[Open] Marvel At Perfection

[judgemewhole]

WHO: James Norrington and You, Norrington and Merrill
WHAT: One Knight Commander, hanging about
WHEN: Through Harvestmere until he leaves on his trip.
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Warnings for templar stuff, as always

The life of a templar was never a dull one, even for one who spent all his younger years in Ostwick. Now with the Inquisition, James had found such duties doubled. He was training new recruits on how to fight demons in the courtyard. He was teaching the Rifters about the Templar Order and the Chantry, out in the garden. He was sitting in his office with the holes in the walls, filling in requisition forms and handling complaints.

Still, some evenings he still managed to get away to spend some time with his people -- and they would either head to the tavern, or now that the weather had cooled, make a small campfire and sit around together, passing a bottle of wine and stories - old and new. Anyone was welcome to join them, and James himself would always hand over a fresh goblet to a newcomer.

Comments

Garden

[justice_is_blond]

He comes here to check on herbs and make notes on them, not to hear someone talking about the Templar Order and Chantry. After a few very uncomfortable moments of fear making his ears and mind fill with white noise, Anders manages to get his breathing even enough to finally recognize the speaker. Norrington. So it's not another Rylock or Rolan breathing down his neck, it's just one Templar who isn't entirely misguided trying to praise an organization that's outdated and dangerous.

Despite the stress he can feel building in the back of his shoulders and neck, Anders continues to work until he hears Norrington wrap up. Only then does he head over.

"I can't help but feel you could use more from someone with the opposite bias as you in that pretty speech."

Re: Garden

[judgemewhole]

James finished gathering up his books, glancing over his shoulder at Anders. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head a little. "Oh, why am I not surprised that you have a problem with me even uttering an opinion about what I think the purpose of the Templar Order should be."

He tucked up the books under his arm, "Besides, haven't the mages who want freedom made their opinions fairly clear to everyone? Korrin's in thick as thieves with most of them."

[justice_is_blond]

He rolls his own eyes, voice calm.

"Has anyone ever told you breathing instead of jumping to extremes is a good thing to do? I've never told you to stop talking. Don't insult both of us. I think opinions and discussion happen to be very useful, as long as all sides get heard and considered. And no. I don't know that we have."

Norrington isn't a friend... but Anders doesn't entirely distrust him despite the Templarness. It makes talking with him easier. As does the lack of Justice. Anders can feel what he does about how many atrocities he'd seen and dealt with from Templars without having it have to be addressed in every conversation.

"After all, can you tell me how any of the mages who believe we should all be seen as people see the future looking for mages? Especially in regard to the Templar Order?"

[judgemewhole]

James let out a sigh, but he managed to get his irritation under control to look at the other man, "Jumping to extremes is something one learns to do when one has to fight to keep oneself and on one's livelihood ... in one piece. You, of all people, should appreciate that."

He tipped his chin a little, before he looked at the other man keenly, "I do not know. Can you tell me what the future looks like for Templars, when the good ones are painted with the bad?"

He started to walk, "We are both looking to build a future for our people, Anders. I don't mind people sharing their opinions - but in their own forum. There's too much bad blood between our groups, Anders, for any kind of open discussion."

[justice_is_blond]

Anders studied the man for a moment before sighing and joining in step.

"Open discussion is what our groups never had. It was the Templar way, and only the Templar way. I think it's rather important, honestly, for talking to happen. Especially as I could share an idea, a picture of where the future could go for Templars. The good ones."

He reached down to mess with one of his belt pouches, checking on Purrelden. Still sleeping, apparently. At least he doesn't have to juggle her while talking.

"You heard about the classes I held for mages recently?"

[judgemewhole]

"Would you really put your diehards in the same room with my diehards and expect anyone to get out of there without getting hurt?" James stated dryly, "I cannot imagine the sort of restrictions the Advisors would have to put in place for such a talk to happen."

However, he did stop, and look at the other man with both eyebrows raised, "You ... have an idea for the future of the Templars. Maker's Breath, I never thought I would hear that coming from your lips."

He pursed his own, before stating simply, "I have. It seemed like a smart idea - giving them purpose in the new world. Using their gifts for good instead of for ill - something my mentor always emphasized."

[justice_is_blond]

His diehards. There's an upward quirk of Anders' lips; Norrington has no idea what Anders has been up to lately, otherwise that comment might be funny. Or not. Depending. The point is that there's a larger matter than Anders' brief amusement at hand and so he focuses.

"I..." Part and parcel of this is dealing with residual anger and pain and pride. He's not sure which one of those three is the hardest. "They are... related. The Templar question and the mage one, despite how I wish they were not. The classes are related as well."

It's not that easy to talk about this with someone he doesn't fully trust. But at the same time, he needs a balance of opinions rather than simply people he knows will get excited by it. Even if Norrington is implying that mages are naturally inclined toward using magic for ill. What was to be expected, if they were hunted, caged, and taught combat? Anders pushes past that spark of annoyance and charges forward with his thoughts.

"Rather than Circles, closed things, schools. Open. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can come and go and learn. Reading, writing, magic, skills for life. And those that are scared of their gifts, or have trouble controlling them and seek protection, can stay there. With the Templars. Who can serve there by protecting, rather than jailing. Ones who have been chosen for showing patience and steadfastness, rather than anyone who doesn't have a home or an occupation and doesn't care. Because the mages who would stay there? They would be the ones who are vulnerable and afraid, who need an extra hand rather than the fear and accusations and cruelty that have killed so many of them in the past."

[judgemewhole]

Norrington, for once, didn't snort. He didn't make a face, nor did he disparage. Surprisingly enough, he just stopped and looked at Anders with an intent expression of thought. If Anders had asked him though, he would have stated mages weren't the only ones with that impulse. That he had seen what his templar brothers and sisters had become without purpose, without good intent. As he had been told, a man holding a sword was as dangerous as a man holding a staff.

His expression changed as well, not into something angry, but something brighter. He found himself nodding along with agreement, "You speak of colleges - the old colleges. First Enchanter Lydia spoke of them - 'a way to move forward by going back'. I think that is a splendid idea."

[justice_is_blond]

He hadn't expected that sort of an expression on Norrington's face. Sure, he's talking to the man because he seems to be on the more-decent side of the Templar equation, but more-reasonable-seeming or not, he'd never have expected a Templar to be fine with the 'coming and going as they please' bit of his suggestion.

"So long as the doors stay open to those who want in and those who want out, yes." A bit of how gobstruck he feels shows in his voice as well as his expression. "Templars can guard from inside and outside alike, including from each other as need arises. They can be held accountable by their own as they should have been all along, and it will help when those in the schools are not simply mages alone, powerless like before, but mages with options along with non-mages."

[judgemewhole]

Interpretation is everything. There would be a place where mages could go to learn their powers - those who did not feel safe would stay within the walls with templar protection. Those who traveled would have to obey the laws and if they did not? The templars would be there to protect them.

"I believe most templars would like to have a little more freedom themselves. Perhaps they would be able to seek marriage, and homes of their own." A home of his own ... could he even imagine that? "It ... would take a great deal of time."

[justice_is_blond]

A commonality between Templars and mages. It's not the easiest thing to accept; he's spent so much time being hurt by them that he doesn't find them on similar ground an easy thing. For so long, whatever served Templars wounded those he cared about. It still could go back to that. But Anders takes a slow breath in and out and then nods.

"Mages would want that too. Lives. Options, like whether or not they wish to marry, like being able to still have land and families." Templars getting to dream did not, in this case, take away from mages being able to dream. He needs to remember that, though it's difficult.

"This could be started here. The beginnings of it, tested, worked at. It will give time for working out kinks and flaws."

[judgemewhole]

It could honestly go either way. James is ...cautiously optimistic that the mages won't try to turn this place into another Tevinter where blood magic reigns supreme and people are used as neverending fonts of power for the mysticall greedy. He nods his head slowly.

"So ... we would all, more or less, get precisely what we need, if not what we all wanted all along." Respect. Freedom. "What are ... what are you considering here?"

Just how much am I going to regret this? should have been the unasked question.

[justice_is_blond]

"For now, or long term? Or are you asking what your role would be if you were to help? Or mine?" There's a lot of questions Norrington could be asking, and Anders wouldn't be surprised by any of them. He could even be asking all of them.

"On the whole, I'm considering exactly what I'm saying. That by the time the Chantry's found their new Divine and Corypheus is defeated, there's a working model of a school set in place, one that they can't ignore, one that says there's another way. Because I know how much they'll want us back in our cages - controlling the mages gives power, and making the populace fear mages and seek 'protection,'" he does airquotes, "from us gives the Chantry and Templars and Seekers all the more authority and power. Not all people want power, but enough do that I know we will be a target the moment the current threats are gone. I don't want to see another generation caged."