"So when do I get the grand tour?" Nero asked Isabela. The were seated beside each other in Varric's suite. Hawke, Fenris, Aveline, Varric (of course) and for some reason Anders were there as well. The mage hadn't spoken much, and the rest of them were doing their best to ignore his brooding presence. Although this didn't stop Hawke and Varric from speculating quietly in the corner as to why the healer was there.
"Haven't you already? Oh, you must mean the ship." Isabela said with a chuckle.
Nero rolled his eyes, "yes, I mean the ship."
"Its not fit to be seen. Castillon had an obsession with mustard colored satin." she said, with disgust.
Nero laughed and Fenris smiled into his drink from across the table. He greatly enjoyed the sound of Nero's laughter, even though the revelation had made him feel like a tool. It had been a month since the situation with Denarius, and although he still wished that Nero hadn't gone after him and risked his own life, he was sort of glad that he had. Things seemed to be working out well between them again, it felt like the last three years didn't even happen. He would not be so careless with it this time, not now that he knew how much it hurt to lose it.
For some reason that even he could not comprehend he had spoken to Sebastian about how he felt. Sebastian had told him he was in love, and although he scoffed at the idea he knew that the bastard was right. He scoffed at it even now. Me, in love? pfft. But there was no better term to name what he felt for Nero, it was just that the term was so childish he couldn't say it. And it was so often used to label feelings that it was not, how many times had someone said 'I love you' to someone they had just met? He wasn't even sure if Nero would appreciate hearing it. He believed the other man when he said that needed him and had missed him, but a part of Fenris...doubted it. It was a small part, really, but he worried that that small part would fester like an infected wound and that it would eventually grow to be so large that it enveloped everything else.
He didn't understand it, and he was unwilling to talk about it, so he suppressed it and hoped that it would go away. He didn't like being skeptical of everything Nero said to him, but he figured it was the price of what he did years ago. Nero had said then that he was too paranoid to be with him, Fenris found it ironic that now he was paranoid. A part of him wondered if maybe he just believed it was too good to be true and he was looking for something to warn him of impending doom.
"Do you feel like a citizen, Fenris?" Aveline said suddenly, disrupting his thoughts.
"Excuse me?"
"You've been in Kirkwall as long as I have." she said, "Does it feel like home?"
Fenris thought about this for a moment, "it feels. That itself has been a surprise."
Aveline gave him a knowing smile, "I think I know what you mean."
He nodded and watched as Nero left to find out what was taking Corff so long, they had ordered their breakfast an hour ago, and Aveline found herself scrutinizing the elf's face.
"You seem happy." she told him.
"Hmm?"
"Since we've gotten back from Ostwick. You both seem, well, happy."
"I suppose I am." he said quietly.
"Good...when you two weren't...getting along...he was miserable. I think he hid it fairly well, but I could tell. I'm glad that you two are together again."
"And if you hurt him again, I'll kill you." Anders said from where he was seated at the end of the table. It was the first thing he had said since he sat down, he wasn't even going to eat except that Nero ordered him ham and eggs.
"Is that so?" Fenris practically snarled, "I wasn't aware you cared a fig about Nero anymore."
"I've been busy, that doesn't mean I don't still worry about my friends and their safety." Anders scowled.
"Busy plotting the destruction of the city, you mean?"
"Busy working to free templar slaves, something you should feel some sympathy towards."
"I would, if these so called 'templar slaves' weren't capable of turning into demons or blowing up buildings as they see fit."
"When has a mage ever blown up a building?"
"I'm sure it's happened."
"Why are you so-"
"Boys!" Isabela interrupted, "shut up or I'll strip you naked and make you wrestle in oil."
"I find myself wondering," Hawke said with a smirk, leaning his elbows on the table, "would you be joining them?"
"I don't know, I would miss the view." she winked.
He sat back with a forced sigh, "how disappointing"
Isabela furrowed her brow, "what-"
"Apparently Corff is busy this morning and has failed to bring us our food due to lack of staff. So here it is." Nero said from where he stood in the doorway, a large tray with six plates on it. He waited for the table to be relatively cleared before setting it down.
"Thank the Maker, I'm starving." Hawke said as he grabbed his plate and plopped it down in front of himself.
Nero grabbed his own plate last and it wasn't until he sat down to eat that he noticed Anders was playing with the food on his plate, but hadn't eaten anything yet. He scowled, and kicked him gently in the shin.
"Eat." He said darkly.
Anders frowned but did as he was told. It was difficult to eat now, since Justice had become a stronger presence in his mind he was always stressed and nervous. He was often too high-strung to eat, the very idea made him nauseous. But he needed Nero's help, and if that meant eating breakfast to convince him that he was still the same person he used to be, then he would force the damned food down.
He found himself wondering why he didn't feel bad for putting on a show to get his friends help. And he was going to lie...shouldn't that bother him?
'It needs to be done, do not falter now.' Justice told him.
I'm not, I just find it peculiar is all...
'It is if no concern.'
Alright...do you think Fenris knows something?
'How could the elf know anything? We have not spoken of our plans and have not put them to paper' Justice assured him.
I know, its just-
'If he does somehow know, then he has not mentioned it to anyone. If he plans to deal with it himself we will destroy him. He will not get in the way.'
Suddenly his thoughts were cut off as a dwarf ran into the room and bent over to catch his breath, when he could breath again he said "Messere Hawke! Ugh, why you come to these places I may never know."
"Bodahn, what a surprise. What brings you here?" Hawke said, stunned, he hadn't even been sure before that the dwarf even knew where Lowtown was, much less the Hanged Man.
"A templar arrived at the estate, looking for you Messere. He gave me a letter to pass on to you, it has seal of the Knight Commander on it! I thought you should receive it as soon as possible." Bodahn explained, obviously proud of his initiative.
"Oh, well, uh...thank you, Bodahn." Hawke said as he rose to take the letter from the dwarf, "if you want to you should take the day off and relax. I've heard you saying Sandal needs new shoes."
"Oh, thank you, Messere. Maybe I will. Try not to get into any trouble."
"I never do." Hawke muttered as the dwarf left just as quickly as he arrived.
He looked at the letter curiously as he sat back down, wondering what could possibly drive that crazy woman to say something to him.
With a look of confusion on his face he opened the letter, only to read:
Champion,
I require your assistance in a matter of great urgency. Please report to the Templar Hall in the Gallows at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Knight-Commander Meredith
He whistled when he was done reading and tossed the letter on the table. Varric snatched it up almost before it hit the wood and began reading.
"What does she want?" Anders basically grumbled
"Apparently, there is a matter of 'great urgency' that she needs my assistance dealing with." Hawke chuckled.
"Are you going to go?"
"Why not? I might as well find out what it is that she wants before I tell her to go fuck herself."
...
"You don't really think bringing Anders into the same room as Meredith is a good idea, do you, Hawke?" Fenris muttered as they entered the Gallows.
Hawke winced, "I hadn't thought that far ahead. But you're right."
"What is your plan then?"
"Uhh..."
"Oh for the sake of the maker." Nero muttered, "Anders, come with me, I've got to buy a new blade."
Anders scowled, "I'm not stupid, I do realize what your doing."
"I know, but the pretenses are for show, do play along." Nero smiled and then smacked his hand against Hawke's chest then opened it so that the palm was up. Then he waited.
Hawke raised an eyebrow at him, "what?"
Nero pouted, "I'm poor!"
"You have got to be kidding me." Hawke sighed but fished a couple of sovereigns out of his purse and gave it to the man.
Nero smiled at him then watched everyone but Anders leave to head inside the Gallows.
"If I wanted to kill her I wouldn't need Hawke to take me in there to do it." Anders told him.
"I know, but at least I got some coin out of it. And I do have to get a new blade."
"You are a terrible person." Anders told him, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Pfft."
Nero turned to make his way to the weapons merchant when he felt Anders' hand on his shoulder, "wait," the mage said, "I wanted to talk to you."
Nero raised an eyebrow, but stayed, "what is it?"
"I'm going to be trying something, and I thought you might want to be part of it. I was wrong, what I did with Justice was unnatural. It shouldn't have happened."
"Oh." was all Nero could say, he was quite surprised to hear Anders admit to his mistake.
"I can't help mages like this. Not while I am everything templars fear about magic. I need to be free of this curse."
"So...is this your way of asking me to try my idea?"
"No, no offense, but there isn't any reason to believe it wouldn't cause permanent damage to either of us. I've spent the past three years researching the methods of Tevinter magisters."
"uhh..." Nero said skeptically.
"No, not like that. They're the only ones that have ever sought to reverse spirit possession, not just behead the victims. I believe I have a formula for a potion than can separate Justice and Me. Without killing either."
"And there is no blood magic involved."
"There was originally, but I managed to find a way around it." Anders assured him.
"Well, that's pretty exciting then." Nero smiled, "what did you need my help with?"
Anders smiled as well, the first one Nero had seen from the mage in a very, very long time "I knew you would understand, even if..."
"What?" Nero asked suspiciously.
"Nothing. I've gathered most of what I need, but there are some...outlandish ingredients I was hoping you'd help me collect. A powder the Tevinters call 'sela petrae,' and a small amount of drakestone."
Nero scowled, he could tell Anders was withholding information, "what aren't you telling me?"
"Oh, many things I'm sure. Did I tell you about the dream I had where the Grand Cleric was completely naked except for her miter? And there was this giant, glowing cheese wheel..."
"Okay, I get it, your not going to tell me." Nero sighed, "I'll still help you, for the sake of whatever friendship we have left."
...
"Apparently phylacteries were destroyed and several mages took the opportunity to escape. She wants me to help her find the last three." Hawke told them as he approached where Anders and Nero were sitting, waiting for them to return. Nero twirled his new dagger in his hand, it was better quality than the last one, but it still didn't feel quite right. It was better though.
Anders was surprised by what Hawke told them, he didn't think there was anybody left in the gallows that was that brave or daring. So he asked how it happened.
"Apparently some of the templars orchestrated the escape. See, their not all bad Anders." Hawke smiled.
"But you intend to help her?"
"She said that she was asking me to deal with the fugitives so that I could see for myself what Templars deal with every day...look I didn't tell her I would help, but I feel like I should look into it." Hawke tried to explain.
"I'm coming with you, then, somebody has to stand for the mages so they aren't needlessly slaughtered." Anders scowled.
"Makers breath.." Hawke muttered in exasperation before turning to speak to the group. "Look, we should split up and find out where the mages might be before attempting to contact them, we could meet at the Hanged Man tonight."
"I'll go to the De Launcet's" Aveline said, "I'm...familiar with them."
"I could try the Alienage," Varric offered, "if Nyssa doesn't want to talk to me maybe she'll be willing to talk to Merrill."
"Sounds good," Hawke said, and turned to clap Anders on the back, "we get to go to Darktown!"
"Wonderful." Anders frowned.
A/N: so apparently at some point I screwed up and called the nobleman who had kidnapped Nero in the previous act De Launcet...and now im not completely sure that I had made that character a part of the De Launcet family or if I had really meant him to be a part of the De Monteford family...im all confused. I'll have to look into it. So just pretend that if the man who was responsible for Nero's abduction was a De Launcet that he had a little shit fit when Aveline said that she would talk to the De Launcet family.