Chapter 21 - Absence makes the heart grow colder
Nobody asked Aisha where Isabela was; she could hear them speculate but nobody actually said the pirate's name in front of her. Isabela became a taboo and Aisha preferred not to think about her at all. It was only at night, tucked into a blanket that no longer smelled of tar and sea, she allowed herself to think about a curved smile on top of a golden bead, a blue bandana, chocolate coloured hair and two honey-eyes. Isabela, where are you? It didn't matter that Aisha had been the one to tell her friend to leave, it didn't matter that the pirate had made her furious. She missed her like a missing limb.
It had been a few months when Hawke and Merrill wondered if Aisha wanted to move in with them, not liking the young woman living on her own in such an establishment. The young mage had taken one last look at her bed and Isabela's bed; a room that no longer held the unattainable pirate. She was gone, and Aisha had to learn to accept this. She packed her little bag with the few belongings she had and left their room vacant.
Most of the days she didn't like to follow Hawke and the others on their adventures. She wanted her own life, she didn't want to rely on anyone. Even though she was now living closer to her friends than ever she saw them very little. After getting very tired listening to Hawke's continuing sermon to lay low, Aisha used the only thing she could. She lifted her tranquil marked head high and looked for a job as a tranquil. Acting the part was surprisingly easy. And that is how she winded up working for a certain elf called Tallis.
She was the elf's eyes and ears on the outside, running errands and occasionally cleaning or tidying the elf's modest home; all while pretending to be a tranquil. Tallis was an elf, but Aisha was so short they were pretty much at the same height. Aisha found herself liking the elf, she was witty and remained her of the pirate in some ways. But unlike Isabela, Tallis seemed reliable.
...
"You know," Tallis said once when Aisha arrived at her home, delivering a package, "I wish you weren't tranquil. You're way too pretty to loose your personality in such a way." Aisha had been pretending to be a tranquil for months by this time and never slipped but hearing Tallis say these words was too much. She managed to keep her mouth neutral but she couldn't stop the blush that rose to her cheeks.
"Hey," Tallis said and grabbed Aisha's wrist to keep her from leaving in panic, "tranquils don't blush!"
Aisha had to try.
"We do occasionally," Aisha said in a monotone voice, "it just hasn't been documented."
Tallis squinted her eyes suspiciosly.
"Oh really?" She asked, "So if I told you you are cute when you blush, you would say?"
Aisha's face turned even more red and she lifted her hands to cover her burning cheeks. She looked annoyed for a moment.
"I guess this tranquil is not so used to recieve compliments," Tallis said with a smirk, "seriously though, why have you been lying? I would have hired you even if you were, you know, normal."
The elf seemed to think for a moment.
"You're not here to spy on me or something, are you?" She asked and Aisha shook her head.
"It's just not so easy finding a job with this mark on my forehead."
"I can imagine," Tallis said, "are you an apostate then?" Aisha looked scared for a moment, "I'm not going to turn you in, don't worry. I'm an elf after all, we're not very liked either."
"So..." Aisha asked carefully, "can I keep my job?"
"I expect you too," Tallis replied, "although I suggest you continue posing as a tranquil. Don't want anyone asking questions. And hey... I like your non-tranquil voice better."
Aisha blushed again.
…
Tallis was different than Isabela. Her kisses softer, her hands not as course, and she was smaller everywhere. Not as giving, but certainly not in a bad way. In bed, they were equals and Tallis let Aisha touch her in ways that the pirate never let her. They held each other, laughed together, kissed until their passion spiked once more and they just had to be together. Outside they were different, Aisha still tranquil but inside they were themselves. Talking about their pasts, learning about each other. Aisha even told Tallis about Isabela and they discussed the Qun but didn't fight about it. They kissed and made love, over and over. Aisha found herself sleeping more and more nights in Tallis' bed rather than Hawke's mansion and that was okay. She had wanted her own life and now she had it.
A year past. Two years past. Two long years of the elf and the mage enjoying each others company and finding happiness in a town that had kept them both captive. It was a strange relationship, friends with benefits rather than love but it suited their needs. Aisha could see the questioning looks from her friends, wondering who it was that had placed a smile on her lips, but she never told anyone about Tallis, wanting to keep the elf to herself.
At the start of the third year of Isabela's absence, a light breeze brought a ship to Kirkwall. Aisha had even seen it from the window in Tallis' bedroom, she was taking in the lovely view of the sea while the elf was behind her, gently biting her shoulders and tweaking a nipple with one of her hands.
"Waiting for someone?" Tallis whispered, her mouth mere centimetres from Aisha's dark skin.
"Yes," Aisha laughed, "I'm waiting for your hand to travel lower, but alas..." her sentence ended there as Tallis' hand did travel lower. Words soon became redundant. Their little conversation had been very ironic, as with that breeze, with that ship a certain pirate was back in town.