[Open] No boom today. Boom tomorrow.

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anders and anyone! Or, well, almost anyone. Sorry, Fenris and Cullen...
WHAT: Anders arrives at Skyhold, takes a new fake name, and tries to get a measure of the Inquisition while keeping a low profile. Starting in prose, but will switch to brackets to match if that's preferred!
WHEN: Mid-haring
WHERE: All over Skyhold, choose your location?
NOTES: Warning for Anders? I can't think of any real ones atm, I'll update if that changes.

He's tired, but that's nothing new. The road's been long. It shows in the way he leans a little on his staff, a fairly generic-looking thing that's far from his old appreciation of things flashy, just as it shows in the state of his rather ragged-looking robes and the scruff of a beard that he doesn't exactly like. At least he's not dead on his feet - the company of a few refugees more than willing to bear the brunt of conversation on the way up had made the last couple of days more bearable than usual.

Now he's here, and the strain is back on his shoulders. Skyhold holds more than the usual level of danger but there's no getting around the fact that he has to at least visit this place. The Inquisition is likely to be a player in the future of mages, and Anders will not see the little bit of progress made be undone out of fear, or laziness, or naivete, or any other number of things that could cut down freedom for his people.

But that doesn't mean he knows how to go about working toward that, just yet. And that means he's slowly going around the fortress, gathering information by listening and asking simple, short questions. They have to be short. The second-to-last thing he can afford is to slip up and let Justice get too accusatory, which could lead to the last thing he can afford - to be recognized by someone who would turn him over to the 'authorities,' such as they are.

"Have you been with the inquisition long?" is one of the most frequent questions, along with a follow up if the answer is yes: "Do you think they treat mages well here?" It's not like he's hiding the staff, after all. But there are more simple questions mixed in as well, questions about the need for herbalists or healers, about where one might find a warm enough corner to sleep in, or where one can lose what few coppers they have over a game of cards. They're general. Careful. They have to be. He's no longer ready to die.

Comments

[wontforgetyou]

"Aye, well. There was a mage that'd come with us who seemed to think he had an idea of what's going on, a Hugh..." He trails off for a moment, trying to remember if he'd mentioned any other name to the rest of the group, but after a moment he shakes his head in a very small dismissive sort of motion, something more internally directed than a specific gesture for anyone else. "He'd not said what his last name was. He thought the mark was like what the Herald had had, but it'll do no good trying to ask him now. He, ah, didn't make it."

Jamie's lips press together a little at the memory, his eyes flicking off to one side at the same time. Death by demon wasn't pretty, that was for sure. He shakes it off after a moment, making himself focus on the conversation instead.

"Other than that, there's supposed to be someone around here called Solas who might have some sort of idea, but he's been off on some mission for awhile. Don't know when he'll be back." There's another pause, then, a shorter one as he gives 'Detlefs' a rather thoughtful look. "How'd you know there were some people who wanted to round up us Rifters when we'd first arrived, though? Or...you weren't talking about us at all, I'm thinking. Do they do that to mages too, then?"

[justice_is_blond]

At least this one's first name was known. So many died for nothing, with no one knowing their names, and it's worse than a waste. There had been a reason and a survivor knows the mage's name. It's a start.

Solas is a name Anders makes mental note of. If he's a mage as well, then that's one mage who is free to come and go as he pleases and it's a good sign. But he also likely had to do something to gain that freedom, and Anders would like to find out what. For now, there's a question to answer, and the look on Anders' face goes very wry.

"They do that to mages. Did, for quite some time. And if the Templars get their way, they'll do it again. All I can hope is that they don't get their way, that I can help stand in the way of that. We're people. We deserve freedom, and the same rights as every other person. One day everyone will have to acknowledge this."

He takes a breath and looks past Jamie. "At least it sounds like they decided rounding your people up was a poor decision."

[wontforgetyou]

As the explanation goes on, Jamie's expression grows more and more solemn. It isn't the first time that he's seen that sort of thing happen - or the first time he's wound up getting tangled up in something like that, for that matter. But he can empathize with people that want to fight for their freedom, and given how he's seen how some of the Templars have acted around here, he's not all that surprised to hear that they'd want to take that away from people. By the end of it all, he's nodding.

"Aye, I can believe that. I had a wee bit of a run-in with one myself over that sending crystal thingy."

As much as that could be considered a 'run-in', anyway. He may not know exactly how the crystal works, but he knows enough that he's fairly certain just talking with someone didn't entirely qualify.

"The people in charge here shut that down, though, so maybe that's a good sign when it comes to things around here."