne agreed to it, given that I've never been part of the Circles."

The fire's dying down. It's a minor nuisance, but someone was supposed to have brought more wood earlier, and the fact that he's got a patient means Anders can't go fetch more. Or go looking to see if the person assigned to do the task tripped on something hidden under the snow and needed healing. At least he's not the only healer here, though. That's a nice change.

He brings up a wisp to provide a little more light as he finishes making sure he's got everything out of the nasty scrape on his patient's back, frowning in focus. There's someone approaching by the time he's finishing up and patting the patient on the shoulder, telling them he can leave, and Anders gets up and turns to see a smile that he's not altogether sure he wanted to see. The firewood in her arms, yes. Her? Is every single person he knew from Kirkwall going to be showing up in Skyhold?

She gives Korrin a wry smile - she understands. She's a mage after all, and after saying she's from Kirkwall and Fereldan most people would give her a side-ways look of terror. She offered her hand out. "Bethany Hawke. Grey Warden, mage, and part of ... no council, actually."

She leaned on her own staff, nodding her head with approval, "It's a fine weapon - and you wield it well." The Fallow Mire - why did that sound familiar? "That's in the farthest South of Fereldan, is it not? Fishing communities and the like. I didn't know they had wisps there." One eyebrow arched, "Why shouldn't she? Just because a mage isn't brought up in a circle doesn't mean she hasn't got the skills or the talent to handle a certain scope of magic. It's not where you were trained, it was how you were trained."

The tent all the way at the far end of the camp, and while Bethany managed not to trip, thank the Maker, she was fairly slowed by the bundle of wood she was carrying with her. When she entered the tent, she bit her lip as she looked at the blonde healer with his back to her, taking care of the wound on a soldier's back.

Instead, she went immediately over to the fire, and started to feed it a few logs, keeping her back politely turned while the patient dressed. Only then did she rise and speak, juggling the last few logs and smiling bright, "I'm sorry about the delay -- I had to make a few trips to get the wood for every ... "

The logs slipped out of her grasp as she stared at the man in front of her. A man who had saved her life and then turned around years later and destroyed all of Kirkwall. Blood drained from her face, before her jaw tightened and her golden brown eyes flashed. She stepped over the logs, stepped lightly over to him, lifting her hand and SLAP -- smacked him as hard as she could.

Then while he was gathering his wits about him, her face broken down into tears as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his shoulder as she sobbed, "Oh ... you ... you ... stupid, careless ... IDIOT."

"Oh, thank you. I don't think I've ever heard anyone call it that before. But you make it sound like it's romantic. I like that." She can't help but have a heart designed to love romantic tales.

Ellana giggles at Bethany's confession, but nods her head in complete understanding. "I can believe that. There is nothing like those two things to soothe a person after a long journey."

Letting the spirit blade fade out, Korrin slips the handle back to his place at her hip before clasping Bethany's hand firmly. The compliment brings out her smile easily, a stark contrast to the perma-scowls of the Qunari in Kirkwall. Not that it lasts at mention of the Fallow Mire, one of the places she's certain Thedas would be better off without.

"Well. It used to be a fishing community. Now it's more a haven for walking corpses than anything else. The Veil's shredded so badly there. I've traveled all over Thedas and it might just be the worst region yet." F minus, would not recommend. "You're preaching to the choir, you know. As for my teacher, Lady Vivienne is one of those Loyalist mages, who wants the Circle back just as it was. It makes no sense to me, but luckily she's also the pragmatic sort that realizes we need as much power at our fingertips as we can get at this time."

Oh, well, she'd never seen a Qunari smile before -- so everything the woman was saying must be true. Her lips quirked at the look at the Fallow Mire, but then her expression sobers as Korrin explained how the city was now, "Oh, how sad ... those poor people! I hope some of them got out in time, before they were overrun by demons."

Pleasure flashed over her face, but of course Korrin wouldn't have been in a Circle. She shook her head slightly, "I don't see how she could think anything could ever go back the way it was, after Kirkwall. Life just isn't the same, anymore. Change is happening and ... " She recalled the words of Flemeth, all those years later, "You just have to trust yourself - don't hesitate. Have the courage to leap."

"Well, probably because I am something of a romantic. Used to drive my sister crazy -- she's so pragmatic. Still, it's always nice to imagine your life a little more glamorous." Even as a Grey Warden, she had her moments of pure romantic ideas -- which were usually interrupted by darkspawn, but still.

She grinned at Ellana, tapping her nose with some effort. "Exactly so. Besides, I didn't want to make a bad first impression. Smelling of the road for about a week did not seem appealing."

Even without knowing the source of the words, Korrin still finds herself approving of them wholeheartedly. She nods, expression intent. "I couldn't agree more. Change is rarely pleasant, but it's needed. I'd rather use all this as an opportunity to forge something new. And what we do here will echo elsewhere, so that's even more reason to get it right." As for the Fallow Mire, well. "Some will lived when the Inquisition reached the mire, but they were evacuated. Between demons and Avvar and plague, it just wasn't livable anymore. If it ever really was."

Then 'Hawke' and 'Kirkwall' come together in her mind and she chuckles at her slightly delayed recognition. "Ah, that Bethany! I read Varric's book, and have pestered him with questions during game night. I'm not sure how much is true and how much he exaggerates, though it's all entertaining."

"My best friend is like that," she says, voice fond. "She doesn't want anything to do with love or romance, and she wonders how I can." But that's mainly because Ellana and Atisha were led on by the same man. The two of them just had very different responses to finding out the truth. For Ellana, she guards her heart a little more closely now, but would never lock it away. Atisha locked hers away tight and has been suspicious of everyone and their intentions ever since.

"If only more new arrivals shared your concerns," she jokes. "But eventually they get to it. Perhaps they're too tired to wash."

She looked at Korrin, her lips curving up at the corners a little, before she settled her gaze back on Skyhold. "The Inquisition - leading the path for change. Well, you've already all come farther than most could have dreamed of." She looked back at her, sadness touching her face, "I'm glad that the Inquisition was there for them."

Perhaps that should be something the Wardens should be helping with ... oh Bethany, old arguments ready to be argued again? Well, maybe. Maybe it was time.

One corner of her mouth lifted up as the facts clicked together -- sooner or later everyone had that look on their face, "Yes, that Bethany -- but I prefer Bethany." Then she stopped, her brown eyes widening, "... Is Varric - is he here?"

Edited 2016-01-24 13:29 (UTC)

"Well, that's because we can see ourselves with some dashing so and so sweeping us off our feet. And what's wrong with that? Honestly, I could do with some sweeping." Bethany grinned, dimples flashing, as they walked across the bridge again.

She laughed at Ellana's joke, "Maybe that should be a sign at the door 'You shall not pass, until you bathe.'"

Varric was not, generally speaking, a morning person. He usually woke up with a grudging sort of slowness, and proceeded to be a bit hazy until he'd found a cup of something strong and hot (be it tea or otherwise), and ate something. In Kirkwall, this tendency for slow rising had only ever been a charming quirk and, considering Kirkwall's active nightlife, had never actually hindered his activities. Here, in the ass end of Thedas, where it was always cold and the tea was perpetually stale, Varric's grogginess was something he struggled against and, as such, it took on a hint of perpetual irritation.

His questionable mood cleared quickly enough, of course, like early morning fog burning off in daylight, but it was always there the next day.

When Varric came around to his table, at barely seven in the morning, and found his fireplace lit and a plate of food waiting for him, he was flummoxed, but he lacked the presence of mind to ask questions. In fact, he was still so groggy when he sat down that he didn't even question Bethany's presence at the table, nor why she was in Skyhold at all.

It was quite possible he hadn't yet remembered they were in Skyhold.

"Morning, Sunshine," Varric mumbled in the friendly but woebegone tone of someone who wanted, quite desperately, to climb back in bed but couldn't. He dropped himself into his chair and, as he picked up a piece of warm bread, shot a bleary stare at Bethany.

It lasted for several seconds before his brow furrowed with visible confusion.

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[Open] [I can move mountains, move mountains.. ]

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