Chapter Twenty-Two:Starting Not-So-Fresh

"As much as I love a good drama, can we get back to eating?" Dorian asks.

"Sorry, Dorian. I'm afraid I've shown my worst side again," I say, a blush staining my cheeks. "That story just really got to me. I can't imagine such atrocities. Despicable."

"I agree," Cassandra states. "I am glad your power has different source. I did not like the idea of a blood mage in our midst."

Tenebris coughs and looks as though he wants to say something more, but I catch his eye. We've done enough damage. I reach out to hold his hand, and he takes it, squeezing it. I know, brother. These humans don't understand. But, one battle at a time. I shake my head at him, and he nods.

I inform Cassandra, and loudly enough that Blackwall and Leliana are sure to hear it too. "Declan and Varric both witnessed my ability. They can verify that I used no blood magic."

I let go, and sit back down to eat my dinner. Dorian leans over and whispers, "Quite the protective type, isn't he?"

"My brother? Sometimes," I admit. "But he has a temper worse than mine at times, too."

Dorian seems to mull this over.

I take a sip of my wine and regret it immediately. Sickeningly sweet, as before. I turn to Dorian, "How do you stand to drink this stuff?"

"I don't. I only pretend to."

"Oh, clever," I tell him. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"What's that?" Declan asks from the other side of me.

"Oh. Sorry, Declan, but I'm not a fan of your choice of wines," I admit. "It's far too sweet for me."

"I don't really drink wine, so I just went with something that sounded nice. One of the nobles brought it," he explains, grabbing my glass. My gasp of surprise isn't quick enough to stop him from taking a sip.

He immediately wrinkles up his nose in disgust. "This really is awful stuff. Why did no one say something before? See, Ferox, this is why I like having you around."

"Even if I have embarrassing outbursts at dinner?" I prod.

"Even then. You made your point earlier. There's still a lot we don't understand. None of us can do this alone, and trusting in each other is the only way we will accomplish our goals."

"You really are a great leader, Declan. You won't regret this," I tell him.

He leans in closer. "I want to hug you right now, but I won't. Your brother is already giving me an ugly look."

I can't help but laugh, which draws the attention of the rest of the table, and I'm back to having flushed cheeks. I'm really starting to hate these dinner parties. I glance over at Varric to find him looking at Declan and I curiously...and my brother is looking at Varric. Shit. Tenebris glances at me and frowns, then shakes his head.

I turn my attention back to my plate and focus on eating for the rest of the meal. Afterwards, I seek out my brother for a private conversation.

"We need to go talk to Solas," I inform him.

"Indeed, I want to see the look on his face when he sees both of us together. I've been waiting for this," he says, grinning. I have to admit, I'm probably going to enjoy seeing him squirm a little as well.

"Oh, what was that about Warden Blackwall?" I question as we start walking toward Solas's room to look for him.

"Only that he's no more a Warden than I am," he announces.

"What?"

"There's no taint in his system, and no trace of ancient blood, which I'm sure you would have noticed if you weren't so distracted," he comments, looking me in the eye. "There's no way that man went through a Joining."

I need to ignore the implications of his statement about being "distracted". "Hm...strange. Still, you know how I feel about Grey Wardens. I'm a little relieved to hear he's a fake. We'll keep an eye on him, but so far, he seems harmless."

"Agreed. Now let's find that shifty elf."

Tenebris and I check his quarters first, but Solas has not returned to his room in the keep. We ask around, and end up finding him in the undercroft, of all places. It's getting late, and the smiths have all left for the day. Candles in a variety of fixtures, along with a few well-placed lanterns, light the area with a warm glow. Solas stands in front of a strange apparatus at the edge of room, near the opening that drops off to the vertical cliff below.

"Hiding from us, Trickster?" Tenebris taunts.

Solas turns, a small smile on his face. "Not at all. I expected you would find me. I thought it best that we have privacy for our conversation. Greetings, Tenebris."

"You asked for this talk, if you recall," I remind him.

"I had little choice in the matter. Your rash words would have exposed us both."

"What are you really doing here, Fen-I mean, Solas?" I ask, correcting myself in effort to get his name down so I won't make that mistake in front of others.

"When I learned of the Breach in the sky, I came to study it in hopes of closing it. Whilst here, I have offered my services to the Inquisitor and have helped to keep the Anchor from spreading and killing him."

"There's more to this than that. How do you know how to treat the Anchor? What is it, anyway?" I ask, stepping closer to him.

"After observing the mark, I believe its origin to be connected with an artifact in Corypheus's possession," he explains.

"An elven artifact, I presume," Tenebris says.

"Just so," he admits. "My understanding of the workings of such artifacts allowed me to halt the effects of the Anchor, for now."

I narrow my eyes at him, but he says no more. "Fine, keep your secrets, Trickster. I trust you will not interfere in our efforts to help the dragons?"

"Dragons were always more your area of expertise, not mine. My interest here lies with the Anchor, and Corypheus."

"And we won't stop your efforts to heal the Breach then," I add. "Is that agreeable?"

"Most satisfactory."

I walk out of the room, my footfalls a little harsher than I had originally intended. I'm really not happy with this arrangement, especially given that he will be going on the same mission that I am. Spending more time with the elf who trapped our precious ancients isn't high up on my list of tasks to accomplish. Granted, he'd trapped his own brethren, as well.

I'll just ignore him. For now.

Tenebris and I part after leaving the undercroft, but I still feel restless. I know I'm leaving in the morning, but it will be with a dragon hunter, that trickster elf, and Sera. Sera seems fun, but the other two choices are making me nervous. I'd have felt more comfortable with Dorian or Declan, or even Hawke.

Before I realize where I'm going, my feet have taken me outside and I can see the light from the windows of the Herald's Rest. Maybe a drink would help. I head that direction. If nothing else, I'm sure Bull will be there, and I can sit with him for a few minutes to take my mind off things.

It's already starting to get dark, and the cold evening air is settling in. It's going to be another cold one. At least it's not a far walk to the tavern. And, a drink will help me feel warmer. I open the door, and step inside. The warmth is indeed welcome, but the smell could use some help. Did something die in here? I look around for the source of the smell, but all I can see is a mass of bodies. The tavern is full tonight.

I head toward Bull's section, as I'm fairly certain he can get me a seat if no one else can, but before I get there, I see a familiar face.

Hawke pushes off the wall and walks toward me. I smile and wave, my voice having no chance of making it across the room to him with it as noisy as it is in here. We meet in the middle, and he leans in to speak into my ear.

"Didn't expect you to show up tonight," he says.

"Me either," I shout back, "and yet, here I am."

"Fancy dinners not your thing?"

"This one went about as well as the last."

Hawke laughs.

I look over to Bull's section, and with Krem and a group that I assume are the infamous Chargers, they take up a large section. Unfortunately, there are just so many people in here that I can't get close to them. Hawke catches my disappointed face, and points upwards, putting his hands out in question. I shrug and nod. We head up the stairs. The second story is a little sparser than the one downstairs, but there are still no seats to be found.

"What is going on?" I wonder aloud.

"I think almost all the teams are in at the moment. I'm sure by tomorrow this place will be empty again."

We look around the far side and I see Sera in her room, sitting on the window seat and staring out of the picture window. I'm a little jealous, seeing her space, but I wouldn't trade the quiet of the garden for the noise of this place. She sees us and waves us inside.

Once through the door, the noise from the lower room is immediately less. It's a relief. I tell her, "Thanks, Sera, it's so loud out there."

"Oh yeah?" she asks, and I can tell she truly hasn't paid much attention.

"What's on your mind?" I ask.

"So we're going on this dragon quest thing, right? Only you're different...you're Dragon Girl now."

"And that's a problem?" I question.

"Well…it's just, magic, right? Weird. Friggin' creeps me out."

"You knew I was a mage the last time we met," I clarify.

Hawke speaks up, "Yeah, and who better to have along when going up against dragons than Dragon Girl?"

"Who says we need to go up against them? Nope, no need to poke the dragons a'tall. I don't know why they picked me for this in the first place. Should leave it to the big swords, like Cassandra."

"Seeker Cassandra chose you for it personally. That means she must have faith in your abilities, Sera," I point out.

"No, she has faith in yours. They all do, don't they? But I haven't seen it."

"I have," Hawke says. "I'm certain Ferox knows what she's doing."

I smile at him again. "I'm not sure what I did to deserve a friend like you, Garrett, but remind me to do it again."

He throws an arm over my shoulder, and I shrug out of it, shaking my head. "I take it all back!"

And with that Sera, laughs, and we're good again.

"So…" Hawke says, "Varric made his move then?"

"Wait, Varric what?" Sera sat up, suddenly very interested. She looks at me. "Oho! You like the dad type, yeah?" She waggles her brows suggestively. "Little dwarf action do it for you?"

I roll my eyes. "You had to say it in front of Sera. Now I'll never hear the end of it."

"So he did?" Garrett asked. "The old dog. I think I'm honestly a little jealous now."

"Well, no, he didn't exactly…it's complicated."

"You two and complicated. It's not complicated, Ferox. He likes you, so go get him."

"You know my situation, Garrett, whether you actually believed it or not. I don't want him deciding this rashly."

Hawke puts a hand on my shoulder, looking down at me. "Ferox...go get him."

I smile a little. "Maybe you're right."

Sera sits on the edge of her seat, leaning forward, eyes wide. "Go on," she says, leaning back once she realizes the show is over.

I clap my hand over my mouth, embarrassed to have said it, especially with Sera watching so raptly, but I don't want to take it back.

I turn and walk out, to Sera's hoots and Hawke's knowing grin.

Once outside, I run back to the keep, giggling to myself. Entering the main hall, I notice Varric isn't here anymore. He must be in his quarters, but I don't know where that is. I don't see anyone around that I know, so I decide to wander, and hope I either run into someone who might know, or I'm able to find it on my own.

I start near Hawke's room, which I know to be somewhere upstairs on the ramparts. I check a few rooms, but they're all empty, some with holes in the wall, even. Skyhold needs quite a few more repairs. I end up standing by the edge of the upper walkway. There is no one in this section at the moment, and I stop to enjoy a moment of quiet. For a cold night, it's beautiful. The stars are out, and from the top of the wall, you can see an endless sea of them above. I raise my arms out to the sides, embracing the chill, and inhale a deep breath. It hurts a little due to the temperature, but it still feels good.

"Enjoying yourself, I see," a familiar voice says.

My breath exhales in a cloud of water vapor and embarrassed laughter.

"Hello, Commander," I say, smiling at him. "Well, It is a nice view from up here."

"I've always thought so," he adds, coming to look out over the wall with me, but then he notices my eyes are upward, and tilts his own head to gaze at the sky. "I've heard sailors can navigate by the stars. Wouldn't that be a skill to have?" he muses.

"I'm sure that's quite useful out at sea, where all you can see is water in every direction. But forget sea travel, I want to fly," I comment, closing my eyes and imagining the sensation.

He chuckles. "If your previous demonstrations are any indication, I'm betting one day you will."

"You know, Commander-"

"You can call me Cullen. I'd feel strange insisting you call me by my title when you're already on such familiar terms with everyone else."

"Cullen, then. You're not half as harsh as I thought you were."

"Perhaps neither of us had the best first impression. I'm glad you're with the Inquisition. I'd hate to think about what would happen if you were our opponent," he admits, pausing for a moment to look back at me. "So what really brought you up here?" he asks.

"Same thing that always happens to me at Skyhold, I got lost," I explain sheepishly.

"Maker's Breath, I know that feeling. When I first got here, I got lost three times trying to find my own office." He grins, softening his handsome features considerably. Huh, who would have thought this tough guy had such a charming smile?

"Oh, Cullen, that reminds me, do you have any idea where Varric's quarters are? That's who I was looking for. I need to ask him something."

"Of course," he replies, and proceeds to give me very detailed instructions with landmarks even, on how to find him.

"Thanks, Cullen, I'll see you later."
"Good luck in the Exalted Plains. We're hoping for good things."

"I won't let you down," I promise with a wave.

He leans against the wall and doesn't move until I leave.

I have no problem following Cullen's directions. I should have him make me a map or something. I'd be willing to bet he's got one somewhere that he put together early on. The keep's twists and turns aren't as intimidating this time around and I finally find myself in a hallway I've never seen before. It's long, with a couple of branches. Varric's room is off one of the side branches, and the last door on the left. Thanks again, Cullen.

I smile, but then I realize I'm about to go into Varric's room, and I'm suddenly nervous. This had sounded like a good idea when I was with Sera and Garrett, but now that I'm here, do I have the courage to do this? The door is shut, but looking at it, it doesn't look like it's latched all the way. Hopefully that means he's still up. I knock quietly, and a few seconds pass before the door opens. Varric stares at me with a confused expression.

"Firefly? What are you doing here?" he asks, eyes darting to the side.

"Oh, I-" I start, but I'm cut off by a voice inside.

"Hurry up," a female voice answers from inside.

My eyes widen in surprise and confusion. I catch a glimpse under Varric's arm of a female dwarf in his room. Bianca, I presume. At least I caught them while they're still clothed. "Sorry for interrupting," I say abruptly, and turn and walk away quickly, tears already stinging my eyes.

"Ferox, wait!" Varric calls, which only spurs me to run. I hear him curse behind me, but he doesn't follow. Damn him.