Sure enough, Merrill finds the time to ask Master Hawke whatever favour she was after. On that same day, Orana returns from shopping to Merrill and Master Hawke shouting at one another.

"You're just like every other shem I've known here!" Merrill yells.

She earns a sigh from Hawke while Orana ducks behind the door.

"I shouldn't have trusted you, why did I ever think you might be different? I'm such a fool."

"Merrill...If you'd just give me a minute..."

"No, Hawke. You've tried to explain all the way here and I've had enough of it. I'm going home."

A door slams a moment later and Hawke is heard letting out a frustrated yell. Orana peeks around the door and hides once more when Master Anders appears.

"I said you couldn't trust her," he tells Hawke. There's an almost smug tone to his voice, an 'I told you so' without coming out and saying it.

"I still trust her Anders. I'm worried about her," Hawke answers.

"I don't, I never have. Especially being a blood mage and all. You've seen the rest of them around Kirkwall, it's getting worse all the time. And it gives the rest of the mages a bad name."

"I don't want to hear about the mages' plight now. Please, just not now."

Master Anders and Master Hawke leave the hallway and Orana creeps out from her hiding place. Merrill, a blood mage? She remembers all too well what happened with Mistress Hadriana. Remembers her father's death, other slaves' deaths when the magisters needed power for one spell or another. Merrill can't be a blood mage, she didn't look, didn't seem the type to lust for power that she'd resort to that.

Orana knows there's only one way to find out and that's to see Merrill herself. She feels her heart pound at the thought, whatever confidence and ease she'd built up over the past while with Merrill, dissipating. She feels cold at the thought, scared to approach her. She'd never heard Merrill sound so angry before.

And yet, despite the gnawing, the nervousness returning, there's still a desire to make sure Merrill is all right. The Dalish elf has been so kind to her up until now, she's begun to consider her a friend, her first friend in all of Kirkwall. She has to try and see her, find out what's happened.

Orana leaves the estate, leaving a message with Bodahn that she's going. She's sure that Master Hawke won't mind her going, the vast majority of her duties are complete for the day. She hurries through the streets, despite her concern for Merrill she does not want to spend too long in Lowtown. She finds Merrill's home, raises her hand to knock on the door and finds her courage fails her. She stares at the wooden door in front of her, hand poised to knock and all heat seems to leave her body.

She hasn't thought this through, she's surely made a mistake. Why would Merrill want to see her? Master Hawke has known the Dalish elf longer than her, surely he should be the one to patch things up. There's no real reason for her to be here and as she's about to turn and leave, she hears a small sob from behind the door. She stares at the door, has Master Hawke truly upset her that much?

Orana knocks on the door quietly.

"Go away Hawke! I've had enough of you for one day!" Merrill yells through the door.

Orana swallows hard. "It's...It's not Master Hawke, it's me. Orana," she answers.

"Orana?"

The door opens to reveal Merrill, in all her puffy-eyed, red-faced glory. At the sight of her, Orana acts impulsively. She throws her arms around Merrill's neck and hugs her tightly, this apparently enough to set Merrill off again. They stand in the doorway for a few moments, before Merrill manages to stem the tears long enough to bring Orana inside.

"What happened out there? You sounded so...angry," Orana says. She sits Merrill down on the bench, then looks around for a glass. All she can see is a flask sitting on the floor and after checking it, finds it is indeed water. She hands it to Merrill and sits beside her.

"I've been such a fool. I thought I could trust Hawke, he's been so good to me until now. I don't understand why he'd turn on me like that," Merrill tells her then takes a sip of the water in the flask.

Orana frowns at her. "What did he do to you?"

"I asked him to help me, I had to ask the Keeper something and I thought if I had someone with me, I wouldn't just turn to jelly or argue with her." She stops and sighs. "More fool me. Turns out he's like every other shem." Orana stays quiet and lets Merrill continue. "I was trying to fix something, a mirror my clan found. We found it in the ruin where we lost two of my clanmates before we left Ferelden. I brought it here hoping if I had time, I could fix it. It could teach us about who we were and more about our heritage." She takes another sip of water. "But no. It needed a special tool my clan had and now Hawke has gone and stolen it."

Orana's frown deepens further. That doesn't sound like Master Hawke. "But if he didn't want to help..."

"I know! Why would he go to all that trouble?"

Orana chews on her lip. Merrill has known Hawke longer, is this what he'll do to her? When she makes a mistake, if she asks him for help, will be betray her like that? Surely not. From what she's seen of Master Hawke, he would never do that. However, Merrill is here, claiming otherwise.

"Master Anders said you were...you are a..." Orana begins, then stops. She can't say it.

Merrill sighs. "He mentioned I'm a blood mage."

Orana nods.

"Of course he would. He's never liked me, even all the way through Sundermount all I got was snide comments from him." She puts down the flask. "I don't blame you if you're scared, Orana, after what you went through before coming here. Between your father and all those other poor elves the magisters killed. But I'm not like that, really I'm not. I don't want power over people, I just want...I just want to help my clan."

The sincerity in Merrill's voice, the way her demeanour has changed when she speaks of it, the slumped shoulders and avoiding Orana's gaze, as if she's the one who's afraid. While Merrill may have admitted it, claiming Master Anders is right, Orana can't believe her. She sees none of the magisters in Merrill, can't ever imagine her murdering anyone and bleeding them just for magic.

"But...what kind of mirror would need magic to fix?" she says, and why would it cause such friction between Merrill and Master Hawke.

"We call it an Eluvian. As far as we know, it was used for communication by the elves." Merrill halts and looks over, wistfully almost, to her bedroom. "I've cleansed it and I think I've got all of the taint gone, but..." She shakes her head. "The Arulin'Holm was my last chance of fixing it completely."

Orana doesn't know what to say, what to do to make it better for Merrill. Instead, she simply hugs her again, in the hope that even this small gesture will go some way to help. For a moment, she thinks Merrill is about to start crying again as she leans into Orana's embrace and her grip tightens on her blouse. She sniffs loudly and briefly squeezes her eyes shut then opens them once more.

"Oh..." She reaches out and runs a finger along the halla brooch Orana is wearing. "You still have it."

Orana nods.

"You're so sweet Orana. Thank you for coming to see me." Merrill gives her a teary smile and stands up from the bench.

"Will you be all right?" Orana says, then stands up also.

Merrill nods and gives her face a wipe. "I'll be fine. Just a little set back, I'm sure there's another way to fix the Eluvian." She glances to the door. "I would offer to walk you back..."

Orana understands immediately. "I'll be all right." She heads to the door and halts briefly, looking back over her shoulder to Merrill. Merrill is already wandering into the bedroom, where Orana assumes this 'Eluvian' is. She leaves quietly without another word.