A/N: Ok, so I think the updates are going to slow down a bit. I'm working on another DA fanfic. It's... sillier than this one by far, but I still love it! I'll let you guys know when I post it. I'm sorry for this chapter... I couldn't really think of anything to do. It might seem off. Anyway, off into another exciting chapter with Mina and her shenanigans!
"Are you sure?" Hawke asked for the hundredth time. Mina nodded and pulled him towards the salon. She decided that she wanted to get her hair cut and it was apparently the biggest surprise in the world to Hawke. She was going to get a bob. She'd seen it back in the other world and she'd always thought about doing it if ever she could.
She bounced a little as the man that cut her hair swept the final loose hairs from around her neck. He was done, though he begged her not to cut such 'glorious hair'. Ironic how he loved her hair when he'd turned his nose up until he realized she was a friend of the Champion. Hawke had paced for the first few minutes, and decided to wait outside. They'd gone and got some cake from a little bakery in Lowtown. She'd seen an Elven woman with short hair which reminded her how much she wanted to cut her own. She'd discussed it with Hawke, who had opposed it but said it was her choice.
"And you are finished! It does look wonderful on you," the uppity man said. He sounded almost Orlesian. He must've lived in Kirkwall a while to lose his accent. No wonder he seemed snobbish. She jumped up and inspected his work. It was a shock, but a good one. It was feathery in the back, slightly spiked up. In the front, she now had bangs that swooped to the left. No doubt it'd drive her crazy, but at the moment it was perfect! Her hair was the epitome of liquid moonlight. She grinned ear to ear and spun around to face Hawke who had just re-entered the shop. He looked at her with wide eyes and broke into a smile.
"Looks good on you. I'm glad you didn't let me talk you out of it."
She put her arm through his and looked up at him, "Told you. I think I might've lost a bunch of weight after that!" She paid the snobby man, waiting for Garrett's snarky remark she knew was coming.
"You're so small I think I'll have to carry you home, lest you blow away in the wind!" he teased, bumping her with his shoulder. She rolled her eyes at him. Anything to try and make her blush. As they walked out into the streets of Hightown, they saw Fenris hurtling towards them with a snarl on his face. He was pissed.
"She's a slaver!" he hissed trying not to draw attention to their group. Mina and Garrett looked at each other and asked in unison, "Who's a slaver?"
They followed their Elf friend a few blocks back to his house and stayed cautiously distant as he threw things around the sitting room. He yelled a string of Tevinter curses before he turned to the two confused faces watching him.
"Ceras. She's a slaver," he growled, lyrium flaring, "I went to... talk to her; to maybe find out if she came from clan that you two share similar ancestors from, and I saw her sneaking people into Darktown."
Mina's face screwed up into disgust. There was no way. The woman looked as sweet as could be. "Maybe... maybe she was deceiving the slavers? Maybe she's helping the guard or something." Even as she said it, she knew it was a weak attempt to defend a woman she barely knew. Hawke raised an eyebrow at the Elf. He didn't believe Fenris would go to 'talk' on Mina's behalf. He clearly had different reasons to go see Mina's twin.
Fenris continued, "I followed her to see what she was up to. It was suspicious to say the least. And when she finally seemed to come to her destination, I saw a Tevinter mage, waiting with mercenaries. I know he was a slaver. I've seen him before! Somewhere..."
Hawke sighed and shook his head, "We'll need to figure out what's going on. We'll save those people."
"I've already told Aveline. Maybe she can catch that-!"
Mina ran forward and pushed her way through the mansion and out to the town. Fenris' last words were lost as she dashed to maybe salvage the situation. She didn't know why, but she felt that there had to be more to it than that. Maybe it was because they looked so much alike? No, that was a stupid reason. She wondered if it was a magic thing. Ceras didn't look like a mage.
She scoured Darktown and Lowtown both before she admitted she was too late. Aveline must've had guards mobilize immediately. If there was something Red hated, it was slavery. Crime she hated in general, but she abhorred the idea of slavery. Mina decided that she'd go to the barracks and ask to see Ceras. Everyone was allowed visitors until a certain time of day. She marched up to the Viscount's keep, noticing the looks she got from people milling about the pillars and the lobby. Nobles hated seeing Elves by themselves. She would never be someone's servant!
She looked around, not seeing the friendly face of Seamus, the late Viscount's son. He'd been killed by a pestilent Chantry Mother. Pointless. She pried her eyes off of the place he used to stand and watch people. She had no affection for him, but he had an open mind that was refreshing, and they'd shared many of pleasant conversations.
Timidly, she knocked on the Captain's door. She heard shuffling and Aveline was opening the door, looking more tired than usual.
"Mina, how can I help you?" she said, moving to let Mina in. She probably already knew why Mina was there, but Red didn't give anything away.
"I... have a small favor to ask," she began, getting a questioning look from the Guard Captain, "I would like to go see Ceras in her cell. Just to see why... what she was doing."
"You think there's more to it than meets the eye. I do too, but I have to do my duty. If you find anything out, tell me. It's important if she is to have a fair trial."
Mina winced. Meredith was the one who would be judging any trial, and she was not known for her mercy. She hoped that Ceras would shed some light on the situation and that she wasn't truly working with Tevinter slavers. Or any slavers for that matter.
She walked nervously down the stone stairs dimly light by sconces dotting the walls. The prison area looked uncared for and smelled rotten. It reeked of old food, decaying waste, and forgotten, unkempt people. A guard let her in upon recognizing her as a friend of the Captain's and she wound her way through the rows of cells. Most were empty, but there were a few that held someone. Most were men, but every once in a while, she saw a woman. She shivered as she saw madness in the eyes of many. Finally, she got to Ceras' cell. It was bigger than the others, and she was kept well away from the rest of the rabble.
Her snow-white head jerked up at the sound of feet. Mina crept close to the bars and stared for a moment.
"Well, are you going to say something, or just stare at me?" she asked. She was not wearing her nice clothes; far from it actually. She was wearing black scout armor that made her hard to see. Mina frowned at her harsh tone.
"I wanted to ask you if you really were working with slavers."
"Yes. Hence why I'm sitting in this smelly, dark place. It is a sorry excuse for a prison, I must say."
"...Why?" Mina squeaked out. For a moment, she didn't think Ceras heard her. That or she just wasn't going to answer. But, when Mina had almost given up, she heard Ceras' voice come through the darkness.
"I was looking for someone. She got captured and made a slave. I thought if I worked with them, I could find her and free her. I don't know why I thought it a good idea. I despise slavers."
Mina crouched down, thoughtful a moment. There had to be some way they could twist this to their advantage. Aveline didn't make it sound like she'd told Meredith about the incident yet. If she told Aveline that Ceras had been tricking the slavers to find someone she'd lost, Aveline would surely let her go.
"I have an idea! I'll be right back! By the way, who were you looking for?" she asked, curiously. It might not have an impact on anything, but Mina wanted to know.
Ceras stood up and approached the bars, barely making a sound. She had a small, but somewhat happy look on her face, "My mother." Mina smiled back at her and sped away, unaware that the other Elf was going to say more.
It took a few minutes, and some heavy persuading, but Aveline finally agreed to let Ceras go. She said she'd write up the report as 'Ceras was an essential witness' to tracking slavers in Kirkwall. Hawke and Isabela showed up only moments after Ceras was brought up. They looked out of breath and quite shocked to see Ceras.
"What...? What's going on exactly?" Garrett asked his eyes switching between the two women. Isabela looked at them and threw her hands in the air.
"Well, shit! There goes my escape plan! Last time I try to do something good." Aveline glared at her, ready to throw the pirate out. Red reigned in her temper and explained that Ceras was looking for her mother and that she hadn't sent a report to Meredith, thankfully. It would've been impossible to get out of otherwise.
Hawke smirked and shook his head, "Convenient, Guard Captain." Aveline had a ghost of a mischievous smile on her lips.
Ceras, who had been sitting on a chair, stood and looked at Mina, hesitantly.
"Mina, there's something... well, if I am right at least, there's something I must tell you," she said raising her head high. Everyone's eye turned to her in that moment. Mina tilted her head a bit, waiting eagerly for Ceras to speak.
"My mother's name is Lani... She once told me that I had a sibling. I had thought that my sibling was a slave somewhere, but I may have been wrong. I think you're my sister."
Mina's eyes widened. There was no way that was true. They looked alike, sure, but that happened all the time right? People confused others for a certain person all the time back in the other world. Mina took a moment to gather her thoughts before she replied.
"Ceras... I doubt I'm your sister. However, I still want to help you find your mother. And, maybe she can help us find your sibling." She added a smile at the end of her words to make sure Ceras knew Mina didn't think her stupid or that she was being insulted.
Even so, a look of disappointment crossed the Elf woman's face. Mina knew that anyone would want to believe they'd found their family, but Mina just didn't want to get her hopes up. She'd been alone for as long as she could remember, and it was nothing to keep it that way. Ceras seemed to be outwardly ok with being alone too, as far as Mina could tell, but there was something desperate underneath. Maybe it was just Mina's imagination. Everyone seemed to be in a quiet cocoon of surprise still.
"Well, this will make for a great story," said a smooth baritone voice. Varric had appeared out of nowhere. "Of course, I'll have to make it more exciting... like Ceras saved Kitten from a dragon or something."
"Oh no you don't, Dwarf!" both women said at the same time, earning a fit of laughter from everyone present.
"No promises," he answered with a wink, "Let's go back to the Hanged Man. Drinks on me, and we will get you both drunk."
They groaned, again at the same time, eliciting even more laughs. Isabela said she was going to go get Merril, and sauntered out, followed by Varric.
Mina turned to Aveline, a question in her eyes. "I can't figure one thing out, Aveline."
"And what's that?" the redhead asked, already back to her paperwork.
"Why did you let Ceras go just like that?"
Aveline looked up a moment and smiled at the three still in the room. She had the same look in her eyes that Hawke usually had before he did something incredibly stupid. Her answer deflected Mina's suspicions.
"I felt that there was a great deal of good in Ceras. I had, and still have, every reason to lock her up, but I like to believe that she'll not get up to too much trouble anymore. I've not given up on Hawke yet either, and he's much harder to deal with."
The Champion shot her a glare but quickly returned his attention to the two Elves in front of him. Mina saw him eyeing Ceras and sighed. She didn't want to put up with his flirting. She was not in the mood, plus it irritated her that he jumped at every chance to try to seduce a woman.
They had been playing Wicked Grace for a good two hours and Mina wasn't doing nearly as bad as she usually did. It might've been due to the fact that she was only sipping on her drink where everyone else seemed to be chugging the shit that passed for a drink. She was missing her boots and her coat. Isabela was missing her bandana, because she cheated and they all knew it. Even when she was tipsy, which she was. Varric was missing his duster and a boot. He was just good at cards and bullshitting. He'd had a few mugs of ale, but was relatively sober. Ceras was missing her shoes and both of her wrist braces. She looked like she'd downed several glasses, but you couldn't tell from the way she held herself. She seemed pretty clear headed as well.
Fenris was sitting as far away from her as he could get. He refused to forgive her for working with the slavers. He'd gotten over his initial anger, and agreed to play cards with them, thanks to Mina and Varric persuading him. It was mostly Varric threatening to tell completely made up, but embarrassing stories about him and Mina giving him her best puppy eyes and pouting. He was missing his gauntlets, leg guards, and his chest plate. He was flushed from the wine he'd brought, plus a mix of drinks from the bar. He'd be completely drunk before too much longer. Mina smirked at her adopted brother. He was absolutely hilarious when he was shitfaced. He'd gotten up and danced on the table with Izzy one night. He completely refused to believe he'd done that. Mina looked around at each of them and almost had an inner panic attack.
Anders was not there. Mina was grateful for that, but she'd never say it aloud. He'd crossed her mind and flustered her for a moment, but she refocused on her friends.
Merril was... very drunk for one, and missing all but her underclothes and her undershirt. Isabela was purposely targeting her, of course. The winner of the round got to pick someone to remove a piece of clothing.
Mina shook her head and looked at Garrett... who was removing his shirt. Varric had won and picked the dark haired man who sat right between Mina and Ceras. He'd insisted of course. He was not quite drunk, but he'd had enough alcohol to be insufferably bold and... much as Mina hated to admit it, sexy. The half smile she so loved was plastered on his face. His cheeks were red and he had a glimmer in his eyes that made Mina shiver. He'd 'accidentally' slide a hand on her or Ceras' leg and get a good smack for it or a punch in the arm. He'd laugh at them and apologize. He'd not gotten any more feel-y than that. The night was young and there was still plenty of liquor to drink.
Fenris was the dealer and was shuffling, grumbling that he would catch Isabela eventually. Garrett took that moment to wrap an arm around Ceras, his bare skin brushing against her arm. Ceras flushed and looked at him horrified.
"Tonight's a good night! Know why? Because I'm sitting by a beautiful woman. You know, Ceras... you've got lovely eyes," he purred.
Mina's eye twitched. The idiot was going to get himself in trouble. 'I swear if he makes one more pass at her, I'm going to punch him in the fucking face!'
She saw Fenris' gaze land on her. He had just the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. She glared at him. He knew she was jealous. She hated that he knew just by looking at her even when he was drunk; and she hoped no one else could tell just how much she was bothered by his flirting.
Hawke continued with his drunken idiocy and gently took Ceras' chin in his hand gently. 'You motherfu-!' she screamed in her head right as she decked him square in the jaw. Ceras had somewhat of the same idea and smacked him as she pulled away. They both tackled him to the ground, his head smacking on the stone floor. He groaned and looked up at the two women blazing with fury and ready to kill him.
"You are sorely mistaken, messere Hawke, if you think me some pretty little damsel that will fall for your false charm! If you intend to try that again, I'll knock your sorry ass into next week," Ceras snapped. Her eyes were a flurry of anger and alarm. She looked at Mina who nodded in agreement.
"Don't lay a hand on her again, you son of a bitch," Mina snarled at him. Ceras and Mina helped each other up and looked at the bewildered man on the ground.
With a wicked smile, Ceras added, "Tough luck, puddin'." Mina looked at her astonished. That was something she remembered her mother saying. One of the few things she did remember about her mother. A memory played in her head of way back then.
Mina was crying on the swing of a playground, maybe five years old. Her mom walked up to her and asked what was wrong. Her voice was lost, for Mina didn't know what it sounded like. Mina sniffled and looked up at the face she could hardly remember, "I wanted to play with the other kids... they wouldn't let me." Her mom picked her up and wiped her tears away. "Tough luck, puddin'," she said not unkindly, "Not everyone is nice, and sometimes you have to deal with mean people. Don't let that get you down. You're strong, my little 're my little flower." Mina smiled then and hugged her mom tightly. Her mom continued, "If anyone gives you trouble, you just smile and tell them, 'tough luck puddin'."
Mina hastily grabbed her belongings and rushed to the door, "I... I'm tired. You guys have fun without me." She tried her best to give a convincing smile and went to her room. The others stared after her, bewildered by what had happened. She heard Hawke call after her, "Mina, I'm sorry! Come back... please?" Mina slammed her door and shut her eyes tight. Her mind was racing. Why didn't she remember her mother? Why didn't she remember hardly anything?! The sooner they found Ceras' mother, the better. Maybe, just maybe, Ceras had been right. She slid into her night clothes, a plain green cotton shirt that was too long for her. It went down to her knees and felt incredibly comfortable after the long day. She crawled into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin, hoping she could fall asleep easily. But, she didn't. She kept tossing and turning.
She didn't realise she'd fallen asleep until she felt someone carefully climb into her bed and wrap their arms around her. She flailed and was ready to defend herself, until she heard his voice.
"Hey, calm down. I didn't mean to scare you... I hoped you weren't asleep." It was Garrett. He was still just in his pants like he'd been when they were playing cards. She scowled at him, about to shoo him out of her room, but he kept talking.
"I'm sorry about Ceras. I was just playing around," his voice was so gentle as were his eyes, "I promise I won't mess with her again. Please... please don't run away again." He looked almost broken again. Like he did when he'd lost Leandra. Mina couldn't get herself to make him leave, so she snuggled into his chest. She wanted to push him away and tell him to leave. She didn't want to get attached to him just to be hurt again.
"Garrett..." she whispered, unable to find words to say. He rubbed her back gently as he held her, not trying to feel her up or be the jerk he'd been earlier.
"It sounded like you were having a nightmare. I had to check on you, cutie," he said with a soft smile. She felt herself blushing and was thankful that it was dark.
"Hm... I have nightmares all the time," she deflected, "I really am tired though."
He frowned and nodded, moving to get out of the bed. Against what her mind was screaming at her, she clung to him and buried her face into his bare chest. He froze.
"Garrett, don't go." she whispered.
He relaxed into her bed and started to run his fingers through her short hair. That coupled with his steady heartbeat lulled her back into a hazy sleep within minutes. She swore she heard him whisper something as she drifted off.
"I'll always protect you... I'll stay as long as you need me, love."