Sera

Sera didn't know why they all seemed to like it so much. It was unnatural, a demon of some sort or something. Bull was being a daft tit as usual and had taken the Inquisitor's order to 'be welcoming' to the thing to heart. Sera, however, would do no such thing. She's seen what things like that could do, would do if given the chance. Had they all forgotten that? Idiots, all of them and it seemed Sera and the Seeker were to agree on this, of all things.

There they were, Raen and Bull relaxing as if nothing was wrong while they watched it disappear and reappear around a training dummy, stabbing it every which way. The sight gave Sera the chills, it could be invisible half the time and nobody would notice. They noticed her arrival later than she would have liked, but she wasn't fussy. It was time to go. There were some demons in a nearby town and they were the team the Inquisitor had chosen to bring with her. The choice of Bull and Sera was not surprising, considering they were friends, but Cole? It didn't make sense.

The first time she had called the Spirit thing 'it', she had not noticed the Inquisitor tense, the second time it was obvious, the third it was a dismount in the middle of a main road. "Get off" The Inquisitor deadpanned in Sera's direction. She was in trouble.

"What part of 'be welcoming' was so fucking hard to understand?" she grabbed Sera's shirt, practically picking her up and pitting her out of sight from Bull and the thing he was trying to distract with a conversation about the best ways to pass time in Thedas. "Y'know Cole, we've hunted wyverns, fought through caves to find some old magical crap. Even went giant-baiting once. It wasn't too bad apart from the fact Raen got her ass handed to her."

"You should know better than anyone what things like that can do. Why would you treat a monster like a person, it doesn't make sense, Raen!" It was Sera's turn to be mad now, how could her friend be so blind?

"The only monstrous thing I have seen all day is the way you treat that boy. If you even think of calling him anything other than 'him' or 'Cole', I swear Sera, I will not be this patient next time. I see Bull's face every time we face a demon and I see yours, you're afraid, I get it, but if he can get over it, so can you." The Inquisitor's eyes were burning holes in her head before she turned to get back on her horse.

"Is the world really so black and white for you Raen, that you wouldn't even entertain the possibility that he could be playing you all?"

"My world is all shades of grey. Maybe you should try seeing things less black and white, Sera."

"Why do you even care?" Sera yelled. It was a valid question, since when did Raen care about crap like that, or anything but herself and her damned Inquisition? In hindsight, it was a lousy move, but it seemed appropriate at the time. The woman spun on her in a bur of gold, pinning sera against a nearby tree with enough force to knock the wind out of her.

"I care because I know what it's like to have someone call you a monster for no reason other than their own ignorance. How dare you think yourself so important as to decide who deserves punishment for existing." Sera had never seen the Inquisitor, or anybody, like this before. She was positively trembling with rage as she turned once more. "Get on you horse, Sera, and go back to the Keep and tell Cassandra what happened. Maybe you can both have a chat about seeing things from someone else's point of view, if not Cole's, then mine."

The inquisitor did not wait for Sera to go before she moved on, taking the others with her without so much as a backward glance.

"How long did she live like that?" The story the Seeker was weaving was beyond unbelievable, Sera had thought the Inquisitor was just a rebellious noble.

"Until she was fifteen." Cassandra seemed uncomfortable relaying the gruesome details and Sera was sorry, she was, and she understood why Raen had defened the Spirit.

"But this is different, Cassandra, she wasn't a monster she was just a kid, just a mage. We don't know what this Cole is!"

"When we hauled her out of the ashes the first time I saw her, we had no idea what she was. Some said a demon, some said Andraste herself, but upon closer inspection the truth was far from what even I had imagined. I had thought her a monster, a murderer. Perhaps upon closer inspection, Cole's truth will be far from what we imagine also."

"And if it isn't?" Sera was not entirely convinced.

"Then that will be upon the Inquisitor's head alone."

Dinners were not usually so uncomfortable. The group's usual laughter and banter had subsided quickly in light of the tensions between their leader and herself. She didn't want to make a fuss, so she simply sat herself next to the Spirit.

"I'm sorry for not calling you by your name" she didn't make a habit of apologising for her actions often, but when she did, she meant it. The Inquisitor had heard, from across the room she had been watching, and smiled gently at them. The spirit did not say anything, only nodded and gave a small smile in acknowledgement. "I'll be nicer from now on."

Now to make amends with Raen, the situation called for a stiff drink, for them both. "I'm sorry, you know I am, I was only-"

"trying to warn me, I know. I trust the Seeker explained that if my decision in keeping him around was in any way wrong, then I will take responsibility for it." The woman accepted the drink Sera pushed her way.

"Yes, she did. Can we call a truce now?"

"Aye, we'll call a truce, but you can still buy me another drink at the tavern later." The woman smiled, as warm a smile as Sera had ever seen her give.