@learnfrcmlittlethings
It was far too early, and yet, the world seemed to lack the common sense to realize it. By the time Dorian managed to drag his sorry hide out of bed, the world was bright and cheery and- worst of all- incredibly noisy. Carts rattled by under his window, merchants were hawking their wares, and Dorian immediately regretted opting not to take the extra effort to return to his mentor’s estate. He meant to simply shut his eyes and return to sleep until noon, but shutting the windows and closing the blinds hardly had any effect on the noise filtering in. Lovely.
With a deep, weary groan to rival that of the undead, the mage rolled out of bed and tried to get both himself and last night’s notes in order. Both tasks took longer than usual. He’d been up until dawn, leaving him somewhat haggard, and his papers lay scattered about the room like a tornado had torn through it while he slept. By the time he’d arranged everything, it was almost noon, and breakfast had long since come and gone. He didn’t bother waiting for a freshly cooked meal, choosing to rush out after paying his dues with his research notes clutched firmly to his chest with one hand as the other passed through his long hair. The heat radiating off his fingers dried it quickly, leaving him with nothing to do but pull it into a long braid once he’d slammed into a seat by his startled mentor.
“You’re up early.”
Dorian snorted softly at Alexius’ words and smiled at his elder. Once, he’d been a handsome man, strong and youthful, despite his years. Stress and grief had left him grey, both in his skin and his hair. None the less, Dorian still smiled at the man, and opened his mouth to greet him warmly, only to find himself cut off as Alexius continued to speak. “Look, Dorian. There, by the grace of the Maker go we.”
Dorian’s gaze followed Alexius’ thin arm as he waved his hand down to the first floor. At his bidding, Dorian approached the railing, brow arched at what he saw. “Southerners.” Alexius drawled on like an old, exhausted man. He hummed in response, only half listening as he peered down at the strange group gathered there. It wasn’t hard to pick them out. Their templars looked like they actually meant business in their heavy armor, shining silver and gold in the light, armed to the teeth and tenser than a lamb in a den of wolves. Their mages were odder still. Drab creatures, not unlike sparrows in a flock of colorful peacocks.
His nose crinkled softly as he watched them, equal parts fascinated and unsettled. It seemed unlikely that their templars would let them wander off on their own, and most of his fellow Tevinters were giving them a wide berth. That simply wouldn’t do. “I’ll be back- don’t worry about me, I’ll try to behave myself.” He heard Alexius sigh behind his back, but his mentor made to move to stop Dorian from descending to the first level, despite knowing that he was likely to cause all manners of mischief.
