fatherlesskind

[ She isn't very good with the communicators, but this is important enough to warrant an attempt. Important enough to bypass the ever-uncomfortable interactions that the pair of them still seem to have. ]

Alistair, this is Rob- Warden Cousland. [ Maker, that's annoying to have to say. ] I've felt another Grey Warden in Wonderland, but I've yet to see them. Do you know who it is?

[It takes him far too long to realise he has a message at all and even longer to work out how to listen to it. But, eventually, he manages both. By this point he's run into the other Warden in question and has an answer beyond a simple 'no' to give her. Unfortunately - if that was all he had it would at least mean he could keep this short.

He holds off on replying as long as he can, still uncertain how he feels about the new Warden Cousland until his sense of duty finally prompts Alistair to call back.]

Warden, it's me. Which you must already know. [Great start there, just brilliant.] You were asking about the new Grey Warden who arrived. [There's a certain stiffness to his tone as he if he's a soldier reporting in to his commander. Which isn't far off the truth but it's rare to get such formality from him. His Templar commanders would be amazed at the feat.] I met him earlier. He's a mage from Ferelden. I don't know him personally but... He seems alright to me.

[That's about all he's got so far, for what it's worth.]

[ A mage from Ferelden? That has her frowning, but it's more in curiosity than anything. ]

But, he wasn't at Ostagar, then? Or... does he remember the battle?

[ He could have been summoned to Wonderland just before the fight, in which case things could get even more awkward than they already are. ]

Were you introduced?

[ It'd be nice to have a name if she herself meets the other Warden. It's reassuring to hear the all-clear from Alistair, however superficial the report may be. It's still Alistair, after all, and she trusts his judgment. ]

No, he wasn't at Ostagar. He said he joined after the Blight.... When I'm king and there's a new Warden-Commander.

[Which was still something he was trying not to think about, the sense of inevitability about it now. Easier to think about how here's another person who's certain the Blight will be stopped. That at least is a cheerful thought.]

His name is Anders. Do you recognise it?

[He's not expecting her to unless one of the others from Thedas have mentioned this Warden to her. Neither of them have seen the end of the Blight and beyond the Warden's own identity it seems they know all the same people.]

[ Though he can't see it, she frowns at what he says at first, and pushes past it for the moment to reply to the latter bit. ]

Anders... no, I've never met an Anders. I've also come just before the Landsmeet, remember, so I don't know anything past the Blight, either.

[ The others from Thedas may have said differently, though. Speaking of: ]

... If the Landsmeet hasn't happened yet, then nothing's been decided. [ Her voice is careful, even, not wanting to cross any lines but with the tone of someone doing what they feel is right. ] No matter what the others say has happened, the only person who can decide whether you'll be king or not is you. All right? To think it's some inevitable thing is... wrong.

[ There's a pause, and she remembers herself a little, adding, meekly: ]

I hope that wasn't too forward, but I do think it's important.

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[ On the 10th, once the mansion has gone back to normal following their trip to Gravity Falls, a carefully-wrapped package is left in front of his door. On top of the bundle is a hand-written note: ]

"Alistair the Handsomest, Wittiest and Most Charming of All," Alistair, I realized too late that though we both had things to apologize for, you were the only one thoughtful enough to bring a peace offering. I picked up a few things on our last trip and, in an effort to keep you from thinking me impolite, I found something I thought you would like. If I'm terribly wrong, I think it would make an excellent door-stopper. Yours, Robyn

[ Inside is a runic tablet, bundled carefully inside the cloth. Does he still like runes, she wonders? Or will he just think she's lost her mind?

Ah, well. It's not stone griffon, but Stan's shop had been fresh out of those... ]

_{[Among Anders' top ten rules, learning to get by in life without a crutch is near the top. Alone in his struggles, over time he'd gotten used to handling most things alone. A sign of resourcefulness, he'd thought. But now...

Now being left alone with his thoughts feels less like a strength and more like a flashback to his solitary confinement days. How many hours had he sat in silence while his thoughts chased themselves in endless circles back then? He'd always been afraid to do the math. He'd had Mr. Wiggums to break up the monotony, but now he doesn't even that much, and no amount of fine china or wish fulfillment from the closets can banish Cullen and Fenris' voices from his head.

I'm surprised to find you draw the line at killing people in their sleep.

You murdered hundreds of innocent people, started a war that killed more of your mages than the Circles ever did, and were slain by Hawke for it.

Had just the one confronted him, perhaps Anders could have written either off as being soft between the ears, or willing to spew any manner of hate to get under a mage's skin. But both saying nearly the exact same thing? It's more than mere coincidence, and idiotically Anders finds himself missing having a cat to hold and talk his worries out to. There'd been a comfort in that. A comfort Wonderland can't provide for all its riches.

He gets scared, he gets drunk, and then a day later after he's sobered up, he gets desperate.]}

It's Anders. Do you have time for a Wardenly heart-to-heart, by chance?

_{[He would have considered going to the Commander if the Commander had been an option, but he's not, none of the usual suspects are. Alistair is the closest thing to a friend he has here, which only punctuates just how alone he is, wrecked like a lost ship on the shores of some foreign land.

A part of him hopes Alistair misses the text message so that by the time he sees it, Anders will have found a way to bury his concerns and pass it off as nothing. Plausible deniability for a moment of weakness.]}

[Alistair has gotten into the habit of looking at his magic box a couple of times a day to see if there's anything interesting being talked about on there, or anyone new showing up, so he spots the note fairly quickly. When he does - and when he realises it's a personal missive, not one shared with everyone like most messages are - he spends a minute studying it before even thinking about replying.

He's not sure what a 'Wardenly heart-to-heart' will involve, although his first instinct is to guess that he's being set-up. Ask to talk, lure him somewhere and play a prank. It's something he'd do and it's not hard to picture Anders being willing to do the same from what he knows of the man. Payback for the snowball fight maybe. Or just boredom.

He's so not getting fooled by it. But he can't let Anders know he's onto him. He has to figure out a way to turn this back around. See what the other man is going to try and trick him into and be one step ahead. He can manage that. Maybe.

He's grinning to himself as he sends a reply, eager to see where this is going. It will be fun even if he loses, for all that he's going to try not to.]

Anders. I always have time for my second favouritest mage ever. What do you need? Alistair.

[And hopefully whatever is in store won't involve too much more writing with the magic boxes. Actually writing things out on them takes a lot longer than just talking to them. Or each other.]

_{[Ah, he answered. There's still time to back out, Anders reminds himself, but the self-assurance falls flat just like the joke that comes to mind in response.]}

Only the second? I'm hurt.

_{[To both of their surprise, this is shaping up to be a sober discussion. A prank or light banter over a beer are much better reasons to track Alistair down, in Anders' opinion; personal problems feel, as ever, like he's saddling an already overburdened mount with an extra load. But if someone's likely to understand, it's someone going through the same thing.]}

Can I come over? I have something I'd like to talk about.

_{[In person is much more preferable to over the phones, he agrees.]}

You have to mend my clothes for me if you want to be the favourite.

[Wynne has left some big shoes to fill.]

Over as in to my room? Sure. I'm not doing anything.

[So... maybe Anders does just want to talk? If he wants to come to Alistair's room that seems less likely to be a prank, though it's still possible. Not that he'll complain if it's not. Talking is good. He's good at talking. An expert even.]