Lyrium Delirium
As ever they were sleeping with their backs against the walls at Vivien's behest. Anders was no master strategist, but it was something Commander Lynara had done whenever they ventured into the Deep Roads, so the logic seemed sound. And he could not deny that the ability to see most of his surroundings stretched before him did wonders for his claustrophobia – although he would never admit as much to his companions.
No, there was now another, much more pressing problem. Something he had not even considered would be an issue until he had arrived in areas of the Deep Roads less ravaged by the blight. He knew Justice had a fondness for enchanted items, and particularly that ring of unrefined lyrium Lynara found in Kal'Hirol, which no-one but he, Sigrun or Oghren could touch. But Anders had never asked the spirit exactly why this was, and since their joining several months ago it was not a thought that had occurred to either of them.
Now he was sincerely regretting this lack of information. The small room Vivien and Varric had deemed an appropriate camping spot was practically covered in lyrium veins. Great swathes of it hung down from the ceiling, or protruded from the walls, like the roots of some ancient, enormous tree. And it was singing to him. It was the sound of bells, or the ringing of hammer on anvil, and the hum of enchanted weaponry. Each not wholly unpleasant sounds if Anders concentrated on one at a time, but together they were a great cacophony of noise, which left him feeling disorientated. Justice however, was nearly euphoric, seemingly oblivious to Anders' discomfort. It was intrusive and yet oddly enticing all at the same time. Gradually Anders began to feel what his friend did, as the spirit's reaction greatly overpowered his own. His mind flickered between revulsion and desire, unable to focus on anything else, before settling into a kind of joyful lucid dreaming.
A voice drifted to him through the haze. "What are you so happy about?" It was Vivien. Sweet, sweet Vivien.
"Ah, it's beautiful here." He said, almost sighing the words, as he turned his gaze upwards and twisted around to better admire the interlocking stems lacing the ceiling.
"I'd hardly call the Deep Roads beautiful. With all the glowy lyrium around here I'd say eerie is more appropriate. Creepy maybe." Vivien remarked.
"No, no!" Anders cut across her. "The colours, see how they shine! Like moonlight or the fade." He looked back at the woman standing in front of him, willing her to see, a silly grin plastered over his face.
"O-kay." Vivien responded sceptically, an eyebrow raised and her head cocked to one side.
Anders grabbed her arm and pulled her close beside himself. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and with the other he pointed to the intersection of two large veins in the roof. "Look! Where they cross. The most exquisite pattern . . ." He trailed off, slipping into reverie.
"Yes, beautiful." Vivien said absently. She turned towards where her sister and Varric were still setting up camp, eyes pleading as she mouthed 'Help me!'. Bethany was the first to notice, and she walked over, a puzzled frown crinkling her brow.
"What are you two standing in the middle of the room for?"
The new voice seemed to break into Anders thoughts, and he turned to her with a rapturous gleam in his eyes. "Bethany! You are a mage, you understand!" He exclaimed, releasing his hold on Vivien and moving to grasp Bethany's hands. "Can you not hear the singing? The chorus of the very earth around us?" Bethany looked from Anders' earnest face, to her sister's mildly horrified expression and back again. Anders dropped her hands then. "Come, listen closer." He said, beckoning her in the direction some of the slightly lower veins.
"Vaarric!" Vivien called, panic rising in her voice.
The dwarf, who had been watching the three humans' exchange from afar was now worried enough to get involved. "Any ideas?" He asked.
"None. This isn't like Anders' usual brand of crazy. Bethany doesn't seem to know what's going on either." Vivien replied, her eyes never leaving the two mages in the corner. She and Varric began to walk over, when Anders spotted another root-like lyrium formation sticking out of the wall at chest height. Distracted by the proximity of this new found fascination, he positively skipped towards it.
"What's he doing?" Varric asked in disbelief to no-one in particular.
As Anders drew closer he could hear the ringing song more clearly, and the lyrium was exuding an ethereal blue light. It sent shivers down his spine. He wanted to touch it, to feel the vibrations that were calling to him. "Ooooh."
"Blondie, NO!" Varric almost screamed. He closed the gap between them in three quick strides, and knocked Anders' outstretched hands away before any damage was done. Then he stood between the lyrium and Anders, acting as a kind of barrier.
Anders staggered back, and his eyes glowed a little as he stared accusingly down at the dwarf. "Why did you do that?"
"You can't touch that Blondie." Varric's voice was calm and measured, despite the fact that his chest was heaving. "It'll hurt you."
"Oh, okay." Anders responded with almost child-like disappointment, rather than the anger that the light in his eyes implied. He looked down for a moment, slightly abashed, before becoming distracted once more by the strange music.
"Right, that's it." Vivien's exasperated voice came from behind him, before she wrapped her arms around his chest, pinning his own arms down, in a vice-like grip.
"Ooh, cuddles. Anders likes those!" Anders giggled, turning his head towards Vivien's.
"Yes well, Vivien would very much like the real Anders back now, thanks." She said, lifting his feet from the floor somewhat awkwardly.
Anders giggled again at this. "Wheee! We're flying!"
Vivien grunted as Anders wiggled around, legs flailing slightly, and staggered towards the door. Suddenly Anders was worried.
"Wait, we're going away from the music!"
"It's alright, we're going on an adventure, to find more of the music." Vivien said, as though speaking to a child. "We have to go away from it for a little while before we find it again."
"But we won't be away for too long will we?"
"No, we won't." Vivien lied smoothly. Once she had carried Anders a full corridor length back the way they had come she set him down. He was a little calmer. Vivien bent forwards, hands on knees, to catch her breath. Anders watched her, bouncing on his toes. "Think you can walk from here?"
"Alright." He replied, somewhat reluctantly.
"Good."
Vivien turned the corner with Anders beside her cautiously, despite having cleared these passages of darkspawn less than an hour ago. On seeing nothing dangerous she continued leading Anders away. The further they got from the lyrium filled room, the more Anders seemed to return to himself, until after almost five minutes of walking he turned to Vivien.
"What are we doing?"
"Walking." Vivien said simply.
"Yes, but, why?" Anders asked, his confusion writ large on his face.
"To get you away from the shiny room that turns you into a gibbering mess. A happy gibbering mess, but a gibbering mess nonetheless." Vivien's tone was not unkind, even though she was teasing.
Anders moaned, rubbing at his forehead just above his eyes. He leaned back against a pillar. "It was the lyrium. Justice . . . likes it. It sings to him."
"Hmm, so you said." Vivien said, suppressing a smirk. "The 'chorus of the earth' if I remember correctly."
"Ugh." Anders seemed vaguely disgusted by that notion. "It was more like clanging swords, or bells. Very loud bells." His eyes fluttered closed and he pressed two fingers to each temple, small wisps of healing magic casting his face in light which almost made him look peaceful.
"Personally I have to question Justice's taste in music, but each to their own I suppose." Vivien said with an amused shrug.
"Nope, no good." Anders said, ignoring Vivien, as he began fumbling in the pouches on his belt for a potion. "Maker, my head feels like I've been kicked with a plate mail boot."
"Yes well, a bad trip will do that to you. In future Anders, just say no." She said, mischief lighting her eyes.
Anders regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "You're incorrigible, Vivien, you do know that don't you?"
"Yup." She responded brightly.
Anders downed the small potion with a grimace and closed his eyes again as he felt it begin to work. He sighed gently, stoppering the empty bottle and sliding it back into the pouch it had come from. Despite her rather inappropriate joking about what could have been a much more dangerous situation he was still inordinately happy that she wasn't scared. She had just as calmly accepted this new fact about him as she had when he had told her about his merger with Justice. Once again he found he was grateful to have someone like her in his life.
"So, shall we go back and find the others?" Vivien asked, obviously becoming twitchy at their already relatively small group diminishing in size even further.
"Yes," Anders replied, "but I'd better stay away from that room. And we'll have to find somewhere else to sleep."
"Anything so long as I don't have to drag you bodily down a corridor again. You might look like you're made of bits of hedgerow, but you're really, really not."
"Hey!" Anders cried, vaguely offended.
Vivien simply smiled at him, and he couldn't stay annoyed at her. "Feeling better now?" She asked.
"Yes, much thanks."
"Good." She said, nodding. "Come on then." She swept past him, setting a brisk pace.
Anders smiled at Vivien's rather unique way of making him feel less embarrassed about the whole episode, before he realised he was staring at her retreating form. He shook himself and ran to catch up with her for the short walk back to camp.