faderift | { OPEN } May there always be angels to watch over you

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{ OPEN } May there always be angels to watch over you

WHO: Christine Delacroix and OPEN!
WHAT: She's getting used to being a Spirit Healer and having a friend on the other side.
WHEN: any time after Drakonis 17th until month's end.
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Christine has a spirit of Faith in communication with her. It will be observing the world around her and asking her questions. If your character is having a crisis of faith, doubts, etc. Faith may nudge Christine towards your character to see if she can be of help, but she won't know what exactly is the matter without your character telling her. Also, Faith will just be really curious in general. Have your character dance a jig, lose at cards, mend a shirt, whatever, and Faith will be wanting to know more.

{ anywhere }
When she thinks back on it, Christine knows that the reason the spirit of Faith approached her in the Fade is because Christine had visited the chapel before her test, trying to erase her doubts. But it was having doubt that caught Faith's attention and cemented their relationship. It's hard for a perfectionist like her to admit that there are times when she isn't sure of herself because it's admitting to weakness. Yet already Faith is changing her perceptions. There can be no faith without doubt. If Christine was perfect in every way, she wouldn't need a spirit to help with her ability to heal. Faith is needed, because doubt is inevitable. Questioning things, missteps, complications -- Faith is drawn to it all, and as Christine sticks to her daily routine around Skyhold, she often feels the gentle nudge of her spirit companion against her mind, sending her towards a person.

Of course, Faith doesn't always use words and simply say why it's guiding Christine towards a person. Is it because they no longer believe in the Maker, or because Faith wants to know what they're doing with that rope, tankard, and a duck?

{ kitchens }
With the soiree over, Christine can head back into the kitchens to practice her cooking once more without Skyhold's cooking staff at their wit's end trying to get all the food prepared in time. Some days she makes bread, others she makes pie. Others still it's something completely different, but if anyone comes in looking for a snack, she invites them to be her taste tester.

{ healers' tents }
Just because she's now a Spirit Healer doesn't mean Christine is going to request the help of Faith for every little scrape and cut. The point is to use the spirit's power for much more complicated wounds, to save the healer's mana. So there are no glowing blue eyes to be found as Christine sees to patients. When the rifters arrive, she's available to use healing magic to lessen the ache in their hands until they get used to the shard, and is happy to fill them in on the world they've been dropped into. For anyone else, she's there to heal them with magic or bandages; whichever they'd prefer.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Christine is still coming to grips with the changes to her life now that Faith is always there. She knew things would be different, because she read all about it, but all the first-hand accounts in the world still aren't enough to feel the change. When Sam enters, Faith takes notice. There's a gentle nudge against Christine's mind before the spirit retreats a little, allowing Christine to learn for herself. She does feel something more than just another presence in the room, and it stops her from turning right away to see who it is. There's something more there. A feeling not unlike Faith, but different. It's like having a sixth sense. With touch, feathers feel different from leather and steel different from wood. With taste, some foods are salty and some sweet. With this new sense, she slowly realizes that she senses a spirit beyond Faith, but she doesn't know which it is. She turns, and her face breaks into a grin.

"Sam," she says, stepping towards him. "This is so new. I can feel Fortitude with you." And then she nods her head. "Practice makes perfect."

He knows he had gotten her attention by the way her head lifted a bit and turned ever so slightly, but not enough to actually see him. Christine was feeling things out, which he recognized from how he had done so when he had first gotten his partner. For that he stayed silent, waiting and watching.

The grin that he is welcomed with has his smile widening, and lowering his gaze when she comes up to greet him. Fortitude rumbles lowly at the presence of another spirit. "Isn't it? That's how I felt when I first... noticed Compassion with Adelaide."

Now Faith lets her know it's there if she needs it, and there's a question about Sam in her mind.

A friend, Christine answers, and she's already explained to Faith what a friend is. The spirit is satisfied and simply observes.

"It's like a warm glow. Something welcoming and good."

He wouldn't describe Fortitude was a warm glow, to him it was more of a weight, a firm presence that wrapped around him like an invisible shield. "Which spirit are you working with? I'm still getting a feel for what each one is like."

Whichever one it was it certainly had that welcoming feeling that Christine had been mentioning.

Christine thinks that the way Faith feels makes perfect sense. Faith was meant to steady you, bolster you, and keep you believing. That is feels like a blanket across her shoulders is the way it should be.

"It is Faith."

"Faith," he repeats, mulling it over. Faith sounded like a good spirit to have. "What was it like for you in the Fade? Did you have to do a trial of any sort?"

"It was a great deal of walking. Endless, it seemed. Faith was watching the whole time. When I had decided to give up and try another day, Faith appeared. It said it isn't attracted to those with absolute faith. There is no need for the spirit's intervention then. It is those who have doubts who draw Faith to them. The spirit wished to know why I was giving up, and I explained that the Fade was full of those who would prey upon a desperate person. I wished to obtain the help of a spirit, but I would not submit myself to any means in order to get it. And so I would leave and try another day. That intrigued the spirit. It asked if I believed I would eventually succeed, and I said that I had as much confidence in myself as I could. To assume complete success would be arrogant and prideful of me."

Right now, Faith feels like a warm shawl settled on Christine's shoulders. The spirit is enjoying hearing the story retold from Christine's point of view.

"We spoke at length then. I made my limits clear, and made sure Faith understood. And here we are. Faith will help me heal wounds when I ask for its assistance. I have not given my word to try and heal those dealing with a crisis of faith. I have had to explain the difference between physical health and mental health, and that I will only heal physical wounds. Were I not specific, I believed Faith would set me in the path of all who had doubts, expecting me to fix them, and growing angry when I could not or refused. And we do not need another Anders on our hands. Faith understands what I will and will not do."

Sam smiles at hearing how Christine's trial had went - so different than his own. Faith had appreciated Christine giving up to a point and to turn back, Fortitude had watched eagerly as he endured and pressed on.

The mention of Anders has Sam frowning a bit. Faith getting upset if the conditions weren't clear was right, but the spirit could not ultimately do anything expect leave - that hadn't been the case for Anders. Still he doesn't bring that up since that was a rather touchy subject still, not really wanting to get into that at the time - the two of them were dealing with the news very differently.

"That's interesting. Fortitude comments plenty about what other people do, but isn't very interested in doing anything about them."

"Well, Faith is a very strong spirit. I suppose its urge to help is strong too." In all honesty, despite reading up on this subject, the exact way a spirit acts can't really be known until you make contact and have it lingering around. She doesn't know much about Fortitude; just what Sam tells her.

"I don't think Fortitude is any different. Its means of helping is just... different I think. It isn't something you really feel, but rather do." Fortitude is more than happy to help with healing at least, but it hasn't felt a need to urge Sam to anything at the time.

"If spirits were not different from one another in thought and action, we would all be aided by the same kind, and we would probably not even have names for them, if they all behaved the same." Now that she can sense Faith as well as any other spirits peeking across in the company of Spirit Healers, she can tell there are differences.

Sam chuckles at that. "Fortitude just doesn't want you to think it isn't a very strong spirit just because it doesn't go seeking people to fix is all." There had been no pride about it, simply a matter-of-fact statement.

"Have you been experiencing any of the changes, like sleeping or eating more, when you started having Faith help you with healing?" He himself had to sleep for longer periods during the first two or three weeks.

"Very well. If Fortitude will forgive me my presumptions, I will think him very strong indeed." It's always best to stay on a spirit's good side.

"No, not yet. But I have not asked Faith for much help yet. I don't need the extra power when healing a little cut, and I haven't come across an injury so great that I would need the boost."

"All is forgiven." Not that Fortitude was paying it much mind, but better make it clear that everything was good.

"Even if it's small things I'd suggest having it help so that you get it out of the way - I had Fortitude help me with barriers in practice. Better to get used to it now while we don't have anything pressing."

"Hmm, for practice?" To her, it had seemed too frivolous to turn to Faith for every little thing, but if this will result in a change to how she eats and sleeps, perhaps it is better to start now. "Very well."

He had thought of it like that as well, but after a lot of thought it made sense to know how to work with his spirit when there wasn't pressing matters, then having to learn on the go and something possibly going wrong. Course being extra hungry or tired on a mission wouldn't help.

"You'll have to let me know how it affects you. You know, just to sate curiosity."

"Is that so?" she asks, a little suspicious. "Are you sure it's not so you can tease me?"

"Well unless you end up sleeping in a tree, or eating a whole pig, or start having an affinity to do cartwheels because of this... No." Christine has been asking him questions about his own experiences, it seemed reasonable to be asking the same. Course Christine if you do end up in a tree he's going to question that.

"Very well," she answers, expression shifting into a smirk. "I will resist the urge to start devouring an entire buffet table's worth of food."

"If you managed to do that I might be impressed - I don't think anyone here could. Except maybe Sera... or Church." Sera was just full of surprises and would do something crazy. Church... was really excited about food.

"I do not doubt that," she says, shaking her head. The man was like a bear about to go to sleep for the winter months. "I am unsure if I should call it impressive or mad."

"Probably a bit of both." He has a pretty big appetite himself, but that was certainly a feat. Course that was when they had the feast and great food, possibly not so much with the regular stuff they had. "He was... certainly a character, that Church."

"At least I found him before he devoured all the food, or made some sort of social faux pas that could have ruined the Inquisition." Really, it was a bit of a chore to baby-sit him sometimes.

"I don't know if he could ruin the Inquisition... he'd certainly cause an uproar though." He chuckles lightly as he remembers their conversation by the food table. "Did you enjoy having him as 'arm candy'?"

"He was a fine escort," she replies, giving the barest shrug of her shoulders. She isn't one to gossip about boys, so she says no more about him.

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