[Open] You're out of time

[judgemewhole]

WHO: James Norrington and You.
WHAT: Even Knight Commanders need to blow off steam
WHEN: Backdated to after 'Can't We All Just Get Along?'
WHERE: Skyhold proper - courtyard and Herald's Rest
NOTES: Warnings for violence, possible R-rated actions of sexual nature, and a Templar cursing like an Antivan sailor.

To say that Knight Commander Norrington came back from the Warden Camp in a 'mood' was something of an understatement. The moment he entered Skyhold proper, he was pulling on his full Templar armor, grabbing his sword and shield, and going directly to the practice dummies.

Later on, one could find him in the Herald's Rest. There are at least two bottles of wine in front of him, and he is not dressed in uniform. In fact, he's dressed down to the point of just tunics and breeches, singing softly to the song that the bard is belting away in the front of the tavern. He looks like he could use the company - or at least another bottle of wine if you are inclined.

Comments

[byblow]

Alistair isn't quite wandering, because wandering around Skyhold isn't something Wardens are allowed to do much anymore. Lingering too long with no apparent purpose might make Seeker Pentaghast tetchy. So he's specifically on his way from the library, a borrowed book tucked under one arm—an arm large enough that the book is nearly hidden, so maybe no one will tease him about it—and on his way to speak to someone specific when he sees James.

At first he returns the greeting in kind. Raised chin. Very manly.

But at second glance, Norrington looks like a man who's either in need of a chat or in need of some heckling. Alistair changes his trajectory to come closer.

"Good, good, kill it," he says. "That one insulted my mother."

[judgemewhole]

James grunts, quite possibly the shortest communication he's ever given Alistair, and he shoots a suspicious look over at the other man, until he swivels around and slices off the dummies arm.

Then with all due sarcasm, he salutes the other man with his sword, "Hopefully that's avenged your honor."

[byblow]

"I think to really avenge me, we'd need to feed the body to cats," Alistair says, coming to a stop a short and conversational distance away, "but I'll let it lie. Thank you, Ser."

He examines the dummy. Then the other two.

"Bad day?"

[judgemewhole]

James let out another grunt, before he steps forward with his shield to slam it into the dummy hard enough that the entire post vibrates, then steps back to observe it with all due frustration.

"Tell me, Alistair ... you've been a Warden longer than anyone here, outside of Von Skaeder. You have had to weather every single Grey Warden uproar since the Fifth Blight. So can you possibly explain to me why you all insisted in keeping Anders in your own camp, making you pariahs to one and all?"

He looked at the dummy for a long moment, a flash of anger and grief mixing altogether. "Because I do not understand keeping on a man who is determined to start another war - even if I understand keeping on a broken one."

[byblow]

"I've been a Warden longer than Teren, actually," Alistair says, quietly, with a quick eyebrow raise like yikes.

He's not sure Norrington will get what that means—Templars have all those formal ranks, maybe they don't care about seniority, maybe it doesn't look from the outside like Alistair outranks Teren and Nathaniel despite their being a decade or more older and infinitely more serious people. But he does. Isn't that scary?

But he doesn't pause to explain. He doesn't particularly want to be seen as the Man In Charge. Not ever, and especially not now, when James is armed and apparently angry with the Wardens.

"He's not starting any wars," he says instead, with an air of put-upon patience. "The lot of you are plenty capable of doing that on your own. He just talks a lot. And he's our responsibility." To answer the actual question. "We failed him, the first time."

[judgemewhole]

Now that causes him to pause, surprise flashing over his narrow face. He squints, then, as if he is trying to find out if Alistair is in fact pulling his leg. No, he appears ... for once, to be quite serious. He shakes his head a little, "... I could have sworn that woman had been a Warden since the time of King Calenhad."

More squinting. Oh Maker, Alistair was the Senior of all the Wardens and yes that Did leave him feel like banging his head against the wall.

"Could have fooled me." Was James's dark mutter, as he faced off with the dummy once more, going for straight thrusts through sensitive spots in its proverbial armor, "And we already were at war. Look where that ended." Seeker Lucius taking the bulk of the Templar forces and turning them into monsters. The comment about 'he's our responsibility' made him sigh with grudging understanding, but the next comment made him squint once more.

"Failed him?"

[byblow]

"Templars came for him," he says, "when he was already a Warden, and they didn't have any right to him. Some of them were Wardens, too, I suppose—" Alistair wasn't there. Alistair was in Orlais, exiled and sulking and probably drunk. "—I don't know. But he hadn't done anything wrong. Not yet. Someone should have been there to help him, and no one was, except that damned spirit."

That's now dead. As far as Alistair understands it, the spirit was more to blame for the explosion. Can't be blamed for Anders' mouth and firebrand personality now, of course, but—

Well. Hopefully the Wardens never go into the business of kicking out people for being obnoxious, or Anders isn't the only one in trouble.

[judgemewhole]

James pressed his lips together, before he leaned back to take another slam into the dummy. After a moment, he huffed out a breath. "So, he has been betrayed by every single person - or ... demon, that he has dealt with."

He shoves his sword back into the dummy, then out again. "I just do not know how to deal with him. Sometimes I feel like the two of us might actually be somewhere in the same level of understanding -- then he says, 'Templars! Typical!'"

Another snort, "A phrase I'm sure you've uttered a few time yourself."

[byblow]

"Only when they're lecturing me," Alistair says, "or refusing to laugh at my jokes. That's my experience with Templars."

Part of it. The least depressing part. Everything else he could say would be worse, and he's not here to make anyone feel sorry for him. He's here to try to make people understand Anders. Like so:

"I think Anders' was more along the lines of being put in chains and kicked in the head and so on. You know. Typical fun and games." He rocks on his feet, because he's a fidgeter. "I mean—it's not that I don't understand. I do. Do you know how many people died at Ostagar?"

It was a lot, for the record. Nearly the entire army. Two dozen Wardens. The king.

"After that, after everything, we took the man who left them to die. I was so angry, I nearly quit. I tried to, actually, but Riordan—he dragged me back by the scruff. And he was right to. Because that's what we are. Nothing matters except whether someone has legs left to stand between the Blight and all of you." He shrugs a little, smiles slightly less. "Anders has legs. And he's sort of funny once you get to know him, really, as long as you agree with him about everything. It's easy. You should try it."

[judgemewhole]

"We are meant to be a serious organization, Alistair." Was his dry response, "I am not entirely certain how you lasted in the Wardens either, if that is the case."

He took a step back, released a breath, and his form evened out to something smoother. More in the rhythm of a battle, than just blind rage.

"He is not the only one to suffer." Is James's grim response, "And his inability to see that is blinding him to the suffering of others." A long pause, before he exhaled, "...It is easy to forget what he has been through, when it feels as if the crime is committed by every Templar, and not the reprobates of the Circle in Denerim."

Another pause in his action, before he stated simply, "I heard it was a massacre."

He stares at Alistair for a long, long moment, before stating simply, "This might be why you have issues in the Anders, you know. 'Take anyone, as long as they have two legs and can keep the Blight off of you'. We have the same problem in the Order. 'Two legs and is nervous about magic? Sign that boy up'."

He slammed another blow into the dummy, "Never ... question if this person should even be holding a sword, or have any sort of say over someone else's life! Look where that leaves us - murderous monsters, red templar freaks, or broken people like Cade ... "

Another few blows, before he exhales, "I cannot agree with Anders on everything - but I agree with him that many who were Templars? Never should have been." He gestured with his sword, "Now if he would only see that many mages would prefer to have Circles - safety, security, a quiet place to rest and study and be away from people - we might be able to get through a conversation without me wanting to throttle him. Oh yes, and Kirkwall. If he would stop blaming Kirkwall on everyone but himself - that would be nice."