Chapter Four

Light Discussions

The next morning, I woke before Leliana. I wasn't sure how I knew, but it was Dawn. I lit the candles with a thought.

"Leli, wake up. The sun is over the horizon," I shook her. "How can you tell? There's no window" she sounded like she was still asleep.

"Magic, I guess. I can feel it," I responded as I got dressed. I chose a deep purple tube top, black denim jean, my sneakers, and arm sheaths for my throwing knives/stars, dagger sheaths on my belt, and a leather jacket with thermal lining. I brushed my hair and pulled the sides into braids that made an elven crown style; where the two braids met in the back they merged into one. I had tried cutting my hair last week – long hair was not practical for fighting – but it immediately grew back. Not freaky at all… though I learned I could change the color if I wanted.

"Hey Leliana, wanna make the boy do a double take?" I asked with a sly look. She was already sitting up, but when she heard that she looked at me with interest. I handed her a pair of jeans, a light purple crop top, and a leather jacket. We matched. I'd learned that any clothes I pulled from my bag were magically able to keep me at a proper temperature, so jackets were not actually needed for that, but rather to placate the others. When I told her that, all reservations about the crop top vanished and she started dressing; she even wore her Earth style bra and panty set I had given her.

I had knocked on bedroom doors to wake the others before heading to the mess hall.

Everyone in the hall was staring at us. We were holding our jackets, not wearing them, for maximum effect.

When Aedan and Alistair joined us, they were both red. "Erm… is that supposed to be one shirt that got split?" Aedan asked. Poor Alistair couldn't seem to form words, and was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "I was about to ask the same," I heard Cullen say from behind me.

Leli and I looked at each other and giggled. "No, they are 2 separate shirts. I'm wearing a 'tube top' and Leli is wearing a 'crop top'. This is how they are supposed to look. This is normal women's wear where I'm from," I explained.

I saw all three men's eyes widen. "Just how is it supposed to keep you warm or protect you in battle?" Cullen asked. "Easy. They're enchanted for warmth, and since Leli and I fight from a distance we're usually protected by the warriors. But just in case, the jackets have an Armor Rune enchantment," I added when I saw the men look worried.

"On another note… how was your… cuddle?" Aedan asked.

I put my arm around Lelis waist and snuggled into her as she said, "Oh, it was wonderful! Ara makes a wonderful little spoon,"

I nodded, "I have to be good at something other than sex, and I'm shorter than everyone I know so naturally I'd be a good little spoon." I said dramatically. Even Morrigan laughed as the men all choked on their breakfast.

I had finished my food and was sipping on water, doing my best to give and innocent look.

"You are… a mean person!" Alistair cried out. I gave him a sly smile. "No, my dear, I'm not mean. I'm a flirt. That's so much worse. I have a bad habit of not knowing that I'm flirting sometimes, so I just roll with it and flirt with everyone."

Cullen and Alistair were as red as my hair, and I couldn't help holding up strands against Cullens face and saying "I think that's a new record for red faces; you and Alistair win."

The two gave me playful glares. "What?" I asked innocently.

"They are just jealous that they were not in your bed last night, and I was," Leliana teased.

"Oh! Then they should have said so! I mean I did offer last night, and I love to cuddle so I naturally wouldn't mind some extra company; or even if they wanted some one-on-one time. Next time, just speak up," I winked at Cullen and gave Alistair a smirk. More stammering ensued at my words.

"How long are we here for, Ara?" Aedan asked.

"Just one more night – we have injuries to take care of and all of us need to breathe after what happened with that Goddess-damned sloth demon."

Cullen nodded, "I actually saw you all – when you entered the Templar floor, that is. I was… horrified when you were all put to sleep."

I snorted, "Sloth is my second favorite deadly sin."

Leliana jumped on that, "Deadly sin?"

"It stands that there are 7 deadly sins – and 7 heavenly virtues to balance."

"Can you tell them to us?" Leliana was practically bouncing in excitement. I shrugged, "Yeah – everyone knows them even if they don't follow the Christian religion. The Virtues are as follows; Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Forgiveness, Kindness, Humility and Hope. Or, in other words, Self-restraint, giving, integrity, composure, admiration, humbleness and hope are virtues. The sins are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. They're rather self-explanatory right? Everyone has all 14 of these attributes – the question is in quantity. I can tell you exactly how much I have of each. In the list of sins, I go Lust, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Wrath then Greed. That's how I place the order of each sin. I am less greedy than I am angry – though I've only gotten truly angry twice in my life at this moment in time. We all have the capability to be any – if not all – of these things. It's what makes us differentiate good and evil, right?"

"What about your virtue list?" Cullen was flushed at the way he said it. I smiled, "Charity, Diligence, Forgiveness, Hope, Kindness, Temperance, then humility. Some people never actually showcase their lesser virtues or sins – in my case, I have never showed greed for anything nor have I been particularly humble. Some people very rarely show a sin or virtue – like I have only experienced Wrath twice so far. The thing is, though – the amount of sins or virtues means nothing – it is how you practice them when you do use them."

"How is lust your top sin – I'm sorry, but I haven't seen any proof of this," Aedan said. I flushed, "Ahem… I uh… of course you haven't. Lust is one of the sins that can be hidden better than the others."

"Oh this I have to hear," Morrigan looked intrigued.

"… What do you have to hear?"

"How do you hide it? And how exactly is it your number one 'sin'?"

I decided that I should be shameless – I couldn't lie, so if I was going to answer the question, why be ashamed of my answers? "Men masturbate; why can't a woman? I have a small addiction to sex – I love sex. But I'm not sleeping with anyone at the moment, so what else can I do?"

Leliana looked flushed, Alistair and Cullen were bright red – almost glowingly red even – and Aedan looked confused, "That's not something I've ever considered. Women don't have the same… parts as men, so how do they…?"

I laughed, "I would show you, but I'm not sleeping with you so that's going to be a hard no."

Alistair cleared his throat, "We should… ah… change the – the subject…"

Cullen nodded swiftly, "I quite agree…"

I shrugged, "To each, their own."

"So Ara… please tell us some more about you – as the only person not…"

I sighed at Lelianas' words, "I uh… what do you want to know? By now, you all know I was a surgeon before being a stay-at-home mom, you all know I had two younger sisters and two older brothers, and you all know that I was married before…"

Cullen asked, "Well, what's your favorite pastime?"

"I like to read; I guess… and play games."

Alistair spoke up, "You create soap, but do you have a favorite scent that isn't a blend?"

"… Roses," I sighed. Cullen looked intrigued, "You make soap?"

I pulled out the Templars' Rose one and slid it across the table. He sniffed it, "Could I…?"

"Yeah – keep it. It's Alistairs' favorite too. I use this one," I passed him my blend. His eyes widened, "This is lovely. Is that Arbor Blessing that I smell?"

"Keen nose – that one is a blend of 5 scents that come out smelling like a winter night in the forest by the sea… I call it Fairy Song. It has Vandal Aria, Amrita Vein, Arbor Blessing, Prophet Laurel and roses."

His eyes bugged, "Those are rare. How were you even able to…?"

I shrugged. "I also made fragrance mists that match for the days we can't stop and bathe."

He said, "What other scents did you make?"

I passed him Nobles' Fire, Lethal Beauty and River Rain. He sniffed at all of them and I saw Greagoir and Irving approaching us.

Cullen said, "These are amazing – you could make a lot of money selling these."

Greagoir looked interested at once since the last thing I sold them was so impressive. "May I?" I shrugged and he and Irving passed around the 5 bottles of soap. Aedan jumped in to be my spokesman.

"She made them over the course of the last three weeks – I personally like the one she calls Nobles' Fire. Sten uses one that smells like cookies, but she says she didn't make that one. They all feature at least one rare herb. Due to this, they all have unique health benefits and even cosmetic effects."

"Such as," Irving asked – was it me, or did these men seem keen to buy?

I spoke, "Fairy Song has the most benefits – hair growth, moisturizing skin, soothing muscles and aiding in healing wounds and so on. Lethal Beauty comes in at a close second – helping skin to glow, soothing itchy scalp and healing wounds. Templars' Rose is for mages and Templars only as it contains actual Lyrium. It aids in Magical abilities, Templar abilities and the extra herb in it aids in magical resistance. Nobles' Fire helps strengthen muscles as well as promotes healing and relaxation. Finally, there is River Rain; that one is mostly cosmetic effects – it does contain trace amounts of Lyrium – but not enough to do harm to anyone since it's counterbalanced by Andrastes' Grace and Crystal Grace. The mix of two Grace Flowers' actually gives the skin softness and cleanses pores."

Greagoir looked surprised, "How much for the recipe to Templars' Rose and Lethal Beauty?"

Leliana said, "That is, of course, assuming she wishes to sell."

I shrugged at that when they all looked to me. Aedan said, "Fairy song would sell for 1 gold a bottle – just based on what's in it to begin with. Add in popularity of scent, health and cosmetic effects and even fancy packaging and it could sell for as much as two or three Sovereigns a bottle. Lethal Beauty – after the same factors – could sell for 150 silvers. Templars' Rose – being a mage and Templar exclusive – would only sell for as much as one Sovereign. Nobles' Fire would go for about 175 silvers a bottle. River Rain being purely cosmetic and sweetly scented would only go for about 105 silvers – at most. If she also sold the cookie one for children, it would go for about 50 silvers tops." Aedan was acting as my manager and accountant now… was this his attempt at being family or just his role in the Cousland family?

Irving and Greagoir sat down at the table – I also saw a few people hovering and listening. Why was soap such a fascinating topic?

Greagoir said, "Based on the exclusivity of Templars' Rose, we can offer only 75 Sovereigns for the recipe."

"100," Aedan countered. "80 – No higher," Greagoir said.

"Okay – deal on that one," Aedan said when he saw my nod – it was only three scent profiles after all. "And for Lethal Beauty, we can offer 150."

"Ooh – I was thinking 200," Aedan said as I began writing out the recipe to Templars' Rose.

Irving stepped in, "Actually, I was thinking the same for that one if we consider all the health benefits, Greagoir."

Greagoir considered before motioning to a Templar, "Take a senior mage to the vaults and gather 300 Sovereigns."

"300," Aedan asked.

I started pulling out bottles of the two scents, knowing where Greagoir was headed with that. Greagoir nodded, "That's why – purchasing bottles directly to hold us until we can gather the things needed to make our own."

I pulled out 20 bottles of Templars' Rose and 10 Lethal Beauty and said, "I'm doubling the amount since you're making such a large purchase."

I also passed over the two recipes. Cullen said, "I do have some savings… could I possibly…"

I held up a hand and pulled out my final creation – one I hadn't even shown the others yet. I'd made it based on my knowledge of Cullen; Oakmoss and Elderflower with hints of Lyrium, dark chocolate and strawberry cream. I passed it to him without looking at him.

Confusion lit his features and he sniffed it. His eyes widened – I knew the Oakmoss and Elderflower had to be scents he preferred because a vision I'd had of me hugging him had proven he didn't smell that way naturally. In the vision, we had been talking about favored treats and to my surprise; he'd liked strawberries and chocolate. I'd also tried this scent to test the health benefits – it was almost as powerful as Fairy Song after I'd used Elfroot as a base. I'd had too to get the scents to mix just right.

He said, "How much do you want for this one?"

"You want the bottle or the recipe?" Aedan asked. I shook my head and passed over two more large refill bottles and said, "This one is called Lions' Den. Its health benefits rival Fairy Song for number one spot and is an Exclusive item. It contains Lyrium, Oakmoss, Elderflower, Elfroot and scents of chocolate and strawberries. The reason it is Exclusive though is not the Lyrium – there isn't enough there for it to be harmful to mouse, let alone a person. The Exclusive nature is because I like this one enough to keep it hidden from most people. For you, these three bottles are free of charge."

Leliana began giggling, "Why is that one free – and why only him?"

"Lions' Den reminds me of my husband – Alex loved Chocolates that were filled with strawberry cream – I loved orange cream in mine. As for why Cullen… I like him. If Alistair asked, I'd let him try it out too."

Cullen said, "Oh… strawberries and chocolate are my favorite."

I smiled softly but before I could speak, Greagoir said, "You're married?"

"She was, Knight-Commander. Ser Alex is no longer… he and her son are gone," Cullen said. Where did the Ser title come from for Alex?

"Was he a knight?" Irving asked. I cleared my throat, "Personal protection services, so I suppose here he would be called a warrior or bodyguard."

Aedan said, "He was human." I nodded, "Why does that matter?"

Irving cleared his throat, "Many places don't allow Elves to bear arms, unfortunately. I'm not saying it is right, but we could mostly infer that your late husband wasn't elven from the fact that he was a warrior."

I shrugged again. Cullen, however, had noticed something, "You met her husband?"

"In the Fade when the sloth demon put us to sleep, we were put into dreams. Ara was with her husband and son. Just looking at the fine things around them, I would have guessed he was a Nobleman."

I didn't respond – I suppose in terms of a place with no mass production, our things were nice. We weren't rich, but Alex made a very decent living – we were able to afford a place in Denver after all. It was why I gave up my job – he made more than I would have as a surgeon.

My silence was taken as assent. Leliana said, "Your homelands were quite progressive if that is the case."

"Oh they were; men marrying men, women marrying women. You know my surgeon specialty was Sex Reassignment – changing men and women physically to match what they were internally."

"Transgender," Wynne said as she remembered my words from before. I nodded, "Indeed – I can help women look like women when they were born with the wrong bits."

Cullen looked fascinated, "That's amazing – how is that possible?"

I wondered how to answer, "A lot of surgery and hormonal medication. It takes finesse to do those types of procedures. A lot of stitching and such was involved."

"And people were accepting of that?" Leliana asked. I shrugged, "Some were, some weren't; but the fact that I wasn't even close to being the only surgeon who could do it should say something. The place I lived was more forward thinking than other places, at least. It was perfectly legal to do."

"So… in your own right – you are a noble woman. Married to a nobleman," Irving pressed. I found I could directly say I wasn't a noble – so I was thinking it was my new body that had been nobility. I said, "I guess you could say that…"

Aedan laughed, "That explains a lot – how you're so easily able to lead us and all."

"Actually, my military expertise comes from having a grandfather who trained elite naval officers and doted on his granddaughters more than anything else. He once told us that if anyone gave us any trouble to tell them, 'my grandpa will tear off you head and shit down your neck'."

"Did you ever tell anyone that?" Cullen asked.

I gave a smile, "I was 12 years old when my twin sister looked this creepy guy right in the eye and said it while rocking back and forth like the cutest little serial killer in the world."

"But you've never used it yourself?" Alistair asked. I shook my head, "I didn't need to – I was the adorable outgoing make-friends-with-everyone little girl. Jade was the scary, reclusive, kill everyone that messed with us girl. Jade was also the mastermind of us. She would come up with a plan, I would do it and cute my way out of trouble. Jade once got this idea to steal my dads' alcohol when we were about 8. He'd pour a shot, go to put the bottle away and when he turned around… it was an empty glass. He repeated this once. Jade got the first shot by standing on my back – I got the second by doing the same. We got caught on the third shot."

Morrigan looked amused, "How did you 'cute' your way out of trouble?"

"I was a very pretty little girl – I know; I don't look so cute these days." I pulled out a picture of me at 7 – I really was a very pretty child. My hair covered my ears in the picture so nothing was given away.

"The eyes are different," Cullen noted. I nodded, "My eyes recently turned silver."

"You are right – you were very adorable," Leliana said looking at the picture. I nodded and handed them a picture of Jade from just before I died – she was darker. Jade had dark skin, brown hair, and green eyes and was curvier than me.

"Who is this?"

I smiled, "My twin sister. She looks more like our father – I look more like our mother."

"Your father was Antivan then?" Wynne asked. I shook my head, "Similar but not quite. I'm not from Thedas. Dad was Mexican – his family hailed from a place called Mexico. Mom was more Irish – which is similar to Starkhaven. I was raised in a place similar to Ferelden but also… very different."

Alistair spoke next, "And what about your husbands' family?"

"What about them?"

"Well it's just… did they accept you? Being elven in a noble family…" Irving pressed. I cleared my throat, "My husbands' family adored me, actually."

"That is good," Greagoir nodded. The other Templar finally came back and handed me the pouch with the 300 golden coins. I placed it with the other 50.

The rest of the day was spent talking about what repairs would be made around the tower.