Not Quite Damsels, Definite Distress

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anders, Alistair, Zevran, Nathaniel, Teren, Merrill, Ciri, Jamie, Cyril, Velanna
WHAT: Rescuing two princesses who went into the wrong castle
WHEN: Around Haring 10th
WHERE: A village handwavily somewhere around Skyhold, on the Fereldan side of things.
NOTES: Minor violence warnings for now. Signup Post.

Sometimes people vanish. Sometimes there's a trail to follow, and luckily for these two, there's some information about where they were going.

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[justice_is_blond]

He takes it with a murmured thanks and sips, feeling the way it burns its way down. After a second sip he passes it back.

"I'm going to return to working with a spirit again soon here." There's apology in the tone and his eyes. He's skilled without a spirit, sure, but not enough to get her back up to speed yet. "The start of the new year. Which... doesn't help you right now. And it's magic. Which you don't like anyway."

So much for being comforting or doing anything positive. Anders exhales and rubs a temple.

[doneisdone]

Teren is more concerned than relieved by the mention of a new spirit, although logically she has at least begun to understand that spirit healers don't go off as much as the general population seems to think they do. They're not demon healers, after all. ...probably.

"Don't trouble yourself," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand-- she'll heal, she has potions and... well... time. The fact that she could and would have died had Alistair not reacted exactly when and how he did is a thought process she chooses not to engage. There are many times she nearly died, and she bloody hasn't yet. No one's going to get her that easily.

"You're sure that's a good idea," she says warily, "meddling with spirits." It goes unsaid: we all remember how that worked out before.

[justice_is_blond]

Somewhere he finds the energy to give her a Look asking if she's serious.

"If you're referring to the situation with Justice, that was entirely different from spirit healer matters." A beat, and some of his frustration leaks out. "And, if the Wardens hadn't betrayed me, it wouldn't have even happened in the first place. Let's hope no one hears about this newest betrayal and feels like it's a grand path to take, shall we?"

He's bitter and tired. Nothing goes right. Nothing works out. Why should he have thought this would be any different? Unfortunately, his words and thoughts aren't really helping the situation. Slowly Anders sighs and tries to get his mood back under control.

"Consulting with a spirit partner that remains in the Fade is a far different thing than Justice, who was outside the Fade. I'm not inviting it in."

[doneisdone]

She returns his Look sternly-- listen kid, not everyone knows all about spirits and which ones are good and bad and which of those are where. Teren's feeling a bit gentler than normal, however, so she lets him be aggravated without snapping back.
"How do you know it won't..." she pauses, realizing she's showing her ignorance. At the very least she doesn't sound accusatory when she continues, "...find its way in anyway?" She has more or less lived her life believing, like most of Thedas, that mages are locked away because they can't control themselves as vessels for spirits. She's met plenty of mages who clearly don't fit that description, but Anders is sort of a special case.

[justice_is_blond]

His own look falters in the heat of hers before he's looking down.

"Because it's different. Spirits don't want to come over, across the Veil. Justice was thrown over by a powerful demon working with some of the architect's agents and blood magic. I let... I let him in because it was different from anything else and we thought we could make it work, he was a spirit, the corpse he'd been using was failing, we'd discussed matters and our views were generally similiar, and because we were about to be attacked by Templars who had sworn loyalty to their Grey Warden brethren." Anders sighs heavily.

"I've worked with a spirit as a regular spirit healer before. There was no temptation, no danger. Compassion was a partner, nothing more. She didn't seek to find a way over; she wanted to help from her side of the Veil. The world is far too chaotic for spirits to understand or deal with, and they know this. Which is part of why Justice went... the way he did. He couldn't grasp shades of grey. At all."

[doneisdone]

Teren always looks skeptical when being told something utterly beyond her comprehension, but at the very least she is willing to cede to Anders' expertise on the matter. "I see," she finally concludes, looking off into the middle distance as she deliberates. "...just. Don't get carried away." It's not like he needs to be cautioned, but she is a) recovering from being almost magically murdered AGAIN and b) doing so after having spent days beside herself with panic over his and Alistair's whereabouts. Giving him curt advice is about as close as she ever comes to saying she cares.

[justice_is_blond]

He takes a slow breath. He can't entirely fault her for being nervous about him working with spirits. Few people get a full run down on spirit healing, almost all of them are mages, and it's not like he hasn't been possessed.

"I won't." A beat. "I've people I would do anything to not disappoint, for one thing." He can't let Nate down, and that's a driving force for him beyond how he doesn't ever want something else in his head aside from himself ever again.