faderift | Try something new, they said...

WHO: Fenris and you
WHAT: Someone wants to better himself. Or something.
WHEN: Early Cloudreach
WHERE: Around Skyhold. Isolated corners. The tavern (there's a surprise)
NOTES: Probably a warning from swearing in Tevene. It's Fenris.

He tried looking at it every which way he could, but it made no sense. Well. It made sense to someone, he was sure, but not him. The book that was in front of him was being studiously ignored to make way for something more useful - alcohol.

He was feeling the lack of being able to read. He knew that as many could read as couldn't, but all of his friends round about could - and when he was out in the field, it would be useful to be able to read slaver's ledgers to be able to find out just where they had been - and where they were going next. But how did you even go about that.

Preposterous. He shouldn't even have thought of it. With a sigh he finished his drink and stood up, looking around, and thought about leaving the book behind, but tucking it under his arm. Maybe he would ask Zevran to help him.

Still. He was mellow as he walked through Skyhold at least. Alcohol had a tendency to do that to you.

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"Won't get any arguments from me there."

As the dwarf behind the counter came over, Jamie leaned in and murmured something to him, nodding towards Fenris for a second or two before settling back. It wasn't long before the bartender set down two drinks, one in front of him and one in front of Jamie, who gaves Fenris an aimable shrug.

"Hope that's alright. I told him to get you another around of whatever you were having. Figured you'd rather have one of those then my offering you advice about reading. Don't really think I'm qualified enough to do that as it is. I've only just figured out how to do that here myself."

"Thank you." For once, it wasn't grudging. He appreciated anyone who bought him a drink, and he'd happily listen to them - for a little while, anyway. However, his words caught his attention. He'd only just learned to read? While there was a part of him that bristled at anyone else knowing that, he was curious, and that drink helped him decide to wait before getting angry. "It is different from your world?" He knew that Jamie was a rifter - generally they were easy to spot, after all.

At least Jamie wasn't the sort that was going to go around saying anything about whether or not Fenris could read. As far as he was concerned, that was Fenris's business, and while he might comment on it like he had to Fenris directly, he wasn't about to go spreading it about like it was a choice piece of gossip. However, since they were talking about it already, he didn't think twice before going on, only taking a few seconds to pull his tankard over towards himself so he'd have it handy.

"You're welcome. But aye, it is different. There's runes in my world but not everyone uses them. We use something called letters, instead. I had to learn to read back home too, mind. It's not something that's taught where I grew up, at least not to everyone. I didn't actually learn at all until I'd left Scotland - er, my home."

Something Fenris appreciated. Not that he really cared if people knew if he read or not - most knew he was a former slave, so they would draw their own conclusions anyway - but he appreciated someone who wouldn't indulge in gossip.

He leaned back on his seat, studying Jamie a little more. "Why did you choose to learn to read later, then?" he asked. Assuming he was an adult when he left, why bother then? This was the question that was bothering Fenris more than anything.

"Aye, well..." It was a good question, and Jamie wound up scratching at the side of his neck as he tried to figure out the best way to put it. "When I left home, I started travelling with a friend. We went all sorts of places. Ones I'd never heard of before, or even imagined could exist. And I started asking questions about them, or about things he'd be doing - like if he was writing in this wee book he used to carry around. Eventually he figured out I was asking because I couldn't read about it myself, and he decided it'd be a good idea to teach me."

It'd made it a little bit easier to pick up some information on his own, although it hadn't exactly stopped Jamie from asking questions. But the Doctor was still willing to answer those, and Jamie was content enough. Until he'd come here, anyway.

"Now I'd not say I'm still much of a reader, but I'd managed alright until I'd gotten here and realized that the letters here were different. I figured learning to sort out what was written down here would make some things a bit easier to understand. Messages and the like. So I tried to sort it out on my own, at first. That didn't really work, though."

Fenris sat back and watched Jamie as he told his story. You could always tell a lot about how someone felt about something by how they told their story. Admitting a weakness that could be taken advantage of was not something done lightly by either of them.

"I come from a different country," Fenris said suddenly. "From Tevinter. I know both languages, but the thought of it makes it harder."

"Aye, I see. I've not met too many people from Tevinter, but if they've their own language there I can see where that'd make things tricky. Having someone who knows the language here helps, though."

That had made a lot of things easier, and that part of things he was willing to admit readily enough - well, that and one other thing, which actually gets a grin to cross his face briefly before he lifts his tankard back up to his mouth.

"Well, and a bonny lass willing to teach it to you, too, but that's just my personal opinion. I know not everyone'd here would agree with me."

He snorted, knowing he wasn't going to be talking to any of those from Tevinter. A former slave, mixing with the oppressors? Not happening.

"Bonny?" It was a word he hadn't heard before, and although he could infer what it meant by context... he wanted to be sure. Lass, lad, though? Didn't matter to him.

A faintly rueful expression crosses Jamie's face at that, something brought on solely by the fact that 'bonny' isn't something that anyone seems to use around here - and he gives Fenris a small, slightly apologetic shrug.

"Och, I keep forgetting. It means pretty. Now I'll not say as it necessarily makes things any easier to understand, but having someone helping you who's nice to look at doesn't hurt."

No matter which way you went with that sort of thing. Unless it was affecting him directly, though, Jamie had decided long ago that he wasn't going to worry about it. It is what it is, and he reaches out to retrieve his drink.

"Although I suppose that depends on your point of view. It helped me, anyway."

"No, I can see how it would be an extra incentive." Someone he cared about, helping him to read? That was something he could possible deal with. It would take someone he knew to get past his own barriers and get him to admit that he needed their help. "Certainly it would be more palatable than some people."

"Aye, that's exactly what I mean. Extra incentives like that make it just a wee bit better."

Whether or not that was something Fenris wanted to do? Well, that was up to him, but in the meantime the corners of his mouth turned upwards before they wound up being hidden by his tankard as he brought it to his lips.

"Although I'd not realized just how, ah, colourful some of the comments on the messages that've been posted here were. There's some very creative sorts around Skyhold."

Fenris gave a snort of laughter. "I know a fair few of them. Oh yes, there are a lot of characters. It would seem that Skyhold would attract them."

"Oh, aye? Well, then I'd imagine that you've an idea about some of those comments without even seeing them," he replied, with a small chuckle of his own. "Although I'd not really considered it being a thing where Skyhold attracted them. Wonder why that is?"

He chuckled in return. "Oh yes, I have a fair idea. As to why here? Too many heroes, it would seem."

"Heroes? You really think so?" It wasn't something Jamie had considered as being an option, and he reached to idly scratch at the side of his neck as he mulled that over. "Thought it was more that folk were coming here to fight Corphy-whats-his-face. I'd not really thought about it as being a bunch of heroes."

Try something new, they said...

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