Toriana awoke to the sun's first rays streaming through the small window of her room, dancing across her eyelids. She groaned and turned over, trying to hide her face from the light, but to no avail; she was awake now.

With a sigh she sat up, rubbing her face hard as if she could wipe away her dreams of darkspawn and abominations. But at least it had been a regular Grey Warden dream, mercifully free of Ferelden Kings and Kirkwall Knight-Commanders. She knew how to be grateful for the small mercies in life.

As she dressed, Tori focused on practicality rather than looks. Thick black hair went into a stiff bun, she tied her chest wrap exceptionally tight to flatten her rather average breasts and keep them out of her way in battle, and she didn't bother with any sort of makeup. Her Warden-Commander armor must have been cleaned and polished by a servant while she was sleeping, for now the gold lining shone magnificently and even the main black color looked stunning, free of mud and dried blood. She'd have to remember to leave a little extra coin for that.

Once fully outfitted in her armor, Toriana looked every bit the Warden-Commander: imposing, dangerous, and dignified. Her staff's black shaft ended in a sharp, two-foot blade, with multiple strings of beads and two grey feathers hanging from its base. Even the dark circles under her eyes only added to the effect of making her look deadly. Or at least just royally pissed off.

Strapping her bag of provisions to her back (she had only brought her armor and sleeping clothes, and a week's worth of dried food), Toriana went downstairs and got a bowl of porridge for breakfast. Mekel and Pater were already awake, eating in a comfortable silence, and she joined the non-conversation smoothly. She was grateful that neither asked her about Cullen's visit the night before, as she was trying not to think about it at all.

When she was nearly halfway through her meal, Carver appeared, looking sleepy. He joined their table in silence, eating his own porridge, until a few minutes in he looked around and asked, "Where's Moiraine?"

Toriana shrugged, mirrored by the other two men, as she scooped the last bit of her food into her mouth. "I'll go get her up," she said finally when none of the others offered to do so.

The knock on Moiraine's door was answered by a small, shaky sounding "Yes?"

Tori opened the door a crack, "It's me. May I come in?" When the younger woman said yes, she walked in all the way to see Moiraine sitting up on her bed, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, which were pulled up under her chin. Her eyes and nose were red, and her short, spiky red hair was limp and disheveled. She looked much like Tori had looked the night before.

Sitting on the bed next to her friend, Toriana put a hand on her shoulder, "Dreams?" was all she had to ask in a soft voice, and the girl nodded miserably.

"Ever right after my Joining, I never had dreams as bad as these. How can you stand it?" Her voice trembled, and Tori felt a rush of sadness for the girl. It had been Tori, after all, who had chosen her to join the Grey Wardens; it was Tori, in a way, who had given her those terrible dreams.

Toriana shook her head with a small, sad smile, "My dreams were horrible after my Joining," she said in an empathetic voice, "You never really get used to them, but you learn to cope." She couldn't lie and tell the girl everything would be alright – it seemed too cruel, and she didn't like lying much in the first place. "Having other Wardens to talk about it helps," she smiled at Moiraine, who managed a small smile back. Good, one step at a time.

Moiraine sniffed and wiped at one cheek, "It does help. I heard the stories of you in the Blight, but I heard the King was only other Grey Warden in Ferelden with you. Wasn't that hard?" The innocent way she said it, with a look of concern, is what kept Tori from narrowing her eyes and leaving, as she did with people who mentioned Alistair (usually in a way that suggested there had been something romantic between them). But Moiraine clearly hadn't meant anything by it, and she couldn't fault the girl for that.

The Warden-Commander shook her head, "Not when it came to the dreams. I was lucky, this was before he became King, and he was very kind and understanding, always willing to talk if I had those dreams." Talking about Alistair hurt, but she could see it was helping Moiraine, and so she forced her way through it. "I was very lucky."

Moiraine smiled at her, almost as brightly as she normally did, "I'm lucky, too, Commander, I've got all the other Wardens, and I've got you!" And with that she leaned forward and hugged Toriana so hard it almost broke her heart. This girl was fast becoming like a little sister to her – or how she imagined a little sister would be like, considering she never had one of her own – and the upcoming mission was now starting to worry her. What if Moiraine was killed? She would never be able to forgive herself for bringing her…

When the redhead pulled away, her hazel eyes were as brilliant as they usually were, and she gave Toriana a glittering smile, "Let's go get breakfast, I'm starving!" she chirped, taking the older woman's hand and leaping to her feet to lead her downstairs. The girl was never in a bad mood for long, and Toriana envied that rebounding ability. She helped herself to a second bowl of porridge as Moiraine got her first – being a Grey Warden made you eat like a half-starved Mabari.

The chatter at the breakfast table was amicable and relaxed, and Toriana mainly listened. She was focused on the task ahead of them, trying not to think of Hespith's morbid rhyme: Fifth day, they return and it's another girl's turn. Would they take one at a time, as they did with Branka's House? Or would they corrupt all the women at once, knowing they were being doggedly pursued?

"My dear Grey Warden, you surprise me with your choice of taverns, as always." The smooth, accented voice made Toriana's head jerk up so fast that a sliver of pain jolted through her neck.

The blonde elf standing at the end of their table, clad in leather armor that looked Antivan, gave her a dazzling smile and took Toriana's hand, bowing low to kiss it, before speaking again, "I see you are speechless by my arrival, dear Toriana. Perhaps you need a moment to close your mouth and wipe the drool away? No?"

The other Grey Wardens were staring between the elf and their Commander in confusion, as if they were not sure if they should be laughing, drawing their weapons, or leaving the two with some privacy. Toriana broke the silence by letting out a bark of delighted laughter and jumping to her feet, "Zevran!" she exclaimed, forgoing a polite handshake to pull him into a hug.

When she pulled away, grinning, she lifted one eyebrow, "What are you doing here, you dog, last I heard you were in Antiva!"

Zevran sighed and shrugged, "I find I cannot stay too long from Ferelden now, the smell of wet dog has grown on me." The glint in his eye and the wink he gave her made her laugh again. How she had missed him! After parting ways with most of her friends from their quest against the Blight, Toriana tried not to dwell on how she missed everyone.

Turning to face her fellow Wardens, Toriana clapped a hand on Zevran's back and grinned at them, "This is Zevran Arainai, the infamous assassin that helped stop the Blight!" That brought an awed noise from Moiraine, who smiled at the handsome elf, and a grunt and a sullen look from Carver. The other two men simply nodded in respect; they likely had seen him about the Vigil last time he'd visited a couple years before. "Zevran, these are Grey Wardens, too. Pater, Mekel, Moiraine, and Carver," she pointed to each as she spoke their name, and Zevran smiled at Moiraine.

"What beauty is this before me? I see the Grey Wardens are still hiring beautiful women, what a relief." He winked at Moiraine, who blushed and giggled behind her hand.

Toriana recognized his woman-charming voice and rolled her eyes with a grin, "We're heading out on an expedition soon, Zevran, we won't have any time for fun and games." Though she was smiling and her voice was light, the elf caught the glint in her eye that said she would pound him into the ground if he hurt the redhead, and for once in his life he acquiesced, shrugging with an innocent look as if to say 'I was only joking!'

After a short pause, during which Toriana eyed Zevran thoughtfully (eliciting a suggestive comment from him that even managed to make Toriana blush as she declined), she tilted her head to the side, "In fact… are you available for hire? Perhaps you'd like to have one last adventure with an old friend?" She sounded hopeful – having the sleazy rogue around would lighten the dour mood of the expedition considerably.

Zevran grinned again, "My dear Warden, I am always at your service. And I must say your timing is impeccable, as I just finished a job this morning. What trouble would have me running into at your side this time?" The way he said it made Toriana chuckle, and she invited him to join their table as she explained the details of their expedition.

Maybe, just maybe, Zevran would be an ample enough excuse not to talk to the Knight-Commander any more than was strictly necessary.

And, of course, the damned lovable elf knew how to kill.