[Closed] This isn't even my final form

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anders and close CR
WHAT: Detlef makes his last appearance for some goodbyes in case, Anders gives some warnings, and basically he tries to prepare.
WHEN: Around this time, a little backdated for the ride, but generally 24th-ish
WHERE: Ride back from EDL and in Skyhold
NOTES: Anders.

[ooc: This is various starters for Detlef's end and Anders warning some friends and admitting things to another. If you'd like a starter, ping me at Nadat on plurk and I'll put one together!]

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

She got a slight smile as she talked, and a raised eyebrow. Queen of Darkness? He has no idea what she's on about, or what her roommate is, but that's.. Kaisa. Once she gets on the same page as him, Anders nods.

"I don't exactly need anything. I just wanted to give you a warning." She might be safer than anyone else, really. There aren't any stories connecting her and him the way there are him and nearly everyone else he's warning. That still doesn't make this easy, because every person he tells is another person propelling him forward and he takes a breath.

"I'm turning myself in. Likely they won't come after you, we've not been seen together much, but you deserve a warning nonetheless."

[unbrokenoath]

Once Anders reveals his plan, Kaisa can't help but let out a low whistle. She shifts as she dwells on this news, crossing her arms and staring off to the side. After a few moments of thought, she turns back to Anders, a thoughtful frown on her face. Kaisa hates politics, and she's never been good at the intricacies of society, but she's not a total idiot. She knows what the popular opinion of Anders is.

"Anders, are you sure this is a good idea? They'll--They could kill you. They could execute you and call it righteous, and who would argue against them? And--I mean, I don't care if anyone gets after me, but what about others who were more...complicit, I suppose." She sighed, uncrossing her arms and starting to pace. This is a problem, and it's a problem she can't fix.

"Do you really think this is the right thing to do, Anders?"

[justice_is_blond]

He gives her a tiny, sad smile.

"I'm turning myself into the Wardens. They'll likely kill me, but they won't come after anyone else. Most of them they have no authority over, Varric, for instance," because he's already known to be associating with Anders, "but I can't see you, Nate, or Bethany being punished for being kind to someone who was once a Grey Warden too. And it's... It's the only thing to do."

He shakes his head and leans against the nearest wall, watching her pace.

"If I'm caught here without turning myself in, it goes to the heads of the Inquisition, and that will weaken the Mage Council. It will weaken the position of everyone working for liberty. If I run, it's going to come out eventually, and those who harbored me will definitely face consequences. This is what must be done."

[unbrokenoath]

"Ah--The Wardens?" She looks relieved when she hears that. For all the problems that the Wardens have been having, Kaisa has always, firmly, believed in them. In the righteousness of their duty, in their honor, in the inherent goodness of the Order. It was an enthusiasm that despite expectations, hadn't dimmed in the years since Joining. "The Wardens won't kill you, Anders, don't be absurd. You're one of our own. I thought you were going to turn yourself in to the Inquisition or something like that."

Maybe if Weissaupt got a hold of him. But Hercules was in charge around here, and she didn't see him giving into political pressure, or doing anything rash.

It's enough to get her to stop pacing, and she turns back to Anders. No smiles yet, but her expression isn't quite as grim. "You're right, though. The Wardens won't get after our own for helping you. I don't know what Hercules will do when he finds out, but--At least you'll have our support." She moves forward, crossing the space between the two of them, and reaches to slip her hand into his, a sign of solidarity. Just to verify it to him, she leans down to give the man a kiss on the forehead.

"It'll be good to have you back with us, brother."

[justice_is_blond]

Everyone's expressing a great deal more faith than he feels, but he can understand that. None of them have been abandoned by the Wardens. None of them have had things taken away as if they were children. None of them were ignored while dealing with attempts on their lives, while backed into a corner they should never have found themselves in.

And maybe none of this group would do that.

The possibility is slight enough that he won't allow himself to hope. Hope is almost always a luxury that he can't afford, and each time his hopes are dashed the costs get higher. But that doesn't mean he pulls away from her hand, or the kiss that momentarily reminds him how short he is.

"If it happens, it will be good. If it does not, then it does not." Justice is far more at peace with this than Anders is, but the spirit's logic is sound. There's not another way to manage things. "And no. I've seen what happens when Cullen is in any sort of authority. He tried to wipe out Kinloch Hold and got stopped by Jonas. He turned a blind eye at the very least to the multitude of abuses in Kirkwall. The last thing I'm about to do is go to a group he's a part of. It is my fervent hope that he never has opportunity to harm another mage again."

[unbrokenoath]

"No shitting?" Is the particularly eloquent exclamation Kaisa has on this news that Cullen had tried to get an entire circle annulled. She kept going, under the assumption that Anders was not, in fact, shitting her. "How did he even get in power if he's the kind of guy who's cool with a little mass murder? Like--Does the Inquisition even get to give you shit for what you did, when Cullen tried to pull that?" She frowns, shaking her head. Not that she...approved, really, of what Anders did, in truth. But he was a Warden, he was a friend, and she remembers what he was like, back before all of this.

She trusts that the man that she had known wouldn't do something like that without provocation.

"Well, there's not a whole lot we can do, none of us are rightfully a part of the Inquisition." She continues, with a frown that says that she doesn't particularly like letting it rest. "And they can't touch you if you're with us, so it doesn't matter, anyway. They can fuck right off." She rubbed the shaved side of her head as she tried to think. This was politics, and she hated it. "...Thank you for warning me. I don't know how the dice are going to fall, Anders, but you won't be alone. I can promise that much."

[justice_is_blond]

"He's a Templar," Anders replies. "It's entirely legal for them to want to kill a whole Circle, and even to do it. And no one will care. How many people, for instance, have you heard who were upset about the Circle in Rivain being wiped out? How many say their murderers should be brought to justice?"

He shakes his head as well, because the questions are rhetorical. He knows the answer. None. As long as the dead are mages, it's socially acceptable.

"You're welcome for the warning, but as I've told others - remember the risk, and the price. Only do what you can afford to pay the price for if it goes wrong, Kaisa. I'd like to not drag anyone down with me this time, but if you come with, I'd prefer it be fully informed and willing."