Healing indefinitely – Chapter 3
The patients for the day had been pouring in more than usual and Anders was more busy than normal. Luckily it wasn't anything serious, just minor to medium cuts, bruises, cramps and so forth, only that there was a lot of people. If it weren't just for the extra work he had to do, he had Isabela there sitting on one of the table tops chatting his ear off. Normally he wouldn't have minded the company even if she wasn't exactly doing anything, but today he was busy and he was tired. The restless nights and few hours he got to sleep were taking a bit of a toll on him.
"And so then that pretty red head tripped, and woo, her under garments revealed to all!" Isabela said to Anders, he merely rolled his eyes at her as he was cleaning a wound of one of his patients. "What? Don't look at me like that. It wasn't me who tripped her, not that I'm complaining at all. Those garments were rather skimpy for a noble."
"Ok Isabela, not that I find your stories woefully interesting, but why are you here again?" He asked. He was just finishing up the on treating a cut an elderly man had gotten on his upper arm. "I thought I'd entertain you for a while and I know you'd love the company." "I find that hard to believe. You have plenty of other things to do than," he gestured to where she sat, "whatever you're doing here."
She feigned hurt and pressed her hand to her chest, "Can't I talk to one of my favourite handsome mages without my intent being questioned?" "No, not really, you don't often come down here in this terribly smelling part of town without a reason." Anders said while cleaning some of his rags he used to clean wounds. "So why are you here?" He didn't want to ask earlier as the patients seemed to like the chatter she provided, but after a while he found he was starting to get irritated, not a normal thing he knew so he put if off to his lack of sleep.
She smiled slyly and sat up straight, "You know, you've been looking rather ravishing lately, did you do something with your hair?" He rolled his eyes at that remark, "I bet you say that to all the pretty mages. You're avoiding the question." She smiled, "I only give out complements if I genuinely believe it should be given, and you..." She raised her eye brow. "Isabela, I'm going to kick you out if you keep at it." He knew normally he would play back with her but right now was hardly the time and place for it; he couldn't be bothered right now.
She didn't faze at his remark, "I'm only being honest," she winked at him and added grinning, "Sparkle fingers." He just moved over to a girl with a seemingly sprained ankle when Hawke walked in. "Oh yay, Hawke's here now, I'm off now Sparkle fingers." Isabela said as she hopped off the table she sat on and smiling at Hawke as she left.
Anders gave Hawke a questioning look, "What was that about?" "I asked her to brighten your mood before I came to talk to you." Hawke said with a sheepish smile. Anders sighed, of course. "Listen Hawke, I'm really rather busy at the moment as you can see there are tons of people about in here. I know you want to talk but right now really isn't the time." Anders said all the while treating the girl's ankle and not looking up. Hawke frowned, "I'm going to have to tell Isabela her mood brightening skills need improvement."
Anders sighed pinching his brow, "No, any other time she may have done fine, I'm just busy right now and I don't have time for all of this." "Well I can't really come back later, at least not for a few days and so I need to talk to you before then." Hawke persisted. Anders looked up at Hawke, talking a deep breath. "Fine, just let me finish with her." He gestured to the girl whose ankle he was busy with. "I'll meet you in the back." Hawke said and made her way to the back room Anders used to sleep in. Anders shook his head slightly, Hawke wasn't someone he really wanted to see right now. She was still Hawke but somehow that didn't help ease his mind about what she did. Sending the girl on her way, Anders went to talk to Hawke.
She was standing by his supply cabinet looking over his potions when he walked in. "Looks like you're going to have to stock up soon or you'll run out." She said looking back at Anders when he came in. "As much as I'd love to go out and get some supplies, I did mention that I was a bit busy." Anders said standing at the door once he closed it. "Wow, you're in more of a foul mood than normal." Hawke said scowling at him. "Hawke please, not now. Just tell me what you wanted to talk about so I can get back to treating my patients." Hawke didn't look pleased, "Ok fine." She said and sat down in Anders' bed, nothing more than a cot with extra pillows and a blanket. "I just," she paused now, looking more uncertain of herself. "I wanted to say thank you. For well, saving me for dying. I heard it was quite an impressive feat. I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am."
Anders furrowed his brows, "I shouldn't have to do something like that for you Hawke, you should have been more careful and I can't just heal people back from the dead every time they think they can get away with being reckless." Yes he was angry. She looked up at him surprised, "But you did help me and I'm grateful, it won't happen again, I didn't mean to..." Anders cut her off, stepping forward. "Didn't mean to what Hawke? Didn't mean to Arishok on your own? Didn't mean to get so brutally wounded? Oh, or is it that you accepted a deal from a Maker damned demon!" Anders gestured with his arms in the air as he yelled at Hawke.
Hawke glared at him and stood up, standing about a foot away from him, "I don't have to explain what I did to you Anders. You do not know what was going on. You don't know the reasons for the things I did." Anders gave a half laugh at that and turned from Hawke, "Oh please almighty Hawke, do share how you justify making deals with a demon." He said walking across the small room. "Anders I thought out of all the people you would understand why." Anders turned around at that to glare at Hawke. "No Hawke. What Justice and I did saved you. We save people and we bring justice and vengeance to those who are cruel and unkind. Justice is no demon. What you did was selfish! And for what, your pride?" He was raising his voice with the anger he felt boiling inside of him, small cracks of blue shining around his eyes and hands.
"I did it for everyone! I had to do it to protect those I care for!" Hawke yelled back at him. Anders could feel Justice under his skin and he fought to keep him back. He closed his eyes and looked away from Hawke, taking a deep breath and clenching his fists as tightly as he could. Once he knew he was under control he said calmly to Hawke, "You know what Hawke? It's none of my business. I should get back to work now." Hawke still looked to be seething in anger as she stared at him. He walked to his door and gestured for her to leave. She glared at him and walked out.
Anders took a deep breath to clear his head. That wasn't how he expected that talk to go but she should have known better. He shook his head, ignoring all the people who heard their yelling and go back to helping his patients.
Spending some time with Merrill and Isabela after talking to Anders that day helped her mood. She shouldn't be sorry for what she did. Merrill agreed with her after hearing what happened and Isabela showed indifference. After spending some time at Merrill's house at the Alienage they were making their way to the Hanged man. "So Hawke, what's our next job?" Isabela asked. Hawke smiled at her, "I actually forgot about that. I have a very special mission planned for us. It will take a few days to get it done though, maybe even a week." Merrill frowned, "That's a really long time for just one mission." "We were gone for longer when we went to the deep roads." Hawke said, cringing afterward when she thought of what happened to her brother. "I remember, but I can't go with now, I have to get some work done on the mirror, I can't be gone for that long." Merrill said sounding sad yet determined at the same time. "How about you decide once we get to Varric and I tell you what I'm planning?" Hawke said and Merrill happily nodded.
They chatted all the while on their way to meet Varric in his room at the Hanged Man. "Hawke, Rivaini, Daisy! What a pleasant surprise!" Varric said as they entered his suite. Merrill smiled, "Aneth ara Varric." They made their way to sit at Varric's table, interrupting his writing he had been doing but he didn't seem to mind. "So what brings you?" Varric asked. "Well I have a job for us, but it may take a little while." Hawke started, looking at everyone to see if she had their attention before she started explaining.
"When I got home yesterday I went through my mail and came across one from one of the nobles in the city." "Ooh nobles, I love their jobs. They always have something interesting going on, so many trinkets to get from them." Isabela said with glee. Hawke smiled at her, "You are going to love what we're going to do more than what we're going to get from her." Isabela quirked up her eyebrow and smiled at that. Merrill spoke up excitedly, "Come on Hawke, tell us." "Ok, well she has been waiting for some private shipment to arrive and it's late. She said it was extremely important to retrieve it and would pay me handsomely if I got the job done."
"Simple enough, I don't see how this may take up to a week." Isabela said. "Hold on, I haven't gotten to the best part yet." Hawke shushed her. "You see her shipment is coming from Orlais. She has offered for us to take her boat to see if we can intercept her shipment and get it to her as soon as possible." Isabela took a second to register what Hawke just said. "We're going on a ship!?" She exclaimed, leaning over the table a little towards Hawke, grinning from ear to ear. "I said it was special didn't I?" Merrill looked just as excited, "Oh I've never been on a ship! Hawke can I go?" "Of course you can. " Hawke said smiling.
"That does sound like a great tale at sea but I'm going to have to decline Hawke." Varric said making Hawke turn to him. "Why?" "Well if you must know I have some business associates I'm meeting in a few days so I can't be gone for so long." "I see." Hawke said frowning to herself. "What is it Hawke?"
"I'll have to ask Fenris to come along then." Hawke said quietly. Isabela and Varric looked away at that, they knew why she was reluctant. She didn't want to speak to him yet, not after how Anders' had reacted.
"Is that wrong?" Merrill asked curiously, oblivious to how Fenris would react to Hawke due to her turn to blood magic. Isabela smiled sweetly to Merrill, "You know how he treats you kitten? Hawke thinks he may treat her the same way now too." Merrill looked confused about to ask another question but Hawke silenced her. "He despises blood magic Merrill. End of story." She sighed, "Just me a few minutes, I'll go ask him within the hour. With luck I can avoid the conversation all together."
They nodded all but Merrill looking as reluctant as Hawke felt. She could hope for the best.