01 - open

[tofindthesun]

FORM: crystal
SENDER: legolas
RECIPIENT: eeeeveryone
WHAT: a query about adventures. and adventurous query. also caves.
WHEN: at the crack of dawn. before the crack of dawn. the dawn-crack's crack.
WHERE: physically in the gallows. technically to anywhere.
NOTES: i'm okay with characters asking him about the last time he was here and any of the other legolas' past cr bringing that up. s'cool. (if anyone is still here from that time besides, like, Dad)

[to those who have heard it before or have spoken to his predecessor, they might recognize the voice in his this message.]

I wonder often if I worry needlessly, for needless things. For these are troubled times upon us, and far worse things there are than...

[hm. maybe not that topic.]

Far worse things, in any case.

I wish to ask: Where might one seek information for an excursion into the undergrounds? I would call it an adventure, but I am to understand it is not the safest place to be, at times. And at places. Though it is true that I seek an adventure!

[he sure sounds excited. y'know. in that mild tolkien-elf-voice-rises-one-(1)-octave sort of way.]

As for the reason... [hhhmmmmm.] ..let us say simply that I wish to see the sights.

And, if killing anything down there is required, it would not be a problem. [much.]

Comments

[arlathvhen]

I can only hope and pray it is so. I've been doing what I can, to show others that the Dalish care, that we can be civilized and responsible and all sorts of things, but.

[ The shrug she gives is rather helpless. But. But she’s one woman, but they can write her off as a single quirk of her people, but she could fuck it all up. Legolas hardly needs to hear her vast and varied doubts, however. The smile does help, though, much like Thranduil’s often does, and she gives him a small smile in return. ]

Tell me about your skills, how you fight, where your interests in subterfuge lay. What kind of things are you good at, and what would you like to do while you’re here?

[tofindthesun]

[he nods in agreement, but as they did mention, it's probably a topic for another time, so he doesn't comment on it further.]

I am... an archer. And I have some skill with a long knife. I am much the same as the others of my world here, my father and the Lady Galadriel, and... I do not think I have met the other one. [hm!] Although I am much younger than they, and not nearly as practiced. I would call myself a scout more than a warrior, and a hunter otherwise.

I lead one of many patrols in our home, the Mirkwood forests. Mostly we keep watch of spiders and goblins, sometimes orcs. Bandits may use the roads, at times, but they do not often bother us.. Our main task is to maintain our borders. Occasionally we lead raids to find any nearby spider nests and destroy them. Our numbers are not great enough to purge the vast forest itself.

[it's a long-suffering ordeal, but altogether impersonal until someone dies on patrol. which is always more often than one would like.]

I am unfamiliar with the affairs of war, so I am not quite sure how it applies to what is done here at the Inquisition. But I perform best in the woods, though less here than if they were the woods of my world.

[arlathvhen]

I'm an archer was well. Perhaps we could train together at some point?

[ Though if he is anything like Lady Galadriel or Thranduil, she suspects that he'll be the one teaching her. Younger than them or no. ]

Still, it all sounds very impressive. You're definitely coming into this with more skill than many of the new recruits we've had before. Actually--If you don't mind, I often try to help the newer, less experienced recruits, by having them train with other people. I try to do it when I can, but I obviously can't be everywhere at once. Would you be opposed to having me send people to you to help them learn how to improve their archery, and fighting?

[ She hasn't heard about this situation with Mirkwood before, and she's not sure what to say about it, exactly. To her, Middle Earth still seems like some far off, distant paradise. There may be a few bad spots here and there, but far more idyllic than Thedas ever was. Still, she nods through it, and files the information away. That particular problem is out of her hands, as well as Legolas', for now. ]

Few people are trained in the affairs of war. Luckily, the wholesale scope of it is not in our purview. The advisors in Skyhold are responsible for our overall strategies. Then they task us with fulfilling the tasks necessary for the strategies, which we parse out and hand down to the agents.

Still--I can recommend books that you can read that discuss it, if you wish, as well as provide a better idea of Thedas as a whole. I agree that I prefer the woods, but. [ She smiles wryly, and spreads her hands, palms up. ] We do what we must. It is all we can do.

[tofindthesun]

Perhaps! I will have to find a bow more fitting than what they have at the training grounds. My skill in making them leaves something to be desired.

I would not mind at all. Though I cannot guarantee my ability to teach. [a small bit of smile.] But for this, for the benefit of all, I would try.

[he does think the same now that he's here. in the past he thought dealing with spiders and sauron was bad enough. here, dealing with each other on top of that.... seems all too tedious.]

Yes, it appears war is not as simple as I once thought it to be. If it were only fighting and battles, perhaps they would end sooner. But perhaps then there would be more of them. [it's hard to say which is better.] This much, at least, seems doable.

[...although his definition of 'doable' has now expanded to include 'running across half the continent looking for hobbits' and also 'sneaking into mordor'.]

Books would be... alright. [reading is a bit. hm. he can, but he's not much of a book person.] That is true. We must make do with what we are given and what is available, more often than not. And I hope to be. You have my bow while this war lasts, Scoutmaster.

[...]

And for as long as I am here, if my predecessor is any indication to my flighty nature.

[arlathvhen]

I'm sure we can get you a better bow.

[ And by 'we', she means 'me'. Her job is to make sure each scout can perform to their best, and even if it wasn't—Legolas is a special snowflake.

She nods through the rest of what he says, a smile on her face. He's not a mini-Thranduil—And what child is?—But it’s plain that there are things they do share. Kindness, willingness to help. It’s a rare supply on some days, and she's glad there's more of it now. ]

Thank you, Legolas. I suppose it would be self-serving to hope you stay here, but—[ She reaches out, gives his arm a warm pat. ]—I'm glad for your presence, while you're here.