A/N: Study hall/library is officially AWESOME! I laughed so hard I cried... SPLASH! *snigger* LOTR has orange sticker 'cuz of the bath song! It's a long story. Also, at this time, Anders and Niri aren't very good friends right now, 'cuz Anders and Carver didn't get along and her frame of mind was basically 'Yo, leave my brother alone BITCH. He's mine to pick on! Grrrrr.' Don't worry, if you don't like that she's cranky to Anders at times, she gets more mellow with time. Time is like the great iron. It smooths all wrinkles. Also, she's a tomboy, so to her, compliments are baaad, no appreciation for beauty with this woman!(Also, there's some juicy backstory that goes with that...) She'd be more flattered if someone remarked on how it was amazing how far she could spit. She can spit pretty far.


Breakfast had gone pretty well, except for the time Maveria went berserk for no reason and started pelting toast at Anders. Thankfully, it was unjellied toast and it was a bit easier to clean up.

I would've gone back to bed after all the dishes were done, but Niri didn't let me. She grabbed my wrist, practically dragged me over to Anders, and said "Fix her."

"What's the problem?"

"What does it look like the problem is?" Niri picked me up with ease (She did so gently, as to not injure me farther) and pulled up my shirt, revealing my giant wound. It had reopened since breakfast and blood was streaming out. It was pretty gross. "Does that answer your question?" She set me down again and folded her arms. Anders sighed. "I'd help, but I should get back to the clinic. Besides, you're a mage, you take care of her." Niri glares at him so fiercely I thought he might just start melting under the intensity. Anders shifts uncomfortably.

"Don't make me hurt you... for all you know, you could just spontaneously combust. Not that I would suggest that has anything to do with the matter at hand." Her glare softens and she smiles sweetly. "I'll use puppy eyes." Anders threw up his hands.

"All right, I submit. Just don't use the puppy eyes. They make you look too cute and adorable."

"Did you just call me 'cute'?" Niri scowls.

"Uhhh... no, of course not. I think I'll just go over there for a second."

"Just go up to the top floor when you get done being scared of me and are ready to heal . Second room on the right. I'll go get that bag of potions and stuff out of the basement." Niri ran off, presumably to get the potions and stuff out of the basement. Isabela showed up out of nowhere and taps me on the shoulder. She laughs as I scream out of surprise.

"Hi, Isabela. Is there a reason you had for scaring me out of my wits?" Isabela shrugs.

"No, not really. I can show you what room is the healing room if you want." I nod and follow Isabela.

"Niri's house has a room just for healing?"

"Yup." She nodded. "Sometimes it doubles as a brewery. Only if the stash runs out, though." We continue in silence for a while as I marvel at how grand Niri's mansion is. How do they remember where everything is?

"You seem to know the house pretty well." I remark, breaking the silence.

"We all do. Niri lets us sleep here when we want. She's good like that."

"Don't you have homes of your own."

"Well, yes. But to be honest, we all are pretty badly off in the housing department."

"How so?" I ask, my curiosity not really aroused. I don't want to hear about everybody's housing crisis, I just don't want to continue in the almost eerie silence.

"Varric and I live in a tavern, Anders lives in his clinic in Darktown, Merrill has a hovel in the alienage,"

"So that's where I saw her! I knew she looked familiar!" Isabela continues in spite of my interruption.

"Fenris lives in a mansion, but that place is a shit hole if I ever saw one, and Aveline lives in the guard barracks. Niri's the only one who's really risen above her previous status- well, I guess there's Aveline, but shit, I'd rather be a rich girl sitting pretty on a pile of gold than be a guard-captain sitting on a pile of crime and complaints."

"At least you guys have houses. I've been homeless my whole life."

Awkward silence.

"Well... that's not good." You know those weird conversations you have when you say something that makes someone else a little bit uncomfortable? Yeah, that's where this conversation was going. Awkward, and getting awkwarder.

"No, I guess it's not."

You cannot believe how relieved I was to see Niri bounding up around the corner, putting an end to that talk.

We turned to the right into a small room that smelled like cheese and potions. It had a large bed right in the center, a lot of tables full of medical supplies next to it, a rug, and a few paintings. I couldn't tell where the cheese smell was coming from.

"Lay down on the bed." I do as Niri commands, and jump onto it. I immediately regret doing so as my side explodes into a fiery pain-fest. "I need you to drink this potion. It's supposed to make you go to sleep. Anders said so." Niri hands me a small potion bottle with an orange-like substance in it.

"Okay," I say, taking the potion, "I'll trust the doctor." I uncork the bottle, take a whiff of it, and decide that if it tastes as bad as it smells, I'm not going to drink it. One tentative sip is all I need to make me start coughing.

"This stuff tastes like shit!" I quickly down the rest of it and almost instantly, everything goes really blurry. I stay awake long enough to hear, "No, that's the wrong potion!" before I lapse into unconsciousness.