Anders was not a happy man. In fact, almost no one in Kirkwall had ever seen him smile. But he was smiling now. He was in Varric’s room at the Hanged Man, playing diamondback with the people he had come to call his friends. Or ‘not enemies’.
Varric was of course sitting at the head of the table where he always sat. Bianca leaning against his chair just within reach. Anders liked Varric, but he disliked Varric’s casual attitude toward mages and templars. He didn’t care either way about them, he just followed Hawke.
Speaking of Hawke, she was sitting right next to Anders, and she was distracting. Not just the way Justice described her as distracting him from his obligations, but very, very, attractive. She let her copper curls flow down today and was doing a great job of distracting Anders from his hand. Maybe that’s why he always lost card games with her. She was a beacon of light in Anders’ life. A mage who agreed with his views and supported the freedom of the mages actively.
Merril was sitting on the other side of Anders, and looking very confused. She did not really understand Diamondback, but that was only natural since she had only learned last week. Anders liked Merril as a person, but she was a blood mage. Anders despised blood mages on general principle. He blamed them as the greatest reason the templars were created in the first place. He had only ever known two blood mages he didn’t hate for using it. Both were Grey Wardens. The Hero of Ferelden herself, Daevyn Surana, and her… now husband Jowan. But Merril was not evil, just naïve.
Next to Merril was Carver, who Anders considered ‘not my enemy’. Carver disliked Anders because he wouldn’t shut up about mage’s oppression and Anders disliked Carver for not caring. He honestly didn’t understand how Carver could not care. Both of his sisters were mages.
Fenris was sitting next to Carver and he had his usual broody scowl. A perfect diamondback face since his scowl never changed. Ander’s and Fenris generally hated each other. Fenris thought that mages were a menace and tolerated Anders out of loyalty to Hawke.
It was the same with Sebastian, who was still only half convinced not to turn Anders over to the templars. Anders and Sebastian didn’t see eye to eye, probably because Sebastian was so damned fervent in his support of that waffling cleric Elthina.
Next to Sebastian was Isabela, who took childish delight in mocking Sebastian. Isabela made Anders laugh, no small feat. He liked her, but wished she wouldn’t keep running to him after she got herself sick after one of her many… escapades.
Bethany was sitting on the other side of Varric between him and Isabela and had a scowl on her face. She was not good at cards because she wore her feelings on her face. Varric called her Sunshine and Anders understood why. Bethany was usually a very happy person, the sort of mage even Fenris couldn’t hate all the time.
Aveline chose not to join them tonight because she had a patrol, but Anders and she got along all right. Mostly because she was a guard, she disagreed with his more… radical ideas, but she didn’t want to turn him in.
“Damn,” Anders muttered, drawing a card. His hand was not doing well. He discarded a card to Hawke, who immediately picked it up.
“Read ‘em and weep,” Evalyn exclaimed as she placed her cards on the table and discarded her last one. “I’m out. Looks like I win this round.” She scooped up the coins in the center of the table.
“I never should have taught her how to play,” Varric muttered. “You are too good at this Hawke.”
Evalyn grinned. “Just good luck tonight.”
“Great luck more like,” Isabela said.
“What’s wrong Bela,” Carver asked. “Sad that sister is cheating better than you are?”
“I do not cheat with my friends,” Isabela protested. “Much anyway.”
“So we’re done for the night,” Sebastian asked. “I really shouldn’t even be playing. Gambling is not smiled upon by the Chantry.”
“Oh get out of your pants for a bit Seb,” Isabela joked. “That Chantry stuff just keeps you from having some fun.” Sebastian glared at her and left the room, followed by isabela who continued taunting him.
Anders laughed at the goings on.
“If you really want to know,” Evalyn said grinning from ear to ear. “With Anders showing me his hand the whole game it was easy for me to win.” Everyone laughed as they filed out of Varric’s room.
Anders swung his head to stare at Hawke. “I… I…”
“I love you Anders,” Evalyn said kissing him on the cheek. “Why don’t you come out for dinner with me tomorrow night? I’m buying.”
“Uh… sure.” Anders was still staring at her. He could never figure Hawke out. It was like every time he thought he understood she would do something bizarre. “Why?”
She looked him in the eye. “Remember what I said the day we met?” She smiled as his face lit up. “That whole ‘sexy tortured look’. I like it.”
Anders went against his better judgement. He leaned in and kissed Hawke. “Maybe one day I’ll do something about that.” He stared into her eyes for what seemed the longest time, her sapphire eyes drawing him in.
Suddenly he realized everyone but Varric, Hawke and himself had left the room. “Good night Hawke,” he said as he left.
As he walked through the alleys and down into Darktown he realized something about himself. Being around Hawke made him genuinely happy, a feeling he hadn’t had since the Wardens forced him to get rid of Ser Pounce-a-lot. And that night, for the first time in a long while, Anders went to sleep with a smile on his face.
-+-+-+-+-+-
Here you go. My first try at a prompt.
Retour en haut
:wub:
"HAPPY" 
