"I didn't--" Nathaniel breaks away enough to look at Anders again. "I didn't fight this one. It began with a crate of her work dropped on my doorstep. And what happens when she starts letting the others know I can be pushed around? They already know insubordination means nothing, what happens when they think they don't have to follow my orders if their feelings are too hurt? I'm not interested in whether Teren holds a grudge, or whether it upset her, she did something so completely out of line, so inexcusable--we can't afford abuse of power in our ranks, no matter how much injured pride she has. She doesn't get to wield that power to her advantage at the expense of those under her command and then decide my orders can't be followed."
He reaches up, gently brushing Nate's hair back, listening and making sure he's hearing everything that's being said. Teren's sinking a little in his opinion with this - she'd clearly laid a trap for Nate and Anders doesn't approve of that.
"The spider invited you into her parlor on terms she set, waited for you to come in, and was prepared. Alistair has a good rapport with her. If she tries to do something again, give it to Alistair. It's not easy to not engage. I know it's not. Especially when someone who knows better isn't showing it. But don't engage, please."
Maybe engage is the word that will be more clear than fighting. Anders isn't too attached to the wording, just the man he's speaking with.
Right. Right, it's not required that he be the one Teren listens to. Alistair hasn't countermanded him yet, another reason it's important they start presenting a unified front. He sighs softly, letting pressure go out of him with the air, and offers an apologetic grimace.
"Of course. You're right. I'm tired. I'm ready for things to finally settle back into a routine."
"Kirkwall and routine rarely seem to go hand-in-hand. But I understand, love." Anders waggles his eyebrows at Nate. "Would you like to give me some orders? I'll follow eagerly. Or we can get some rest; I've some reading to get through and we can curl up with that together."
He takes Nate's hand and leads him over to the bed before grabbing a book and joining him.
"It's a treatise on alternative uses of herbs found in the Fereldan. There's apparently a flower that can cure mabari of the Blight, but I've only got a description, not the name itself. I'm reading through in hopes of finding it."
He opens the book and turns to the feather he'd left as a mark and starts reading, comfortable against Nate.
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"The spider invited you into her parlor on terms she set, waited for you to come in, and was prepared. Alistair has a good rapport with her. If she tries to do something again, give it to Alistair. It's not easy to not engage. I know it's not. Especially when someone who knows better isn't showing it. But don't engage, please."
Maybe engage is the word that will be more clear than fighting. Anders isn't too attached to the wording, just the man he's speaking with.
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"Of course. You're right. I'm tired. I'm ready for things to finally settle back into a routine."
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"Kirkwall and routine rarely seem to go hand-in-hand. But I understand, love." Anders waggles his eyebrows at Nate. "Would you like to give me some orders? I'll follow eagerly. Or we can get some rest; I've some reading to get through and we can curl up with that together."
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"It's a treatise on alternative uses of herbs found in the Fereldan. There's apparently a flower that can cure mabari of the Blight, but I've only got a description, not the name itself. I'm reading through in hopes of finding it."
He opens the book and turns to the feather he'd left as a mark and starts reading, comfortable against Nate.