boxofmisfits | A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

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A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

It had been a week now since that day they had decided to start traveling together.

It had been nice- traveling alongside someone else, having stories shared with him and even sharing some very heavily edited ones of his own given that edited stories were all he could offer without sounding completely off in the head. It had also been difficult given that Altair had to be very careful to not let even a slip of skin show. Wandering off on his own during times Anders was otherwise occupied to clean himself or to eat or drink.

Still, Altair preferred it to traveling alone- even if he had found a lot of ghosts along the way to talk to. Having a friend among the living was nice too.

As they traveled on this particular day, the light was quickly being replaced with the darkness of night.

Some old and unused path through a forest, that had once been a well-traveled road if the old rock fence he was currently keeping his balance on as he walked along the top of it rather than on the path through the trees was anything to go by- maybe the place had been settled some time ago. Maybe people had lived out here. It seemed likely, all things considered. Maybe they'd find something neat if they kept walking in this direction.

Who knew.

He wasn't so focused on that at the moment though, instead keeping his head tilted back so his face was turned up to the sky- knowing that the stars would be starting to come out soon.

"Do you ever wonder if there's life out there?" He asked his companion, breaking the comfortable silence they'd been traveling in for a little while.

It was a question that had been on his mind, all things considered.

Maybe there was a similar Empire to his own out there. Maybe a Galactic Republic or something like it. Or perhaps all the worlds out there were like this one- still so early in their development.

Altair wondered if this planet had even gotten to the part of history where they were wondering or theorizing about whether or not there was life out in space too. Maybe he was sounding completely insane to Anders by asking.

But then, a lot of things Altair had said and done since they first met probably seemed completely insane, so it really was business as usual.

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"Sometimes when you're in the middle of it, it's difficult to see the path ahead. I was born into slavery and when I was freed, all I was looking for was someone to tell me what to do. Someone to make my life make sense because chains was all I'd ever known- I didn't know what or who I was without being given an order to follow."

Altair had been so willing to do everything Zash asked of him. He was old enough now to realize that had Zash been open with him- if she'd told him to die so that she could live- he probably would have. It would have been an order from the first person to ever treat him so well and he would have died for her if she'd told him to because it was all he knew. Only her betrayal had forced him onto another path.

"The day I was truly free, I was more frightened than I'd ever been before because my decisions were mine alone and I was the one who'd have to live with the consequences of my actions."

He'd been angry and confused too, until he'd found his course and a purpose to keep moving. He'd made mistakes, but he'd been free to make them and the consequences had been something he'd learned to live with. And he appreciated that now, even if he hadn't at the time.

"Fear of the unknown easily turns to anger. Some overcome that in time like I overcame the fear of freedom, while others will probably always resent having what seems like the easier path away from them because it's all they've ever been told and all they've ever known. Doesn't mean you were wrong, though."

Altair didn't think so, anyway.

"When it seems like the world is telling you with one voice that there's something wrong with your existence and that you should be happy you're even given scraps, it's easy to start believing it. Even if you come to realize how wrong it is, it... Stays with you. Becomes complicated and painful emotions that many would prefer to not think about."

It was something Altair himself was still struggling with, an experience he was still going through. But explaining knowing that feeling would take telling truths he wasn't ready to share yet.

"The change necessary for mages to be free would never come from a place of comfort, and the fight for mages to remain free will likely be long and difficult. I'm sure there are those who would argue that you could have found another way, but... I certainly won't. I haven't known you that long, but the man I've come to know is a kindhearted healer. I think that you've saved a lot more lives than you've taken, and that you'll save a lot more too."

He tilted his head, and again there was the hint that he was smiling beneath his hood from the way his voice sounded, "I'm also pretty sure I've killed a lot more people than you ever could for way less justification, too. How many Templars have I simply cut down rather than attempting to talk my way into non-violence, do you think?"

A soft hum then, that sounded almost amused, "Will that make you pull away from me? For killing others in self-defense?"

Anders suddenly felt a certain closeness to Altair that he hadn't before. It sounded as if his experience wasn't so different from that of many mages, and even Anders's own to some extent. In a manner of speaking, Anders had been a slave too, much like all mages within the Circle. Even if Altair hadn't come from this land, he knew injustice when he saw it.

"You sound a lot like someone I once knew. He was a mage too, and when he got out, he wasn't sure what to do with his freedom. He found it thanks to his friends." Sometimes he missed the Warden-Commander. "And he never stopped believing in freedom for those like us. Actually, one time, we ran into one of his old traveling companions, this old Circle mage biddy who was all too willing to accept her leash, and he told her off. It was nice."

At the time, Anders had been against the idea of mages breaking away, but only because he'd been concerned about his own safety and felt that rocking the boat would only make things worse. He knew better now.

"He sounds nice, so I'm glad I sound like him," Altair said, accepting that as the compliment it was obviously meant to be, if Anders's tone was anything to go by.

"And I can imagine it was, yes. I imagine the elderly are much more set in their ways than the young, but with freedom on the line, it's still not acceptable. Calling them out on the ways they're entirely wrong is usually a good time."

Altair certainly enjoyed doing that back in his own world. Admittedly probably in a more aggressive way than getting on a companion's case given that it was usually him yelling across the Dark Council chambers at Ravage and those aligned with him, but still. He could relate.

"Shall we continue walking? Probably best if we find somewhere to set up camp before it gets entirely too late."

If Anders still needed a moment considering he'd obviously just told him something he'd been dreading to say for fear of how Altair would react, then Altair didn't mind, but it would be best if they could find somewhere to set up camp before midnight, at least. Sleep was, after all, important. And humans tended to need more of it than Altair himself usually did.

"You two would get along swimmingly if you met." Sadly, he didn't know where Birch was. Last he heard, the Commander had joined in the fight for mage liberation, while also trying to find a way to cure himself of the taint.

"Oh, yes, let's move on." He resumed walking, still holding on to Altair's hand.

"Wynne was brought to the Circle when she was very young, and she hardly remembered her life from before. Thus she didn't know of a better life, and convinced herself that the Circle was the best place that a mage could be and the Templars were needed to keep everyone safe from mages." He and Wynne had never gotten along.

"I'll have to hope we'll come across him then," Altair said, since he very rarely was opposed to meeting someone new. Besides, it sounded to him like Anders would want to meet his friend again too, so it'd be nice if that could happen.

Altair continued walking- making sure to lead them well across the somewhat uneven path, letting the other man know when to step around something by gently pulling on his hand to direct him. As before, he was navigating easily through terrain that even those who could see would have a difficult time with during the daylight hours.

"Set in her ways, then. On the one hand it's sad that she lived just about her whole life like that- on the other, we can hope that no other mage will ever have to."

"I hope so. Let's hope that mages born years from now only know the Templars and Circles as a scary story and a dark chapter in history."

Anders was still amazed at how well Altair navigated in the dark. He could have provided a wisp for light, or even called upon Justice, but he didn't want to risk giving away their position.

"That mask you wear. Is it Orlesian?"

"I don't know."

He really didn't. He had gotten it off of someone who had tried to kill him- thinking he was a demon, Altair knew now- but that was beside the point, really.

"I've traded for and bought clothing here and there, but I don't know the different styles in this part of the world. Masks and clothing look and feel a bit different where I'm from."

Not entirely different, but. Different enough. Especially the masks, given that the ones he was familiar with were a lot more armored. And advanced.

"When I met my friend who you healed, I was wearing more clothing from home. She said she couldn't imagine me getting into my trousers without starting my day rolling about on the ground trying to squirm into them."

"So you are skinnier than you appear under those clothes," Anders quipped.

"The mask certainly looks Orlesian. Actually a lot of your outfit wouldn't be out of place among the upper-class in Orlais."

"Quite significantly, yes," Altair replied, knowing that the oversized clothing did in fact make him appear deceptively larger than he actually was. Of course the important part for him was the ease of movement the clothes provided him. His own clothes from home were comfortable too, of course, but the way they looked made him stand out a bit too much due to the difference in craftsmanship and even materials between worlds.

"I see," He said, sounding genuinely curious, "Honestly the only thing I really considered is how it feels. I'm on the move a lot, so. It's nice to have clothing that makes moving about easy."

Being covered was the most important part, but it was good that it was easy to move in and fight in too, considering how often he'd been fighting since coming here. He did a fair bit of fighting at home too, of course, but here it seemed to be every other day or so- where at home he could at least go weeks without seeing any combat at all.

"I think there might be a clearing up ahead we can set up camp in for the night. This area feels different, anyway."

More specifically it felt haunted.

And indeed there was a clearing- almost a perfectly circular one with six stone pillars along the edge and one larger one in the middle. Ancient and crumbling- whether it was some sort of ritual site or whether these pillars were marking the locations of graves was difficult to tell.

Probably not a clearing that any sane man would suggest camping in, but then, Altair was really just like that.

"I suppose if anyone's found a way to make clothing both fashionable and comfortable to travel in, it would be the Orlesians. If it wasn't for your accent I would have guessed that you were Orlesian when we first met."

When they came upon the clearing, Anders paused right at the edge, eyeing the pillars warily. "Why do I get the feeling that if we stop here we're going to disturb some ancient and angry spirit or demon?"

"I see."

Orlesian. Altair wondered what Orlais was like. He'd probably met people from there on occasion since arriving, but honestly it was difficult to know.

He supposed he was really just glad to have made so many good friends since arriving, regardless of where they were from. If any of his friends that he'd made were Orlesian too, they hadn't mentioned and he wouldn't know.

He tilted his head at Anders's comment then, "I think it'll be fine. It's a bit chillier here, so I assume it's haunted, but... It doesn't feel bad. Does it really look that creepy?"

"I mean, you hear a lot of traveler's tales about coming across cemeteries or ancient burial grounds and stopping for the night only to disturb a demon that kills them or chases them down." The Commander had told him that one time during the Blight, he and his companions had found an old camp that turned out to be a trap laid by a demon.

On the other hand, Altair seemed to have some innate sense about ghosts. "But I suppose if you say that it's safe, then we can camp here." Justice would warn them if demons came out.

Edited 2022-07-08 00:21 (UTC)

"I've camped in a lot of places that feel similar, so it should be fine. I mean, I did travel alone for a while and I'm still not dead, so..."

As good a reason as any to assume it'd be fine, really. And Altair would be awake for a while, keeping guard while Anders slept. He had said that he'd take the first watch, after all, considering that there were likely less than friendly travelers in the woods. Templars, most likely, that Altair would prefer to not be caught by surprise by.

Moving into the clearing, he made sure to not disturb the pillars. Since it felt a bit colder near them, it was likely that they were more haunted than the actual area itself. That was the feeling he got, anyway.

His cat meowed as Altair gently set his bag down, hopping out to sniff around the ground while Altair set his things up, and hopped right back in once Altair was done rooting around in his bag for the things he needed.

"You can set up as close to me as you'd like, by the way. If being close would make you feel safer."

No teasing, nor mocking. Just sincerity in his voice. He'd hate it if Anders couldn't sleep due to the eerie nature of their chosen campsite, after all.

Anders took a moment to scratch the cat behind the ears, before getting out his own camping supplies. "Probably a good idea."

He rolled out his bedroll next to Altair's. "Be glad you never got to visit the Blackmarsh."

"If it's haunted I'd probably like it," Altair commented, with a bit of a laugh.

"If it's cursed somehow, then I'd probably like it a little less."

Ghosts he could deal with, and even enjoyed the company of. Curses were a lot of work though- especially here where even the curses were different than what he was used to from home. Not that Altair minded working hard- in fact, he loved working to the point of finding it difficult to put his work down- but still. Sith curses and whatever curses were here were two very different things.

"Honestly I sometimes prefer the company of ghosts to the company of the living. They're a lot less complicated for the most part."

Except when those dead were noisy ghosts in his head. That was less pleasant. Still, ghosts usually had plenty of stories to tell, and he liked listening. Both here and at home.

"It's complicated. The marsh used to be home to a village, but then thanks to a blood mage the Veil was torn, and the town was sent into the Fade. After that, the village was left to rot, and thanks to the tears, it was home to all sorts of demons and ghosts. There were even signs warning people to stay out because it was haunted."

Yet he'd still followed Birch into that cursed place. He would have done anything for the man who saved his life.

"There was even a dragon ghost there."

"I see. Definitely sounds like the sort of place I'd disappear into and then never come back out of," Altair commented, though that wasn't entirely truthful. He was very prone to wandering into trouble, but he'd always managed to wander his way back out too. It sounded interesting though.

Especially the dragon ghost. Oh he should have liked to see that.

"As you might have gathered I'm a bit prone to wandering into places I technically shouldn't."

Sometimes on accident. Most of the time it was on purpose.

"I'm sure there are those back home who think my adventure in... This part of the world is me finally falling victim to my wanderlust, too."

Not that Altair was entirely too concerned. He trusted his companions back home to hold down the fort while he was here and would return eventually.

Anders sat on his bedroll, taking a bit of dried fruit out of his pack to snack on. "Honestly, the best part of that whole adventure was that I met my spirit friend. He accidentally possessed the body of a dead Grey Warden, and after that he agreed to come with us."

He sensed Justice recall that memory. Despite the circumstances, it was a happy memory. It was the day that began a series of events that would change both their lives. Sometimes Anders would get flashes of Kristoff's memories, and he knew that it was Justice bringing them up.

"Just do yourself a favor and stay out of the Deep Roads."

"I see. Sounds like you got something very good out of it then, despite everything."

Terrible places holding beautiful things in one way or another. That he was very familiar with.

"And I'll keep that in mind. Best if my wanderlust doesn't actually get me killed, after all."

He didn't sound entirely put off the idea, but he would keep that warning in mind and at least be extra careful should he find his way into the Deep Roads. Knowing himself, he probably would. But only time would tell. Reaching into his bag, Altair pulled Katâz out, putting the kitten in his lap so he could pet him. While he'd given a soft mew at being pulled from the bag, the cat quickly settled into a ball of fluff in Altair's lap, purring happily at the petting.

Anders reached over to pet the cat as well. "I should hope so. I'd hate to see you overwhelmed by darkspawn, or get lost down there." Since it wasn't a Blight, the darkspawn would be gathering down there. He vaguely wondered if Sigrun ever went on that early Calling, or if she'd found a reason to stick around. "I've rather come to like your company."

Altair moved his hand away so that Anders could pet the cat, who still happily purred at the attention.

"I like your company too. And since I'd like to keep enjoying it, I'll be careful."

So long as they were traveling together, especially. Altair did tend to worry more for a companion than he did for himself, after all. And while Altair had made other friends in this world, none had traveled with him the way Anders was doing now- even if their traveling together had come from a somewhat stressful situation.

"Having a handsome travel companion does wonders for my will to be cautious."

His tone was light and playful. But he did mean it when he said he would be cautious. Altair was not naturally inclined to be careful- had a lifetime of rushing into things behind him- but he'd try.

Anders blushed, giving Altair a shy smile. "But how can you tell that I'm handsome?" He asked. "I could be quite hideous. Or I could be all scarred up and missing half my teeth." It was said in a lighthearted way.

Edited 2022-07-11 04:58 (UTC)

"I just know."

He'd had his hood and mask off a few times, while Anders slept- even Altair had to eat sometimes, after all- had seen him then. Not that he'd say as much. But even without that, he had kindness in his voice and gentleness in his hands and light in his very being. Regardless of appearance, that was a true sort of beauty that mattered more than anything physical ever could.

"The way you treat people tells me everything I need to know. That's a sort of beauty that only a pretty face could never compare to."

He tilted his head.

"Besides, same could be said for me. I could be entirely gruesome under here- but you still sound plenty charmed by the compliment," Altair said, with a touch of laughter in his voice. Some genuine flirtation in there too, a subtle sort of tone beneath the amusement, but mostly it was lighthearted and playful.

"I'm guessing you're blushing."

"Maybe a little," Anders admitted. "It's just, after everything that's happened, everything I've done, you still treat me kindly, and believe that I'm a good person. You've been one of the best friends I've had since the Warden-Commander and Hawke."

Hawke had wished him well before the two had parted ways, telling him to keep fighting for the mages. He'd been a good friend to Anders.

"It must be cute. Your blush, I mean."

Another bit of lighthearted flirtation, and a slight tilt of the head to suggest that he was still being playful, though he straightened back up just as quickly and tilted his head back so that his face was turned up to the sky, even though he couldn't see it beneath his hood.

"I hope you'll let me continue to be. Meeting you has been one of the few real bright spots I've had since arriving here."

He'd had other bright spots too, of course. He'd made other friends. Found a lot of interesting things. He'd gotten a cat. But Anders was definitely a major one. Altair didn't know how long he'd end up staying in this world, but it would be nice if he and Anders would continue to be friends until then.

"And before I turn even sappier, you should probably try to get some sleep. I can sing for you to help, if you'd like."

A bit teasing again, but he would if Anders wanted him to.

A Sith & A Mage & Hijinks...

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