Room 322, Friday After Classes

[not_every_mage]

Anders had made it through class without making some excuse and fleeing to be alone with his new prize, but it was a near thing. When he got back to his room, he shut the door firmly before removing the phylactery from its chain around his neck with trembling hands.

It was funny: When he'd been in the Circle and fantasized about getting the amulet, the fantasies always ended with him smashing it to bits of dust so it would be of no use to anyone and then running as fast as he could. But now that he had it destruction was the last thing on his mind. It was precious, filled with mage blood -- his mage blood -- and with a powerful enchantment on it besides. He'd never been tempted by blood magic, but surely there was something important he could do with it ...

For now, though, he was content to lay back on his bed, watching the phylactery glint in the light and imagining all the places in Thedas he could go now the Circle was no danger, and all the lives he could make for himself in them.

[OOC: Closed door, open post.]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

The island seemed to be getting worse and worse. It was difficult to even be in the preserve without feeling as sick as the trees looked. Everything was dying.

With a sigh, he knocked gently on Anders' door. Hopefully being here would calm his fraying nerves.

[not_every_mage]

Anders didn't answer the door until the phylactery was safely hidden under his shirt again. Anyone might be working to get it back to Cassandra.

... well, anyone except maybe Nathan, which was why Nathan got a tentative smile through the half-open door.

"Hi," Anders said. "I was just .... studying."

He wasn't sure why he lied, but he felt like he had to.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Studying?" Nathan repeated, nodding. "Okay. Is it going okay?"

[not_every_mage]

"Of course!" Anders lied, smile a little too bright and eyes a little too wide. "There's lots that I'm trying to learn. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan tilted his head and laughed a little. "No reason. I was just asking is all. You seem happy."

In a strange way.

[not_every_mage]

"I do?" Anders said, as if he hadn't considered the idea. "That is, I do! It's a beautiful day" -- in Anders' head, anyhow -- "and you're here, and we're young and free, and what else could I want?"

He had the panicky thought in the back of his head that he might be overselling it, but kept smiling anyhow and hoped Nathan wouldn't notice anything being off.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan frowned but followed it up with a snicker. "You planning some surprise secret thing or something? You're acting strange."

[not_every_mage]

Anders frowned briefly, mainly disappointed in himself. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," he pointed out. "... Anyhow, I thought your birthday was in summer."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"That's true," he said, frowning again. "So, what surprise are you planning, then? For someone other than me?"

[not_every_mage]

"There's no surprise," Anders conceded, hand fluttering nervously to the front of his shirt to ensure the precious phylactery was still hidden. "Just trying to tease. Though if I started celebrating birthdays months early, it would be a surprise, you have to admit that."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Anders, are you all right?" Nathan asked, a little more serious now. "You're not one to lie like that."

[not_every_mage]

"Why do people keep thinking I'm lying this week?" Anders wondered, mostly to himself. (Technically he hadn't consciously lied so much as he got tangled up in words, but he knew arguing the point wasn't going to do him any good.) He tried to speak more sincerely. "I'm fine, Nathan. Better than I've been in a while. Just -- maybe a little excited. How are you?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I'm just fine," he said slowly, still frowning. "Can I come in or am I going to talk with you while I'm in the hallway?"

[not_every_mage]

Anders blinked as if the question surprised him. "You can come in," he said, and stepped out of the way.

Privately, he hoped Nathan wouldn't stay too long. He needed to get back to looking at the phylactery, and he couldn't do that properly with someone else there. (And somewhere under that some part of him knew that wasn't at all the way he'd normally feel, but it was a small part and getting smaller.)

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Things are getting worse in the preserve," he said idly, keeping an eye on Anders as he stepped inside. "Everything's dying and it's freaking me out. I thought maybe here would feel better."

It did but it also felt strange. Different. Off.

[not_every_mage]

"Professor Karla said the same thing in class yesterday," Anders remembered, wandering over to sit on his bed and gesturing for Nathan to do the same. "She was so upset she let us leave so she could go study it. "

He would be worried, but ... it was so hard to think about it all.

"Is it any better here?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Well, inside never totally agrees with me but it's nice not to look around and see things dying," he answered, taking a seat. "Hopefully that keeps up."

[not_every_mage]

"That's one thing I can almost guarantee," Anders told him, sounding a bit more like his normal self. "Nobody's going to die in here tonight. Not unless Pascal turns out to be a very naughty lizard."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Does he have a history of that?" Nathan wondered, curious.

[not_every_mage]

"Rapunzel will tell you he doesn't," Anders answered. "But, you know, lizard. They have those beady little eyes. I can't totally trust them."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully he keeps his potential evil side to himself for the moment," he said, snickering. "Getting a little paranoid in suspecting a lizard, are you? Hopefully that doesn't work it's way up to me."

[not_every_mage]

Anders laughed, though there was some nervousness in it and his hand went to the slight bulge the phylactery made in his shirt again,just in case it had vanished in the last three minutes. "Don't be silly. You don't have beady eyes."

Nathan would never hurt him. He knew that. Unless ...

No. He couldn't start thinking that way.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I guess that's one good thing about being who I am," he said, shrugging. His not beady eyes went down to Anders' hands and he found himself a little concerned about that laugh. "Though I doubt beady eyes really make someone evil."

[not_every_mage]

"No?" Anders pretended to be confused by that. "What about his scales? Those have to be evil."

He was relieved at how easily the banter came. Not that he was going to be awarded any prizes for wit today, but the attempt took the edge off his nerves.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Scales?" Nathan questioned, making a face and laughing. "So, only dragons and fish and other amphibian like beings are evil?"

[not_every_mage]

"Dragons, definitely," Anders said thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure about fish. Maybe it's the combination of scales and feet. Which covers men in armor, too."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"If we leave it up to you, there would be some scary evil people with beady eyes and scales walking around," he joked. "That's scaring me just thinking about it."

[not_every_mage]

"Well, at least we'd know them if we saw them?" Anders tried. "Better than having to wait for them to do something evil before you know for sure."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"True," Nathan said, nodding. "And I haven't seen any dragons tromping around the island lately so I guess...we're safe?"

He actually wasn't sure. The situation in the preserve was a concern.

[not_every_mage]

"Whatever's going on with the trees and animals, it'll pass," Anders said sincerely. He wasn't sure, either, but he wasn't really capable of worry just then, "Besides, if a dragon did come down we'd fight it and win. Just might .... come out of it a little crispier."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Feeling optimistic today, are you?" Nathan asked, glancing over. "Pass some of that along to me."

[not_every_mage]

Anders laughed softly and leaned in to kiss Nathan's hair. "I can try?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"That's a good start," he murmured, leaning closer to Anders instinctively. "Very nice."