For a time, he's left in peace, and then Tana sticks her head in.

“Hey Tana,” Anders says, pausing midway through sterilising tools. 

"Hey. Everything okay?"

“Yeah, just-“ He gestures around the room, catching sight of the angry raised mark on his wrist. “-making the room a bit more homey.”

Tana notices them as well, but noticeably doesn't say anything. "I suppose that's your right. How're you doing with the equipment?"

Anders can’t help the worry that settles over him, though he covers it with a grin. “Anything’s better than what I had home.”

"You did say you had other advantages."

"Yeah, a voice in my head that was like a second pair of eyes. He picked up what I missed, frequently. Not that I'm a bad healer."

"-It sounds like you miss him?"

"I've had him for so long, I...it's hard to go back to what it was before. It was hard, and there were dire consequences to having him, but...he made things easier."

Things being the longing want to- Yeah, don't follow that thought too far. Lest you terrify the ship again.

"Honestly? The best relationships are that way."

Anders laughs at that. "I wouldn't exactly call it a relationship, but I see what you mean."

"Any combination of people is a relationship. Be it enemies, friends, lovers, or symbiosis."

"Or parasitic growth. Though that's probably more unkind than it needs to be, especially since he's not here to defend himself."

A thoughtful, sad pause. "I hope he's not trapped somewhere."

"Maybe you coming here let him go back wherever he came from?"

"Why not? It's not like anything about me being here makes sense. I can't have your magic abide by our rules."

"You say that like our magic abides by any rules."

"There's always something keeping it in check. Always. Otherwise everyone would be ridiculously overpowered reality warpers."

Beat. "Though, I guess, there's always exceptions." He can remember one all too clearly.

"You say that. But magic here isn't common. Mak and Rex, even Circe, they're unusual. And their magics are all very different."

The scholar in Anders would very much like to study all their different magics. 

"Really? I wonder what binds it, what powers it."

"You and me both. But like. Poking them is an...awful idea."

"Yeah...the only poking I will be doing is for medical reasons only."

"Good luck with that. Rex is alright for taking medical care. Mak and Circ? Not so much."

"Okay, non-poking healing for them, understood. I'm not exactly out of practice, you wouldn't believe the amount of times Hawke's gone down in a fight and I've been practically the other side of the world."

"Our previous medics have yelled at them. They don't listen. But... Well. You'd need to see it to understand. But they don't go down."