Solas wrapped the thick blanket around Andra's shoulders as she sat in her chair in the round room. The wool was coarse, but she instantly felt warmer as the heat began burning at her finger tips and toes. She hummed with delight and thanked him. The elf merely nodded as he walked back to the desk at the center of the room and sat down in his chair.

Andra fiddled with the hem of her blanket, staring at the woven string as she roamed the halls of her mind. "Thank you for everything." She had spoken softly, unsure whether he had heard her or not.

"Ele saron i'ra," His reply came.

"Even before? When we were always fighting?"

Solas looked at her, amused, "Absolutely."

Andra smiled, a different kind of warmth filling her heart, "Nuva te'tel'athir."

A soft rap on the wooden scaffolding that Solas once used to reach the top of his walls when painting alerted the duo to someone else in the room with them. "I hate to break up this little moment you two are having," Varric started when he had two sets of eyes on him, "but I was wondering if you would want to join some of us for a game of Wicked Grace?"

"I'd love to! Who's all playing?"

"Josephine, Blackwall, Iron Bull, Sera, Dorian, Cole is even going to give it another try even though he still doesn't understand how to play, and I managed to talk Cullen into another game as well. Oh! And then, obviously, yours truly will be there."

Andra laughed, "I'd love to see everyone all together again."

"You're welcome to join us too, Chuckles?"

Solas was already shaking his head, "I think not. It's probably best to avoid being near Sera."

"Suit yourself," Varric nodded, though he didn't seem broken up about it.

"Too bad Leliana and Cassandra can't join us this time," Andra reminisced.

"I've written them several times but…" Varric shrugged, "duty calls. It wouldn't be proper for the Chantry's New Divine to just drop all her duties for a game of cards—and Cassandra's off rebuilding the Seekers…" He sighed but Andra could see that it was all lighthearted.

"Well, where to?"

"The Herald's Rest, of course! Where else?"

Andra turned towards Solas as she stood up from her chair, still gripping the blanket around her shoulders, "I'll be back."

He waved a hand at her, "By all means." He said it calmly but Andra picked up on the faintest hint of something else. Restlessness? Vexation? She wasn't sure. Her stubbornness might be legendary, but his restraint could be considered on a par.

Leaving the sanctuary of her warm blanket behind and braving the cold once more, she followed the Dwarf through the keep, outside, and across the courtyard. The tavern was empty for the night, no doubt thanks to Varric, except for a table that sat close to the fireplace. Everyone was already here, it seemed Varric had come for Andra last.

"There you are! We were wondering if you two were even going to show up!" Iron Bull bellowed.

"Sorry, sorry!" Varric said as he threw his hand up, "I had to go grab Flowers. She was so busy with all her running around this morning that I never really had a chance to give her the invitation. But we're all here now and that's what matters."

Once everyone was seated, the cards were dealt and the game began.

Try as he might, the concept of the game continued to escape Cole, but he seemed to be having fun regardless; Cullen made doubly sure to keep his bets small and never bite off more than he could chew—no longer was he the cocky ex-Templar challenging Josephine to a constant next round in attempt to redeem himself; Josephine, in question and quite expectedly, still won most of the rounds. Andra began suspecting that the Antivan might be a card sharp, her luck was unreal.

"Well, just like last time, it seems I will be leaving with the most riches!" Josephine exclaimed with excitement.

"At least my pockets aren't near as empty as last time," Andra sighed in defeat.

"Speak for yourself," Dorian bemoaned.

Blackwall was shaking his head, "Perhaps we're all the real fools here for thinking we could best the Lady Josephine this time around."

Josephine smiled, "I've simply had a lot of practice."

"I don't believe that for a second!" Sera shouted as she stood up on her chair, putting a foot on the table. "You cheated! I know it!"

"Sera, get down! I did not!"

"Turn out your pockets!" Sera demanded. "I bet you have spares in them!"

"I will do no such thing!" Josephine countered.

"Do it! Or I'll put rats in your bed!"

"Sera!"

"Whoa, whoa," Varric said as he gestured with both hands for everyone to calm down, "This was just a friendly game of cards. I don't want to see anything get ugly."

"Then tell her to show us her pockets!" Sera continued, refusing to back down.

"Sit down, Sera," Andra pleaded. The Red Jenny gave her friend a cold look of betrayal.

"I've got my eyes on you," Sera said with a drunken glare towards the Antivan across the table as she slowly lowered herself back into her seat. "Many, many eyes."

Josephine laughed, but there was a hint of nervousness in it, as she stood and wished everyone a good night before retreating out of the tavern.

After a few more brief words and the finishing off of drinks, everyone said their farewells for the night before retiring. The Herald's Rest was left with a comfortable silence in everyone's wake. Once Sera's drunken singing was silenced by her passing out upstairs in her room, that is.

The only two that had stayed behind had been Varric and Andra. Though, Andra only remained because she had sensed something on her Dwarf friend's mind, something that had to do with her. Or maybe that was just the alcohol talking.

"Be careful, Flowers," Varric said as he stared at the dying embers of the Tavern's fire.

"What do you mean?" Andra asked as she pulled up one leg to hug to her chest in her seat.

"With Chuckles," he went on, "I know you said you both worked things out, but… he's always done things his way. Even when we were all fighting Corypheus, he only aided the Inquisition because it was also in his best interest."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"You guys are friends right now, but I can see it in the way you two look and talk to each other—and you've barely been here a day. I just want you to be careful, I don't want to see you get your heart broken."

Andra flushed, realizing what it was that Varric was hinting at, but she already was feeling her stubbornness start to kick in. "I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Varric agreed, "I just want you to think about all your angles here, and not jump into something blindly."

Andra dropped her gaze away from the back of the Dwarf and twiddled her thumbs while still holding her leg close to her body. Silence stretched between them as the elf thought over what her friend had said.

"What happened with your clan?" Varric asked when Andra didn't say anything.

A sigh erupted from the girl, but Andra explained everything as best as she could. She told Varric about the night Solas removed her Vallaslin, and all the important events that had led up to it; she talked about Calem showing up just to see her and how she hurt him to protect him; then quickly went through the events at the Temple of Mythal while making sure to skip over the part where she had called Solas "her heart's desire".

"Why didn't you stay with this Calem guy?" Varric asked, facing Andra.

She shrugged, slowly, "It just… didn't feel right."

"Well, I'll give you one last piece of advice, Flowers," Varric went on, "If you keep having to push all these people away just so Chuckles sticks around, then it's not right for you. One person shouldn't take up all the space in your life." And with that, the Dwarf exited the tavern and returned to the Keep.

Andra sat in her chair a moment longer, watching until the embers of the fire had died down to a dull glow. She rolled Varric's words over in her mind, but she didn't feel she had anything to worry about. Everything Solas had done for her up until now had helped her. Sure, she was hurting from being alienated from her clan and also losing Calem, but she had chosen this path. She knew what she was getting herself into. It had been clear from the start. But one thing she knew for certain:

She absolutely wanted Solas in her life.

It just felt right.


ELVHEN USED:

Ele saron i'ra: "We are in this together."

Nuva te'tel'athir: "May we never part."


OTHER WORDS/PHRASES USED:

Card sharp (card mechanic): A person who uses skill and/or deception to win money in card games.