Best Roadtrip Ever

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Alistair and Anders
WHAT: Two Grey Wardens go to hunt Darkspawn. Or so they think.
WHEN: Around now
WHERE: A small, abandoned since the fifth blight village
NOTES: There will likely be some violence, there won't be any making out. This time.

"I've awful news." They're not too far from the village now, though it's not like there's any changes in how cold it is or how the land is snow-covered. Why people even try to live out here is beyond Anders. But that's not the news, and his pause for dramatic effect is deliberate.

"I've run out of road jokes." It's truly the worst news possible.

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

"We've an oddly high concentration around Skyhold," is all he has time to say at the moment before they're there, at the table. It's something he's noticed, but he hasn't really had time to break down or wonder about. Maybe later, or maybe not ever.

Alistair's greeting of the mages gets a faint smirk from Anders; he's rather amused. The mages themselves seem like they don't know what to make of him. A lanky, frowny-looking sort is the first to decide, pushing up off the wall and coming forward, gesturing toward the table.

"Yeah. We heard you pay Grey Wardens in food first. And then during, and then after again. Eat up," he says, starting to grab a few things himself. The other three seem to come out of what stupor they'd been in then, and the older woman nods and gestures.

Anders takes a plate, putting a few things on it while trying to ignore how it feels like they're trying to stare at him and not at the same time.

"So you've... been here for a while? It looks like you've done some structural work. It's exciting to see." A side-glance at Alistair. "That you're, that there's a village."

The older woman studies him before giving them both a tight smile. "Yes. And we're the leadership here. You've met Javion. These are Kian, Aleigh, Vidal, and I'm Ashton. Ashton Hodge."

She says it as if he should recognize it... and he does. Anders blinks, face not masking his surprise at all before he regathers himself. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Hodge. I'm... Garrett. And this is Albert."

Vidal and Kian share a glance as they start loading up their plates. Ashton's smile is still tight, and Aleigh isn't waiting for anyone before he starts eating.

[byblow]

"Al," Alistair supplies, because no one calls him that (anymore, with nearly every Warden he worked with dead) and he doesn't especially like it when people do, but he'll at least remember to answer to it. He's polite but not shy about the food, waiting until he won't have to elbow anyone but not any longer. "He's the brains, I'm the brawn. Between the two of us we'all handle your darkspawn one way or another."

Their darkspawn that are no longer here. He doesn't mistrust them, not more than he mistrusts everyone, which is slightly. The suspicious dim-witted one, Morrigan called him. But the worst scenario he can imagine is that they had trouble with something other than darkspawn—rogue Templars, maybe—and felt safer asking for Wardens than Inquisition fanatics. Can't blame them for that.

"I hope you didn't call for a healer because someone has the corruption," he goes on, already with a spoon poised in front of his mouth so he can start eating as soon as he's finished talking. "Not even Garrett can help with that."

[justice_is_blond]

"I'm most of the beauty, too," Anders adds. He thinks he's funny. The other mages apparently don't, as the only reaction he gets from them is a roll of the eyes from Aleigh. He'll have to do better, clearly.

"We know better than to call for that," Vidal says with a smile that's a little sad. "I'm Fereldan. This isn't too far from where my own village was destroyed when I was little."

"What we didn't know was if a healer would be willing to help a group of mages," Ashton says. She's the last to fill her plate, taking a seat across from Alistair and Anders. Everyone else has dug in. She hasn't. "There's a great deal of division, and no telling who is on what side."

Anders grimaces, trying not to look directly at anyone as he fills his spoon. "I'm on the side of freedom and equality. As everyone should be."

"But many aren't." Aleigh's tone is biting. It would be so easy to get pulled into the conversation here, especially as Ashton is with them. He's exchanged letters with her, knows where she stands, and it looks like there's at least one person who agrees... but that's not why they're here. Thankfully, Javion winds up leading a couple of pairs of people carrying stretchers back, and Anders steps away from his meal to get to work. The wounds are combat-based, stabs and slashes and contusions, but it doesn't look like Darkspawn work. Alistair gets a glance, in case he's looking this way, just to ask if he's seeing what Anders is seeing.

[byblow]

Alistair raises his eyebrows in answer, up and then right back down, like a nod. He's still eating, but with Anders working he begins to feel guilty and puts his spoon down so he can flash Ashton his most charming (but never princely) smile.

"I'm on the side of whoever's feeding me," he says, "and not being arses or murdering anyone and so on. If your darkspawn have already moved on, maybe you can put me to work somewhere else while Garrett works his magic. I'm good at carrying things."