The Preserve, Saturday Morning

[not_every_mage]

Anders and Nathan hadn't gone back to the dorms after the dance; they'd camped in one of Nathan's usual spots in the Preserve instead. Nathan was more comfortable staying outside, while Anders mostly wanted to be wherever Nathan was -- especially now that the weather was decent enough that he didn't have to sacrifice too much comfort to do it.

He heard some small noise and woke up just enough to squint toward the sun, judging its angle, then shut his eyes again and burrowed further under the heap of blankets. The birds and the deer and the alots might be cavorting about, but it was still early. He was staying right where he was for now.

[OOC: You know where this one is headed. For the boy and one other, please!]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Wales?" Nathan was...actually kind of glad to hear that. If he was in Wales, things had to be pretty okay, right? "Yeah, this is where we went to school. Or are going to school, to be more exact."

[not_every_mage]

"Are going," Anders echoed. "You're maybe a few years early, Leo. Or a universe off. We're not quite old enough to be your fathers yet and that's why we're so surprised."

He'd been happy to hear Leo mention Wales, for similar reasons to Nathan. If they were in Wales -- and with a son and a garden, no less -- there was at least one world where things didn't go too terribly for them.

[bornahalfmage.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Having been around magic from different universes all his life, Leo didn't take quite as long to wrap his head around that notion as another boy his age might have. "So ... you don't know who I am yet?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Not yet," he said, shaking his head. "Don't be too sad about that though. That just means you can tell us about yourself. Like a story."

[bornahalfmage.livejournal.com]

That was perhaps an unwise thing to point out to a child of Anders'

"So I could make up whatever I want?"

[not_every_mage]

"I guess you could," Anders sighed, because he knew where Leo's head must have gone. "Or you could start with the boring true stuff and then add exciting bits once we know all of that!"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Nathan said in agreement. "Tell us the boring stuff and then once that's out of the way, the good stuff, the exciting stuff."

[bornahalfmage.livejournal.com]

"Okay, but the boring stuff is boring," Leo claimed, then tapped a finger to his jaw as he thought of where to start. "Um ... my whole entire name is Leo Hawke Byrn. I'm six. I like knights and chocolate biscuits and climbing way up high. My kitty is called Serah Whiskerface. I can't use much magic yet" -- because he believed his dads would ask -- "but when I get big I'm gonna be really good."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"So, you're a mage?" Nathan asked, glancing at Anders. "Like your dad? I mean, this dad?"

Since they were both dads, he pointed at Anders when he said that.

[bornahalfmage.livejournal.com]

"I'm a me."

So that cleared that right up. But as Leo met Nathan's eyes to answer his question, the gold shapes swimming in his dark eyes caught the light.

[not_every_mage]

"He might be too small to tell for sure," Anders interjected. "But if I had to guess, probably. He feels like it, and besides, it's almost inevitable if we were both involved, isn't it?"

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't know of a world where people with magic had it easy, unless they were born rich in Tevinter.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"He's got eyes like mine," Nathan noted, holding back a wince. He wanted to ask Leo if the Council was still around, if they were hiding in Wales or anything else like that. But he held back. "You'll be good when magic when you grow into it. I promise."

[not_every_mage]

As usual, Anders had to squint and concentrate to see the shapes properly, but when he did --

"A Mage and a black witch," he agreed softly, with a wince of his own. "That'll be interesting in a few years."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully he'll get a smaller staff than yours," Nathan joked. "One that's Anders sized would be bigger then him."