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WHO: Shepard and OPEN
WHAT: Shepard arrives at Skyhold
WHEN: Morning
WHERE: Courtyard
NOTES: None!

Shepard had ended up taking the trip to Skyhold with a couple of pilgrims. They were married, and childless, and they wanted to devote their lives o the cause of Andraste's lost herald. It had been a good journey because she had ensured they made it to the castle in one piece and they had made sure she was fed. Upon arriving they parted ways. The couple were going to work in the kitchens or stables, but she was something entirely different.

She had her own armor and a massive two-handed sword strapped to her back. She looked like a woman who could handle herself.

"So," she said to the nearest person. "Where can I sign up to fight for the Inquisition?"

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The question isn't directed at him, but that voice catches his attention as he passes by, walking from the stables to the keep. He doesn't stop right away, slowing his gait as he peers over at the new arrivals, but when a certain flash of red-hair catches his eye he stops.

"No-" he mutters to himself, changing his route and moving in closer. Sure enough when he comes closer there is the familiar armor and the ridiculous sword on her back.

"Shepard?"

Garrus has one of those voices that is impossible to mistake. It's deep and lovely and Shepard could listen to him talk for days. When he says her name she turns towards it. Her face lights up and she opens her arms a bit.

"Garrus!" she says, pleased to see him. She says thanks to the person she was speaking to and then leaves them to go closer to her friend.

Maker be damned, it was her. Everything about her from the red hair to the armor to the way her face lit up was unmistakable.

"Well ain't it a small world," he says with a bit of a grin, head tilting ever so slightly, stopping just at arms length. "It's been awhile."

She reaches out a hand to take his, just grasping onto him for a moment. "It has," she agrees. "What are you doing here? I didn't take you for religious causes."

She's not one for religion either, but she's not talking about herself here.

A firm grip just as always. "Didn't you know? Religious causes are my specialty." He still cannot get over that she's here, but even so it feels like it hasn't been all that long since the last they met. "Probably the same reason as you. Giant hole in the sky, demons... course it's brought in several mercs here."

She nods at that and grows solemn for a moment. "You join up with their military or are you freelancing?"

"Freelance. Jump through the same hoops, follow the same orders, but pretty much until everything is taken care of. Unless they have a pretty damn good offer when this is all said and done."

She nods a bit at that. "How's it treating you?" she asks, curious about how he's been since they last saw each other.

"Quite fairly to be honest. There are definitely power struggles and the same issues as anywhere else... I would be more comfortable if they were more organized rather than just a bunch of groups feeling like they were slapped together and told to play nice. They're doing more than other though and actually fixing problems.

And what about you, Shepard? What have you been up to?" he asks, raising a brow at the warrior.

Shepard feels a little disappointed at news that the Inquisition is just like anywhere else, though she isn't sure why. Most organizations get the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

"I've been fighting off demons where I can, but there's not much you can do if you can't deal with the Rifts. That's why I'm here. I heard they have a way to seal them."

Yeah, not much use fighting the demons if the rifts kept spewing more, that was for sure. "Seems like they do. Apparently demons aren't the only things coming out of those rifts." He pauses for a moment, looking out into the courtyard before looking back to Jane. "There's been people coming through them, from other lands. They get these green shards or other in their hands because of it. Allows them to close them rifts."

"People?" she asks. "You sure they're real people and not just an illusion caused by a demon?" She will believe him if he tells her their real but she has to ask.

"Well if they're illusions they're pretty real. I've touched a couple." Can you believe it? "I guess the Inquisition has already figured that they aren't demons a while back? But for the most part, yeah they're real people. Humans, elves, a hobbit..."

"What by Andraste's tits is a 'hobbit?'" she asks. Now she's almost certain he's pulling her leg and making up words to do it.

"I'm still not quite so sure, but it's smaller than a dwarf. It also went around bare foot." No wonder the guy had needed to borrow some blankets.

"I guess it's good that the castles on a hot spring then," Shepard said and then chuckled a bit. "Unless you're just pulling my leg."

"As much fun as that is, Jane, I am not shitting you on this. If you're not going to believe me, feel free to ask around for Samwise." At least he's hoping he's not pulling her leg, and that others do know about this hobbit. If no one else did then he might get worried.

"I just might," she responds with a smirk on her face. "Though I suppose I can believe you just this once."

"Only this once? Ouch. I see our time apart hasn't softened those low blows, Shepard." He only ever told the truth. ~~That was a lie.~~

"I'm still happy to see you, give me some time to settle into it."

"You hit harder when you're settled," he points out, laughing a bit. The best way to deal with Jane sometimes was to keep her on her toes so that she didn't have an advantage.

"You would be bored if I didn't," she replied easily, teasing him just a bit.

"True, but also a lot less bruised," he teases right back, hands settling on his hips as he shakes his head a bit.

Korrin's on her way to work out some excess energy near the training dummies, inexplicably and annoyingly unable to sleep in that morning. She notes pilgrims, but they usually give her a wide berth; whether it's the horns or the staff on her back that cause them to keep their distance more, who knows. So it's to her surprise when she's directly addressed, and she raises her eyebrows. Though upon seeing the armor and greatsword, it makes a little more sense.

"In your case? You'll want to talk with Commander Cullen. I'd say it's a bit early to head to his office, but from what the scouts say I have doubts he ever sleeps. It's...." She turns to point, then shrugs. "Eh, it's easier to just show you."

Shepard doesn't seem to mind the horns too much. The way she looks at Korrin is no different than how she would look at any other person.

"Lead the way," she says, and she almost seems pleased to be following after Korrin.

That's good enough for her, and she responds with a small smile, turning away from the training dummies. Talking to someone new is more interesting than repeated drills, anyway. She'll get to those soon enough.

"I'm Korrin, mercenary mage of the Valo-Kas. I've been a part of things since Haven, so while I'm not an expert on everything, I ought to be able to answer most questions you have."

Shepard seems a little pleased by that. "I'll keep that in mind," she says, and she actually seems to be happy with the idea of talking more with Korrin. "What's your impression of... all of this?" she asks, because she imagines Korrin has very little reason to fluff up the truth.

She doesn't, and Korrin glances around as they continue. "The Inquisition has a lot of potential...if it can get its shit together. Mages and non-humans have more acceptance here than they do anywhere else. If we're successful, that example might spread. But there's a lot of tension between us at the Templars still, not to mention now tension directed at shardbearers. We had a rift open up -inadvertently- in Skyhold, and that's frayed a lot of nerves."

Shepard's eyes widened a bit. "I heard the shardbearers can close Rifts. Does that mean they can open them too?" That sounds... really bad actually. But it wasn't like you could blame a person for something they might not have full control of yet.

Harding's occupied, busy arranging the contents of several crates that eventually will be on their way to Emprise du Lion. Supplies, weapons, dried wood, herbs, blankets, research materials; just about anything could make its way into a box. The crates in question were full to bursting, and how they were going to get them out of Skyhold and let alone down into the valleys below was another question for another time. She's not so occupied enough that she doesn't notice Shepard's entry, however - hard to miss someone walking through the gates who had some ability. It's not an uncommon question, to ask to sign up to the Inquisition, but many are new to it, untrained, untested - it saves time, and time is of the essence as Corypheus moved through Thedas.

That's what catches her attention at first, anyway. What keeps it is a furrowed brow, a faint recollection of a face that's been worn by time and the one she's looking upon being different still, an accent she recollects from somewhere. Harding drifts over as the nearest bystander directs the newcomer. There's no need to guess. She remembers, now, even if it's a little like seeing a ghost, a ghost that you never quite believed was dead.

"Shepard," she says, warmly, shaking her head. "Long time."

That voice and the face associated with it isn't one that Shepard had expected to hear and see any time soon. Still, it's not one she would want to avoid. She only has good memories of Harding, impressive ones.

"Lace Harding?" she asks as she sees the woman who comes up to her and returns the greeting with a genuine smile. "Is that you?"

"The very one," Harding smiles properly now, a thousand different recollections she hasn't thought about in years making their way to the forefront of her mind. "Though it is 'Lead Scout' here. Kind of keep my first name quiet."

"Oh, I'll seal my lips on that then, Lead Scout." She easily promises such a thing, since it's not like she goes by her first name much either. She also isn't one to talk about wanting to hide things about your past.

"That's a pretty hefty title isn't it? Did you at least get a pay raise?"

Now that was a voice he hadn't heard for a very long time. A very long time. Back when he was a fresh faced young Warden, less greying round the temples than he had now. But he poked his head out of the stables where he was, looking around for her.

Still carrying that ridiculous sword? Yes. He smirked to himself as he headed out into the courtyard. "You finally made it then, Shepard. Long time no see."

It seems to be the day for her to see people from her past. At least it was people she's happy to see. Kaidan is another friendly face and she seems genuinely pleased to see him.

"Well, it seems all of the best people are here, aren't they?" she teases. "I couldn't miss out on the party." She comes closer and offer her hand. "It's good to see you, Kaidan."

Of all the recent arrivals in Skyhold, Shepard was one that Kaidan was genuinely pleased to see. They'd helped each other in the past, and it was another person around Skyhold Kaidan could trust.

He shook her hand in return. "What can I say? I was just waiting on you all to turn up and join me. Good to see you too, Shepard. How's things?"

"Well, except for the bit where there are these random green lights all over Thedas that spit of demons?" she asks. "I'm alive and managed the trek up here. I'd call that a win?"

He grunted a little at the thought of those random green lights, now that he knew what they were. "Managed to avoid all the pilgrims on route? Where have you come from, anyway?" He knew she'd travelled a lot after the Blight, it was how he'd met her in the first place.

"No actually, I ended up escorting some of them up here." Kaidan probably knew what she meant was that they had told her some sob story about needing a guard and she had traveled free of charge, only accepting a bit of their food as payment. "And I was around. Somewhere in Ferelden if I remember correctly."

Kaidan snorted. He could imagine some of the sob stories that Shepard had been told on the way here. "Well, I suppose here is where all the action is, such as it is at the moment." He might still be a bit bitter that the Wardens were cooling their heels still. "Fair enough. I've been all over, as usual."

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/strolls in late

/replies even later!

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