arla | ic contact; (eudio)

You didn't fail him. You didn't know any of this would happen.

[ If Cullen knew... It's not his place to know, certainly, but if he did-- Would he be able to understand why Anders despises the templars so much, why he is so frightened? Why all mages are? ]

And how could you have known that Justice would choose Anders? That isn't your fault either. Spirits are not foolish, Ser Howe; they know what will happen should they take a willing, breathing host.

No. Back then, he was innocent. I didn't know and neither did he. We'd only heard of demons possessing the living, and he dismissed it as an act of demons alone, till I convinced him it would be different if the host were willing and the spirit pure.

I don't know if spirits are innocent. There are those who are aggressive and those that are non-aggressive...and spirits who are drawn to people, who reach across the Veil, are always at risk of being twisted by us.

Justice reaching out to Anders or anyone else was always at a risk of being twisted. It's less about the spirit and more about who we are and what we believe.

Anders said that he is the one who corrupted Justice into a spirit of Vengeance. Which...

[A long, tense sigh.]

Vengeance sounds very demonish to me. Anders says Justice...doesn't let him do certain things, that he keeps him focused on the task of freeing the mages. Anything else is a distraction. Here, he is free only because he is here on a purpose Justice approves of. Which...the Justice I knew was insistent, but he was never a tyrant. He hated tyranny.

Edited 2015-04-24 22:33 (UTC)

[ Lavellan frowns, looking up at him. ]

Vengeance is a demon. Or, more specifically, a spirit whose purpose has been defiled or twisted beyond recognition. Justice's perception of what is just and what is right has been distorted because he's possessed Anders...or because he's witnessed things that have caused him to become this way.

[Nathaniel's eyes slide briefly shut.]

That's...what I was afraid of. I admit I don't know very much about the ways of magic and the Fade, but the way Anders speaks...

[He shakes his head.]

Tabris and I are going to find some way to separate them. Don't tell him I said that--I know you won't, but you must not. Who knows what...what Vengeance will do if he knows. Probably take Anders so far away we'll never find him again.

[ Separating the both of them? Admittedly, she knows very little of how to do such a thing. It could easily be disastrous. She wishes Solas were there; he'd know what to do, far more than she ever could. ]

I won't tell him.

[ And yet, even saying that, sounds like a betrayal. Anders will be furious. Her hand grips his arm tightly. ]

Please, be careful, whatever you do. It's not Justice or Anders that I fear, but what might happen in the process. Whatever you do - you and the Commander both - please take care.

Anders is...dear to us. [Dear to me.] I'm not entirely sure how much worse it could actually get for him, from what I've seen, but I'm...frankly, I'm afraid enough of magic and spirits that every caution that can be taken will be taken.

[He hestitates.]

I can't let him keep living like this. Alone, on the run, starving. But I'm responsible enough for that. I can't be responsible for making him worse. I won't be.

[ She frowns tightly. ]

Ser Howe, I would speak to Cole if you mean to do this. If nothing else, Cole could... Cole could tell you how to get through to him, if it's even possible now. Cole could speak to Justice. Perhaps that would help.

But we don't even know how to do this. Cole seems to do whatever he thinks is best at the moment, and I can't trust him to keep it a secret from Justice, not this early.

I trust Cole. He used to be a spirit; he would know better than anyone else how to separate them.

[ She takes a breath, stops. She isn't trying to push and resigns herself to leaving things as they are, though she wants to implore one last time. ]

I understand the precautions you want to take. I won't speak of it to Cole or to anyone. But I ask that you consider him as an option if - or when - you want to make a more decisive move in any one direction.

Cole doesn't even possess a body. How can he know how to end possession?

[Justice had been as clueless as anyone about possession. He'd always deemed it a thing for demons. But the question isn't simply rhetorical. Nathaniel frowns.]

But if he does...Maker. I could be denying the answer I'm looking for. Maker, what if my own caution is the end of Anders?

But he can feel things we cannot. He might just...know. There is another-- He's not here but he, too, might know. It's only an option.

[ She looks up, eyes sad, and she holds his arm gently. Lavellan reaches up to touch his arm. ]

This doesn't need to happen right away. For the moment, he's safe. He's all right.

[The touch relaxes him somewhat.]

For the moment, [he concedes.] Until Justice decides to start denying him a normal life again.

And we'll step in when that happens. For now, though...I think your approach is right. It's too complicated and there's too many variables.

[ A beat. ]

Has...anyone tried speaking to Justice?

Not to my knowledge. I...knew him, once, but I doubt I know him now. I don't know if he'd listen to me. I concede your Cole is probably our best hope there.

Perhaps not specifically Cole but I had really wondered if anyone had been able to speak to him outside of Anders, really. A friend of mine named Solas could have helped, too. He is a Dreamer, able to traverse the Fade in his dreams. He has made friends with many spirits.

[ She doesn't quite look at Nathaniel. Can't, really, when she's still frustrated about the whole thing. ]

He's not here any longer, though, so that idea is out too.