Isabela came home, rolling her eyes at the three women asleep in her bed.

"Really," she asked, shaking her head, "Are you all just using my place to sleep now? Do none of you have a home? I work here. And sleep here."

Merrill stretched as she got out of the bed, naked as the day she was born, "I'm sorry, Isabela, I can go sleep on the couch."

She raised an eyebrow, "I appreciate that, kitten, but I think you may want to throw on a robe before you concern the more conservative two next to you."

Aveline's eyes widened and Hawke blushed and both looked away.

Merrill laughed, "It's nothing you haven't seen before. At Sundermount, most of us sleep naked. Except in the winter. I tried that once, it was a rather terrible mistake."

"Sadly, that's not going to work as well here," Isabela grinned, "Though I'm starting to suspect we should have stayed at the commune longer. They sound like folks that I could get along with."

"What time is it?" Aveline asked, reaching around for the alarm clock beside her.

"8 AM. But remember, you both don't have jobs anymore, so you might as well sleep in."

Hawke groaned and pulled the covers over her head. Their attempt to take a few weeks off of work had gone badly for both. Aveline was allowed to return…at a reduced pay. She also had to apply again. Hawke was just shit out of luck.

"I need to finish high school," she grumbled, "Then perhaps they'll start treating me like a human being."

"Grow a pair of balls," Aveline muttered, "Then they'll start respecting you."

"What I came in to tell you," Isabela interrupted, "Is that the money transfer went through. I just got off the phone with Varric. We'll be leaving in three days. I suggest you finish up any business you have in the city. I will be enjoying my clients before I have to go celibate and underground for weeks. So I suggest you all leave my home. Go take Merrill shopping or whatever. I don't care. I need sex and I need money. You are all preventing me from the two things I love."

"Fine, fine," Hawke muttered, "We'll get out of your hair for awhile."

oOoOoOo

Merrill was fascinated by everything, which made any journey through stores long and a little tedious. Aveline was rather irritated with the peppy young elf, but Hawke was growing rather fond of her. She reminded her of one of the girls she used to work with back at Lothering, another elf teen who was trying to work through college without having to work at a gentleman's club. It was hard enough to find work as a woman; it was even harder as a female elf.

Merrill found a trinket at a store, one selling old Dalish antiques from a tribe she was descended from. It was a ring, the old Dalish words inscribed into it. She put it back, smiling sadly and Hawke could see her whispering to it, promising it to return to buy it when she had treasure. Hawke slipped back in later and bought it, putting it in her pocket to give it to the girl later.

Aveline was hungry and the three of them sat down for lunch at a street side café, watching the people of Kirkwall walk past them. Near the end of their meal, Merrill excused herself to the bathroom and returned only a moment later, blushing.

"That was quick," Hawke commented.

"Well…there wasn't an elf washroom," she blushed, "I wasn't allowed in the human one. So I can hold it, don't worry."

Hawke sighed, "Your people have been free for decades and they still segregate everything in this city?"

"It's not a big deal," Merrill smiled, shifting in her seat, "Most places are fine. Just…well, some people are less open minded than others."

"That's no excuse," Hawke said, rising up.

"Hawke," Aveline reprimanded, "Merrill is okay. I'll take her to the department store across the street. I know she can go there. You just take care of the bill and meet us there, alright?"

"Fine," Hawke muttered, waiving over a waiter while the two picked up their purses and crossed the street.

Hawke lit a cigarette as she put her cash on the table. She did not smoke often, but she felt uneasy as she picked up her things. She heard the crash of glass and saw elves running out of their stores, men with masks chasing them, and the smell of smoke came into the air.

She left her bag as she raced across the street. She was knocked out as a man pushed her to the ground and her head smacked down on the asphalt. She could vaguely see Merrill reaching out to her as she was carried away, Aveline firing shots until she too was grabbed and taken. She reached out again but then all she saw was darkness.

oOoOoOo

She woke on the ground, a blanket thrown around her. She pulled it around her shoulders, noticing the blood on her hands.

Smoke rose from the shattered windows and many elves stood outside their homes and stores, recording their testimonies to the police officers.

As she stood, she looked around for her bag, which was long gone. Her gun was still in her holster, but she left it there as she looked around. A police officer came to her side, and asked for her name.

"Marian Hawke," she replied, coughing slightly, "My friends are missing. I saw them being taken."

"Miss, there's a lot of missing persons today. We will try to go through them as soon as possible. Can you give me details?"

"Merrill is an elf, long black hair, beautiful tattoos, very petite, dressed like one of the hippies. Aveline has red hair, I think she was wearing her training clothes."

"Wait, Hawke? Aveline Hawke?"

Hawke nodded, "Is she on your squad?"

"Yes," he said, "My name is Donnic…she's probably never mentioned me, has she?"

"Probably?" Hawke grimaced, "I don't listen a lot to her work stories."

"Where did you last see her? You said she was taken?"

Hawke pointed to the department store, "Merrill was taken by two people all in black, they had a silver insignia on their clothes, I couldn't read it. Aveline was trying to get her back and they grabbed her too. I hit the ground, I didn't see anything more than that."

"Black clothes, silver insignia?" Donnic questioned, "Was it a circle with a star inside of it? But a star with seven sides?"

"Maybe?" Hawke admitted, "It all happened so fast…what happened even?"

"Race riot," Donnic explained, gesturing over to a crying elf family digging through their shelled out store, "Every once in awhile. There are different groups in the city. All have different reasons to hate each other. This group, I think the one that took your friends, is called The Followers of She. They think Andraste was only to redeem humanity, they think all elves should be slaves still. They started breaking into stores and then an elven extremist group, they call themselves the Black Underground, they retaliated. Civilians got in the way. Sometimes Followers take hostages…but I've never seen so many at once taken."

"I need to get her back," Hawke said urgently, "Please. How can I find them?"

Donnic motioned for her to come closer and whispered in her ear, "I know a guy."

oOoOoOo

Anders, Varric, Isabela, and Hawke found themselves near the Alienage that night. It was oddly quiet since the attacks elsewhere in the city. All mothers and fathers had put their children to bed early that night.

"I leave you alone for one morning," Isabela muttered, "And you manage to get yourself knocked out and the other two kidnapped. I'm never going to be able to have real clients anymore, will I? Always chasing after all of you."

"Shh," Varric put a finger to his lips, "I think Donnic's contact is nearby."

"Good ears, dwarf."

A lanky elf in a tan linen suit hopped down from a low rooftop, landing gracefully before them.

"You must be Hawke," he said, bowing his head, "You may call me Fenris. I hear you are in need of infiltrating the Followers'?"

She nodded, "They took two of our friends."

"Both elf?"

"One elf, one human."

"Strange for them to take a human prisoner," Fenris frowned, "But that is no matter for right now. Follow me, all of you."

The four of them followed the elf through the Alienage, ducking through passageways and turning directions so often that Hawke felt rather dizzy. Finally they came to a door on the side of a wall. Fenris knocked four times and spoke a few words in Dalish that none of them understood.

Fenris went inside, leaving them outside the door. He returned a moment later, leading them further down the street until they reached another door, this one marked by a red stain across the handle.

"If you have any weapons," Fenris turned to say, "This is when I would suggest readying them. Perhaps except the Mage. If they hate anyone more than elves, it would be mages. I would suggest he stays behind."

"I'm not leaving," Anders protested, "I want to help."

"It's your funeral."

Varric loaded his shotgun while Isabela and Hawke loaded their pistols. Fenris cocked his own gun up and after nodding at Hawke, kicked in the door.

They treaded down a flight of stairs quietly until a man dressed in black passed by the foot of the stairs and looked up at them. They ran down, Isabela quickly pining him down by the shoulder.

Fenris went forth, placing the barrel of the gun against the gang member's head.

"Where are the hostages?" he demanded.

"In the main chamber," the guard rasped, "There's about six of them left."

Fenris fired his gun, the guard collapsing as blood poured from his mouth.

"You killed him," Varric stated, half accusing and half impressed.

"Does he deserve life more than those he kills?" Fenris shrugged.

They continued down the hallway, pausing at the slightly cracked open door. The leader stood in front of them all, a black cloak hiding most of his face from view.

"Bring forth the next repentant," he demanded, his voice echoing in the cavernous room.

Two men brought forth a kicking and biting Aveline. Despite the bruise covering the left side of her face, she seemed more or else all right.

"Do you embrace the name of Andraste? The Queen of the Heavens? Do you repent for your impurity? You can still be saved, woman. You can repent of your sinners life…or embrace the purifying flame."

"Eat shit," Aveline spat.

"I hate these guys," Fenris rolled his eyes, opening the door to reveal them all.

"Hi," Anders said with a smirk, blasting out a mind shaking sound from his hands. The Followers and the hostages fell to the ground, holding their ears. Hawke ran forth and untied Aveline, pushing her captors away as they screamed.

She smiled at Hawke, blood trickling down her lip, "I knew you would find me."

"Always," Hawke promised, "Where's Merrill?"

The blast ended and the Followers started to regain their strength. Before Hawke could blink, Fenris had shot most of them, stabbing a last one in the back while the leader escaped through a hidden door in the wall. Varric chased after him, but the door would not budge for him.

"Merrill's with the other elves," Aveline said, coughing up a bit of blood, "They're shipping them off to Tevinter. You have to hurry."

"Anders," Hawke called, "Stay here with Aveline and the others. Heal them as much as you can and get them out of here. Isabela, can you get them to the police station? I'm sure Donnic will want to document this."

"Donnic?" Aveline smiled faintly, "You saw him? Isn't he sweet?"

"Now I know you must be hurt," Hawke teased, "I'll see you at the police station, I promise."

"I never doubt you, Hawke."

Varric, Hawke, and Fenris went down the staircase, Fenris artfully snipping a guard on the way down, the other running from sight. Around 15 elves were caged and in various stages of disarray. Varric saw Merrill first, quickly picking the lock to her cage, letting her and the others out. Hawke worked on the other locks while Fenris stood guard.

Varric held Merrill closely for a moment as she protested that she was fine, a smile on her face still.

"Don't you scare me like that again, Daisy," Varric warned, kissing the stop of her forehead.

"There," Fenris said, as the last of the elves were freed, "You found your people. I will transport these elves back to my people. They'll be safe with the others."

"Thank you," Hawke said softly, "I mean it."

"I would have come either way," Fenris replied, "I probably just wouldn't have saved your human."

oOoOoOo

The six of them met up at the police station in a waiting area off to the side.

Anders was busy, his glasses pressed high up on his nose, as he examined cuts and bruises, healing the best he could without revealing his magic. Aveline was wrapped in a blanket, laughing at something Donnic had said, his hand on her knee. Merrill was casually knitting while Varric paced in front of her. Isabela was flirting with another police officer who was trying hard not to stare down her revealing dress.

Hawke curled up in her chair. They would be there for a while still, but she could try to get a few minutes rest while she could. Half asleep, she felt someone lay a blanket on top of he. She smiled as she dozed off.