A/N: Hi. I like ice cream nom nom noms... *three hours later* Mom: Who ate all the frickin' ice cream?! Me as I wipe all the ice cream off my face: IT WAS THE DOG! DAMN YOU TAZ EATING ALL OUR ICE CREAM! Taz: Woof? Me: YEAH THATZ RIGHT YOU BETTER BE SORRY! Taz: *licks ice cream off my face* I just thought of something today whilst playing DA... FARTRAND! :P

Leandra, Aveline, and me are all scurrying about frying eggs, making bacon and toast, and getting coffee brewed. The dwarf and Niri work on setting the table. Even Lady helps by bringing the food we make to the table. We set Maveria to watching the door, waiting for Hawke's friends.

Isabela is the first to come, and lucky for us, she's willing to help in the kitchen. She knows this awesome trick to get eggs thoroughly cooked in just thirty seconds! We might just be able to pull breakfast off.

We actually get all the toast and eggs and jelly out before Maveria bounces into the kitchen, with an elf following. When I turn to look at him, I almost drop the bowl I'm holding.

"Fenris?" I ask, shocked.

"Ella? What are you doing here?" He raises his eyebrows, obviously confused as I am.

"You two know each other?" Niri asks, breaking some of the awkward tension in our reunion.

"Uh, yeah." I stutter, "When Fenris first came to Kirkwall we did some mercenary jobs together and we stayed in the same hallway. You were right next door, weren't you?"

"Yes. You were very loud. I could hardly get any sleep" He says, with that familiar little half-smirk that tells me he's joking.

"You were louder!" I shout out with a grin.

"You two were mercenaries?" Niri asks.

"The best two they had!" I say with a straight face, even though I know that's not true, "We would have been the best pair for years to come, but Meeran got pissed at me for whatever reason and they drop-kicked me out the door. As for Fenris, he probably felt my loss so deep" I put emphasis on the words 'so deep' and pat my heart heavily, and Fenris raises his eyebrows again "he quit and drank away his sorrows until he became an alcoholic, forgot everything, and showed up at someone's house insisting he was their uncle!"

Niri laughed a loud and bubbly laugh that tells me she's amused. I even fetch a few chuckles from Isabela and Aveline.

Our light banter is interrupted by Maveria coming into the kitchen with Merrill holding her hand.

"Merrill's here!" Maveria announces, louder than was necessary as I set a huge plate of bacon on the table.

"Hi, Merrill." Niri says as she puts a pot of coffee on the table. Aveline nods and continues making food. Isabela didn't say anything because she was visiting the privvy. I hope she washes her hands before coming back to prepare food.

"Hello, Hawke, Aveline, Fenris, Mistress Amelle. How's your side doing, Ella?" Merrill doesn't wait for me to answer and pulls the side of my shirt up to look for herself. I grunt a little in protest, but she doesn't pull down my shirt. My embarrassment is eased a little when Fenris leaves the kitchen to do whatever he left the kitchen to do. Creators, having a boy in the room when a girl exposes your wounded sides is a bit uncomfortable!

I can tell what I hear next won't be good when Merrill grimaces.

"I'm no expert in wounds and healing and that sort, but that hole looks very bad, Hawke. I'd recommend letting Anders check it out." Merrill pokes the bandage a bit. "Does this hurt?" she asks.

"Of course it hurts! I have a hole in my body and you're jabbing at it with your fingers!" I cry out. Merrill stops poking me and pulls my shirt down.

"Sorry." She offers and shrugs.

"I tried wrapping it up and pouring that stuff in the health poultice on it." Niri says as she puts some jugs of milk on the table. "It didn't work?"

A blonde man laughs as he enters the kitchen.

"Hawke, you are the poorest excuse of a mage healer I've ever met. And I've met a lot of bad healers in my lifetime. You don't 'pour' a heath poultice on a wound, dumb a-"

"Language, please. We have a young child here!" Leandra moans. "Honestly, Niri, you could have chosen better behaved friends."

"Ugh, Anders" Niri moans, "Give me a break! I'm new to this healing stuff."

"Obviously." Anders retorts with a sideways grin. Their friendly banter was interrupted by a dwarf walking in.

"I see everybody got here before me. Glad to see the older one's up and about. I was a bit worried you would try to heal her, Hawke. Your healing is about as much of a death sentence as an exile to the Deep Roads."

"Hey! I'm not that bad." Niri sighs. "Okay, maybe I am, but that's no reason to make fun of me, Varric." Niri finishes her little oppression speech with a pout and puppy eyes as everybody sat down at the table. Leandra said the prayers.

I opened my eyes to see that everyone elses eyes were open, too. Well, except for Bohdahn's and Leandra's. I bit my lip to keep from giggling as people poked each other and made faces. I could tell Merrill was struggling to keep it in, too.

Suddenly a snicker escapes from my throat, and I quickly disguise it as a sneeze. Everybody starts shaking out of laughter and Merrill looks like she might explode if she doesn't get at least some of the giggles out. To everybody's relief Leandra soon says 'Amen' and they try to look more sober, so as not to arouse suspicion.

"Before we eat, I have an announcement." Niri stands and clears her throat. "I'm sure you've all noticed the elves sitting next to me by now. If you haven't, you're either as blind as a nug, or you're just completely oblivious. The older one on my right is Ella, and the younger one on my left is Maveria."

"Hi!" Maveria shouts, loud as always. Taking no notice of my exuberant sister, Niri continues.

"Ella and Maveria, these are my friends. From right to left along the table they are Isabela, previously 'Captain' Isabela but without her ship, the title rings a bit hollow, Merrill, a Dalish mage, Aveline, who's the guard captain, so mind your behaviour around her, Fenris, our broody lyrium-tattooed warrior,"

"I don't brood." Niri took no notice of him and rambled on.

"Varric, everybody's favorite story telling, crossbow wielding dwarf, and Anders, our mage healer who used to be a Warden. And that's our merry band of misfits! Any questions?"

I shrugged. "I guess not."

This was going to be a fun group to get to know.

A/N#2: Yeah, I know what you're thinking, Fenris wouldn't be that nice and sociable, but I didn't feel like writing a broody I-hate-you-all-I-was-a-slave character. So I thought, 'What would make FenFen more sociable and happy?' and then poof! Idea. Mercenary! Mercenaries are fun, right? Everybody loves Mercenaries! If you don't like it you can complain to me and I'll see what I can do.