ticking time bomb

“I used to make forts and build snowmen, even have the occasional snowball fight with my siblings and father. Mother often stayed out of the fight, but she’d watch from the side. Although, these generally only happened when it actually snowed outside.” She couldn’t help but smile at the memories. They might not have all been magic related, but they generally had the same idea. Not to mention, she could remember a couple of times where she used her magic to make a snowball before sending it toward Carver. That wasn’t to say it always hit its mark when she was younger.

“Weeeell, Elissa and I go waaay back. Before I knew how to wipe myself or talk in coherent sentences, actually. Her father and my adoptive one, Eamon of Redcliff, moved in the same circles and we were often at the same boring functions together. When I first learned how to walk, I would follow her everywhere, and when I got old enough to actually carry on conversations, we struck up a friendship.”

Alistair took a sip of his beer, feeling like he’s sung this introduction song so many times, it felt like he was reciting summary passages from a history book about someone else rather than from his own experiences. “I got to live the privileged son of an Arl for most of my life, until my father remarried. His new wife barely tolerated my existence, and when she popped out a proper son for Eamon, she forced him to send the bastard off. I think a part of her believed I was Eamon’s bastard.” He shook his head incredulously. “She feared that I would somehow get in the way, being older than her son. So it was that a little after I turned sixteen, she had Eamon send me away, plopping me in the hands of the Chantry, to serve out the rest of my life as a Templar.”

Fingers pressed to his temples, Anders caught the bartender's eye, requesting another glass of juice and warily turning his attention back to his bar side companion. "Chantry, eh? Well, at least it seems that the Templaring didn't take. I can't sense the lyrium flow that would have come if you'd made it to the part where they implant the pump."

Soon, the ice under their feet was melted and snow began to fall. Bethany held out one of her hands to watch the snowflakes melt as soon as they touched her skin.

“I would love to build a snowman” she said with a smile. Pulling back her hand she gently brought it toward the other one and let them swipe against each other. As her hands separated lily formed of ice was held in her right hand. “I could never get the fourth petal right…” she said as she scrunched her nose. She could remember her father teaching her the trick, although he was much more successful with it than she ever was.

“A flower for the kind ser.” A smirk pulled at her lips as she held out the flower for Anders. It was obvious that she was growing more comfortable with using her magic, given where they were. She rarely used her magic in the city. But she felt safer using the magic where she was and with Anders. Especially since it was for fun -or practice- rather than any kind of necessity.

“I’ve dabbled in both, but neither are strong suits.  I tend to work best with primal or keeper, entropy, or force magiks.  But, as a First, I was able to learn from a multitude of sources, mainly books on many different aspects of the magic I have.  I think I am slightly stronger in the arcane realm of the two.”  She looked off to the side remembering all those teachings that she had read about pertaining to those arts.

“That depends on if we find any more constellations along the way.”  She called coyly as she headed into the entrance closing her eyes for a minute to let them adjust slowly to the darkness around her.  The few jobs she had recently tended to be finding, listening, or discovering things at night which came in handy here, though she was certain that Anders would light their way as he had last time.

Still she didn’t open her eyes until she felt his warmth beside her and a gentle nudge as he passed her by to lead deeper into the system.  “What herbs are on the list?”  The question nearly a hushed whisper so as not to echo about the cavern.  If someone wanted herbs to be found, she wasn’t the best at it, but her eyes were sharp. 

With another smile he held the list out, knowing that Marian would recognize many of the items listed on it as they'd gathered them many times in the past. "Elfroot and deep mushroom are always needed, but what I came here for is madcap bulbs and blood lotus. Blood lotus is easy to recognize, and madcap looks a bit like a hat? I need the bulbs not the flowers so we'll have to take the whole plant. I won't take too many because I don't want to entirely deplete the supply."

Dozens of small details had all come together with that information – flashes of strain that hadn’t seemed to have anything to do with what was going on at the time, obvious and persistent sleep deprivation (though Morrigan was seldom inclined to notice that, given her propensity for it herself), the moments where part of the spirit’s signature had shown through Anders’s own – and with that understanding came an even greater appreciation for his resilience.

He sighed and rubbed at his face again, pushing the saturated strands of his hair back away from his face. “A part of me knows that his righteous indignation is justified, and that he would not be feeling it as profoundly as he does were it not rooted in my own memories and emotions. I appreciate that a contributing factor to his motivations comes from wanting to right the wrongs that he feels I have suffered… but the way that he seeks to create these changes is a point of contention between us that becomes more rife with violence every day.”