Moonpriestess30:

Chp43: I thought they were quite sweet! I had a lot of fun writing those two. Would you like to have more about them?

Chp44: I do love writing this! I hope it shows. Also, the fanfic is going to be REALLY Fenris heavy from now on, I hope you don't mind.


Chapter 45

About a month had passed since Makatza had cleared things up with Sebastian and she had taken a few steps back from the humdrum to look after her puppies and bond with Leandra. The older woman was more than happy to have a niece around, with Bethany being a mage she was more often than not with her father being trained when she was young. Leandra had taken to having an activity or something that she wanted to do almost every day which Makatza didn't mind, she was seeing a different side to Kirkwall and almost feeling like she fit in. 'Darling, I know you've said that you don't want a debut ball but I would really like to have something to introduce you to the nobility of Kirkwall,' Leandra said as they arranged flowers in the kitchen.

Makatza smiles softly and gives her Aunt a look, 'I know, I know, I just think that being the centre of attention isn't going to be a good idea, especially with what I am,' she says simply.

Leandra nods in understanding and continues on, 'Lady Emaline is holding a gala for some of the more refined Lords and Ladies of court in hopes to find a wife for her son-'

'Please tell me you're not trying to set me up with her son,' Makatza says bluntly as she accidentally sips the head off a daisy. 'Whoops,' she swears under her breath making Orana giggle as she fed the wolves their breakfast. Makatza flicked the flower head at the young elf making her squeal in delight and attempt to catch it.

Leandra smiles in amusement and shakes her head, 'no, he's a dithering idiot,' she assures. 'Though if you wouldn't mind joining me I would love that to be your introduction, everyone is so curious as to who you are and I would love to have company to one of these. Garrett is just so useless when it comes to social engagements. It would be low key in regards to your reveal but it's said that it's going to be the party of the year,' she converses as she takes a few more lilies and decorates her vase in a spectacular fashion. 'I wish these were in bloom already, I do so love the smell of lilies,' she says in a wistful sigh. Makatza smiles and gently nudges her aside with her hip as she draws on her mana. She holds her hands over the flowers and they gently begin to open releasing their sweet fragrance over them all.

'There, a little encouragement,' Katza says softly as she moves aside so her Aunt could see them.

'Oh darling, that's so sweet of you,' Leandra gasped as she kissed her niece on the forehead. 'Thank you.' Leandra seemed to be positively bubbling with happiness at Makatza's small gesture and picks up the vase taking them through to the main foyer and placing them proudly on the main table.

'Do you know who sent you the flowers?' Makatza asks as she looks at the bouquet.

'No, but I think it means that I might have an admirer, imagine that! At my age! It does make me feel like a young woman. I've never thought about being courted again,' Leandra says wistfully.

'Of course you're young enough to find someone,' Makatza laughs as she rolls her eyes. 'It's nice having someone who cares about you.'

'Well, I know Garrett has his own arrangements with Isabela but I would like to make plans for a wedding one day,' she says as she adjusts a couple of the flowers.

Makatza made a spontaneous decision and speaks up. 'I'll go to the ball thing,' she says simply making Leandra spin around in surprise. Bubble and the pups wander in the from the kitchen licking their chops and settling in front of the fire to snooze.

'Oh you will?' She claps her hands in delight. 'Oh Katza, that's wonderful! Oh, you'll have such a lovely time! We need to get you a dress, and some shoes. Oh! Your hair, that'll have to be trimmed and styled, not to mention we'll have to find a jeweller-' Leandra begins to speak to Bohdan and Makatza tuned her out for a moment instantly regretting what she had gotten herself into. She excuses herself and runs up the stairs to her cousin's room. She knocks on the door giving them a good couple of minutes before opening it.

'Ugh! Guys come on, I gave you ample covering up time,' she complained as she walked in and grabbed the jug of water from the vanity and chucking it over her naked best friend who was on top of her cousin. Isabela screamed in horror at the ice cold sensation and grabbed the quilt wrapping it around herself as she got up from her lover. Makatza had covered her eyes loosely with a hand and sniggered as she heard Garrett swearing. 'I didn't come in to see an re-enactment scene from the Blooming Rose,' she said casually as they rearranged themselves a little more appropriately for company. 'Garrett, do you know of a Lady Emaline?' Makatza asked when she could finally remove her hand from her eyes. Isabela was scowling at her and Hawke just looked amused.

He yawned and nodded. 'Yeah, what about her?' He asked.

'She's holding some la-di-dah ball or something yeah?' Makatza says simply.

'Something like that, yeah? Why?... Ha! Did mother guilt you into going?' Garrett laughs as he sits up and claps his hands.

Makatza grinned. 'Not exactly, you're going as well,' she says slyly. Garrett frowns and his face of amusement falls.

'Wha? No I ain't. I hate those things,' he says shaking his head. Isabela cottons on to what Makatza is getting at and starts to laugh at her lover. Makatza just smiles and it gets larger the longer it takes for Garrett to realise. 'Oh fuck off, Katza! Are you serious?' He asks as he roughly pushes Isabela off the bed making Makatza snort in laughter at her best friend's heavy cursing from the floor.

'Well you're gonna wanna make sure that I'm safe right? I mean it will be my first one,' she teases lightly unable to keep her calm demeanour. Garrett sighs and sinks lower into the bed as Isabela gets to her knees and leans on the mattress as she laughs at him. 'Come on Garrett, it won't be that bad and if you're going I'll actually have somebody normal to talk toooooo,' she said in a little bit of a whine.

'Fine. Fine. Tell mother I'll go,' he says in resignment. Isabela had shuffled off to the bathroom and emerged fully dressed, minus boots. 'Maker that's unfair, first I'm drenched, then I don't get to finish having fun and now I'm being dragged off to some hob nobby party?' He complains.

'Sort yourself out,' Isabela grins. 'I want to spend time with Katza if she's gonna be flirting with all the lords.' Katza rolls her eyes and leaves the bedroom as she has a pillow launched at her direction. She goes to her room with Isabela in tow. 'Sorry about walking in on us, I wanted to see if I could-'

'I know exactly what you were trying to do,' Katza laughs shaking her head as she sits on the edge of her bed. She could hear the pups climbing up the stairs, they had grown greatly in the last few weeks though they still struggled to jump onto the bed. There was a little whining at the base of the frame and Makatza leaned down and picked them up putting them each on the quilt.

'Do they still not have names?' Isabela asked.

'I've had a couple floating around my head, admittedly. I'm trying to see if they suit them, they're little beasties,' she growls as she plays with the male tickling his tummy and laughing as he snaps at her fingers. Isabela playfully pulls the tail of the other pup making her jump about and lick her face much to her disgust about wolf saliva. 'You and Garrett seem to be getting serious, it's been months now and you've not strayed?'

Isabela gave her a look, 'ugh I know, he's really changed me. He's rubbing of on me in more than one way. As for serious,' she smirks at Makatza's facial expression and continues to talk, 'I don't want to think about it. What if he like, wants commitment?' She shudders.

'Aren't you already committed already by not screwing anyone else?' Makatza points out. 'Isn't that enough?'

'I hope it is, I don't know what I would do if he tries to say that he ...loves me,' she winces as she puts down the puppy watching her jump on her brother.

'You'd tell him that you love him back?' Makatza suggests.

'Ugh. Now you're the one being gross,' Isabela shook her head. 'Anyway, I don't want to talk about me, I want to talk about you. You and a certain elf and a certain prince,' she grins. 'You've been avoiding this subject for weeks. You are going to spill everything. I mean everything.' The pirate got up and shut the bedroom door and leaned against it. 'No escape you tart.'

'So you want me to repeat everything that's already happened? Bit boring,' Makatza says simply. Going by the look on her friend's face meant that she really wasn't going to be able to get out of telling her what happened. With a sigh and a playful roll of her eyes she told her everything. Everything, everything. 'So there. That's all of it. Sebastian and I are just friends and Fenris and I are-'

'So going to screw!' Isabela squealed in pure delight. 'Oh maker, he's going to push you against a wall and his hands start to grab your-'

'Izzy!' Makatza says throwing a pillow at her. 'I don't want to think about that!'

'Oh but you doooo,' she teases. 'Your inner wolf howls for him, your mate, your alpha, that delicious, glistening package of lust and desire,' Isabela swoons landing on the mattress barely missing the snoozing pups. 'We have a couple shops we need to visit. You need to be prepared.'

Makatza laughs. 'For what?' She asks curiously.

'For everything, come on, grab your shoes,' she says simply as she gets up. 'It's time to educate you.'

'Thanks but I'm pretty sure I have an extensive education when it comes to physical intimacy,' Makatza says as she pulls on a boot. 'The science side anyway,' she corrects herself.

'Nope, you need to have a few more things in your arsenal and that includes a naughty little book that has taught me a few things and a couple more... garments,' she grins. Makatza protests there was really no need, she couldn't see herself doing these things any time soon. 'You need better underwear,' Isabela says simply as she opens a drawer. 'I mean what is this stuff? Okay it's black but it covers your entire arse and goes up to your tits. Maker it looks like you're trying to become a nun, which probably would have worked for the Chantry boy but not the elf... do you think a whip would be too much?'

'For a man suffering from PTSD because he was a slave? Yeah, I'm gonna say you're going down the wrong road on that one,' Makatza says bluntly as she stands up brushing down her leggings and grabbing a hoodie. She had removed the zip and added buttons instead so that it wouldn't look so out of place when she wore it. Making sure it was only made out of cotton and taking out the tag had helped it blend in as well, plus it was a dark blue which was quite a common colour here.

'What's PTSD?' Isabela asks curiously as they walk out her room.

'It's post traumatic stress disorder, normally stemming from traumatic events and how you cope with it afterwards,' she explains. 'So in his case his symptoms are, numbness to emotions and detachment and isolation, avoiding certain triggering situations in normal life, the inability to see a positive future, extreme physical reactions to certain things, there's quite a list,' Makatza says off the top of her head.

'Wow, and you want a relationship with him?'

'It's not a disease, Izzy,' she laughs. 'It's a mental health issue. Doesn't mean he's totally incapable of doing those things, or reversing some,' Makatza didn't really feel comfortable about talking about it behind his back, she was beginning to wish she hadn't brought it up.

Isabela says goodbye to Garrett on the stairs and then turns back to Katza, 'how do you know so much about it?'

'I took a course, studied it,' Katza says simply.

'You're trying to fix him?'

'No, he's not broken,' she replies with a shrug of his shoulders. She turns to face her friend as they pause halfway down the staircase. 'One, not my place to ''fix'' him, two, his PTSD doesn't change my feelings towards him and three, in this world there aren't a lot of options when it comes to helping him through it. Closure and talking is all I could suggest,' she sighs rubbing her eyes. 'Remind me why we're talking about this again.'

'I was curious, have you talked to him about it?' Isabela said a little bit of a pit growing in her stomach.

'I've mentioned it but not gone into detail, I figured if he wanted to know he'd ask,' she says wondering why Isabela wasn't looking at her and over the railing into the foyer. 'Oh fuck my life, he's right there isn't he?' She asks watching Isabela nod. 'He heard all of it?'

'Guessing so, we weren't exactly trying to be discreet. I'm gonna go finish what I started earlier with Garrett while you two... talk,' Izzy says excusing herself and running up the stairs. Makatza sighs and looks over at the elf who had been let in by Sandal. He didn't seem angry which was a bonus and she smiled weakly at him, she continued down the stairs and heard her pups flump down off the bed heavily as they caught his scent.

She got to the bottom and was just about to greet him when Leandra walked in from the study. 'Oh darling there you are, I've just written a letter to the best dress maker in the city. Ewan is just wonderful and I'm sure he'll take the commission, oh Fenris, good morning, I haven't seen you in a few days. My son is busy-'

'Actually I was here to see Makatza,' he says interrupting her a little with a half smile. Leandra's eyes light up in mischief.

'Oh my, well forgive my assumption,' she says smiling at Makatza brightly. 'I'll leave you two alone then. Katza, sweetheart, try to be home in the next few days I'm sure that Ewan will want to work with us as soon as possible,' she says touching her arm.

'I will, Aunt Leandra, promise,' she says nodding as the older woman floats off in happiness to instruct Sandal to post her letter. 'Come into the study, we'll be out the way of everyone,' Makatza says as her pups reach them and begged to be picked up by them both. Fenris does so a little reluctantly as Makatza picks up one and leads him into the side room. 'So, I guess you heard me talking to Izzy,' she mumbles as she shuts the door behind him.

'Yes, I did walk into an interesting topic,' he replies dryly.

'You're not a topic Fenris, I don't make it a habit to talk about you,' Makatza assures. 'It just came up and it involved my other world knowledge and she was curious. It just happened to be about you, that's all,' she tries to explain it. He looks at her carefully and believes her sincerity.

'Do you discuss everything with Isabela and Hawke?' Fenris asks.

She shuffles a foot as she strokes her pup's fur. 'Um, kinda. Only because I've not been in this situation before and when it comes to like private stuff between us I only imply to Izzy, I didn't tell her about the kiss or anything, only that we got close and talked about things. It was a month ago and I didn't know what you felt about it so she was trying to help me,' she mumbles. 'She got all excited about the prospect of us sleeping together and suggested some stuff which I then shut down because honestly I wasn't comfortable with the idea and that's how we kinda got to talking about you...' she was trying to explain it all to him quickly. 'I mean I didn't know if things were going to get more serious between us and if you would want people to know, I mean we discussed this on the ride home and-'

'You are babbling again,' Fenris says amused. She blushes and puts down the wolf cub watching him do the same. 'I came to ask you if you would like to have lunch with me. So we could talk,' he says softly going a little pink himself. 'Also if you wanted to spar, it has been a couple of months or so since you did so and you will start to forget things.'

'I would like that, I just have to see if my plans with Isabela can be pushed back,' Makatza says softly. 'Wait here,' she asks before leaving the room and exhaling heavily. The conversation on the stairs was going to come back and bite her in the ass, she knew it.