Tori joined Ryder for a drink, hanging out with his companions- Anders included- and drank her sorrows away. She laughed and joked, really having a good time. After an hour or so, some of the Templars came in off duty and wanted to relax.

"Ugh, why would the Templars come here and ruin a good time?" Anders groaned.

Tori giggled. "You must understand their point, Anders. They have to put up with Meredith every day."

Anders looked at her and cracked up laughing, raising his mug to her. "Maker, is that true. Well, here's one last drink for me and then I shall be off."

Tori clinked mugs with him and took a long draw before setting it down and smiling. "Well, Anders, be safe going home alright?"

Anders nodded and started walking towards the door. The Templars were getting rowdy and made him visibly uncomfortable so Tori got up and hurried over to him, walking him the rest of the way to the door.

"It's alright, Anders. I may be drunk, but I won't let anyone hurt you." Tori said with a smile.

The Templars glanced up as they walked passed their tables and they started to whistle and cat call Tori. Tori ignored them and walked Anders outside.

"Are you staying much longer?" Anders asked. "It's disgusting how they acted towards you."

Tori smiled. "I'll be fine, Anders, I promise."

Anders smiled and squeezed her hand before quickly disappearing down an alley, headed back towards his clinic.

Tori enjoyed the fresh breath of air and sighed for a moment.

"Evening, Tori."

Tori looked around and saw Cullen coming her way. She smiled and raised a hand in greeting. "Hello, Knight-Captain. Coming for a drink with your men?"

Cullen smiled. "Yes, I thought I'd treat them all to a drink after today. They've been training so hard lately, they needed a break."

Tori smiled at that. "They're lucky to have such a handsome and trustworthy commanding officer looking out for them. Otherwise I don't know what they'd do." She made for the door and glanced back. "Coming inside, Cullen?"

Cullen had stopped for a moment to process that Tori had complimented him with a bit of flattery, but he smiled and nodded, opening the door for her instead.

"Why thank you, Knight Captain." Tori replied sweetly.

Cullen could smell a bit of alcohol on her breath and clothes, but she had seemed stressed lately so he couldn't blame her for letting loose a bit. "My pleasure, Serah Evermoore."

Tori playfully smacked his arm and giggled. "It's 'Tori', or did you forget that already?"

Cullen smiled warmly. "I don't suppose you'd like to join me for a drink?"

Tori glanced over to where Ryder and the others were, then to where the Templars were sitting together. "Hmmm... well, now let me think... Sit with my drunken friends and listen to stories and crude jokes, sit with drunken Templars who whistled at me and cat called me, or perhaps steal away the Knight-Captain to an empty table and enjoy a drink in peace..." She looked at him and grinned. "I'll share a drink with you if we could go with that last option."

Cullen chuckled and followed her to a table off to the side, tucked away in a corner. She had waved over to the barmaid and ordered them two drinks, then patted the seat next to her. Once the drinks came, they began talking and catching up a bit since they hadn't seen each other in awhile due to training in the Gallows.

After awhile, Tori was beginning to really feel the alcohol and she decided it was time to go. "I had fun tonight, Knight-Captain Cullen. It's nice to see you loosen up a bit."

Cullen stood. "Would you like me to walk you out?"

Tori smiled. "Sure, just let me say goodbye to the others."

Cullen nodded. "Of course, I'll wait for you."

Tori hurried over to Ryder and the others. "Hey, I'm going to head home."

Ryder looked up and saw Cullen standing nearby. His smile faded a bit. "He's not taking you home is he?"

Tori shook her head. "Theon always stays close by. He'll be waiting for me and keep me safe as always." She leaned down and hugged Ryder, causing him to blush as her chest pressed up against his shoulders. "Don't worry, Ryder. The mean Templar isn't so mean after all. The Knight-Captain is just walking me out."

Ryder's blush grew when she kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair. "Be careful, Tori."

Tori waved and joined Cullen, walking towards the door as Ryder stared after them.

"You really want her, don't you?" Isabella said, smirking coyly.

Ryder threw a roll at her, rolling his eyes when she caught it in her cleavage. He glanced back as the door closed behind Tori and Cullen.

Outside, Tori stood there with Cullen and looked up at the sky. Taking a deep breath, she began to whistle and a small roar came from just outside the city.

"What was that?" Cullen asked.

Tori smiled and looked at him. "Just Theon. He'll make sure I get home safe." She hugged him and reached up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for sitting with me, Cullen. I appreciate it." She stepped back and bowed her head. "And thank you, for being my friend. I don't really have many people I can truly call a friend, so it's always nice to find someone I can treasure as such." She smiled and turned, walking towards the nearest gate out of the city.

Cullen stood there, watching until she disappeared from view and sighed. This young woman, this Tori Evermoore, was quite the intriguing person. She was honest, kind, clearly good with gardening, loved her friends and to help people out, and yet she seemed lost. 'I wonder if I could find out more about her...'

Just as Cullen wondered that, Ryder came out for a moment of peace and some fresh air and saw him. "Evening, Knight-Captain."

"Evening, Hawke. I trust things have been well since you returned?"

Ryder nodded and came to stand next to him. "Yes. Mother is happy to be back in her childhood home and I'm just happy to be back alive."

Cullen smiled at that. "You're a good man, Hawke. Despite what some people may think."

Ryder looked at him. "Oh? That's a surprise coming from you."

"Why, because I'm the Knight-Captain and you're an apostate?"

Ryder's eyes narrowed and he remained silent.

Cullen chuckled. "Don't worry, Hawke, I won't bring you in. We have enough to worry about with tensions rising between Templars and mages, I don't wish to make things worse by bringing you in. The people of Kirkwall appreciate what you do for them. You've become a champion of sorts to the people here. It's refreshing to see someone trying to make a difference for the better."

Ryder smiled at that. "Well, now that is quite the surprise. No wonder Tori likes you."

"I noticed that you two seemed close."

"What of it?"

"Are you together?"

Ryder sighed and shook his head. "No, her heart belongs to another and always will."

Cullen looked at him. "Yet you seem hopeful."

Ryder smiled. "Well, she's still my friend and I will always look after her, but you're right. Tori is an extraordinary woman; it's just unfortunate that she can't seem to move on."

Cullen sighed. "That'd explain why she seems lost."

"Has she told you where she's from?"

"A place called Astoria."

"Did she tell you that Astoria was not in Thedas?" Ryder looked at him. "Did she tell you it wasn't even in our world?"

Cullen looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Ryder chuckled. "Perhaps she should tell you more herself, but I think it'd be alright for me at least tell you this: Tori Evermoore came to our world from another. She has never been given an explanation as to how or why, all she knows is that it was through a Fade portal. Somehow she was pulled into our world, trapped here when the portal closed, and thrown into the chaos of the Fifth Blight. She may feel lost because she doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere anymore, not since she had her heart broken."

Cullen processed the information. "Did she never try to get back?"

Ryder shrugged. "I don't think she can. I think she's truly stuck here in our world with no way to return, but I don't think that bothers her. She chose to stay, chose to fight during the Blight and protect the world that was now her home, and she chose to come to Kirkwall to start a new life. Whatever hardships she has faced, whatever she has had to endure, she has done so in strides and remains strong. I admire her for that." He stretched and started to head off to Hightown. "Have a good night, Knight-Captain, and thanks for keeping my secret." He raised a hand and waved, then disappeared around the corner.

Cullen waved in return and looked up at the sky. "Maker, did you have a plan when you brought Tori to our world? Are you the one who brought her here? If so, for what purpose? Why must you keep her lost?" It was at that moment that Cullen vowed to protect Tori and to help her grow more accustomed to their world and to always be there for her.

From that night on, Cullen and Ryder made it more of an attempt to make Tori feel like she belonged. They seemed to have a mutually understanding that it was all for Tori's sake and nothing more. The weeks turned into months and eventually the Qunari Invasion occurred. Tori had seen the fight from her cabin and had run to the city, but by the time she had made it there, the battle was over, Ryder had slain the Arishok, and the invasion was stopped. Ryder was named the Champion of Kirkwall and the tensions between mage and Templar continued to grow more and more. Ryder began to have his hands full getting job requests and such left and right and Cullen had become busier as well with the tensions rising.

Eventually, it got the point where Tori barely saw either one of them, but then one day Ryder asked her to meet him in the Viscount's Way. Curious, Tori made her way there and walked through the door. She looked around and saw Ryder speaking with someone. She smiled, going to let him know she was there, but when she saw who he spoke to she stopped dead in her tracks.

Ryder turned and smiled when he saw Tori, but before he could say anything, the man he spoke with saw her too.

"Tori...?"

"Alastair..."