"Isabela!" Merrill couldn't believe that it actually was her friend at the door, "when did you come back?" The elf hurried to pull the pirate into the house.

"Hawke!" She called out, "it's Isabela." The pirate smiled at Merrill's constant prattle as they went into the main room. Hawke came down the stairs and Isabela took a sigh of relief when her friend didn't seem mad at her.

"I heard you're Champion now?" Isabela said with a smirk wanting to keep the conversation light. Hawke looked at her for a moment.

"Yeah..." She replied and put her arm around Merrill's shoulders, "so where have you been?"

"Oh you know me," Isabela said, "I have travelled the seas, drunk the drink, laid the maidens. All good things."

Merrill chuckled and lept forward to hug her friend again. It had been empty without Isabela. Isabela hugged her back, and eventually Hawke smiled genuinly and hugged the pirate again. Isabela hadn't know that she had been worried but felt very relieved that neither of her friends seemed to be mad at her. Hers and Hawke's rather awkward hug ended and Isabela stretched her arms, looking around the room. There was a female elf in the corner whom Isabela didn't recognise but otherwise most things seemed the same.

"So..." Isabela said and walked to the fireplace, "I was at the Hanged Man. Apparently Aisha hasn't lived there for two years, you don't want to know what I had to do to get my old room back." She chuckled to herself again and tried to keep her voice from sounding too caring.

"So..." she said again, "do you know where Aisha is?"

Hawke and Merrill shared a look.

"She lives here," Hawke eventually said, "she has for over a year. But we haven't actually seen her for a couple of days."

"A couple of days?" Isabela couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice this time, "where is she?"

Hawke sighed.

"We didn't ask."

…

Aisha couldn't keep the need out of her voice as she grabbed a handful of Tallis' hair and tried to direct the elf where she needed it the most.

"Tallis, Tallis, Tallis, please just... please, please, please."

…

"You didn't ask?" Isabela asked the mage, "remember your mother! What if she's in danger, what if she's dead, what if..."

"Isabela! Calm down!" Hawke yelled, "we didn't ask because Aisha has her own life and she is regularly gone for days. Our guess is that..." Hawke shared another look with Merrill which made Isabela roll her eyes.

"We think, "Merrill said, taking over from her girlfriend, "we think that Aisha might have... a new friend."

"A new friend?" Isabela repeated, reality dawning on her. "Good for her." She turned around, trying to not feel anything. When she was sure that all emotion could be seen on her face except amusement, she turned from the fire and faced her friends.

"Well, I should go..."

"Go?" Merrill asked, "but you just got here. Can't you stay for dinner? Yes, stay for dinner."

"Nah, kitten, I have to settle in... I break out in hives if I stay too long in High town anyway."

As Isabela left Hawke's mansion and started walking towards Low town she started thinking about Aisha. Did Aisha have a new friend? Did that matter? Isabela had returned because she had realised that it didn't matter what she did, she still missed Aisha. She had spent days on the bend; every time she sobered up she had drank more. She had slept with strong women in armor, strong men who could lift her up; none of them purged her of the wish for a lithe and beautiful body. A body inhabited by her friend. Aisha. Not even the sea could stop Isabela from missing her. As long as she heard nothing about Castillion she could justify her absence with the fear of being caught; but she knew he would eventually come for her. And if she was to die, she wanted to see Aisha first. Not that she was planning to die, no of course not, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

Isabela changed her route. She didn't feel like going home alone to her lonely room in the Hanged man. Instead she went straight to the Blooming Rose.

…

"Do you still think about her?" Tallis said with her head resting on Aisha's lower abdomen while lazily drawing circles around and on Aisha's breasts.

Aisha did not have to ask who the elf meant.

"Yes," she said shortly, "all the time." Then she laughed a little, "but I would never tell her that." Tallis joined her laughter. Then worry fell over her face like a shadow.

"What's wrong?" Aisha asked her lover, grabbed her hand and gently kissed her knuckles, "are you still worried? Just tell Hawke what's going on, she is so nice. She helps everyone."

Tallis sighed and sat up.

"I can't tell her the truth. Not after she fought the qunari. I can't trust her, I hope that that doesn't hurt you in any way."

"Of course not," Aisha sat up as well and put her arm around Tallis still nude shoulders, and pulled her close, "you do as you choose, I just think that Hawke would help you even if you were honest and it would make things easier for you."

Tallis let her head rest on Aisha's shoulder. I love you, the words were on Tallis' lips but she didn't say them. It was bad enough that she had fallen badly for the mage, but she wouldn't lower herself to actually admit it. She had bigger issues. Issues that had to be taken care of soon.