Room 322, Wednesday Morning

[not_every_mage]

It had been more than a day since the children left, and Anders wasn't sure his head was entirely back to normal yet. It was funny how deeply you could miss someone you'd known for such a short time, and who quite likely wouldn't ever exist at all.

At least it seemed like Leo was headed back someplace where he was safe and loved. Carys, though ... that was another story. He still wasn't entirely certain he and Kathy had done the right thing by making her go home. Her parents had lots of friends, sure, and he liked the idea of palling around with a Champion (whatever that meant exactly) but ... he didn't want to raise a child in a world where her father was an apostate. It seemed likely to lead only to heartbreak for everyone.

He tried to set aside his worry for the girl as he scrounged through his books until he found one on the history of Thedas. Maybe it would at least give him some background on Kirkwall to put a bit of what Carys had said in context.

[OOC: Cracked door, open post.]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"You've clearly never seen me after a real run or I get back from Baltimore," Kathy said. "Ever since I got all fast and bouncy, my metabolism's ramped up by like a billion. I'm kind of ridiculous."

[not_every_mage]

"I don't have that," Anders told her. "But I'm not using my powers to jump off roofs, either."

He had a healthy appetite, but no more than any other ravenous teenage boy.

"And -- am I supposed to disagree about you being ridiculous?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"You know I can hit you, like, eight times before you see me move, right?" Kathy threatened. "I just want to make sure you're aware of this before we continue this conversation."

[not_every_mage]

Anders probably should have thought more before he said the next thing to come out of his mouth.

"Try me."

[spin_kick_snap]

Well-played, Anders.

"Are you serious?" Kathy asked, jaw dropping. "What if I hurt you? Kinetic energy! One-half mv squared!" That was helpful, sure Kathy. "Even if I tap you, moving at my max speed, you know you'll probably end up bruised, right?"

Physics, Anders! Physics said so!

And now I just had to look up kinetic equations and physics. I love and hate you.

[not_every_mage]

"First of all, I have no idea what you're talking about," Anders pointed out, undaunted as only someone who knew no physics at all could be. "Second, if you can get up to anything like maximum speed in a dorm room as untidy as this one, I will be incredibly impressed. Third, I know how to make a barrier. And fourth, I'd heal it if you got through."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I don't have to run to hit you, Anders," Kathy said, rolling her eyes. "But yeah, let's do this. You make a barrier, I'll see how fast I can hit it. Will you be able to feel each hit when I make it? Or should I find some way to mark it?"

[not_every_mage]

"You're the one who mentioned maximum speed," Anders said, rolling his eyes right back at her. "And yes, I'll feel it. How should we do this? Go on the count of three?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"That sounds good," Kathy said, upgrading from eye rolls to sticking her tongue out. Because they were the most mature, shut up. "You'll see what I mean in a second."

[not_every_mage]

Anders nodded, drew a breath and tried to feel centered. "All right then. One, two -""

As he said "three," a fizz of magical energy swirled around his hand before coalescing into a barrier. He was reasonably fast; he was not gifted with super speed.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Three!" And Kathy most assuredly was, which was why her hands were a literal blur as she struck out towards him.

Eight punches. Eight punches landed in the first second, with the ninth striking off the erected barrier.

"I've been timing myself with a speed bag," she said, half-apologetically. "Are you okay?"

[not_every_mage]

Anders had flopped over dramatically and was mumbling something about Andraste's underthings.

"Fine," he said, raising his head. "I'm sure I'll come back from the dead anytime now."

He rubbed his shoulder, where the worst blows had landed. "I think you hit me five times before the barrier even started to form. Ow."

[spin_kick_snap]

"In fairness, I did warn you," Kathy said. Because an 'I told you so' was exactly what would make Anders feel better. "This is what happens when you don't believe me when I tell you things."

And this was why both Zevran and Isabela wanted to run away with future!Kathy and teach her all their fun tricks.

"I should eat your pizza, just to prove my point."

[not_every_mage]

To be fair, neither Zevran nor Isabela was exactly known for having high standards. Just saying.

"That's cold," Anders accused. "Bad enough to knock me over, and now you're threatening to take my food? What kind of friend are you?"

He was ignoring the part where he had started it.

[spin_kick_snap]

Not their fun sexual tricks! God, Anders.

"The kind of friend who gets all the tasty pizzas because she's not rolling around on the bed like a giant drama-queen," Kathy said smugly. "The kind of friend who was right."

And because she was Kathy and, therefore, a soft-touch by nature, she added, "You are really okay, right? Just bruised? Do you need to heal or anything?"

[not_every_mage]

"Oh, fine, rub it in," Anders groused, sitting up at last. "And I'll be okay. You didn't hit that hard."

He was just being a drama queen, as she'd said.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I tried not to," Kathy said, back to smirking now that she knew he was okay. "But force equals mass times velocity squared and I was going really fast so sometimes I literally can't calculate my own strength."

Beat.

"You big baby."

[not_every_mage]

"Don't mock my misery," Anders said, tossing a pillow in her general direction. "Though we should spar sometime. When I stop getting beaten to a pulp I'll know I'm getting good."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oooh, can we?" Kathy asked. "And if you give me one of those barrier things, you can fling fireballs and ice spells at me, too!"

No, those weren't things she'd be facing in a regular fight in LA, but hey. If she could dodge a fireball, she could probably dodge a guy with a knife, too.

"I'm up for whenever you are." She eyed him, amused. "You know, after you recover from your grievous injury."

[not_every_mage]

"I might have stopped bleeding internally by next Monday," Anders suggested. "Or Wednesday, if Monday's too soon."

He considered what she'd said, and an apologetic look crossed his face. "I wish. If I'm holding a barrier I'm not much use for anything else because canon is stupid. Something about split magical energies. Could you work with a physical shield of some kind, maybe?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Next Monday, I'll be blissfully free of all my stupid SAT worries, at least for a week or so. It'll be fine."

Sure, it was also finals week, but Kathy wasn't too concerned about most of her Fandom classes.

"...I'm not sure about a physical shield, though. I need to be mobile and I'd probably get caught up if I was trying to heft a big tower shield around or something. I guess we'll just have to agree to stop immediately for healing if I catch a fireball to the face?"

[not_every_mage]

"We can figure out something better than that," Anders said, and squinted in concentration. "You'll be pulling your punches, won't you? I can pull mine too. Make it more like sparks than like true fireballs, at least until we've felt each other out."

[spin_kick_snap]

"That works," Kathy said, looking instantly relieved. One shot of Anders' ice had been plenty for her, thanks. "Enough to startle, but enough to really burn."

[not_every_mage]

"And if I ever really burn you, we give it up until we find a way to shield you," Anders added. "You're sure? You are actually playing with fire, you know. I feel obligated to warn you."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Last time I was in LA, Gorgon got shot in the shoulder," Kathy said quietly. "I had to sew him up in a hotel room because he couldn't go to a hospital. I'd rather learn to dodge fireballs with you than end up catching a bullet like him."