OPEN: The Loyal Shield

[lifeofendurance]

WHO: Aleron and YOU
WHAT: General Catch All while the Seeker settles in
WHEN: Guardian 24-Drakonis 14
WHERE: Skyhold (varies)
NOTES: Prose or brackets fine. Can also use for any scenes wanted.

It barely takes any time since his arrival for Aleron to resume what has been his daily habits for years now. Being relocated inside the Inquisition fortress has made little difference, beyond a change of scenery. He knows of no other way than the one he's followed most his life. With everything outside the walls in sheer chaos, finding order within his personal habits provides a rock solid foundation to face those challenges.

Chapel
Every morning and evening, before he breaks his fast, before he commits himself to rest, Aleron can be found inside the Chapel, knelt in prayer. He is as earnest in his devotions as he is with the remainder of his life and spends no less than an hour each time praying through sections of the Chant of Light. It is familiar. It is the base of his faith. It is his faith that holds him up, and to neglect it would be unjust in his mind.

Courtyard
During the day, Aleron commits himself to practice and training his weapon skills, though he prefers light leathers to full armor for the exercise. A particularly sharp eye or veteran combatant will note something unusual. He executes moves with precision, clearly well studied, with years of practice. However, he does not excel with the sword, not like a true master or exceptional talent would. Still, every day, he is present in the yard, working on his form, his stance, his skills.

Stables
Most days, he finds his way to the stables, to check after the welfare of his horse he rode into Skyhold. Valiente is a lively mount, but not too aggressive, nor does he seem to mind being quartered with so many others. Weather permitting, Aleron saddles him for a short ride through the mountain passes, enough to keep the horse hale and hearty, but never so much as to risk his health or a broken limb on treacherous footing.

Library
Every afternoon, the Seeker abandons physical pursuits for academic ones. Anyone who's made note of his somber default expression will find him different when engaged in scholarly reading and research. His eyes light as he peruses the shelves, smiles and looks of surprise manifest when he stumbles across some new tidbit of fact or history of which he had previously been unaware. Peculiar to some that a man could become so animated reading titles such as Tales of the Destruction of Thedas or The Essays of Divine Ambrosia II, but his excitement over the material is present and palpable.

Tavern
Of an evening, there is a solitary man seated with a single ale which he nurses slowly. Aleron doesn't engage in games of chance, flirt with the servers, or join in any more raucous singing that happens once the patrons are well in their cups. He sits, listens to the bard, sometimes reads a book, other times a letter. The letters often sit on the table for a considerable length of time while he stares off into the distance, as if deliberating if he wants to open them or not. If the place is crowded, he makes no objections to others joining him.

Comments

[lifeofendurance]

"Of course." He inclines his head in affirmed agreement and steps closer. There is some question of how he is going to assist her without being entirely too forward with a woman he only recognizes in passing, but it would be unchivalrous of him to refuse her. "Perhaps work through your series again and pause just prior to the thrust."

He remains a safe enough distance away that he won't get conked in the process. "I should apologize. I've entirely forgotten an introduction is due. Seeker Darton. And you?" He recognizes a Warden when he sees one, but her identity is a full mystery to him.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She beamed at him, before she nodded and started to push through the series again, going slow so she could catch herself at the thrust to follow through on his advice.

As she was swinging the staff, she tilted her chin towards him. "Warden Bethany Hawke, Seeker. A pleasure to meet you."

[lifeofendurance]

"Hawke? The Hawke from Kirkwall?" Wait a moment. Some of that doesn't compute. Aleron is fairly certain the Champion was not a Warden. A relative, perhaps?

Hadn't Ravonild written all a-flutter about something to do with the Amells and a party and what someone wore? Maker, she writes so much of that inane drivel, he hadn't thought to pay it any mind. It makes his head hurt trying to sift through decades of boring intrigues and changes in lady's fashions in her correspondence to remember the details. Worse now that for once it might have mattered for him to have paid attention to his sister.

But, he still has his manners, especially now that he's got an inkling he's just offered to instruct someone terribly important. "The pleasure is all mine, my lady."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She gives him a sympathetic look. Ah, another hero worshipper of her sister, or at least someone who has heard the tales. "No, that was - is - my sister Marian. I am her younger sister, twin of Carver Hawke, if you've heard of him."

If he was speaking of an Amell party, it might have been during the time when Bethany was away on Warden business, and Carver was training to become a Templar. Or, that rare party they had when they had all returned from defeating (or so they thought) Corypheus. Where brother and sisters had stood together in their family home, as one.

She dipped into another curtsy, "You are too kind, Ser Aleron."

Carver muse is groaning at me for this...

[lifeofendurance]

Carver? Carver. Hmm. Turning the name over in his head, Aleron's quite certain he doesn't recognize the name. Should he? "I'm afraid I haven't, but I confess to being a shame to the family in keeping up with social connections. Ravonild has given me up as a lost cause." Ah that might require an explanation. Especially since it seems they have more in common than one would think at the outset. "Ravonild's my twin sister."

He almost expects his sister to be recognized immediately. It would please her to be so, annoy her if not, and frankly she's become rather notorious over the past few years for her very wild behavior.

Re: Carver muse is groaning at me for this...

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Really? Hm, that's surprising. Most people remember Carver ...if only because he was so good at being Carver." A brat, but a beloved one. Her gaze brightened considerably at his mention of being a twin as well. The name however catches his attention.

"Ravonild? Lady Ravonild?" She asked her eyebrows raising together, remembering something that her mother said. "Oh, then you should ask her about Carver. I have a horrible idea that Mother was trying to get them married, at some point."

[lifeofendurance]

Internally, Aleron is already groaning, though you could never tell it from his ever stoic expression. Of course she'd recognize his sister. He knew it was likely from the get go, but there is still that bitter boy inside who is frustrated that his brat twin that somehow gets all of the attention, good or ill.

"How horrible an idea are we talking about? Ravonild could stand a new husband to steady her, I won't lie." In fact, he has no loyalty to protecting her reputation, since she's so determined to ruin it for herself. No, no that's not true. He does care. Not even for her sake as much as the family's reputation. But he does care, though he certainly wished he did not. "More importantly, will asking her about Carver spare me a ten page discourse on the current fashions of lady's slippers and stockings, this month?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany's dimples brightened, before she shook her head a little. "Well, I won't say that Carver is any less reckless - as I don't know your sister - but I suppose his years in the Order have steadied him. So it is entirely possible he might even be a good influence now."

Now, she laughed, "Asking about Carver will probably get you at least a five page discourse on him alone, and are you certain you want to be pestered about what you know of the Hawke Family? You might have to come to me for more updates."