Well it's time to celebrate your birthday, it happens every year

[pinprick]

WHO: Anders, Nathaniel, and invitees!
WHAT: Fancy birthday party in Camp Shady
WHEN: Harvestmere 27, evening
WHERE: Camp Shady
NOTES: Will update.

Since many Wardens moved into the Kestrel House, there is plenty of space in the camp for a big top tent. Finding enough candlesticks, tables, and chairs required a lot of time and a number of bribes to pull off. The tables are nicely draped with fabric lent by one of Anders' patients, and each is decorated with flowers. The tent is alight and smells like good food--more donations from grateful patients.

One of the Wardens is known for her fiddling, and she plays lively dances and crooning ballads. In the center table is an ice sculpture of a cat chasing a butterfly (you guessed it--donated by a mage patient). It glitters spectacularly in the candlelight.

On the menu is a slow-roasted pig, spiced hot cider, spectacular salads, jams, cakes, delectably seasoned vegetables, a lamb-flank, and your choice of wine. There is even a hard-won bottle of Antivan brandy Nathaniel had to win several card games to achieve.

Relax, enjoy, greet the birthday boy, and mingle. The nights will be cold soon, but under this tent, life glows.

Comments

Later On

[unbrokenoath]

Kaisa plops bonelessly in a chair next to him, a plate of food sat on the table with her. "I'd say you're gonna spoil that cat, Anders, but I know good and well you've already gone and done it." She says it good naturedly, well aware of the hypocrisy of the accusation as she plucks some meat off of her plate and hands it off to Puppy. After a pause, she plucks a smaller amount, and lays it down for Purrelden.

"Pretty neat party, I gotta say. I like it. How old are you now, anyway? Just old, or old as dirt?" She gives him a wide grin at that, gently digging an elbow into his ribs.

[justice_is_blond]

He appreciates not having to even start defending himself just as much as Purrelden appreciates the meat. She's had a great deal already tonight, but she's a bottomless pit. Purring, she stars pulling it apart and eating daintily.

"I can't believe how many of you forget I'd an immortal being as a part of me for a time." He likes the forgetting, though, and he playfully sticks a tongue out at her. "I'm older than dirt. The man I've seduced isn't even close to a fraction of my age. So far he hasn't caught on; I hope he continues in that vein."

[unbrokenoath]

Kaisa wrinkles her nose at the cat, faintly annoyed that Purreldan felt like she had any right to be that cute. How dare she. Stop being so cute, you stupid cat. But Anders distracts her, and she snorts in amusement, turning to to task of making sure that she got to eat some of her own food.

"You know, it's dangerous to spill secrets like that around me. I might have to start blackmailing you to keep that on the downlow, or I'll tell Nathaniel that he's dating someone even older than Teren. Maybe a hug. Or a noogie, if I'm feeling particularly black-hearted." She pauses for a moment, then begins to dig around in a pocket. "Luckily for you, today is the reverse of blackmailing."

And with that, she holds out her fist, and deposits a hair brooch into either his waiting hand, or next to his plate, if he doesn't feel cooperative.

"Happy birthday, Anders. I thought you deserved something pretty."

[justice_is_blond]

Anders snickers before holding out his hand and taking the hairpiece, smile turning warmer as he turns it over.

"It's very pretty indeed. And it beats my plain hairties by a mile." Reaching up, Anders pulls the current tie out before regathering his hair and pulling it back up, fastening it with the new brooch. The result is a little messy, but it's certainly less plain. His smile widens. "Thank you, Kaisa. Is this when I don't tell you that Nate will like this too, just for the fun of pulling out something fancy rather than the regular? Or is that when I get an elbow to the ribs?"

[unbrokenoath]

"Ya nasty. Go pray to Andraste or something." Kaisa's voice was much more cheerful than her words would imply, her expression calmly relaxed as she reached over to pet Purreldan. "It's still not fair that I'm not allowed to bring anyone to our rooms, and yet, here you are, loud enough to wake the entire camp up. I think it's because I'm Fereldan."

Having made this biting and very serious (she's not serious) accusation, she reaches up to ruffle his hair that he just nicely fastened with his new fastener.

"Anyway, besides being gross with Nate, what've you been up to lately?"

[justice_is_blond]

Anders snorts.

"I'll pray to Andraste the day the Chantry actually gives a care about mages as people. And I didn't hear any ruling against you having visitors." He reaches up to straighten his hair playfully after she messes it up, giving her a smile.

"The classes thing. I did, held one for just mages, but I'm speaking with Merrill about holding one for all, based on survival. Teaching tactics for it, ways to deal with attacking animals, find food and water, use spells toward that, and so on. If you'd like to help..."

[unbrokenoath]

Kaisa crinkles her nose at that--she is, despite everything that is...unorthodox about her, devout in her believe. She knows it's something that Anders probably won't see eye to eye with her about (He did kind of. Blow up a Chantry), but still. Maybe she could try to...relax his disgust, just a little. "Agreeing with the Chantry isn't always the same thing as believing in Andraste, you know. She said very little about magic. Just, like. Don't murder people with it." She waved her hand flippantly. She's not sure if she believes that mages really should just be...wandering around like they own the place, of course. Mages having too much power is why there's an Inquisition in the first place.

But maybe the whole treating them like livestock could be cut down, just a little.

Talking about survival is a lot more welcome.

"I'd be happy to help. I joked about teaching a class once, but. Uh. It was still about safety! Just, safety when you're knocking boots with someone, ya know? There's a lot that people have to figure out from trial and error." And it could be survival, in a way, considering some of the diseases--including pregnancy, which could kill a woman as surely as any sickness her partner gave her. "But...I think yours would be a little better on my reputation."

[justice_is_blond]

"Mm. So don't do what I did. Or what I do when bandits or blood mages or venatori are running around? And then I too can be a good Andrastian. But really, it'd help if I lost the magic, or that's what all of her Thedosian representatives say." The Chantry had taken everything from him repeatedly. Family, freedom, friends, lover, hope, the list is too long for him to forgive, he's pretty certain. Especially if forgiveness meant easing up on the vigil, which could wind up with them caged all over again. He'll never be on good terms with the Chantry, though it's not like he or the Chantry care to mend fences.

He wants freedom for his people. The Chantry gains power from the opposite. The chaos the Chantry is in seems a little... satisfying, truth be told. They've ruined so many lives. Let theirs be ruined for a time. But he doesn't voice this, or even show it on his face.

"And let's... keep recreational activities out of this set of lessons, I suggest. If you've things that are more on topic, and, yes, would be easier on your reputation, let's go with those?"