All alone as I've learned to be
In this mess I have made
—Mess, Ben Folds Five

"So I'm watching Alistair wail on good old Ser Satisfaction, and that's when it hits me: he's not worried that I'll die from the Joining—he's worried I'll chicken out." Solona stopped her pacing of the gazebo floor and stared unseeing out at the conjured meadow. Alistair's face…she'd never seen him look so angry. It sent a sliver of ice into her gut to think of being on the other end of his sword. "He figures I'll have too much time to think about it, and so when the time actually comes he thinks I won't be able to." She turned to look at Aurelian, who was still sitting on the bench with one arm draped over the back of it. Her face contorted into a deep frown. "And he was fucking right wasn't he? I mean, I pretty much just proved him right by running!"

She covered her face with her hands, bitterly wishing she would have spent the day moping around camp instead of getting into trouble with Alistair. How could she have been so stupid?

Aurelian sighed and then Solona heard his soft footsteps and felt his hand on her arm. "There, there, Solona. Don't be so hard on yourself. You did what you had to do. No one could blame you for running."

She peeked up at him from behind her hands. Maker, Aurelian was tall. He beamed down at her affectionately. "Ya think?" she said, voice rising to a pitch that made her wince.

"Of course!" Aurelian gave her arm a little squeeze and then let go so he could cross his arms in front of him and look down at her. "You cannot risk taking the Joining—I won't hear of it. It's far too dangerous. You simply had to get away from them."

Solona twisted her hands together. "I don't know. I think maybe I overreacted. Because now what am I going to do? I don't know anyone else. They were the only friends I've had since…" She trailed off, not wanting to think of Neria and Jowan. But then, her eyes went wide. "Jowan! Fuck! I totally forgot about Jowan! Fuck! Shit! Shit shit shit."

Once again, Aurelian reached out to touch her arm. "Calm yourself. Please—what does he have to do with any of this?"

"Elissa! She was going to let Isolde have him executed. But if I'm gone, he's fucked! That stupid Orlesian bitch will have him killed and Elissa won't lift a finger to stop it."

"Slow down and explain. Why does she want Jowan executed? And how is this your fault?"

Right. She'd only glossed over the events at Redcliffe when she explained her current predicament. "It's kind of a long story but…" She took a deep breath and then let it out. "So, I told you that Elissa needed my help to rescue this kid in the Fade, right? Well, the whole reason we had to do that turned out to be Jowan. He managed to get himself in a shit ton of trouble and the gist of it is that he agreed to poison this noble to get out of it. But that just sparked a bunch of craziness in Redcliffe and at the end if it all they wanted to execute him for it." She frowned, remembering how cold Elissa had been about taking Jowan's life. The memory made her insides twist. "I had to agree to do Elissa a favor to get him off the hook."

"A favor?" Aurelian said, mahogany brows climbing his forehead.

"Yeah, a favor. As in, anything I'm capable of, ability-wise." Aurelian's eyebrows remained fixed high up on his forehead, eliciting an exasperated shrug out of her. "It was the only thing I could think of to stop her! Don't think I don't appreciate the irony."

"I'm merely surprised, Solona. The last time we spoke you were quite clear about your distaste for certain aspects of our shared…talents."

Solona threw up her hands and made an inarticulate growl. "Well, can you fucking blame me? After what I did to Neria—"

"You overestimate your abilities, my dear. As I told you then, you're simply not skilled enough in dream walking to be able to accomplish a true change in your victim's mind."

Her mouth went dry at the casual way Aurelian spoke about fucking with someone's mind, but she shook her head, not wanting to have this argument again with him. "Right, she was on the fence about me and I pushed her over the edge. I get it." She waved a hand. "It's not important."

At least, she hoped it didn't turn out to be. She didn't know just how much Elissa expected from her for this little "favor"...or if she could truly deliver.

But it didn't matter, because doing this favor for Elissa was the only thing keeping Jowan alive. She shook her head again, feeling panic start to edge its way back into her throat. "I have to go back. I have to go back to them."

"Solona, breathe." Strong hands gripped her shoulders and she found herself staring up at the magister's yellow-eyed gaze. "Think for a moment. If you go back there, you'll just find yourself in danger 'll eventually have to do the Joining or die." He rubbed the top of her arm and gave a little wince. "I know Jowan is your friend, but do you really wish to die for his mistake?"

It was her turn to wince. When you put it like that… "But, I can't just abandon him. Not…not again." She frowned up at Aurelian. "I just can't."

Aurelian gave a deep sigh, and then let go of her and brought his hand to his face to rub his chin. It was a little funny to her now, how odd she thought he looked when they first met. His hairline was either shaved or plucked into two unnatural V's, giving him the appearance of having horns, and though his beard was trimmed into a more conventional looking shape, it was meticulously groomed and sometimes Solona even thought…scented. He had seemed so foreign, so sophisticated and mysterious—and yet he still took time to talk to her and help her, and had never asked her for anything in return.

She was fortunate to have met him.

"You know, if you weren't so opposed to using your special talents, we could make this whole problem go away for you," the magister said, one eyebrow raised in gentle reproach.

Of course, lucky as she was, they did still hold some wildly different opinions about their abilities. To Aurelian, they were blessed. To Solona, it felt more like a curse. She gave a sigh that came from somewhere bone-deep inside of her. "I'm not going to fuck with anyone's head."

Magister Aurelian's traced the line of his mustache with his thumb and forefinger. His hands looked soft and his nails were all neat and trimmed. "No, no, of course," he muttered. "You won't."

Something in Solona's chest tightened. "Yeah, well, no one can, actually. I taught both him and Elissa the Litany of Adralla."

The lie flew out of her lips automatically. She had tried to get the big stupid lug to memorize the litany, but every time she tested him on it, he failed to recite it properly. "Yeah, I know," he would sigh in exasperation. "It's not for lack of trying, Solona. I just…I just have a lot on my mind right now, alright?"

She turned to stare out at the meadow again, hoping Aurelian wasn't somehow aware of how rapidly her heart was beating. Aurelian had to believe her. She was angry and scared about what Alistair had said (or more precisely, what he didn't say) but that didn't mean he deserved to have Aurelian go traipsing around inside his head. Especially not on her account…she'd never forgive herself if she let that happen. "The two of them are immune to dream walking," she finished with a shrug.

Aurelian's sigh of exasperation made the knot in her chest loosen. "Why in the Void would you do that?"

He believed her—he couldn't tell that she was lying. Aurelian had told her that dreamers were immune to others dreamers' abilities, and he'd never given her any reason to doubt that, but still…it was relief to discover she could still keep things from him, if she needed to.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Aurelian. It was just that…he came from a different culture—his values were foreign and sometimes even a little cruel, but Solona had told herself he was just a product of his environment. She could overlook a few of his faults for the benefits of having him as a friend. "I had to!" she insisted, turning to look up at Aurelian in despair. "They would never trust me if I didn't teach 'em it. It was the only way they'd take me along."

He rolled his eyes. "You know it makes it very difficult to help you when you so effectively manage to limit yourself."

Solona rubbed her hand to her forehead to cover her relief. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I suck." She exhaled loudly. "In any case, I gotta go back. I'll…I'll figure out something to tell Alistair." Surely he'd give her a chance to explain, wouldn't he? She bit her lip-another worry added to the pile. But she could come up with something to justify her sudden absence. Lying was the one thing she'd always been really good at.

Aurelian shook his head, but there was a smile on his lips. "If you insist, I won't dissuade you." He reached out then, and set his hands on her shoulders. "However, let me offer you this alternative."

She waited, unconsciously holding her breath. Solona had had no real idea just precisely how Aurelian was going to help her out of her current predicament when she sought him in the Fade. She just knew that he was powerful and a friend…and until just a few moments ago, the only person she'd ever been completely honest with. She winced at the thought, but tried to turn it into a thoughtful frown.

She owed it to herself to see what he had to offer in terms of help, didn't she? "I'm listening."

"Well," he said, taking his hands off her shoulders and rubbing them together. "It just so happens that there's a colleague of mine staying in your fair capital city. A fellow magister, in fact," he said, and then shot her a sly grin. "A fellow magister with a ship, Solona. Coming all the way back to Tevinter quite soon."

Her mouth formed into a little 'o' of its own accord. Tevinter. Where mages lived as free people. Where Templars didn't threaten anyone. Where mages ruled…

Aurelian had talked about Solona coming to Tevinter before, but she'd never imagined it actually happening. As a child, Tevinter had been something of a far-off fantasy land—a place to dream idly about. Before she met Aurelian, it had been easier to picture it as a kind of mage-ruled utopia. But though she tried not to judge him for his dabbling in so-called illegal magic, the idea of going to place where things like blood magic and demon summoning were mundane gave her pause.

It was hard enough to leave the Tower for the bannorn of Ferelden. Tevinter seemed far too alien; she couldn't possibly make it there. "I…I don't know."

Her hesitation made his smile grow. "I know it's a big change to consider," he said in voice rich with reassurance. "All I ask is that you think about it. If you want, you can leave that quaint little country of yours and come to a place where your freedom will never again be threatened by an overzealous Chantry."

The thought struck an aching chord in her chest—she did want that kind of existence, that kind of…security…more than she'd ever wanted anything. Even in the Wardens, she still felt uneasy. She was only free by Elissa's good graces and Alistair had made his position clear as far as he felt. It was hard not to agree.

But then, of course, there was Jowan. Solona shook her head. "And leave Jowan to die? No…I'm afraid I can't do that."

Aurelian lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Just think about it, is all I ask. You should be able to find Caladrius in the elven alienage. Tell him I sent you, and he'll take care of you."

What was he doing in the elven alienage? It didn't matter. She couldn't in good conscience abandon Jowan without a word. Or Leliana, she thought with a sudden pang. The young and pretty bard, more than anyone else, had gone out of her way to help ease Solona into life outside the tower. While the others found her inexperience amusing, Leliana had never once laughed at her, and she was always ready with an explanation for new experiences that left Solona's mind reeling (like waking up in the middle of the night to an awful and otherworldly cacophony outside, convinced that some dark magic was assaulting them from all around, only to have Leliana calmly explain that the noise was a perfectly natural phenomenon. It was a buncha bugs—cicadas, she had called them. Maker, she had been so embarrassed, but Leliana had been so kind…)

She shook her head. "I appreciate the thought, Aurelian, I really do. But I just…I just can't."

Aurelian smiled down at her with an expression Solona could only describe as fatherly, or at least, what she thought fatherly might look like. "Fair enough." He clasped his hands together. "If you change your mind—and I don't think you have too many days to think about it—just seek him out in the elven alienage and tell him Aurelian sent you."

I can't just leave. And yet, knowing she still had the option for a few more days at least helped ease her smiled up at him, overcome with gratitude. "Thank you, Aurelian," she said, and offered up a crooked grin. "I've missed our little talks."

Aurelian shrugged. "I've done nothing, my dear. And I've missed you too! I want you to check back in with me as soon as you can, alright?" At her nod, he smiled and once again reached out and squeezed her shoulders. "Now, shall I save you some mana and send you back?"

Solona nodded again, and a few dizzy seconds later found herself back in the dingy warehouse by the docks. She stretched out her legs and tiny pinpricks of pain ran up and down them. It was dark—really, really dark. She had no idea what time it was.

She got to her feet and brushed off her robes and took a steadying breath before making her way to the stairs. She hoped she could find her way back to their camp all by herself. And, she hoped she could think of a good reason for her absence. She stopped herself from hoping that the Wardens would believe her. That was beyond her control.

Beyond my control, she repeated to herself, as she took the first step down rickety, dusty stairs. And beyond Aurelian's, too. She was still a little surprised at how protective she had felt toward Alistair, after all that had happened. But, Elissa and him...they rescued her from the Circle...they gave her a new life when she thought hers was pretty much over.

They were her friends, too, weren't they?

She hoped their friendship wouldn't wind up being yet another one to bite her in the ass. But what could she do? She needed them to keep Jowan safe. Jowan was more than just a friend. He was family. She couldn't just leave him to die.

With a grumble she opened the warehouse door and entered the gloomy Denerim night, hopeful that she could find her way back to the camp, all alone and in the dark.

For the better part of their eventful day in the city, the sky had bloomed a bright and cloudless blue above them. Now, the sky that hung over Denerim was a dark and gloomy one. A low-hanging haze had wafted in from the ocean just after sunset and the fog had mingled with the smoke from so many evening cook fires to provide a dense and murky barrier between Zevran and the twinkling stars he knew remained overhead.

Stars that are not so different from the ones that shine over Antiva, Zevran thought with a small pang. Cold and distant as ever.

He could never imagine such gloom in the glittering jewel that was Antiva's capitol: Antiva City. There, the streets shone with lamplight between dusk and dawn, save for the ones conveniently put out by assassins, naturally. Gloom and darkness were carefully manufactured and precisely delivered weapons in Antiva.

Here, gloom was simply a way of life. It was a little depressing.

As they grew closer to the alienage it was fortunate that more buildings sported lit torches—otherwise the humans would have been stumbling around in the dark for sure. As it was, they made entirely too much noise as Darrian lead them to their destination. Darrian and Elissa walked some five feet in front of he and Alistair, and all of their footsteps sounded clodding and loud in his professional opinion.

The tall elf gestured to his left and they turned down another darkened street. It was empty, like most of the others had been. Zevran wasn't surprised—after Darrian had shown up the two of them managed to confront and kill at least two dozen bandits. His kills had been quiet, but Darrian's had not. Darrian's shouting and the screams of the dying had driven the local populace indoors, it seemed.

He massaged his neck with his hand and turned his gaze skyward once again, looking in vain for those cold, distant stars. He should have felt more tired, he decided. Though his muscles ached faintly, his body wasn't weighed down with exhaustion like it might have been.

Truthfully, hunting and slaughtering the bandits had invigorated him. He managed to lose himself in his craft, leading his enemies on a merry chase through the city, only to pop out from an unexpected hiding place and deliver a quick death to whatever unfortunate soul was closest to him. Each time he had escaped back into the shadows only to attack again at the next opportune moment. It was a game, a fun one, and one he knew how to play well.

The killing had a point. A purpose, even. But once he began he lost himself in each kill, preferring the mindless lust of battle to the turn his thoughts would surely take when he was forced to stop moving.

And then, Darrian had appeared, and made the killing all too easy. It had lost some of its charm at that point—with the young elf mutilating everything in his path there was little for Zevran to do.

Only then did it occur to him to worry about the safety of his protege. His chest had tightened at the idea that he might not find her whole and well at the end of all this.

But then, of course, he had found her—safe and sound and quite flagrantly ignoring the honest advice he'd given her.

"So, should we interfere or what?"

Zevran's head snapped up to look at Alistair in confusion. He'd been lost in his own thoughts for once and had no idea what the ex-Templar was referring to. He cast his gaze toward the pair in front of him, who Alistair nodded at with a grimace.

"Oh, um, right," Darrian was saying, rubbing his neck. He sounded embarrassed. "Yeah."

It was obviously the response to some query of Elissa's, but Zevran hadn't heard. He frowned to himself. It was unlike him to be so unobservant.

Even in the dim light he could see Elissa's eyebrow shoot upward when she turned her face toward the tall elf. "Well," she huffed, seeming unsatisfied with his response. "For one thing wouldn't daggers be more easily concealed?"

"Um, yeah I guess so," Darrian said. "Er…my…uh, lady."

"And weapons are explicitly forbidden in elven alienages, aren't they? They certainly are in Highever's," Elissa pressed on, oblivious to the elf's discomfort. "So how did you manage to learn with such a large and noticeable weapon?"

Alistair shot Zevran a look, eyes wide and eyebrows raised as if to say "see?" And Zevran did, of course. Poor Darrian was becoming accustomed with Elissa's unique sort of inquisitive "charm."

He shot an eyebrow upward in return at Alistair and whispered, "You worry too much, like a mother hen." Alistair scowled and Zevran rolled his eyes. "Do not coddle her so. She does not need you to swoop in and save her from every awkward situation."

At that Alistair's mouth opened and closed and then he looked off to the side for a few seconds, before turning back and muttering, "it's not her I'm worried about." Zevran cocked an eyebrow up in question and Alistair shrugged. "You know how it is," he said under his breath. "First it's all kinds of awkward and funny, and right when you're deciding whether you want to laugh or get pissed, she hits you with it." Alistair snapped his fingers and then made a fist and smacked it with his other hand. "Bam! Your big secret, all laid out in front of you, whether you like it or not."

At that, Darrian looked back at them and it was clear that he'd heard every word Alistair said. His eyes went wide and then he turned to look at Elissa with a look so comically wary Zevran normally would have had to fight the urge to laugh.

He did not find it all that funny at the moment.

"Mistakes?" Elissa said, pride lighting a fire in her eyes. "As in, more than once?" Her knowing grin made Zevran's insides twist. She gave a little shake of her head. "I don't think so. More like mistake, am I right?"

Zevran could not keep from scowling at the memory. Better him than me, a part of him wanted to spit out. Instead he took a few seconds to school his face into a proper smirk. "You don't think everyone deserves a turn?" For once, he meant no innuendo (he was growing out of practice, spending so much time with a woman on whom innuendo was so spectacularly wasted) so the angry flush that overtook Alistair's face was pure serendipity.

Alistair opened his mouth and then snapped it closed and shook his head. "Just sayin' we could at least warn him."

Zevran didn't wish to discuss the topic any longer, nor did he feel a great need to intercede. He considered needling Alistair about his sudden concern for Darrian's welfare, but in truth, he did not feel much like talking at all. He fell silent, and Alistair did too.

"I've never been to an alienage before," Elissa went on. "We had an alienage in Highever, but my parents forbade me from visiting it."

"Really."

The flatness in Darrian's tone did not dissuade her. "Indeed," she said, and then waved a hand. "It was a ridiculous precaution. As I said, elves weren't allowed weapons and it is not like I ever went anywhere unaccompanied when I left my castle."

"Castle?" Darrian's voice cracked on the word.

"Er, yes," Elissa said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm the daughter of a teyrn. I never traveled anywhere alone. I always had a guard with me." She shook her head. "Whether I wanted one or not."

"Yeah, sounds like a rough life," Darrian said, turning his head away.

His Warden failed to recognize the sarcasm dripping from Darrian's tone. "Oh, it wasn't a rough life at all. In fact, I lived a life of almost unparalleled ease, I've come to discover."

Apparently Alistair could remain silent no longer. "Hey," he said, drawing out the word as he took a few rapid steps to catch up to Elissa and Darrian. "We've got to be uh…getting pretty close to that alienage by now, eh?"

Darrian gave what sounded to Zevran like an enormous sigh of a relief. "As a matter of fact it's just up here." He gestured to the gloom in front of them. "We should, uh, probably be quiet for this next part."

They walked to the end of a short alley in silence. When they got to the large wooden wall, Darrian put his ear to it. After a few seconds, he turned back to the rest of them. "I don't hear anything," he whispered. "We should be safe to go up and over." He gestured with his chin to the building to his right, that jutted up against the wall. "We just scurry up over that and we're in."

"Alright, I'll keep watch," Elissa whispered, and then retreated down the alley a little bit away from them.

Darrian walked up to the building and then turned, squatted and laced his hands together. "Alright, big guy, up you go."

Alistair looked at the elf's hands and then back down the alley toward Elissa with a little frown. "You first."

Darrian stood and shot Zevran a wary look. "Um, right and then how would you get up?"

"Huh?"

"Weeeell, me and Zev are naturally spry and all that. I can climb this building no problem, without a boost." He shot an eyebrow upward. "Can you?"

Alistair hesitated, glancing down the alleyway again, and Zevran realized what the issue was: in spite of any professed 'understanding', the big Warden did not relish the idea of leaving Elissa alone with the two elves.

Zevran made a tsk noise and Alistair turned back to look at him, still frowning with worry. He caught Zevran's gaze, however, and had the grace to look chagrined. "Er, right. That, uh…that makes sense."

With one last glance backward, Alistair gave a deep sigh, and then settled his hands awkwardly on Darrian's shoulders, before stepping down with one foot on the elf's hands.

"Count of three," Darrian huffed. "One, two, three."

On three, Darrian put all his wiry strength into hefting Alistair up as high as he could, while Alistair tried to jump and then scrabble his way over and on to the roof. Thank goodness he is not wearing plate,was all Zevran could think, as he listened to the racket Alistair made while he scrambled for purchase along the side of the building.

Darrian still supported much of Alistair's weight and he huffed under the strain of propping up the much larger human by his foot. Finally, with a loud heave and groan Alistair managed to haul himself on to the roof. Zevran heard a thump and then Alistair groaned again.

Zevran and Darrian shared a look and the younger elf gave a snort of a laugh. Then he brushed his hands off on his trousers and jogged back a little to give himself a running start. He bolted down the alley and jumped, catching his hands on the edge of the roof with with his impressive leap, before swinging himself upward and over in one graceful motion.

"Crap. You make that look so easy," Zevran heard Alistair mutter before footsteps made him turn around.

It was, of course, Elissa.

Brasca. He did not want to be alone with her.

"Zevran—"

He mimicked Darrian's pose from earlier, and linked his hands together. "Come along now, little dove," he said, before she could get out another word. "It is time for you to fly."

Elissa put a hand on his shoulder, but she did not lift her foot into his hands. "Zevran," she repeated in a low tone. "We need to speak."

He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose for a few heartbeats. "Now? Perhaps it is not the best of times to indulge in idle conversation," he said lightly. When she still made no move to put her foot in his hands he stood and regarded her warily.

She moved her hand off his shoulder and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Not meeting his gaze, she whispered. "It is not idle conversation. We need to talk."

He went still for the span of two heartbeats, before shooting her lascivious grin. "Is this about how you probably won't be joining me in my tent tonight? If so, I assure you again—there are no hard feelings." It was the truth, for all the good that it would do. He gave a little shrug. "And perhaps you may change your mind in the future, no?"

She looked at him steadily and it was clear his flirting had no effect. "I know what you did," she said quietly.

It took a few seconds for her meaning to sink in, but when it did Zevran went completely still and could only stand there, paralyzed.

"What in the Void is taking so long?"

Alistair's hissing voice startled both of them into looking upward. The fog had dissipated somewhat—enough to see Alistair's silhouette from the roof of the building they were meant to be climbing.

Elissa gave a frustrated sigh. "Just a second!" she hissed back. "Just…just give me a second, would you?"

"Alright. But hurry up!" Alistair retreated back away from the edge of the roof with a noisy sigh.

Elissa turned back to Zevran and then took a deep breath. "Where was I? Oh yeah…I…know what you did." She hesitated, and then shook her head and went on. "I mean…I think I do. I have…I have a theory." She jutted out her chin and narrowed her eyes. "Care to hear it?"

His heart was beating wildly in his chest and his mouth was empty of words for once. He tried to keep a neutral expression but… he felt wildly out of control, like the world was spinning too fast for him to hold on to… "No," he said firmly, and his eyebrows knit together of their own accord as he stood there frowning at her. "I do not wish to hear your theory."

"I…uh…oh," Elissa stammered, one hand fluttering to her head to smooth her hair. Clearly, she did not expect his answer. There was a small, odd part of him that felt guilty to see how deflated she looked. But, it could not be helped.

He…he would not speak of it with her. Not now… He didn't answer, and simply stood there, waiting for whatever it was she would do next with his heart in his throat.

After a few seconds she huffed noisily. "Well! That's um…understandable. I mean…I'd be a hypocrite to not…to not understand that…" She drifted off, at the end of the sentence and they stood there, staring at each other in a moment that stretched on uncomfortably.

Could she really know? Zevran couldn't help wondering, now. If she did…well. She would have even less use for him, then, wouldn't she?

Unable to bear the wait any longer, Zevran shrugged a shoulder exaggeratedly, making a wide gesture with one hand. "Now, perhaps we should move on before your little scheme to make Alistair jealous backfires and he suffers an apoplexy up on the roof."

He heard her sharp intake of breath at that. "That's not what I'm doing."

Zevran held up his hands to proclaim his innocence. "Darling Warden, do not misunderstand me," he purred, before moving to stand right in front of her. "I did not say that I minded." He brought one hand up and wound a stray golden lock of her hair around his index finger before grazing her cheek with his thumb and leaning forward. He brought his face very close to hers, and whispered, "I said you could use me however you deemed fit, did I not?"

Elissa's eyes went as wide as he had ever seen them, and he could feel the heat emanating from the blush on her cheeks. "I…I…" She bit her lip and looked away.

He enjoyed the fluster he'd apparently caused for a few seconds, but when she did not dissolve into a stammering, blushing mess but instead looked at her feet with a thoughtful frown he wondered if he hadn't overplayed his hand…

She finally looked up at him again and there was no trace of fluster in her expression. She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, before saying, "I just want to make sure that we're still friends."

That wasn't expected.

He snatched his hand away from her and took an involuntary half step backwards. "Friends?" he said, turning his head to the side and regarding her out of the corners of his eyes.

Elissa licked her lips. "Er…yes? I mean…we are friends, aren't we?"

Were they? He stared at her for a few seconds, more than a little surprised at the emotion her question stirred in him. A friend…it was an interesting proposition, was it not? But what did he know of friendship? "I do not know," he found himself answering.

"Oh," Elissa said, bringing her hands in front of them and twisting them together. "I…um…well. I'd…like it. If we were, I mean." She frowned and looked up at him with an expression that put an odd ache in his chest.

"Indeed? Hmm." He blinked at her for a few seconds, before giving her a little smile, and finally saying, "I would be glad to call myself such, come to think of it." He said the words lightly, but they were all true.

Her face lit up with a smile. "That's…that's good. I am glad that we are alright."

"Of course, mi amiga," he said, before gesturing to the roof. "Now, we should move on, no?"

"Right, of course. Oh, but wait." She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "Do you think that you could…you know…just…keep it to yourself…about…about Alistair and I?"

He fancied he could hear her blushing, though he couldn't quite tell in the dark. "You do not wish for the others to know that you two are...ah...canoodling?"

"I just…I just think it'd be easier without attracting undue attention, is all," she said in a hushed whisper. "Can I trust you to be discreet?"

"Of course you can," he said, and a sudden impulse had him lean in and say in a sultry whisper, "I'll behave as if your relationship doesn't even exist."

"Exactly!" she said brightly, before slapping his shoulder. "Now, boost me up on to that roof and let's get going."

He gave his head a slight shake as he put his hands together for her to step on to. He should have saved that line for when Alistair could hear it. He'd have to find a way to repeat it, he thought with a grin as he boosted Elissa up on to the roof.

This friendship…it would be an interesting experiment, if nothing else.