faderift | [OPEN] Peace Bore a Heavy Price

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[OPEN] Peace Bore a Heavy Price

WHO: Everyone
WHAT: Aleron and Nathaniel are hosting an ~~BSG boxing match~~ open sparring session to work out personal griefs within the Inquisition.
WHEN: Drakonis 30, All Day
WHERE: Just outside Camp Shady (aka, the Warden's Camp outside Skyhold)
NOTES: More information, including the rules, can be found here. You do not have to have signed up to participate. Non-combatants can come and just cheer for their favorites or appreciate fine bodies getting physical. Please note in your subject line if you're spectating, healing, or open for fighting.

Just outside the site where the Wardens have established themselves, a space has been cleared. Its boundaries are marked with some wooden posts driven into the ground with loose ropes stretched out between them. A copy of the rules has been nailed to one of the posts. It flaps in the wind, but seems to stay in place with but little fraying as the day wears on:

1. No magic.
2. A volunteer healer will determine whether someone is fit for a bout.
3. Conduct the fight honorably. If someone surrenders the fight, it ends immediately and without question.
4. Don't deliberately incapacitate someone to the point where they won't be able to perform their duties after the fight is over.
5. All weapons must be blunt, even blades.
6. Challenged chooses the method of competition.

At the end of the fight, participants are to consider their issue resolved and move forward.

Off to one side, a basic triage is set up for combatants who have taken their licks. Volunteer healers are present to offer treatment for injuries and to determine who remains fit to fight. Their decision is absolute.

For the spectators, there is ample room to stand around and watch. One of the merchants from the pilgrim's encampment has caught wind of the impromptu event and decided it's a grand time to turn a profit. He's got a cookpot set up and is hawking fine treats like fennec-on-a-stick, druffalo kebabs, and smoked nug legs. He's also selling wooden cups of ale for five coppers, but it's questionable if there's more water or ale. Let the buyer beware.

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Absolutely not. My lips are sealed, kadan.

[Queensguard and bard life are aspects of Araceli that only she has the right to share, and Korrin will fiercely protect that. Even if suspicion of rifters wasn't an issue, she wouldn't think to share what wasn't hers.]

And I would be interested, too. That issue tends to separate the bigots from the decent Chantry folk, among a few others. But I won't pick any fights over it today, promise.

[She's more interested in seeing the lineup so far, and shakes her head.]

Look for Kas, I know he was eager to take someone on for this. [That might be one reason she hasn't jumped into it yet, wanting to cheer him on.]

[For that, Korrin earns a proper kiss as Araceli uses the railing to boost herself up enough for a kiss that the other woman won't have to lean down for.]

Right now, airing out the worst of the differences over the obvious should be enough, I don't even know where to begin with the mess that is the ideological and socio-political nightmare of Thedas though I have had thoughts. But they would involve so many treaties Korrin, lots and lots of discussions at round tables and not letting anyone leave until those discussions are hammered out, though I would snatch the masks of the Orlesians and snap them over my knee I think, in the spirit of being fair.

[And to unsettle them, because sometimes you have to do that, and all's fair.]

Kas is fighting? I hope he wins, I know he's fierce but so many of the men here are so big and things hit young men so hard, and life has been so unkind to him already. [Hard not to have a chip on your shoulder after what he told her when they worked together in the snow, and it's only made him dearer to her now.]

[Araceli boosting herself up for a kiss is always flattering, and Korrin makes certain to show her appreciation in turn.]

I know, but holding him back would only make him more determined to do this. It's better that he figures out his limits for himself. At least we can be there for him afterward. I might have made a few regeneration potions while thinking about that earlier.

...and breaking Orlesian masks? Beyond scandalous. I love it. They wouldn't, but to hell with those things. The only one I like is the one you wore to the soiree, anyway. It's gorgeous.

Boys are very odd creatures. I was headstrong, brash, impulsive - and yes, I still am, before you think to say anything clever that would have me locking you out - but I knew how to pick battles but I have watched boys almost getting killed for no reason other than in the proving of themselves. It's as if the more they grunt and the more they bleed, the more that comes out of them, the more they are? It's so odd.

[Is it any wonder that some of her teasing of Kas can be taken the wrong way, when she likes to poke fun like that when boys do have egos that bruise more easily than overripe fruits.]

I need to get a new one soon, you might need to help me with designs. Or a couple, I was thinking one for the whole face and one just for the upper, depending on what work the Nightingale will have me doing but that will be for another time.

[Luckily it's too noisy for anyone to really be paying attention but so far she's presented herself as a scout and a rifter making herself useful as opposed to a bard student, but Korrin and Zevran are trusted with secrets, with the double life she is shaping about her own like a second skin not just to keep herself safe but to keep those she loves from harm as well.]

[Korrin just grins as Araceli knows her all too well, though really she has no room to talk when it comes to the headstrong/impulsive front. Not now and not ever.]

You'd see even more of this where I'm from, honestly. The Free Marches have the Grand Tourney, practically the only time Marchers stop bickering with each other long enough to beat each other senseless, all in the name of valor and a trophy blade. It's one of the few common bonds Marchers have, so they'll take it and run with it...at least, while it lasts.

[All pretty awesome, in her opinion. Sure, there are always the young or the stupid that don't know their limits, but all in all it's a good way to let off some steam.]

I guess it couldn't hurt to have a few for variety, though I'm biased and like the upper-face ones best. The other kind I'd have to lift away to sneak in a kiss, so much more inconvenient. [She has priorities, okay.] And I'll gladly help; it's not my area of expertise, but I'm a willing audience for any fashion show of yours, always.

I read about that, I can't really imagine anything like it though I'd very much like to see it if I ever had the chance to go. Not just for the beating people senseless, I prefer duels, they have more meaning, but the pageantry, the sense of the show. Other countries at home have horse races, or great hunts with hounds and horses, or hawks and horses if they're out in the deserts of Corundus and Zimevur. Us and Albas tend to be the odd ones out but we're the only places where you can't raise horses.

[Castileos just can't grow enough to really support them though people have tried only to lose the poor beasts in the end, and Albas is frozen tundra where it's far too cold for them, where their hooves aren't suited at all compared to surer and larger animals she's had described to her instead. But she'd still like to go and see it, she's had her fill of Skyhold at times as well as the desolate places Skyhold likes to send people to, outposts on the fringes of nowhere.]

If I need to wear them for any parties in Skyhold I'll do my very best to accommodate you, of course. [She teases, one corner of her mouth quirking just a little.] That means I'll have to double my efforts in the tavern then, how I miss having my clothing provided as part of my salary when much of what the Inquisition provides is so drab and so ugly, not nearly fashionable enough.

[Not nearly enough boobslings either so you need to get on that for her.]

Orlais would doubtlessly agree with you. You know, we can always see if there's Inquisition business that can be done in Val Royeaux, use it as an excuse for a getaway and a shopping trip. We'll need lighter clothing when we go west, too, and if they have any Rivaini tailors around, they'd be perfect.

[Korrin doesn't mind modeling an antaam-saar or something similar, both to be helpful and give Araceli something to ogle. She has to find ways to tease her right back, after all. Glancing over at the preparations of those signed up, Korrin grins.]

I'd love to take you to the tourney when we get the chance, Kadan. The pagentry is definitely worth a visit; different from the Orlesian or Antivan kind, but awesome in its own way. Now you're making me wish the Inquisition has urgent business there around that time. [It wouldn't be surprising if the entire Marcher population of Skyhold felt the same way.] There are definitely races and great hunts, too, like those countries of yours. Sometimes for giants or high dragons but mostly for less lethal things that gain some glory for nobles or other folks.

I can stock up on hair oil too, and balm for your horns as well if I head there, it might cost a little less than bottles of brandy each time to Rafael and Scipio.

[Little does she know she'll be headed to Antiva for a very short trip but well she can pick up a few things on the journey back from there, she can multi-task like a pro and she has the bonus of getting mistaken for an Antivan girl most days around Skyhold by those who don't know her well.]

Giants? People go to hunt giants? We only ever hunt whales in a famine and there hasn't been one in memory, and sharks are hunted very carefully too, and they are some of the most dangerous creatures in the sea, with the Sons sailing far and wide as do so many other Castilean ships to make sure other nations don't seek to harm that which is not theirs to harm. Much of what might be hunted is to be treated with greatest respect by us and it lives far too deep, what belongs to other lands is in other lands, and today isn't the time to get sidetracked with the tales from the frozen lands of Albas through to the baking sandstone and deserts of Zimevur.

It isn't? Because I always love your tales, you know that. You never need stop yourself around me, not when you listen to my rambling about the north and my family and company and so on. I couldn't love you and not love where you're from, couldn't I? And I'm here to enjoy the day with you, kadan. All the rest of this is fun, but doesn't come close to the joy of your company. [Korrin smiles warmly as she tucks a stray curl back, fingers gently along such gorgeous hair. She knows there are times when it hurts more than helps to talk of home, but she also trusts Araceli to tell her when that's the case. At any rate, she'll never have Araceli thinking that such subjects are off-limits with her.]

Hair oil and horn balm...that sounds like a wonderful beginning for a personal spa day, doesn't it? 'Personal' because I'm not sure I want Vivienne to think that she's 'tamed' me with that council-wide session. It wasn't bad, but I'll take something smaller over that, any day.

Some stories I like to tell better where it is quiet, when I can lie you down in bed and draw the blankets up around us both until the only light is the fire, the candles, and perhaps your magic also so that we are all the world that exists. They aren't my stories but it's easier to remember them when it's quiet and alone, because that was when they told me them usually. Sailors on the docks did too when I grew up, and I read my books, studied with my tutors but they stuck with me when they came from the girls that I came to adore like they were a part of myself. [Perhaps because they were homesick then the way that Araceli is now, when it was the days after they'd been so awful to her, when the apologies had come, sincere, and tearful, and heartfelt, when they had all moved forward to make something new; when they had proved that they were equally part of Leandra's vision for more.

Sometimes it's difficult to explain that as much as she is always herself, that she belongs to herself first and foremost, that she's still so many parts of other things, bigger things, accepted into the whole of her until it's as if they've always been tucked there beneath her ribs or in her lungs, sewn along all her veins.]

Play along with Madame Vivienne though she will absolutely be able to tell when you're being facetious, I am sure, but she must hold a great sway on the mage council and upsetting her out of turn outside of it might cause more harm than good. And she was your instructor on the ways of becoming a Knight-Enchanter, no? Let her think you tamed, sometimes we must let the world think that it can command the tides until it comes howling and shrieking with the storm winds to wreck the hulls of ships and shatter them apart, the masts cracking and tumbling down. Give me warning so I might let my own teacher know in advance so I can organise my lessons and reporting in then we can go whenever you would like.

[Korrin reluctantly nods as she listens to Araceli's advice on Vivienne. What's said makes sense, and Araceli doesn't need to be a mage to understand how Council politics work.]

...I am grateful for the training given. I didn't think she would agree to it, but she did. So I can refrain from being an ass based on that, though you're right, she would be able to see through me even if I had skill in hiding how I feel about things. Which I don't. [And mostly, she doesn't care. Subtlety is for bards and other people.] I'm not looking to antagonize her, just not let her walk all over me. This isn't the Circle and I won't have her trying to make it into one.

[But she's not here to dwell on 'Council bullshit', at least not to the point where it would bring down her mood. As usual, Araceli gives her something to consider and she'll put it to use later, when dealing with Madame de Fer. And Araceli agreeing to her suggestion definitely keeps her spirits up, that smile quickly returning.] I'll be considerate, I promise. I know we both have our obligations, so kidnapping you out of the blue won't happen. But I'll gladly take what moments I can get with you, when we can work around those. A day of being spoiled...and then you can tell me all the stories you wish. [A small, fond smile forms at that, for more than one reason.] You...wouldn't mind my magic, like that?

[Carefully, because she loves and adores Korrin as she is, because she herself can be blunt about her opinions alone, because she would have Korrin absolutely no other way, she tucks herself against her side. Small and safe and gentle, eyes lowered. It's a little bit of a gamble because Korrin's life isn't hers but then things with the Mage Council are always going to be such a balancing act, especially with Anders hanging over everything. Araceli has met him, has weighed and measured him. He is selfish, blinkered; he might be a mage but he's a human when elves and the Vashoth have a worse lot.

Worth keeping an eye on, and hopefully something will happen to him where he will die and no one will remember him for doing anything in particular beyond inciting so much pain and hate.]

If you would like, I can help to show you how to hide even just a little, just for the sake of not getting a headache. Believe me, there are things I hear that make me want to scream at home but I have to show nothing, or I have to nod, smile, even agree with them. Stick to your opinions but it's always fun to bluff and then reveal your hand at the end, no?

[After all, there's nothing quite like showing full house or a flush, or whatever the perfect hand might be when someone is so very assured of their victory that swallowing their defeat is like swallowing sand. She lives for moments like that.] Why would I mind your magic like that though? It's a part of you and I love you, I never want to pester you in case you feel like I'm treating it like a trick or something exotic, it's not exactly the same but...people believe certain things about common girls who live for adventure and seek pleasure where they will. When their father is a pirate and their mother is a whore. [And she is very careful, even with Korrin to keep her eyes distant, to not look at anything specific since the party reminded her of it, since the Nightingale reminded her of it, when Martel came to her rescue in a quiet subtle way she is still immeasurably grateful for.]

Edited 2016-05-01 11:12 (UTC)

[Gentle and loving, Korrin takes great care with the small woman tucked against her side, giving her the lightest of squeezes and brushing her lips against her forehead. There's nothing common about this radiant woman, as far as she's concerned, not when her very presence makes her heart beat faster and those smiles force her to catch her breath. She's wonderful just as she is, and it's everyone else's loss if they can't appreciate it.]

It's similar enough. I've had people in my bed who thought they were alright with magic, until seeing it for themselves and then they'd recoil like I was going to poison them. It didn't matter if I was using it to defend people or provide something extra to a good time...some fears run deep, thanks to the Chantry or the Qun, and they can't handle it. I know you don't have the same baggage, it's just something that's hard to shake. But you've never treated me like an exotic pet or whatever--believe me, I know the difference.

[Usually when she turned potential lovers down, it was due to that treatment, them seeing her not for herself but as an exotic creature to intimidate others with or put on display. Naturally, plenty of those people got punched if they tried to insist. She learned the signs after a while, enough to know what to expect before they even spoke. They were never worth the time.]

And those people don't know what they're missing, treating you like that. I'd pity them, but they're not even worth notice if they can't see you for the radiant, wonderful woman that you are. Your generous spirit would be wasted on them, anyway. So, don't ever feel like you're pestering me. I trust you with everything I have, kadan.

[Is there a sparring match to focus on? Because Korrin's increasingly forgetting about that.]

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[OPEN] Peace Bore a Heavy Price

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