Hawke sat on the edge of the bed, right leg extended out on front of her to examine the incredible mechanical device that Dagna had attached to her knee.
"It's electric, fire, and cold resistant," the dwarf had explained cheerfully. "And waterproof so you don't have to worry about removing it to bathe, unless you really want to. It runs on a self-contained lyrium circulation system powered by a runestone motor, which also allows for control over the ankle joint and toe joints. And I was almost done with this one when I thought about adding in textile sensors and transistors, so you could actually feel the ground the way you would with your own foot, so I've already started work on another one that you can put on at your leisure. I'm sure I'll have it done soon!"
"That dwarf is unnecessarily energetic," Fenris muttered to Hawke as the arcanist finally left the room.
"Show some respect," Hawke muttered as she swung the prosthetic limb down to the floor in preparation to test it. "I'm sure she worked very hard on this."
"That's not in question," he replied. The elf stood beside her, arms out, ready to offer assistance should she need it to rise and stay upright. She grasped his hands, and he pulled her to her feet.
Hawke's knees buckled and Fenris wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," she reassured him. She stood up straight, and Fenris moved back to only holding her hands. She shifted so her weight was on her own feet instead of on his hands. Hesitantly, she released his hands.
"Huh, would you look at that," she exclaimed. "I can stand on my own."
Hawke took a tentative step forward, and when she didn't immediately collapse, a grin split across her face. She grasped Fenris's hand again, and he squeezed it gently. She managed to hobble over to the fireplace, and leaned on the couch.
"Victory!" she crowed.
Fenris' eyes glinted with a rare humor. "Victory indeed," he chuckled. "Soon you might also conquer feeding yourself with a spoon and speaking in full sentences."
"An inspiration to toddlers everywhere," Hawke remarked. "This'll take some time getting used to."
"Knowing you, you'll manage it in no time," Evans interjected from where she sat at the desk. "There's only one more thing I need to bring to your attention, Hawke, before you two head home."
"If you're needing me to go to another Warden fortress with you, the answer is no," Marian said lightly. Evans laughed.
"No, I've got everything covered in that department. The thing is…well, any day now we could head to finally destroy Corypheus. And as you well know, any one of us might not come out of it alive." Evans' expression became somber. "Varric has requested to speak to you both again. He wants to stay and see this Inquisition through to the end, but he knows he might not come back from it. Fenris, I know you're still angry with him, but I urge you to at least briefly speak with him before you go. I think you might regret it if you don't, and if something happens to him."
"If something happens to him, it's his own fault," Fenris said coolly. Hawke laid a hand on his arm.
"We'll talk to him, of course," Hawke told the Inquisitor. "Please, send him in."
A minute later, the door at the bottom of the stairs creaked open, and Hawke could hear the familiar clumping of the dwarf's heavy boots. After a moment, the blonde appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Hey, Hawke," Varric said softly. Hawke's face split in a genuine smile, and she and the dwarf clasped hands.
"Good to see you again," Marian said warmly.
"I'd say 'good to see you in once piece', but…" Varric said, gesturing to Hawke's prosthetic. Fenris' frown deepened. "Oh, don't give me that look, elf, she thought it was funny!"
"Yeah, I think the Fade and I got off on the wrong foot," Hawke joked, drawing a chuckle from the dwarf.
"You wanted to talk?" Fenris interrupted.
"Oh yeah, I did. Well, mostly I just wanted to see for myself that you were fully recovered. You were pretty gruesome looking when we found you," Varric sighed.
"Oh come on, I always look incredible, even when I'm covered in blood and on the brink of death."
"Not funny, Hawke," Fenris growled.
"Anyway, yeah, I'm alive and recovering," Hawke continued. "Dagna put together this handy little thing for me. It looks complicated as hell, but it has me upright and mobile, so I'm not complaining."
Varric stooped down to examine the prosthetic. "Oh man, Bianca would get a kick out of this," he muttered to himself. He stood upright again and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Think you'll be back in fighting shape by time we take on Corypheus again?"
Hawke shrugged even as Fenris' scowl deepened. "Who knows? I have no idea how long it will take me to get used to this thing for everyday stuff, let alone for battle. If I'm back to top shape by then, then sure, I'll help. If not..." she shrugged again. "If not, I'll have to sit it out. Maybe sit somewhere up high and shoot spells from a distance, with Fenris here to help me backpack it out of there if things start to get hairy."
"I think we should just go home as soon as you've recovered enough," the elf grumbled. Marian's hand slipped into his, and he squeezed it lightly.
"Either way, I'm here to see this thing out to the end," Varric said firmly. He looked thoughtful for a second, and he grew somber. "Look, Hawke," he grumbled. "I'm not very good at this touchy-feely stuff, so I'm just gonna come out and say it. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to keep you safe the first time, and I'm happy that we got you back mostly safe and sound. Now let's just move on and pretend that you got your leg bitten off by a dragon or something."
Marian laughed, and even Fenris' ill mood seemed to lighten. "No need to apologize," she said, and laid a hand on Varric's shoulder. "I understand. Let's move on."
"Thank you, Hawke," Varric said. "I should let you rest, though. Come see me again before you leave, we need to play Wicked Grace one more time before you go off to help save the world again."
"Wouldn't miss it," Hawke grinned.
"Elf, you in too?"
Fenris gave a long-suffering sigh, but his shoulders slumped in defeat and there was even a ghost of a smile threatening on his lips. "I'll be there."
"Good." The dwarf turned to leave, but hesitated at the top of the stairs. "Hawke?"
"Yes, Varric?"
He gave her a soft smile, not like his usual cheeky grin, but sincere and warm. "Welcome back."
Marian sighed as the door shut below them. "That went much better than I expected."
"What, you thought I'd try and kill him?"
"The thought crossed my mind." She stretched, then took a few more experimental steps. She was still shaky, but already she was getting used to the balance of her new leg. "This is going easier than I thought it would. Care to dance? I hope you don't mind if I'm not as graceful as I used to be, I'm all left feet today." She gave him a cheeky grin.
Fenris groaned. "Hawke."
"What? Afraid of my usual foot odor? I'm betting it's only half as bad as it used to be."
"Hawke, no."
"Come on, we just reunited! Let's not get off on the wrong foot so soon."
"Hawke, no."