Only…when they made their way back onto the streets of Kirkwall, Lisa's good luck ended there. She left her friends to make her way home with her bounty, ready to tell them that they would finally get the home and the name that they deserved. But rather than finding Bethany reading in front of the fire and her mother writing more documents to show the Viscount, she found Cullen – Knight-Commander, second in command to Knight-Captain Meredith – standing behind her sister who was now dressed in a Circle uniform.
"No…" she breathed, dropping the heavy bags onto the floor with a thump, some of the gold coins trickling out onto the floor.
"Lisa…please don't do anything," Bethany begged, "I've promised to go peacefully and they won't prosecute you and mother for hiding me."
"But…I…" her eyes switched between Bethany's glazed over eyes and Cullen's disappointed ones. "I did this so you wouldn't have to hide…"
"I still would've, whether I was in an estate or not, sister. Now I don't have to hide anymore," she smiled but there was fear in her voice. She didn't know what she was getting into and Lisa could see it in her eyes. Her father had made the Circle seem like hell itself and now there was no way she could get out of it. And again all of this was her fault. Maybe if she'd brought her sister along rather than left her here she could've helped her. But now…now it was too late.
Her sister stepped up and gave Lisa a hug before placing the cool metal ring in her hand. "Keep mother safe," she asked before kissing Lisa on the cheek and walking out the door with Cullen in tow. Lisa's eyes burned with salty tears as she bent down to soothe her mother who had collapsed on the floor in tears.
After that things weren't exactly the same between her and her mother. Neither of them seemed to be able to have a conversation without bringing up any of the family members and whenever they did her mother was never able to hold her tears or temper enough for the conversation to be civilized. So instead Lisa chose to keep their talks short, letting Varric get in contact with his people that could sell some of the more obscure items as she bought her mother's childhood home. The act seemed to please the woman enough that she no longer looked sad whenever Lisa passed, but it in no way filled the hole in Lisa's heart.
She'd let her family down again. It left her feeling empty and lost and made her nights even more sleepless as Bethany's face joined her nightmares. Friends tried to cheer her up, but she would simply put on a fake smile and bully through all interactions with them. Isabela had come back to town, although she seemed to be a bit antsy all the time, like standing in one place for too long would end horribly for her. But she didn't say anything about it and Lisa surely wasn't going to pester her.
For the next year and a half it was all kind of just one plain day after another. While Lisa lived in Hightown she still found herself attracted to Lowtown. There was just so much more going on. Her mother had grown up in the life of a noble so in the end she was easily able to fit into all of the dinner parties and brunches, but Lisa was never comfortable about it. She preferred the dirtiness that reminded her of Lothering, of how whenever she got home she knew she needed a bath.