Bethany had never been drunk before. She was of age, sure. But she just didn't like the taste of alcohol, nor had she ever felt the need to drink it. She didn't like the loss of control. Didn't like the idea she could do something stupid like reveal her magic to someone and not even remember it.

Lucky, however, was now very drunk, on Varric's tab. Bethany could feel the wobble in his limbs, the cerebral imbalance in the way Lucky swayed as he downed shot after shot. She wanted to tell her brother that he should go easy, but she found the floating feeling nicer to focus on than the deep aching pain of her Mother's rejection.

Boof patiently leaned on Lucky, watching the room, alert for trouble. Bethany now knew how sensitive those ears were, and there was so much noise here between the laughing patrons and the off-key local band that was currently serving as the entertainment. There was also a growing argument nearby at the bar.

Three Kirkwaller men seemed to be harassing a dark-skinned woman who wore clothing similar to what Bethany recognized as Rivaini, but not any Rivaini fashion that was traditional.

The bust of the woman's shirt was cut low to show off her ample cleavage. And Bethany knew Rivaini people wore piercings and gleaming jewelry of all kinds, but the woman's earrings looked more like heavy coins that made Bethany's ears hurt just looking at them. Gold choked the woman's neck, split her lip and pierced her eyebrow, and Bethany suspected there were probably more where she couldn't see. Her coily thick hair was tied up in a blue head scarf, but it could hardly contain the volume of it. The clouds of hair cascaded down her shoulders, decorated with braids and beads. Her boots were made of sturdy leather and cut high into her thick shapely thighs, and Bethany realized she must be staring.

Bethany was sure that conversation wasn't her business, but she made sure to keep an eye on the woman, just in case she needed to alert Lucky. She'd never been in a bar before, but her mother told her about predatory men who'd slip things in women's drinks. Bethany would make sure that, no matter what, that woman's drink would remain untouched and she would walk home alone.

The argument seemed heated, with the men all taking turns trying to intimidate her, but the gold-bedazzled woman was aloof and seemed more interested in finishing her drink.

Lucky was too busy nursing the last sip of his vodka to notice either Boof or Bethany or the poor woman in need of rescue across the bar. Bethany could feel wave after wave of anguish running through him, as his mind struggled with the puzzle which was Bethany's predicament.

She wanted to tell him it was hopeless, that nothing could be done. Even if something could, she was already too scarred to ever feel normal again. She could not ask him to fix this. There was no way she could see that wouldn't cause more pain.

But would Lucky even listen to what she wanted? Lucky was her big brother, and he'd been solving her problems for as long as she could remember. She wasn't sure what to do with any of this, but she was sure more dark magic would only make things worse.

"I'm sorry your Mom didn't take it so well. Honestly, if I wasn't there I might not have believed it myself." Varric was still nursing the same mug since the beginning of the conversation, a sympathetic frown on his face.

Lucky finished his last shot, and only seemed more bitter that it was gone. "She's just superstitious. Used to talk about how her side of the family was cursed or something." Lucky's shoulders slumped. "I fucked up. I should have known not to burn Beth's body."

"How could you have known?" Varric put a gentle hand on Lucky's shoulder making his heart flutter in his chest. "You wanted to make sure her soul was collected by the Maker, right? All this mage shit is weird. You'd think if it was important, the Witch would mention it."

Hawke waved down a waitress for another shot. "You think she cares? You met the bitch. She probably thought it was great fun jerking me around."

Varric pursed his lips, nodding solemnly in agreement. His hand slid off Lucky's shoulder. The warmth was missed.

Bethany cringed inwardly as a blonde woman with a messy bun and a frazzled expression dutifully placed four more glasses between them.

Varric nodded appreciatively. "Thanks Norah. That'll be it for the evening, though."

Lucky scoffed. "You're cutting me off, Varric?"

"You can barely sit up. I need you alive for the Deep Roads Expedition, you know."

Lucky harrumphed, pulling all four shots in his direction.

"Lucky…" Bethany warned.

But Lucky ignored her, as he downed one after another. The dizzying feeling in Bethany's body was becoming overwhelming, but she couldn't deny how floaty the alcohol made her feel.

Boof pressed a paw on Lucky's knee, and his big, worried eyes prevented Lucky from taking his last shot. Lucky ended up spilling it all over himself, as he scooped up Boof's face in both hands and placed a bunch of slobbery drunken kisses on his snout. The glass rolled onto the floor with a clatter. "You've never let me down, bubba."

"I told Corff shatter-resistant glasses would be an investment." Varric's grin stayed amused, as if it was great entertainment watching Bethany's brother implode. "Not that I think you'll remember this conversation, but we're going to have to think of another angle if you want to go on the Deep Roads Expedition. We don't actually need more bodyguards."

Lucky glared over his dog. "Are you not a man of your word, Varric?" He pointed, his aim two inches too far to the right and hiccuped on the dwarf's name.

Varric chuckled, placing the accusing finger down. "Easy, there, Hawke. I still think we need you, but you're thinking too small. Why don't you try approaching my brother as a potential partner?"

Lucky raised a thick eyebrow, his fingers digging into Boof's neck as he thought this over. "You think your brother would go for that?"

"With the right incentive," the dwarf grinned. "You see, we only have a short window where the Deep Roads are clear after a Blight. My brother and I have been trying to gather the capital, but we ran the numbers yesterday and we're still a bit short."

"Ha, you are short," Lucky guffawed drunkenly at his own joke.

Bethany cringed at the annoyed look on Varric's face. "Okay, granted I walked into that, but what I meant to say is we need to drum up at least fifty more sovereigns before this expedition can get off the ground."

Lucky twisted his face in a grimace. "You do realize that's, like, over twice my rent."

"I can line up the work, if you're willing to put in the muscle." Varric's grin turned mischievous. "As long as you get the coin, I won't question where you got it from."

Bethany could feel Lucky's mind churning as he leaned closer to Varric. "So you're saying, if I mysteriously scrounged up fifty sovereigns, your brother would make me a full partner? What would that mean? In real terms."

Varric smirked back and Bethany couldn't help but notice from here that some of his teeth had been replaced by gold. "Well, let's say it would mean enough to buy your family's mansion back and then just lounge in it for the rest of your life."

Bethany could tell a hook was dangling from Varric's mouth and she couldn't keep her brother from swallowing it. Lucky blinked, stunned and impressed. "You did your homework."

The chuckle that came from Varric went straight to Lucky's groin. Bethany reactively did something like a slap to the back of his head to remind him he was not alone in his body. Now both their cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"As if I would offer a partnership without doing my homework." Varric winked, and Lucky's cheeks started to burn deeper.

Bethany knew she couldn't stop Lucky from bedding the dwarf unless she took over his body, but that wasn't as easy as taking over Carver's. Still his drunken mind was much more open, full of holes in his defenses where she could hear his thoughts tumble through, though only some of them were coherent.

Thankfully images of his and Varric's naked bodies having freaky magic sex was not what he was thinking of. Lucky's thoughts were barely understandable but she did understand one thing: debt. Lucky owed some bad people money and the debt collectors were already coming for the house. The numbers he was running in his head didn't seem real. He was struggling to keep them from ending up on the street or worse- Darktown. A series of calculations ran through his head as he pulled up a list of victims for both loans and heists. It seemed like he was already hatching plans of how to string the funds together, completely forgetting that someone else was unwittingly listening in.

"You're not robbing Guillaume De Launcet." If Bethany could pull Lucky's ear she would.

Lucky's face twisted up, his tongue already spinning a lie, before he realized how pointless that would be. So arrogant indignation became his front instead. "As if the guy is really going to miss fifty measly sovereigns. Chances are he'd give it to Mom if she asked."

"Oh and who's going to ask Mom to do that? You?"

Suddenly she could picture her mother's fury, her warm eyes cold and black.

"You stupid child, now you're cursed! You threw away your soul for what? A demon?"

They both flinched at their Mother's words. Bethany no longer needed to ask Lucky what that meant. She knew there had to be a terrible price to bring her back. She could see it bleeding in Lucky's thoughts.

He wasn't planning long term. He didn't even seem to care if he got caught. He didn't think he had a future. She knew he had traded everything for hers and it seemed like he was spending his last moments trying to build something that he could leave for Carver and their mom.

The guilt was eating her alive. She couldn't bear it. None of this was fair, to him or to her. Still, the Maker intended for her to die, fair or not. By sacrificing his salvation, he took away hers, and she couldn't even bring herself to be angry because Lucky was so broken. Sure, there was a smile on his face and he was busily cooing at Boof, but every part of him was bleeding and ready to give up.

If Lucky wouldn't look out for himself, she would do it for him. And right now, Varric was looking at her brother like a big fat paycheck. "Dad said never trust a businessman. They'll look out for their coin before anything else. He's definitely trying to use you. If you get caught, none of this will come back on him."

"I won't get caught then," Lucky seemed to take it as a challenge. "He'll use me. I'll use him. It's the circle of life. And, if this is real, we can't pass it up."

Varric's face twisted but Lucky seemed to forget he was even there.

She knew Lucky would not listen. "What'll keep him from making big promises and then just leaving you stranded down there in the dark. At least be more careful. We don't know him."

Lucky scoffed. "I'm always careful." He reached for his last glass angrily only just remembering that he had spilled it on his clothes.

Varric raised an eyebrow at Lucky's last sentence which made him realize he said the whole conversation aloud. "Does your sister have a problem with what I'm proposing?"

Bethany thought Lucky would have the sense to lie but instead he looked Varric straight in the eye and said, "Actually yes. Beth brings up a good point. You're making some big promises, but where's the contract?"

Varric leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smirk settled there. "I take this to mean we should start talking terms."

"We should," Lucky nodded, causing Bethany to sigh, resigned to an evening of haggling. "But are you even authorized to make negotiations on behalf of your brother?"

For how inebriated Lucky was, Bethany was impressed just how he managed to get through that sentence without tripping over his tongue. All she could hear was the guitar and the weird yodeling voice of the indie band upfront where some people were attempting to dance. The room was beginning to swirl a bit and she felt like if she moved too fast she'd throw up.

Bethany thought Varric would be more insulted by the question, but it only made his grin pull wider. "Let's just say you wave fifty sovereigns in his face,I could persuade him to sign a contract guaranteeing you a ten percent cut off of all the profits."

Bethany rolled her eyes, not wanting to say 'I told you so,' but Lucky felt it all the same.

"Ten?" Lucky scoffed. "You think that's all I'm worth?"

"You're lucky I'm offering ten. My brother would offer five."

Lucky, however, always liked a challenge. "I'm thinking if this whole operation really hinges on my coin, I'd be worth at least fifty."

Bethany's mind was very fuzzy and she could barely think straight but even she knew he was asking too much.

Varric snorted. "They warned me about that ego."

Lucky gave a lazy lop-sided smirk. "If you did your homework you'd know that ego is backed up with the talent to match. You said it yourself, you need me, Varric. And I agree."

She always wondered how Lucky did it. There was not a shake to his finger, showing the same flirty confidence that he always did. But now that she was in his head, she noticed the nervous bob to his foot, the tightened clench in his jaw, the rush to his thoughts as he studied Varric, trying to anticipate his answer.

But Lucky did know his audience. Varric seemed to be thoroughly amused by her brother's boast. "What makes you think you deserve fifty percent of my expedition?"

"It's simple. You saw that portal I made at the Dalish camp."

Bethany froze, instinctively trying to see if anyone was listening in. A hum of drunken noise buzzed over the bad rock covers that played on the crackly speakers above them. No one seemed to even be aware that Varric and Lucky were in the room.

She couldn't believe Lucky would reveal one of their father's magical secrets for a job. Was he desperate or just that dumb?

Varric raised a thick eyebrow, a sparkle in the brownness of his eyes. "Yeah, you seemed to keep a lot of shit in that."

"Among other things." Lucky leaned on Boof for support as he pet him, absentmindedly.

From the way Varric leaned forward, his interest had been piqued. "So just how much can you fit in that hole of yours?"

Lucky smirked as his mind conjured up a different image of a very different hole before Bethany mentally smacked him.

But that didn't stop him from saying, "I reckon there's nothing I can't fit in my handy hole."

Varric did bark with laughter at that. "Well that's fine and dandy but what keeps you from running off with my loot?"

"Our loot," Lucky quickly corrected, a fact that both seemed to annoy and amuse Varric. Lucky pulled Boof onto his lap and smooched both cheeks. "It's a simple thing, my dwarven friend. We trust each other." Boof started to groan happily as Lucky massaged the back of his ears. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to build that trust in the weeks to come. And it's not like I have the contacts to get my money's worth out of Dwarven artifacts. Like it or not, I need you just as you need me."

Varric squinted his eyes, and Bethany was sure he could see through Lucky's innocent dog playing act. "But I'm sure you need me more than I need you. The expedition will survive without you."

"But would it be nearly as profitable?" Lucky took Boof's paws in his hands and started gently bapping Boof's face like he was boxing, causing Boof to playfully bite at his hands. "We're both smart men who know that there could be a mountain of gold down there. Maybe too much to take on one trip. Without me you might have to leave something behind, won't he boy?" Lucky didn't sound nearly as serious as baby-talked through that sentence. Eventually he wound Boof up so much that Lucky corralled him into an aggressive hug, leaving Boof licking his face happily. For a moment Bethany thought Lucky was so drunk he had forgotten he was in the middle of an important meeting until she realized he was batting his eyes at Varric, and using Boof to seem more trustworthy. "You take me, I'll make sure you get every copper out of your expedition."

Bethany didn't need to read Varric's mind to know that he'd been successfully persuaded. She could see the dwarf's mind calculating the cost versus the benefits of hiring her brother. "Bartrand will never agree to fifty percent."

"But I'm clearly worth more than ten, so either treat me like a real partner or I can find other opportunities worthy of my talents."

Lucky was bluffing. She could feel the sweat run down his neck, the tightening spring in his spine. But could Varric see through her brother's bravado?

If Varric did, he didn't seem to care. He seemed to be looking at Lucky in a new light. "You're a little more competent than most humans I meet."

"Well, my father was an elf so I'm sure that helped." Lucky smirked, giving Boof another smooch before releasing him. It was only moments later that she realized that he had snuck Boof some treats from his jacket pocket but Boof was a little less subtle, chomping them down.

Varric chuckled, tapping his chin. "Ok, if you can scrounge up the coin, full partner then. We split the loot in thirds. That agreeable?"

Lucky opened his mouth to reply, but across the room he heard someone cry, "You bitch!" He turned to see a blond man pull a gun on the gold-clad woman, stopping her mid-drink. The blond man pressed a gun to the Rivaini woman's temple. "We will get our money!"

It all happened so fast. Bethany had no idea where the dagger came from, but it was suddenly in the blond man's hand. The gun was thrown upwards. The fatal shot blasted in the ceiling, pelting people with debris.

The music stopped suddenly as everyone screamed and scattered for the exits.

The woman wrenched the dagger back, a ribbon of blood spattering across the room as the man held the tatter of his hand in the other. The bartender ducked under the table as the remaining two men surrounded the woman. The burlier of the men wrapped his beefy arms around her thick waist.

Boof sprang into action without command, kicking off Lucky so Lucky fell backwards off the other side of his chair. Boof tackled the twiggy man that had pulled the gun, kicking it a few feet away, and pinned him to the ground with his heavy body. A warning snarl rumbled through him as he drooled on his victim, fangs aimed at the man's throat, waiting for the command to tear it out.

This allowed the Rivaini woman to headbutt her wrangler. As he held his bleeding nose, she kneed him in the balls, causing him to scream in a higher octave than Bethany thought possible of the man. When he keeled over onto his knees, the nimble woman hit him soundly in the back of the head with an empty wine bottle, knocking him out soundly with a shower of glass.

The blonde man hesitated, trying to raise his pistol in his good hand but it was shaky and slick with blood. The woman moved like lightning, slicing his neck ever so slightly before he could aim it. A pleased smirk graced her ruby red lips. "Tell me, Lucky, is this worth dying for?"

Lucky, Bethany's Lucky, snarled for reasons Bethany couldn't discern. The fight seemed to be over but Lucky was in the process of fumbling for his gun still. He marched up to the other Lucky, completely ignoring the fact there was currently a dagger drawn at his throat, and pointed his own gun accusingly into his forehead. "Have you been using my name?"

The other Lucky raised a confused eyebrow. "What? Lucky is my name."

Lucky snarled, disarming the safety. "No it's not. That's my name, got it. So start thinking of another one."

The man looked bewildered, unsure who was going to kill him first. It seemed the Rivaini woman was wondering if Lucky was an ally or new assailant. Her hand came to rest on the gun still strapped to her heavy belt.

Bethany couldn't believe this. Of all the ridiculous things Lucky would pick a fight over. "You are absolutely not going to kill a man over a name. Let it go."

"Absolutely not!"

The other Lucky widened his sky blue eyes in bewilderment. "The fuck are you on?"

The Rivaini woman looked just as flummoxed, dagger twitching. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Maker, everyone and their dog is named Lucky in this town."

Lucky pouted, waving his gun around carelessly. "No, I'm the original Lucky. This dude's some poser. What are the chances he's using my exploits to get jobs." He unclicked the safety and pressed the gun to back his temple. "Or am I wrong?"

The man suddenly looked nervous. "T-that's not true."

Suddenly the dark-skinned woman's golden eyes gleamed at Lucky as she studied him, but he certainly didn't look that impressive with a vodka-soaked shirt. "So I take it you're the one who actually pulled the reverse robbery on the Coterie's motherlode last spring? Seemed like that had too many working parts for this one." She gestured at the man with her shoulder.

Bethany was horrified. "You did what?"

Lucky swayed uneasily, his aim suddenly veering off. "Wait, no one was supposed to know that was me." He sounded very nervous.

"I knew about that," Varric piped up behind Lucky. He seemed to take amusement at the whole ordeal.

Bethany didn't know who the Coterie was, but from the way Lucky's neck started burning with anxiety that wasn't a good thing. Lucky suddenly snarled, pressing the gun to the man's temple so hard he was pushing his head. "Who the fuck have you been telling that to!"

The gold bedazzled woman, huffed. "Do you mind? He and I were already doing a thing."

Lucky nostrils flared, until he finally looked at the woman. All the anger left his body when he met with warm golden brown eyes and ample curves in every direction. Suddenly his demeanor changed, his snarl softened to a flirty smile, his growl now a purr. "But you have to admit, it's kind of become our thing now."

She raised a finely plucked eyebrow. "Maybe you'd like it to."

Lucky lowered his gun completely forgetting that he was terrorizing a poor man. "How could it be anything else? From what I gather he cheated you by using my name. He's really made it personal for both of us."

And here she thought Lucky wasn't even paying attention. Bethany groaned. "You were in the middle of negotiating terms with Varric. Can you finish that at least before you hit on the next thing with legs?"

"I'm multi-talented," he responded so fluidly it felt like it was part of the previous conversation. And, for a moment, Bethany felt like she was actually standing in the middle of a bar, while wary patrons crept out of their hiding places to see the commotion. "I can't help it if people can't get by on their own merit."

The woman raised a pierced eyebrow. "If that's the case, Lucky," she purred her brother's name in a way he couldn't ignore, "You feel like taking his job? If you get it right this time, I might have something special in mind for you as a reward."

She could feel her brorher start to perk up but before she could properly scold him, the room started to spin and they both promptly blacked out.

Lucky groaned, feeling completely nauseous. His head pounded and his mouth tasted distinctly like vomit. The last thing he remembered, he was talking to a dark-skinned beauty with luscious curves, even more luscious lips, and mischief in her eyes. Then he faintly remembered vomiting on her boots.

Not his best moment.

He tried to stretch out the kink forming in his neck, when he realized something was off. For one, he was handcuffed to the post of the bed and the handcuff was the only thing he was wearing. And two, that beautiful woman was right beside him, tucked into the curve of his neck, her breath tickling the nape of his hair. She was… not quite as naked. She still had her silk black panties on, but all her jewelry except on her facial piercings had been placed carefully on the side of the night stand, her cloudy hair tucked away in a silk sleeping cap. Without her makeup her face looked softer, the freckles speckling over her cheeks like daisies dotting a field.

Lucky's breath caught in his throat before his chest started puffing in pride. He certainly didn't expect to wake up like this but he wasn't complaining. Then his third and final thought floored him.

Bethany.

He jerked reactively, straining against the cuffs, bruising his already sore wrists. The woman stirred against his chest, yawning as she settled back in.

Fuck. Did he fuck another woman with his little sister riding his head? He would never be able to live that one down. Still a quick search of his thoughts and a glance of his chest told him that no, Bethany was not with him at all.

She was missing.