Reaching towards adulthood?

[issala]

WHO: Kas & You!
WHAT: Catch-all for the month
WHEN: All through Justinian
WHERE: Skyhold (mostly)
NOTES: Feel free to hit me up on draiol for any specific starters!

I. Healer Tents

Since the trip to the Fade, the strange headache had returned. Now it was always there, nagging him, but at times it grew to something less tolerable and more 'knife in his brain'. Kas tried to ignore it, but eventually he had to drag himself to a healer again to get a potion or something until it calmed down.

Opening the healing tent flap after a little knock to a pole, he makes a grumbling sound as a greeting, not sure if it was a healer or another patient in the room.

II. Archery Range

The archery training was going well for the teen, and he found himself always feeling better after he had gone through his training for the day. It cleared his head better than any other things he had attempted, and came with the added bonus of actually improving something. With the hip quiver making pulling out an arrow much easier and less entangled, he was also increasing his speed.

After nailing another shot at the dummy, Kas takes a quick break to grab his water skin and wipe some sweat from his forehead. Concentrating was heavy work.

III. Herald's Rest

Better days meant better ways to entertain himself, and Kas often found himself at the Tavern playing games with other patrons. Wicked Grace, Diamondback, Checkers. Other times, he just liked listening to people talk (and maybe shyly look at girls). He didn't drink, though, which annoyed the staff a bit.

(Good thing the cook thought he was cute.)

Writing letters to his old kith had been sparse lately, the more he realized how bad it had really been there compared to the families he heard about from people like Gorse and Korrin. Still, he felt obligated to let them know he was alive now and then, and could be found scribbling on paper in the tavern when not losing his money to cards.

...it usually ended with him doodling instead.

IV. Wildcard!

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

"It could be a lack of sleep, or it could be tension, or a number of other things. We can start working on isolating what could be the cause. Take a seat?"

When Kas does, Anders will be running his hands along the young man's neck, rubbing and probing with creation magic as well as a little heat.

[issala]

He takes a seat as asked, but seems a little uncertain. Kas remains tensed as Anders runs his hand over his neck, even if it feels kind of nice with the heat and all. There's nothing to really heal, after all, and he's a little worried any of the whip scars on his back can be seen this way. "Uh... I get a lack of sleep because it hurts, not the other way around."

At least that was the reason last time he had the issue. The nightmares were just extra things to keep him up.

[justice_is_blond]

"So the pain came first. Can you think of anything that was going on before the headaches started?"

Even if he sees the marks, he's not going to bring them up. Anders has his own share of scars. What's on his back and around his wrists are because he wanted freedom that much. Magic wasn't telling him much yet aside from

"I won't judge whatever it was, if that's something you're nervous about. I'd like to get to the bottom of these for you."

[issala]

Kas bites his lip a bit, running a hand through his white hair. "I... had this blackout when I was in Emprise du Lion. A red templar came at me, and next I know I was walking away to the next area with the group. I was told I killed him, but I just barely remember doing anything. After that my head started to hurt and it didn't fully stop until a few weeks had passed."

It almost tastes sour in his mouth to admit this. He doesn't want to be sick, and it just reminds him of what that gravestone had said. Worthless.

"It happened in the Fade, too. There was this demon, and then... well, I don't remember that, either. Just that we killed it. Then the headaches returned." The young qunari is nervous now, fiddling with the hem of his tunic. It was one thing admitting this to Sam, but this unknown guy? It was much harder.

"My mom said I had fits as a baby, but I grew out of it."

[justice_is_blond]

The blank spots in Kas' memory are the most worrying. Especially if he blanks out when he kills someone. Anders has come to himself a couple of times to find a person, or multiple people, dead. At least he's not getting a sense of the Fade from the little qunari, but that's no guarantee.

He moves his hands up to Kas' head, feeling along the young man's skull. There aren't any fractures, there's no deeper damage as far as Anders can tell. Whatever is going on doesn't seem physical.

"I've a few questions, though they may seem odd. Please bear with me. This is... I'm not used to not knowing the cause of someone's physical suffering, and I'd like to try to find a way to help. Your dreams... Are they particularly vivid before or after an episode?" Anders is fairly sure that Kas isn't possessed, even though he hadn't known about the Templars until they'd done their transformation. But there could be Fade involvement here.

[issala]

Kas smooths back his white hair a bit so that Anders has more access, looking uncertain as the healer checks his head again. Whatever it was, it never seemed to register in healing magic, so he was pretty sure it wouldn't this time, either.

It would be so much easier if it was just a skull fracture or a pinched nerve or something.

When the odd questions come, he frowns and isn't sure what to say. Vivid dreams? "No... I... I don't think so. After the Fade thing I had really bad nightmares, but nothing after the first time... so I guess it was just leftovers after that shithole."

[justice_is_blond]

"Mm." That doesn't entirely rule out spirit or demon involvement, but Anders can't say it had been a strong theory to begin with.

"Did anything approach you in the Fade and seem fairly familiar with you?" And as that could be a sensitive question, Anders figures he should offer an explanation. "I'm wondering if the headaches are induced by a denizen of the Fade, mostly because I've experienced memory loss when Justice has gotten more personally involved in matters."

Taken control, basically. And killed people.

[issala]

"My mom," he says with slightly gritted teeth. "It was a demon and Korrin killed it, but it looked like my mom." He looks at Anders, uncertain what to think about this. "I... kinda knew it was a demon, too... but it was my mom. I couldn't really fight her."

The teen brushes back his hair again, looking uncertain. Justice? "It could have caused the second headache thing, but what about the first?"

[justice_is_blond]

"There are places the Veil is weak. It's not... impossible to consider demons influencing through it, but if the demon that came at you in the Fade and caused problems there is dead, then it can't be the cause here. Which means it likely was never the direct cause."

Anders exhales. It's better that it's not a demon, but he's still no closer to helping Kas.

"I don't... I don't understand the cause of this. I'm sorry. I'm not used to not knowing and not being able to help, and I don't know what to tell you."