[Open] You'll think "how did I get here, sitting next to you?"

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anders and anyone who wants to come pester him or be pestered by him
WHAT: Anders Does Skyhold
WHEN: Through Harvestmere
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: He's Anders.

1. Healing Tents

His robes are dark blue today with silver trim - Warden colors - swooshing around a little as he works around the tent. He likes these robes, which is one of the reasons for his faint smile. The main reason is far more simple; this is where he feels like he's accomplishing something good. Which is why, as long as you're not dripping blood all over the place when you come in, the small smile stays in place as he asks what brings you in today.

In the slight event someone is dripping blood all over the place, they'll be greeted with bandages and help down into a chair.

--Alternately--

He's got much of their dried herbs set out in front of him so he can take a measure of what they have and what's still good. Even in the cold mold can still set in. Supplies look mostly good, though, and he takes notes as he starts pulling some of the fresher herbs out to begin a drying process on them.

2. Training the Hero of Purrelden/Garden

Ser Pounce-a-lot had been a very special cat. He'd been easily trained, for one thing, and Anders hadn't needed to worry about hauling him down to the Deep Roads to deal with Darkspawn. Purrelden? Isn't as brave. In fact, she has a habit of being timid when first encountering new insects. Which means the best thing to do is to have her in the area where the most bugs are found - the gardens.

"You're fine. It's smaller than your paw, you can take it on." She doesn't look sure, but he has dried meat and by now she at least seems to know that batting at a bug will get her a treat. "You can do it. You're a fierce warrior. You can take on anything."

He probably looks like he's talking to a bush if someone's coming up from behind or the left, but his attention is on her. And really, talking to plants is about the least harmful thing that could be done to his reputation.

3. Teaching

Since the conference, Anders has let it be known that he's open to working with anyone who wants to learn more about the practical spells he has under his belt, as well as learning in return, or even working on trying to make new ones together. There's a few stumps left set up where the conference was, and he can be found here some evenings to teach or learn or work. Until someone drops by he's reading or playing with his cat or both. Most of the time both.

4. Mess hall

He's trying to be better about eating all of his meals. It's a work in progress. Which is why he's eating his lunch 'late,' sometime in the early afternoon, and eating is a relative term. There's food on the plate in front of him, yes, but Purrelden's batted some peas off of it and Anders is more focused on notes than actually shoveling food in his mouth at the moment.

5. Wildcard

[ooc: Want something you don't see here? Toss it up! He gets everywhere so there's no worries about coming up with a reason for Anders to be somewhere. If you have a question or want to run an idea past me first, hit me up on Plurk at Nadat or Discord at Nadat#4647!]

Comments

2!

[conqueredhearts]

He recognized the frame of the man speaking to the bush. Smiling, he went over to him and looked over his shoulder but couldn't see right away what he was looking at other than, well, a bush. Iskandar wasn't one to judge though so he just rested his hands on his hips as he gave a grin.

"Not only do you throw magnificent performances but you also speak to plants to help them to grow it seems."

He laughed merrily then went to crouch next to him so he could have a better look. It was at this point he saw the treat.

"Hmmm. Perhaps not the bush then. Who is it you speak to then?" Already he was tilting his head trying to have a better look at what was going on here. It seemed like perhaps this was an animal thing but he didn't have a good view just yet! The disadvantage of being huge.

[justice_is_blond]

"If I say I'm talking to the bush does that give you a better or worse impression than me talking to a cat?" Anders gives the large man a smile back, eyes a little wary at first. By now the Rifter has probably heard a thing or fifteen... but he doesn't see anything in Iskandar's eyes that speak to that. Maybe the rumor mill hasn't been as active about Anders lately.

"The dark spot underneath the leaves is the Hero of Purrelden. You'll be able to see her better when she comes out further, but she's trying to hide from the beetle right now."

[conqueredhearts]

"I don't see why either would give me a bad impression of you actually." Lowering himself down until he was flat on his stomach, he looked at the spot to see where the feline was. Smiling at her, he lowered his volume so that way he would be less scary for her.

"What a fine little creature. It is a pleasure to meet you, Hero of Purrelden. I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors." He laughed gently before turning his head to look over at Anders. "She is yours then?"

[justice_is_blond]

Definitely hasn't heard anything yet. Anders is selfishly glad of that, even if Iskandar might not be thankful for it later. Even if this man is some sort of king of conquerors, which doesn't sound like the most promising title. Anders doesn't have much room to judge.

"She's mine, yes. Given to me by Nate. Nathaniel. I'm trying to teach her how to fight like my last cat could, but Purrelden isn't as..." He shrugs. He still loves her "She's not Pounce. She's a great cat, but I'd like her to be a little more ready for when I next wind up in the Deep Roads."

healing tents.

[elegiaque]

Gwenaëlle doesn't actually ask for his help.

This is probably not shocking; their last conversation could charitably be said to have gone poorly. That she navigates the tents with familiarity is also unlikely to surprise, after as much time as she spent there while Asher declined - she knows where everything is, knows what she's looking for, skirts warily around him until necessity forces her nearer as he counts what she needs.

To an observant and educated eye, what she intends to mix and her ease of repeatedly having done so is clear - as well as that it's the simplest, sledgehammer solution to sleeplessness and perhaps not the best one, particularly not for someone as delicately built as she is.

And looking the way she does, drawn and sharp with her hair half braided, loose at the front so there's still enough to hide behind, it probably is for her.

[justice_is_blond]

He shifts a little to the side as someone approaches, giving them room, before he glances up. Oh. Her. For a few moments his attention goes back to his task, until he's noting what she's gathering and adding that to how she looks. Anders debates saying nothing, but in the end he can't. He's a healer, just as much as he's sometimes a jerk.

"...You know there's better mixes to use, likely, for someone as small as you are, right?"

[elegiaque]

The elven woman who'd attended her when she was last here is gone; no other maid shadows her steps in replacement. It means there's no go between to speak with her, and she'd been accustomed to that enough in the tents that it takes her a moment to remember she has to answer for herself. That Guenievre isn't here any more.

That that's why she is.

"This is what I know how to make," she says, evenly, brittleness betrayed in the unsteadiness of her hands and how carefully she doesn't look up, how stiffly she holds her shoulders.

[justice_is_blond]

This is what she knows how to make. The translation seems to be that this is all she knows how to make, and he's quiet for a few more moments, tying the stems of a few herbs so he can hang them.

After that time, he looks back over at her.

"Would you like to learn some other things? The one you're making is like using a firestorm to light a torch, and might have a lasting impact on you. Lasting negative impact. Not that it's bad to use in the short term, but I think it's not likely that you need that. And I've seen you making other mixes in the tents before, so you're the sort that can learn."

It's a compliment. Plenty can't, plenty more simply won't. But she's been to the tents and helped out before, even if for short stretches as far as he can recall, so she may be in a better category. With this.

2

[universal_charm]

He was back from his jaunt into the woods with Sam for a week, and it hadn't felt like nearly enough time. Already he missed the quiet woods, the clean scent, even though he loved being around people and being social. But, he was glad to be back with the kittens. As much as he groused about being forced into cat-parenthood, he did love them.

And today he had brought them out to the gardens on their leashes for some proper exercise. The kittens meowed energetically, straining at their leads, though they were more than half-grown now. He spots Anders not that far into the gardens and smiles, heading over with kittens in stubborn tow.

"Last I checked, bushes don't have paws - unless your bushes are a lot different than the ones I'm used to."

[justice_is_blond]

"These are very special Thedas bushes." He shoots Kirk a smile, clicking his tongue at the kittens before reaching over to rub behind one fuzzy ear.

"It's a very special Thedas bush that has no issue with chasing sparrows, but goes shy when a wandering beetle chances upon her path. And considering I plan on taking this bush all sorts of places, it needs to gain a little courage. It's not like I can leave her behind when I'm sent places. ...Or like I'd want to."

It's nice to have a cat again, to feel the connection there between her Royal Smugness and himself. Purrelden, not entirely convinced that the beetle is harmless, nonetheless comes out of the bush to sniff at the two kittens she knows a little already.

[universal_charm]

Kirk chuckled. His own kittens were not frightened of beetles, but there were things that startled them for no obvious reason like certain vegetables placed on the floor when they were not expecting them, or something being wet when in their minds it should not be. And how dare something not be as their minds dictate?

"Maybe she'll be fine with bigger animals, and it's just beetles that scare here. When you think about it, they are rather creepy," he crouched down beside Anders, his kittens peeking under the bushes now themselves to inspect the space and wonder why another cat was there. "I've never done well with things that had more than four legs."

[justice_is_blond]

"That could be the case. I'm not fond of things with too many legs either." Over four is definitely too many. "Or when they're too large, like dragons. Or bears." He's very picky about what he dislikes. The list might be on the long side.

Purrelden scoots closer to Kirk's cats, sniffing. She knows them. It just remains to be seen if she'll be civil or not. Anders reaches out to rest a hand gently on her back, and she decides the other cats aren't that big a concern because she can get him to pet her. He obliges.

"I can't think of anything that's larger that's safe to try her against, where she doesn't get hurt and it doesn't either. Do you have any ideas?" Because maybe it is just bugs.

1, may as well get to know this Kain's bad habits too!

[in_death_sacrifice]

It was just supposed to be a small hunting trip. Three bear encounters later, it had turned into more of a challenge. Especially that last one, which had caught him by surprise. Ouch. Kain is just planning to sneak into the healer's tents and grab some potions for his wounds. He doesn't need to be fussed over, right? Right. But where else will he get the supplies he needs right now?

Too bad 'sneaking' isn't anything Kain has ever been good at. He glances around furtively as he comes inside.

[justice_is_blond]

Anders sees Kain come in, sees the mess the man is in... and sees the attempt at sneaking. Maybe he hasn't been spotted yet, he's in the corner, but that's about to change. He clears his throat and steps toward the man.

"On the table." What is it with men named Kain? "If you try to run, I'll call an... acquaintance of mine to put you to sleep for a while." Merrill would do it, too.

[in_death_sacrifice]

"I'm certain this just needs a potion... it's better than it looks. We reavers are hardy people." Or outright mad people, given how their fighting style hinges so much on piling on the pain. Kain tries his best to sound convincing, but he has a feeling from the way Anders says that, that he means serious business. He glances carefully to one side and then the other. His chances of escape look... pretty slim at this point.

He gives a sigh, coming a little bit closer. "Please don't force me to sleep. That's my least favorite tactic..."

[justice_is_blond]

Anders' eyes narrow.

"Get on the bed, and I won't have you made to sleep. You're dripping blood in my tent, and that's never a 'just a potion' injury. I've a job, I'll do my job, and you'll not be getting in the way of it."

He points. "Sit."

1

[youwonscience]

As the reluctant voice of experience, Cosima can definitively say she does not recommend forced lyrium injection. It's been a few weeks since her ordeal, so time and the healers have done much toward ridding her system of the after-effects, but she doesn't feel so well that she's inclined to skip her scheduled follow-up visits. Still, she looks much better than she has.

She's well enough, at least, to return his small smile when he heads her way. "Present and checking in as requested," she says once he's close enough.

[justice_is_blond]

"I appreciate that. I appreciate all of the ones like you a great deal," he says before nodding to one of the tables. "So many of my patients try to hide, or pretend they're fine when they aren't. Hop up, make yourself comfortable, tell me how you've been feeling?"

Anders dips his hands in a wash basin before drying them off and coming over, taking a seat on a stool in arm's reach of her. She certainly appears to be recovering at a steady pace, but no one's been messed with the way she and the others have before, as far as he knows. There could be other things going on.

[youwonscience]

"Well, being a patient isn't fun, but neither are hallucinations, so." She exhales, folding her hands. "Those have stopped, by the way, or are so subtle I haven't consciously registered them. I'm fatigued, but that could be my underlying chronic condition or the fact I haven't been sleeping terribly well. The memory bleedover from the other victims seems to have stopped, even when we're in proximity."

This all delivered evenly, prepared. She's an observer, and she's been in and out of the tents enough to know what a healer will usually ask.

Mess Hall, after THE THING

[doneisdone]

Periodically Teren's work as liaison takes her up to the Keep, and although she usually doesn't hang around for very long after business has concluded, there's the rare occasion when something gives her pause.
In this case, that something is actually a someone, and he is sitting alone looking annoyingly sad and isolated, which almost grates on Teren more than if he were just yelling at her. It's been a good week or so since she and Anders last spoke, long enough for her to recuperate to the point of being able to walk around and do her wardenly duties. She's still stiff, but, largely thanks to him, not in any danger of languishing.

The fool boy isn't eating, she sees, and that more than anything is reason for her to heave a sigh and go to sit across from him, where, rather than speaking immediately, she bends to relace one of her boots. She's not here to make up, don't be an idiot.

[justice_is_blond]

He looks up when someone approaches, face neutral... and there's a little ice to it when he sees who it is. Why is she even sitting near him? Not like he's not glad to see that, but he hates that he's glad of it right now.

"There are other places to tie your boot. You don't have to sit next to a dangerous mage to do it." He pushes one of the peas toward Purrelden, who bats it right back. That gets a flicker of something that's almost a smile as he repeats the motion. She's all right, despite their most recent adventure. He'd worried, and still does. This pea gets smushed, so he starts with another.

"I mean, maybe it's wise to have distance. I am who I am. You're Warden leadership, it probably doesn't do to get too friendly with me. Who knows? There might even come a time when you're injured and unconscious and your life depends on being healed and if I'm there I might just go and heal you and what then?"

[doneisdone]

Oh, Andraste's tits.
Pretty much straight out the gate she rolls her eyes-- these people get so dramatic-- but she waits for him to finish instead of interrupting, just watching him flatly, as though to say 'are you done'.
"I see someone's taken an interest in the theatre," she observes, a bit more kindly than she normally would, though that... isn't saying a lot. "Really, Anders."

5 - Library

[fleurdesel]

"I understand that you want to do more, Anders-" And how frustrating it might be to have that urge an drive, to want to offer skills and knowledge and ultimately be turned away due to who or what you are- but... opinions being what they are, his name being what it is? Deception isn't something she recommends easily or eagerly. Pen names, however, are not quite deception. Simply-

Well, no. They're inherently deceptive.

"But as I have said before and shall say until it is no longer so- anything with your name on it will see the hearth before it sees willing eyes."

[justice_is_blond]

He sighs, sitting down with his latest selection from the shelves.

"But that leads to two other issues. The first, that I'm not good at coming up with names that aren't pet names." Because he's very proud of Hero of Purrelden. "The second, and larger one, is that I'm not good at lying and lying tends to backfire." As they both know very well. His lying had broken something precious to him... though it isn't like he wold have had it without the lie. It's quite the catch.

"And I'm already talking with people about shapes for the future, so anything that comes from my pen is a repetition of such."

[fleurdesel]

"If you want it published and read, it needs another name. How often was your manifesto ignored in Kirkwall even before what you did?" Enough to ensure that drastic action was taken, clearly. "You are a political liability unto even yourself in this. Speak with Nathaniel, I am certain he will be able to help you come up with a suitable pen name."

Or, well. Perhaps not. But it cannot hurt to try.