clearing in the preserve: saturday night

[halfbad]

The day, as it was, hadn't been terrible. Nathan had been edgy and nervous but that had seemed to flame out. He'd seen no one with eyes like this. He'd encountered nothing to make him believe that a Hunter was here. Nathan believed Anders, he did, but he hoped that maybe Anders confronting whoever that was had sent him back to England.

Comments

[not_every_mage]

Anders hadn't seen Nathan at the talent show. With Karl sleeping the sleep of the 'new to this dimension and completely befuddled and exhausted,' it seemed like as good a time as any to check in. And since Nathan wasn't in his room, that meant a trip out to the preserve.

Which, of course, would be easier if he were a touch more familiar with the woods. He kept stumbling over the dry branches at the edge of the path.

"Andraste's scarlet overcoat," he swore, not for the first time, and raised his voice from his spot some thirty yards from where Nathan lay. "Nathan, are you out here or am I wandering around with a torch for no reason?"

[halfbad]

Dimly, Nathan managed to hear that voice over all the other noises in the preserve. His injuries were knitting together but his shirt was still ripped and there was some dried blood on both torso and face.

He looked worse than he felt at this point. He'd crawled over to sit against a tree, tired and confused. So, when he heard Anders, he didn't answer at first.

"Over here," he finally said when he guessed that whoever it was that had attacked and then cuddled him was done for the night.

[not_every_mage]

"Good," Anders said in relief -- he really hadn't wanted to waste the trip to the woods -- and then walked the short distance.

His smile drooped when Nathan's features finally came into focus.

"You're bleeding."

[halfbad]

"It's dry," Nathan told him, demonstrating that by reaching up and rubbing some of it off his face. "I stopped bleeding a few minutes ago."

Maybe not very comforting but truthful, at least. "I'm okay."