Silently, we enter the dark dreary cave of this ruin, my ears picking up the echoing of faint droplets of water dropping down from the hard stone wall and rocks looming over us as my eyes narrow at the huge statues of proud dwarves.
"Finally started to think you weren't coming," Bianca sighs relieved cone meeting up with us and revealing her from the shadows, yeah that isn't shady at all.
"No one said you had to hang out in the creepy cave while you waited," Varric points out.
"Well I did wait so let's make this quick, these idiots are transporting Lyrium with unprotected containers. We don't want to stick around for it to start talking to us…"Bianca begins as I turn away, zoning out as Eve questions the dwarve girl until…
"I hope you know your way around a fight," Eve warns her.
"No I thought I'd cower helplessly and make you do all the work," Bianca smirks.
"She's ah…decent shot," Varric praises struggling.
"Decent?" Bianca scoffs.
"You want me to admit you're better than me in front of the Inquisitor?" Varric frowns.
"Let's not waste any more time shall we?" Bianca smirks as we continue on ahead, entering the cave.
"I assume you've heard about Princess Sebastian…" Cassandra begins once more much to my irritation of wanting peace and quiet.
"Aw the useless chantry priest, no a priest would be more useful than that idiot was," I remark grumpily remembering the man often judging me for my nightly fun.
"You did not like him; he was a friend of yours wasn't he?" Eve frowns curious.
"A friend of my brothers and Hawke maybe, the guy never liked me kept saying I was living a life of sin and shit due to my…life choices, pissed me off," I grumble recollecting his almost happy cheerful attitude grating against my own personality.
"I know he invaded Kirkwall are you going to blame us for that too?" Varric frowns.
"I know I was trying too…" Casandra attempt to speak but trial off, being cut off by Varric as Eve motions for me and I nod, scouting ahead in case of any enemies doing their rounds.
"You were trying to remind us how bad it was in Kirkwall so you decide to talk about it," Varric scoffs.
"I thought you two might be concerned it is your homes," Cassandra frowns as I lean against the ice cold iron wall of the hut of sorts as I kneel down, leaning against the cool rough yet smooth surface to turn to the lost girl.
"Of course I'm concerned I don't need you prodding with a stick to prove that," Varric argues calmly.
"Just because we don't brood about our home doesn't mean we don't care Seeker," I claim. Calmly, I kneel down after using my lock picking skills I open a chest nearby, outside the hut, while Eve enters the room, Varric swiftly opened and we quickly deal with the rats and enemies inside and destroy them, allowing us to both loot the bodies and the place ourselves. I notice Solas and Eve linger on the books, reading forgotten knowledge as Varric and I simply open the chests, Eve departs for the library to then discover the map or attempted layout of the place which we use to our advantage.
Silently, we continue the journey around this place…however the peaceful silence is once again ruined by Cassandra's urge to speak.
"I hear reconstruction is progressing well in Kirkwall," Casandra begins again…
"I know things are bad there," Varric huffs.
"Who doesn't?" I mutter grimly.
"I wasn't trying to-" Cassandra tries to defend herself only to be quiet from our furrowed brows.
"You weren't trying to remind me how bad it is in Kirkwall so you decided to talk about it," Varric argues hushing her.
"Makers tits your shit at this," I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose at his embarrassing display.
"I'd like to see you try!" Cassandra huffs.
"I don't because at least I know I'm shit at this and don't attempt at it," I admit honestly to her, silencing her for a brief moment.
"About it recovery…" Cassandra finishes her sentence weakly.
"What you're talking about are the buildings even that will take years. People don't recover so easily," Varric reasons and glances at me seeing my firm and bitter nod.
"Physical l scars can heal Seeker but mental scars may never be healed…" Stoically, I stand up feeling a few eyes linger on me from my truthful but ice cold words.
I sigh as we continue onwards, my brow furrowed when I see a few darkspawn or some sort for creatures arise. Quickly, I get out my blades and charge ahead of the others with Cassandra as the others fire from afar, Solas applying support for Cassandra and me to take more hits while Varric attacks, with Eve firing out ice spells in order to slow and freeze them for us to finish them off…which eventually we do.
"Have you heard from any of your Kirkwall associates Varric?" Cassandra asks intrigued.
"You're asking me so you don't read my letters?" Varric teases.
"You're no longer my prisoner much as you like to act like it," Cassandra says.
"And yet you read Fens," Varric brings up.
"For a time I did until giving it to Leliana who quickly realized Fen had been…how do you say coding these messages," Cassandra reveals as I smirk at the little pranks I pulled from the letters.
"Coding?" Eve questions intrigued.
"Indeed she had according to Leliana been writing in Qunlat so we wouldn't read it," Cassandra confesses.
"You can write Qunari!?" Eve gawks.
"Eh I know bits and pieces," I shrug causally as I kneel down attempting to open the door which I do, only to cartwheel back as it reveals darkspawn and enemies ready to strike as Cassandra bravely dives in while we attack from the doorway…in the end, easily defeating them and sadly, not ending the conversation as I had hoped…
"Did Bull teach you…?" Innocently, Eve questions.
"Not really," I reply examining the equipment left behind, not good or worthy to steal or take on.
"Then who did?" Eve enquires interested.
"I learned," I state.
"How?" She request making me frown, irritated by her nagging.
"Does it matter?" I grumble.
"It doesn't considering the swears and curses you gave Leliana from the letters," Cassandra thankfully for once comes to the rescue, silencing Evelyn.
"You read it you deal with it," I smirk standing up and we continue our exploration
"And yet still I get all the suspicion," Varric remarks as I snicker.
"I am not without sympathy, especially given recent events," Cassandra informs him.
Why seeker I would never accuse you of having sympathy by the way I tend to call my associates my friends. Maybe you're not familiar with the concept," Varric mocks her making me chuckle.
"Hi a friend right here …" Smirking, I wave cheekily as we continue on our way, exploring the hidden depths of this ruined place…