Closed | You offered me an eagle's wing

[pinprick]

WHO: Anders, Alistair, and Nathaniel
WHAT: A little good news
WHEN: Present
WHERE: Nathaniel's office in the Gallows
NOTES: Will update with any warnings, but it's unlikely to be a problem.

Nathaniel sounded a little strange on the crystals, asking Anders to come to his office. When Anders arrives, he is pacing restlessly, but he doesn't look unhappy. He doesn't look angry. As much as he schools himself not to, he looks excited.

He stops as Anders comes in, and he takes a deep breath as if to school himself.

"Anders.

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

He steps away from Nate and takes a seat on the desk so that Alistair can come in the rest of the way, assuming that's why the guy's just hanging out in the doorway. Also it's more fun to sit on desks than chairs, really.

"If my duties involve being Detlef I'll have to let you down. I don't make a particularly convincing Fereldan when I carry around a cat and hate slogging through mires and marshes." His words are light. His gaze is focused on Alistair as he waits to find out how he's going to be more useful.

[byblow]

"Uh-huh," Alistair says, with unwarranted skepticism. He doesn't fully believe that Nathaniel left any details for him. Blabbermouth. But he isn't actually bothered, except for show, with good humor thinly marked by his cynical eyebrow thing. "Right. Well. We're making a Senior Warden, Anders. Now show me your surprised face."

[justice_is_blond]

He tries.

He really does try. Eyebrows go up, mouth goes a little round, eyes go a little wide, and it looks ridiculous before he's shrugging and his expression turns amused.

"So. Added duties. What would you like of me?"

[pinprick]

"Well, your Blight research is going to be important. Not to mention your understanding of what it's like to be a mage Warden, and the troubles mages can f--"

He clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck.

"Sorry, Alistair, I did say you could do this part."

[byblow]

"No, no, it's fine," Alistair says, already making a show of examining his fingernails. "I'll just stand here and look pretty."

But, fine—

"We need someone training the mages. Especially since you're more susceptible to Corypheus than the rest of us—they need to know the signs, and if there's anything in Thedas that can slow him down once he gets into your head, they need to know that too. We need someone who knows a bloody thing about healing to be overseeing those supplies and to have the authority to order people not to get out of bed if necessary, since you know us, asking nicely won't do it. And your taint thing. You're already doing it, just... do it with authority."

An awkward finish. But Alistair is awkward about authority, in general, so that's to be expected. And his tone evens out into something more serious, next, even though he's still smiling.

"And look: I like you, Anders, and Nathaniel obviously feels whatever disgusting thing he feels about you, and we know you aren't going to ball this up. But we aren't in a good position here, or anywhere. I don't care what you do out of uniform—out of uniform, I'll help you do it. But if the Wardens get any more controversial, we're going to get thrown out if—I don't know. Thedas. They'll put us in a boat with no oars. So it has to be separate. You understand?"

[justice_is_blond]

He nods along, giving a flash of a smile at being told he's liked and disgustingly felt for, nodding again at the end of it.

"I understand. It's not like Warden-ness has any bearing on my work for mages unless the Circles rise up again." And then he's going to be begging for the limited recruitment to end, because better to have to stay far away from Corypheus than be caged. "Incidentally, I'm wondering if..."

He hesitates, looking down for a moment. "I'm wondering if it's the demons that make the mages more susceptible." It's one of the first times he's alluded to Justice, Vengeance, as a demon, and it still feels a little like betrayal. "If that's the reason why they're being bound to demons, so Corypheus can use them like that. It doesn't seem to amplify their ability, and," he swallows, "Neither Warden Hawke was affected the way I was when we went to see Corypheus when he was trapped. Just me."