"I can be in or out of it in twenty minutes. Speed drills with the armor are something they hammer into you as a recruit. There's also light plate versus heavy, the things you'd swear you needed going into a battle versus the things that would be nice to have. As for cleaning and polishing, I feel sometimes like I spend half my life on that alone." One rusty rivet could be the undoing of an entire plate or vital piece in battle. Sloppy Templars were usually dead Templars.

He smiled slightly and nodded, finishing off the crab and reaching for one of the warm ones. He lifted it to his nose for a deep inhale. "They smell so good now. Who would have guessed just a half hour ago?"

The smile widened and remained warm. "Well, she very nearly became a Chantry sister. It's what her father wanted for her. She had other ideas, but she had a decent education and a rather liberal mindset when it came to who should have such benefits. I don't think I ever saw her turn anyone away, not even elves. Father was a scholar. He wanted to be a Templar. My uncle, his older brother, had the same goal and beat him to it."

He looked thoughtful as he pried up the shell. "I never heard the whole story. I think his mother didn't want to lose both of her sons to the Chantry, so Father took a different path. They were...estranged...for much of my life. I never met either of his parents until I was almost twelve."