Room 322, Tuesday Morning

[not_every_mage]

Anders didn't get much mail, so he was surprised to find something waiting for him in the dorm mailboxes. What was even stranger was that the envelope, seal and stamps all looked like those used in Ferelden.

He tore the letter open with shaking hands. True, Templars weren't in the habit of sending notes to runaway mages -- they were more the type to show up unannounced -- but he supposed there was a first time for everything. And the fact anyone knew where he was posed some level of risk.

It was a puzzle, then, that the letter seemed to be nothing more than a common enough piece of junk mail touting some worthless potion as a "miracle cure" for flatulence, pimples, back pain or the common cold. Anders was about to throw it out when he realized the runes bordering the parchment were not simple decoration at all. Instead, they were an obscure Elven alphabet that Circle apprentices used to smuggle messages between themselves.

Decoded, they read A - Am back in the Circle. Portal dropped me by gate as if no time had passed. Thanks for the vacation. Hope to do it again soon. - K

So that was that. The Circle might not be anyone's idea of a happy home to come back to, but Anders was simply glad Karl wasn't being tortured or worse. He didn't want to think about how his friend had bribed, begged or threatened to get the message out so quickly; he was just glad he'd done it at all.

He reread the letter a few more times as he sat on his bed, trying to work out if there was any safe way to answer it.

[OOC: Cracked door, open post!]

Comments

[not_every_mage]

"I'm glad you had him to back you up," Anders decided. "What is he doing these days?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"He was going to school last I heard. University," Nathan told him, glancing over. "He was safe. Happy, I think. I miss him."

[not_every_mage]

"I would too," Anders admitted. "And I hope some day you'll get to be together again."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if that'll ever happen but it's a nice thing to wish for," Nathan said, smiling sadly. "I don't want to put him in danger so I'll stay away."

[not_every_mage]

"You can't imagine a time when no one wants to hurt you for what you are?" Anders wondered. "I do. Half my daydreams are about a world where mages aren't judged."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"If I think about that, I have to think of me killing my father since...that seems to be the only way I'd ever be able to walk around freely and I don't know if I can handle doing that," Nathan explained. "I don't want to kill him."

[not_every_mage]

Anders winced.

"I meant if it was some magical world where everything was different. I don't want him to die," he said. "If it was him I talked to Saturday -- I wouldn't call him friendly, but he doesn't seem like a bad person."

(Of course, Anders would later decide voluntary demonic possession was a great idea. It was possible he was not a stellar judge of character.)

"And I don't want you to kill anybody," he added firmly. As if he had any say.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"If I could go back there and things were different, everything had changed, I'd love to," Nathan said after some thought. "If I could see Arran and Deborah again and see Wales and England, I'd love to go back."

He didn't know if that would ever happen though. "Maybe something big will change. Someone will come along and make things happen."

[not_every_mage]

"I want to see England and Wales too," Anders announced. "People sometimes guess I'm from that first one, and I get curious."

He gave Nathan a sidelong look. "I could set them all on fire, but they'd need to stand still in one place for long enough for me to do it first. And not kill me for trying."

There always were complications. (And Anders was mainly joking to begin with. Well, sort of joking.)

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Maybe we'll go one day," Nathan said before leaning over and giving Anders a slightly shy kiss on the cheek. He lingered for a second, brushed his nose against where his lips had just been and pulled back. "You're really like no one I've ever met before."

[not_every_mage]

"Because I threaten people who annoy me with fiery death?" Anders asked, fingers going to his cheek. "... you just kissed me first."

It was important.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan shrugged and blushed though his darker skin masked most of that coloring. "I couldn't help myself. It just felt right."

[not_every_mage]

"I'm not complaining," Anders told him. "It just ... made me happy."

And then it was his turn to kiss Nathan on the cheek to say thank you.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You kissed me second," Nathan joked, eyes closed and smile on his face. "It makes me happy too."