Jennifer walked through Lowtown to the lift of the north end of the district. She waited patiently as the lift lowered down to the stagnant dwelling of refugees, Darktown. She knew the way by heart now. It was easy to find where Anders was. She stepped carefully down the platforms of the stairs and back up the steps next to his clinic.
He stood there, as he always did, caring for a man this time with a swollen arm. Anders didn't notice her there, waiting patiently for him to finish. The man grunted in pain as the swelling died down. Anders wiped his brow and the man clapped on the shoulder as he looked at his newly healed arm. Anders nodded rubbing his forehead and turned towards his rickety desk that sat against a pillar.
Blue flecks danced in his hair as he gripped the table tightly, murmuring to himself. Jennifer stepped one foot in front of the other. Still she didn't understand what he was saying, it wasn't until she was right behind him did she understand. "What good is this if the one person I want saved is lost forever now?!" He yelled and threw the papers and potions from his desk they clattered to the floor and Jennifer stepped back. Her feet scuffling against the dirt.
Frightened, Anders reached for his staff and turned towards her. His eyes were glowing blue, and flame licked at his fingers. When Jennifer stood there calmly, Justice settled but did not retreat. Instead he remained, and Jennifer could feel the ping of something in the back of her mind, whispering, humming. "You should not frighten Anders, it is most unwise." Justice claimed.
"My apologise, Justice. I will not do so again." She said plainly.
Justice looked over her and then at the center of her forehead. "It is a great injustice what happened to you. And an even greater injustice that it could have been prevented."
Jennifer smiled. "It's alright, I understand that he was trying to protect me." When Justice nodded she stepped forward.
"Why have you come here? You should be at home where it is safe." Justice asked.
"I-" Jennifer tried to reach for the ping once more but it vanished. Her mind wailed at the loss. "I-I don't remember. There is something, I feel, but only when you are present, Justice."
Justice nodded. "Such as it was with Karl. Though I am no longer within the Fade, part of the Fade resides within me. Bringing it forth can cause those tranquil to briefly be as they once were."
Jennifer nodded. The ping was fading, a sign that Justice was returning to his dormant state and Anders coming forward. When his eyes dissipated their glow, Anders staggered and Jennifer gripped his arm to help steady him. He looked at her with another unreadable expression, before straightening. "You should go home. It's dangerous at night for you to be alone."
"Do you not want me here?" She asked, the ping was barely there, more a twitch at the back of her mind. She stepped back from him and looked at him with a tilt of her head. "I understand. It is… uncomfortable… for you. I will go." She went to bow, showing distant formality she didn't know she knew, but Anders stopped her. Stopped her with a hug, a desperate hug that held more emotion than Jennifer could now grasp. Jennifer could hear the distress, though it did not show on his face.
"Forgive me. I should have told you. I should have gone to the gallows instead of you. I should have-" Jennifer pulled away and placed a smile on her face, attempting to put the mage at ease. "You were so bright and colorful. I didn't want you sullied by what mages face here every day. Instead, you took the brunt of their prejudice and now you are tranquil." Jennifer hesitantly patted Anders arm in an attempt to comfort, but the motion was awkward and stiff.
Anders smiled sadly, but it quickly faded as movement caught his eye. He placed Jennifer behind him and frowned deeply. "What are you doing here?"
Jennifer peered around Anders shoulder and found Fenris standing in the archway to the clinic, he had his arms folding and one leg propped against the wall he was leaning on, he glared at the mage. "I was sent to retrieve, Jennifer. Hawke requests her to come back to his home."
Jennifer looked up at Anders and nodded. "I will go with him." Anders opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it quickly and stalked back into his living quarters. Jennifer walked to Fenris and turned making his way back towards Lowtown. The stiff tension in his shoulders eased and he straightened slightly. "Mages make you feel uncomfortable." Not a question, a simple observation.
Fenris scoffed, "Mages are why I am the way I am. Mages took my memory, took my life, etched themselves into my very being. So yes, they make me feel 'uncomfortable.'" He clenched his hands, spitting out every word as if it tasted of ash and poison.
"I am sorry I am a mage. Though it does little to you now. I do not like to make others feel uncomfortable. If you wish, I can return home on my own, you can leave if it makes you feel more at ease." Jennifer stepped onto the lift and when Fenris followed, he pulled the lever sending the lift up the cable to Lowtown.
"You do not need to apologize for being a mage. Your presence never made me uncomfortable." He said as he looked at the souls of his feet, checking the bare skin for something unseemly. "Though to be fair, I did not know you were a mage till later." Jennifer noticed as he grit his teeth and looked away. His hands clenched and unclenched and his brow furrowed.
"You are in pain." Against, a simple observation. "You markings, they hurt you often?"
"You do not want the answer to that." Fenris hissed. "It does not matter, I can not undo what has been done, and there is no way to ease the pain of my markings."
Jennifer tilted her head to the side once again and looked over Fenris he shifted uncomfortable under her gaze she held with her blank eyes, when the lift stopped in Lowtown, he quickly moved from the platform, leaving Jennifer to follow. Jennifer stopped, and placed a hand on Fenris' lower arm. "I may know of something to ease the pain." She walked towards the market, some had already began shutting down for the evening, but Jennifer found the woman she was looking for. A tall woman with blonde hair and a purple ankle length dress. "Lady Elegant, I wish to browse your herbs if you please."
Lady Elegant, nodded, unperturbed by Jennifer's lack of emotion and gestured to the crates to the side of the stall. Jennifer browsed through the plants for a short while picking the ones she found sufficient before turning to Elegant. She placed them before the woman and took of her earrings. "Solid gold, these should suffice for payment."
"Indeed." Elegant nodded and Jennifer turned away.
Jennifer looked at Fenris' questioning glance at the herbs. "In my world, there are several plants that might work, although there is no magic, we rely on herbs and minerals to provide us with medicines to cure the sick. Your herbs have different names so I had to go by smell and taste." They stepped inside Gamlen's Hovel and Rascal, whined pawing at Jennifer's feet. He looked up at Jennifer, licking her toes. She bent forward patted the dog upon the head and continued on to the desk littered with letters addressed to Hawke.
"He notices the change within you as well, it seems." Fenris commented.
"I would be surprised if someone didn't. I am aware how different I am from the person I once was. But as you said before, 'It does not matter.' I cannot undo what has been done." She said plainly and placed the herbs upon the desk, sorting them into small piles.
She smelled one, pinched off a leave from the stalk and stuck it in her mouth. She cringed slightly and nodded before removing it from her mouth and placing the bundle to the side. She did the same with the other two bundles and then walked to grab a bowl from the small table. She gestured to a chair near the small table, "You may sit if you wish. I'm sure Hawke will return shortly."
She continued grabbing a small bit of water from the canister in the far room. She hand mortared the herbs within the water, adding more and more till she found a pasty consistency that she desired, she scraped her hands on the sides of the bowl before dusting them on the backside of her pants. "If you wish to do it yourself, I will explain you through it. If you do not I will begin once you're comfortable."