faderift | Sometimes the way a thing goes down does matter

WHO: Kaidan and you!
WHAT: Time spend in and around Skyhold/Catching up/meeting new people
WHEN: Anytime during Cloudreach
WHERE: Warden Camp, training grounds, tavern... anywhere really

Warden camp

Living back in a tent. If he were being honest, it felt more natural to him than living in a room. He'd spent so long on the road that the feel of a tent was like coming home. At least it would be if it wasn't in the mountains. Keeping the fires burning was almost a full time task, it felt, finding enough wood to make sure there was heat. Though he supposed he was meant to be hardy, used to being out in all weathers.

... Yeah he didn't believe himself either. He was to be found in front of the fire, staring into it, lost in thought.

Skyhold

Just because the Wardens had moved out of Skyhold proper didn't mean that they didn't visit regularly. Kaidan still felt that he had to help make sure the kitchens could cope with the increasing number of refugees. Hunters went out daily, but anything he could spare from what the Wardens needed he brought over. It did mean that he was regularly to be found in and out of the kitchens, as well as round the corridors in general - he'd made a number of friends there, and was often to be seen chatting. Or even as he stopped by the tavern for a drink or two before going back to camp. It was a routine, at least. Not one he liked, but one he could live with for a while.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What he's seen of Kaidan tells him that the man is quiet, thoughtful, often by himself. That means that generally, Anders passes him by without comment. There's no reason to bother the guy, and he doesn't know enough to tease. This time, though, the man seems to be staring into the fire with more intensity than usual, and Anders pauses.

"You might not want to lean too much further forward. Though I'm back in camp for the evening should you choose not to take my advice."

Kaidan was lost in thought, lost in the past, something he'd been more and more since... well, since it was discovered that Anders was here. He'd supported Herc and the other Wardens in taking Anders back into the Warden fold, it just brought up memories he'd thought long buried.

He looked up as Anders approached, giving him a faint smile. "I think being burned might be worth it if I'm warm for a little bit," he pointed out with a laugh.

"It's the part that comes after that's not too worth it." He gave Kaidan a half-smile before taking a seat. There'd been no rejection in the response which, for Anders, is practically an invitation.

"And I can warm the area a little more if you'd like." Kaidan was a mage, but Anders hadn't seen a great deal of magic from him. He didn't know if that was for fear-related reasons or something else, but he wasn't quite ready to pry there.

"I might accept if I'm warm," he pointed out with a grin. And no, there was no rejection. He didn't mind the company. "I don't mind the cold south generally, but there's something about being stuck up in the mountains that just makes it worse." Skyhold, for all it was a fortress, wasn't all that much warmer, though. "Still, it could be worse. It could be rain and mud." He hated that.

"Cold, rain, and mud, three things I've never enjoyed. At least the Deep Roads are often just one of those. But then there's the Darkspawn infestation, so maybe I prefer mud and rain."

The smile returns and stayed now. "But are you staring into the fire simply because of the weather, or is it something else? Because I doubt the cold requires that much focus."

"It's a close thing, but mud and rain just might win in that case," he said with a laugh.

He looked back at the fire, sighing a little. "Was just a little lost in thought. Too many memories." And odd ones to be bothered with, but with Anders around, he supposed it was inevitable.

"Mm." It's to both, really, as he stares into the fire. There's a lot of thinking, a lot of memories, and some are more difficult than others, some people want to keep quiet more than others. He has no right to pry. At the same time, some people want to talk, and he doesn't know Kaidan well enough to really have any idea what the man's considering.

"Well. If you need an ear, I'm here. Or there are others you may know better, or you may not want an ear at all. Whatever the case may be."

Kaidan glanced at Anders. Of all the people around about, Anders is likely the only person who would have any idea what he had gone through, what conflicts it all raised.

"Did anyone ever tell you how I became a Warden?" he asked quietly. No one else was around, but it was still a story that he didn't want overheard. It was something intensely private to him. Herc knew, but then Herc had met him just after he'd gone through the Joining.

He raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious.

"No. I've not heard anyone speak of it." A great many mages who became Wardens did because they behaved themselves and got recommended for it. Kaidan seemed mild-mannered enough to fit that mold which meant that Anders had always figured that had been his pat, and it made the question rather an interesting one.

Sometimes the way a thing goes down does matter

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