On good days, when a good salty sea wind was blowing and the stink at the docks wasn't so bad, Isabela could almost pretend that she hadn't lost her ship and was stuck in Kirkwall.

Almost.

For the thousandth time, she reminded herself that she was only stuck until she could find the relic, and then she could pay off Castillon, get out of Kirkwall and find herself a ship. Then she'd be gone, sailing the seas to wherever she damn well wanted. And never, ever taking a job with Castillon or any of his kind again. She'd learned her lesson.

But she was on edge about her duel with Hayder tonight. Hayder wouldn't play fair – she had never trusted him to play fair – and she couldn't get her ship if he chopped off one of her hands, like he had been threatening to do. She wouldn't put it past him to bring a gang along to the duel and have them all jump her. He'd probably sell the hand as a trophy to Castillon.

She shrugged, and left the docks, heading for the Hanged Man. Maybe if she got good and drunk she'd think of an answer to the problem.

"Hey, Corff." She threw down three bits on the bar. "You know my style."

"Are they your friends?" he asked her, indicating several men drinking loudly at a table. Isabela frowned as she recognized Lucky and his mates. One of them made a grab for Nora as she passed, and she crowned him with the ale bottle she was carrying. He didn't even blink. "They came in hours ago and have been bothering everyone. Haven't even paid for their drinks yet. They say they're waiting for you."

"Lucky," she called. "Do you have something for me?"

Lucky stood up and weaved his way over to her. Corff handed her a drink. "He's trouble," he warned her.

"Imagine that," she said dryly. "Well, Lucky?"

He made a grab for her drink. Isabela jabbed her elbow at his nose, and he ducked out of the way just in time. "You'll get a drink after I get my information."

"And more besides," he said, leering at her. She rolled her eyes. "If you can't hold your liquor, it's a pretty good sign you don't know what to do with…"

"You didn't give us enough information on the relic," he said loudly, talking over her. "We couldn't find much."

"Story of your life, I'd expect. What did you find?"

"Whatever your relic is, the Tevinters are looking for it too. A dwarf had it, and was going to sell it to them…but someone else swiped it and is on the run with it. Whoever it is, they'll probably want to sell to the Tevinters."

Isabela waited. Lucky raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

She was dumbfounded. "You want me to pay out coin for that? You think I owe you a drink for that?"

"You owe us! You said you'd pay us for information on the relic!"

"I could've told you that the Tevinters want the relic," she snapped. "A dwarf had it and then someone stole it from him…you probably don't even know the dwarf's name!"

"We'll get our money's worth," he snarled. Isabela turned back to her whiskey. "I'd have paid for information. You told me nothing, so that's what you'll get."

She heard the tell-tale whoosh of air as one of them swung something at her head, probably a fist or a bottle, and dropped down to the left. Now she felt good – brawling half-drunk in a bar was what she was born to do.

She came up around and clocked his mate before he had even had time to raise his fists. The one directly behind her was the one swinging the bottle, and he brought it down towards the side of her face. Isabela ducked and threw herself at his stomach, driving her shoulder into it with all the force she could muster. He went over a table backwards, and Isabela felt the third man's hand on her shoulder. She flung herself backwards and both of them went down in a heap, his head crashing into the Hanged

Man's ale-stained floorboards. Just for good measure, she ground her elbow into his face.

Lucky had been standing back, smirking as he watched, but now he went for his greatsword. She didn't even think – she had her dagger out and at his throat before he had the sword halfway out of its sheathe.

"Do you really want to play it this way, Lucky?"

Lucky let go of his sword. "Thrice-damned bitch," he cursed under his breath, and the quartet scurried from the bar.

"Another round?" she asked Corff sweetly. He shook his head and gave her another glass. "Couldn't you have picked their pockets before they left?"

"That wouldn't have been sporting," she joked, and took a deep draught. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a redheaded woman approaching her cautiously.

"You're new around here, aren't you?" She smiled encouragingly at the woman. She had a pair of daggers strapped to her back, and Isabela's sharp eye noted the lockpicking kit at her waist. "I don't remember seeing you at the Hanged Man."

"And you know everyone who comes to the Hanged Man?" the woman asked.

"I live at the bar, sweet thing. I'm Isabela." She held out her hand. The other woman shook it. "My name's Carina. Carina Hawke."

"Oh, I think I have heard of you. My friend Varric was saying something about a Hawke."

"You know Varric?" Carina looked surprised.

"Didn't I say I knew everyone here? He said he's trying to sign you up for that Deep Roads expedition. Watch out for that. Darkspawn are no fun to play with."

"Easier way to make coin than hard, honest work," she laughed. Isabela laughed too. "You know, you might be just the person I need. If you're interested in making a bit of coin, that is. And I promise it's not honest work."

"Well, I'm no stranger to that. What do you need done?"

"I've arranged for a duel with…an old acquaintance tonight. He's been bothering me, and if I win, he leaves me alone. The trouble is…"

"You don't trust him to play fair," Carina completed.

"Exactly. He's never been one to win something straight out if he can win it underhanded. I need you to watch my back and make sure there's no funny business."

"I could manage watching your back."

"I bet. Tonight, then? In the square before the viscount's castle."

"I'll be there." Carina vanished upstairs, going to Varric's rooms no doubt. Isabela took another swallow of her drink thoughtfully. She could see what Varric had meant – there was some sort of presence to Carina, an air of competence and toughness.

As she had predicted, Hayder did not play fair. Isabela wondered why the Chantry didn't lock its doors after night had fallen; Hayder couldn't be the only one who had realized that the Chantry made an excellent fort for illicit doings at midnight.

Carina had brought along three friends – a small, ethereal-looking Dalish elf who turned out to be a blood mage, Varric, and a redheaded woman in the uniform of the guard, of all things, who managed to take out Hayder with one solidly placed punch. Isabela sunk a dagger into his abdomen for good measure. She didn't want this one coming back to haunt her. The guardswoman kept giving her sideways glances – she clearly didn't approve of her.

She did wish that Hayder hadn't opened his big mouth and started blabbing about the relic. Carina wiped her blades on Hayder's tunic and turned to her with a businesslike look in her eyes. "So what's this relic that everyone seems to be talking about?"

Isabela repeated the lie. No one could be trusted with the truth of the relic; she regretted having to deceive Carina, but it was necessary. "I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it's old, and it's valuable, and Castillon wants it in place of my skin. So he's going to get it. Eventually."

"And who's Castillon, exactly?"

"He's a crime lord in Antiva. Well, I suppose he's a 'merchant.'" She sketched quotation marks around 'merchant.' "I used to work for him. Odd jobs, and the pay was good. But this one job – he had me escorting his ship from Ferelden. I got a bad feeling about it halfway through, because he hardly ever ships from Ferelden. I boarded the ship to find slaves. Elves, humans, children even. They had paid him to take them away from the Blight. Instead, he sold them into slavery."

"So you…"

"Released them. I commandeered his ship and gave them a chance at freedom. And now Castillon's got me chasing down the relic as payment." She couldn't resist a dig at the uptight guardswoman. "You thought I was all bad, didn't you?"

"If it gets Castillon off your back, I'll give you a hand with chasing it down." Carina held out her hand.

Isabela was surprised. The last thing she'd been expecting from her was an offer of help. She had assumed that Carina would simply take her coin and disappear back into Lowtown. But here she was.

"Thanks, Carina. I'll let you know the first I hear of anything. And if you want a hand with something, you know where to find me." How very green her eyes were. "And I've a room at the Hanged Man, if you're looking for some…fun later."