[The only sleepovers Anders has been having lately are the kind where he crawls into bed alone and stares at the ceiling, marinating in his anxiety, so anything other than that would be a drastic improvement if he were ever inclined to admit that, which he's not. All this talk of beautiful women might have something to do with the part about going to bed alone, for that matter, but it's not like he'd been seeing a ton of action on the field, or in the Circle before that. He's used to drought conditions.
Then again, maybe the solitude's getting to him more than he thought. Alistair all but insists he's fine the way he is and he smiles without really intending to, small and soft. He's turning into a sap at this rate. It's a strangely touching sentiment, being told not to do something that could take away part of what he is and replace it with something different.
For so long he's been thinking he should change, make an effort to fill in the gaps Justice hadn't been shy about pointing out in that abrasive, bare-faced honest way of his. Be a better person and a better mage, whatever that means. But when was the last time someone had said he was all right the way he is? Nothing comes to mind. The holes have always been there, waiting for others to advise they be shored up. Marks have always been fallen short of. He's the wasted potential guy, the work in progress, not the fine as is guy.
It means something now to hear it, even if Anders still needs time to think about just what change means for his present as well as for the future.]
When you put it that way... [The smile inches toward being genuinely flattered.] I don't think you need to worry about winning over difficult royals with talk like that. You're a regular charmer. Minus the dwarf feet. That's just mean.
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Then again, maybe the solitude's getting to him more than he thought. Alistair all but insists he's fine the way he is and he smiles without really intending to, small and soft. He's turning into a sap at this rate. It's a strangely touching sentiment, being told not to do something that could take away part of what he is and replace it with something different.
For so long he's been thinking he should change, make an effort to fill in the gaps Justice hadn't been shy about pointing out in that abrasive, bare-faced honest way of his. Be a better person and a better mage, whatever that means. But when was the last time someone had said he was all right the way he is? Nothing comes to mind. The holes have always been there, waiting for others to advise they be shored up. Marks have always been fallen short of. He's the wasted potential guy, the work in progress, not the fine as is guy.
It means something now to hear it, even if Anders still needs time to think about just what change means for his present as well as for the future.]
When you put it that way... [The smile inches toward being genuinely flattered.] I don't think you need to worry about winning over difficult royals with talk like that. You're a regular charmer. Minus the dwarf feet. That's just mean.