Today was not a good day.

No, not at all. Anders walked from spot to spot. Checking on people with mortal wounds who obviously weren't going to make it… even with the help of his magic. It was hard to watch, almost impossible. But he kept moving. Working swiftly to try and patch people up. It really wasn't looking good for most of these people. He continued to pace about. Keeping up a brisk walk that allowed him to move swiftly, yet not get too exhausted from all this running about. Though he could already feel the day wearing him down.

It wasn't until late in the day that he had finally gone through all the patients that were brought in. Most of them mortally wounded and on their last moment. The least Anders could do was ease them along through it. By this point he was exhausted. Worn down by the constant use of his magic and just emotional ware of the day. He finally took a seat when he saw around three people struggling to hold up someone in the middle. The healer let out a sigh. It looked like his night wasn't quite done yet. Pulling himself to his sore feet, he strolled over to see what was going on.

"What's this?" Anders asked, still not close enough to make out what they were struggling with. Maybe it was just a heavy crate of supplies.

One of them glanced over, face a bit red from effort. "Well, we found one more sir."

Anders lifted a brow before peaking over. They weren't lying. In their unstable grip resting the bleeding, mess of a huge looking man. It was obvious why they were struggling so much, this guy was thick. Muscles ripped up his arms, which were bare at this point. Anders couldn't make out much more of him though, most of his body covered in deep cuts and drenched in blood. It was sad, he probably wouldn't wake up again.

The mage sighed, beckoning the people over to one of the beds in the corner. Watching as the three haul the mess over. Barely able to get him up enough to drop him onto the bed. The scene was hard to watch. As they pathetically tried to lift this rag doll of a man up onto the bed.

"Do you think you'll be able to help him?" One of them asked, attempting to wipe some of the smeared blood off his shirt.

Anders looked over the mess of a man before slowly shaking his head. "I can try… but I doubt that he'll ever wake up again. Let alone make it through the night."

They nodded and frowned before moving to go assist somewhere else. Anders too the time to bandage some of the bigger wounds. Even though he was more likely to die, the mage wasn't about to let that be the man's only option. Besides, even if it was a very slim chance of saving another's life, Anders was willing to take it.

There were a lot of wounds that needed patching on this guy. Anders used the last bit of magic he could muster up for the day to heal up some of the more viciously deep wounds. Though it felt like it was accomplishing almost nothing. Whoever or whatever did this to this guy wasn't holding back. And it seemed this guy was lucky to be in one piece. Even if that one piece was missing a lot of chunks.

The apostate sat there for awhile. It only felt like a few moments, but it was probably an hour or so. Mainly staying still out of exhaustion. Not even wanting to give the effort of walking back to his own bed. His eyes suddenly darted over the man. He was still breathing, which was good. His skin a darker tone. Most of the features of his skin where hidden by bandages or dried blood, but even with most of the skin being covered, Anders could still see that his skin was completely covered in darker freckles. The things covering him as if they were slowly spreading. It made Anders chuckle softly. They'd be cute if they weren't in such critical danger.

The mage frowned again. It was honestly an awful situation. And even though Anders wished he could do more…

He sighed, finally pushing himself to his feet. There was nothing else he could do at this point. Now it was time to try and sleep. To regain some of his lost energy and be ready to help again tomorrow.

The next day went about the same. Noone new came in, but they had to clear out some of the dead. Anders was a bit surprised to see the big man was still breathing… but at the same time, his breathing seemed faltered. Slower and less steady than it should be. Anders doubted he'd make it to the next day.

Even though the day was slower than usual, Anders still found ways to keep his hands busy. Sending out people to try and locate more supplies. Sorting out storages and overall just making sure all the chores where done for the day.

But Anders continued to check up on him throughout the day. Organizing their stock and materials before stopping by the bed to check him over. Then he'd go and work on some other patients. Finally heading back to clean some of the bandages on the man. The day seemed to go by quick. Only feeling like a few hours before Anders was back in bed. Laying back and getting ready for the next day.

A loud sound awoke him half way through the night. Anders jolted upwards. His eyes scanning in the dark to see what was going on. His first thought was that it was templars. Coming to take him back to the circle. His blood boiled for a moment, Justice twisting and turning in the back of his head. But he forced it down. The sound had come from inside the clinic.

Anders created a small amount of light with his magic to allow him to see. The dim light casting around him in a small area. Making it easy for him to navigate through the clinic towards the noise.

It was awhile before Anders really saw anything. But close to the back of the clinic he could make out the shape of someone walking. He paused before calling out, the figure still too far away for the light to catch enough of their features.

"Hey!" He called out into the dark, eyes scanning to pick up clues, "what are you doing?"

Anders saw the figure jump slightly, immediately followed by a deep, throaty groan of pain from the sudden movement. But there was no answer, so Anders moved closer. "Hello?"

Anders jumped a little bit when the light hit the darker skin of the figure. Shit, he couldn't even imagine it to be so. But there was the large man, slumped over and clenching his gut. Heavily limping across the floor. Not only was this goner awake, but he was walking.

And as amazing as that was, Anders could tell the man was about to topple over. So the mage moved quickly to his side, attempting to help guide him, though Anders knew there was no chance he could move this guy if he fell over. He was too heavy for that to be an option.

"You should really get back in bed," Anders started, moving to gently place his hand on his back. "walking around is o-"

"Where-?"

Anders paused at the sound. It was almost impossible to understand. A sound choking on pain and riding on a rough, gravelly sound. As if the man had a mouth full of sharp rocks. "Your bed is ri-"

"No." The man stumbled away, his cough of a voice picking up a slightly frustrated tone. "Where… How did I…"

Anders realized what he was trying to ask. And he suddenly realized how confusing this might be. But he didn't really have time to explain. He needed to get this guy back in bed before he collapsed. "Don't worry, you're in my clinic. Now, you need to lay down. Before you hurt yourself more."

The man's eyes turned to Anders'. Getting stuck there for a moment. The color took his breath away for a moment, because they were absolutely gorgeous. Even in the low light of the spell, they almost glowed. Bright orange eyes gleamed in the dark, checking Anders over before they'd drift back in front of the man. Mumbling things under his breath.

Anders didn't hesitate before gently taking his hand and leading him back to his bed, glad to see that he followed without hesitation. It wasn't long before Anders had him back on the bed.

"Much better." Anders began. Moving to adjust the bed back in place. But Anders was caught off guard as the man mumbled something else again.

"Bethany….." He coughed loudly. Looking at Anders as if he expected an answer.

"I don't know what you're trying to say, but you should go back to sleep."

"...carver…"

The words were definitely getting more coherent, but the healer still had no idea what he was saying. "I can barely understand you. How about you go back to sleep, and we'll talk in the morning? Does that sound okay?"

The man gave a soft nod. His eyes glazed over before they closed again, moving to lay back on the bed. Anders stayed there for a bit. Watching as the should be corpse continued to breath for a while longer. He knew he couldn't fall back asleep after that. So he set up a small candle near by. Getting to work on his manifesto and keeping a close eye on the night walker.

The man didn't wake back up the next morning. But the good news was that he was alive. And strong. Anders still had no idea how someone so injured could get out of bed and walk. At this point, Anders wasn't so sure this man was going to die. Now it seemed more likely that he was going to live. And that filled Anders with a weird sense of joy. Knowing that he was going to be okay.

Anders found himself checking up on him more often through out the day. Almost disappointed he hadn't woken back up right away. But you can't have everything. When more work showed up, Anders asked an extra hand to keep an eye on the bright eyed man. To let Anders know if he woke back up.

So Anders went through another usual day. Healing a few minor wounds with magic, tending to old bandages, and checking over supplies. And as the day drew on, Anders was pretty disappointed to find out he hadn't woken back up. But glad to hear that the man's breathing seemed to have steadied and become more even. At least there was some good news.

The clinic was almost empty by nightfall. A lot of the patients healed or moved out for other reasons. Leaving only the large man and another patient. Before heading off to bed, Anders decided to check on the man one more time.

At this point, all the blood was washed off. And Anders swore there was more freckles then before. His torso bare, but he was covered in so many bandages it might as well have been a shirt. Staring at this point, Anders could see a lot of light, thin scars along his body. Some pretty old, and some still fairly new. So this guy wasn't new to wounds. Which might help explain his insanely high pain tolerance. Anders also couldn't help but notice that his torso was covered in a layer of fat over muscles. Meaning his body was composed of working muscle.

But he didn't show any visible signs of waking up. Just a steady rise and fall of his large chest. So Anders turned to leave. Heading back towards his desk for the night to wo-

Anders stopped dead in his tracks at the low groan behind him. He turned on his heel. Looking back to the man in the bed as he slowly turned in his bed. Anders couldn't help but let the excitement bubble in his stomach as he hurried over. "You're awake!"

"I am awake." The man said, rubbing his head and leaning against the back of the bed. His face contorted, most likely from the stiffness and pain from moving, but also a splash of confusion hid in his expression.

Anders smiled as he tried to lay the man back down on the bed. "You shouldn't move. It's not good for y-"

He laid back down without much effort. Letting out a weak chuckle before cuddling into the bed. "Where am I?" He asked, breaking off Ander's sentence mid way.

Anders stopped a moment to look him over. "You're in my clinic. Do you need some water o-"

The man shifted in his place, cutting Ander's off mid sentence one again. "How did I get here?"

"Some guys brought you in, said yo-"

"What's your name?"

Anders was taken back by this for a moment. Blinking in surprise before leaning forward. "My names Anders I-"

"Hawke."

Anders blinked, tilting his head slightly. "Excuse me?"

The man paused before letting off a short snort. "I'm Hawke."

Anders paused before nodding. "Oh, that's quite the name."

Hawke snorted a small laugh. "Thanks, I know my name is pretty great."

Anders chuckled nervously. "I can't believe you could walk last night. You-"

Hawke interrupted the mage again. Letting off a soft chuckle. "Yeah, I'm pretty shredded."

Anders nodded, "Yeah, what did this to you."

Hawke paused before shaking his head. "No, I Meant I'm Shredded. Like that I'm ripped." Anders titled his head slightly before Hawke smirked more. "I'm super muscular babe."

Anders paused before chuckling slightly. "Oh, I can see that."

Hawke snorts another laugh as he pats one of the unharmed parts of his arms. "Yeah, it's definitely not hard to spot."

Anders chuckled softly. His pale cheeks turning a soft red. "Yeah… It's pretty out there." Anders paused, curiosity still peeking in his gut. "But what did this to you? And how did you even live through these wounds?"

There was a long pause. Weird silence that seemed to follow as Anders waited for the man's answer. He swore he could have seen a waver in his grin at the question. But it could have been Anders imagination.

"So, you said something about water? Could I get some of that? My throat is really dry."

Anders paused, because that was definitely not an answer to his question. But he stood up, brushing himself off before he turned to go. "Of course. You must be hungry too. I'll go grab you some real quick." Before hurrying off to grab something for the patient. Anders was wondering if that was an avoidance of the question or if it was because the man was probably starving. He decided it was the later. So he moved at a decent speed. Gathering a basic ration for him, along with a nice, tall glass of water to bring back.

Handing it was over, it was immediately apparent he had to be starving. Scooping the dried food quickly into his mouth. Eating half of it before taking huge swig of the water. Drinking the whole glass in two large gulps.

Conversation followed as he continued to eat. Anders attempted main conversation. Where Hawke had come from, what he had fought, things like that. But all questions where dodged. Only responded to in quirky jokes or statements redirecting to other conversation. It didn't take long for Anders to abandon such questions. Deciding to stick to casual conversations. Answering simple questions about the clinic and about Hawke's wounds.

It only felt like moments to Anders, but it soon settled in to be a few hours. And Anders didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep in the chair next to the patient's bed. A sudden silence coming over him as he slowly dozed off. Slouching back and finally letting his eyes drift close.

Who could blame him. Anders rarely got a good night's sleep. It had been a long few days, and he was definitely tired. But he had a lot of things to dream about. And a lot of more things to look forward tonight. Maybe he could even discover some new things about this strange patient.