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This time, Anders was working in the back room of a village pub when the Templar found him. The time before that, he'd been trying to steal a boat; the time before that, he'd been cowering in a pigpen. (That had been rather embarrassing and, since he wasn't allowed to bathe for the day or so it took to get back to the Circle, quite smelly; he'd decided not to hide on a farm again if he could help it.)
"He told me his father was going to beat him if he didn't earn some money," the barkeep explained, anxious to avoid punishment for harboring a mage. "Never said anything about the Circle." The man needn't have bothered; the Templar -- the pretty one with dark eyes, the same one who had chased Anders down every other time -- barely seemed to hear.
"Your wrists, mage," she told Anders, sounding bored. "And if you go for your staff it'll be the last thing you ever do."
"I would never think of it," Anders said, pretending to sound insulted. He followed the order; past experience had taught him resisting just made things worse. "You're merely doing your duty. Dangerous reprobates such as myself must be kept from magically terrorizing these poor innocent casks of beer."
She sighed and snapped the cuffs on, not bothering to try to make it gentle. "Why do you do it? You have to know you won't get away for long. This time you barely lasted two days."
"Because I have a right to be free, whether you see it or not," Anders answered firmly. "And for these precious moments with you, of course. Are you sure you aren't allowed to have a drink with a mage? They have a nice wheat ale here that --"
"Shut up and get in the wagon," the Templar ordered, shoving him out the door of the pub with the flat of her hand. "And don't look so smug. Chief Enchanter's talking about putting you in solitary until you're over this ridiculous idea you can run."
Anders' face darkened. "Of course he is."
{OOC: NFB, NFI, OOC is win!]
"He told me his father was going to beat him if he didn't earn some money," the barkeep explained, anxious to avoid punishment for harboring a mage. "Never said anything about the Circle." The man needn't have bothered; the Templar -- the pretty one with dark eyes, the same one who had chased Anders down every other time -- barely seemed to hear.
"Your wrists, mage," she told Anders, sounding bored. "And if you go for your staff it'll be the last thing you ever do."
"I would never think of it," Anders said, pretending to sound insulted. He followed the order; past experience had taught him resisting just made things worse. "You're merely doing your duty. Dangerous reprobates such as myself must be kept from magically terrorizing these poor innocent casks of beer."
She sighed and snapped the cuffs on, not bothering to try to make it gentle. "Why do you do it? You have to know you won't get away for long. This time you barely lasted two days."
"Because I have a right to be free, whether you see it or not," Anders answered firmly. "And for these precious moments with you, of course. Are you sure you aren't allowed to have a drink with a mage? They have a nice wheat ale here that --"
"Shut up and get in the wagon," the Templar ordered, shoving him out the door of the pub with the flat of her hand. "And don't look so smug. Chief Enchanter's talking about putting you in solitary until you're over this ridiculous idea you can run."
Anders' face darkened. "Of course he is."
{OOC: NFB, NFI, OOC is win!]
