Magic Box, Sunday, 03/15

[not_every_mage]

All Anders could think about was the stupid rocks he needed for Leland. What with the island being invaded again, he'd only gotten six more the day before. So he had eleven, and he needed twenty for his phylactery.

He thought about taking the day off just to look, but didn't want to explain to Rinoa why he was asking for it. She might not understand; she might even somehow take Cassandra's side.

Really, it was better for him to keep quiet about the whole thing with almost everyone. He'd get through the workday, somehow, and then go back to the cove to look some more. Tonight he wouldn't give up.

[OOC:Open shop, somewhat preoccupied mage inside.]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Things were really looking bad in the preserve and it was making Nathan's stomach turn. That was the reason he was away from there today, trying to get the image of falling branches, dying trees and dead leaves out of his mind.

He stepped inside the Magic Box and glanced around, giving Anders a wave as he spotted him.

[not_every_mage]

It took Anders a moment to look up from the shelf he was restocking, and when he did his smile was tired.

"Hi," he said. "You haven't been here long, have you? My head was a thousand miles away."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Just for a moment," he said, walking closer and smiling. "Is everything all right? Something good distracting you?"

[not_every_mage]

"Now he is," Anders chuckled, and opened his mouth to explain before being struck by a sudden panicky fear that Nathan wouldn't understand, either. It might be better to keep the details quiet.

His eyes shifted.

"I was thinking about a favor I promised someone. Might be very good news, if I can pull it off."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Nathan asked, looking curious. "What sort of favor is that?"

[not_every_mage]

"I need to get something for him, and he can give me a way to stay out of the Circle forever," Anders explained. "I know how it sounds, but I'm not doing anything dangerous, promise. It's just tedious. I don't want to say too much until it's settled."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Get something for who?" he asked, frowning. "Is he someone from your home?"

[not_every_mage]

Anders shook his head. "He said he seeks out strange things from different worlds. He actually knew what Thedas was without my telling him, which no one does."

Except Cassandra, but she didn't count.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan frowned. "He knew of Thedas but he's not from there? Is that typical?"

[not_every_mage]

"No one ever does," Anders said, shaking his head again. "Really, I should start making up more interesting stories about the place and see if I can get people to believe them. But the point is, he had."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"And what do you have to get for him?" he wondered. "Money?"

[not_every_mage]

"No, just some plants." (Was a fungus a plant? Anders would need to look that up sometime.) "I've never used it, but it must be worth a lot to him. Or to someone, anyhow."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Can I help you at all?" he asked. "I'm pretty good with plants though the preserve is looking worse and worse each day. You might have difficulty finding things there."

[not_every_mage]

"It's not in the preserve," Anders explained. "It's a moss on some rocks near the beach. Not hard to spot, just boring to check every little stone for."

He squinted thoughtfully. "I'm not sure about you helping. I don't want to get in trouble for having help. On the other hand, I don't think he said anything about how I should get the moss."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You'd get in trouble for having help?" he questioned, frowning. "Really?"

[not_every_mage]

"I don't know," Anders told him. "But Cassandra's trying to buy the thing too, and I'm sure she'd love to be able to say I broke a rule so I can't have it."

That was what chantry types did, as far as he could tell. Make up rules and wait for mages to break them, not always in that order.

"But I suppose there's no reason she would know, is there?"I

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Is whatever you're trying to get really important?" asked Nathan, still frowning. "What exactly are you trying to get?"

NFB from here, please!

[not_every_mage]

Anders bit his lip. He trusted Nathan, he did, but this was so -- precious(or the shop's magic made him think it was, anyhow). He wasn't quite as eager to talk about the development as he normally would have been.

In a lower voice, he said. "My phylactery. I don't know if I mentioned it to you before. They take a bit of blood when we come to the Circle, and put it in an enchanted amulet so they can use it to find us. Destroy it and there's no easy way to find a mage. Mine is here, somehow. I don't know how. What matters is it's mine and I need it."

Re: NFB from here, please!

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan stood up, frowning. "How would this person, of all people, have something like that? How would he know you would be here and have your specific thing?"

Re: NFB from here, please!

[not_every_mage]

Anders waved off the entirely reasonable questions. "I don't know. It was the Maker's will. Does it matter? I thought you would be happy for me."

Re: NFB from here, please!

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I am but doesn't this seem suspicious to you?" Nathan asked, shaking his head. "That's too big a coincidence, Anders. That's just strange. Concerning."

Re: NFB from here, please!

[not_every_mage]

"It's a strange coincidence," Anders admitted warily, as if conceding a major point. He'd counted to five so he wouldn't burst out with you're just jealous. "But the island's strange. Impossible things happen. Maybe this is just another one of them."

Or maybe not.

Re: NFB from here, please!

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You should be careful," Nathan told him quietly. "Because he could be tricking you, Anders. He could be using this to hurt you and you don't know him. Something isn't right."

Re: NFB from here, please!

[not_every_mage]

"I trust him more because I don't know him," Anders argued, not sure what he was saying made sense. "If he was from home, I'd think it was a trap. But he didn't even know why it mattered, so how could he be using it against me?"

Re: NFB from here, please!

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"How do you know he's being truthful?" he wondered. "How did he even come to end up here with something specific to you, something that important? This island is so small, almost off the map and this happens. Just be careful."