Chapter 6 - Flashback

'Ach lass I do like te see a man at work,' Chase grinned as she sipped her lemonade while lounging on the beanbag. Karra rolled her eyes as she poked the sausages that were cooking on what was left of the BBQ. Garrett and Fenris were holding true to their promise and were fixing the shed they had broken earlier in the week. Several days had passed since their arrival and they had seamlessly weaved themselves into the girl's lives without missing a beat. It was almost like they were always living with them, Garrett was staying in Chase's spare bedroom and Fenris in Karra's.

It was a hot day and the perfect weather to be in the garden at work, though Karra wished that it was a little colder as her current view was rather distracting. She had accepted her base attraction to the elf, it was frustrating for sure especially at times like this. 'Why don't you do some work ya'self ya tart, you've been goin' on about ya fence panelling for years,' Karra said flumping down on the beanbag next to her and ignoring the curse of protest from Chase about the spill of her drink. She was desperately trying to ignore the two shirtless men working merely metres away from them. Chase on the other hand was shamelessly enjoying herself.

'Na, tis not as fun as this,' she smirked. She swished the ice in her glass and fiddled with the straw. 'So, what do you think will happen?' Chase asked quietly. 'There dinnae seem to be a way for them to leave. Are they gonna stay with us for...well... how long?' Karra looked at her best friend, she seemed to be waiting for an answer, a look of contemplation on her features. Clearly she was mentally working through something and Karra's answer would provide clarity. 'I mean, I like Garrett a lot, an Fenris is sweet at times... would it be so bad if they stayed?' Chase ran her finger around the rim of her glass and refused to look her in the eyes.

Karra reached over and squeezed her hand. 'Tis not our decision. They'll either want ta stay or not, if they do, then tis up to you what happens,' she says slowly. 'Maybe just enjoy the time you have,' she added; she knew that Chase liked Garrett a lot and it wouldn't do her friend any harm to delve a little further into that relationship. She had been alone for a very long time and Karra was convinced that even if Hawke did return to Thedas any sort of relationship with Chase would be good for her. 'Otherwise ya just gonna be enjoying the scenery,' she teased as she risked a look over in the men's direction. Chase giggled and rolled her eyes squeezing Karra's hand back as she shared a bright smile, 'are ya hungry? Tis my last night before I go back to work. I think I should celebrate my last night of freedom.'

'I agree, especially if it involves some sort of spirit,' Garrett chimed in as he walked over to get a drink of water from one of the bottles that rested on the newly repaired table. Chase's smile grew as she looked over his broad chest, adorned with army tattoos and glittering with sweat. Karra snickered and got off the beanbag to tend to the food. 'It's been a long time since I had a decent drink, and I can't think of better company to share one,' he says winking at the girls. 'I do wonder what this world's alcohol tastes like. Is it any good?'

'I like ta think so,' Chase grins. 'Are ya sure ya want to have a drink wit us? I can tend to get a little flirty,' she teases.

'Oh I remember,' he laughs referring to the night of their arrival. He leans forward so that only she could hear his next words. 'You're not the only one,' he smirks as he makes a pointed look at his friend who was talking to Karra, thanking her for the bottle of water she had handed him.

'No, really?' Chase laughs with wide eyes.

Garrett chuckles and slides onto the beanbag with his arm over her shoulder. 'Oh you better believe it, Maker almighty, when he's had a drink he becomes very... relaxed,' he smiles. 'I mean, I like to think I'm good company even when I've had a drink, but Fenris becomes a lot more friendly,' Hawke grins. It looked like an idea popped into his head. 'Hey, do you have any Zingi?'

'Any what?' Chase laughed.

'Zingi? It's a root, you use it in cooking, it's sweet but can leave a burn in your mouth as an aftertaste. My family use it in biscuits and cake, but my maid used to use it in tea as well. It's brown and yellow on the inside, kinda goes all fibrous when grated-'

'Do ya mean ginger?' Chase asked as the description clicked in her head. 'I think I have some in the kitchen somewhere, why?' She added.

Garrett grinned and looked over at Fenris. 'Just between you and me, Zingi does something very strange to Elves. Like when you give cats that herb and they go all sappy and dovey,' he laughs. 'A friend of ours gave him some Zingi liquer from Orlais and Andraste almighty that was a funny night. None of us knew about it, not even him, but ever since we kept trying to slip it into his food or drink,' he sniggered. 'Became a running bet in the end,' he added.

'Done. I am so witnessing that. Karra's head will explode,' Chase grinned as she got up. 'I got some whiskey an' fresh ginger dinnae have a strong smell,' she plots. 'Tonight is gonna be fun.'

...*...

Chase had invited her motorcycle club over to join in the celebration and Karra invited a couple of work colleagues as well, the evening was in full swing; everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and even the two Thedas lads were blending in nicely. Their week with the girls had been enlightening in modern society, though their knowledge of technology and entertainment was a little limited. Karra was chatting to one of the girls from Chase's club and wore a large smile, they had gotten a little dressed up, it was a house party after all. 'So Dale has been asking about you all week Karra, when are you going to let him take you out? He's pretty cute and he always makes you laugh,' Elaine; a veterinary nurse that worked quite often with Karra.

The young woman laughed and shook her head. 'Dale is sweet-'

'He's smitten with you, he'd be here right now if he weren't on shift. Girl, you gotta get out there and actually live a little,' Elaine said sipping her drink and rolling her eyes as she leant against the fence. 'I mean,' she looks at Fenris and Garrett who were not too far away. 'You go on leave for a week for your birthday and suddenly there's two smoking hot guys living with you,' she sighs. 'You have all the luck with guys,' Elaine says a little jealously. Karra laughed hoping that her face doesn't show the awkwardness that she was feeling. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and sneaked a look over at Fenris who caught her eye and smiled a little. A light blush crossed her cheeks, she prayed that it was the alcohol she was drinking.

Fenris wandered over, thankful for an excuse to leave the group he had been roped into. Without warning there was a shout and a fair bit of commotion as one of the men from the club tripped over a chair, and ended up falling backwards towards Karra and her friend. Elaine yelped out in surprise as the bottle he was holding flew past her face and smashed into the kitchen window. Karra was standing frozen like a deer caught in headlights. Her breathing was quick and sharp, face pale. 'Aiden look out!' Chase shouted as he stumbled more, trying to regain his balance, a large man and heavy handed, he threw his palm out to steady himself, aiming to catch the wall. Karra flinched and felt the bile rise in her throat as she stared at him, a metre or so away from falling into her. Suddenly she felt a pair of arms wrap around her chest as she was yanked sideways, only to watch Aiden crash into the wall. Garrett had pulled Elaine to the side, out of harms way, she was thanking him profusely.

Karra on the other hand stiffened, her heart rate was going through the roof and she couldn't think straight. Her mind had betrayed her and she was lost in memory. His grip tightened on her upper arm as he pushed her against the wall, the alcohol heavy on his breath and the rage clear in his eyes. She whimpered and instantly regretted the action as his nails began to bite into her skin in reply. 'I didn't mea-'

'You didn't think!' He roared back at her. 'That skeezy little tramp has been following you around for years, whispering poison into your ear. We moved here to get rid of people like her and here I find out that you've been meeting her behind my back!' He was furious and grabbed her hair pulling her head to one side, forcing her to look at him. She winced, biting her lip as she felt the sharp sting of her hair being torn out by the roots.

'She just wants to talk,' Karra whispered, knowing that as soon as she said it, it was the wrong thing to say. His eyes darkened and he slammed her head against the wall, he let go of her arm and drew back his hand, clenching it into a fist. 'Please,' she said, her voice choked with tears, 'I'm sorry, don't...'

'You brought this on yourself,' he said cruelly, as her vision went black and the pain throbbed the side of her face.

'Noo,' Karra screamed and began to thrash, she was shaking and frantically threw her head and legs around as she felt his arms tighten. She could hear other voices, make out some words, but her fear was too great, she just needed to run. 'Let go! I won't...' She babbled, with one last kick off the floor she smashed her head back, hitting the other person in the face and once she felt herself hit the ground she sprinted into the house. Fenris swore loudly holding his nose and feeling the blood drip between his fingers. Chase ran past him after Karra, Garrett moved over to his friend once he made sure Elaine was okay.

'Maker, what was that about?' He asked, it had all happened in a matter of seconds. Fenris winced as Garrett moved his hands from his nose to assess the damage. Fighting his instinct and tattoos he allowed the warrior to help him. 'Looks like it's broken,' he says sympathetically. Fenris stifled a grunt of pain as Garrett quickly reset it.

'Jesus!' Aiden exclaimed watching Hawke. 'Guys, I'm so sorry, I just tripped, I wasn't looking where I was going and I just... I'm sorry man, you okay? Is Karra?' He asked. Garrett shrugged his shoulders in answer to the latter and looked at Fenris.

'I am fine, it has happened before,' he reassures looking into the house. He thanks Elaine for the napkin she passed him for the blood and wiped his lip and chin. 'I think I scared her,' he said quietly. Garrett nodded and took Aiden over to the table and looked him over for any injuries, Elaine went about clearing up the mess and the other guests began to help her. It was a minor drama but nobody apart from Fenris was seriously hurt. Fenris winced as he moved his mouth to get some stiffness out of his face and walked towards the back door. He should check that Chase and Karra were fine at least. He wandered through the house and couldn't find either of them. Raising a brow he went out the front door and into Chase's house where he could then hear Chase's voice.

'Come on my love, open the door,' she was saying softly. He followed her voice up the stairs and found Chase outside her linen closet. 'Fucking hell,' Chase said shocked when she saw Fenris. 'She really cracked ya one, are ya okay?' She asked, Fenris nodded and wiped his mouth again self consciously. 'She ran to the only place wit a lock onna inside,' she whispered. 'Ya really scared her Fenris, she's not good wit violence,' she added, not wanting to divulge too much of Karra's past without her permission. 'I know you were tryna help, but it dinnae work,' her words were kind, her tone was firm.

'May I try?' He asks softly as he sat next to Chase the other side of the door. Chase shrugged her shoulders, she didn't have anything to lose, either they could convince her to come out or she'll come out in a few hours on her own.

'I'll go do some damage control, no doubt Aiden is tryna fix everything,' she said excusing herself.

Fenris nodded and waited until he heard her leave the house before he leant against the wood. 'I am sorry that I scared you, Karra,' he said simply. 'It was not my intention. I am not angry that you hurt me, in fact it simply reinforces what I said when I first met you. I do not think anyone could make you do what you do not wish to,' he paused as he heard a sniff inside. She was either crying or had stopped recently, he wiped his mouth again, tasting blood on his lips. He left it ten minutes before he spoke again. 'In my world... violence against women... it is.. known,' his words were awkward, he didn't really know what he was trying to convey. 'A sister who dishonours her brother, a daughter who displeases the father... the wife who angers the husband... the slave who disobeys the master. All are known and accepted, in some cases, expected,' he said sadly. 'It angers me that you have been hurt in such a way, in a world where that cruelty and the taint of magic and race means nothing. It simply does not exist. You trusted me with the story of how you got your scar, and I did not take into account what consequences my actions had. I am sorry, Karra. It will not happen again. Please understand I was just trying to keep you safe,' he sighed as he got up. It was more his guilty conscious that he was trying to appease than Karra. Yet, he must have said something right as he heard a deadbolt click and the door opened after a few minutes.

'You must think I'm stupid huh,' she whispered as she looked at him, her knees brought up to her chest and her hands wiping her eyes.

'Not at all,' he reassures. 'Would you like to rejoin everyone? Or should I tell them to,' he cleared his throat. 'Bugger orf home,' he said in a bad impression of Chase. Karra snorted with a smile and shook her head.

'No, I should go down, they'll only ask questions otherwise,' she said as she shakily stood up. 'We betta wash your face first though,' Karra added guiltily. Fenris nodded and let her show him to the bathroom. He didn't wish to scare her any further, so simply moved slowly and gently. He could hear her still sniffing while he washed. He left the bathroom with a wet flannel and smiled a little as she raised her eyebrow. 'In case you start to bleed again?' She asked confused.

'For your cheeks and eyes,' he replied holding the warm wash cloth out to her. 'Your make up has smudged and it will reduce the redness,' he adds softly as she blushes and takes it from him, passing over her glasses and wiping her cheeks. 'Are you feeling well?' He asked watching her features carefully.

Karra smiled bitterly. 'Aye, as good as I'm gonna get, I just... had a moment of panic there. The loud smash and Aiden coming towards me so quickly... then you grabbed me outta way,' she sighed and wiped her other cheek. 'Everything hit me at once... then I hit you at once,' she said feeling bad.

Fenris laughed. 'I am impressed, you took me quite by surprise. It is not the first time I have had my nose broken, so do not be concerned,' he reassured as he took the flannel and gently wiped away some of the make up she had missed. 'I am glad you were not physically hurt at least,' he grins.

'Thank you Fenris, for trying to keep me safe,' Karra smiled, Fenris paused only just aware of how close they were. He could smell the faint trace of her perfume and see the freckles dusted across her nose. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears and he gently brushed his finger down her scar, making her close her eyes and breathe in deeply.

'I will endeavour to always keep you safe, Karra, while I can,' he promised.