therookery | crystal;

Entry tags:

crystal;

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Araceli Bonaventura
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Offering advanced parkour lessons and trying to organise a shindig
WHEN: Now
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: Threadjacking encouraged. A few notices have been left around the Gallows to sign-up for lessons.

Inquisition, now that we're settled in Kirkwall I come to you with two very exciting propositions. As some of you know, I taught how to climb and run the walls and battlements of Skyhold, how to fall from such heights safely but alas this was not as it was at home when Skyhold was so contained. But here we are in Kirkwall! I can truly teach you how to leap from building to building if your desire and to dive into the waters from buildings and from the rigging of a ship. Of course, we start small so as not to injure your good self but if that prospect sounds intriguing, please come find me. I am Araceli Bonaventura, at your service. I'm either working at the Gallows or by the docks or you might happen to look up.

The second is a thing to celebrate and I could say that I do it as leader of the naval projects but truly? I do it as someone who loves cooking and seafood, to finally be back by the water after so long removed from it. Tell me, Inquisition, what are your favourite seafood dishes? Your favourite meals from Antiva or Rivain or places such as that? Because I thought it might be an idea to have a cookout by the waves towards the end of the month, say, the twenty-second? Everyone is welcome if they are a fan of good food and good times among friends.

[Also it's her birthday but since they don't really do birthdays that way back home, what better thing to do than have a fun time with people that have all certainly earned it?]

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[ That gets a warm smile out of her. ]

I will.

[ Until the day she has to let go when he leaves for the Deep Roads. ]

All right. Where is a good place to climb up? Or is that my first lesson: to find a way?

See the stonework? You find places for your fingers and feet. If you think you can take a run and climb up [and Araceli does just so because that's easier with the boost it gives naturally] then you do that but there's a lip at the bottom if not, up on the balls of your feet not the middle or heels since they tire so fast. This is your legs doing the work, not the arms, but you have to place yourself correctly.

[Araceli nods to how she's positioned with her hips at a right angle, her feet planted but not flat, arms straight and with her weight resting on her thighs.]

[ Ellana contemplates the running jump, but decides against it. No need to break her ribs again, and with her luck, she would. ]

All right.

[ She uses the lip to hoist herself up and looks up for finger holds. Seeing one, she then looks to where she can put her foot. Hmm, that's trickier. Maybe if she was dressed like in the old days with bare feet, she'd have an easier time, but now she has to find a groove that can fit the toe of her boot. ]

I see a place for my hand, but if I'm supposed to push up with my legs, I need a foothold first, right? Nothing seems big enough.

[Ellana it's your feet making contact with the wall, not your chest.]

You don't stay long, you're always pushing up, if you do have to stay for long then you can plant yourself. But this is always moving up or to the side, down if you need to come at it again. [Araceli's boots are worn in, still sturdy enough for travel but the leather is supple from running around in them constantly now and when she moves, it doesn't feel like wearing boots. Araceli pushes off while she's still in Ellana's sight, catching herself in her hands then moving again, mostly up and down then left and right so Ellana can actually see how she's placed herself.

The most athletic of crabstances, bless Assassin's Creed.]

[ Araceli, you clearly don't realize how Ellana attracts bad luck at times. ]

Ohh. I guess I'm overthinking it.

[ Which is only natural. Ellana's thirst for knowledge means her brain is always working. But she's no genius, and she often focuses on the wrong thing. Probably why she ends up daydreaming while reading so very often. ]

Okay, here I go.

[ She honestly doesn't think she can just jump and grab a handhold just yet. She's not athletic enough for it. But she plants her foot sideways against a space between the stones and hoists herself up, hand sliding across until she feels a handhold. Her foot is slipping, so she climbs up and gets her other foot in place before the first has a chance to slip off its spot.

It's not graceful, and the sound of her boots scraping the stone means it's not stealthy either. She's developed a spell she can use to silence areas around her, but she'd prefer learning to be a stealthy climber like others and only use the spell for emergencies. ]

To the top?

[ It's asked as she keeps moving up, partly motivated by the fact that her feet don't feel secure and she has to keep moving before she falls off. ]

The thinking can be before when you have to plan a route but that's when you're on the ground; walking Kirkwall or anywhere, I look at a place and think how I could get up and down, are the windows big enough that I might be able to slip through should they be open, or could I pick the lock from outside and get in. Where would a guard see me, where do the shadows fall at different times of the day. It's worth being in the habit [a huff out, next part of the lesson to follow because Araceli doesn't really hang on the walls too long so she moves to a new position to avoid getting stiff] to go for walks at different times of the day, on different days.

[A thief's trick. It's how you case a joint.]

Breathe out on the push with the legs, inhale when you pull up. [Important things to remember and it tends to come naturally anyway with the movement of the body but some people fight against it.]

Yes, to the top, we can run the rooftop here then I'll show you to fall.

[ This is already so much to remember! Probably why it's worth having a teacher instead of trying to figure this all out by herself. ]

Right.

[ Her body sort of is fighting against it, as pulling herself up exerts energy and she blows out breathes. Time to reverse it. She pauses, blowing the breath out of her nose as she lifts up with her calves, and when she grabs a spot to pull up, sucks in new air through her nose. Right now, this seems like so much to focus on while trying not to slip off. If she could just get this to happen involuntarily, that would be great.

She's about halfway to the top, going much slower than Araceli. Thankfully, she has no fear of heights. It's kind of impossible to when you can be a bird. And it's that thought that suddenly bolsters her. If she falls, she'll just shift into bird form. So now she can take risks and speed this up a bit. Araceli might notice her renewed vigor as she pushes up and grabs for new handholds. ]

Sounds good. [ She won't mention the bird thing, even though Araceli has already seen it. Ellana is here to learn this skill, not take shortcuts unless she's about to break her neck. ]

[Araceli's been doing this since she was twelve. Long enough for some things to become habit, earning her living off it since the age of fifteen as well as being a strong swimmer that always helps with the whole controlled breathing issue.

Glancing at where Ellana is from time to time, Araceli concentrates on climbing up since the Gallows isn't much of a challenge by now - it's tall but nowhere is as tall as Castileos, it's got plenty to cling to without too many gaps or obstacles between, and there isn't any real chill in the air or heavy structural damage the way there was in Skyhold.

On the whole it's a good place and Ellana's doing fine without coaching so she makes her way to the top, pulling herself up in a fluid movement where her elbows bend and straighten as she uses her arms for that final moment to get her legs over. She does wait there though, a hand ready for whenever Ellana makes it up if she needs it. Sometimes this is the worst part for people when they aren't used to having to use their bodies like that, a little trembly or shaky with it.]

Maybe at some point we can get watchers too, that way you can learn how to do this without being seen. Better than doing it the hard way where someone might shoot you in the backside.

That-- [ huff ] would be good. [ huff puff. ] Maybe next time?

[ She's close to the top now, looking up to see Araceli looking as natural as if she was born atop the roof. One more pull up and she's able to get her leg over, grateful for any help Araceli offers at this point. Once she's safely up beside her friend, Ellana rotates her shoulders and grimaces slightly. ]

First time's always the hardest.

Skyhold was good for a few things that here isn't. It was all enclosed where I had to practice with soldiers on watch and on patrol, patterns to memorise, patients in others. Which might not be a bad idea. [If Araceli can see the guard pattern and confirm it, then have Ellana watch and report it back? It's all practice. If she wants to learn how to sneak, it's the sort of thing she'll need to get a real handle on.]

Your body will get used to it, swimming will help to tone some of the muscles, stretches if you feel anything getting stiff but obviously not every time is a time you get to stretch. [Life being what it is.]

Let me know when you can breathe comfortably and we can keep going. I don't want you getting a stitch or dizzy up here.

Just a minute, then. I'll tell you when I'm ready.

[ She looks down over the edge, breathing hard but keeping focused as to the goings-on down below. Soldiers are moving towards the training area, several people with baskets are heading towards the garden, and two scouts are leaning against a wall having a smoke. ]

Everything is so... less organized here. Which is funny because we have this nice, centralized place for it all, but people are either sitting inside all day or milling around out here. [ Her head nods towards the scouts. ] They could do that every day at this time, or just found a free moment. Same with those guys heading to the sparring ring. And that's with people who are here everyday. Spying on others when you don't know what they're supposed to be doing must be a lot of work.

That's what city life is. People are always coming and going but it still has a rhythm and pattern to it, it just takes longer to find it. You have to be willing to put the time in to do it. [Araceli stretches, her back popping.] You know I was a thief before I was in Thedas, but to be a good thief that didn't get caught by the guards or who didn't get captured by anyone and put in a cell, I could spend days, weeks, even months learning different routes and routines. That was home, you know home. In time, people will settle, you'll know Kirkwall. Not everything is predictable but you'll learn to have as many plans as you can.

I had mouths to feed with what I was stealing but it was the thrill too. I was better than them. All those rich people with all their money and their guards and sometimes they chased me, sometimes they fought me, a few times they shot me but no one ever caught me. [That's a lie. Leandra caught her but Leandra's plan was very clever after all.] You want to be the best, it becomes your life. I ran with a gang of thieves when I was twelve. I moved to my own rooms at fifteen to provide for myself and then the rest in that building. [Araceli might have had a safety net waiting for her if she needed it but it's where everyone's different life starts to tell them apart; Ellana can survive in the wilds better than Araceli ever could, she'll always know far more about magic and what it is to live in Thedas but this is what Araceli knows. If she's better at passing that on than teaching how to spot tells remains to be seen.]

[ Months? Ain't nobody got time for that, girl.

Of course, Ellana is rather impatient, but she needs to go down this road. The front lines of battle just aren't for her anymore. So she'll have to learn patience. ]

I didn't know all that about you. [ Which surprises her. Yes, she knew a little, from when she and Araceli would sit at cards or Liar's Dice, but not the being on her own at fifteen part. ] When you watch people, well, you said guards. Is it only guards, or do you watch everyone to make sure they aren't watching you in return? And where do you watch from? Up high like here, or do you walk among them?

[Oh yes you do if the job requires that you do.]

People see what they want to see. [Lightly said but that's the point, that's almost always been the point. People know Araceli's young but now how young. People know Araceli's lived a life but not all the ins and outs. People know that Araceli can offer help and lessons but very rarely seems to ask for anything back. That's been a lesson too but it remains for her to see if people are picking up on that one.] Everyone. You watch everyone without letting them notice that you're watching them or making it obvious when you're doing something that lets you have a look around. Wherever I go? I watch. Ellana, that's why I know a person takes a tell from the table to the party to the street. To watch my own just as well. [Araceli your parents started teaching you this when you were four that you can actually remember.] Sometimes it's when I'm up here running at different times of the day but whenever I go anywhere I pay attention to where I am, what I hear, the people I see. I was a common girl and a thief. When I wasn't somewhere that I was meant to be in my home? It could have been bad.

[Not entirely unlike it would be for elves in human parts of cities or the Dalish or mages in most anywhere, maybe Ellana realises that when Araceli gives her a significant but not harsh look, indicating how she's dressed right now with one hand and then the Gallows with the other. How much does life change, all things considered.]

Everyone. [ It's repeated with a nod, to show she understands. This means no getting distracted by pretty trinkets or interesting people, Ellana. ] A person needs to have a good memory to keep all this in their head, huh? I'm worried I won't remember a person from one day to the next.

[ But she probably just needs time to adjust to this way of life. Araceli has lived and breathed it far longer than Ellana has. ]

I am sorry to say that it isn't as dangerous for me anymore. I have fail safes to fall back on, but the reason I'm doing this is to go about it the right way, and not the easier way just because I'm a mage. Besides, you never know when an enemy has accounted for a mage in their presence.

[ Namely: magebane. ]

[Oh you notice those too, the details are important.] You can train yourself. There are patterns and tricks but that bit? You learn that bit yourself, it doesn't help to try to force a thing that doesn't come naturally. [Araceli has her own odd little systems for laying it out but the older you get, the harder it is to pick up a new skill after all.] It's practice. You do it because you have to and in Kirkwall, being in the Inquisition? You're going to have to.

[Offend the wrong people here and watch something important dry up in a flash.]

Honestly? The more people that have failsafes and back-ups the better; hope for the best but prepare for the worst, that way you're armed no matter the situation. [This is the problem with so many heroic save the world types so sure that force of will or personality or belief alone will get them through.] Speaking of, time to put you through the paces, an enemy will account for you being too tired to keep going after you've climbed, trust me. I know that one personally.

It will all come with time, I guess.

[ It's said a little unconvincingly, as confidence is something Ellana still needs to work on.

But Araceli has confidence flowing off of her in waves, and that's something Ellana not only admires, but wants to emulate. It isn't easy, because her background has always been magic, not stealth, but anything worth doing is worth doing right. It does no good to sit and admire someone like Araceli while lamenting how she could never do that. She needs to be the change she wants to be. ]

Uh oh. [ But there's a hint of a smile to her face. ] What next?

The cards and dice I showed you a long time ago? I don't remember how little I was when my father and his crew sat me on their knees to play. My mother taught me how to paint my face watching hers in a mirror on the edge of her bed when I was just as small.

[Other lessons between the lines same as what Araceli's doing now, implying the other half of it. Confidence is one thing but bravado is another, do the latter well enough and no one needs to know what you're arming yourself with so long as you're willing to roll the dice.]

Running, come on, plenty of rooftop here to get used to it before you go for the fall and we can jump between parts if you're feeling bold. [Brave and bold are different things, similar but different, brave isn't what she wants to imply here and now.]

[ Ellana jumps to her feet and nods. ]

Don't worry if I do manage to fall. Bird form.

[ She points to herself. Back at Skyhold, she did her best to practice shifting in surprising moments. Usually she'd go down into the valley, looking for animals or a certain thing, and that would be her cue to shift without thinking about it. If she froze like a ice block, she'd end up vulnerable. So here's hoping she shifts without thinking if she gracelessly falls between buildings. ]

You do have to learn falling properly without the bird form too. That part is non-negotiable as part of all my lessons, not only for those learning but for my peace of mind.

[Because Araceli wouldn't forgive herself if she let someone get hurt when she could have prevented it. When all her energy is going into a thing not hers to make a better world with less chance of pain and hurt and fear for so many.

But she nods her head, takes off at a semi-brisk run to warm her body back up again close to the edge of the building. A circuit to start. To appreciate the view, the new angle to see the world by.]

[ She gives Araceli a surprised look as she gets to her feet. ]

I never said I wouldn't learn, just that I'll be all right if I happen to fall between buildings right now before you teach me. I did say I wanted to learn this the proper way, didn't I? That includes falling when you come to that part of the lesson.

[ But they aren't there yet, and Ellana has a fail safe in case she doesn't make the jumps between buildings in the meantime. When Araceli turns the lessons over towards the proper way to fall, Ellana will be as dedicated to that as to anything else so far. ]

Siento, has to be second nature. Just in case you get shot. Even if an arrow is less painful than a bullet. [Arrows are always less painful than bullets, also they generally keep the blood in you unless some sort of beast is firing them.] It's into hay first since we're up here, later, water. Because a fall into water stings more so I must teach as a dive and this is easier.

[Not everyone grows up learning how she had to so she's having to just basically reverse it all.]

If you look over the edge [Araceli points ahead as she moves, past one of the decorative pieces of the roof that's been recently repaired] you'll see where the hay is.

Where do demon claws fall on the list?

[ There's a joking quality to the question, as it's been long enough since the battle that she can say things like this. ]

Or a maul to the ribs?

[ Ah, memories. ]

I see the hay. What now?

Being shot hurts worse. Claws rake and burn but shot goes right through ad takes the flesh with it or it stays in you and you have to go dig it out. Sometimes it breaks up into little pieces and it breaks bones on the inside.

[As much as she misses having pistols herself or access to gunpowder to have an advantage, an arrow is something she can avoid and something that isn't going to do the same damage, even a crossbow bolt wouldn't do that to her.]

Remember where the hay is, we'll come back to it, now? Now we go to where this bit is and we take a running jump, push with your thighs, catch yourself with your hands and pull up.

[It's not a wide gap between what would be a narrow passageway below, mostly deserted at this hour as Araceli points ahead as she moves because this is the advanced course, if Ellana is confident enough that she can turn to a bird if something goes wrong she'll know better than Araceli.

So she runs, jumps, could make the jump but the point is to teach so she makes the catch and pulls herself up in much the same way the end of a climb is done. Jumping and rolling can be for the return since Ellana has to do the fall.]

[ Ellana has to slow down since Araceli is going first and she doesn't want to jump off the roof after her while she's still climbing up. Plus it gives her the opportunity to watch how her friend is doing this. Seems like a good exercise for the arms.

Once Araceli is out of the way where Ellana plans on jumping, she leaps, catches herself, lets out a yelp as pain shoots through her wrists, and pulls up, needing to swing a leg over like before. She hasn't built up the strength yet to leap vertically and clear the rooftop. But at least she makes it. ]

I know I didn't do it like you, but was it okay for my first attempt?

crystal;

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