For a brief moment, Varric didn't actually understand what was happening. One second, he was thinking all about the way Maria Cadash colored in embarrassment, the sight both delightful and arousing. The next second, he was staring down the barrel of the Seeker's gun. Again. He felt vaguely annoyed that this was becoming a regular occurrence.

"For fuck's sake." He muttered. "Seeker, stop waving that thing around. You're frightening the civilians."

Maria said nothing, she simply moved to plant herself firmly between the Seeker and the young man behind her. She clutched the book, his book, tightly under one arm while she clenched her jaw.

"No." Cole whispered, his skinny fingers reaching out to clutch a fistful of Maria's jacket. "I don't want to go."

"You're not going anywhere." Maria declared, tipping her head back to stare up at Cassandra. Somehow, her posture gave her the illusion of being nearly the same height as the Seeker. "Stop it. This is Cole, he came with me from Ostwick."

"This?" Cassandra repeated, aghast. "This is your Cole?"

"Seeker Pentaghast, that is enough." Solas pushed Cassandra's arm down impatiently, his face flushed with anger. "Miss Cadash, I did not realize we were searching for a spirit. Forgive me for assuming…"

Maria's change in expression was almost comical. She went from blazing anger to genuine bewilderment in a blink of an eye. Her gaze slipped from the Seeker to Solas and she opened her mouth, almost said something and bit it back before she actually said just one word. "Sorry?"

"You mean the kid is possessed?" Varric clarified helpfully for Maria's benefit. These two idiots kept forgetting how weird this shit was when you usually weren't up to your eyeballs in it. Hell, Varric had been chest hair deep for years and he still couldn't get used to things like Merrill singing to her plants and them actually growing or the fact that he had Hawke's fucking spellbook stashed on Bianca's server.

He reached for the glasses again, but Solas was already shaking his head. "No, Mister Tethras. The spirit in front of us is possessing no one."

"I'm me." Cole clarified, ducking his head and whispering. "Cole. Cole who brings coffee. Turns the oven off when Bea forgets."

Maria crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her chin up defiantly, this time aiming her disdain towards Solas. "He's not a demon. He was hurt when I found him, bleeding. Demons don't bleed."

"No." Cassandra did not relax, but she also didn't raise the revolver she carried from where it pointed at the pavement. "Not typically."

"Unless it is a familiar who has taken a physical form." Solas corrected gently. "Such as your friend has."

"That's crazy." Maria deflected. "That's… you people are fucking nuts."

Varric agreed with Maria, albeit from a slightly more knowledgeable perspective. Familiars didn't create human shapes, for fucks sake. They were strictly animals, usually small ones. Merrill's was a tarantula, Hawke's a dog. They were spirits of virtues, persistence and bravery respectively for those two. Anders…

Well Anders had that damn tabby inhabited by vengeance.

Varric slipped the glasses on his nose and activated the filter. He frowned at the immediate overstimulation, then swore. Well, shave his chest and call him an elf. "Princess. They're not wrong."

The kid glowed just like Hawke's dog and the damn spider. "Not wrong." Cole repeated. "But she is. I don't hurt. Not like they do."

Cole scowled at Cassandra's boots. Varric took the glasses off and handed them to Maria. "Here. Special filter my friend helped design, gonna make you feel like you've had a dozen too many, but you can see for yourself."

Maria's fingertips just brushed his as she gripped the thin frames and slipped the glasses onto her head. They tipped down her nose, the bridge too wide for her smaller features, and Maker she looked…

Honestly, it was a bit unfair. He put those damn things on and aged ten years, she put them on and instantly became every man's fantasy librarian. It was made ten times better by the fact she had to push them back up as they slid down, the delicate silver metal accentuating those silverite colored eyes.

"Right." She blinked, eyes cartoonishly owlish beneath the lenses. "What are these? 3D movie glasses?"

"More expensive." Varric advised with a grin. "And much more fun, usually."

"Also illegal." Cassandra's brows drew together in abject disapproval. "Particularly if this is an unregistered enchanted product being marketed…"

"This is just a prototype, Seeker." Varric inserted smoothly. "Completely legitimate research and development by Rogue Technologies. We had all the proper permits to work with a licensed and regulated witch."

He'd always had the proper permits, paid a small fortune for them. He hadn't always had a licensed and regulated witch, not until Hawke got outed anyway, but the permits meant if anything went south in Kirkwall at least the real Bianca wouldn't face the blowback.

"Holy shit." Maria cursed, pulling the glasses down her nose to look over the rims at Cole, then pushing them back up and repeating herself quietly. "Holy shit."

"Cole?" Solas asked as Maria stared at the kid, completely and utterly flabbergasted. "How did you come to meet Miss Cadash?"

"How did a familiar become separated from the enchanter who called it?" Cassandra demanded.

Cole shifted and stared down at his long fingers, frowning. "He died. The Lord Seeker killed them. He killed them all. The screams… we ran. We ran and ran and ran, but he hunted us. I couldn't help them. I couldn't… Rhys told me to keep going. Don't look back. He was my friend."

Varric swallowed, hard. He didn't recognize the name Rhys, but he had a solid guess that the event Cole was referring to was the massacre at the White Spire. Suspecting a rebellion in the ranks, one that was indeed brewing, the Lord Seeker had begun to cleanse the witches ensconced there. They fought back, some managing to flee, and that started the whole damn war.

Well, Anders fucking started the whole damn war, really. But the Lord Seeker had a definite role too.

"I took a boat with the others, but they were so angry. When the templars found them, they used their blood. I was frightened, so was the templar. He stuck me with his knife when they hexed his gun. The wound was deep. I ran from the blood. I ran and got on another boat. The man I sat next to was mad. I bled on his shoes."

Cole stopped, pale eyes flicking up to meet Maria's speechless face. "But you were there. At the docks. Everyone else walked past, didn't see me, didn't want to see me. You took me home, stitched the wound while I sat in your bathtub, made hot chocolate out of the paper pack, put marshmallows in it and told me I was safe. But you needed more help than I did. Bruises on your wrists, silently screaming."

That… did not sound good. That sounded, frankly, a bit alarming.

"Yeah." Maria's voice was weak. "Yeah. I guess that's how it happened, huh?"

"I wanted to stay. With you. Safe because you keep people safe." Cole muttered, reaching out to take Maria's hand in his own. "Kind even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard."

"We cannot have an unbound spirit wandering around Haven." Cassandra at least holstered her weapon. "We must complete the proper ritual…"

"He is unbound, but loyal." Solas pressed forward. "He is a spirit of compassion, fragile yes, but invested in Miss Cadash."

"Maria." Cole muttered. Maria's answering choked laughter was a bit on the hysterical edge.

"He wants to help. We should allow him to do so." Solas urged.

"It is highly irregular!" Cassandra complained, indicating Cole behind Maria's back. "A familiar in a human shape! It should not have been done, this Rhys was messing with forces beyond his understanding."

"I wanted to be like Rhys." Cole frowned. "Human. Helpful. Healing. Rhys was good. He helped people before he…" Cole stumbled to a stop, overcome with a strong emotion that battled his features, shaped them into something so sorrowful it broke Varric's heart.

"Hey, you don't know for sure, kid." Varric immediately felt the need to comfort the kid. "Lots of people got out of the Spire. Your friend might have made it."

"He needs to be returned to the fade." Cassandra growled. "I will not be countermanded."

"No. I want to stay." Cole stepped forward, pale eyes gleaming with tears. "Please. I'll help, I promise. Comfort the sad, find the lost. I'll help, I don't want to go."

"It is not…" Cassandra started.

"No."

Maria hadn't taken his glasses off yet, but she had pushed them back up her nose to, yes, make her look like a stern librarian ready to hand out more than just late fees. "No." She repeated, her right hand clenched into a fist as she spoke. "Cole stays, if that's what he wants."

"You do not give the orders here, Cadash." Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest. "You have no experience with spirits, you have no right to…"

"Cole stays or I go." Maria persisted stubbornly, pointing over the Seeker's shoulder at the swirling vortex in the distance. "And you need me, don't you?"

Checkmate. Varric chuckled and relaxed his own stance, trying not to look like he was enjoying the play of expressions over the Seeker's face too much. First, indignant fury. Then, a choking realization that, yes, Cassandra Pentaghast was definitely going to have to concede this one to the Carta dwarf from Ostwick. He'd never get sick of watching the Seeker swallow her pride.

"No!" Cole hissed quietly, reaching out for Maria's shoulder and gripping it gently. "No! Not for me."

"Cole." Maria warned, refusing to break her eye contact with the Seeker.

"You let people hurt you so other people won't get hurt." Cole whispered under his breath. "Not for me. Don't let them take you for me."

Cole's words sent a chill down Varric's spine, but Maria didn't flinch and she didn't look back at Cole or him. Whatever decision she'd come to, she'd already made it. Varric knew the look of a woman intent on having her way, he saw it often enough.

"As you wish, then." Cassandra spat out finally. "If this is the price of your cooperation, I will accept it. However, you are responsible for… this Cole and his actions."
"Deal." Maria agreed immediately, offering her hand. "I'm yours, Seeker. Until that… thing is dealt with. Then Cole and I go back to Ostwick without anyone trying to stop us."

Cassandra tightened her jaw but nodded, just once before reaching out and gripping Maria's hand, shaking it firmly. The two women continued to consider each other for a moment before Cassandra dropped Maria's hand. "Your presence is required in the chantry. There are matters to discuss."

With that, Cassandra whirled away, stormed down the street past the gawking spectators. Maria raised one hand, ran it briskly through her hair before she too whirled back to face Cole. "A spirit?" She questioned. "That may have been helpful information to know, Cole."

"I thought you knew?" Cole responded with a question of his own, blinking rapidly as if confused.

"Andraste's ass." Maria moaned. "So you weren't reading my text messages over my shoulder."

"I told you I wasn't." Cole replied like the answer couldn't be more obvious. Maria went to bury her face in her hands with another muttered oath to the Maker, stopping as her fingertips brushed the lenses she still wore. She reached up to take them off…

"Wait!" Cole interjected. "He likes them on you."

Maria's hand froze and she looked up to meet Cole's eyes with a raised eyebrow before her bright eyes slid to Varric's face, which seemed to be growing uncomfortably warmer. Especially when one corner of her lips turned up in a knowing, seductive grin and she raised one eyebrow. "Really, Tethras?" She purred, all wicked, teasing heat. "What do you like about them?"

"They bring out your eyes." It was true and probably the only semi-appropriate thing he could think of to say.

"He wants you to ask why his books are late." Cole tipped his head to the side, confused. "But I don't know which books…"

Varric wished, frantically, that the ground underneath him would crack open and he'd fall down to join his bleeding ancestors. Maria bit her lip to stop what he assumed was a very amused laugh from breaking out, but he'd have rather heard the laugh than see that plump pink lip caught by her teeth, especially with Cole picking out every perverted thought from his head.

Maker, he thought the blighted demon cat Anders kept was bad, Cole was going to actually be the death of him.

Maria slowly pulled the glasses from her face, something that was obviously contrived to be more alluring because she winked when she placed them in his outstretched hand. "Maybe if you ask nicely, Tethras, I'll put them back on later for you."

It was contrived and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker because he was a weak, weak man. "I'm always nice." He grinned and shrugged helplessly.

"I would be more than happy to keep an eye on Cole and introduce him to Haven." Solas interrupted, the tips of the elf's ears turning quite red as well. Varric couldn't tell if the man was as affected by the sinful dwarf in front of him or if Chuckles was just awkward about sex. Could be either, really. "It would be my pleasure."

"Thank you." Maria shot a real, pleased smile up at Solas before turning her attention back to Cole. "And don't think we're done talking about this, Cole. I have some more questions I want answered."

"Yes." Cole nodded. "I'll be here. I won't leave you."

The promise softened Maria's face and she reached up, patting Cole's cheek maternally. "I know, sweetheart." She whispered. "Don't get into any trouble, okay?"

Cole nodded his assent and Maria stood on tiptoes to brush her lips against his cheek and squeezed his shoulder. Then, as quickly as she'd arrived, she was gone. The only hint of her a lingering trace of cinnamon.

"She likes you." Cole said simply into the air. "Both of you."

Solas's voice was so dry, it could have given the Hissing Wastes a run for their money. "In different ways, it appears."

Varric couldn't help but feel a bit smug. "What can I say? The chest hair is potent, my friend."

Meanwhile, he made a note to himself to try and get the kid away from Solas as soon as he could. Varric's vivid imagination was beginning to conjure up a dark picture of life in Ostwick for Maria Cadash, one he very much didn't like at all.

Maybe the spirit she'd accidentally taken in could shed some light on it.

xx

Maria needed to stop asking when her life would stop getting weirder, because evidently continuing to ask only meant that strange shit continued to happen. That's how she ended up surrounded by crazy chantry folk with a tear in the world, after all.

The assembled humans at the table all looked at her with varying degrees of naked curiosity, but also something akin to respect. First, there was the Antivan, the one Bea had mentioned. Josephine Montiliyet listed off an impressive resume of foreign sounding, presumably prestigious, universities and multiple positions working in Orlais and Antiva as part of non-governmental organizations dedicated to eliminating poverty.

Funny, Maria thought, because the outfit she wore had to be worth at least three months rent. From the sensible black heels to the white blouse tucked into a perfectly pressed a-line skirt, the woman very nearly gave the impression of a lawyer. The only giveaway, perhaps the only nod to a life outside of those clothes, were beautiful golden drop earrings that seemed a bit whimsical. Romantic, even. Her curls, twisted up in a perfectly coifed bun, showed them off against her coffee colored skin.

Still, Josephine smiled politely and kindly. It wasn't a bad thing to grow up rich, Maria reminded herself. And it seemed like this woman at least tried to do good. She was the only one to inquire, brightly, if she'd spoken to her sister yet and to offer her cell phone immediately in case she hadn't.

"You seem… familiar." The former templar studied her like she was a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out. "Pardon me for saying so. I believe I've heard your voice before."

She nearly asked him if he'd ever bought lyrium illegally, but figured if he had, now was not the time to bring it up. She shrugged instead. "Sorry. I have one of those voices."

"I doubt that is true."

The last figure, beyond Seeker Pentaghast, was the one Maria felt most wary of. The woman had red hair as well, but certainly more ginger than hers was. It was probably shorter too, although that was hard to be sure of. The woman had a black hooded sweatshirt on and she slouched into it comfortably, the hood raised to cover her ears and hair. Her eyes were piercing, a blue so clear it was like staring into a pool of water. Maria knew enough to recognize a woman worth watching. Unfortunately, Leliana was watching her too, very carefully, as if she could take her measure by no more than observation.

"You're all… very impressive." Maria didn't know who was actually in charge, but at least they all seemed to be working together to get everyone out of this mess. That was better than nothing.

"It is kind of you to agree to assist us." Josephine glanced up from her tablet screen with a small smile. In the time she looked away, Maria heard the dim chime of three notifications. "I've reached out to all of my contacts. We will need support if we are to close the vortex."

And once they closed it, she could go home, take Cole and run. "How long do you think it will take?" Maria risked asking.

It was Cullen, the broad ex-templar with the sad eyes, that answered. "The sooner the better, I wager. The longer that thing exists, the more at risk the world being torn asunder."

"I like your optimism." Maria muttered under her breath. Cullen's lips tipped up in small, amused smile.

"Keep that sense of humor. I suspect we'll need it." He advised.

"Solas believes that if we were to surround you with enough arcane power, the Vortex will respond to your presence by closing." Cassandra explained with grim determination.

She was a battery that needed to be charged. Well, she guessed she could live with that. "The rebel witches are ensconced at Redcliffe. We could make them see it is in their best interest to assist." Leliana said.

"And the templars exist for this sole reason." Cullen pointed out. "The order has a duty…"

"Initial outreach has already been made to… both parties." Josephine began delicately. "They have ignored us. They see that the vortex is a problem, but insist on blaming the opposing side. They each see us as a pawn for the other one and then there is the problem of…"

Maria waited as the silence around them grew heavy. Finally, Cassandra cleared her throat and turned her burning gaze towards Maria. "There is the problem of you. You are not what anyone anticipated you would be. Your identity will leak, there is nothing to be done to prevent it. You will become a target for both the inspired and the angry."

A victim for the mob. Maria tried not to let that thought frighten her. "Well, at least we stopped burning witches two-hundred years ago, right?" She asked. "I'd really prefer not to burn alive if it's an option. Firing squad sounds better."

"They are frightened, you will make them see you are not to be feared." Cassandra stated, as if it were both obvious and easy. "If we can sway the people to believe we are able to banish the vortex, then the templars and witches will have no choice but to work with us and stop this needless bloodshed."

"We must release your name." Leliana said immediately. "If we do not do so, someone else will."

Her stomach sunk. If they released her name, it would only be a matter of time before they chased down what she did for a living in Ostwick. Her business, and by extension Dwyka's, would be splashed all over every front page in Thedas. "Ostwick Carta Member Sole Survivor of Explosion, Joins Heretical Religious Movement" certainly had a dramatic ring to it.

Bea would have to face it alone, both the press and Dwyka.

Everyone else had continued talking, Maria lost track of the conversation. Something about a woman at a train station near Redcliffe. When she looked up from the table in front of her, she found out she wasn't the only silent one. Leliana was staring at her.

"Come." Leliana pushed away from the table and gestured at Maria to follow her. "Let the others debate this, I have not told you why I am here. It is easier to show than tell."

Leliana led her to a room that buzzed with activity, a hive of people flowing in and out, all wearing tense expressions, all stopping to greet Leliana with one word: Nightingale. Every surface was covered in maps, photos, computer printouts, and empty energy drinks. Monitors hung on nearly every inch of the walls. Some displayed computer screens, others what she assumed was security footage from… everywhere. Not just Haven, although she saw that too, but a city that looked familiar (not Ostwick, but maybe Kirkwall?), a building crammed full of people, an empty room that looked impressive…

Wait. That empty room was familiar. She peered at it more closely before it vanished to the next video stream, but the extra second of scrutiny was all she needed. Holy hell, that was the chamber of the Orlesian parliament. She saw it on the news often.

"Are you… are you hacking into every security system in Thedas?" Maria asked, voice suffused with awe.

"Nearly." Leliana answered, pushing her hood back. There was bluetooth device in her ear that reminded her of Varric's, although hers was black instead of flesh colored. "My position here involves a certain degree of discretion."

"You're a spy." Maria accused. "Like James Bond."

"Bond is an ameteur compared to me, I assure you." Leliana moved to the monitors, hit a few keys on a keyboard. "I worked for several interested parties in Orlais when I was young, but left after an… unpleasant incident. I found solace in the Chantry in a small town in Ferelden, one of the first to be sacked during the Ferelden civil war, unfortunately. I was rescued by a… brilliant young woman who was helping a young man escape Loghain's clutches. That young man was Alistair Theirin."

Leliana pulled up a familiar street corner in her monitor. Maria's heart thudded and her palms began to sweat. It was the corner near Dwyka's building. She recognized the store fronts, the broken lamp, the graffiti and cracked, grimy windows. Either ignoring her reaction or not noticing it, Leliana continued. "I began work for his majesty during the civil war and assisted him with claiming the throne from that murderous bastard. After… I worked for him for a time. Then I returned to the chantry because the Divine required my talents."

Maria couldn't tear her eyes away from the monitor above her even if someone offered her a million sovereigns. "You are not the only woman here with a shadowed past, Miss Cadash. I know about who you work for in Ostwick. I know about your grandmother. I know about Fynn Dunhark."

"Well, Cassandra has some questions then." The words tasted bitter. There were two figures on the monitor now, both of them turning the corner. The timestamp on the corner read a date and time from days ago, near dawn. Maria recognized herself holding the cup of coffee Cole brought her. Recognized Cole leaning over her solicitously.

"It is none of Cassandra's business." Leliana stated firmly. "She… she has not been where you have. Where I have. She does not know that sometimes you must make no apologies for what you did to survive. The only thing I don't know is what keeps you with him, although I assume it is grave."

Maria silently watched the shadows of her and Cole walk past the security camera and said nothing in the choking silence. Leliana filled it instead. "We cannot keep your name secret, Maria Cadash. He will have to find out what you're doing, but we can take steps to mitigate the risk if you fear that he will be angry at… losing your presence."

Maria couldn't say anything, the pressure inside her chest felt like drowning. Leliana didn't look disappointed, she just nodded as if in silent understanding. "Perhaps you will learn to trust me. Until then, you were here to sell lyrium, yes? Will he be easier to deal with if he is paid for it?"

Dwyka didn't love anything as much as he loved money. If he thought there was potential profit in her staying with this Inquisition… She nodded and Leliana set her jaw into an expression of spirited determination. "Then he shall be paid for it. I will see it done myself and I will… assist you in managing him if he becomes difficult."

"Why?" Maria asked, the question strangled. Leliana did not look down at her, but merely scowled at the monitors.

"I know what it is like to have no control of your destiny because of another." She said simply.