The elf knew how to fight, Hawke would give her that. The timing was suspicious – Tallis turning up just as they were ambushed – but Hawke had made more than one friend who'd turned up at just the right moment, and Tallis had helped them out. She listened to Tallis's explanations, knowing that Varric, Anders, and Isabela were at her back.

Behind her, Isabela cleared her throat.

At first, Hawke didn't understand what the pirate was trying to tell her. She glanced back in confusion.

Isabela looked pointedly at the distracted-looking apostate, then at Tallis.

Hawke got it. Tallis, really? Well...she certainly was pretty. She wasn't Autumn's type, but then, Autumn's type was scruffy, blond healers. Named Anders.

Okay, she would give it a shot.

How did a woman even make a move on another woman?

Hawke smiled and tried to look provocative. "I imagine if we did this," she tried, "it'd be together, wouldn't it?"

Immediately she wanted to kick herself. What did that even mean? Thank you for stating the obvious, loser.

To her amazement, Tallis smiled back. "That's the idea," she said suggestively. "Or did you have something else in mind?

Andraste's flaming hair, that actually worked.

Behind her, she thought she heard Anders draw in a breath. "I am standing right here, aren't I?" he said.

Hawke suppressed her grin. This really was working. Anders was jealous. And if he was jealous...maybe Isabela was right, and he did still care about her.

She couldn't look at him. If she did, she would give everything away. Instead she smiled back at Tallis and said seductively, "I just think we should get to know one another."

"I think I'd like that," the elf replied coyly.

As Hawke talked to the red-haired elf, Anders's mind was not focused on the task at hand. It was on logistics. How to get as many innocents out of the Chantry as possible. How to create the explosion with little damage to the surrounding buildings. How to be a little less the monster he was about to become.

And then he heard Autumn's voice saying in an over-the-top, sultry tone, "I imagine if we did this, it'd be together, wouldn't it?" and his head snapped up.

That was his tone. The I-want-you tone Autumn had used on him when they first got together. In six years, he'd never heard her talk to another person that way.

But now she was looking at that elf – Tally or Tallis or whatever her name was – with that familiar, suggestive glimmer in her eye.

What was Autumn thinking? How could she hit on another person right in front of him? Did he mean so little to her that she didn't care how he felt? Did Autumn even like women?

"I am standing right here, aren't I?" Anders said to the empty air.

No one answered him.

The elf, for her part, seemed all too pleased by this turn of events. Her body language turned inviting, and she responded to Autumn with something approving and appreciative.

Anders wanted to fry her on the spot.

He understood. It was no less than he deserved. He'd been there so little for Autumn that she had given up on him. She was moving on with her life, and he couldn't even blame her.

He ought to be happy at this turn of events. It would make it easier for Autumn when things went bad. But all he could feel was hollow, like someone had punched a hole in his chest.

Surely it was obvious that Tallis was all wrong for Hawke. She wanted help to steal a jewel, for Andraste's sake. Where was the justice in that? Besides, she was clearly lying about something, or she wouldn't have to be so stingy on the details. Autumn would see that. She wouldn't be taken in by a pretty face.

But Autumn was smiling at Tallis and going on with the conversation, apparently oblivious to Anders's distress.

"You look like somone's taken the wind out of your sails, kitten," Isabela said casually.

"Leave me alone," Anders muttered, turning away in frustration.

As soon as she had a chance, Hawke pulled Isabela aside.

"Maker's breath," she hissed. "Did that actually work?"

Isabela shook her head in mock offense. "One of these days you're going to stop questioning my judgement."

"I highly doubt that."

"Well, you should. I know what I'm doing."

Hawke frowned. "You told me Anders only liked men. I believed you for three years."

"It was what you needed to hear," Isabela said unapologetically. "You stopped being awkward around him, didn't you?"

"That's not the point! Anders liked me awkward!"

"Of course he did, sweet thing. Anders would like you if you had three heads and a tail. That's what I keep trying to tell you."

Hawke was rendered incoherent by the pirate's unwavering logic.

"And you're doing a great job with Tallis. Did you see Anders's face? It was priceless!"

Hawke bit her lip. "Maybe this is a bad idea. I don't want to hurt him."

"Sweetheart, we've been over this. Jealousy never hurt anyone...much. It's just a little harmless flirting. I told you, he just needs a wake-up call."

Hawke was unconvinced, but she didn't press the issue. "What about Tallis? I don't want to hurt her, either. Don't you think it's wrong to lead her on?"

"Oh, honestly, Hawke. Only you would worry about that. I wouldn't be too concerned. Nobody could look at you and Anders and not know you're mad for each other. And Tallis clearly has her own agenda. My guess is that she enjoys flirting for the sake of flirting." Isabela shrugged. "But if you want, I'll make sure Tallis knows you're off the market."

"What? How? You're not going to threaten her, are you?"

Isabela gave Hawke a disparaging look. "I'm going to talk to her. Really, Hawke what do you take me for?"

Hawke groaned and put her head in her hands. "I'm calling this off. This is crazy, Isabela."

"Just wait a bit and see what happens before you do anything rash." She grinned. "If you don't see an immediate change in Anders's behavior, I'll eat my new hat."