therookery | I've been sleepwalking

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Maxwell
RECIPIENT: Katniss
WHAT: Maxwell has good excuse to get out of Skyhold for a bit
WHEN: Say the day after the linked thread, shortly after Galadriel's arrest
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Following this here bad time.

[The benefit was that it had happened in the wee hours of the morning, meaning he didn't have long to wait in the dark, replaying the fight over and over in his mind. The sun inevitably rose, chasing off the worst of the night's cold, and a new day began with the sound of muted footsteps and soft voices.

There were things to do. Always work to be done. A host of things to busy himself enough with that he wouldn't have to listen to the echoes... but standing there, in the yellow morning light, he couldn't think of a single one.

His hands clenched, loosed, tightened again. His Adam's apple lurched in his throat. His eyes darted over the garden, past the trees and plants, up the brick - he could almost feel them, hard and heavy, on his shoulders, in his gut.

He wanted out, he realized suddenly. Needed... Just a little air. Space.

In that, at last, was something.]

Katniss? ...It's Maxwell.

I have a question.

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[It being early morning, Katniss was already starting to dress for the day. She was just pulling on her boots when the message crystal sounded, startling Buttercup and the wolf pup where they were curled up together on the floor. She waved at both of them to calm down, before she frowned at the message coming through.]

Maxwell?

Ah ... I have ... an answer.

[What in the name of Mythal was this?]

I, uh-- [A pause, collecting himself, eyes closing as he rubbed his fingers hard across his forehead.] I was thinking about that hunt we talked about going on, and now seems like a good time.

If you're free.

Well ... the answer is 'yes', because I was about to go hunting.

[A brief pause.] Are you looking for an all day excursion? I can get us a cart.

[Another one.] ... is it all right if I bring my wolf?

A day or two, yes. [A small, short laugh.] Might as well make it worth the while.

[It was a testament to his current state that it took him a moment to realize what else she'd said.]

....As long as its name isn't Ser Bites a Lot.

Hm. All right, we'll need supplies then, and I'll have to let everyone know I'll be gone for a few days hunting. Shouldn't be an issue, we have to restore stores after winter anyways. Brings in a good amount of trade, too.

[She snorts at that.]

No, I haven't decided on a name for him yet.

So long as it doesn't scare me or the game, it's fine.

[A breath.]

I'll stop by the kitchen and see about some rations. If we meet by the gate this afternoon, does that work for you?

[He had no one to say goodbye too.]

I'm training him how to hunt in the field, so it shouldn't. In fact he should be helpful.

[Thinking.]

We have to be back in time for the soiree. I'm trying to raise money for my project. Otherwise, I'll go to the armory and get us extra quivers, then over to the stables to get my horse and a cart. Late afternoon should be fine.

[Oh. Yes. The soiree. That was a thing he'd been stripped and fitted for, wasn't? Like the sun that morning, the wheels of politics would continue to grind away.]

Right. Yes. Of course. We can't miss that.

[There was a slight shift in his voice as he said it, but he carried on, ignoring it. (A part of him had been looking forward to it, actually. He had hoped to...)]

If you could, bring those arrows I put together for you. ...I'd like to see them in action.

No, we can't.

[She's very firm on that, but there's something very ... off about his voice.]

Ah, absolutely. I've got the quiver on now, actually.

We'll be back in time to be fluffed and quaffed, you have my word.

[Was that sadness? Or just fatigue? It was early.]

Good. I'll see you this afternoon then.

The fluffing and the quaffing I'm not worried about. It's the getting funding that I need.

[Seriously, what was that note in his voice? It was ... odd.]

All right. I'll see you then.

I've been sleepwalking

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