There Can Be No Peace ((Effer x Kdem45))

[Effervescent]

The heavy sound of his steps echoing as he walked, Anders thought back to the events that had transpired but a short two months ago. Something he would never forget... the Chantry. That beautiful light that had hit the sky was the embodiment of his dreams; of truth, and justice. It was everything that he knew needed to happen, all in one crumbling building. Despite all this, it was the very same thing that made his heart hurt and his gut wretch, evoking a feeling of hopelessness. He had been so strong up until now... He had expected everything to change, why was this hurt such a surprise? It was moments like these that made him realize Justice and he were inseparable. Just as his own heart had poisoned Justice, Justice snuck into every aspect of him like a creeping ivy. Indeed, their merge was another unfortunate thing that needed to happen. Eyes remained fixated on the dirt road as he feet kicked up slight clouds of dust, dirtying his boots even further. He was never fond of getting very grimy, but this seemed the only way to travel for now. Taking the forested roads, wandering along in trust of a stranger's directions and hand drawn map.

Thinking back, he had hoped Hawke would kill him, and a part of him still does. It was love... that sick love that stopped her. Had he been anyone else, he'd have been lying in a ditch right now. He had warned her many times that he would hurt her, but in the end, it was still his fault. He made the choice to let her get close. Though, he would never forget those days. The days before all the destruction. He had long ago thought that part of him had died, that love had become an impossibility. Simply the fact that he got to feel that one last time was enough, though he knew he would never feel it again. All in all, she had allowed him far more than he ever expected. Up until two weeks ago, they were still together, something that seemed an impossibility to him. It was a blessing, and a curse. He was forced to watch the effect of what he had done... What it did to Hawke. It had torn her asunder, and she no longer seemed to understand reality. She so longed to be close to him again, and he her. Everytime she touched him, though... It seemed as if fear or disgust took over, perhaps a mix if the two. They were steadily growing further apart.

Eventually, he convinced Hawke to let him go. She needed her own life, without him. Even so, she had pushed the idea that they would one day reunite, but Anders knew otherwise. She would never be able to forget or forgive something like that, it was as if she'd killed them all herself, and he knew that. It was naive to think his destructive path would not suck her in, too. Frankly, he was still having trouble dealing with it himself. He knew it needed to happen, and all that planning... The innocents, though. That they had to die for this to come to fruition was a horrible realization. To not even know if it had any affect was getting to him, as well. He'd passed through many small towns and villages, though he had yet to come to one with a Chantry. In fact, many of the small settlements had heard little of truth about the fall of the Chantry in Kirkwall. As such, he had heard no news or risen mages, or abolished circles. He could only hope his actions did not cause an adverse affect...

Sighing heavily as he came upon a small stream, Anders quite wearily sank to sit at the water side, gazing at his haggard reflection in the ripples. He no longer looked the part of a mage, it was saddening. He'd fought for the right of mages, and now had to mask that he was one himself. One of Hawke's ideas and, unfortunately, one of her better ones. He'd pieced together some odds and sods of iron and leather armour into his current attire, far bulkier that what he was used to, but it certainly protected him much better than his old clothing. He had to admit, though, he quite missed it. Upon his back he'd strapped a rather simple long sword, the lightest he could find, though it did well enough. Of course, by no means could he call himself a swordsman, though Hawke had taught him enough to manage in the last two months. It certainly helped that Justice would take upon himself to help in moments of dire need. Since the Chantry, Justice seemed to have calmed somewhat. He was no longer a constant voice, chipping at his brain. Instead, he almost seemed like the companion he had once seen in him... Even so, Anders knew that would not last long. Accompanying the long sword upon his back was a leather bag, as large as he could manage. All this addition bulk resulted in him taking quite regular rests, lest he become to exhausted to walk, but it was all well worth it. To evade capture for a while longer was all he needed... maybe four months. Somehow, he had to reach a Circle.

Cupping some water from the stream in his hands, Anders gulped greedily as the water slipped through his fingers. It hadn't been too long since he last rested, but long enough he'd become quite thirsty and short of breath. After splashing some water in his face, Anders ran his wet hands through his hair, stretching his arms to the side afterward. His hair... Hawke had been determined he was to dye it, but it was the one thing he was unwilling to change. Instead, they had splayed some thin braids throughout, tied at the ends with simple twine. He was certain he looked different enough. After a few short moments more, Anders pushed himself to stand. His body was stiff and sore, the lack of sleep wreaking havoc on his system. According the the merchant at his last stop, it wouldn't be long until he reached the next town over. Perhaps this one, at very least, would have an inn. A mere hour walk later, and Anders had reached his goal. The town was as many others he'd come by so far, rather thinly populated. It seemed to only consist of a pub, small inn, two merchant shops and a slew of residential homes, though many seemed dilapidated and uninhabited. A handful of people skittered around the dirt walks of the town, carrying baskets of bread home or heading to the pub for some mid-day ale. Not a bad idea.

Heaving a heavy sigh of relief, Anders relaxed as much as he would allow himself, setting eye on his goal: the tavern. The smell of pork and fresh baked bread wafted into his nose, causing Anders to stop mid-step, gripping his stomach at the sharp pain. For quite some time he'd been eating only what he felt could be spared, and that certainly lacked meat. He was never much of a hunter. If it boiled down to it, he wasn't even sure he could bring himself to kill an innocent animal just to aid his survival. An extra kick in the gut, Justice seemed to rumble from within. He'd never been to fond of Anders' weakness for animals. Straightening his stance, Anders chose to temporarily ignore the pain. Surely that smell was coming from the tavern. Stepping through the door and he pondered over his coin, Anders was shortly shown to a table by a rather homely serving wench, with quite a sweet smile. My, this place certainly paled in comparison to the Hanged Man. So little patrons, all mumbling breathlessly about their wives and their crops.

After a few short words with the serving wench, Anders sat with ale in hand, awaiting his pork, porridge and bread. It certainly wasn't the most extravagant meal, but at this time, it may as well have been exotic quail and cheese. A soft smile scrawled across his face, Anders sat the happiest he had been in some weeks, admiring the townsfolk as they busied themselves outside. What a grace it would be, to worry of nothing but home... Home, family, and love.

[kdem45]

Some would say that her life had never been easy, but life never really was for the common folk. It made her laugh when nobles complained about the price of their new furniture or whatever it was they complained about. She was often ignored at all costs, and was therefore in a particularly good position to listen for things. However, she couldn't care less about what they said or did. The nobles and others who possessed wealth but never actually did anything with it were all somewhat detestable. Then again, wasn't she? No, she was just surviving. They were thriving. Days passed and things remained much the same. If she was lucky enough to find herself in a bigger town, it was easy enough to get some coin. So far, big towns had been running dry and she was often left with close-knit communities with no crowds and a healthy dose of suspicion. That was no fun for her, and coin was starting to run dry. Everything was running dry. People were boring, and nothing new ever really happened. Well, there had been a recent development that had some people talking. People in livelier areas who had heard things coming from Kirkwall. Some of them sounded plausible, though the idea itself was kind of...radical. Radical wasn't always a bad thing. Maybe Alienages would be done away with after the mages earned their freedom. Wouldn't that be lovely?

The spilling of innocent blood wasn't particularly her favorite thing to linger on, but that was unfortunately what happened. In fact, she hadn't let herself think about the 'news' too often. Valisilwen had bigger things to worry about. Was she completely disconnected from the world? No. She was just a little disinclined to look at the bigger picture. If she didn't fit into it, it didn't matter. So she had wandered from town to town, snatching up what she could and getting the rest from fools on the road who decided that she'd be easy prey. There were always bandits – always. Apparently she'd been wandering the wrong way, because things were looking a little worse. Towns were getting smaller. In fact, villages would probably be a more accurate term for what she was left to go through. Some didn't even have a proper place to stay, so she continued on. She did some honest work, though. The elf had gone off to fish for an entire day and sold most of her catch. That gave her enough coin to buy some food for the road and move on. The night under the stars weren't particularly her favorites. She felt vulnerable without any walls around her, and she did hate that feeling. Helplessness was something she had planned on banning from her life.

It worked well. Valis took care of herself and managed to keep out of too much trouble. She'd been apprehended twice, but she'd never been kept down for too long. Now, it seemed that the odds were just not in her favor. This was another little town, and while the villagers were nice enough, she knew that she wasn't going to have much luck. At least she would be able to replenish her resources before heading on. Her weapons were fine, even though she could use a few more arrows. Taking up hunting hadn't crossed her mind often before, but it actually might not be such a bad idea. It was free food, was it not? As long as she was here, though, she was going to try to enjoy herself. There was nothing wrong with relaxing. The elf did that well. Though she had quick fingers and light feet, she wasn't particularly twitchy or tense. Unless she was irritated, she usually looked as though she hadn't a care in the world. Upon closer inspection, her emerald gaze would probably betray the fact that she was just bored. Oh, was she ever bored. If she wasn't out trying to make a living, she did enjoy spending some time in taverns and having fun. Her idea of fun was joining in on a game of dice or something of the sort. They were rowdy and usually more than entertaining.

Everyone was quiet here, and everything seemed very domestic. Even the gossip was...kind. Or maybe she was just used to being with the rougher crowd. She was hardened; it was the way the world worked. She certainly didn't enjoy some of the things she'd had to do, but it served her well. Mockery didn't bother her much any longer. That was for the best, considering the fact that she was encountering a bit more of it out here. Did these people not see elves very often? Granted, most didn't stray too far from their Alienages. She had seen no reason to stay.

It was her second day in this place, and after searching the two shops and simply doing a bit of exploring, she had returned to the tavern. There was really no reason to be anywhere else. The conversation was entertaining in a very strange sense, and she did appreciate the fact that there were no drunken fools hanging about. Maybe that was because it was the middle of the day – who knew? As it was so early, she refrained from drinking. Instead, she was having a bowl of stew and warm bread. Keeping a table to herself, she had her feet kicked up onto the seat of the chair closest to her own, as the other side of the table was a little too far to be comfortable. As they were in her line of sight, Valis took a moment to inspect her boots. They were getting a little worn from all the traveling, but she had been saying that for almost half a year now. It was actually going to be a problem. Oddly enough, the rest of her clothing was in good condition. The leather armor she wore was also kept in good condition. It was very light and didn't slow her down much, so she figured that she might as well wear it. Besides, there was always that bandit problem to think about.

She eventually pulled herself from her thoughts and dragged a gloved hand through her inky-black hair. It fell just below her shoulders, and was rather wavy. The bath the previous night had done it a world of good. In fact, it had been annoyingly curly when she'd woken up. Shifting a bit in her seat, she scooped up the last of her stew with the crust from the bread. Her gaze then turned toward the other patrons, allowing herself to focus on others instead of her own little world. It was good to observe, though there wasn't much to look at. Nearly everything was in order, and the people were doing what they had been doing half an hour ago, though some had dispersed to do whatever it was they needed to do. These people had families and livelihoods to attend to. It would be nice to settle down and at least have a home, though she wasn't really sure how long she'd be saying that. The elf had always had a penchant for adventure, and all of this traveling was simply feeding it. Being bored only made her want to go and do something bigger. There must be more to life than what she was currently doing, though it could be far worse. She knew it would be worse. So perhaps she should stop complaining and enjoy the simple fact that she did have her freedom, and she had the means to defend it. Settling down or deciding to live on the straight and narrow could wait until she'd had her fun. Or until she was forced to. That was also an unfortunate possibility.

It had been a few hours, and she had once again settled into her nonchalant state of boredom. That meant more reflection and quiet planning. Her gaze turned to the door as someone new entered. It was rather obvious that he'd been traveling, which managed to pique her interest for a moment. Ah, the boredom was going to be her downfall. Perhaps it was time to head back to one of the cities she had been avoiding. It was a relatively large one, but she had garnered some attention and wanted to wait until that died down. It probably had. At least people were lively there.

[Effervescent]

Observing the tavern patrons for a short time longer before his meal arrived, Anders spotted a lone Elven woman to the side, silent and complacent. He grew increasing curious, as he'd seen very few Elves on his travels thus far, especially in the smaller cities. He hadn't even come across a Dalish camp in quite some time. Under normal circumstances, Anders wouldn't fret about approaching a woman, but with recent events it seemed to high a risk to pull any attention to him for long. The sound of wood on wood drew his attention for the Elf to the food placed behind him, the pain in his gut returning at the smell. Offering the serving wench a light smile, he nodded. "Thank you, it looks delicious." Truly, it didn't, but beggars can not be choosers. The porridge was a bit too soupy, the bread stale and the pork dry. However, he payed all this little mind as he gorged shamelessly life a pig out of a troff. By the time his meal was gone, his stomach still hurt, though it was more likely from over-eating. Regardless, he knew he'd be sated for a few days, and could live off berries along his way. Polishing off his second ale, Anders piled the owed coin near his empty dish, standing quietly from his seat and taking his leave of the tavern. He would need to restock some supplies... Perhaps some more bread, maybe he could even afford a tent this time around. Finding what little work he could on his way, Anders had manage to scrounge some decent coin. Another thing to thank Hawke for. If not for her, he wouldn't be able to do these little back-handed jobs; he'd surely have gotten himself killed by now.

Only a few shorts steps from the tavern, Anders was approached by a group of three men, who'd obviously started their drinking at home. Wreaking of ale and swaying softly, they grinned menacingly at Anders as he stopped mid-step. The small group of men silent a moment, Anders spotted his goal behind them, a general goods shop. "Uhm... excuse me." Justice already knew where this was going, berating Anders for trying to politely work his way out of things. Though he did agree, it was something he often couldn't help. Taking a step to move around the small group of men, an arm jutted out in front of Anders to stop him. Eyes narrowed, the disguised mage raised a hand over his shoulder to rest on the hilt of his sword. "Ah, fancy yourself a fighter, do ya?" The three men laughed drunkenly, shaking their head. "Listen, little man, it seems you 'ave some extra coin t'day. We'll break you a deal. Five sovereigns, and you leave now." A cold pressure rising in his stomach, Anders tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. He couldn't... If Justice showed himself here, everyone would die, and he couldn't allow that.

"Let me by, or I'll cut you down." Anders voice was harsh and rocky, stance unmoving as he locked eyes with the gent who seemed to be the 'leader', if you could call him that. He couldn't spare any coin, and he was fairly certain he didn't have five sovereigns. He knew full well if he said that, they'd start a fight regardless. Seeming to take offence, the men mumbled angrily and incomprehensibly, before making a move towards him. Honestly a little cut off guard, Anders jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a swift punch to the gut he wasn't sure he could have handled. Stumbling slightly to catch his footing, Justice rose further, a warning to Anders; if he didn't take care of this soon, Justice would. Quickly pulling the sword from his back, two hands on the hilt, he held the blade in front of him. He didn't want any of these men to die for being drunken idiots, at least not by his hand; they are stained with enough blood. Avoiding what hits he could, his only worry was that one man carried a dagger. He'd not often come into fights like this, he wasn't even sure how well his minimal armour would protect him.

Striking a few good hits, they seemed to keep coming, the pain dulled by alcohol. 'Andraste's knickers...' It seemed he may just have to flee, the only solution short of killing them, but he likely wouldn't make it to the next town without supplies of direction.

[kdem45]

The food had been good enough, though she really had no room to complain. Cooking wasn't her strong suit, and she'd been out traveling for about a week now. It was very difficult to keep her hands off the goods that some of the farmers had, but they were usually guarded well. Well, there had been that one time that she'd taken some potatoes... Who was going to miss three potatoes? No one. Toward the end of her stay, she did get a little drink to wash down her meal. It wasn't like it could hurt. There was nothing to do around here. She hadn't even witnessed a bar fight in the last few towns she'd been in. Everyone was so terribly dull. She was certain that the only reason she ever managed to find something interesting to do was because she was an Elf. It was apparent that she somehow attracted attention when she thought she wouldn't. Like the fellow who had just come in. Valis paid him little mind, since her mind had already wandered. Though he was a traveler, he might be just as boring as the rest of them. Assumptions were often wrong, particularly if they were made before words were exchanged. That was learned through experience, of course. No one had ever really passed on any words of wisdom to her. Well, someone did tell her not to get killed, and not to get caught. They were words to live by.

Perhaps it would be better to start looking into actual jobs. People always needed things done in places like this, and she might be able to do some of them. It would be worth it if she'd end up a little more stable financially. It would be worth it anyway. There was the simple fact that she couldn't steal from these people unless she did things differently. Breaking into someone's home was always an option. Still, these people didn't have much anyway. It was easier to validate her thievery when she was stealing from people who already had so much. Yes, maybe she should wait on that. That still didn't mean that she agreed with the lack of entertainment. Didn't every village have an idiot, or something of the sort? Her gaze lifted from the table when she heard the door open again. Ah, the traveler had gone. By the look of things, it was probably time that she left as well. It was a little early, but there were still some abandoned houses that she hadn't gone through just yet. If she could find somewhere free to stay, that would be her answer.

As it was so dreadfully quiet inside the tavern, it didn't take much effort to hear what must have been some kind of altercation outside. Since she had long since paid for her meal, she only had to contemplate leaving what had become quite the comfortable seating arrangement. It wasn't her goal to save everyone's head, but it would offer some entertainment. Besides, once she peered outside she realized that the fellow adventurer wasn't really taking them down. Drunken ruffians - that was new. She hadn't seen any of those in a while. Or maybe they just stayed away from her because she carried lots of pointy things. Slipping outside, she was well aware of the fact that they were too engaged in the fight to notice her. Being drunk really should have given them the disadvantage... After watching for a moment, she slid her own daggers from their sheaths and decided to put down one of them. Slicing at the back of his thigh, she damaged the muscle enough to make him stumble and utter a few angry curses. Now that he was down to her height, she gave a hard hit to the head with the pommel of her weapon. She was glad she'd been able to reach her favorite spot; it made knocking people out so easy. She knew that she had the attention of one other, at least. It would be great if everyone knew she was here. Maybe then things could go back to being solved diplomatically.

"So... Who's next? Or maybe it would be a better idea to bring your friend home before you all get hurt." She didn't expect it the announcement to do much, honestly. She just wanted to cement the fact that she was going to be sticking around to see this through. This bunch really didn't unsettle her.

[Effervescent]

On an average day, Anders performed much better in these little fights. After all, when he was approached, it often wasn't in the middle of the town. Here he had to worry more about the results on Justice's presence, the effort of forcing him to stay dormant for a little while longer greatly affecting his concentration. However, when the familiar elfen woman arrived on the scene, it seemed to offer him a momentary flash of inner peace. The two still on their feet stopped for only a moment to assure the health of their friend, but by the sound of their mumbling, they weren't about to be torn down by some 'knife-eared bitch'. At least, that's how they'd put it. Shooting a quick thanks to the woman at his side, Anders narrowed his eyes, swinging his humble sword widely, managing to land a rather damaging gash over one of the brute's knees. It happened the be the ass what spoke the words 'knife-eared bitch'. Had he not already been making a swipe at Anders, the drunk likely would have stayed on his feet, but the momentum forced the blade deeper than intended. Now clamoring in the dirt with his friend, Justice seemed to calm considerably, offering a slight word of encouragement. The spirit of a warrior within a mage... Ridiculous, really.

The one that remained standing seemed to suddenly sober, realizing he stood alone against two armed individuals. Sweat beading on his dirtied forehead, he began to grasp at desperate words of apology, staring at the blood stained dirt upon the ground. All he'd wanted was coin for more ale, not a trip to a healer. Anders stood straight once more, losing his rather clumsy battle stance, though he still gripped the hilt of his sword quite strongly. "Just take them home." He spoke softly, face blank as he watched after the rather port-bellied individual drag his friends by the scruff of their tunics, around a corner and out of sight. How could he have allowed himself to be so easily caught of guard? Varric had taught him better, so had Hawke. It began to feel as if he would never be able to let his guard down, even if he found a half decent dwelling. Swiping a defiant braid out of his face, Anders quickly shook most of the blood from his sword with a flick of his wrist before sheathing it one his back once more.

Offering the elf at his side an awkward grin, he nodded in appreciation. "Uh, thank you. I'm honestly not certain what's wrong with me today, I s'pose I let the quaint air infect me." This was the first he'd spoken to anyone since he'd parted with Hawke, and he could feel a sense of impending doom. Certainly, this wouldn't turn out well. He was never much of a liar, even if he had thought out most of his 'story' during his travels. Extending a hand, Anders turned to finally face the woman directly. "Finnian." Was it odd that he would only introduce himself using one name? Certainly that was what most travellers did. After all, Isabella was always just Isabella. Hopefully she wouldn't think him a pirate, though.

[kdem45]

The location might make things a little difficult. Still, she didn't know any underlying causes of the traveler's problems, and didn't necessarily care to think about them either. The outcome of her interruption was really all that concerned her. They might part ways as soon as the coast was clear, and that wouldn't be a terrible problem. At least he'd offered her some entertainment for the day. Well, it was more the trio's fault. They were now a duo, and she had the feeling that they didn't exactly like her cocky entrance. No matter; that could be remedied. Her lips curled into a little sneer at the offensive comment, though she said nothing in return. It seemed that they were not taking her advice, and she readied herself for another attack. The male she'd decided to help downed one of them easily enough, though the circumstances had been good. Whether it had been done with flair and expertise was not necessarily her concern. Being effective was all that was needed at the moment.

When the look of realization dawned on the one drunk still standing, she returned her daggers to their sheaths and folded her arms before her chest. She arched one raven brow, glad to see that he was coming to terms with what he'd done. People could be so foolish. Sometimes they needed to learn the hard way, though some of them never really learned anything. Perhaps these ones would at least learn to pick better targets. The elf was more than happy to remain silent and let the man do the talking. It had been his scuffle, after all. Taking a step back, she shook her head as the drunk moved on, friends in tow. At least it hadn't really been serious. They didn't seem to be the type to kill for coin. There were plenty of those around as it were.

She smiled wryly, a little entertained by the reaction. "It wasn't a problem. If you'd scared 'em off, I wouldn't have had any fun. The quiet's getting awful." Maybe being in such a dull atmosphere really could impact the constant awareness that most kept up while in dangerous territory. It was difficult for her to relax, but maybe that was for the best. So maybe they would have a bit of a chat before moving along. That was fine with her. Maybe he'd offer up some interesting news, or some sort of problem that needed to be taken care of elsewhere. Relevant gossip was always welcome. Taking the offered hand, she shook it and then dropped it. "Valisilwen. Or...Valis. Pleased to meet you, Finnian." She might as well offer up a shortened version. Some humans had a difficult time pronouncing it. The whole first name only thing had never bothered her. She couldn't quite remember what her surname was, so such an exchange spared her the embarrassment of explaining that. There were actually some things that embarrassed her, though the topics were all personal. No one took interest, and so she never had to dig in and tell them. "Where were you headed?" she inquired.

Of course, she was just curious. It was a little something to talk about. Then he'd probably be off, and she could think about leaving as well. Her next destination was still uncertain, so it may require a bit more thought. While she did have a map, it was rarely used. Wandering was a little more fun, as long as she kept herself out of trouble. She was managing to do that well enough.