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

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"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."

"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.

"I've no idea. They all looked pretty big to me when they came swooping in and attacked the camp."

He'd been far enough away that all he'd gotten was an impression of great big shapes and chaos, but given the aftermath, he could say with certainty that swooping was bad when it came to those beasties.

"They did a number on one end of the camp, and we...well, there's no good way to say it. Not everyone got out of it alright. But if you've fought them before, I'd imagine you'd know what they can do."

"Maker's Breath!" She paused, gaping at him.

She couldn't imagine anything more terrifying than dragons sweeping down to attack innocent people. She pressed her lips together, her brown eyes flashing grief and a little bit of anger.

"Those poor people... and yes, I know. Fire raining down from the sky." She shivered slightly.

"Aye, well, these ones used ice. At least one of them did, anyway."

Still, it was hard to miss that mix of emotions they flashed across her face, and an echo of it showed in his own, only his was followed by a distinct look of determination.

"We'll soon sort them out, though. It's the least we can do for the families that've lost some of their own." He sighed, then, and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I'd not meant to upset you. It's just- well. Think I liked it better when they were just stories."

"Terrifying ... the only thing I hate more than dragons are darkspawn. Quickly followed by Qunari." A pause, then a firm, "Actual Qunari. Not the Valshoth or the Tal Valshoth, although I've had my fair issues with the Tal Valshoth who are out of control."

This time, she was the one that was comforting, "Don't worry about it -- there's more than enough heartache to go around. That's why it's so important to try to find joy as well. Life has to balance out, you know."

Given what he'd heard about darkspawn, he couldn't really say that he blamed her. Or the actual Qunari as well, although he was still a little unclear on a lot to do with the Qun. He knew Korrin was Valshoth, though, and everything he'd seen of them has led him to believe they're good sorts. Bethany making that distinction between the three was a good thing, and he got her meaning well enough.

The comment about joy, on the other hand, got him to raise his eyebrows ever so slightly, because he hadn't exactly expected to hear something like that, given their conversation. Still...maybe he could stand to change the topic a little and move on from the darker things. That and he was maybe a bit curious about what she'd meant, now.

"So what sorts of joy would you recommend, then? Just out of curiosity."

You would have to be from Kirkwall, honestly, to understand how terrifying the Qunari were. After everything she had seen? Dragons almost seemed like a dim third.

"Well ... I usually like the simple small things. Taking Gamlen on a walk. The smell of fresh baked things from the oven. Going to the garden, to listen to the children laugh and play. Going to the tavern and hearing everyone sing some sort of bawdy song." She gave him a warm smile. "Try to find something that lifts your heart, just for a moment. And then find that something as often as possible."

"Ah, so that's your wee friend's name, then."

Unless there was someone else she took on walks, that is, but given he'd run into her in the way he had, it was a reasonable guess in his end. While he'd rather take a dog out hunting rather than on a simple walk, he supposed he could see where other people might just like the walk better. And the rest of it he could see as well, although he couldn't quite resist from giving her a teasing sort of grin in response to her comment about the tavern.

"Although are you sure you'd want to hear bawdy songs over and and over? Seems to me someone'd notice you listening that many times."

"He is. Named after a very dear uncle of mine, who has something of the same, tragic face."

She dimpled at that, before she laughed at the thought. Honestly most people didn't really notice Bethany. It was a trick she had learned a long time ago, how to fade in with the common folk. Get along well enough with everyone, and you were just 'Beth girl', which was the reputation she was gaining in the tavern itself.

"I hear enough bawdy songs on the road. I'll get quite the feather in my cap if i learn some new ones."

He'd heard of dogs resembling their owners before, but them resembling their owner's uncles was a new one, and his eyebrows wound up arching up a bit, then stayed there as she got into a bit more detail about why she wanted to hear more of that particular type of song. But that faint grin stuck around, too.

"Ohhh, I see. So you're looking to give the people you travel with a wee bit of a surprise, then? Well, seems to me you've got more than one way to find out those songs, then."

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

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