"Failure is Part of the Lesson"

The young woman wiped the sweat from her brow with a cloth she kept in her pouch. Jade was still laying on the healing cot, being tended to by both Serana and Liz. Occasionally Adan would come in to check on her when either of them were busy.

As far as the pecking order in the medical unit went, Serana and Liz were both pretty low. Being as young as they were, none of the older and more experienced members really took them seriously. That was slowly starting to change, however. Ever since Liz had 'revived' Maxwell from the brink of death, she'd been getting quite a few questions from Adan and the surgeon both.

She sighed and focused on the dwarf. The woman had taken quite the hit during the battle as they fled to the Chantry. Unfortunately it'd been from an arrow in the right thigh. It'd gotten infected on their way to Skyhold the week following, which wasn't a surprise. Arrow wounds infected easily. Her long black hair draped over the side of the cot, her breathing elevated.

She'd just broken out of her fever. The infection hadn't truly set in until a few days ago, when she decided to overwork herself in her haste to get to the fortress.

The woman was damn stubborn, that's what. At least Liz and Adan could both agree on that fact. It wouldn't have gotten as bad as it did if she'd told them about it in the first place. They only knew until the day she wouldn't wake up in her bedroll.

"D-Do you think she will be okay?" Serana was the one who asked. Despite her fidgety nature, her hands were still and fluid in their movements while cleaning Jade's wound.

Speaking of fidgety. She'd been oddly fidgety since they arrived. Once she was finished cleaning, the younger mage took over and began dressing it. Liz looked at her and nodded, "Just make sure to keep the wounds cleaned. No one is allowed to touch her unless they've washed their hands and forearms thoroughly, am I clear?"

"Y-Yes." The chubby elf nodded, practically bowing as she turned and walked out of the tent.

Most of them were situated near the entrance to the fortress, in the lower courtyard. The sounds of people moving around and hammers clanging could be heard just outside. It'd only been a few days and it was already starting to come along quite nicely.

Once finished, she stepped outside and took in the crisp air. She let it fill her lungs, trying to ignore the faint smell that tainted the air. The coppery smell of blood and infection still seemed to stick in her nosehairs from the tents.

Scrunching her nose, she stepped away and was intent on walking up the stairs to get a bite to eat. Until she saw her anxious friend talking to an odd man at the entrance to the fortress.

Liz didn't like the way the scruffy looking man looked at Serana as she skittered back toward the tents. Her normally pale complexion was beet red, eyes wide. The black haired man looked at the elf's round rump as she waddled away in haste. She squinted at him and he seemed to take notice of her staring. He smirked at her, too. She just shook her head and scoffed.

"Hey, are you okay there?" The mage stopped the elf, putting her hand on her shoulder. Serana stopped and nodded.

"It's o-okay. I-I was just making sure he d-didn't need any healing. H-He's fine."

"Who is that?"

"H-Hawke." Serana's fingers tapped together shyly, refusing to meet Liz's eyes. Liz's eyes narrowed at the sound of the name. She leaned forward and whispered to Liz, so no one else could hear. "H-He said he t-thought I was c-c-cute."

She squeaked that last part. Almost like she couldn't believe it.

The young Trevelyan's gaze traveled up, observing the man warily. Was this what Cole was warning her about?

She shook her head and shrugged it off. It was just a random guy, no big deal. She cracked her neck and went back to work, making sure their workstations were clean. All thoughts about food forgotten.

Adan seemed almost peeved whenever she set off to do that and even the surgeon didn't like her touching her things. But once she'd explained that dirty utensils caused infection, they seemed to back off. If only a little. They still shot her glares.

By the end of the day, she was starting to get worn out. Her bare feet settled on the grass as she stood at the bottom of the staircase, her arms stretching as she let out a groan. The sky was beginning to turn an orange hue and the residents were beginning to retreat to their respective tents. Some of the luckier ones already had their rooms within the fortress cleared out, so they went there.

Liz sighed, stretching her legs as she looked up at the upper courtyard. The Herald's Rest was going to be opening, soon. They were just getting the furniture sorted out and the stuff delivered. Said items would probably be here once Maxwell established trades with the nearby towns.

Then she turned, looking at the entrance of Skyhold. She saw him. Hawke.

He was still there.

'Who the hell are you?' She questioned, eying him suspiciously. His smiling demeanor had since diminished, a scowl in it's place. He was leaning against the gate, arms crossed as he seemed to look around. As if looking for something.

She could just ask around from Maxwell's friends and see if any of them knew him. Problem solved, right?

Wrong.

Almost 20 minutes of her jogging around the fortress in search of a free person, there was none. Josephine, the ambassador, was so piled in paperwork it was unreal. The spymaster was nowhere to be found. Anyone else had gone with Maxwell and split into groups to scout the nearby areas.

So Liz stood near the tents again, at a loss.

But then she saw a beacon of hope. A familiar face. In the barn, cleaning up his workstation, was Blackwall. The Grey Warden had started to carve something at the large table, having nothing to do. He'd been left behind in favor of helping Commander Cullen, if need be.

The young mage trotted in his direction, taking in his gruff appearance as he stood in front of his workshop.

"Blackwall?" She asked, tilting her head and watching him finish up some detailing on the large chunk of wood. It looked like a slab at the moment, but from what she'd seen back on Earth. Woodworkers were rather good at making intricate and sometimes beautiful carved sculptures.

"Hrrmmph?" He grunted, turning to look down at the short woman. His fluffy eyebrow rose in question, "Did you need something, Erin?"

"Yes, actually. You don't happen to know who that is just … sitting near the gate, do you?" She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the suspicious man leaning against the gate. "Because he's just been sitting there all day, scoping the place out."

The Warden didn't even need to lean to the side to see, he simply stared above Liz's head and looked at the irritated man.

"I've never seen 'em before." He muttered, his mustache moving as he spoke. His calloused hand came up and he began to run his fingers through his massive beard.

Honestly, this was the first time she'd been up close to the man. She could tell he had sleeping issues, due to the bags underneath his eyes. Much like her own. He had the look of a man that had seen and done one too many things. Something she, herself, had gone through.

Which was to be expected from a Grey Warden, she supposed. They had, afterall, endured the Blight. That on it's own was beyond commendable.

"I don't like his face." Liz said simply, turning to look at him. Before she knew it, both of them were peeking around the barn wall in an attempt to remain semi-hidden. Blackwall's head was above her own as they squinted in his direction.

"I don't like the look he's got, either. Looks like 'es scoping the place out." His grumbling voice sounded from above her head, "How long did ya say he was skulking around?"

"All day. He embarrassed Serana when she tried to offer help. He's just been standing there the whole time." Liz bit at her thumbnail, "Hasn't even tried to enter the fortress."

She examined him, looking for potential weaknesses. He was an older looking man, black hair combed off to the side. His facial hair was much like Blackwalls, only trimmed shorter. A red smear ran across the bridge of his nose, making him look almost menacing. Well, in Liz's opinion.

She bit her lip. He was wearing what looked like a heavy spiked pauldron and a breastplate of some sort. It made him look kind of like a warrior or a rogue, but he was carrying… a staff?

A suspicious mage scoping out Skyhold Fortress. They had been attacked by an army of mages that were under control of some guy named the Elder One. Liz didn't want to take any chances.

"I'm going to confront him." She told the Warden, getting a grunt of confirmation.

"Just call for me if things get out of hand." He stepped back, returning to his station. Though she could tell that he was watching her as she stepped out of her 'hiding place' and walked in Hawke's direction.

"You, state your business."

The man had been in the middle of picking his fingernails, a grumpy frown on his face. Then he looked up and it seemingly disappeared and he gave Liz a mock bow.

"And I take it you're… the Inquisitor? Well, you're certainly … shorter than I imagined." His hand came up and he 'measured' her, hand flicking from her head to his own. Liz's eye twitched. It wasn't her fault she was stuck in such a stunted body.

"No." She ground out, uncrossing her arms. Hawke stared down at her chest and looked up at her face, then back at her chest. He then raised his brow in confusion.

"Forgive me, I thought you were a young man there for a second. Do you bind them or are they naturally that small?" He asked, almost innocently.

In what seemed like a split second, the young mage grabbed her staff and swung it at his head like a bat. Normally such comments didn't irritate her. As a matter of fact, the woman didn't really care if they thought her male or female. It was his condescending tone and lack of respect that got to her.

Add onto the fact that the man was suspicious in the first place and likely an enemy in disguise. Although a horrid disguise.

Liz's eyes widened when the black haired man easily countered her swing, knocking the staff out of her hands and casually tossing it behind him.

"Now. Would you mind going and fetching someone in charge?" He continued, this time poking her in the side. "I've been waiting here all day and I'm absolutely famished."

"Not until you tell me why you've been lurking around here like a damned cockroach." She shot back through clenched teeth. Cole's warning flashing through her mind. If he knew about Hawke, then he must have known he was here to hurt people. He wouldn't give her a warning without reason, right?

"Aren't you just the cutest thing." His hands came up to pinch her cheek. She let him. Oh, she let him. His fingers grabbed her cheek and pulled, shaking her head back and forth. It was then that she let electricity wrap around her body, her skin feeling the familiar sensation of static buzzing. Then it connected with Hawke, sending a massive jolt through his body.

He convulsed and shook, teeth chattering, before he fell onto the ground on his rump. Liz crossed her arms and tried her damnedest not to snicker. Because the man's perfectly combed hair was now a frizzy mess as it stood on end.

Once he regained his bearings, his hands went straight to his hair and he let out a horrified gasp.

"What did you do to my hair?!" He shrieked, his smug expression completely gone. Liz couldn't help but feel satisfied with her work. She turned to call for a guard to take him to the cells, but was stopped when she heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"Erin!" Leliana called from behind her, the sound of her boots hitting the ground seemed to get closer. "What do you think you are doing?"

"About to apprehend this suspicious man." She pointed at Hawke, who was just about sobbing as he tried to fix his appearance. "He's been lurking around all day. Didn't you see him?"

She was, afterall, the Spymaster.

The redhead stepped forward, snatching Liz's ear like she was a child. "Ow!"

Leliana hissed, "This is Varric's contact."

Shortly after her comment, Liz could feel her chest go cold. This … this was one of the things Maxwell had tasked her to take care of, wasn't it? Then came Josephine, who looked completely haggard and overworked.

"Garret Hawke, a pleasure to finally meet you." She spoke kindly, holding her hand to help him up.

"Nice welcoming party, I must say." He snarked, accepting the woman's offered hand. It was completely dark by then, the torches on each side of the entrance offering the only illumination. "I was beginning to worry if I'd arrived at the wrong Fortress in the middle of nowhere. Because, you know, there are a lot of those."

"I must apologize for the Inquisitor's sister. She can be quite..." The ambassador struggled for a word.

"She's a feisty one, I'll give her that." He says before she could continue, "Rather electrifying, if I must say so myself."

He snorted at his own joke and Liz felt the need to stab her own ears out.

But that seemed to be the least of her problems. Leliana practically manhandled the small mage and dragged her off into one of the empty towers nearby. She shoved the girl into the room, sending Liz stumbling forward.

"Holy hell you're strong." She grunted, catching herself on the wall and standing up straight. It was dark, almost too dark. The door was cracked, allowing enough light from the outside to see one another. Even so, the Spymaster's shadow seemed ominous as she stood in front of the door. Her steel colored eyes almost seemed to glow in the darkened room from underneath her hood.

"The Inquisitor had entrusted you with his welcoming, had he not?" The spymasters arms waved, almost angrily, as she looked down at Liz in disappointment. "Among other things."

"I uhh … I am not sure." The youngest Trevelyan stumbled on her words, not sure what to say.

"Didn't he give you a list?" She seemed surprised, eyes wide with concern. But Liz felt her hairs stand on end, knowing the expression wasn't genuine. People like her made her feel weird. It's almost like she could feel their insincerity.

Those feelings didn't start until her arrival on this gods forsaken planet, but she chalked it off as mage bullshit. Humans, even animals had that feeling. Like she could almost, if only faintly, sense their intentions.

She twisted her hands together nervously, eyes darting around and taking in the dusty room. Rubble lined the side of the tower, along with what looked like a broken bed.

"He did, but I lost it." She lied, but got a narrowed glare from the redhead. Liz winced, caving and finally saying it out loud, "I can't read."

Leliana ceased her glare, if only for a moment. Her lips curled into a sardonic smirk for a second, like she almost didn't believe it. Then she saw the truth in Liz's eyes. Only then, did she laugh. The Spymaster laughed at Liz. Her laughter filled the empty tower, ringing like a bell. Shame filled her as she looked away.

"B-but how? You grew up in a noble family. Surely you know how to read, of all things?"

"I got into an accident. Some things are a little hazy. Or, maybe, a lot." That time, technically, she was not lying. "I really… I really can't..."

The young woman's voice lowered, her head dropping in shame.

"If I told Max, he would probably feel bad. Knowing him, he would feel responsible." Also not a lie. If she told him, he would surely end up finding out she wasn't Erin.

"Oh, Erin." Josephine spoke from the door frame, her hand delicately covering her mouth. It seemed the woman had appeared just in time to hear Liz blurt out the truth. Liz could feel her face turning so red, even her ears felt hot. It didn't help that she didn't know if the Ambassador was covering her mouth to hide a smirk or her horror.

"The reason I didn't say anything was because I didn't want people to know!" She hissed quickly, looking around to see if anyone else heard. She looked outside of the cracked door, only to come face to chest with Hawke. Hawke…. Who was looking down at her with a huge shiteating grin. Like he'd just stumbled across the juiciest blackmail of the century.

"Well well, how about that. A noble that can't read, eh?" He leaned against the doorframe and bent down to Liz's height. So that they were face to face. "And you're the Inquisitor's sister on top of it."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. Get your ears checked!" She blurted and if her face could get any redder, it would.

"And a bad liar. Tsk tsk. What a shame."

"I-I think …" For once the Ambassador almost seemed at a loss for words. She sighed and pushed a wavy lock behind her ear, gentle smile on her face. "You should see me in my office tomorrow. I'll have something set up for you, Erin."

And she did. The Ambassador had set her up with someone to teach her how to read and write. She'd asked around and apparently a young elven mage had hopped up at the chance. He looked maybe 18 at most, likely around Erin's age. The kid called himself Silas and was a rather friendly fellow.

'At least I can practice writing letters to Athras.' Her thoughts wandered as she finished redressing Jade's bandages. She grunted, knowing the elderly man would probably laugh at her hand writing. Which would probably look like that of a 5 year old.

"Ya constipated or somethin?" The short woman asked from her spot on the cot. Liz blinked, looking up from her bandages.

"What?"

"Your face. It's all scrunched up like this." She knitted her brows and scrunched her face dramatically, looking every bit like she needed to use the bathroom. Liz frowned, "Yeah, like that!"

"Looks like the infection has passed, you're free to do whatever. Just don't overwork yourself." She ignored Jade's childish antics, putting them off as her odd and sometimes unstable personality.

Liz had, initially, thought that perhaps she was like herself. Someone from Earth. The woman's use of references and odd sayings didn't really go unnoticed by the mage. But that wasn't the case, as odd as it sounded. She'd tested her before the attack on Haven. By saying the word 'Television' and seeing the reaction it got out of her.

The only thing the dwarf had done is tilt her head and ask what that meant.

Liz almost didn't want to believe that it was all merely a coincidence. Since coincidences didn't happen over and over again. She'd, afterall, seen how un-dwarflike she acted.

She sighed and stood up, brushing her furs off as she exited the tent. Silas had been kind enough to read the list to her the day after her mishap. Most of which contained; Greet and help Hawke get settled in, Help make plans for our rooms, and other tasks that included planning for Skyhold.

The fact that she'd screwed up so badly made her more and more nervous as the day of their return neared.

And it did. Inevitably. She found herself standing out on the ramparts with Maxwell, Varric and Hawke. Her brother had his arms crossed, having been briefed by the Spymaster herself upon his arrival. Liz stood there, separate from the three as she hung her head like a scolded child.

She looked up through her mess of hair after he'd told Varric what she'd done. The dwarf was holding in his chuckles, asking Hawke how he was downed by an 18 year old mage.

Hawke defended himself readily, "Hey, I just didn't want to hurt the poor thing."

She saw the mortified look on Maxwell's face through the whole ordeal. He, obviously, hadn't expected his first guest at Skyhold to get toasted by his sister.

She'd gotten scolded. Much like she had when Leliana stopped her from frying the Champion. Yes. He was also the Champion of Kirkwall, the main character from Varric's book. To top it all off. That only seemed to make it worse. She'd remembered the way the eldest Trevelyan's voice had cracked in horror as he explained how dire her blunder had been.

But it wasn't the scolding that'd made the mage feel so bad. It was that she'd embarrassed Maxwell in front of a potential ally. She'd failed.

Even so, after they were done the Inquisitor had sent her off. Telling her that he wanted to meet up with her later that night in the Herald's Rest. Which was now finished. Mostly. But it was open for business, nonetheless.

"Understood." The mage murmured, muttering her apologies as she ambled away from the trio.

So Liz sat at the Herald's Rest, a huge mug of ale sat in front of her. She leaned back in the rickety stool, letting out a sigh. It'd been a few days already, but she was starting to get fed up with the cheeky grins and looks she was getting from that damned mage. Hawke.

Her eyes twitched at the thought. Especially since said person was seated across the tavern, conversing with a group of people. He was quick to make friends and seemed easy to converse with. From what she'd seen, anyway. The younger Trevelyan had been avoiding him like the plague. Especially since he was aware of her dark secret.

She grumbled from her corner of the loud building. The bard was singing and the whole place was loud, the sounds of laughter and conversations melding together.

"Ya know, yer pretty fat fer an elf." Liz heard from a table nearby, causing her ears to twitch. She peered over, hiding her frown behind her tankard. "Ya sure yer an elf?"

It was an Inquisition soldier, from the looks of it. He was tipsy, his friends seemingly egging him on with their laughter. And the elf in question? Serana. The silver haired woman stared down at him with a red face, her hands pressed against her chest.

The man reached out and pulled her toward him, trying to set her in his lap. She pushed him away and stood up, skittering backwards. "I-I-I ha-have somewhere to b-be."

The poor woman had no backbone. Liz felt irritation itch at her insides as she saw the soldier stand up. His dirty hands moved up, attempting to push away the elf's hair to reveal her ear. His lips moved, but the young mage couldn't make out what he'd said to Serana.

But from the look on her face, it wasn't something very nice. She looked like she'd gotten hit as she flinched back, eyes wide.

"Please s-ser, you're too close." She said much louder this time, tears pricking the edges of her eyes.

"Aw, come on Hun. Bet a knife-ear like you wouldn't mind goin' out onna date with me, hmm?"

Liz gritted her teeth, feeling a jolt of protectiveness for her friend. She could even spot Jade in the background standing in the doorway, a plate of food in her hands. The young mage could practically hear the blood boiling as the black haired dwarf clenched her free hand.

But before the she could get to it, Liz turned to the belligerent man and focused on his pants.

Now, she'd only dabbled a little bit with force magic. So she'd either end up doing what she intended or ripping them to shreds altogether. She had once tried to pick up a small animal with force magic. It didn't turn out so pretty…

She didn't have her staff to use to focus her mana, but she held out her hand and pointed at the man. Concentrating, imagining what she wanted to do. Her brows knit together, the familiar feel of her mana pooling in her stomach on her command. She let it extend outward, only for it to flicker and buzz erratically.

The soldier let out a girlish squeal as his pants burst into tatters. Liz cursed underneath her breath, having meant to simply pants him and embarrass him.

'I mean… he did get embarrassed, so at least I accomplished my goal?' She shrugged, watching him scramble for an empty bowl at his table to cover his bits. His friends were howling with laughter, their hands slamming onto the surface in a rowdy fashion. She could hear their jeering taunts at his failure, calling him an idiot.

The commotion attracted even more attention. Even the bard had stopped playing her music. The soldier's face was completely red as he stood there in only a tunic. He clasped the bowl with both hands, looking at Serana accusingly.

"You bitch! You did this to me!" He pointed at Serana, though made no move to assault her. Especially now that Jade was standing beside her. The dwarf's cackles roared through the confines of the tavern.

"Holy cripes, what're ya doin without yer breeches?!" Sera howled and pointed from her perch on the second floor, making things even worse.

"T-the knife ear! Wen-"

"It was me." Liz's flat tone cut off his rant, causing the man to sputter. She stood up from her place on the stool, setting down her tankard almost a little too roughly. Nearly everyone in Skyhold knew her as the Inquisitors brother/sister (depending on how observant they were). This man was no different. "It seems you will be cleaning the barracks for the next month, soldier. I expected more from Inquisition troops."

The man paled and his friends simply quieted down, though their snickers could still be heard. They, obviously, knew he was being a dumbass. Liz fully intended to make sure he got punished for such behavior. By making an example out of him, people would know that it was unacceptable to act that way.

His mouth opened and closed, like a child that had gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "You will be hearing from Commander Cullen later today. Dismissed."

He didn't have anything else to say after that, as he bolted toward the door with his pale buttocks plainly in view for all to see.

Jade called out to him, "You can keep the bowl!" She snorted, "Dumbass."

"T-thanks, Erin." Serana stuttered, bowing to the woman in appreciation.

"Yeah! Thanks to the lovely Erin here the next round is on me!" Jade whooped happily, getting a cheer out of the crowd. Things started back up, then. The lull of activity faded into the background.

"You know, if you hadn't done anything I'm sure short stock here would have skinned the poor bastard." A familiar and irritating voice sounded from behind the two. Liz glared up at Hawke, who had his hands on his hips.

"Did you just call me fat?" Jade accused, pointing her chubby finger up at the smug looking human.

He put his hand on his chest dramatically, "Me? No. I'd never."

Before the two could begin having a sass-off, Liz spoke up. She looked to Serana, who was fidgeting nervously. "If anyone gives you trouble again, let me know."

She nodded with a grateful smile.

"You did good! I didn't even know you had it in you." Jade gave Liz a thumbs up, "Little shit deserved it, and more. I hate people like that."

"Yer tellin' me, tha bastard's been harassing the kitchenmaids for weeks." Sera added from above, her body leaning over the second floor railing. Liz pointedly didn't look up at the woman, "Had a lil somethin' planned for the shite head."

"I'll be sure to include that in my report to the commander." She spoke, but still doesn't look up to see the likely scrunched face of the elf. With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

The door opened, revealing a confused looking Maxwell and an amused Varric.

"Alright, who stole the poor man's pants?" Liz went to sit down at her table, seeing the three already pointing at her. Varric laughed, patting her on the shoulder as he passed by. "Good job, Sunny. You really showed him."

"Don't you think that you went a little too far, though?" Maxwell asked.

"Naaah, she's fine." Varric was still grinning as he walked off in the direction of his friend, Hawke. She watched them greet one another jovially, the human slapping a tankard in the dwarf's hand and leading him off to his table. She sighed, hand under her chin as she looked over at Max.

He sat down and let out a grunt, his lone eye looking at his sister. His face was marred with scars on one side of his face, his eye completely blind due to the attack from the demon. He didn't seem to let that slow him down, though. He scratched his goatee in thought.

"I'm sorry. About earlier, I mean." Liz stared down at her tankard with a deep frown. The man sighed and leaned back.

"You have to learn somehow. Failure is part of the lesson. That's what dad told me, anyway." He shrugged, "But I'm sure you know that."

It didn't go unnoticed by Liz how he seemed to eye her arm warmers, again. Those were the only major scars he'd seen on her body. He had yet to see her torso…

Everytime he did, though, it looked as though he wanted to ask. Wanted to know. But he never asked how she got the scars. Or what happened. Almost like he was afraid of what he would hear. Not that she would ever tell him, that is. If he knew… he might shun her.

The fact that no one had said anything about her escape kind of baffled her. She knew that Leliana probably had a hand in that. The woman always seemed to keep a wary eye on the young woman. She was just wondering when the questions would begin to pop up.

After she'd eaten dinner with Maxwell, she went off to sulk in her cat form. As per usual. Later that day she perched herself in a tree and watched everyone, her head hanging low. At least that way no one would bother her. Usually.

It was how she escaped from it all. Lounging around and napping as a cat didn't seem at all suspicious.

She also noticed Cole, who was seated somewhere off to the side. He didn't look too great, himself. His abnormally large hat lay in the grass next to him as he sat cross legged. His expression almost seemed despondent. Did something happen during their mission?

Or perhaps he, too, dealt with the guilt that came with what happened back at the Spire? She wasn't sure, but they both seemed to have a dark connection to the place. So she could relate, at least.

They'd had similar tragedies happen to them, but they'd turned out so different. She didn't go out of her way to help, and she should. She wanted to. Hell, it was her job. Liz felt like she wanted to try to make herself better instead of remaining stagnant.

Something in her chest squeezed and she felt the need to try to offer comfort, in whatever way possible.

'I suppose… it's better to start small.' She reasoned, jumping down from her perch and trotting up to the rogue.

She walked up to Cole and sat in front of him, next to his knees. Her slitted green eyes focused on him, head tilting to the side. The rogue stared down at her curiously, as if waiting for something. Perhaps wondering why a random cat approached him out of nowhere? Didn't he like animals?

'Quit your sulking.' She tried to say, which only came out as a high pitched chirrup. Grudgingly, she stood up and inched even closer to him. Her front paws rested on his knee.

His hand moved, causing her to flinch. He paused.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Cole reassured her and she stood still, allowing him to run his finger along the back of her head. Liz, without any control over it, began to purr. Her chest rumbled, loving the feeling she got when he ran his fingers along her fur. She shrugged it off as a cat thing.

'Oh, jeez. Don't get used to this, I'm only doing it because you looked like a kicked puppy.' She reasoned, whiskers shivering as she let out another chirrup noise.

The blonde rogue's chest rumbled, a quiet chuckle leaving his lips. Liz found that she kind of … liked hearing him laugh. She flattened her ears and looked away, tail flicking irritatedly. 'Whatever.'

He was sitting there, petting her idly and murmuring unintelligible things. Liz perched on his knee awkwardly, listening to him talk.

"Sometimes the elves are afraid of the cook because her voice roars, rowdy and raucous." He paused, head tilting to the side as one of them moved around in the upper courtyard. "But they know she likes them."

Cole

Earlier that day he'd tried to confront Serana, try to make her feel better about their predicament. Her anxiety was almost overwhelming most of the time and it made it hard for the spirit to approach. But he had to admit, he sought her out was because he was curious about Hope.

He wanted to know how Hope helped her. The rogue tilted his head and reached out, intent on asking. He poked the mage, getting a response from the spirit.

Flashes of pain, a small girl fighting back. Protecting. Hoping that they got to safety. Asking for help. Special. Special. Friend. The little elf almost got struck down, only to blind the enemy in white light. Serana had asked Hope to help. To keep them away from her family, her friends. Her clan.

Darkspawn had attacked them and she'd single handedly burned them inside out. Every single one of them. No one knew how it happened, but Serana did. Her mother did. They kept it a secret. Hope was … there. Was always there. Watching over Serana. Because he thought she was special.

Then Cole pulled away, eyes wide. Serana stared back at him curiously. Her ears pink in embarrassment. "D-Do you need something, Cole?"

"Sorry, I—I was just. Hope said hello." He stuttered out, seeing the horror cross the elf's features. They were alone in front of the healer's tents. No one close enough to hear. "S-Sorry! I won't say anything, I promise!"

But it wouldn't do. The fear still ripped at her inside. No one was supposed to find out. He knew that they would probably call her an abomination. Kill her outright, even. Cole didn't want that for her.

"Forget."

Hope wouldn't forget. But Serana did. He'd just wanted to help, but couldn't. Not today.

Sometimes it felt like it was too much for him. There were times where he'd be fine, following, finding the people in need. He could reach out. Heal. Mend.

When they'd gotten back, they were too loud. His mind couldn't focus and no matter how hard he tried, he just seemed to make it worse. There were days like that, he knew. It was why he settled himself on the upper floors of the Herald's Rest. Their wants, their needs, dimmed—dull and drowned out.

But today, Cole wanted to be outside. To listen to the wind and feel the way it caressed his face. The smell of Skyhold was different somehow. After spending a majority of his time in this world down deep – dark cells and dripping stone. The thought made him cringe.

Outside was nice. Bursting with life.

That brought him to the present, why he was sitting there. The rogue was in the upper courtyard in front of the tavern, legs crossed as he ran his fingertips along the blades of grass. Humming to the sound of the wind.

Solas called it meditating. Quiet and calm, he'd said. 'Sit down and close your eyes.' Focus. The spirit tried, but he kept hearing them. No matter how faint.

Then, louder. Liz was sitting in front of him, staring up at him curiously. Worried and reaching out. He liked it when she was a cat, her fur was grey with black stripes. Tabby? She seemed more open like this, less scared of people seeing. Judging.

They sat there for awhile and he told her about her friends. What he'd heard when he listened and watched. She liked that.

"Serana is happy, but hesitant … unsure. She sees Solas and knows he's afraid." He knew Solas knew about Hope. Wanted to say something, but didn't want to scare her. He cared. Was worried. What if Hope gets corrupted? What if? He remembered hearing Solas, too. "'Gentle and gracious, lost in her eyes. She is so… beautiful.'"

They both heard the sound of something hitting the wall and shattering. Followed by the door to the tavern being thrown open and Varric running by. Cassandra wasn't all too happy. Betrayal, she thought she could trust the dwarf. But he was only protecting his friend. His friend who had too much, already.

The Seeker wouldn't listen. Their argument slowly faded into the background as they got further away. Cole sighed, looking down at Liz. Her ears were drooping, eye lids fighting to stay open.

They sat like that for a moment, staring off as the commotion from the day slowly died down. Liz's thoughts were dimming, slowing down as she dozed off. Being around her was almost comforting, for the rogue. She was like him, in a way. He could sense it.

She worried about what she did and didn't want to ever be that again. Uncontrolled, letting the fire lick away at everything she cared for. She hadn't meant to. Emotions too strong, too potent. She wasn't like that… back on Earth? At home. Here it was harder.

They were both startled out of their states when Solas walked up to the spirit, icy eyes staring down at the two of them. "Cole?"

Liz had stood up, back arched and tail fluffy. Only to calm, once she saw it was just Solas.

"Yes, Solas?"

"The Inquisitor has requested your presence. Among others." His eyes seemed to land on the cat, before looking at the rogue again. "It seems there have been reports of demon activity near Skyhold."

He felt Liz tense in his arms. Cole frowned, "I-I haven't felt anything. I would know before they got close enough to hurt anyone."

"Yes, but it seems it is headed this way. South East near the base of the mountain." He nodded, "We are to be briefed on the details in the War Room."

The cat jumped off of his lap and darted off toward the main hall. But not before Cole felt the panic that rolled off of her, one word being the most prominent amongst her thoughts.

'Athras!'