Welcome back - it's The Year of The Dog, so that means it's time for more Max mayhem. Awakening style. BioWare's stuff belongs to BioWare, and I borrowed Higheverport and the Broughtens from Melysande's fics - check them out. Only Max's view of events is mine.

What do you guys think? The trade ship? We'd see her if she was on a fishing boat! Hello, Mistress! Come on out, now!

Furgus gives me an amused smile, but Barker just grunts like I'm some kind of juvenile. What's your problem, Barker?

"It's Sobaka, as I keep telling you! Making noise and wiggling your fat butt in our faces isn't gonna make your Human get here sooner."

Oh no? You don't think she'll be mortified and rush over to make me shut my noise-hole?

"... True. You are quite embarrassing."

Pfft, wrong! She'll hear me, and rush over just because she missed me! You've got a lot to learn, if you're gonna make it as a Cousland hound.

Furgus straightens up a bit, and motions at a modest ship near the far pier. "I think that one's letting passengers off."

Great!

I almost bolt, when he grabs my collar. Careful! There's spikes on that, you know! "Careful, boy" he repeats, nodding at the sign.

Please: no Mabari on the gangways at any time. In fresher paint, underneath is that slanderous addition. Including Maxwell.

Oh, for Dane's sake! Are they still mad about that?! I tell you, Barker... accidentally knock one idiot crabber, who couldn't watch where I was walking, into the drink and you never hear the end of it. Even more so when you wilfully shove a smart-mouthed portmaster off the dock. I sit back, aghast at the sheer injustice of it all. They both needed a bath, and they know it.

"... And that bottom bit? Especially Maxwell?"

I was unfairly framed for that one, and I'll bite anyone who says otherwise! I did not steal that violin, much less sell it to the butcher's daughter for bacon. Also, it was deceptively marked to avoid import duty. If I had known it was Antivan maple, I could have traded it for more than just bacon! Like smoked venison. Venison? ...It's getting near lunch, is it not?!

"Right... you sound so innocent."

Thank you! Finally someone sees things from my perspective. Stupid Broughtens are just biased, against us Mabari, because they were never imprinted upon.

"Hey! Mandy! Over here!" Furgus shouts, as various people walk off the jetty.

"Fergus?" I hear her answer from amidst the crowd.

Mistress!

I rush over, and give her just enough time to brace herself before leaping up against her legs. It's been a long time!

"Easy, easy... I missed you too" she grins, kneeling down to rub my ears. "Were you a good boy?"

Of course! 13 out of 10, you know.

"Mostly, as I understand" Furgus says, typically understated. He knows I was perfect, of course.

She flips me over for a stomach rub, as people walk around us.

"Sounds like you've earned this, then" she remarks, as she starts scritching. Oh, I really missed you! This is how to do a belly-rub, you stupid demons.

"So... you must have been up early, to meet me here" Mistress comments to Furgus, when she stands. "How did you manage that, by the way?"

"Right before breakfast, a certain Mabari began carrying on. Practically dragged me out to the stable by my wrist – he may been more emphatic than a letter, but I'd still prefer one instead next time" he answers with a grin. "So I had a wagon readied, and made our way down here to 'Port.

He's exaggerating… I grabbed him by the sleeve, not the wrist. I'm not an animal!

"Sorry – I lucked out and found passage sooner than I expected" she smiles, sheepishly. "My stuff is coming later, on a cargo ship. I paid Max's old buddy, over there, so it'll be sent up later in the week."

Old Buddy? … Oh, Ser Portmaster giving me the evil-eye. Don't fucking look at me in that voice of tone, geezer, or I'll come down there and dunk you in the harbour again!

"You're staying a while, then?"

Mistress nods, as we return to the wagon. "If that's alright?"

Furgus turns, and just gives her a look. "Of course" he says, spreading his arms open. "... Come on, sis. I haven't seen you since last year."

Letting herself be pulled into a hug, she groans with another smile. "You mean two months."

"The calendar changed, so that makes it a year!"

"Ah yes, Fergus logic..." she sighs, returning the gesture.

"Just be glad it wasn't as long for us since you saw Max, or I'd be wanting a belly-scratch as well!" he retorts.

As if... that's just between her and me. And now I think about it, it is Wintermarch. 9:31, eh? With all that shit of last year behind us, I think this will be our year, Mistress. The Year of The Mabari.

Barker makes an unconvinced noise.

What? If Dragons can get a hundred years named after them, then we at the sheer minimum warrant one. Hmm. 10:01, The Mabari Age dawns. You know it'd be awesome too, because the 10:01 are mirroring each other. No other Age will ever do that.

"Wouldn't it be 10:00?"

… You just have to ruin everything, don't you?

"I was just asking."

Mistress notices the argument. "Oh, you've still got the Chasind Mabari?"

"Seems like she's stuck with me. I got home and she was sitting more or less where she was when we left."

"Poor girl" Mistress coos, rubbing her ears. "There's no accounting for taste."

"Uh-huh. That's what we all said when you and Ser Pompous here picked each other."

Pompous? How could you call moi pompous?! I joke.

"What, are you Orlesian now?"

… I thought that was Antivan?

"Somewherian, I guess. Who cares?"

True. Antiva, Orlesia, it's all the same after a while. Give me Ferelden anyday. Dane's country.

"My Teyrn!" someone calls from down the street. "... Still need to get used to that, Fergus. I didn't know you were coming our way." Oh, great...

"Who's this guy?"

… Broughten! His family run this town for us, and he's a jerk.

Furgus and Mistress both turn, as he walks over. "Just an impromptu visit – look who I found" Furgus grins.

With a slight nod of recognition, Mistress bows her head. "Arl Philip."

Ugh... yeah, hey Broughten. Do note I'm not on your precious docks.

He chuckles in response. "Goodness, girl, you grew up to be formal? Fine... greetings to you too, Arlessa. So you did come with those Orlesian Wardens, after all?"

"No. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised they arrived already. That reminds me, I should send a runner to the Keep."

"Oh right, your mage friend!" Furgus says with a slight start. "I forgot. You'll see him soon; he came by to drop off some notes, and I let him stay. Said that old ruin was getting to his mind."

"Three weeks back, I believe, the Orlesians arrived. Upset the Amaranthine nobility to no end, naturally" Broughten smirks.

"Such a pity" Furgus and Mistress reply in unison. "Speaking of which, I assume you've cleaned out the last of your supplanter's junk from your estate? Lady... whichever tart Howe was last involved with?" Mistress asks, by herself.

"Morag, wasn't it?" Furgus prompts.

.. Who the hell is Morag?!

"Morag? Doesn't ring a bell" Mistress shrugs. Right?

"That sounds right. Luckily, she was busy with the Blight and didn't actually move in when Howe appointed her to our lands" Broughten answers. "Although, we still had the estate scrubbed clean after Anora revoked that bit of business at court. Just to be sure. It's all aired out, now; you'll have to come visit, before you move on." His eyes glance down at me, and twitch. "You and Fergus are more than welcome, any time" Yeah, up yours with a pitchfork, Lord Autumn. "Although, if you haven't eaten?"

"I haven't" Mistress answers.

"They had only just started on breakfast, when Max insisted we come down here" Furgus adds.

"Then the timing is perfect – we were evaluating Alienage repairs all morning, and the others went ahead to find a table at the tavern for lunch. You should come join us?"

"Splendid" they say, back in unison again.

"Is it just me, or is it creepy when they do that?" Barker asks.

A bit, yeah... you ever see twins does it? That's real creepy.

"Hmm... nah, I think it's worse for non-littermates. Twins have a reason to be connected."

True...

We get to this tavern, and I notice the sign. No Mabari in the public and dining areas. Maxwell.

Oh, come on! I've never even been here before!

"You always brag how famous you are... I guess your reputation precedes you?"

Shut up...

"Wait, I never even heard about Max being banned from a tavern?" Mistress says, spotting the stupid sign.

"Gossip spreads" Broughten shrugs.

"Maybe that violin was meant for the house musicians?" Furgus ever-so-unhelpfully says, making Broughten groan at the mere mention. Don't blame me, man; I was barely involved.

"Ah, yes. Now I remember – the violin was part of a contractual stipend, for some expensive minstrel the tavern owner had hired. She walked away, due to all that nonsense over it."

Stupid Broughtens. Stupid tavern. Stupid sun in my eyes. Barker, let's go for a wander and find some food ourselves.

"Would anywhere even serve you?"

Hmm. I'd go see the butcher, but they hate me now. For reasons that don't involve me at all, the butcher's daughter got brought before the magistrate over that business with the violin. 'Receiving stolen goods' or some nonsense. I didn't steal it, assuming I was there! I just impounded it. Because it was improperly imported.

"Which you somehow knew before they checked the manifest."

Obviously! I had a flash, and saw through time that it would happen. I just do that, now and then.

"You? A soothsayer? You?"

Damn right. Blessed by Dane himself, I expect.

"... Right."

The mess eventually got settled. Mostly. There's still some lingering misunderstanding it was my fault, and Old Man Broughten has a grudge. So does the butcher's daughter. She even told Mistress not to come around anymore. Probably did Mistress a favour, showed her the girl may have been 'cute', but she was damn petty. Plus, if I hadn't... Mistress wouldn't have met Ree. So my powers of foresight must have been guiding me that day. I mean, if I were involved in The Violin Affair. I'll accept an apology, Lord Autumn!

"Who?"

Broughten.

"... His first name is Autumn?!"

What? No! Well, I don't think so. Didn't you notice his hairline?

"I usually don't look at that kind of thing."

Oh. Well, point is that it's thinner than the last time I met him. Since his hair is slowly going, like leaves in Autumn, I'm gonna call the bastard just that. Then we'll see who's barred from half of 'Port!

"Still you."

… Shut your face.

"Max?"

Oh, hey Pip! What are you doing out here?

"Who?"

"Broughten's daughter. Looks like she's got food.

"Oh. Then hello, Miss Autumn!"

""I brought you something, since the tavern still hasn't forgiven you over that mess with the violin and that Maryden woman they were trying to hire." She spots Barker, as she gets closer. "And a friend? I guess you'll have to share" she says, looking at her hand.

… Well, I wouldn't say friend, if food's involved?

"Shut up, we're sharing."

Whatever... worth a shot.

We both crunch up the bits Pip tosses down. After I finish, she kneels and rubs an ear. "Good to see you, boy. I better get back in there."

Uh, yeah. Good seeing you too, Pip. Best of luck with your actual events I call after her.

"Huh?" Barker stares at me, in confusion

Just saying. When we go to Amaranthine, her and us might only hear slight bits of gossip about the other. It'll be like we're in completely different stories.

"... Stories?"

You heard me.

"You're weird! Bye, Miss Autumn! Enjoy your story, or whatever..."

Yeah, thanks for stopping by! Have fun, over there.

As Pip heads back inside, Barker glances at the stupid sign again. "That reminds me; what's the story with that painting?"

Painting?

"It's just you... well, I think it's you. As a puppy? With broken things scattered around you, and"

That fucking thing survived?!

"Yeah – it was hanging in a room with books. Not the big room with books, though. What gives?"

… Grandma, I mean Mistress and Furgus' mother, forced me to sit for that after a cruel and malicious wind knocked down her favourite Rivaini urn and shattered it.

"What's a Rivaini urn?"

Depends what kind of work they do. I'm not sure what the cost of living is, up there.

"..." Wow, that's an unamused glare. Guess she does deserve to be a Cousland.

… Sorry. It's like a vase, except you don't stick flowers in it. So I'm not sure what the point of them is.

"So the wind broke it, and totally not you?"

Exactly! But Grandma came in, blamed me, and while everyone else was having lunch, I had to sit there for over an hour. With some stupid jerk artist painting me, and that stupid jerk paper they put in front of me. 'I smash urns'. Bullcrap I do! Mabari Shaming should be illegal; especially when there's no due process and people can just assume what happened. I can't believe she still had that hanging in her private study!

"You didn't know?"

I wasn't allowed back in there, after what the Korcari rats did to some of her books.

"... Rats. Right."

Shut up! There actually was rats, that time! After that day, I made it my mission in life to hunt the little bastards down, if they snuck into the castle again. I saved the kitchen on more than one occasion, for your information.

"... This isn't as fun, going uphill" Barker comments, sitting back down.

Í blame science.

"What?"

We have more speed, going downhill, so you get a greater rush of scents up your nose if you stick your head out the side of the wagon.

"No, I understand that. 'What' was 'what's science?'"

Oh. I don't quite know – might just be a word I made up. Or I had a vision and learnt it from a book in the Mabari Age. Trust me, that's going to be a thing!

"... You should have a good rest, when we get home. Maybe having Weedith back will cool your peculiarities."

I am not peculiar, thank you very much. I just march to my own drum.

"And other people's violins."

… Ha. Ha. Ha. Oh, the fun of repeating idiotic slander and rumours. I hop off the wagon, once we stop outside the Castle. Another reason to be glad Mistress is home! I don't have to talk to you, anymore.

"I know. I'm very glad of the fact."

… Mistress! Let's go see Scruffy. He's probably upstairs. I bet he'll be capable of intelligent conversation, unlike some.

We enter the dining hall, and there he is... awkwardly looking up at us, from a book... and what appears to be the remnants of Furgus' breakfast. Of course the bookworm reads while eating. "Sorry. They said you had to leave, and that I should finish your food, when I came down." Scruffy notices Mistress, and practically leaps out of the chair. "... Welcome back?"

Furgus chuckles. "It's fine – I better let them know we ate, and won't need lunch. And you two can discuss secret Warden things in secret."

"Good thinking – there are a couple of those" Mistress replies. Once he leaves, taking stupid Barker and the empty food plate, with him, Mistress takes the seat next to Scruffy. "Okay... first off, I need to apologise" she says, offering her hand out to him.

They shake, as he sits back down. "Why?"

"... What happened, with the Archdemon. Turns out it was Alistair" she sighs.

"Oh."

"Yeah... so I'm sorry for accusing you, and not hearing you out." She drums the table for a moment. "I hope that won't dissuade you from serving as my Warden-Constable?"

He taps a finger, as well. "Huh... well, firstly. I'm honoured. So you definitely got the command?"

"I did. That was the one pleasant conversation I had, in Weisshaupt. Short version, they're beyond puzzled and suspicious, so I get a small swarm of Orlesians to watch me. They're waiting at Amaranthine, so I'll send a letter tomorrow, that I'll be there next week." Mistress groans at whatever thought just hit her. "Better let Anora know, too. I expect they'll have something spiteful in mind for Loghain; being Orlesians and all. Likely a transfer, when they decide the Thaw's dealt with."

"True. So... you found Alistair?"

"Kirkwall."

"And..." he prompts, with a hand on her shoulder.

She looks at her feet, before answering. "... And he's a bitter drunk."

"No. And..." he repeats, trying to make her look up.

"There's not another and" she mutters.

"And it's not your fault. He abandoned an entire country to die, he doesn't get the high ground even if it were! To hell with him" Scruffy says, frowning. "I hope you at least cracked him in the face."

She almost smiles. "That would have been redundant... I also met Sten, while I was there. He spotted Al, on the docks, and apparently tackled him for a beating. Judging by his lip, it was a harsh one."

Way to go, Qunie! I hope you gave that traitorous fucker a black eye!

"Nice" Scruffy whistles. "Wish I'd seen it."

She sighs at that, and shakes her head. "I don't know..."

"Wait, why was Sten in Kirkwall?" he asks. Because that's where he lives? … Don't tell me you really believed he's from Seheron?! Qunari – horns = wandering lunatic claiming to be a Qunari. It's a little thing called science, if that even exists.

"Meeting with the Arishok... he was big. Even for them!" Mistress exclaims, holding her hand a good distance above her head.

Scruffy makes an amused grin, as he watches her hand keep rising. "Okay... and why was-"

"His Ari-ship ran ashore, from what I heard" Mistress says, shrugging with one shoulder since the other's still in use. Put your hand down, we get it! Actual Qunari are tall! "Anyway. Fergus said you brought some documents. These?" she gestures one-handedly at his book. Put. Your stupid hand. Down. You're so embarrassing sometimes, Mistress. They should put signs about you outside taverns! Beware of Drunken Couslanders and their singing. Especially Amanda 'Mistress' Cousland. Just because we're finally back home, doesn't mean you should act like a stupid kid again!

"Mostly stuff relating to the Houses that sided with Dryden against the King. I thought your brother could check them, see what's worth passing on to their descendants. Or if the Houses even exist anymore. I thought about just sending them, here... but I had to get out of there. We may have sealed the Veil, but I was still getting way too many whispers in my dreams." Scruffy closes the book. "This is some of Avernus' notes on Joining improvements. A few of the non-blood magic ideas might work..."

"Oh, speaking of people I met!" Mistress finally drops her arm, to lift her satchel onto the table, and begins rummaging. "I also encountered... where are we? Here" she holds out two bits of paper. "And here. One's an aunt, and the other is your cousin. The uncle man just scowled and fell asleep."

Wait... he's related to paper?! No wonder you're a bookworm, Scruffy!

He takes them cautiously, and slides both in a pocket. "... Amells. I'll read them later. Maybe."

"Your choice" Mistress nods. "I warned them not to expect an answer."

"We'll see. What's the cousin like, at least?"

"Younger than us, I think. Beth. She's cute" she says with a dangerous smile. Don't let Ree hear you say that, Mistress. "... And a Mage"she whispers. Okay, don't let anyone hear that.

"And they didn't give her up to the Circle, I assume?" he responds, with a dark expression.

"Well, she's half-Amell... I think. Hawk still sounds like a bad alias to me, honestly" Yeah, that's gotta be fake! "and they only returned to Kirkwall because of the Blight. They managed to get out of Lothering, before... you know. There was a guy cousin as well, but I didn't meet him." Low Vering? Hmm... Hawk. This girl's a hedge-mage, by the sound of it, so maybe she might have met Morrie. And/or her crazy dead mum. She was out picking creepy mushrooms or something in the Wilds one day, and met them in the swamp. Probably mid-dragon. Naturally, she was all "Teach me that dragon trick, it looks useful!" and Morrie's mum would have been like"You could never be a dragon! …But here's a bird trick." "Neat, I'm gonna call myself Hawk now! Get it?!" Swamp Mum would have rolled her eyes so hard she briefly saw through time, and said "... I regret this already." No wonder Morrie refused to teach anyone shape-shifting, when Mistress asked. They swore never to do that again, after 'Hawk'.

"Hmm. If her letter's alright, I might answer her. No real harm, right?" Scruffy says, breaking me out of the flashback that might have been.

Mistress nods, supportively. "True. Odds are you'll never meet her, so what's the harm in a letter?"

They both stand, and share another handshake.

"Welcome back, Commander."

Thank you, Constable... here we go again, I suppose?" she asks, as I wander over to sit in between them. Here we go againI, for sure. If any of you Darkspawn shits are still around, watch out! Team Max is back in action!

Next chapter gets into Awakening proper - I didn't want to do a straight recap, but worked in the important things. It was mostly to get the characters' voices back; except Mistress. I loved the idea of 'being home' making her act like the massive dork she was pre-Blight, and to let her not be so war-wearily emo for once. She's got plenty of time for that, when Darkspawn/nobles start trying to kill her again. Dog Shaming portraits would have to be a thing, when dealing with hyper-intelligent Mabari.