Hello again :) As apprehensive as I am about uploading this, this chapter will be a bit of a lighter chapter to tease you about what is to come next in this story and also to get me back into the ways of writing it again after having been purposefully ignoring it for a while. My updates will probably be slower than usual as I take a bit more care with it (while also studying for my exams). I'll admit, I was a bit rocked by the backlash I received from certain people on this site so thank you to all of you who sent me kind, supportive messages/reviews over the last month or so after the breakdown of this story when I felt I couldn't write any more. Reviews very welcome as always (particularly speculations over what is coming next :P I'll be interested to hear), but I ask that if you simply have a problem with the plot line of MY story or the direction of the characters, either bear with me until I make my point, or don't read it at all. Simple as :)

Hope you enjoy

TSOA ;)

Birds were chirping happily somewhere nearby, in the large, overgrown forests of the Anderfels. The untamed wilderness was a nice, much-needed change from being cooped up on a pirate ship for the most part of the last few months. Not to mention prison cells. Stretching gingerly, Lana Hawke opened her eyes and groggily rolled over in what appeared to be a tiny cot, raised no more than a few inches off the ground. Dazed and confused, she groaned sleepily, bringing a hand to her tender, newly-mended ribcage and finding with surprise that it didn't hurt as much after her recent ordeal at the hands of the Qunari. Andraste's ass...Why do I always seem to get it in the ribs? The delicious smell of lentil soup wafted temptingly under her nostrils, making her stomach churn with hunger and rousing her from her slumber. She felt like she had slept for days. Her brown eyes struggled to adjust to the early morning light that was streaming in through the nearby windows, casting beautiful golden rays across the stone paved flooring of a strange, unfamiliar room. Before she was able to make out her surroundings, the hazy outline of a dark-haired woman slowly came into view.

"Lana?" the woman asked softly, "Can you hear me?"

"Ugh..."

Unable to manage much more of a response than that, Hawke felt her eyes feverishly roll to the back of her head. Her entire world felt like it was spinning out of control. Am I..?Shit, was I drinking last night? For one fleeting moment her mind flashed back to a session at The Hanged Man, recalling one night in particular where she, Varric and Isabela had raced to see who could down the most shots in one minute, cheered on by the rest of the tavern who had placed bets on the winner. Lana had narrowly beaten Isabela and remembered holding up her hands in victory before watching the alcohol come right back up all over their table, much to the amusement of her companions and the audience they had attracted. The morning after, she had felt a lot like how she was feeling right in this very moment. Feeling very queasy, Lana closed her eyes tightly, beginning to berate herself as she did every morning when waking up with a hangover. Andraste's Grace, I must have had a lot...

"Lana? Are you awake? How are you feeling?"

"Hmm? Yes, yes, I'll have another whiskey, Bela," Hawke slurred back sleepily, "Make it a double..."

The woman beside her chuckled lightly. A gentle hand then touched her forehead, as though checking her temperature like a mother would a child. It then began stroking her hair soothingly and rested on her warm cheek, trying to bring her round. Something about the touch was distant, yet familiar all the same.

"Another whiskey?" the woman repeated, "Well, that explains it then..."

"Whoa..." Hawke muttered drowsily, "W-where am I?" Feeling her eyes slip open and closed again, she continued to bathe in a wave of nausea. This is the worst hangover ever!

"You're safe, Sister. Wake up."

"S-sister?" Hawke repeated. For one fleeting moment she could have sworn she was back in Kirkwall. She half expected to hear the whining voice of her uncle Gamlen or the cold tone of her forever disappointed, no-longer-a-mother, Leandra, scolding her for her antics the night before or for getting home too late. Fighting against the dizziness, Hawke struggled to open her eyes then, ready for the onslaught of nagging. Her little sister's face slowly came into focus then. Bethany Hawke smiled down at her kindly, her eyes filling with tears of happiness as she saw that her elder sibling was alright. Lana smiled back. Although Bethany had grown up a lot in the last few years, her face still hadn't lost its undeniable cuteness. Realising she had been dreaming about Kirkwall, and thankful to see they weren't back there, Hawke immediately tried to get up to greet her.

"Wow, relax...Take it slow," Bethany warned with a giggle, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her in her eagerness. "Your body has been through a lot recently, Lana...More than usual in fact, and that's saying a lot."

Hawke snorted a laugh and rested her head against the thin, feathered pillow once more. "You're telling me. I feel like I've been trampled by a herd of Qunari...Oh, wait..."

Bethany giggled again. "Still haven't lost that sarcasm I see? I swear you didn't injure yourself this much back when I used to travel with you. Getting old, big sister?"

Hawke chuckled, smiling up at her. "You're one to talk," she teased, "Is that a wrinkle I see, Bethany?"

"What! Where!?"

Bethany immediately brought her hands to her face and jumped up to glance at her reflection in the elegant golden mirror hanging on the wall beside them. Lana's mischievous laughter brought her back to her senses then and she realised she had been joking. "Oh, ha ha. Very funny!"

"I thought so," her sister replied cheekily, looking a lot like her younger, more impish self from their younger days living in Lothering. Bethany nudged her on the arm and settled herself back down beside her again, chuckling a little herself.

"Glad to see you still possess that rapier wit you're so famous for," she teased with a hint of sarcasm of her own. "I keep forgetting how much you like to tease. These last few years I've seen so very little of you."

Lana simply smiled in response, silently apologising. Their once beautiful relationship had been stripped from them in recent years it was true. Though if she was honest, Lana had in fact lost her sense of humour over the last few months, but her sister needn't know that. It had been a while since they had last said goodbye to each other. Ferelden seemed like another lifetime ago now, what with everything that had happened. The Qunari always have a way of complicating things. Lothering had certainly been something of a honeymoon period for Hawke and Isabela, a chance for some much-needed respite after the world-shaking events of Kirkwall that they found themselves caught up in the thick of. And now it seems like we need a whole new one...Maybe one more permanent.

"What...What are you doing here?" Lana asked then, surprised to say the least. Wherever 'here' is..

Bethany chuckled. "It's a long story, Sister. Let me help you up."

She moved around behind her elder sister and slipped her hands under her arms, sliding her up into a sitting position and leaning her back against the cool stone wall at the head of the cot. Lana moaned a little, sitting at an uncomfortable angle, holding her delicate side with one arm. She exhaled loudly as she slowly settled against the wall, relaxing into the stone. Bethany released her and hunched down beside her cot once more then, placing a hand on Hawke's leg.

"Better?" she asked with a smile, patting her thigh caringly through the thin, linen blanket that was wrapped around her. Lana smiled back and tugged on the end of her sister's robes, pulling her close enough for a kiss on the cheek and a one armed hug.

"Always better when you're around, little sis," she said in her ear. "Maker, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Lana."

"Where are we anyway?" Hawke continued, releasing her sister and beginning to look around then. She was still thoroughly confused. "Where is everyone?"

"We're at Weisshupt Fortress," Bethany replied, glancing around at their surroundings. The elegant room was filled with many cots identical to the one Lana was lying on. All of them empty apart from the closest to their right. Isabela was lying face down, sprawled across it, sound asleep. Hawke's throat formed a lump at the sight of her. She realised then that they were in some sort of infirmary, noticing the tiny vials of potions lined up in shelves above them, along the white stone walls, illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the giant windows. The room was adorned with numerous blue flags bearing white griffons, the official emblem of the Grey Wardens. Outside were a magnificent view of tall spires and an elegantly crafted landscape of the Anderfels, scalding under the hot, unrelenting sun. This was, without doubt, Weisshaupt Fortress, and it was more majestic than either of them could have imagined.

"Is she ok?" Hawke asked then, immediately straightening up a little to get a better look at the pirate conked out beside her. Isabela's body was plastered with bandages and bits of gauze, the same as Hawke's, though her injuries thankfully didn't seem as serious. She looked rather peaceful.

"She's fine," Bethany said reassuringly, turning back to her sister, "Just hung-over I bet. She certainly showed the mighty Grey Wardens here a thing or two about drinking. You were both a little worse for wear after your trip. Varric told me what happened with the Qunari...I'm so sorry, Lana. Those beasts have been a thorn in our side since Kirkwall."

"Tell me about it," Lana replied, rolling her eyes. "Quite literally in fact." She gestured to her ribcage and smiled wryly.

"I think Varric tricked Bela into a few drinks on the road," Bethany giggled, "When she got here she was...well, you know Isabela better than anyone. Drunk doesn't even come close to explaining how she gets." I thought I knew her, Hawke thought to herself, managing to pass off her snort of derision as a cough. Her sister eyed her suspiciously before continuing. "She ran riot, Sister, drunk the tavern dry, then passed out on the cot next to you, hugging a bottle of whiskey. It was only then that myself and one of the healers her were allowed to treat her. It was quite funny actually. I forgot how wild she could get... Brought me back a few years to how you two used to behave in Kirkwall."

Bethany chuckled to herself again, remembering the slobbering, inebriated kiss Isabela had planted on her cheek when the Grey Wardens had opened the gates to let their visitors enter. The pirate always seemed to be in high spirits no matter what was going on, a professional at pushing unpleasant things to the back of her mind having had decades of practice. Of course, the youngest Hawke didn't even know the half of it, while the eldest Hawke knew too much for her own liking.

"Were my injuries severe?" Lana asked, trying to steer clear of any topic which landed on Isabela now.

"You had a few broken ribs and were a bit delirious with fever," Bethany replied, "Malnourished more than anything. After the long hike to get here, King Alistair carried you in. Apparently you had passed out a few miles back on the road when they stopped for the night. Isabela found you."

Lana gave her sister an embarrassed smile. "Ugh...Really?" she asked, cringing. "Maker, I'm such a girl sometimes." Bethany laughed.

"Believe me, it was probably better. You would have laughed so hard at dear Bela that you might have cracked another rib. I think that in all the history of Weisshupt Fortress, she's the only one to have entered as a pirate raider, dancing the Rim of Gold, flashing her breasts and singing at the top of her voice with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a sandwich in the other."

Lana snorted with laughter, unable to stop herself. "A sandwich?" she asked confused, chuckling, "Where in The Maker's name did she get one of those? We haven't had food for days."

Bethany tittered girlishly. "I have absolutely no idea, Sister. I dread to ask."

She wiped the tears from her eyes as both of them laughed, glancing over at Isabela's unconscious form. Hawke could see the empty glass bottle of whiskey lying on the floor underneath the pirate's cot then. A short distance away, a discarded half-eaten sandwich that was covered in dirt and looked thoroughly non edible.

"Did she seem happy?" Hawke asked then, not looking at Bethany. Her eyes were filled with concern for Isabela as she stared at the woman's back, watching it rise and fall gently as she snored. Bethany gave her a strange look. It was an odd kind of question to ask, especially since Lana had been the one travelling with her.

"Happier than ever," she answered, confused, "Why, did something happen that I should know about?"

Hawke shook her head quickly. "Nothing," she said dismissively, determined not to get into it all again, "She's just deserved a bit of fun, that's all. It's been a rough ride."

"Isn't Isabela used to 'rough rides'?" Bethany teased.

Hawke chuckled, taken aback, "My, my! My little sister is all grown up. Was that a sexual innuendo, Beth? I didn't think that was your style."

Bethany giggled, "Maybe I've just been listening to you and Bela for too long. You've rubbed off on me."

Hawke burst into a fit of giggles, hearing the second, unintentional one.

"Lana? What are you-? Oh...Oh, that's just wrong!" she exclaimed, seeing the tears of laughter in her sister's eyes. "'Rubbed off'...Ugh! So wrong, Lana. On so many different levels!"

"I'm only kidding, Bethany," Hawke chuckled, wiping the tears from her eyes as her little sister flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anyway, where are Varric and Alistair?" she asked, moving along swiftly. "Why aren't they circled around my death bed, praying to The Maker to spare me?"

Bethany laughed. "Maybe because you're still an ass," she teased, nudging her sister on the arm. Lana chuckled. "Dear Varric's still drinking from the night before."

"Oh, wouldn't you know?" Hawke said sarcastically, shaking her head and smiling to herself. "He certainly never misses an opportunity."

"Excuse me? You're one to talk!" Bethany retorted with a sceptical look and a giggle. Hawke half nodded in agreement. She has a point. "He and the King are playing Wicked Grace in the mess hall right now with a few of the other Wardens. Apparently our favourite dwarf challenged them all to a drinking contest, to see if the taint held out against the 'mighty Dwarven constitution'. I bet you can guess who won."

Lana chuckled. "That certainly sounds like Varric," she said, rolling her eyes too, which had finally torn themselves away from Isabela. "Clearing up as usual, I bet. I hope he's left some for me. Actually, you know, I think I'll just head down for a-"

"Lana Hawke, you sit back down in that bed this instant!" Bethany scolded, looking frighteningly like their late mother for a second. Hawke froze, stunned by the authority in her little sister's voice. "You're still too weak to be moving," Bethany continued sternly, "And the alcohol will counteract some of my spells."

"But I'm thirsty!" Hawke moaned.

"I brought you water," her sister said, lifting a mug from the floor and handing it out to her. Lana turned up her nose instantly as if it was poisonous.

"Eugh, no thanks, Beth. If it's non-flammable, I'm not interested," she joked. Bethany rolled her eyes and set the mug back down.

"Fine! Your loss, but you're still not getting any whiskey."

"How about wine?" Lana pressed, her eyes twinkling cheekily, "Port? Gin? Mead? Or just a good old fashioned pint of ale will do."

"No!"

"Oh come on, Bethany. Not even a sip? One sip, sister! I'll even let you pour!" Hawke pleaded, leaning over towards her.

"No!" Bethany replied firmly, tucking her sister back into bed again. "I've heard that before. Last time you let me pour you offered me the mug back and snatched rest of the bottle from my hands."

Hawke sighed in defeat and turned to stare at Isabela once more, who was mumbling something in her sleep which sounded unsettlingly like "mother". Lana's chocolate brown eyes filled with concern then, unable to hide it from Bethany. Her sister continued to look at her, noticing her over-concern for the Rivaini. They were never this...intense. Something must have happened between them. Battling against her curiosity, Bethany decided not to pry.

"Varric hasn't changed a bit," she began instead, referring to their Dwarven companion, "I swear he's exactly how we found him in Hightown all those years ago. Still got that smart mouth to talk himself out of trouble...Or into it."

They both laughed and Hawke finally turned away from Isabela, staring back at her sister once more. Bethany got to her feet. "Well, I'll let you sleep a little more," she said, straightening out her robes, "I did the best I could for your ribs, but you still shouldn't do anything strenuous for at least another day to let them set right. I just woke you up to let you know I brought you some breakfast if you're hungry."

She reached down and raised the tray that had been sitting on the floor, which up until that point had been hidden from Lana's view. That explains the mug of water then. Hawke's stomach rumbled loudly in response. She hadn't eaten in days.

"Thanks, little Sis," she said, giving her a wink as Bethany placed it on her lap. There was a bowl of thick brown soup, adorned with a few rounds of bread and the giant tankard of water from before. The food smelled delicious, reminding her fleetingly of their mother's cooking back in the Lothering all those years ago. It was like offering a feast to the starved.

"Don't mention it. I bet it tastes a lot better than the elfroot soup you've been eating recently. Good thing Mother taught at least one of us how to cook before she...Um...I'll leave you to it then," Bethany finished awkwardly, walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Hawke blurted after her as she went to walk away, "That's it? A simple hello and goodbye? What are you even doing here, Bethany? Why aren't you in Lothering? Where's Charade? And more to the point how did you know that I would be here? What in The Maker's name going on?"

Bethany threw her a wink in response to the barrage of questions. "All in good time," she said with a smile. "Just get some rest, Lana. I'll see you later."

"To the void with that, Sister!" Lana called again, her curiosity getting the better of her other needs right now. "Tell me how you got here!...Bethany!...Bethany!"

Her sister simply waved goodbye and threw her a smile, then closed the door to the infirmary behind her. Frustrated and unable to follow, Hawke sighed, watching her walk past the window as she descended the steps outside. Andraste's Ass, what is going on? My little sister? Here, in the Anderfels? Hawke turned to look at Isabela then, who had shifted over in her sleep and was facing her now, almost close enough to touch. Her faint snores could be heard as she slept off her hangover, drooling slightly onto the pillow. Lana smiled to herself then, hearing the pirate mutter obscenities in her sleep. At least now she was simply dreaming as normal, rather than reliving unpleasant memories of her mother. She looked so like her normal self it was almost a relief. Not to mention a nice change from the last few weeks of stress and drama. She and Hawke were both the type of people that didn't bode well in those situations, and it had started to show. Just look at what they had become, something which they had both always detested: uninteresting and serious. Maker, what happened to the days of endless jokes and good-natured ribbing?

Feeling rather relaxed all of a sudden, and more at ease now that she knew Bethany was here despite her curiosity, Hawke turned her attention to her meal and began to tuck in, realising then just how hungry she actually was.

"Is that water...?"

Lana swallowed her last mouthful of soup and looked to her right. Isabela's heavy amber eyes were staring up at her questioningly. She looked slightly haggard after her drunken night of escapism, but otherwise physically uninjured from their ordeal at Qunari hands. Hawke smiled and grabbed the mug of water from her tray, passing it over to her, ignoring her own thirst. The pirate straightened up in her cot and accepted it gratefully, resting her back against the wall like Lana beside her and exhaling.

"Thanks," she muttered, before bringing the mug to her lips and beginning to down it eagerly. Balls, I'm never drinking again, Isabela thought to herself, Actually correct that, I'm never accepting a drink from the 'Paragon of Manliness' ever again. Lana watched her throat move as she swallowed generous mouthfuls of water, some of it dribbling down her chin in her eagerness and thirst. Isabela finished almost the whole tankard in one, then gasped, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand and resting her head back against the wall in relief. "I needed that..."

"Sore head?" Hawke teased, her eyes twinkling. "A little birdie tells me you and Varric had a good night while I was out-cold. How very considerate of you both. Didn't it occur to you that I might like a pint or two as well?"

Isabela chuckled, "You'll have to ask him, Sweetness. I can't remember a bloody thing...Apart from...Did I... have a sandwich? Shit, is that lettuce?" She slid a finger and thumb down, between her breasts, and dragged out a soggy leafy substance from her cleavage. "Maker's breath, that's a first," she said with a giggle, flicking it to the floor.

Lana tried to hide her laughter as she finished the slice of bread in her hand. "I don't think it was lettuce, Bela," she joked, her mind flashing back to their brief foray in the forest a few nights ago. "I think it was a flower."

"Your 'flower'?" the pirate teased, sniggering to herself.

"I wasn't a virgin when we first slept together, Bela," Hawke chuckled.

"I'm kidding, Hawke. You were almost as much of a slattern as I was," the Rivaini replied with a grin. "Chantry Sisters included."

"Hungry?" Lana asked evasively, trying to change the topic. She held out the tray of food to Isabela in offering. The pirate's stomach heaved and did a few unpleasant summersaults. She shook her head and quickly wrinkled her nose at the smell, taking the tray from Hawke and placing it on the floor in between their cots, out of sight. Lana slid back down the bed with a groan, hearing it creek under her weight. Right now her body felt worse than the time after she had fought the Arishok in Kirkwall. I guess the baby Qunari's can do just as much damage as their big horn-headed bastard of a leader.

"How are your ribs?" Isabela asked, seeing the slight grimace register on the woman's face.

"Better," Lana replied, caressing her midsection through the thin blanket. Her breathing was a little harsher than usual, "Bethany says another day or so and I should be fine. The amount of times I've broken them I think they've become very brittle. She always was the best at healing though. I've been thinking for years she should run her own clinic."

"She should," Isabela agreed, "She'd have done a bloody better job than Anders, the prig. It felt good killing him back in Kirkwall. He'd been a pain in the ass for years... Anyway, it-it's good you're alright..."

Isabela tried to hide the worry from her face. When Lana had collapsed on the road during their travels, despite the tension between them she had felt a great deal of concern. Both women's eyes met for a moment then, before they quickly turned away from each other. It felt like the earlier stages of their relationship, where they had been wary of staring into each other's eyes for fear of intimacy. The pirate cleared her throat awkwardly, staring dead ahead and the two of them basked in the uneasy silence for a few minutes, feeling slightly uncomfortable all of a sudden. A lot had happened between them, and a lot had been said and done. Maybe too much. Then there were the unexpected events in the forest on their way here... Isabela glanced at Hawke out of the corner of her eye, remembering, then quickly averted her gaze when she felt she had been caught staring.

It was difficult to know where to continue now. On a day such as lovely as this, neither of them wanted to ruin the mood with another argument. The birds tweeting outside just appeared so cheerful. It was a nice change from what they had been through recently. The sombre, suffocating atmosphere that had clung to them for months seemed somewhat lessened now with the sudden arrival of Bethany and a new set of surroundings. The youngest Hawke always did seem to have a certain calming effect on the two of them, a kind of innocence that both Hawke and Isabela found themselves jealous of at times, what with their hectic lifestyles and the general craziness that came with it.

Isabela crossed her legs on the cot, sipping the rest of her water and listening to the Grey Wardens banter outside, who were standing guard at the foot of the steps to the infirmary. By the sounds of it Varric had cleaned them out at the table and bet one of them his underwear. Typical, the pirate thought to herself with a smile as she heard the guard complain about 'chaffing'. He cheats more often than I do...I probably would have just talked him out of his pants though. Grey Warden undergarments fetch quite a few sovereigns for the right buyer. The pirate smiled to herself proudly at the dwarf's tactics of humiliation of which she was always in favour of.

Across from her, Lana lay with her eyes closed, relaxing into another sleep, her stomach now full to the brim with the best meal she'd eaten since their date in Antiva. Despite the good food, she still felt a little dizzy though. Isabela turned to her then, hearing her rattled breathing, noticing the dark rings under Lana's eyes. The woman seemed completely exhausted. She could see a slight cut on Lana's bottom lip where her own nail had caught it after slapping her back on the Qunari ship. Things had gotten way out of hand between them. It's like we're not even ourselves anymore. This was probably the most natural conversation they'd had in an age...It felt nice. The pirate's eyes travelled to Lana's chest then, lingering along her prefect breasts, watching them rise and fall slowly and evenly with her breathing. A faint layer of sweat had settled across her skin as a result of the humidity in the Anderfels and her current state of health.

"Hawke?" Isabela asked worriedly, finally breaking the silence. The woman's lips were beginning to tremble as she succumbed to her feverish state once more.

"Mmm?"

Alarmed at the weakness of her response, Isabela swung her legs off the edge of her cot in an instant and jumped to her feet, leaning over her.

"Here," she said, slipping her hand under Hawke's head and raising it a little, bringing the half empty mug of water to her lips with the other. "Drink...You're burning up, Sweetness. I think you're still a bit dehydrated."

The water slid down Hawke's chin as her cracked lips tried to hold it in her mouth. As soon as it touched her tongue she felt an undeniable thirst inside her. She swallowed over the dryness in her throat, not realising until then just how parched she was. When there was no water left in the tankard, Isabela placed it on the ground and settled herself down on the top end of Hawke's cot, raising the woman's head and lying it across her lap. The pirate rested her back against the wall then and began to stroke her fingers through Lana's brown hair absentmindedly. The closeness still felt a little distant, like they were strangers to each other now. Feeling Isabela's touch, so unfamiliarly gentle after the rough treatment she had been getting recently, Hawke opened her eyes and stared up at her.

"What are you thinking?" she asked softly, seeing between the pirate's brows wrinkle slightly like it always did when she was lost in thought.

"Hawke, I...I need to apologise," Isabela said gently, looking down at her.

"Stop," Lana said, shaking her head slightly and giving her a little smile. Isabela smiled back then traced her hand across Hawke's cheek, brushing her cut lip with her thumb.

"I never should have hit you, Sweetness," she said ruefully.

"I made you," Lana reminded her, teasing her a little, "You looked like you needed to hit something."

Isabela chuckled, "I ...I did," she admitted truthfully, "But I didn't want it to be you."

Hawke snorted, "I'm the only one who could have taken it...Besides, like I said before, you hit like a girl."

"Oy!"

Isabela flicked her nose playfully and they both laughed. Hawke stared up at her again, feeling the pirate's hand brush across her face once more, then trace along the cut at the corner of her mouth, looking a little guilty.

"Did it help?" Lana asked, knowing the answer already.

"It...did," Isabela replied with a smirk, "but I'd rather it had been a Qunari face. Yours already has too many scars. It's like someone has used your body to sharpen a knife, Sweetness."

"Hey!" Lana complained, "Hasn't stopped you before."

Isabela chuckled, "Well, wasn't it you who said I had pretty low standards," she joked.

"Ooo!" Hawke recoiled, "Low blow! I'm feeling bad enough as it is over here."

"Oh, don't be such a woos," the pirate replied, twirling Lana's hair around her finger, "You've become a big cry baby recently, you know that?"

Lana giggled lightly, staring up at her, "I think we both have. What in all of Thedas has happened to us, Isabela? We used to be...fun, remember?"

"Vaguely," the pirate laughed, "Maker's Breath, we could give Aveline a run for her coin at boring people to death now."

Hawke rolled her eyes, "Shit, I thought you two had made up before we left," she replied, almost forgetting just how much animosity there used to be between the two women. She herself spent most of her time in between them, trying to keep them from tearing out each other's throats and the other half of her time bailing Isabela out of the brig.

"I suppose we did," Isabela relented, "She did scold me earlier though, so obviously not in her eyes."

Hawke blanched. "What you mean-? She's...Aveline's here!?" she exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Indeed," Isabela replied dryly, "'Big Iron Bollocks' has returned. Quite a few of our old acquaintances have crawled out of the woodwork too since we arrived. You'd be surprised who else I ran into last night when we entered Weisshaupt with you slung over Alistair's shoulder."

"Who?" Hawke asked eagerly, her eyes widening with curiosity. Isabela smirked at her.

"Oh no, you'll find out sooner or later, Sweetness...Preferably later in my opinion. Better you stay hidden altogether actually," she replied with a wink.

"Hidden?" Hawke repeated, "What in all of Thedas are you going on about, Bela? Who do I need to hide from?"

"No one," the pirate lied quickly. Damn it, don't bring it up now. Not when she has time to think about it. "It's nothing. Just... relax, Hawke."

She resumed her stroking of Lana's hair then, trying to lull her into a calming state once more, cursing herself for bringing up said guest. Hawke's mind was going crazy with eagerness now, hating being the only one in the dark over what had been going on while she was out-cold. She had to know who was downstairs and who could make Isabela's face set that way. Who would Isabela want me to hide from? She did have a lot of enemies it was true, but somehow, judging by the look on Isabela' s face, this person was not an enemy, at least not to Hawke. Still, there was a certain sourness to the pirate's normally uncaring features that worried Lana. Suddenly something else entered her mind then, distracting her entirely from her curiosity. She reached up and touched Isabela's cheek gently, getting her attention. The Rivaini's amber eyes stared down into hers, waiting.

"Bela," Hawke breathed, "Are we...Are we going to talk about what happened... in the woods?"

Isabela caressed her gentle features, staring into the depths of Lana's brown eyes. "I...Not yet, Sweetness...Not here..."

"Why?" Hawke asked softly, "Look...I already know what you're going to say. Back on the ship you weren't exactly cryptic. Can't we just get it over with? It's killing me."

Isabela sighed, staring down at her. She could see the desperate need for relief in Lana's chocolate-brown eyes. She needed to move on already, but after arriving here and seeing some 'old friends', the pirate was more reluctant than ever to let go. She stared at Lana's mouth then, feeling her body overcome with tingling warmth. Suddenly, without realising, their faces were gradually getting closer. In that instant, the pirate's lips softly made contact with Lana's. She heard the woman's sharp intake of breath and felt Hawke's tongue sweetly press against hers, slow and unfamiliar, as though it had been an age since they last expressed themselves this way. It was a weird sensation kissing upside down, but both women knew that it would feel strange no matter what position they were in. They had grown apart over recent weeks. Still, the kiss had been instinctive, possibly brought on by what had transpired between them recently. In that instant both Isabela and Hawke's minds flashed back to a few nights previous, to an unexpected event that had occurred on their travels to Weisshaupt Fortress...