Raeli has put an arrow to the string as they move forward, her head tilted as she listens for threats.

She hesitates briefly at a door up into the main body of the Chantry. There's a faint clink of armour from beyond.

"Agh, no. Not now," Anders mutters, gripping his staff tighter.

Raeli gives him a sharp, concerned look-

(The clink moves on, well away from the door.)

He shakes his head at Raeli. "I'll explain later," he mutters. 

Hopefully he won't have to. 

"Don't worry about it," Raeli says pushing the door open, and making her way into the Chantry proper.

Anders keeps close to Raeli, hunching down to be less of a walking mountain, but he can't stop searching every face to see the one he hasn't in so long, the one he wants to see most of all.

Raeli's looking for something as well. And-

She's spotted someone, a small group, to the side, not far away from the altar.

Karl lingers in the nearest shadowy corner, looking anxious, like any second he's going to be dragged back.

There's a teen with him as well, closed in on himself, and half trying to hide in Karl's shadow.

There's someone leaning near them - a Templar? Except apart from the armour, they don't seem very Templarish, and they're looking to Raeli like they know her, and they're not yelling for anyone else.

"Karl!" Anders says on a breath, still trying not to draw attention to himself while tears of joy spring to his eyes.

And then he sees the Templar, and turns to Raeli, gritting his teeth. "Are you a trap?!"

"If we were a trap you'd already be dead," the not-Templar says, lips twisting in a way that isn't quite human, and their eyes flash brilliantly, light searing under their skin.

"This is the friend I was talking about, who- has been doing their best to keep these two safe."

"...Anders? Is that really you?" Karl's voice is full of tears, and pure joy.

Anders, all worries aside, can't ignore Karl a second longer. He runs to him, and wraps as much of himself around him as he can, crying into his neck.

"It's me, it's me. I missed you so much!"

Karl presses kisses to his temple. "I thought I'd never see you again, Maker, Anders."

The boy skitters back a little, away from the joyous reunion.

"We should leave," the not-Templar says. "Before anyone actually notices us."

Anders barely hears, lost in finally, finally, having Karl back, but Justice is always paying attention.

He pulls away to kiss Karl (Maker, he could drown in that feeling), and takes his hand.

Karl kisses him back, blissfully imagining doing that all the time, but lets him pull away. 

He notices the boy has moved away from him. "Blaise, it's okay. This is Anders. I told you about him, remember?"

He looks between them, a little concerned but-

But neither of them seem hurt, Karl seems happy. He nods. "I- yes, ser," he mumbles.

Karl smiles warmly at the kid, and gently squeezes his shoulder, trying to be as comforting as he can.

Anders heart swells, seeing Karl as the caretaker he always was to him, but he turns his attention to the not-Templar. "We can go to my clinic, it's in Darktown. You can lie low there," Anders says, but is still suspicious of them.

Blaise goes still, and then leans a tiny bit into Karl's touch.