You know, she had quite a few loops on her boots. She only untied the top set for convenience but now the she noticed that was a lot of loops.

"Whore."

"Frigid bitch."

Siri did nothing to hide her sigh of irritation. She was going to have to separate those two soon, heavens above, why had Fenris not been home this morning? Her preference to the pirate had always irked dear Aveline, so naturally she poured all her energy into ignoring or insulting said pirate as a passive aggressive attempt to not voice her opinion, loudly. Not that Aveline had issues with stating what was on her mind, not at all!

"Just because I haven't bedded everyone at the Hanged Man does not make me frigid! Have you no concept of decency?"

"If it brings you gold or giggles, princess."

Resisting the urge to poke something repeatedly, with her knives, she trudged forward, ignoring the bickering that continued behind her. She was hunting spiders on the Sundermount, she needed someone with longer pointy sticks than her own and with Fenris unavailable, Aveline had been the next best choice. Unfortunately, Isabela had already been with her when Fenris had not answered. Next time she had to go into the sewers she was bringing the elf, if just so he had to literally had to walk through the shit. Let him grumble about getting unmentionables on his precious toes. Mental note added, sewer trudging revenge.

"Did I miss something dirty?"

Normally the little mage did not accompany them, keeping to herself mostly, however, there was no way she could have asked Anders to come not after last night, dream or no. That was not something she could hide, at least right now, a few days of taking care of the ever replenishing list of people that needed her help was just the distraction she was after. Siri might have felt a little guilty for ignoring the petite mage so but, to be heartbreakingly honest blood magic made her uncomfortable. She didn't know if it was because of her fathers blood or if it was intuition but, all mages had an aura or a presence about them and Merrill's physical proximity almost made her itch. "That depends on your version of dirty."

"There's more than one version?" Merrill sounded positively scandalized.

"Dearest Merrill, there are volumes of versions." Huh, maybe she should push the pirate to spend more time with Merrill. Isabela apparently wouldn't be opposed and it would help Merrill be a little less lonely.

"Can you people think of nothing else? There's nothing around us but spider guts. One would think that would kill the mood!" Aveline groused as she tightened the strap the freed her arm from her shield, grunting with the effort it took to hold said shield in place against the wriggling mass of spiders on the other side. Now that she mentioned it, the fleshy flop of spider innards was not nearly as attractive as the sounds Anders had made last night and she wasn't even sure that happened. Hawke stumbled to the left as she nearly tripped over the numerous legs laying around. Right, concentrating on the spiders, not sexy Anders thoughts.

In hindsight, there was a possibility she was as depraved as Isabela. "Apparently when one reaches a certain level of depravity even spider guts cannot stand in the way." Her blades sunk deeply into the cranium of a spider to her left.

"Are there versions of moods too? This is all strangely complicated." Merrill completely missed Isabela's appreciative stare, twice. The air crackled as the little mage twirled her staff, her lightning answering the elf's call. Mental note number two, Bela apparently had no issue with people who thought the Fade was full to the brim of puppies and kittens and not demons.

"If you're that interested in finding out..." Isabela purred, while gutting the nearest arachnid.

Siri knew that smile, toe curlingly nice things happened after that twist of her lips. "Easy Bela, you can tie her down and have your way with her later. We're concentrating on spiders at the moment."

"Slave driver."

"Wait, why would you want to tie me down? Did I do something wrong?"

"You all are hopeless!" Aveline growled, coming out from behind her shield long enough to swing her rather sharp blade in a wide arc, guts and so forth flying everywhere. One truly did have to respect the amount of havoc one woman could cause, perhaps she needed the shield more for blocking guts than blows.

Siri chuckled as the last of the spiders fell and watched as Aveline typical soldier that she was started tending to her precious armor. "Hawke, you know these vile things corrode and rot my armor! Why not bring Fenris or," Her gaze slithered to the pirate practically drooling on the very confused mage. "Anyone else."

"I'll pay for any damages to your beloved equipment," Siri chuckled. Wait, this nest was finished. What was moving?

Aveline pulled her sheath from her back, placing her sword almost reverently on the hardened leather, already bemoaning the damages to the steel and placing it next to her shield on the ground. "This will take hours to fix!" There was definitely something moving over there. Siri stood to get a better look and only had moments to react, while kneeling Aveline's armor would do little or no good by the time the damn wasp spider struck. Calling on her skills she pushed forward staying low to the ground, she would only have time for one strike and it had to be deadly.

"Aveline! Move!"

Thank the maker the woman moved quickly when she did. Instead of chomping down on nice nummy Aveline flesh the spider got a mouth full of Hawke's gauntlet. Taking the moment she had her other arm extended out to its full length and with a strike upwards she was met with the resistance flesh and bone. With a dark smile, Siri yanked towards herself and the creature screeched as vital organs began to bend to gravity's will.

The only warning she got was the strap to her gauntlet giving away before two twin pains assaulted her left forearm.

"Hawke!"

She felt the pincers pulse, pushing more venom into her veins as she struck a second time, the spider knew it was done and the damn thing was trying to take her with it. With more effort than it should have taken, she cut the fangs from its body and could only hope that her companions would be able to finish the beast. She hit the ground and winced as her head bounced off something sharp.

The spider was encased in stone the moment Siri fell and with grim satisfaction she watched as Aveline beheaded it in one swing.

"Merrill, go get Anders, quick as you can!"

Siri didn't even see the elf leave before the pain hit, searing her insides, pulsing from her arm.

Anders had never felt so full, by the Maker, Leandra was an exceptional cook. Eggs, Toast, bacon and fresh milk. The best thing he'd had to eat lately was stew and the meat's origins had been sketchy. This was glorious. "Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for this. It's the best meal I've had in years. Here, let me clear the table."

"That's quite thoughtful, thank you. I do hope you'll be staying a while, it gets quiet while Siri's off galavanting about." Leandra blew delicately on her mug of steaming tea.

"Hopefully I won't have to impose on you too long. Did you catch where she was headed when she left this morning?"

Leandra hid her smile behind her tea. "She very rarely tells me, something about not wanting to worry me."

The front door swung open with a bang and Bohdan was physically shoved out of the way. "Anders, you're needed!" the elf panted. "On Sundermount. There was an accident."

"Not that she puts me in that position regardless, frequently," Leandra mumbled.

Casting a rejuvenation spell as he moved questions started flying out of his mouth as his legs got with the program. "What happened?"

"Spider bite."

After a brief stop in his temporary room to grab two Lyrium potions from his bag, they moved towards the door.

Once they cleared the house and Leandra was out of earshot he asked, "Who?"

"Hawke."

Aveline braced Siri's weight against her front as Isabela slowly poured elfroot potion in her mouth, rubbing her throat to encourage the liquid down. "Come on love, won't do for you to die yet. Drink up, there you go." Isabela's soothing tone was very much at odds with her face, which was pale and racked with worry. Siri looked even worse, pale as a ghost and twitching. She was slicked with sweat from a fever that had started within minutes of Merrill's departure. Her breathing was starting to get weaker. Maker's breath where were they?!

Siri coughed forcing Aveline to further support her friend. Bleary eyes opened with little focus, "... Anders?"

"You've been calling out his name for years pet, stay with us a little longer and you can see him. That sounds nice, yes?" Isabela reached for her pack blindly grabbing another potion and disregarding the now empty vial. "If he would get his arse in gear already. Tits, where is that man?"

"Never got... To tell him..."

Damn they were loosing her! Isabela with little forethought and a great deal of panic slapped Siri, hard. "You don't get to do that! Stay awake damn you."

"How much further?" Anders asked.

"Just over this hill! That's where the nest was," Merrill dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

His heart all but disappeared when Isabela's scream hit his ears. Worry was not something commonly associated with the pirate. Siri was in trouble. He crested the hill and ran to the three women. "How long has it been?"

He uncorked the first bottle of lyrium as healing waves fell from his fingertips, her distressed moan at what should have felt soothing did not improve his confidence in her condition.

"Twenty minutes, maybe more. She hit her head on my shield when she fell, there's blood." Aveline supplied moving Siri's hair out of the way.

One hand stayed over her left arm while the other slid up the back of her neck. Good, only a minor concussion, that at least easily dealt with, he brought the same hand back down sliding over her neck and chest. The poison had not reached her heart. He could save her. He pushed cleansing energy through her body each wave ebbing away at the sludge in her veins.

Her body was on fire, every inch burned with agony. She was going to die, she knew it. She couldn't go without... Isabela, she needed Isabela.

"I'm here precious, what do you need?"

"Not gunna make it. Tell Varric to watch out for my mum."

"Stop talking like this sweetling. Didn't you hear? You are going to be fine. Why is she still acting like this?"

"It's the type of toxin, attacks her nerves directly, she feels pain where there is none." That sounded like Anders. A smile graced her face, thank the maker she got to hear it one more time. "She'll continue to improve, just a little more." Cool hands were touching her bare tummy and they pulsed with cold energy that was making her rather sleepy. Only one more thing to do before she let go. With what little strength she had left she peeled her eyes open and there he was all scruffy and cute.

When she clumsily lifted a hand to the stubble on the side of his face, his gaze locked with hers all fire and determination to keep her alive. "I love you." There, she had said it.

His gaze narrowed, she wished she weren't so sluggish, normally she could tell what he was thinking. Her hand felt cold. When she managed to pull her gaze to said hand it was encased in Anders' own. God she was so tired, the brief flare of energy was fading. "Then prove it to me and keep breathing. I've got you and I will not let you go."

"It hurts. I'm tired."

She was almost cleansed, she would need time for her nerves to recover but there was almost no poison left, he just had to be sure to clean out her kidneys thoroughly of what had already been naturally filtered. "I know. I'll help you sleep soon. Just a little bit more, ok?"

"Anything for you."

One hand shifted from her tummy to her forehead. "Sleep, we'll talk when you're feeling better."

She drifted, vaguely aware of the sensation of her arm falling from his face. Maybe she would dream again. It had been sooooo much nicer than her waking hours as of late.

"What in the bloody fucking hell is wrong with you!? You know she's been coming to me for three years because your caveman of a skull keeps pushing her away!" Isabela shook her head, standing to her feet. "Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed the time with her and will happily enjoy more, but that means I get all the memories of her, not you. Weigh how much that means to you Anders."

Without giving a chance for argument, the pirate flounced off to check on Merrill.

Anders was quite happily envisioning the multiple different ways he could boil, freeze, electrocute and or heap other manners of bodily harm upon her head. How dare the queen of cat calls lecture him about feelings?! The woman had the emotional range of a rock.

Well, that wasn't entirely true... She had sounded rather frightened a few minutes ago. What if he hadn't made it in time? What if he lost her? His hand found her own, as he curled their fingers together.

So that was the weight she had referred to.

Gently he gathered her sleeping form in his arms and started the slow trek back to Kirkwall.