"You were injured, Cassandra! What was I supposed to do?" Amahri said in a gasp, he was still breathing hard after the fight.

"I was fine, Herald. You should have stayed were you were on the scaffold!" Cassandra hissed and pulled her arm away from Amahri who had been reaching out to heal it.

"Fine? You're bleeding now, and had dropped your shield. You could have been killed!" Amahri looked up at her with more intensity than she had previously witnessed in him.

"I would have managed!" Now she was yelling, she had a tendency to do that.

Varric scoffed behind her.

"Shut up, Dwarf!" She threw at him, turning back to Amahri before Varric could retaliate. "Solas has been teaching you magic precisely to make you less of a threat in combat and to keep you safe! Jumping into the middle of a fight and throwing fire balls is not going to do that!"

"I was trying to get their attention off of you!" Amahri actually yelled back. That was a rare thing indeed.

"That is not your place!"

"I know that! I know-my job is just to...close the breach. Fine. I understand." He suddenly stopped yelling as his shoulders dropped. There was an awkward silence, only everyone's heavy breathing could be heard. Amahri slid his staff into the sling on his back as he turned and went back into the entry room they'd cleared coming in. Cassandra felt instantly that she had misstepped, she didn't need it pointed out. Not that that was going to stop anyone present.

"He saved your life you know." Varric said. She didn't need to turn to see his arms crossed, she could hear it. Bull had finished removing his battle axe from the wall it had been stuck in. He hadn't seen the 'event' and so had not contributed to the argument up to now.

"Seems to me jumping into danger to protect people is exactly his job. He is your "Herald of Andraste" afterall, isn't he?" Bull said as he stretched his shoulders. Cassandra sighed, though it still sounded somewhat like a disparaging grunt.

"Search the room." She ordered as she went to follow Amahri. Varric and Bull eyed each other, but figured they should let those two work it out from here.

Cassandra passed into the next room and was for a moment panicked as she did not see the Herald; then she spotted him sitting in the doorway on the broken steps.

She crossed the floor and somewhat awkwardly came to stand beside him.

"May I sit?"
Amahri just nodded. Cassandra stiffly sat down.

"I'm-sorry. I should not have yelled at you. You saved me and I-well, thank you." Cassandra did not have much practice with apologies or thank yous, and she'd just put both into the same sentence.

Amahri didn't meet her gaze, although he turned a little towards her.

"Your arm is still bleeding. Let me?" She extended her arm and he carefully began healing the sat in silence for a few moments before Amahri looked up at her.

"I know you just want to protect me, Cassandra. And I appreciate that, believe me. I know I need it too, I'm not trained for combat. And I know how important it is that I close the breach but...I can't just.." He trailed off.

"I know. You want to save people, it's why you agreed to help close the breach in the first place. And why so many see you as more than-" Amahri gave her a look; he was Dalish. He was not overfond of people thinking him a holy symbol of Andraste and the Maker. Cassandra smiled and let the thought drop.

"What we-what I ask of you must seem quite contradictory. To go out and try to gather allies for the Inquisition, to walk into danger...and then I chastise you for being in dangerous situations. You are very good at building alliances; you've even convinced the rebel mages to come to our aid. You serve the Inquisition best out here. And so it is my duty to protect you. I am sorry I do not always carry it out with grace."

Amahri finished and Cassandra withdrew her arm, examining the now smooth skin and the tear in her sleeve.

"You do it pretty well I'd say. I'm still alive."

"You give yourself too little credit. Perhaps so do I. You have become much more proficient in combat." Cassandra rested her hands in her lap.

Amahri looked away into the woods for a moment, and Cassandra felt a strange twinge. He looked older; more tired? Then he was smiling at her again.

"Thank you, from you that is quite the complement."

"Meaning?" She raised an eyebrow at him. He gaped and threw his gaze to the side.

"Uh, merely that earning your praise is a...worthy pursuit."

"He means you don't compliment people very often, Seeker." Varric tossed. He and Bull had finished searching the room and were standing in the inner doorway.

"Wha-well, I...give compliments when they are necessary. Throwing them out every other sentence would cheapen them." Cassandra huffed and stood up.

"Nothing in the room, Seeker" Bull inserted.

"Your compliments must be worth a fortune then," Varric snorted.

"More than you have earned in a lifetime, Dwarf." She turned her head sharply to Amahri. "Come on, if there is nothing here we should be heading for camp before it gets very late."

Amahri smiled up at her, hiding his desire to laugh only minimally, and rose to follow.