[ OPEN ] It's Like We've Landed on the Dark Side of the Moon

[universal_charm]

WHO: Jim Kirk & Anyone [ OPEN ]
WHAT: Kirk has arrived Skyhold and is settling in (prompts within)
WHEN: For about a week, starting on Drakonis 25 and on
WHERE: Around Skyhold
NOTES:No warnings for now, brackets and prose is fine, and if it helps here is Kirk's info sheet

A - Merchant Stalls
First things first - he needed a change of clothing. Or at least a new shirt. It was painfully obvious how much he stood out in his uniform with its bright yellow shirt and synthetic fibers. That, and if he ever planned to leave Skyhold he was going to need something warmer than his uniform. He'd made it here alive with the help of Solas, but he could not count on him for getting out - if indeed he could at all. But all of that would have to wait until he could get coin to trade for the clothing, or at least find someone willing to trade labor for a shirt. He was not scared of hard labor, and despite his looks he was strong. The problem was convincing merchants of that and that he had no intention of stealing goods while they weren't looking.

Most days he managed it, and could be seen around the stalls helping haul large items or making small deliveries. It was far, far below what he had been doing before coming, but he was in no position to complain and so gamely went about his business, taking what pay the merchants were willing to give (and, frankly, oblivious to if he was getting cheated or not) or any bits of clothing and other items they were willing to trade for the day's activities.

Of course, there would be the one time where his charming smile and his baby blues couldn't get him out of a situation. He swore up and down to the merchant he had done nothing wrong, that he had been doing exactly as he asked and was not responsible for the (supposed) missing merchandise, but reason was not to be had. Therefore the only reasonable course of action was to bolt, shoving his way through the crowd and sincerely hoping that the merchant did not have something sharp and projectile to send after him other than his bellowing.

"Sorry, coming through, watch out!"

B - Tavern
Kirk told himself that he was spending time in the tavern because one of the best places to get information was a bar - drunken tongues made for loose lips. Or some saying to that effect, but the idea behind it was true. Of course, that was just what he told himself. The truth, if he cared to admit it, was that he simply just needed a drink. It had been a hell of a week, trekking across more cold and bitter land than he cared to think about and now finding himself suddenly thrust into a medieval (to him, at least) castle and still no closer to any real answers or a way home. The shard in his palm still throbbed beneath the linen wrapping he kept around it, the pain a dull ache now - which was worrisome. He would have thought those new cells of his... ugh, no, best not to think about that. One strange happening at a time.

He bought whatever the cheapest swill was, more concerned with saving coin for the moment (since it would take a hearty amount to get him drunk anyways now, an unfortunate side effect of the transfusion), and would promptly find himself a spot at a table in the center of the room or strike up a conversation with the person nearest him. He tried to switch out his shirts so that his bright yellow uniform did not give him away as a Rifter right away, but some nights he desired comfort, so bright yellow shirt it was. Strictly speaking he should not be drinking while wearing the uniform, but as far as he was concerned the Star Fleet regulations could get chucked out the window for the foreseeable future. At least he wasn't starting any bar fights. Pike would be proud.

"Thank god there's one thing I can always count on between planets - there will be alcohol."

C - The Library
What he could not learn from people he decided he could try and lean from books. He loved libraries as a rule anyways. He loved books and knowledge and learning. He had a love of history and alien culture, which made his research - what he could find of it - easier to bear. It made his head ache, least of all because of so many mentions of magic. He knew about the mages here and the wonders they supposedly worked, but he was not of a mind to think it magic. He couldn't wrap his head around it except for the concept of 'magic is what you call science you do not yet understand'. But he hadn't come to the library to learn of that, he had come to learn of history. A pity he didn't have a proper journal to write his notes down in.

There comes a point, though, where he simply stares at a book, squinting at the letters as if that will somehow force them to make more sense than they did. He could feel a headache coming on, and he slammed the book shut with entirely unnecessary force, the sound jarringly loud in the quiet space. He leaned forward, rubbing at his face, gritting his teeth as he rode out the wave of frustration.

"I really need to tell the brass to update the curriculum when I get back home," he muttered to himself. "How to Survive Medieval Lands 101."

D - Gardens: Night
One would think that after a hard trek over a harsh landscape for several days a body might desire quite a bit of sleep to make up for it. But not Kirk. Sleep had eluded him for many of the nights coming to Skyhold, as they had in the year before coming to the stronghold. Dreams gnawed at him, old shadows he could not quite shake licking at his heels, and so he resorted to his old tactics to keep them at bay - physical activity.

He did not want to be rude, so he made for a place he thought far enough off that his walk would not wake others from the tread of his boots, and he found himself in the gardens. Certain that no one else was around the area at night, he took to jogging through it until sweat coated his skin and his breathing came in burning gasps. Wisely, he did not think running around the stronghold at night was necessarily a good idea - it was hard to miss that Rifters were not entirely trusted in this place, after all, and he did not want to draw unnecessary attention.

When his muscles ached and his lungs burned or he simply could not find the zen place he sought when he ran, he would collapse next to the closest bunch of flowers or pleasant scented greenery and unwrap his hand, face lighting up from the sickly (to his mind) green glow of the splinter of the Anchor or whatever Solas had called it. He pressed at the flesh, still sore and aching, as if that might somehow give him more answers than had already been given. So absorbed in it was he that he would hardly notice someone coming up to him, at least not until they were right atop him...

Eventually he will wrap it back up, and rise to leave the gardens and seek out whatever sleeping space he can, feeling like a ghost in the halls.

E - Make Your Own Adventure
Don't see a prompt you like listed above? Feel free to make up your own! Kirk will be getting his bearings in Skyhold, so he'll be exploring wherever he can and thus probably show up most places at least once if he can get away with it, including down into the refugee camp.

Comments

Tavern

[gatheringstorm]

The Herald's Rest is where Korrin can be found most nights, barring a rare antisocial mood or other unlikely occurrence. It's the best place to unwind in Skyhold, and get information without listening to the sending crystals. Which she does as well, but alcohol tends to loosen tongues and provide more information than people intend.

The woman seated at the table is easily a foot taller than most human men, and her horns make her non-human status abundantly clear as well. Some keep a distance because of this, but the Vashoth doesn't seem to let it bother her, not when there are plenty willing to keep her company. Speaking of which....

"Alcohol is the great constant, thank the Maker. The selection isn't always what I'd call the best, but sometimes that doesn't matter. Whatever kicks sobriety in the ass is the real priority here."

[universal_charm]

So he wasn't the only one with such an idea. It's good to know there are some consistences between worlds, otherwise everything would just be to much, he thought. Having something work the way he expected to eased some of the anxiety he felt, because literally nothing else was.

He turned his gaze to Korrin when she spoke, but if he was startled by her appearance he did not show it. He had seen a few more of her kind around Skyhold, and while he found them interesting they were not startling either. The universe had far stranger things out there than a woman (or man) with horns and muscles. The horns, he thought, were quite elegant in a way, though he had to wonder why they had evolved with them in the first place.

A laugh came out of him and he raised his mug to her. "Truer words have never been spoken, I think. To bad I think I got what I payed for - watered down lemonade."

[gatheringstorm]

Though this human doesn't seem to recognize her kind, it's refreshing to see a rifter not startled or alarmed by her appearance. Even native Thedosians sometimes have that reaction, which gets a little old. She flashes a grin and raises hers in turn, taking a swig before answering.

"Try the Chasind Sack Mead. It's a little pricier than the standard pisswater, but well worth it. That or West Hill brandy. If you don't care about savoring and want something that will really punish your insides, it's not for sale but I can offer some maraas-lok when it comes in. Qunari liquor has a real kick to it, and most humans can't keep up. But a lot of them try, anyway."

[universal_charm]

He drank his 'pisswater' as she listed off the different alcohols available, making a note to try that brandy at least once. He enjoyed a good brandy or a whiskey, but he thought he'd save that particular amount of coin for something a bit more special - or, you know, when he needed to actually try and get drunk. He didn't want to get in the habit of self-medicating with liquor.

"Hah, sounds like Romulan Ale," he grinned. "I'll give it a try next time you have some on hand." He wiped his mouth with his sleeve before holding out his hand to her. "Name's Jim Kirk," he introduced himself.

Gardens

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne had slept in a bed since she was ten years old. But some part of her had always yearned for the comfort of the high places, the places that protected her ancestors from predators. Coming to Thedas had reawakened that longing. And, not wanting to take a bed away from a refugee who might need it more, Ariadne had found it all to easy to slip back into the habit of crawling up into one of the higher branches at night to curl up and doze.

The problem was that tonight, her mind was too active to let her rest. As she sat up in her branch, staring at the unfamiliar stars, her mind continually wandered to the things she'd left undone back home. The list was long, considering that she'd been working for the resistance. And each item left a pang, like a physical stab to her gut.

She sighed softly, slumping against the tree trunk. She wasn't made for sadness or regrets. But they always had a way of sinking in between the cracks when she was alone.

But. Then. She wasn't alone.

Suddenly, a new scent caught her attention. Human, she was sure. But not one she was familiar with. Raising her chin, she inhaled deeply. Someone coming into the garden from below. Carefully, she shifted her weight, putting her hands on the branch and slowly stretching out down the length of it like a cat. The long rope of a braid that normally hung to her waist fell over the side, dangling over the ground beneath her.

[universal_charm]

He didn't notice Ariadne in the tree, or that anyone else might be in here at all. He was making the fatal mistake of a lot of people - never looking up. He was sure Bones or Spock or someone else on his crew would have yelled at him for being so lax in a strange landscape, but if he was honest he didn't feel immediately threatened by the people here even though he could sense that not everyone liked people like him - Rifters, that is.

He paused not far from where Ariadne was, looking down at his palm and slowly unwrapping linen. A green glow showed, and he pressed his fingers to the tender flesh. He flexed his fingers several times, pushing against the center with his thumb before finally letting out a low sigh and starting to wrap it back up.

[demonicbeauty]

"Oh!"

Ariadne forgot about stealth. It wasn't like she needed it, anyway. He posed no threat to her. Nor did he have anything she needed. But regardless, the moment she saw the shard, she dropped all pretenses.

He was one of her kind. So to speak. And that was always a bit of excitement. There were endless possibilities. He could be from her own home. Or from a place with stories she'd never even imagined.

Hooking her knees around the tree branch beneath her, she swung off, hanging upside down near his head. "Hello!"

gardens

[aceso]

There is really no need for Christine to pass through the gardens this evening. It's out of her way from the direction she's heading. Yet as she passes through the Great Hall, the spirit of Faith that observes the world alongside her takes note of the tired man out there, and nudges Christine's mind.

Tired. Aches. Heal. ...New? That last bit comes out a question on Faith's part, because there is much about the physical world the spirit doesn't understand. It can sense something strange about this man, as if his body is new, but it doesn't know how to convey that to Christine.

Stopping near the door leading out to the gardens, Christine is given another nudge by Faith and so she goes that way to see if the spirit has found her a patient. Walking late at night can be a dangerous thing, especially for a mage, but if someone is hurt, they'll need help. Scanning the gardens, she spots the green glow of the shard and makes her way over. Ah, that must be what Faith meant. The man is a rifter, and therefore new.

Stopping beside him, Christine speaks gently in her lilting Orlesian accent that rifters have called French-sounding.

"You are hurt?" she asks, taking note of his heavy breathing and how exhausted he looks.

[universal_charm]

Shock registers when Christine speaks to him, because there was that sudden, nagging thought that he should know her, know her face. He should, but he didn't, and he shoved it away. It was probably nothing, just seeing what he wanted rather than what was there, and that wouldn't do him any good. It would get him into trouble, he was sure, and for once he didn't want to look for it. His plan so far had been keeping his head down, learning, and then formulating a way home.

Still, once he pushed away the phantom thoughts he gave her a reassuring smile, somehow still charming beneath the gasps of air and the sweat trickling down his face.

"No, I'm fine. I was just getting some exercise, is all. I didn't wake you up or anything did I?"

[aceso]

"No, I have not yet been to bed, and it is not close to here." Though that did raise the question of why she suddenly detoured to the gardens. Explaining Spirit Healing to a rifter would be a long, complicated thing, so she didn't bother with it.

"I came only to collect some elfroot before bed." She moved around him to the pot close by and plucked a few leaves from the plant. Elfroot was widely used in healing and was always needed in the healing tents, so she would drop them off first thing in the morning.

"I could use a rejuvenation spell on you, to help your muscles recover faster, if you are not adverse to magic," she offered.

Merchant Stalls

[dragoon_pride]

Kain is looking at an array of birdcages for sale, frowning as he checks them out for size and craftsmanship. It won't do to get something too flimsy, after all... That's when he hears some kind of disruption going on, along with a great deal of shouting. Usually there's a lot of commotion that can be ignored... disputes happen all the time, after all, especially over prices. But someone sounds especially angry right now.

Soon enough, a man comes fleeing, shoving his way through the crowd in his attempt to outrun whoever he must have enraged.

"Is there some problem?" Kain asks, as he happens to be right in the path the man is taking.

Merchant Stalls

[universal_charm]

It would be his luck that someone would actually bother to stop and ask. Frankly, he wasn't sure if he should try and plead his case. It almost didn't seem worth it, but he could use an ally, especially against the rather burly merchant. He was good at self defense, but fighting the man didn't seem like a good idea either.

"It seems the merchant has an issue with my job performance," he said to the man in front of him, pausing to catch his breath and hoping that the merchant was not willing to come so far from his stall in search of him.

[dragoon_pride]

Perhaps a stern, armored man is exactly who he needed to run into, in that case. Kain doesn't draw his weapon here, not amid the crowd, but it's surely tempting. Still, he can and will use his fists if it comes to a fight. If. It still might get resolved in another way, after all.

"Not selling things fast enough for his taste?" Though the way the other man had yelled, he was pretty sure it was more serious than that. "Come on, there's a quick way out of here, unless you wanted to take your chances. I don't mind either way." It probably wouldn't be a very fair fight, against some merchant unskilled in combat, but it's an option all the same. At least getting out should be no problem... one thing about viewing the place from above so often, you get a good sense for different routes to take.

Library

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione had made something of a permanent fixture of herself in the library, especially given that it was easier to stay in one place in case people needed her. She'd been conducting brief rifter interviews to try and get a better idea of what magic was like in other worlds, so why stray too far if she didn't absolutely need to? And besides... libraries were always her home port anyway, regardless of her exact location.

She jumped now, though, since Skyhold's library had always been relatively quiet, and it wasn't common to hear someone slam a book closed or mutter in frustration. She looked around for the source of the noise, only to find an unfamiliar young man she hadn't noticed before. Given that no one from Thedas really referred to their lifestyles as "medieval", she thought it was highly likely that she might just be looking at another rifter.

"Having a bit of trouble getting acclimated?" she asked quietly. "It's not the easiest situation to get used to, but maybe I can help. I've only arrived a few weeks ago and things seem almost normal." Never mind that she'd come from a world with magic and dragons and all sorts of other parallels that had probably helped with that.

[universal_charm]

Kirk looked up at a young lady whom he could safely call pretty, if young. He wondered what she would be doing here, but then reminded himself that Skyhold was home to a number of age ranges, not to mention merchants, soldiers, refugees - she had plenty of reason to be here, and not a one had to be military in nature. She could also be a Rifter, but nothing she said so far had given him reason to believe that.

He smoothed his face and gave her his best smile, because he didn't want to pull her into his bad mood. Even through the frustration he was charming, running a hand through the fluffy blonde locks and leaning back in his chair - a motion that almost seemed practice and awkward at the same time, as if the chair was not quite the right shape or in the right place.

"It's a lot to try and play catch up on," he admitted to her. "I like history, but even I have to admit it's all a bit daunting."

[bookish_lioness]

"Oh, it's history you're looking for, then?" As she spoke, she moved towards an adjacent shelf, raising her voice just enough to be heard as she scanned the various spines. "I'm afraid you're in for some dry reading, then. Are you looking for political history, Chantry history, magical history, or just an overview to give you a general idea of Thedas' worldview?"

Tugging out three large books, she turned to the table where the young man was sitting and set them down. "I'm afraid you'll have a harder time with that last bit. No one really thinks to write books explaining their world with exact detail. I'm sure there are some in the making, but they've likely not been published yet."

Looking him over, Hermione realized that his clothes and something about his bearing set him apart from most people, and most Thedosians wouldn't care all that much about history when there was so much going on in the present. At the same time, he didn't look like anyone she'd seen upon her own arrival a few weeks before, leading her to ask, "Are you... new? Very new, I mean? Not just to Skyhold, but to all of this?"

Tavern

[easternseaqueen]

Isabela chuckles to herself when she hears his comment.

"Alcohol, yes, but trust me, most of what's served to the Inquisition at large isn't much better than swill. Fortunately, I do know where to get the good stuff."

She looked him over.
"Of course, if you're new here, I'm sure you appreciate whatever gets you drunk for now."

[universal_charm]

Kirk tilted his head slightly back and around to see her, lips naturally pulling into a sweetly charming grin that matched the sudden twinkle in those blue eyes. Well, she was a pretty sight, wasn't she? A balm for the eyes as it were. Regardless of the situation, Kirk never passed up the chance to appreciate good looks.

"You're doing more for me than the swill right now," he declared around his smile. "Though I'm curious as to what a man has to do to learn where the good stuff is."

[easternseaqueen]

She smirks right back at him and winks at the compliment.

"Depends, really. But if anyone's going to know, your best bet is finding a sailor. Bonus points for it being a pirate who has her boys send it up on a regular basis. Then... well. You can try to take it, steal it, win it... or just sweet-talk your way into sharing."

library

[dressmaking]

Kirk wasn't the only one who was having more than a little trouble wrapping his head around... more or less everything. Lacey had taken to attempting to read up on things precisely because she had no idea who to ask or if any of the people here could be trusted, but even what she read — what of it was in a language she could understand, at any rate — barely made sense to her.

The sound of the book being slammed closed made Lacey glance up, perhaps a bit too sharply, from a shelf a few feet away. When she realized the noise was just a man being frustrated by the content of his books, she relaxed a little and allowed herself a very, very slight smile, turning her head just so that he couldn't see it if he happened to look up at her. Controlling her expression again, she looked back over to him, taking him in at a glance. On second look, she recognized him — one of the men who had come through the rift with her, and the only other one in that group who had really looked precisely human.

(Lacey hadn't made such a good showing of herself then, terrified and more than halfway to running off into the woods until the demons had been dealt with — a thought that embarrassed her now. But she'd gotten herself together afterward, and that was, she hoped, what had counted.)

"You, too?" she said, just loudly enough for him to hear her, a note of slight dry humor in her voice.

[universal_charm]

Kirk tilted his head when he heard someone call out, catching sight of the woman. He recognized her from their trek to Skyhold from where they had battled the demons, but for the life of him could not recall her name. Had they exchanged them at all? It embarrassed him that he could not recall it, but he pushed that feeling aside.

He gave her a tired smile, still laced with his usual charm though. In the presence of a lady (or anyone attractive, really), he could hardly give less and he did not want to pass off his frustrations to her. The situation was not her fault, after all.

"Yeah, me too," he rapped his fingers against the book he had thrust closed. "Gathering information is not quite as easy as I thought it would, as it turns out. How about you?"

[dressmaking]

"Not much better," she admitted, going over just a bit cautiously to sit down on the opposite side of the table, a couple chairs away but still facing him. "I don't think it ever occurred to anyone here that they'd have to explain these kinds of things to an outsider."

Which was putting it mildly. Who expected to have to explain their own world?

(Not that she was yet convinced this was another world. That would have been too easy.)

"I'm Lacey," she said, perhaps a little awkwardly, but... when had been the last time she had had to introduce herself? Most people at least recognized her face. "We didn't speak much before."

Merchant Stall

[el_tybs]

Sam sighs, trying his best to keep a smile on his face as he talks to Bonny again. She was a nice woman, they did good business, and she always gave him a fair deal when it came to getting materials or schematics. Lately though she was pressing more that she would accept 'other' forms of payment, not just the coin from his hard work. It was perhaps a little flattering, but he always turned it down - still he had to sit through the whole talk she gave about it either way.

It's after finally getting the payment figured that Sam notices someone in bright yellow running right for them. Yelling. Well that didn't bode well. Stepping out a bit and holding out his arm he tries to get the man to stop.

"Hey, whoa. What's the big rush?"

[universal_charm]

For a split second, Kirk debated ignoring the man and continuing on. He knew running in the first place made him look guilty, but the merchant hadn't seemed worried about sussing out the truth and more concerned with getting immediate 'justice'. As much as he was insulted that the man thought he would steal, he didn't enjoy the thought of a concussion of a serious wound either, so running it was.

But pushing past this concerned (and rather handsome) man, would only cement his supposed guilt, he thought. So he dodged in and on the other side of Sam, trying to use part of him to hide himself from the immediate view of the bellowing merchant.

"My former employer is no longer impressed with my supposed work performance," he announced, shifting as he waited to see if the man spotted him. "He wishes to take his complaints out on me with something sharp, which I am not comfortable with, as you can imagine."

[el_tybs]

This isn't the first time that Sam has found himself as a personal body shield, but normally it's being done by someone a lot smaller than him - and being used to block snowballs or a wooden weapon. So while the maneuver doesn't surprise him, Sam still has to raise a brow and look over his shoulder a bit at the blue-eyed stranger.

"Really?" The mention of bodily harm has his other brow raising in concern and turning back around to see who comes chasing after the man behind him. "And exactly why is the reason he would consider doing that. Not that physical violence of the sort is permitted in Skyhold."