"Expedition"

It took some time before everyone was patched up and ready to move on. Surprisingly, not very many of us had even gotten seriously injured. Though there were a few, in which it was decided it would be best to be left behind before they entered Suliden Keep. Having injured allies would only prove to drag the rest of them down, which I agreed with. I wasn't hurt, myself, and almost decided to stay behind (for the same reason the injured people were staying behind). It was a last minute decision that brought me along, not wanting to feel completely useless.

Even with my insistence, the dog did not seem to want to stay behind despite his injuries. It was cute, but worrying at the same time. The poor thing had already gone through so much and here he was, having to help us through battles not even a day after he was released from his captivity. Not that I felt ungrateful, or anything.

We were going to leave Emprise du Lion, since the rest of the area that needed to be scouted was across this broken bridge that needed to be repaired. But first and foremost, we'd went and claimed Suledin Keep to finish things off before we left. It hadn't been that difficult, seeing as how we had everyone with us. (Aside from the few that needed to stay behind) It was a little overkill, if you ask me. In the game you can only bring three others, but everyone? They stood no chance. The archers and mages didn't even really have to do much as the warriors simply plowed through our enemies with their big shiny swords.

Said enemies were even more grossly infected with Red Lyrium. It seemed not just people were getting experimented on with the stuff. Because we came across a few giants that were infected with the red crystal-like substance. It was horrifying, to put it simply.

There was also this demon named Imshael. Oh sorry, Choice Spirit. He was a little quirky and had asked Lavellan a question about what she wanted, to which she'd asked for virgins (jokingly). I learned something that day. Either that or I'd imagined it somehow, but he looked right at Cole and practically pointed out that he was the only virgin there. It didn't surprise me, really.

Cole, for the most part, did not seem at all phased by the fact that everyone now knew. If anything, he just didn't seem to care.

The battle with Imshael was actually more difficult than the enemies we'd encountered beforehand. He'd transformed into a few different forms and had actually ended up injuring some of our allies, which meant that we were now traveling at a much slower pace due to that.

Which brought us to our current predicament as we camped and rested for the night. We'd stopped early due to Blackwall and a few of the Chargers being in pretty bad condition. Bad condition to them meaning they needed more than one healing session. Stitches was working overtime to make sure they were comfortable in the small medical tent we'd erected for him.

I sighed, looking at the Mabari in front of me as I sat on the ground. He was seated upright, as well, and he was taller than I was when we were like this. I sat cross-legged and have been throwing names out at him to see if any of them stuck. Cole, Solas and Varric were seated not far away by the fire. The latter looked amused at some of the stuff I'd blurted these passed few minutes.

"Fluffy." I drawled, getting a growl out of the dog. That's a no. "Mr. Fuzzles!" He growled again and I couldn't help but snicker at the next one, "Barkspawn." The Mabari seemingly gave me a blank stare like 'really...?'.

"You're not really good at this, are you Screech?"

"Not at all." I huffed and sat there for a few beats before I mumbled, "I should just name you after Ironhide because you're so damn grumpy." Grumpy Autobots for the win.

He growled/groaned.

"Definitely grumpy. Maybe Growly would be sufficient."

"You know, the Dalish tell their dogs to 'take the Dread Wolf by the ear if he comes'. They are seen as protectors against unwanted wild beasts." I heard Dalish speak up in an idle tone, from across the fire.

"Oh?" I was a bit intrigued, I suppose. Though I had no idea who the Dread Wolf was, I still didn't mind sitting down at the fire for a nice story nonetheless. It was nice, because usually it was Varric regaling us with stories of his journeys or even just ones he's heard over his time in this world.

Dalish started telling a story of a clan that lived on the Silent Plains and how the Dread Wolf came. The dog protected his master and chased him away and all that good nonsense. It was quite the interesting tale, I've got to say. Though I couldn't help but remember snippets because Merrill had told the same story in Dragon Age II. "Neither hound nor Wolf gave in. Finally, Fen'Harel bit off his own tail to escape, and away he fled. Ever since, the Dread Wolf thinks twice about playing his tricks when dogs are on guard."

She finished the story in a rather ominous tone and I sat there, quiet for awhile.

"Huh." I spoke as an idea slowly clicked into my head. We had a few dalish elves in our group, why not give them a scare? "What do you think, boy? Fen'Harel sounds like a pretty awesome name."

Dalish looked absolutely horrified from her spot across the fire but otherwise didn't say anything to protest my statement. Maybe she couldn't. The dog huffed and laid down on his belly, looking at me with that blank stare of his.

"Who's a good Fenny? Fenny is a good boy!" I gave the Mabari a pat on the head and his paws came up to cover his face. Essentially, I'd made my furry friend facepalm. Or was it a facepaw? He'd likely simply given up on my complete and utter lack of skill at naming him, at this point.

"Are you sure you do not wish to think of a more … suitable name for your companion? Surely naming him after the Dread Wolf would be nothing short of embarrassing." Solas spoke up from beside an amused looking Varric. I flicked my brown gaze up at him and suppressed the urge to grin at his empty stare.

Them's fighting words, Solas. Insulting someone you didn't even know, how rude.

"I'm sure Fen'Harel wouldn't mind. It's not like he'd know anyway. Isn't he some … God or something?" I made a 'pfffft' sound and waved him off. The hobo-mage began to fiddle with his staff when he replied,

"You never know."

"Y-You can't possibly name the poor thing after Fen'Harel!" Dalish blurted finally, her face red from either anger or embarrassment? She might have been angry, I didn't know.

"Fen'Harel couldn't be that bad, could he? He couldn't be any more of an asshat than Solas, here." I reasoned as I motioned toward the man in question. I realized that I was probably insulting her culture in some unforgiving way and would likely apologize later if I needed to. It was too tempting, though. The expressions on their faces were worth it. I think I even saw Lynn peek over at us with a slightly miffed look on her face.

"Ugh!" The blonde mage threw her face into her hands, effectively giving up on me. The bald elf let out a drawn out sigh as he rubbed his face in an irritated manner. His expression did not change much, however.

Elves are so weird sometimes. I'm not racist, I have elf friends. Speaking of elf friends.

Sera looked absolutely pleased.

The impression I got just then was that the Dread Wolf was some form of the boogey man in this world. Probably a story of sorts to scare their children into being good or going to bed on time. But … then again, you never know. This is Thedas, after all. Shit here worked differently.

"You're insufferable." Solas murmured and I scoffed.

"Just don't hit me with your stick, Old Man." The elf gave me a look that clearly said he wanted to do more than just hit me with his stick. That look wasn't gonna work on me. I'd gotten worse from mother. Now she wasa force to be reckoned with. As bitchy as she was, I still recognized her ability to pretty much incinerate me with a look.

In the end I couldn't even think of a name for my poor furry companion. It will come. Eventually.

Third Person

Cole was spoken to that night somewhere secluded, Solas questioning whether Lyn actually knew about his little secret or not. The bald elf was aware that the otherworlder knew of a 'story' that spoke of the Inquisition and he was unsure if his true identity would have been uncovered or not. The blonde rogue replied that she had no clue that he was, in fact, the Dread Wolf. He knew that Solas simply wanted to right his wrongs and that saying anything would only end up hurting more than it would help. Thus is the reason why he said nothing.

The spirit-turned-human knew that the two of them did not get along and only hoped that they'd at least learn to tolerate one another at some point. Solas was, after all, his friend. And Lyn … well, she was very important to him. Angel had called her his girlfriend, since they were more than just friends now. The teen had also tried to threaten him, but didn't really do a good job at it.

When Cole curled up that night to get some sleep, the woman next to him was practically vibrating in place as she waited for him to get comfortable. For a person that usually detested physical contact so immensely, she really did love to cuddle.

He wasn't complaining, because he was the same way.

It was dark, save for the small sliver of light shooting through the crack in the tent flap. The fire was still crackling outside as Bull sat awake for first watch. Cole scooted closer to Lyn and she mirrored him, small hands clasping at his white shirt that he wore underneath his armor. She burrowed underneath their shared blanket. He could hear it, just then. The small echoes in the back of her head. Things she wanted to say but never did.

"You love me." Cole stated after a moment when they got settled for the night. It wasn't said as a question, rather a statement. He knew. She may not have said it aloud, but he could hear the whispers whenever they got close or were alone doing things with one another. Especially at times like this when they were huddled up close. The rogue heard her sigh as she shifted around, her unease seeping off of her dark form.

"Yes." It was a quiet answer, almost one that went unheard even by him. The word was foreign to him. Cole has heard and watched people in love, but it had never crossed his mind that anyone would feel that way about him.Him, of all people. He still couldn't wrap his head around it.

"It is so many in one, how can you be sure? Emotions, thoughts and desires all bundled, bunched and clustered all into one word. I-It's … I..." He wanted to tell her that he felt the same way, but how could he be sure? He didn't want to get it wrong and accidentally end up hurting her. Lyn was a strong woman, no doubt, but something told him that if he was to be the one to hurt her … it wouldn't end well.

"You don't have to say it if you're not ready. What matters is there is something there." Lyn mumbled quietly, placing her palm in the middle of his chest as she shuffled closer to him. "You like it when we do this?"

"I am content, comfortable. I wouldn't mind staying like this all night." Cole's hand had made it's way into her messy hair and she pressed her cheek against him in response.

"What about when I hug you?" She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, warmth radiating from his chest as she did it. Without even a second thought, he embraced her and held her tightly.

"Like when we cuddle, but more. Heart fluttering around and begging for more, to be closer. But we are already close."

"W-When we kiss?" Lyn's question caused his heart to stutter and when she tilted her head so that their faces were mere inches from one another, the nervousness he was feeling seemed to double. She wanted him to kiss her? Not that he disagreed. If anything, it was something he thought about quite often since they'd first done it.

Cole couldn't really see her in the dark, but his eyes searched for hers anyway. He took a breath, shaky as it was, and closed the small gap between them. When their lips met, it was as clumsy and awkward as the first two times. Only this time, he wrapped his arms around her tighter so that their bodies were flush against one another. He couldn't control it, sometimes his body reacted on it's own and didn't seem to want to listen to him. It was like some instinctive need to be closer to her, as his hands clutched the back of her tunic.

He could feel her do the same and his actions became a little more sure, more confident. Lyn's song was wonderful, but nothing compared to how it was when theirs were together. Intertwining before harmonizing in the most beautiful of ways. It almost hurt, knowing she couldn't hear this like he could. She couldn't see this, the energy that buzzed everywhere and spread from inside of him. Inside of her.

When she pulled away, it took most of his effort not to crush their lips together again. It had left him breathless and longing for more.

"Songs sing a beautiful melody." His voice came out rushed, whispering. "Chest feels warm, no – smoldering like a rock on a hot sunny day. Sizzling and spreading, I-I … I like it." A lot.

"It is not something easily understood … not even I can completely understand it." She explained and he could feel her nuzzle the underside of his jaw. "But I do know that is what it is, for me. It's something I've never had before."

"I've asked Varric and Dorian, they both say different things. Yet the same. It's confusing." Cole went to the two for a number of things. Varric because he was such a steady part of his life now, always there for him when he needed it. Coaching him on life's intricacies. Dorian had offered help in the ways of 'wooing' a woman and romantic endeavors, which Cole was grateful for. The Tevinter helped the spirit-turned-human understand a number of things. If it hadn't been for him, he probably wouldn't have taken these new things so smoothly. There would have been more stumbling and pain on their part, he was sure.

Cole could have sworn he heard Lyn mutter 'nosey mage' under her breath just then.

"It is." She conceded and he knew that she was confused about this subject like he was. Though she seemed to have more intuition when it came to her feelings than he did. She was, after all, born human. "No one can tell you how you feel, only you can do that. Say it when you're ready. Say it when you mean it."

"Some say it, empty words spill through confused lips. Unsure, but wanting to make the other happy. It doesn't work that way, though. It only ends up hurting, stinging. Like needles and knives in the heart. I wouldn't do that to you."

"I know."

"But … when I don't say it back, it hurts you." He seemed conflicted and Lyn squeezed him reassuringly.

"It would hurt more if you said it without actually meaning it." She reasoned, "It doesn't hurt much. I'm happy with what we have now."

She wasn't lying. The residual ache was pushed aside in favor of the amount of joy that she felt by simply being near him. Knowing that he felt something. She would wait. Cole did not want to make her wait too long, but he also did not want to say it and end up hurting her by accident. He had to be sure. Positive.

What was it, then, that he felt whenever they were so near? When they hugged or kissed? The rogue could not even imagine ever doing most of the things they did with anyone else. The mere thought of physical contact made the woman uneasy, jittery and irritable. But never with him. It was the same for him vice versa, minus the irritation.

They were friends, yet more. She thought of him as special to her. Important. With her, he knew what it was like to feel loved. But how could he be sure what he felt in return was love, as well? It was a rather complex subject.

He was interrupted from his musings when he felt her hand clutch at his shirt, her breathing evened out as she slept peacefully at his side. Cole could not see her, then. But like other times, he'd watched her sleep when they were together. Her face was probably relaxed and temperate, unlike when she was awake. When Lyn was awake, her face was usually marred with anger and irritation. Even remnants lingered on her face while they were together, at times. Never as soft and … vulnerable as she was when she was asleep.

The woman never slept near anyone, because of her lack of trust in people. So the fact alone that she allowed Cole to sleep next to her every night was a statement in itself. Trust, hope, someone that believed in him. Yes, she believed in him when no one else had. Even as far back as Haven. Memories of back then were so fuzzy, but still there. Kind of. His eyes drooped. It didn't take long for him to slowly join her, drifting off.

The next morning Cole was greeted with the sounds of sparring just outside of his tent. The occasional grunt and growl of frustration could be heard before the obvious sound of bodies falling to the ground could be heard. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up and shook his head to clear his thoughts. Who would be sparring this early in the morning? He only knew it was sparring because he could sense no actual hostility.

It was then that the blonde rogue noticed the missing form of Lyn, who had likely left to get ready for the day. He peeked his head out of the flap on the tent, instantly met with the chilled morning air. After he'd put his armor on and exited the tent, he was met with the sight of two wrestling forms rolling around in the snow. The two were throwing jibes at one another as they did so.

"What's the matter, Princess? Getting tired already?" Krem taunted, pushing the woman into the snow on her back. Lyn growled in response, a snarl on her face. Though they both knew that she wasn't really angry. Krem, because they always did this when they sparred. Cole, because he could feel it.

"Call me a Princess again, you son of a bitch!"

"Hmmm, yes. Mother was a bitch." The warrior seemed to agree as he pinned her arms above her head, "Princess."

"You cocky little-!" The woman wrapped her legs around his waist and flipped him over, completely reversing their position. It was right then that a loud, deep, bark echoed from beside the two. The friends both froze at the sound. One second Krem was being pinned down by his friend, the next he saw a mass of brown fur and he was staring at the empty sky. Lyn had been tackled off of Krem and onto the ground again. The Mabari pinned her down and stared at her, his nose mere inches from her face.

"Shit, don't you dare." She warned, seeing the dog's nose get a bit closer. Mouth panting and sending a rather unappealing smell into her face. "Fenny!" It got even closer, slobber dripping down from his muzzle. "Ironhide?!"

Apparently it was the wrong answer.

The otherworlder screeched as he licked her face, jaw to forehead, her hands held up on each side making clawing motions. Afterward, he stood up and walked off like it hadn't even happened. The war-hound took a seat a small distance away and watched as she wiped her face off furiously.

Krem was laughing pretty hard and Lyn was on the ground pouting, still trying to wipe the dog slobber from her face. When the warrior went over and knelt next to her, Cole couldn't help but feel that familiar digging, stabbing sensation in his gut. Like a wave of emotion threatening to consume him and the only thing he could think about was standing between the two. Why was that?

It didn't seem to matter and he didn't even realize that he'd walked up to the two, a small frown on his face. His piercing blue eyes fixated on Krem, who had now taken notice of his presence. The two stared at one another for what seemed to be a minute before Lyn even noticed. What he was feeling was … unpleasant.

"Cole?" The otherworlder tilted her head up at him. When he didn't answer right away, she began to frantically wipe off the rest of her face before standing up. "I didn't see you there."

Yes. Unpleasant was the word to describe that feeling. Krem was human, more capable of understanding his thoughts and emotions when it came to intimate relationships. Cole was not. He knew that and it made him feel … inadequate. He knew the warrior had feelings for Lyn, but had not spoken to her about them.

The woman looked between the young men, perplexed. Krem was still crouched on the ground staring up at the rogue with an uneasy look on his face. Cole could tell that the warrior was pleading with him not to say anything. To keep it a secret, she didn't need to know.

"Oh, come on. I didn't throw you that hard during our spar, did I?" Lyn, for the most part, was quite oblivious to what was even going on between the two. She did, however, notice that Krem seemed uneasy and reluctant to stand up. To which she took as him being too hurt to stand. That is, until she looked at Cole. He had a small frown etched into his pale features, head tilted so that his hat hid his eyes. Oh. Oh. "Cole... are... are you glaring?"

Lyn's face faltered, comprehension dawning on her face just then. The woman leaned forward to get a look at him. Sure enough, he was. Though it was gone before she knew it as he turned his blue gaze over to her.

"Maybe." He'd been unaware of it until Lyn pointed it out, but it seemed that he was glaring. The rogue put a hand on his stomach, trying to ease the feeling away. It didn't go away. Especially when the warrior stood up from right next to her but refused to leave. Though he was staring at Cole worriedly. Worried, not for the rogue, but because he didn't want to get ratted out.

"There's no maybe about that. Are you jealous?" She said the last word quietly, almost like she couldn't believe it. Was he? Was it bad to feel this way?

"I don't know." Was his short reply, his voice coming out in an even tone. Cole started to feel a bit scared. What if what he was feeling was jealousy? What if she looked at him differently for it? Lyn seemed to notice his inner turmoil and offered, what seemed to be, a comforting smile. As small as it was.

"You don't have to be. Krem is like a brother to me." She may have thought that, but he noticed the small amount of pain flicker through the warrior's eyes before his expression settled with a small smile. He was hurt, but he was happy? Was it possible – no, it was. Lyn was hurt just the night before, yet happy and content. The things in this world were often unpredictable, especially when it came to people.

Kind of like how he was feeling just then. His hands relaxed when hers were placed on his, small fingers clutching at him. He hadn't realized that, either. Cole's body sometimes had a mind of it's own, it seemed. The feeling in his stomach and chest started to subside as he focused down on her.

"It's normal. It's okay." Lyn spoke softly and was about to continue before someone blurted something from across camp.

"Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!" Came the gruff voice of Rocky, the Charger's demolition's expert. This caused a few of the others to look up curiously from their tired shuffling. Everyone was slowly starting to wake up for the day to continue their journey. The otherworlder's face pinkened as she sighed at the man's antics.

"I think I'll go pack everything up." She mumbled before releasing her grip and stalking off toward their tent.

"You didn't tell her." Krem finally spoke after staying quiet the whole time. He didn't trust that he wouldn't blurt something embarrassing or make the situation worse somehow. He was grateful that the lanky rogue hadn't said anything, despite his reputation for blurting everyone's secrets out for all to hear.

"Sometimes people don't need to hear it, because it will only cause more pain." Cole answered, nodding his head minutely. "The things I said to Cullen sometimes hurt him, I stopped that. Before … I didn't know. But now I do. I'm learning."

"Right..." Krem sighed, rubbing his arm in an awkward fashion. "Well, thanks for that. She doesn't need to know."

"Yes." Cole readily agreed and the warrior shifted his weight uneasily before turning to leave.

First Person

I watched as the three men (Varric, Dorian and Cole) stood next to one another and attempted to have a quiet conversation. 'Attempted' being the key word. Though I heard something about Cassandra and I being secretly 'soft', to which I'd yelled over at them about. I was, as per usual, ignored. Cole, for the most part, seemed a bit out of place next to the two as he shuffled on his feet uneasily. Varric and Dorian were doing most of the speaking. I had no idea about what. I swear, sometimes I wondered if the men here on Thedas gossiped more than the women.

Then again, I was hardly around any women to know if they gossiped at all. Lynn and Sera, for the most part, seemed to steer clear of doing that. Well … maybe not Sera. The loud elf liked to talk about anyone and everyone but I'd always just brushed that off as Sera-ish behavior.

We were getting our horses strapped up and ready to go when I hefted myself atop my brown horse. Skittles shifted and stomped her foot as she looked off into the distance. I ran my fingers through her mane and gave her gentle pats on the neck to soothe her.

"I have been meaning to speak to you." I heard the cool voice of Solas. I twitched and turned to look at him with a blank look on my face. It took a few beats before he realized I was waiting for him to continue, "You very well could have gotten shredded by the enemy for what you did back in the Highlands. Why did you do it, if I may ask?"

No, you may not. Damn it, he was seriously going to blow my cover. I didn't want to know how people would begin to react if they knew that I actually cared about them. I'd had nothing but bad experiences with people when they found out that I cared and only ended up getting used and manipulated in the end. Which was why I kept up the ruse of being an ass to everyone I met. Most people, that is. What I did in private with certain people should stay that way.

So I ended up blurting the assiest thing I could think of,

"You're our only hope at getting back home. Couldn't have you dying on us." I turned my head away and spurred my horse into a trot as I made my way over to the Inquisitor and her hart. I didn't even glance back to see Solas' face. Crap. I never referred to Earth as 'home' anymore. Perhaps he wouldn't notice that minor slip-up.

As far as I was concerned, this was home.


I held my breath, arrow notched and ready to fly. The ram flicked it's tail and lifted it's head. That's when I let it cut through the air with a 'fwip!' and it hit home with a 'thud!', the ram falling over from my kill shot. It had surprised me, actually, because usually I had to fire two or three arrows to take it down. This time I'd actually hit it where I was supposed to, apparently. The Mabari at my side huffed, pouncing out of the bushes and thundering forward to our dinner. Key word, our.

Apparently Mr Grump, there, thought he could eat the whole thing to himself. I'd taken him along this once to get him acquainted with hunting, since he was still quite young. If he decided to leave, at least he'd know to fend for himself.

Said Mabari had his jaws locked onto the hind leg of the ram as he continuously gnawed on it.

"Oh no you don't, young man!" I yelled, stomping forward through the bushes. I heard the leaves rustle as my boots thudded forward in the dirt and snow. The dog seemingly glared back at me, "Have you no manners? You must be patient! You couldn't finish that whole thing, anyway."

I scolded him and he simply growled in response, giving me a look that said 'watch me'. I put my hands on my hips and leaned forward,

"I'm not bringing you hunting with me again if you don't drop that this instant." I spoke in my best 'mom' voice.

He let out a growling whine.

"Now!" The war-hound huffed and let go, stomping a small distance away and pacing. Soon enough, he walked in a circle before plopping down on his belly and pouting. The dog watched me clean the catch, like I usually did before I dragged it back to camp.

Once I was finished, I started with the painstakingly hard part of sawing off the hind leg at the top joint. I stood up and offered the part to the Mabari, seeing him stare at me with that blank look of his. "See? Not too hard, right?"

The dog sat up and continued to stare at me for a moment before slowly grabbing the offered part and turning his head away. He let out a growl that sounded oddly like a grumble before standing up and ambling back toward the camp. I followed not far behind, dragging dinner behind me in the process. A small puddle that I'd walked by on the way back provided me with enough water to clean the mess from my hands and arms so that I didn't look like a serial killer when I got back. Cleaning animals was never a neat task, might I add. Eh.

We sat around the fire and watched as Bull put some of the meat on a stick and began to cook it slowly over the fire. It was usually either he or Lynn that did the cooking, generally speaking. I knew that if I ever cooked, it would likely end up charred and crispy. At least it'd be well done, right?

I idly listened to them speak amongst one another and I could not help but notice Blackwall and Dorian conversing rather loudly. It wasn't just me that took notice of it, either.

"Corypheus. One of yours, isn't he?" The bearded warrior asked, looking over at the Tevinter who was seated next to him.

"One of mine? Like a pet? Like a giant darkspawn hamster with aspirations of goodhood?" Dorian questioned. He then spoke in a ridiculous voice, "'Dorian, why can't you look after your little friends? Corypheus peed on the carpet again!' In this analogy, the carpet is Haven."

I couldn't help the short burst of air that came through my nose in the most ungodly and unladylike sounding snort. Wow, that was attractive.

"What wasthat?" Sera asked, snorting and giggling as well. Though, hers was because of the noise I'd just made. Dorian and Blackwall's conversation faded into the background as I looked over at my blonde elf friend.

At least she was no longer angry at me. It had taken her a couple of days before she would talk to me again, but now it was like nothing ever happened. I'm not sure if I did it right. The apology, that is, but I didn't intend to do something like that again.

"Oh, come on. His analogy was pretty hilarious, wasn't it?"

"Wha' Coryphyshite? I meant that noise ya just made."

"Corypheus brings out the worst in all of us." I nodded knowingly, my hand resting underneath my chin. That works! I should just blame Corypheus for everything. If there were Gods to be cursed, I could always just curse a wannabe God, instead. But that would be weird if I replaced 'God' with 'Corypheus' instead. I mean, don't people shout 'Oh God, yes!' during sex? That would create some rather … interesting misunderstandings.

Something I'd rather not explain, thank you.


It was about three or so days later until we finally got far enough away from the snowy climate that it was actually starting to feel warm. It was beautiful, actually. Everything appeared to be greener, the trees changing from pines to leafy greens. Grass sprouted up and swayed in the wind. Not that I hated winter weather, it was just a nice change. As opposed to freezing my poor little fingers off, since I didn't have gloves.

This also meant that if we camped near a stream I could finally go fishing instead of trying to hunt. I found it quite amusing that Dalish and I were usually the only ones to go out and either hunt or fish for dinner. We'd switch on and off, she'd go one night and I'd go another. Though sometimes we'd come back with nothing and have to resort to nibbling on our rations in our packs. Usually it was either rabbits or august rams of some sort, however. The rest of the group idly foraged on our way down the paths whenever we weren't on our horses, to save what rations we did have.

It seemed a few of the party members were getting quite restless (namely Iron Bull), since the only 'action' we'd gotten was the occasional bandit and wildlife. I wasn't complaining, since the incident with the Red Templars had shaken me pretty well. Ending up as a smear in the snow wasn't really on my list of things 'to do' thanks.

Speaking of 'to do' lists … I'd made one awhile back. There was some things that I want to get done before I die, since I was now on Thedas. New world new things to explore, yeah? But I'd ended up burning that list because some cheeky bastard decided to add a few things to it. Among those few things happened to be Cole's name. I'm just glad no one dug around in my things that often and I had yet to figure out who the hell did it. I had a sneaking suspicion it may have been Sera. That bitch, she was probably just trying to embarrass me on the off chance that someone might have found that list.

Now, if Varric had come across that list – how would I have even explained myself? I don't think anyone would take too kindly to their son, adopted or not, being on someone's 'to do' list. Being on the ass end of Bianca wasdefinitely not something I wanted to happen within any of my lifetimes. Thankfully said spirit was busy talking to Varric just ahead of me and had yet to look back during my inner ranting.

The dirt underneath Skittles' hooves crunched and got knocked around as we slowly ambled down a trail. The sky was overcast and the clouds looked pretty angry out in the distance and I only hoped we found some suitable shelter before the storm hit.

There was a small town peeking off just over the hill, causing me to sigh in relief from atop my horse. I knew that Lynn was probably going to rent some rooms at a local tavern to take a load off before heading out tomorrow. A nice woman, she was. Sleeping in a real bed actually sounded really nice. Though I'd grown used to sleeping in odd places since my arrival, a bed was still appreciated.

Which was another thing. Small things in our world like washing clothing in washing machines, cars, buying food from grocery stores and even small things like flushing toilets were often overlooked. Especially since they were so common back on Earth that no one really thought much of it. But, living here for as long as I have, there was that huge gap there that sometimes caused me to feel almost homesick. Not for people at home or even the fact that I wanted to go back, because I didn't. But it was because I mourned how convenient things were back there, as opposed to here.

I groaned as I hefted myself off of my horse, feeling my muscles ache from the long ride. We were handing our horses off to a local stablehand that would watch them until we left. Inquisitor Lavellan had told everyone that we were to stay there for the night, since the storm that was coming in looked like it would be pretty harsh. Not only that, but I could tell that she was pretty exhausted. We all were.

My first goal, as everyone discussed who was bunking with who, was getting a room of my own. I may have been wasting my own silvers, but I'd much rather pay extra than end up sharing a room with someone (Aside from Cole, of course). Something about falling asleep around people just made me feel really uneasy, so there's that. There was a single window, which was shut, that overlooked the field where our horses were being kept. The fence spanned a large distance and a few of them were grazing happily as the clouds in the distance slowly got darker and darker. An unlit candle sat on the nightstand near the shoddy looking bed. The room was worn down, but clearly better than sleeping in a bedroll.

I sighed as I dropped my heavy pack on the worn out wood floors on the second floor. The bag hit the ground with a loud 'Thud!'. I stretched, hearing my joints crack and I flopped onto the bed face first. Before I could get comfortable, however, I heard a soft knock at my door. Huh.

Somehow or another, I landed myself alone at a table with Cole in the tavern. He was sitting across from me looking completely out of his element. I think I heard something about a date? What people did on dates was largely unknown to me, since the only experience I had was with a boy in high school. Not much for romance, either. I didn't even have knowledge from sappy books to fall back on!

He'd even walked over and pulled out my chair for me before we sat down, Dorian's advice no doubt (probably some crap about being a gentleman).

So I sat there awkwardly and stared at him. To be fair, he looked just as confused and out of place as I was. There was confusion on both ends before this. I'm not even completely sure he knew what he was asking at the time – or maybe he did but didn't know how to even go about it. That seemed more plausible, since Cole was not as oblivious as most made him out to be. Naive and innocent at times, sure. But he also held an amount of wisdom I've never seen in anyone else, seeing things in a much broader and unique perspective. He was bizarre – strange in the most wonderful of ways. But that was my opinion.

That was when I realized that Cole was likely much older than he appeared to be. He appeared to be in his early twenties, just like me, but he was not of this world. He wasn't born here and had lived a majority of his existence in the Fade, had he not? For all I knew he could be hundreds of years my senior (Possibly more). I closed my eyes and scrunched my eyebrows. That didn't matter, though. Didn't he say he couldn't remember much of his time there, anyhow? This was all starting to give me a headache.

I was interrupted from my musing when I heard wood cracking. It started as a small sound, unnoticeable even. Then it got louder, progressively. I squinted and watched as Cole suddenly disappeared behind the table with a yell and a rather heavy sounding 'thud!'.

Oh.

"Uhhhhh..." Was my eloquent reply, hearing someone snicker from across the tavern. Some of the others giggled as well, but it was Sera that laughed first and I flicked my brown gaze at her suspiciously. Before I could even move to stand up, a pale hand emerged and clasped onto the table shakily.

"I-I'm fine." Cole's voice wobbled as he stood back up and peered down at the, now broken, chair on the floor. I couldn't help the shot of amusement that flared in my chest at his disheveled state, white-blonde hair standing on end and hat missing. It was quickly stamped down when I saw how apprehensive he actually looked and I instantly felt bad for it.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" One of the barmaids fretted, having been not too far away when the commotion occurred. "I-I don't know what happened!"

"Damaged, cracked and worn away. The chair was weakened on purpose." He mumbled quietly as the woman began to pick up the remnants of his wood chair. Yep. Definitely Sera. He turned to reassure the nervous woman, "It wasn't your fault."

"I-I'll be right back." The woman scurried away and Cole simply grabbed another chair, but not before staring at it critically.

Once Cole was seated again, I couldn't help but notice that his face seemed to be scrunched a little in concentration. The kind of look someone made when they were trying their hardest not to do something. My eyes closed halfway as the barmaid from earlier came over to take our orders. This … should be interesting. When the woman asked them what they wanted, Cole seemed nervous again. Almost like he didn't know how to answer.

"I don't – I … Cookies?" He squeaked out the last word, voice on the verge of cracking. He sounded incredibly awkward and out of his element and didn't seem to want to say 'I don't eat' like he usually did. Did someone say not to? My eyes narrowed at the thought, who has been stuffing nonsense in his head? The barmaid looked confused but accepted his answer and looked over to me.

"Whatever soup or stew the cook has prepared for the day." I shrugged, not really caring what I got, and looked over at Cole. He was fine and he was doing alright, there really was no need for him to be so darn nervous. I tried to get his attention, but he didn't even seem to hear me at all. I rose a brow, not quite used to him not hearing me. It was almost instinctive, now.

The fact that he'd ordered cookies didn't really surprise me at all, really. It was, after all, one of the only things he willingly ate. Even after his change, he still didn't need to eat. But did only when it came to the very few things he liked. Cookies, for example.

"You seem nervous." I pointed out the obvious from my spot on my stool, voicing my concerns rather than trying to get his attention like I usually did. "You don't have to be. We're just eating, like that time we had lunch together?"

"Nervous? Yes, nervous. I-I..." Cole paused and almost seemed to pout. It was kind of cute, actually. No time for that, I had to calm him down somehow. But how? I knew for a fact that the meddling mage and dwarf probably put him up to this. No doubt, talking about how important it was. The thought had me glaring at the table.

The woman appeared with our orders before I could speak up and try to calm him down. She set some large tankards of water in front of our meals. Before I could dig in, however, I watched as Cole reached for his water and fumbled it by accident. The thing tipped over and sent a rather nice sized puddle of water trickling in my direction. To simplify, I'd gotten water all over my lap. It was cold and seeped into my pants, making me squirm slightly. The only thing I was capable of doing was staring down at it with a dulled expression. "Oh...well."

I could have sworn I heard him mutter 'that wasn't supposed to happen' under his breath as he scurried up and handed me some handkerchiefs. You know, for being so good with his hands in battle … he really did drop things a lot.

"It's fine, Cole." I tried to reassure, wiping myself off calmly as he stared down at me worriedly. "It's just water."

I was in the middle of wiping off the water on the table when he clasped my hand and I could feel how warm he was. Was he really that nervous? I suddenly felt irritation course through me at the two people that had likely put him up to this. He didn't have to, but probably thinks that he has to because it was what humans did when they courted.

It made sense now.

"'Use words, Kid. Ya can't always look into people for your answers. Especially now.'" He muttered quickly, seemingly unaware that he was currently blurting his thoughts aloud. Cole opened his mouth to speak again, but I held up my free hand to silence him.

I dug in my pockets and threw some silvers on the table, standing up and dragging him out of the building. The rogue stumbled behind me as I stomped off, the door shutting with a little more force than intended. They'd pushed him out of his comfort zone and I was pissed.

We slowly made their way around the building, the sky darkening from an oncoming storm. I came to a stop between the tavern and a shop, mostly hidden from people as I released my grip on Cole and whipped around.

"Cole-" I tried as we locked gazes. Cole did not look calm at all.

"I did it wrong. I'm sorry!" He spouted, hands fiddling around with his hand wraps. His eyes quickly averted mine and stared down at the ground instead. "Dates. Dates make women happy. Ask her about her interests. Talk. Listen. S-So many things to do at once, it's so confusing I-!"

"Cole."

"Can't do it. Too much." The way he'd sounded so distressed just then caused something inside of me to twist and ache. He was having such a difficult time because of me, essentially. I felt horrible for it.

"Cole!" I silenced him by putting my hand on his cheek, his blue gaze focusing on me. His mouth was open like he wanted to continue but I wouldn't let him, "I-If this is … getting to be too much for you, we can stop."

"No!" His eyes widened into saucers at my implication. As if the thought itself was offensive even to think about. "I didn't mean it like that. Not that. Anything but that. Please."

"Okay." My voice was quiet, relieved. "That stuff Varric and Dorian have been feeding you. Err … telling you. You don't have to do those things for me."

It really bothered me how they filled his head with such nonsense. It was nice, sure, but only if he wanted to do it himself. Not because he felt obligated to. This kind of crap was common back in my world, too. The men always had to do this and do that in order to'impress' the woman somehow. I never thought I'd have to go through the weird little dating rituals that seemed to stretch all the way into this world, as well.

"But they said-" He tried to protest, but I spoke before he could continue.

"I don't care what they said!" I said in a firm tone, "You're doing fine. Have you had to do anything other than be yourself to get me to see you? I'm happiest when you're being you. That's all. Nothing to it."

"I don't like it when I can't hear you." Cole conceded, shoulders slumping minutely. It was a relief that he didn't look as worked up as he had just seconds ago. At least my words were getting through to him. I sighed and grabbed his hand,

"They told you not to, huh?"

"Yes." Was his soft reply. His expressions earlier made sense to me just then, how he seemed to concentrate on not listening to me like he usually did. They may have thought that he would be better off trying to act 'normal', but that wasn't the case. Not in this, anyway. Cole was doing what most guys thought they needed to do in order to 'get the girl'. Change themselves to impress them. I wasn't having any of that, because that was bullshit.

"I like it when you can hear me, so ignore what they say and just do what you think is right. " It was true, I'd gotten quite used to him hearing me and being aware of things all the time. Him not knowing would be kind of weird, at this point. "What feels right, to you?"

"This." Cole held up my hand, which was clasped around his. He carefully threaded our fingers together and I felt a warm smile make it's way onto my face. A faint blush formed on his cheeks as he stared down at me from underneath his shaggy hair. Some thunder rolled in the distance, causing me to break eye contact with him and peer up at the sky. The clouds were an angry grey and I could have sworn I saw lightning in the distance.

"Let's go inside, it sounds like it will rain soon." I bumped the brim of his hat playfully, seeing him nod before we turned and walked toward the tavern hand in hand.


"You have an affinity for animals, it seems. Not just horses." Blackwall spoke from one side of the table, most had already headed up to their respective rooms for sleep. The only ones at the table being Blackwall, Varric and Cole. A few candles were lit on the table along with some lanterns on the wall to provide us with some illumination as we sat around and chatted.

"Since I was a child." I agreed, remembering the times when I would get along just fine with 'rabid' dogs or when I fell into a cow pen one time and didn't get attacked – but my uncle did. I turned my head and looked behind me, seeing the massive Mabari laying down with his head in his paws as he stared up at me.

"You're a rogue." Blackwall tried to clarify, causing me to look back at him and tilt my head.

"You're a warrior." I rose a brow and he sighed exasperatedly as he shook his head.

"You'd make a fine ranger, if you put your mind to it." He elaborated and I snorted in response, letting out a small chuckle. A ranger, that's a laugh.

"I'm hardly a good enough rogue to begin with. Half-assed, really. And you expect me to be able to become a ranger to top it all off?" I doubted I could even begin to learn the intricacies that came with being a ranger. It seemed nothing ever went right for me in this world, anyhow. Since my arrival here, learning things was always … difficult, unlike back on Earth when I always got good grades in college and high school. This was not that.

"Self-doubt creating chains around your potential. You think you can't do it, but I think you can." Cole tried to encourage me, making me turn my brown gaze at the worn out table in front of us. I picked at the wood nervously,

"But … bears." I mumbled, not even wanting to think about the idea of trying to ask one for help. That's what a ranger did, right? No way in hell. Nope. Nuh uh.

"I once knew a ranger that was deathly afraid of spiders." Varric peeked up from writing in his journal, "It made battle funny when he'd summon one to aid us. The look on his face … everytime." He sounded incredibly amused as he barked out the last word with a laugh.

"I'd sooner summon spiders than bears, to be honest."

"Not afraid of them?"

"I sleep in the loft of a barn, we kind of share the space." I replied, seeing him shiver at the thought. Varric didn't seem to like the idea of spiders. I didn't really take him as the type to feel scared of the poor little furry insects. They helped with a plethora of things and even though they had many legs, I didn't really mind their presence. As long as they were not crawling on my face, that is. Annoying bastards.

I heard a soft whine from my right, causing me to divert my attention down to the huge furry beast sitting on the wood floor. The Mabari tilted his head and his tongue lolled out as he panted.

"Ah, right. I have yet to give you a name. Though … you do know you could leave at any time, right?" I spoke as I turned my body so that I was facing him. He scooted forward and put his nose on my knee, brown eyes never leaving mine. He looked so insanely adorable just then I had to physically suppress the squeal that almost made it's way out of my mouth, my hand flying to my lips.

Unexpected girlish tendencies. Please go away.

"He doesn't want to leave. He wants to protect you. You helped him, fed him and cared for him when no one else did." Cole's soft voice floated through the air at my right and I looked over to see him sitting right next to me as well, close enough so our elbows were almost touching. He and the Mabari were staring at each other, the dog's ears would flick occasionally and I could have sworn I saw the rogue nod at the dog.

"C-Can you understand him?" I sounded almost incredulous and the thought hadn't even crossed my mind until just then. Of course, because of his spirity gifts, he could possibly sense the emotions and thoughts of animals as well. Humans, after all, weren't the only ones with such things.

"A little."

"That's – Wow, Cole." Was all I could say as I stared over at him in awe. I'd always loved the idea of possibly being able to communicate with animals and here he was able to listen and understand them in no way we humans ever could. "Sometimes I envy your ability."

"You don't have to be like me to make friends with them. You are able to do it, anyway." Cole pointed out and began to rub the Mabari's fur behind his ears. The dog, for the most part, seemed absolutely content with the fact that we were both turned around giving him attention. Blackwall and Varric were conversing behind us quietly. I felt a wet nose being placed on the top of my hand that was resting on my knee, making me avert my gaze from Cole down to my furry companion.

"I know, boy. You deserve a real name." I smiled, feeling happy that he decided to stay. He wanted to protect me and it made me feel oddly … warm. "How about Riley?"

The Mabari tilted his head and let out a low and short 'woof'.

"He likes it."

"Riley it is."