A few days after the attack on Vigil’s Keep, Anders picks his way through the forest, trying to find his way back to the road. He grimaces a few times, as Justice flares beneath his skin. It hurts, in a strange way, like his skin doesn’t fit.
Or maybe that’s how Justice feels.
"Why would I make you leave? I brought you all the way here," Anders says gently.
She makes a slightly distressed sound. "Cia- Ey- Ey's good. And- mage. And-" (And everything I'm not.)
She wraps her arms around herself. "But-" Struggles briefly. "'Nother mouth to feed." (She's not worth it, and she doesn't know why she's pointing this out, not when he's saying she can stay, but it'll hurt more if he changes his mind later.)
"You are far more than that, Ilska. You're brave, and strong. And we're going to need someone like you to help protect this place."
She blinks at him in confusion. "But- you- didn't-" Gestures vaguely at where they'd burnt the corpses, fought the slavers.
"Sometimes I can't do that. Sometimes I will have to focus so much on healing I can't protect this place. That'll be up to you."
It feels wrong, giving her such a huge task, but Anders sees how much she needs to know that she's useful. That she has a reason to stay, that Anders won't make her leave.
She's shaking still, and still confused but that- Settles something. In her.
She nods slowly. "I- can. Do that."
"I know you can." Anders wants to hug her so much, but keeps a careful distance. He doesn't want her to get the wrong idea, and have them be at square one again.
"Do you think you could try and sleep now?"
She makes it back to her feet, but doesn't immediately head back to where Cia is sleeping.
Anders stands too, and makes an aborted motion like he was going to reach out to her. "Everything okay?"
“Bossy,” Anders says fondly. “All right. I’m coming.”
Anders lays down a final ward, and follows Ilska.
Anders closes the door behind them, wards it, then sits down to lean against it, staff in reach.
“Shhh, Cia. Go back to sleep.”
Ilska gives Anders a slow, grateful nod as she arranges herself, before closing her eyes.
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