Twenty Minutes

A Word: I'm making a mess of events here, but they don't all fit in a modern au really. Probably all of it shouldn't fit at all.

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The clinic doesn't have a name. It's just the clinic and there's no sign distinguishing it from the row of buildings along the street. Anyone who needs help though already know what is there and what it is. The wait room is filled with a variety of people when Cullen walks in. People who look like they need the free help and people who look like they can afford their own personal doctor.

"Hi, I'm Cullen. I'm supposed to bring something for Anders," Cullen says to a hard faced woman behind a counter that neatly sections the room off from a few hallways that lead deeper inside.

He probably should have called when he parked, because the woman gives him a very shrewd look. She's a short and stocky woman who looks more than capable of dealing with any trouble that might come by without having to do more than look at it. He's left with the distinct impression that she's not terribly impressed by him even as she flips open a section of the counter to allow him back. "First hallway. He's back there somewhere, and if you can make his stop long enough to eat I'll pay you to come back every day."

"I," the counter slams back down almost before he can clear it. Deliberately almost catching him going by the faint traces of amusement he can see in the woman's eyes. Cullen blows out a sigh and smiles faintly. "Thank you."

The hall Cullen goes down is lined with examination rooms. Many of them occupied though he doesn't linger to see why they might be here. Some are being sen by people. Two women dressed in scrubs and looking like they're professional nurses, and one man who doesn't look like any sort of nurse or doctor Cullen's seen but his hand glows tellingly. None of them are Anders.

There's a small room at the end that looks like it might be a breakroom, but it's empty as well. Cullen steps in it and reaches for the phone in his back pocket. He's not going to wander the whole building looking for Anders. The food will grow even colder than it already is if he tries that.

He types out a few words for a text when he's interrupted by a badly stifled giggle. A childish giggle that brings Cullen's head up quickly. There's a lump of blankets on a worn looking couch in the corner that he'd dismissed perhaps too quickly. He can see the wet gleam of eyes from under a fold and Cullen purses his lips to hide a grin as he drops the bags on a table and wanders over to the couch. Making a show of studying his phone as he finishes the text and sends it before dropping heavily enough onto the couch to make the child jump and shriek a little.

"Whoops," Cullen exclaims as he lets one hand hover enough to stop her -there's two braided pigtails sticking out of the blankets now- from falling off the couch. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice anyone was already here. I just thought you were a big old pile of blankets."

The blankets shift and a dark skinned child sits up from the mess. A stuffed bear is clutched in her arms as she laughs up at him. "I'm not a blanket, Ser Knight."

It takes Cullen a long moment to place the child before him despite the name and -now that he's looking- familiar toy. Slave trafficking is one of those unspoken evils that the Inquisition runs into. More and more often the further they press into Tevinter. Unsanctioned missions to hunt down Venatori threats and rumors of Corypheus.

The country's official stance on slavery is well known, as is their casual disregard of it. Evelyn makes it a point to disrupt as many slavery rings as possible whenever she can as a matter of course.

Cullen had been along for the particular mission that had found a tiny, malnourished girl chained up in a windowless room. The slavers had actually been linked to the Venatori in the end, but they'd kept the girl's existence quiet until they were well over Tevinter's border. What the Venatori wanted with a mage child was something they still haven't been able to figure out, but none of them had wanted to deal with the chance of Tevinter's government taking custody of the girl.

"Hello Kelby," Cullen doesn't try stopping the smile as he leans down so that he's looking right into the girl's dark eyes. "How are you doing?"

They're bright and smiling at him, and she looks far healthier than she did the last time he saw her. She's gained enough body mass back that she looks like the healthy little girl she is. The foster family Evelyn found for her is doing good work. Extra good work if they're volunteering here as well.

Kelby climbs easily into his lap. Wedging herself under his arm in a position that he found himself in often leaving Tevinter with the girl. Evelyn and Dorian had been busy arranging things to slip out quietly, and Sera -as childish as she could be- was not really a child friendly person. Cullen had often found himself with the duty of caring for the girl. An easy if heartbreaking task he'd gladly taken.

"Good," Kelby thrusts up the bear, made out of red-brown felt, so that he can see the bright yellow ribbon tied around its neck. Its silky looking and coming loose. "We have the same ribbon."

It takes Cullen a bit to catch on that she means the bear and her. The pigtails she has are tied off with matching yellow ribbon that's better attached than the one on the bear.

"Dorian would like that," Cullen says as he reaches out and tugs on one of the braids. Lightly. Dorian had been the one to come back with the bear tucked under his arm. Evelyn had been the one to find ribbons to keep Kelby entertained. Somehow it had worked, and Cullen had spent a good deal of time helping the girl tie and retie different colored bows around the bear. "Yellow is his favorite color."

It's not, but the fact makes the girl light up even brighter than she already is. Sera had been far too delighted in the child's very obvious crush on Dorian, and Cullen still has to hear about the teasing of that even now. When there isn't anything better to be brought up for teasing purposes at least.

"Kelby," the name is snapped just enough to make them both jump and Cullen looks up to see the woman from the front. Wearing a light jacket and holding a large purse that looks heavy enough to be fatal. A relevant fact as there's a lot more suspicion in her face now than there was before. "It's time to go home."

"Yes, Miss Lirene," Kelby sings before turning back to Cullen. "Tell everyone I said hi?"

"Of course," Cullen swings her down to the floor and doesn't miss the slight easing of suspicion on Lirene's face. "Dorian and Evelyn will be glad to hear it."

Kelby scampers over to the woman and Lirene's giving him a whole other kind of look when he stands up. Assessing on a different level than she had done before. It doesn't stop her from wrapping Kelby up in a light green jacket or fussing over her hair ribbons for a moment. She looks vaguely pleased when she stands and turns away. "This one is good. You need to keep him."

Cullen frowns slightly in confusion that clears up when Kelby speaks up. "Bye, Anders!"

"Ok," Anders' voice precedes him as Lirene bustles Kelby away. He peaks around the corner with a bemused smile. His eyes are lighter than Cullen remembers and filled with laughter. "I don't know what you did, but the mother dragon approves of you. And let me tell you, that's not an easy thing to do at all."

Anders is wearing scrubs, and his hair is tied up in a ponytail that doesn't quite manage to hold all the strands back. He looks like a frazzled nurse ready to end a long night shift, but there's a few suspicious stains on his clothing that Cullen knows is blood. He also has the pinched look around his eyes that mages get when they're low on mana. The slight charge in the air -unnoticeable to most but never a Templar- also gives him away.

"Ah, well, that's probably all Kelby's doing," Cullen hadn't noticed the steady thrum of nervousness leaving him until its back. There's no trace at all of Mr. Kitty in the man standing before him now, but Cullen still has to swallow and tear his eyes away before he does something that probably shouldn't be done in public. He goes for the bags on the table to keep his hands busy. "It's been a few months since we brought her back. It's good seeing she's doing good."

"Since you-" Anders walks in to the other side of the table. Brushing past Cullen because the room is on the small side. His eyes are narrowed in thought that clears up into honest surprise. "You're with the Inquisition?"

"Yes," Cullen rips the bag holding the fries open carefully. They've spilled out all over and it's easier to let the bag unfold to act as a plate than to try and bring them out one by one. "You didn't know that?"

Evelyn is the face of the Inquisition, and he knows she's been to the clinic before. Surely Anders would have seen her the other night at the club and put the two together. It's not like any of them are really inconspicuous.

"Commander!" Anders exclaims suddenly. One fist smacking down on the table and the other pointing almost comically straight into Cullen's face. "They called you- You're the leader of the Inquisition's army?!"

"Uh, it's not an army, we're a peacekeeping force," it is an army actually. A very large army, but Josephine has spent so much time beating the line into everyone's head that it's automatic now. Something about the governments of the Thedas being unreasonably upset over having bits of a standing army stationed in compounds around their territories, but being perfectly fine with it if they didn't actually call it an army.

A fine distinction that Cullen doesn't really get, but there's a reason he's not called on to deal with politics.

"Cullen. Commander. Rutherford," Anders says, and then repeats himself. Again and again with emphasis on different syllables. He is, Cullen realizes, having a bit of a break down.

It doesn't happen often, but Cullen has experience with this as well. He grimaces and reaches back to rub at a tight muscle on his neck. The action makes Anders stutter to a stop and now he's just gaping wordlessly.

"Yes, Cullen Rutherford of the Inquisition," Cullen offers and gives a slight smile as well to hide any disappointment. He reaches for his wrapped burger and takes a step back. Already mentally back tracking and preparing for the let down he's heard once too often. "If you're not comfortable with that I can leave."

"What? No!" Anders snaps out and he's fast. Unbelievably fast as he catches Cullen's arm before he can get a second step away. "Is that a thing? Do people actually do that? What is wrong with them?"

Anders looks so indignant that Cullen can't help but chuckle. He eases back up to the table and unwraps the burger. It doesn't look all that appealing now. It's been smashed and cooled enough that eating it is going to be a mess. He's rather too hungry to care though, and Anders seems to be willing to associate himself with Cullen.

"I can't say I've been in a position to see if it's common," that would be Dorian and Evelyn whose relationship woes can only be called epic at times, "but it has been known to happen. The Inquisition isn't exactly your average volunteer organization."

"It isn't your average anything," Anders rolls his eyes and quickly stuffs a small handful of fries in his mouth. He grimaces at it and Cullen knows why when he reaches for some himself. They're almost ice cold. At least the burgers have some lingering heat in them. "But that's not what I was making a fool of myself over."

"Oh, I wouldn't call that making a fool of yourself," There's a microwave in the corner, but Cullen doesn't think it'll do any good by now. Someone can take them home and put them in an oven though. He wipes the salt and grease off on his pants and looks curiously at Anders. "What did get you worked up though?"

"The fact that you are Rutherford," Anders shakes his head mournfully and stubbornly reaches for more fries. "If you looked even close to what you look like now back when you were stationed in Kinloch I would have climbed you like a tree years ago."

"You were at Kinloch?" Cullen asks, stupefied enough that he barely feels his stomach sink at the implications. He was there for nearly five years, and he could swear he never knew Anders. Except he did. Memory is faint and brings up ludicrous stories but no face. "Anders. I only heard your name before."

"Aw," Anders pouts. Exaggerated and it takes several years off his face. Making it something that Cullen wants to say he can remember, but he really can't. "Well, can't really blame you, because I saw you and didn't make the connection until now. Time has been very kind to you Cullen."

No, it hasn't but Cullen takes the compliment as it was meant. "Maybe, but tell me, how did Kinloch's most notorious flight risk end up working at a free clinic?"

"Don't you want to know how I became a stripper instead?" Anders asks and bats his eyes coyly. A ridiculous move in his rumbled scrubs, but makes Cullen smile again and lean on the table to get a little closer anyway. "That's a much more interesting story really. Trust me."

"Whichever you'd prefer," Cullen folds easily. They've gone through enough heavy revelations for one day, and if the story of Anders working at the clinic is anything like Cullen's joining the Inquisition...

Well, it'll come out eventually, and there's no reason to rush it all out while leaning over a cold meal of a take out. They've only officially known each other for two days after all, and things like that should be spread out a bit more.

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