thecapitol | [Open]

What| Anders trying to adjust to a new environment.
Where| Around the capitol.
When| Now?
Warnings/Notes| None at the moment

Everything was too big. He should have felt relief: this city was larger than anything he had seen before. There was so much grandeur, all glittering and beautiful and so easy to focus on. A man like him could have been swept away, swept under the rug, swept up in everything and easily forgotten. He could hide in the crowd. With so many people, no one would notice just another man.

Anders, however, felt nothing but suffocated. Every glance caused him to flinch and bury himself deeper within himself. The knot in his stomach pulled tighter, and tighter with every turn he made and every person he passed.

He had no idea how long he had been walking, or even where he was anymore. A heavy sigh escaped him as he rubbed his forehead.

"Andraste's tits...What is going on?" . For a moment he let his situation consume him, let the whole Capitol consume him.

It was the sound of footsteps coming up behind him that snapped the mage out of his stupor.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Even with their connection to the Fade being broken in this place, there's a certain way that all mages carry themselves. Adella grew up in the Circle, had spent time after it fell on the move, she knew how to spot a friendly face or an unfriendly one.

When she saw the man leaving the Tribute Center however, she wasn't sure which he was. Something about him made her follow him, until he stopped and cursed. Then she was sure. She put on a friendly, passive smile as he seemed to clue into her presence, and held up her hand as much as a gesture of greeting as anything.

"You likely won't find any answers from her or her tits. Would you settle for her Herald?"

Anders cocked his head to the side. “Her- what?”

The mage looked Adella over. He did not recognize her, though her eyes struck him. Looking at them he could almost feel the Spirit within stir. There was something in them, and in the way she held herself, that made him feel at ease.

The man raised an eyebrow at the woman. “Herald of Andraste? You Free Marchers need new ways to curb your imagination.”

She raised her eyebrows at that. Either news of the Inquisition hadn't travelled to wherever this man was from or he was from a time before them. She has to take a moment to adjust to that reality, but she does, rocking back on her heels.

"I'd expect that from a Ferelden." Her smile widened slightly, and she tilted her head to the side. "You're a mage, aren't you." It isn't so much a question as a statement. She can tell.

“I figured you were from a Circle. I'm guessing you aren't from Starkhaven or Kirkwall though. Ansburg? Ostwick maybe?” his body relaxed, a smirk growing into a smile. “You all sound the same to me”.

"Ostwick. Or at least before the Circles fell, I was," she replied, her smile faltering for a moment before she held out her hand. "My name is Adella."

Anders opened his mouth to reply when her words sunk in. The Circles had fallen. Not just Kirkwall, or Starkhaven. The Circles had fallen.

"I'm Nathaniel" he said, taking her hand and responding with a firm shake. "I have to admit, I feel much less alone knowing there are other mages out here. Having no power makes me feel vulnerable."

"You're certainly not alone, here," she almost sighs, releasing his hand after shaking it and leaning back a little. "There's... five of us now, counting you. All from different parts of Thedas. The people who create these Games... seem to be getting very fond of us Thedosians."

“Five? That's more than I expected. With five of us we could cause quite a fire show.” the man looked down at his hands. “If we could actually cast fire, that is. I never thought I would miss being...different, quite as much as I do in this place. This whole city makes me uneasy”.

"Just wait until you're in an Arena," she sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose you've heard from the people here what they expect?"

Anders sighed. “I've heard it's a big mess of killing, back stabbing, and manipulation. I had enough standing on display for the Templars. I'm not convinced I can play their game, and I sure as hell don't want to”.

What choice did he have, though? He needed to play their game. At least until he understood more about the place.

"More or less. We do form alliances, and those of us from Thedas look out for one-another. I can introduce you to the others although-" something dawns on her, and she pauses, realizing that he's clearly a mage from a Circle, and Ferelden.

"Were you from Kinloch Hold?"

“I...Yes, though I haven't been in several years. I did my Harrowing there, however”. He tried not to hesitate when he answered her question. The reality was he was from Fereldan's circle. He'd escaped several times, gotten dragged back. Depending on how much she knew, or who she knew his answers could have given him away.

He didn't need the woman terrified of him. So many mages were already terrified of him back home.

"Did you know a young templar, named Cullen?" If he left before the mess involving Uldred, perhaps he'd never known Cullen at his worst. That gave her a little hope, for what had made her nervous before.

"He's a friend- also one of our number here."

Anders' tried not to let his expression betray him, but his heart fell. Of course Cullen would be here. He had been fleeing from that damned Templar since the man arrived in the Circle.

“Cullen...hm. There was a Cullen in my Circle. I remember him quite well, though I doubt he would know much of me. We mages all look alike in our robes. You know how Templars are”

She let out a small laugh at that, finding it funny even though she knows he wouldn't really know why. Yes, she knew how Templars were. But Cullen was different from any Templar she'd ever known in the Ostwick Circle.

"He's... Well, he left the Order a year or so ago. He may not be the Templar you once knew. He's a good man."

Anders forced a smile. He doubted it. Cullen was always very devoted. When he first came to the Circle he was soft, and lenient to some of the mages. Solona Amell was one he had taken a shine to and Anders remembered her being a fantastic distraction when he wanted to break some rules or pull one over the Templars.

Cullen had always been devoted, though. The demons has hardened him, making him sharp and prickley and awful to be around. He'd begun to treat mages like they were bombs about to go off at any moment. Even in Kirkwall he kept a tight leash.

“You might be right. Pardon my cynicism, I just haven't met a Templar who has”.

"I know," she replied, somewhat sympathetically. She did know, truly. "The Templars in the Ostwick Circle were awful. One of them gave me this," she gestured to the scar over her eye, before continuing. "I never would have considered one an ally, or a friend or... well, more." The last part she says after a moment's hesitation. Her relationship with Cullen was, despite the broadcasts and the magazine articles about their affair, fairly private. However, it's because of all of that that she just put it out there.

"Regardless, we're all sort of in the same boat here. Even more than back home, after what happened in Kirkwall." She isn't sure if Nathaniel knew about that or not, seeing as he was unfamiliar with her Herald title, she can't be sure. "Wardens, mercenaries, former Templars, mages... We've all been looking out for each other."

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