[Open] Tell me would you kill to save a life?

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anders and, at last, fully open!
WHAT: Anders is back in Skyhold after the revelation and Warden mission
WHEN: Around mid-Drakonis
WHERE: around Skyhold
NOTES: It's Anders. Beyond that, if someone does swing for him, he will be defending himself or we can have a handy-dandy Warden NPC Joeth Smithicus step in, up to you!

1. The Healing Tents

He's more quiet than he was before as he works, trying to stay out of the way while still being available. The atmosphere isn't a pleasant one, and he knows there's a lot of anger, but how is he going to help out if he's sitting in the Warden camp all the time? Even more, how is he going to keep Justice in check if their hands are figuratively tied?

The fact of the matter is that staying somewhere safe where people don't loathe him isn't an option so he's here. He only wishes it wasn't putting a weight on the shoulders of someone he's directly hurt.

Whenever someone comes in he looks over, focusing on the fact that it's all right however many times he hears no as the answer to his question - "Can I help you?"

2. Wardentown

It's not the most glamorous setting, but the life of a Grey Warden rarely is. There had been nights at Vigil's Keep... but those are long gone, and now it's tents and fire pit and keeping snow from piling up.

a) Magic-

Anders is currently kneeling near the tent that he shares with Nate, working on creating a pair of small walls of earth - one around the tent, and another small, circular one nearby. Earth isn't something he struggles with, but keeping them level and not causing any extra dips in the surrounding ground is a challenge. His lips are pressed together as he works on precision, and an approach gets a sharp glance and no words, but he's not annoyed someone's come over. A moment later he'll raise an eyebrow, but he's not starting this conversation.

b) Kitten

No matter how many times he has to keep drying her off and warming her up, Hero of Purrelden doesn't want to stay in his lap today. She's insisting on pouncing on snowbanks, batting at ice, and attempting to climb tents. The latter she's pulled away from each time while protesting loudly, but there's a little smile on his face as she misbehaves. It's nice to have a cat again, no matter how much more difficult than Ser Pounce-a-lot she is.

"Still better than a mabari," he'll say to anyone who comes close.

c) Foraging

He's not alone, which sometimes puts him on edge, and sometimes makes him feel a little safer. All the same, Anders is in the area outside the Warden camp with another Warden, looking to see what foodstuffs can be found to add to the pot. They're not in danger of going hungry but it's best to be prepared and know what's growing out here. There's no telling how long the Wardens will be near Skyhold, after all.

There's also no telling who he'll run across out here, and he's more on edge and defensive due to the fact that he doesn't know how someone might react if they come across him when not anticipating that he might be around.

"Watch the snow back that way," is what he says, though, tilting his head in the direction he's come. "There's some hiding a nasty drop. I've marked it with stones." Let them react to that how they will.

3. Wildcard me!

[[ooc: Come at me bros! Skyhold, Warden camp, whatever. If you've got a question about a scenario, feel free to private plurk me @ Nadat or PM this journal.]]

Comments

1

[fleurdesel]

An offer made and by all appearances accepted, Adelaide does as she says. So long as Anders is to heal- she works within the same tent. She tends to her own patients, does not monitor him overtly anymore than whichever warden of the day tends to, and does not speak to him unless she must. Her usual breaks for quiet and silence and tea are not quite as restful as they might have been previously- the air between them thick and silent. They work, they heal, she stands as much a guard against a mishap as a templar would otherwise- and a guard against provocation by any that would wish a piece of him-

At least within the healing tents. Beyond? It is no longer quite so greatly her concern.

One morning (after the soiree in particular), she is...uncharacteristically late. When she arrives her hair is in disarray, smudged khol softening the lines of her eyes, the faint air of whatever perfume she'd worn the night before yet lingering. Almost as though she rolled out of bed and came directly to the tent. She takes a moment to compose herself, folding her sleeves back as she looks over the poultices for the day. "How are we for inventory?"

[justice_is_blond]

It's not hard to guess what happened, really. He'd worried, keeping it to himself, until he sees her and then he knows and it... stings, a little, when he doesn't even have a right to be stung by it. He's not seeing her. He's not even flirting with her. He'd screwed everything up by lying and getting carried away, and so he takes a breath and reminds himself that what little thing they'd had is over because he'd wronged her, hurt her. It doesn't help much, but at least there's a question to focus on answering.

"We're a little low on... on two things." Definitely not helping much. His fault. Out of his reach, his own damn fault. "Rashvine and felandris. I know there's some of the former growing in the gardens, but I'm not sure on the latter. We could... I could... Someone could walk there."

Maybe one day she'll want to walk with him again, but his bet is against it. And even if he's to be wrong, it's likely months and months away from now.

[fleurdesel]

She clears her throat against that strange, sleep warm thickness, the warm burr that came from a late night either from drink or...what had happened. That she is still trying to not think on herself to the point she is willing if not entirely pleased by the idea of conversing more with Anders. Civilly. If she stews in silence she will stew on what she would rather not think about and-

It is a circular mental argument she shuts down as she unpins her hair to rebraid it, loose and simple over one shoulder. The curls from the night before have softened, framing her face in wisps as she looks over their stores. "Sina has been tending to a cutting for two months but it has not quite yet matured. We can make do with the dried variant we have in abundance- it'll need to soak for an hour to reconstitute before we can grind it or brew it properly."

1 and 3 aka THE SHOWDOWN

[amygdalae]

[When he sees Detlef - no, Anders - around in the tents, it takes almost everything within Bruce to not just march up and punch him in the face right there and then, consequences be damned.

It's only really remembering how Adelaide had been after this had all happened that makes Bruce not do that, as much as he would like to. As much as he really wants to. As much as he really thinks that Det--that Anders deserves it. The anger has been seething inside of him for a good while now, since he knew the truth of Anders' deception. Not that it was the deception himself that he was angry at, but--

Maker.

The most rational thing would be to just avoid Anders from here on out, but considering everything Bruce can't just let this lie. He waits until its late evening and most of the patients are already taken care of before he finally goes to where Anders is. He doesn't bother to announce his presence, simply marching in without a word, coming to a stop right before Anders and giving him a brief glare before his speaks.]

Outside. Now.

[His words are devoid of any emotion, but the look on his face tells all - Bruce means business.]

[justice_is_blond]

[Bruce's anger is almost tangible, and part of Anders wants to ignore the command. The man can be as angry as he'd like - Anders hadn't betrayed his secret. But at the same time, he knows how it feels to be lied to.]

A moment.

[He's been working with the sick and injured. He's not leaving without washing his hands, but Anders doesn't take excessively long to do it or long to grab his staff. There's no lingering. He'll see what Bruce has to say, and deal with it.

Anders' expression is mild enough despite the tension in his body. Once they're outside the walls and sufficiently clear of any bustle of refugees, he turns and looks at Bruce.]

Speak your mind.

[amygdalae]

[Bruce, at least, waits - he's very good at waiting after all, and doubly so when it comes to things that concern him. Once Anders is ready Bruce starts to walk, and the two of them meander their way from the tents, through the courtyard, and finally outside of Skyhold - though not too far, but away enough that they have their privacy.

Once they stop Anders speaks, and Bruce takes a moment before he can manage to say anything.]

You-- [He stops himself before he gets too far ahead. There's so many things he wants to say and not many of them will really be conducive, so he tries to pick the best one without giving into the urge to punch him in the face.] Why did you even come here in the first place?

[He had already caused so much destruction. Was he here to cause even more?]

2b

[el_tybs]

There has been much noise in Skyhold since the reveal, and after a time it seemed to have calmed down. Now though, there seems to be a buzz about the keep again, particularly around the healing tents. There is certainly a tension in the air, and the whispers are nonstop, making the tents uncomfortable during work. A lot people are mad at Anders. They have good reason.

It's because of that, that Sam comes looking for the man when they aren't working - figures he'd find him at a tent though. Finding Anders isn't hard, mostly since the loud noises of a kitten could easily be heard around to which he follows.

When he finally does find him, struggling with the small feline, Sam simply stands there, watching for a time. It's honestly still a bit hard to wrap his head around, especially with watching the show. 'Still better than a mabari,' Anders says once he notices him standing nearby, which has the young spirit healer cracking a bit of a smile despite himself.

"Mabaris don't try to put holes in your tents."

[justice_is_blond]

He can't help but exhale with some relief when Sam smiles a little. Anders hadn't known what to expect from the younger man, but he's glad that the initial reaction, at least, isn't fury.

"No, they simply get mud everywhere inside them. And gnaw on the ropes, the stakes, all of it." His own smile is a little weak, an little nervous, but it's there. Also there is a sense of the Fade to Sam. His attempt had been successful, then. Good.

Purrelden decides to go for Anders' bootlaces and the mage straightens up, surrendering to her antics for the moment.

"I'm glad you've found a spirit to work with. Who came?" Sam will tell him why he's here soon enough, likely. For now, Anders will give him time instead of pressing.

[el_tybs]

His smile grows a bit more at how Def- Anders is still so against dogs, and Purrelden making a game of attacking shoe laces. It's a silly and amusing conversation that isn't affected by the odd tension.

Who came?

The question has the smile fading on Sam's face, his lips thinning a bit at the praise that comes with it. It's rather bittersweet at the moment. "Fortitude. It answered rather immediately and the trail was hard. Obviously I passed. It's certainly messed with my sleep schedule a bit."

2 - Magic!

[sunshinethroughgrey]

On the afternoon after the soiree, Bethany comes out with a covered plate from Skyhold -- for as much as they are watching the Wardens the kitchen staff still seems to think that saving them from the Blight is more important than being angry about Anders.

It made her wonder if there were mages in all the servants families, at that.

She came around to where he was building his wall, and lifted a stump up to put the plate down on while she watched him with amused silence for a long moment. When he finally lifted an eyebrow at her, she lifted up her own hand in a silent question to see if he wanted her help.

Then she spoke, "I've come to tell you, Papa Anders, that you should be very proud of your baby bird. She was brilliant."

[justice_is_blond]

Papa Anders. He hopes for Kalli's sake that few people know that's her view of him. If Vivienne knew... but that's a fear for another time. Bethany's safe. Bethany's even trusted, which means she gets a slowly growing smile as a response. It still aches that he hadn't been there for her, but the choice was taken out of his hands. At least he's not dead, and he can be here for her in other ways.

"Of course she was," he says as he takes a seat near Bethany. "She couldn't be otherwise. ...But I'm glad to hear it."

Anders' expression gets a little speculative. "Did she reveal that, or did I?" He's bad at hiding things and he knows it, but this is something he needs to work more on because otherwise Kallian could be in danger due to him. Closeness is one thing. Treating him like an adoptive father is another thing altogether.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany smiled over at him, before she takes the napkin off the plate of food she got from the banquet the night before, all well preserved so he can have a taste of what is there. She got some for the other Wardens as well, but she knew Anders would like the finer things first.

"Oh, naturally." She smiles for a moment, before her expression softens, "Anders, I lie as well as Nathaniel shows his emotions, which is not well at all. But just because I am a horrible liar, doesn't mean I can't see what's veiled in plain sight of me. You take great care with her, and she clearly admires you. The father-daughter relationship is not something you can miss."

She folds her hands around her knees, her gaze thoughtful. "And I'm glad you have it, honestly."

1;

[foxsays]

The patients well enough to be outside have long since become accustomed to a young woman that scales the walls, and she tends to show off for them anyway because she can remember the relatively few times she's been stuck injured somewhere, how the boredom had made her wish to gnaw her own arm off.

None of those she met only during Zevran's rescue really count as first meetings, not in her opinion, not when there was too much going on on the way there and the way back. And there's a benefit to being a rifter too, an unknown quantity for the most part. A girl up on the rooftops and battlements, a girl that gambles most nights in the tavern and wins, a girl shadowed by a fox. What Korrin doesn't know won't hurt her, and Araceli prefers to sate her own curiousity anyway.

It's the fox that decides to wander into the tent while Araceli's back is turned, chatting to one of the patients, and she gets to her feet quickly, a curse on her lips.

"You little shit, get out here now!"

[justice_is_blond]

The little creature's slipped in, and Anders already has Purrelden in his arms, hand out to cast and deal with the fox when he hears the voice. Pet. It's a pet. It's not a wild creature that came in to attack his cat. He takes a breath, still not setting the kitten down, and waiting to see who comes in after the fox as it doesn't seem inclined to simply leave.

"It's in here." Interrupting is left unsaid, because it seems fairly obvious. What else would a fox be doing? They're... foxes. Do they even have any use? He's suddenly curious. "Does it have a name, or is it Little Shit?"

[foxsays]

Anders you need to have about a hundred times more chill about your cat, besides, this a sleek and well-fed fox, judging from the fact that his coat gleams and how he's just plump enough without being fat. For all she calls him that. He certainly feels fat when he decides he's going to flop on top of her chest when she's in bed alone.

"A living thing isn't an it!" She calls from outside before she deftly bends to scoop up the fox, settling him with his head under her chin. "He's a he, and his name is Lux."

If a fox can look indignant, this one certainly does.

"Sina usually works in the gardens, most of the healing plants and salves? He thinks that if he smells them, he'll find her. Or he thought you were a bird he might wish to eat, which is an easy mistake to make."

2a

[wickedchase]

"My my, what grueling work. I don't envy you."

It's meant to be teasing, of course, regardless of Anders' expression. Twisted Fate doesn't immediately offer to assist, but he doesn't look angry with the other mage. Of course, it might be hard to read into his body language, but that is typical of how Fate bears his presence.

So here he is, arms folded, the signature smirk on his face.

"I did think to myself how Detlef wasn't a very convincing name, but then again, I'm always the last person to ever judge a man for the pseudonym he picks.

[justice_is_blond]

A smirk is better than outright scorn, really, and Anders knows he should really start choosing his battles. Though the last comment gets a snort as he finishes for the moment and stands, dusting off his hands despite them... not being dirty.

"It's exceedingly common in the Anderfels. The problem here is that no one here has ever been." Sure, there's probably a few who have, but he's not trying for accuracy here. "But considering I doubt 'twisted fate' is the name you were given at birth, you're right. You've really no room to judge on the topic of aliases."

So there they are. Apostate to apostate. Man still clearly hiding something with someone who has nothing left to hide. Idly Anders wonders if maybe he should have simply tried the other tactic, been obvious about using a fake name and having a background he wouldn't go into details with, but the moment passes. It wouldn't have worked. He has no game face, and 'blond spirit healer with a Fereldan accent and something to hide' is like him walking around carrying a sign that says 'ask me about Kirkwall.'

"What brings you here, Twisted Fate? I'm going to assume it's not the next novel in the series; I returned all of the books I'd borrowed." Before going to what he'd thought was his death. It seemed polite.

2, option kitten & tears

[chainlightning]

[ The Hero of Purrelden isn't the only creature who wants to play in the snow. Barkley is just as ridiculous about it, snapping at snow flurries and pouncing on snowbanks, only to fall in them. His tail is getting crusted with snowballs, but Merrill lets him run. She intends to come to the Warden camp to visit her friends, but today she's looking for one in particular.

Anders isn't dead, hasn't been killed, hasn't even really been exiled. Plenty of people want to, but the Inquisition has upheld Hawke's judgment, and the Wardens protect their own. Merrill is so happy she doesn't even notice the kitten at first (though Barkley does, pausing and tilting his head to watch while the cat climbs up a tent). Instead, she's more or less throwing herself at Anders in yet another hug, already sniffling. ]

[justice_is_blond]

[Maybe being preoccupied by Purrelden isn't the smartest of choices, but he's in the Warden camp so he doesn't expect to be attacked. Which means he topples into the snow, shocked, reaching for magic to defend himself until he realizes he's being hugged and not dealing with someone trying to kill him. As the magic dissipates awareness also sinks in. Merrill. It's Merrill hugging him, because of course it is.]

Hi.

[It's far less wordy than he usually is. What really is there to say, when the elf you've snapped at for years for being careless has knocked you over in affection? ...And is sniffling. Again, of course. This is how a blood mage manages to survive. By being... this.

Anders pats her back, trying to deal with the vast difference between how he's feeling about this and how Justice feels. Anders wins.]

Let's... get up, shall we? And then I'll hug you back. And probably catch something from frostbite, but that's what being a healer is about.

1

[dragoon_pride]

[Lately, Kain’s days have been filled with training and attempting to dodge the parrot that seems to have taken too much of a liking to him. He’s been able to start pushing himself more again, trying to get back up to speed before the next mission that comes up… Of course, that means he’s used up all his potions yet again. So he decides to ahead and stop by the healing tent while he's out this way.]

[He’s just planning to head in quickly, get what he needs and head right back out. That’s when he notices the familiar sight of the healer. He nods in his direction. Whatever he may have been told about Anders, his impression of him is nothing like all of that.]

Ah… Anders. My thanks again for the healing out in the Western Approach.

[He knows he can be... difficult, to healers, especially when he insists he's fine to run off and fight still... so he tries to be grateful later after the fact.]

[justice_is_blond]

[Anders gives Kain an amused smile as he nods.]

Kain. I appreciate thanks the most from the more challenging patients, I have to say.

[He looks the man over for any signs of pain or injury, but nothing stands out. Either Kain's uninjured, or it's minor. Good. Selfishly he's glad that Kain's not his next patient - people who are friendly are unsurprisingly very rare, and he'd like them to stay in good shape.]

Did you need something? Please tell me you're not hiding injury, especially as then that means you can do it well and you'll be more of a challenge in the future.

1

[quietblade]

Taas had always through that his first real visit to the healing tents would be some battle injury or just too much alcohol. After the chase after Zevran, his wounds had already been seen to by the time they were home, so he never really had to use them.

Safe to say that he was pleasantly surprised to see the same healer as on the journey in the tent when he limps in. The massive qunari almost doesn't fit in the tent and has to lean his head down slightly to not hit the ceiling.

"Hi. Sorry for barging in like this, but the steps nearby gave out when I was passing and I fucked up my foot somehow." He'd had stupider injuries, but it was definitely up there with the really dumb ones.

[justice_is_blond]

Qunari tend to be pretty intimidating. There's the height, for one thing. There's also their disturbing tendency to sew mage mouths shut. The latter especially means that Anders has a habit of being a bit wary of most of them... except the ones he's starting to recognize. He wasn't sure he knew the guy's name, but this guy helped save Zevran without any disparaging comments about mages.

This means, though, that Anders has to fight amusement at the explanation of the guy's injury.

"I assume you're used to things being built to be more sturdy?" He has a faint smile on his lips that he's fighting back as he gestures for the guy to take a seat. "If it's any consolation, I've run face - first into a tree. I've little excuse for that one."


The blind panic of a thirteen- year- old actually might excuse it, but some details need to stay out for the comment to be a joke. His hands start to glow green as he takes a look at the injury.

"Does your name happen to be Taas?"

2b

[pinprick]

"And now her paws will be even colder," Nathaniel grumbles, settling beside Anders to hand him a bowl of steaming food--fresh bread with venison and boiled cabbage. There's a spoon to go with it, and Nate has his own serving in his other hand. "And she'll be wet. She left a mole outside the tent. Fortunately it froze, so it didn't start smelling."

[justice_is_blond]

"I'll warm her paws, and her," he says with a small smile, nodding in thanks as he takes the food. "And she simply is trying to help provide for you, Nate. She cares. You've hardly any fur at all, and you fire things when you're hunting instead of taking it down with your paws."

Anders leans a little against Nate, using the man to ward off more of the chill. "You should be glad. She's trying to contribute. Earn her own keep. Show that she regards you as one of her own."

Like Anders does, though that carries far more risks than frozen, dead moles.