[OPEN] Seeking faith, and speaking words I never thought I'd say..

[sunshinethroughgrey]

WHO: Bethany Hawke, and You
WHAT: Bethany Hawke spending time spreading a little of what Marian had on tap; hope.
WHEN: Second Week of Guardian
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Pick your poison time

1. In the Courtyards/Gardens

Since the rift opening in the middle of the courtyard, Bethany had been helping by moving some of the heavier rubble with her magic, to assist with the rebuilding efforts. She wanted to help, in some small way, and she also wanted to make sure people saw magic being used to help them instead of hurt them. The mages here had gotten a lot of graff for things that were frankly in Bethany's opinion, out of their control.

So why not do something kind, that was in their control?

She could also be seen walking perhaps the ugliest black and white dog you have ever seen, who she fondly calls Gamlen, through the garden and in the open Skyhold Courtyard.

2. In the Library/Out in the practice ranges

As a Grey Warden, one really never stopped training. There were still endless darkspawn both above and below the earth. Yet while here, Bethany had found, at first, no reason to be training as vigorously. She found her mistake there when the rift opened in the middle of the courtyard, so now she put in a few hours every day in the library, working on learning more magic.

She... may have found a few volumes on griffons, and snuck in some reading when she could.

Out on the training ranges though - she went through the motions of different spells without actually casting them, her eyes closed and her movements smooth and even. She had learned this from her father - a way to help meditate and focus - creating more personal mana for herself and helping her pinpoint her spells even more directly. Sometimes she practiced with her staff, but more often than not, without.

Did she worry about Templars? Absolutely not. She was a Warden, and the Circles were no more. She had no more fear of them than she would anyone with a sword that she did not know personally.

3. The Herald's Rest

Bethany's evenings were spent in the Herald's Rest, sitting with a mug of mead and her balls of yarn, peacefully knitting. She would always welcome anyone to her table with a warm smile, and will chat with just about anyone about anything - except she did keep it silent on just why there were so many Wardens appearing.

She would also sit in on Wicked Grace and lose on a regular basis, sometimes horribly, but it was universally acknowledged that she didn't have a good poker face. Or a face that could easily lie, either.

Mostly though, she stayed aside and observed quietly, knitting needles clacking away as she soaked in everyone around her. A habit she picked up when traveling with Marian, and one that was doing her quite well here.

Comments

[kallian_endris]

The small elf watched for a while as she did some work around the courtyard, trying to salvage herbs and make sure no one was hurt. But the mage there, a Grey Warden, it would seem, caught her attention.

After a while, she shyly approached.
"Do you need any help?" Kallian offered shyly, "Perhaps a cup of water?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany was lifting up some rubble from where a demon smashed into a wall, and putting it back into place carefully. Then she held it in place, while the dwarven builders went to put mortar into place to keep it there.

She gave them a thumbs up as they told her to let go, then turned towards the girl standing there. She flashed her a warm smile, as she dabbed at her forehead. "I could definitely use some help, and water would be delightful as well. Where can I find it?"

[kallian_endris]

"I can bring you some from the tent supply. It's no trouble." Kallian dashed over to the healing tents and brought back a cup of water moments later.

"Here you are," she said, presenting it to Bethany. She glanced at the walls. "What sort of help do you need?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Oh, I - " She smiles a little helplessly as the girl dashes off, but she accepts the water graciously. "Thank you so much, I appreciate it."

"Well, the smaller the item, the harder it is for me to hold into place. There are these pathways here, lined with stones?" She flashed a smile, "Want to help me pretty this place up a little?"

[kallian_endris]

"I would be happy to do my best. Where would you like me to start?" she asks brightly.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Perfect, thank you so much!" Bethany gave her a warm smile, before she nodded towards the grand staircase. "The healing tents are right over here ... I think of we neatened up this general area it would help a great deal."

She rolled up her sleeves a little, eying the piles of rubble. "If I pull them out, do you think you could nudge them into place for a small wall?"

[kallian_endris]

"It would help if we weren't tripping over things trying to help the patients," Kallian admitted.

She looked over the rocks.
"I can try. I'm not that strong, but these are pretty small..."

1

[clarioretenebris]

Bowhannon was not much for hard labor, not that he wasn't a hard worker per se, but everyone specialized in something. Still, he wasn't beyond offering refreshment or sitting on the sidelines and doling out positive reinforcement, which he offered to everyone equally. He had little reserves when it came to mages...mages were people--and people had things like knowledge, connections, and money.

"Has anyone told you, you're doing a fabulous job?" He praised, offering her a slight bow.

Re: 1

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany swept her hand up, to rebuild the roof, holding it into place while the dwarves moved in to hammer things into place. She shifted her wrist slightly, and then stepped back while they continued to put things firmly back where they belonged.

The compliment caught her off-guard, as she turned towards the man sitting there, offering her a slight bow. She would have flushed, but she had seen the man complimenting everyone working on fixing things, so she curtsied instead with a quick smile. "Not until now. But I'll take the compliment graciously and with appreciation."

[clarioretenebris]

Bohannon had been very complimentary today, considering one caught more flies with honey... although one could also catch plenty of flies with manure as well, but one was preferable to the other. He also believed in the power of positive reinforcement, people worked better, especially together, if they received some form of recognition for their hard work... and this was a good way to learn more about the Inquisition and the needs here.

"They ought to, the battle was intense for those involved," he was more of an interested observer, "but restoring things in the aftermath is no small order. Can I get you anything? Wine, water? Something to eat?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Well, Bethany certainly would never argue with that. Encouragement did seem to help people follow a better path, work harder and more sincerely than they would have before. She herself did appreciate the compliment, but she didn't need it.

"That it was." She stated, with the knowledge of someone who had been there, "So it is equally important for us to make peace with what happened, rebuild what has been lost." It was more than just a few walls - it was the feeling of safety within them. She shook her head at most of it, "Just water. Food and wine are for after the job is completed. And thank you, for your kindness."

[clarioretenebris]

Fortunately Bowhannon's compliments were free, one of the few things among his wares that was so in fact and so he was very generous with them.

"And it seems that the hold isn't the only thing that is being rebuilt," cooperation often fostered feelings of civility, if not friendship. Perhaps that was the point? "Water it is then, it's the least I can do."

As he said as much he presented her with a water pouch, complete with water, "I suppose this is as good a time as any for introductions. Bowhannon."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"I see no need for people to fear magic, when it's being used to help them instead of hurt them. You know, magic is meant to serve man and never rule over him? I decided to take it in a public service route." She flashed her dimples in thanks, as she took the water skin from him.

A swallow, then two, and she wiped her mouth delicately, before she tipped her head in greeting, "Bethany Hawke. A pleasure to meet you."

/slides in 15 minutes late with tasty but expensive coffee

[wontforgetyou]

When the chance comes for Jamie to come back from Emprise Du Lion on a supply run, there's no hesitation before he decides to take it. Having left so soon after that mess with the rift means he's had no real chance to check in on some of the people who've stayed behind - or see how the repairs are going, for that matter.

It's while he's in the middle of doing the latter when he happens across Bethany out walking a wee...well, it could be a dog. He's not entirely sure, but whatever it is, it's one of the ugliest beasties he's ever seen. Why she has it, he has no idea, but he decides to just go with it, lifting his hand to give her a friendly wave.

"Hullo there! Is it safe to come over and talk, or will yon beastie have something to say about it?"

Re: /slides in 15 minutes late with tasty but expensive coffee

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Gamlen lifted his flat little face, and growled at Jamie, but Bethany just coo'd at the puppy and beamed at Jamie, gesturing for him to come and join her. "He's all bark, no bite. Don't mind him, he's just a sweet puppy, aren't you Gamlen?"

Her tone never took on baby talk, but Gamlen waved his feathery little tail happily and barked at her heels. She looked up at Jamie, tilting her head slightly. "Well you're looking much better than the last time I saw you, I must say. How are things in Emprise du Lion?"

[wontforgetyou]

"Aye, well, I've not got a demon trying to shred me into pieces for one," he commented dryly, eyeing Gamlen somewhat speculatively before making his way across the courtyard. He wasn't about to let a growl bother him, especially since it seemed Bethany had things well in hand.

Once he'd fallen into step with the pair of them, he tucked his hands into the pockets of the jacket he was wearing. It wasn't as cold here as it was in Emprise, but there was still a definite chill to the air. The faint spark of dry humor that had surfaced for a moment faded away, replaced by a more somber expression.

"Could be better, to tell you the truth. We've made some progress with helping the people there, but there's a long way to go yet with repairing things and pushing back those...I think they're calling them red templars? There's more of them than we'd thought, and that's not the only thing that's turned up since we've gotten there."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"That is always an improvement on everyone's day." Was Bethany's response, with a wry grin, as she shoo'd Gamlen off to another bush. She looked over at him, tilting her head at him with quiet interest. Clearly, he had something serious to say.

A sober nod, "Yes, I've been seeing the reports ... " She arched an eyebrow at him, "So what else have you found?"

[wontforgetyou]

"Dragons."

If she's been reading the reports, then she likely knows about this already, but there's still a moment where he watches her, a little curious to see what her reaction is to the world. It doesn't stop him from going on, though.

"Once we've gotten a way over to where we think they are, I've a feeling there's a fair few of us who are going to want to take care of them so they'll no longer be a problem."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Dragons! Really? Ugh, I've fought dragons." She made a face at that, shaking her head. "The smaller ones or the larger ones? Either way, you're right. They are far, far too much of a problem in Thedas."

She still has nightmares about the Bone Pit.

In the Library

[flamen_turbulentum]

Any regular at the library is bound to catch Vergil's notice eventually. Doubly so if that someone is a young lady, and trebly should that young lady be a mage. The lean, darkly clad cleric spends as much time people-watching in the library as he does reading, though he usually has some book or other propped up before him, a useful cover for his interpersonal espionage.

It's not until he spies Bethany's covert studies that he takes more active measures. Surmising the subject by its place in the library's larger organization, he does a touch of background research himself before making his approach, his long lamplit shadow falling over her reading as he leans in to glance over her shoulder.

"Are you the one who's been swooping in to snatch up the griffonic texts?" he inquires, smiling slantedly, "I keep looking for them, only to find naught but stirred dust and an empty spot on the shelf. Are you a scholar on the subject?"

Re: In the Library

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany was leaning her cheek against her palm, as she studiously read one page after another, occasionally turning to the parchment next to her, write a few tightly written but delicately simple notes. She feels the other's presence just as his shadow falls over her book, before she tipped her chin up at him.

"I might be. Then again, I might have more a direct interest than anyone else." She said, quirking one dimple at him. "And if you want to borrow them - you can feel free to ask?"

[flamen_turbulentum]

"Ah- whereas I am a dilettante who merely wishes to admire some fine illustrations of a vanished wonder," Vergil says, "no wonder you got to them first. The Maker was well aware that they belonged in your capable hands."

Closer to her now than he's ever been, he surveys Bethany's profile, taking in her dark hair and fine features, a youthful energy underwritten by something deeper and darker. Something Vergil cannot quite put his finger on. His curiosity, already naturally rambunctious, is piqued.

"Far be it from me to get between an expert and her work," he says, with a short huff of a laugh, "that said- which volume has had the most gorgeously illuminated pages?"

He bows his head, a perfectly clerical gesture of humility, and one quite at odds with the slyness of his smile.

"For a spiritual man, I confess to a certain weakness for the delights of the eye. Beauty... affects me."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"I would never call a scholar who is curious about mythical wonders a dilettante. If I did that, I would have to rename most of my best friends that." She grinned a little more deeply, "That would just be rude."

So, this is now a familiar face, now that she has a chance to look at it. A Chantry brother, if she recalled, and someone who seemed to ... argue with other Chantry brothers and sisters quite a bit. Or rather, he smiled at them and they argued more.

"That would be this particular volume." She said, pushed that particular book towards him, before her dimples flashed at that sly smile.

"I would have to say that a Chantry brother is also allowed to be moved by beautiful things."

[flamen_turbulentum]

Her emphasis does not go unnoticed, and a gleam in Vergil's eyes betrays his appreciation. He's not just dealing with a scholar, nor even just a mage, but a wit! And a wit with such dimples...

"Ah! but I'm called to contemplate the eternal, while beauty is so often ephemeral," Vergil opines. "Spring flowers and summer fruits, like youth, pass into sombre autumn. Though of course, that only makes one want to treasure the beauty one finds all the more-"

Nimble fingers, obviously more accustomed to books than to blades or staves, open up the offered volume, thumb carefully riffling through vellum sheets until he sees a telltale flash of pigment. He opens to the page, ostensibly to admire the handiwork within. It is a fine thing, and probably quite valuable, with a dark blue tint and gold leaf decorating making for a vivid night sky that is still but a backdrop for a striking rendition of a griffon eyrie, its feathered inhabitants rendered in proud profile that, while almost certainly not to scale, makes for a far more striking rendition. It's rightfully eye-catching, but it competes with Bethany, who is proving all the more fascinating upon close.

"-while one has the chance."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Color her absolutely amused, at this gentleman and of course, at herself. Who does she get flirted with? A Chantry brother.

"Can you not find beauty in the eternal majesty that is Andraste's gifts to the world? Even if they are fleeting, they are something to behold. Even if they pass their prime all too quickly." She smiles again, before she looks down to the page that he paused at. A wistful look passes her face.

To see such creatures again, to find something the world has lost ...

"I always hope to see something new and beautiful, every day. Most days, I am fortunate enough to be blessed."