"Where did you get this money, anyway?" asked Anders. He and Evaria were strolling through a market in Lowtown, in order to buy food.

"It's not something I'm proud of," said Evaria. "Let's leave it at that."

Anders looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Evaria looked up at him in confusion. Realization struck her, and she blushed.

"Maker, I didn't mean that!" she said, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. "I took a few coins from a collection plate outside the Chantry."

"There's no shame in that," argued Anders. "It's supposed to be used to help the less fortunate, isn't it?"

Evaria shrugged. He was right, for the most part.

"Oh no," muttered Anders. "Turn around."

"Why?" asked Evaria.

"There are templars ahead," he told her.

"They don't have any reason to be suspicious of us, do they?" Evaria asked. "If we just act normally..."

"I always think it's better to avoid them," said Anders. "They don't need a reason to be suspicious. We should split up, in case they think we're plotting. You go around that way, I'll go this way."

Anders pointed Evaria to a side street that circled into the market district without having to pass through the crowd of people in front of them. She stepped lightly, paying careful attention to her surroundings. She hadn't forgotten what had happened to her last time she was alone in Lowtown.

The street had several exits to her left. She glanced down each one before continuing. Hearing a noise, she stopped and looked up, staring down the street in front of her. Her skin prickled; she felt unusually cold, and something told Evaria to turn off of the street now, or she might regret it later.

When she came to the next exit, Evaria turned the corner to find herself face to face with a templar's chest plate. She squeezed her eyes shut, lowered her head and waited for the worst.

"Maker, not this again," said a familiar voice.

Evaria opened one eye, slowly raising her head to look at the templar standing in front of her. "Cullen?" Her voice was no more than a whisper.

He had closed his eyes, as if he were thinking about something, something that needed his full attention. "All this time and I'm still having visions…"

"Evaria!" Anders hissed, appearing behind Cullen. She looked at him, and he waved her over.

After one last glance at Cullen, Evaria caught up with Anders. They ran back to Darktown without stopping once.

"This place is crawling with templars anymore," said Anders, once they were safely back in his clinic. "I'm starting to worry we'll be carried back to the Circle, or worse."

"They must have been there for a reason," said Evaria. "They can't have been looking for us, or they would have been here, in Darktown."

"What happened in the alley, with that templar?" asked Anders. "He was just standing there."

"I think I... caught him by surprise."

"Why didn't you just run? I thought I heard you talking to him."

"It was just... something he said..." Evaria trailed off, remembering the look on Cullen's face when he had seen her. Something in him had changed.

In the eight years Evaria had known Cullen at the tower, she had gotten to know him very well. They did not always have occasion to speak, but they didn't need to; glances, gestures, casual movement. They had had entire conversations without ever saying a word. His presence in the tower had become a comfort to her, an anchor. He made the tower feel more like a home.

One of them always had a way of knowing when the other had a problem, always a tactic to cheer the other up. A comforting hand on a shoulder, a gentle smile, quiet words of solace when there was no one else around. He had been one of her closest friends, and Evaria could tell that something had happened.

Evaria was startled from her reverie when Anders snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Evaria?"

"What? I'm sorry, I was thinking." Evaria shook her head to clear it.

"I asked you what he said, that templar," said Anders. "What did he say that's so interesting?"

"Something about thieves," Evaria lied. Anders didn't know about her past with Cullen. He didn't need to. "It doesn't matter. He was just telling me to keep an eye out."

"Probably didn't realize he was talking to one," grinned Anders.

Evaria forced a smile to her lips. "Probably not."

"Didn't I tell you you'd be an expert healer in no time?" Anders asked her one night, as he closed the doors of the clinic.

"I wouldn't call myself an expert," said Evaria.

"I would," said Anders. "You've been a great help. We've been able to help twice as many people."

Evaria couldn't help but smile. She thrived on praise. "I'm happy to be doing something worthwhile."

"You're a very talented mage," Anders told her as he walked closer to her. "I'm surprised the templars weren't keeping a closer eye on you at the circle."

"I think they were," said Evaria. "They're a sneaky lot."

"I had a hard time keeping my eyes off you when we were at the circle, myself," said Anders, closing the space between them.

"What about now?" asked Evaria. Unable to decide whether she wanted to move closer or father away, she stood still.

"Now I can't stop staring," said Anders. "And I don't think I want to try."

Evaria didn't have an answer, didn't need one. When Anders leaned down to kiss her, she couldn't stop herself from kissing him back. She didn't want to.

He pulled away from her, a smile occupying his face. "I can think of a dozen reasons why I shouldn't have done that," he told her.

"I can think of a dozen more why you should have," Evaria told him.

Yet she could feel the secrets between them already, trying to end what had yet to begin.