It was much later in the evening when Ser Barris walked into the tavern. He made his way over to where Siara was sitting with the Iron Bull and Dorian. The mage was evidently annoyed about something, but because of the noise in the rest of the tavern, Barris couldn't yet hear what.

Siara looked around as Barris approached, grinning and leaning back in her seat.

"You made it! Welcome!" she greeted. "Come. Take a seat."

"How long have you been drinking for?" Barris asked, not sure if he should be more amused or concerned. Siara and Bull looked at each other, Siara screwing up her nose as she thought.

"Uh… maybe longer than we should have been," she turned and grinned. "But it's fine! Want to join us for a drinking game?"

"They're not really my thing," Barris admitted. Siara shrugged.

"That's fine, too."

Dorian frowned a little.

"You've been playing a drinking game?" he asked. "Why wasn't I asked to join?"

"Because," Bull started explaining, "we're drinking whenever you swear about your father."

"You're swearing a lot," Siara added, nodding sagely before putting her tankard to her mouth and drinking. Barris looked a little unsure about the situation, but motioned for the waitress to come over and take his order. He wouldn't join in the game, but he didn't mind having a drink or two.

There were a few other templars scattered around the tavern at other tables, laughing and enjoying the company of other Inquisition soldiers. Barris could even see a few of his friends sharing drinking with Iron Bull's Chargers, one of whom was definitely a mage.

He turned back to see Siara regarding him closely, Bull and Dorian going on to have another conversation opposite them.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Why did you become a templar?" Siara asked, rather bluntly. "There's got to be a reason. I'm just never sure why people become templars, so many in the Order are corrupted. It just seems like a place for jack-arses to go, so it always surprises me when decent men show up in their ranks. Not that I know you, but you don't seem like a jack-arse."

"My father sent me to join," Barris explained. "My family has always regarded the Order quite highly, and when I was twelve my father thought that I would suit their ranks."

"I see," she paused while Barris was served his drink. "Did you ever hate him for it? Did you ever want to leave the Order?"

"No, not really."

"Not even with everything that happened at Therinfal?"

There was a pause as Barris thought about what Siara had asked, staring into his drink. He'd never really thought about it too closely.

"What happened at Therinfal was awful," he admitted, "but if anything, it just hardened my resolve."

"Why?" Siara asked, then quickly added, "If you don't mind my asking."

She seemed a lot more sober than she had when he had entered the building, though he wondered how much of it was an act. She seemed like she had been drinking basically since he had left her outside earlier in the day, and from what she had said it sounded like she had been drinking a fair bit more recently than that.

"How would I be able to fix things if I left?" he asked. "What happened was awful, but it was because a demon managed to enter our ranks and corrupt some of us. If I left, how would I be able to stop that from happening again?"

Siara took another drink, regarding what he said. She leaned back in her seat and smiled, nodding.

"Makes sense," she told him. "I can respect that."

She glanced over to Bull and Dorian and raised her eyebrows, now seeming to actually pay attention to what they were saying. She wasn't sure exactly how long they had been flirting for.

"Well," she told Barris, "at least they're not fighting like they used to."

She turned to him and grinned, raising her mug in a silent toast before downing the rest of her drink and calling the waitress over again.

Barris shook his head, smiling slightly. He hadn't had much to do with Siara, but she seemed a lot more at ease when she was drunk. Though he was convinced that wasn't a good thing, not for her.

It was well past midnight when Siara left the tavern, heading to the Skyhold gardens. Her room was just upstairs, but she didn't feel tired. Just seriously drunk. She could still somewhat walk in a straight line, but she didn't want to try the stairs. Instead, she made her way over to the well and brought up a bucket of water, splashing it on her face before cupping her hands and taking a drink. She then headed over to a patch of grass and lay down on her back, staring up at the star studded sky.

It was a nice night, the wind gentle and though she knew it was cold, she barely noticed it. The alcohol helped with keeping her warm, but recently she hadn't been feeling the cold so much anyway. She could feel when it was cold, but it didn't bother her the same as it once had.

"You're out late."

Siara rolled her head around at the sound of the voice, shooting Solas a half smile before looking back up at the stars.

"So are you."

"So I am," Solas looked down at Siara. "Is everything okay?"

"Eh. Could be worse," she smiled, rolling her head around to look at him. "I can't feel my teeth."

"You're drunk?"

"Very much so."

Solas wanted to sigh, but he didn't. Just watched Siara as she looked back up at the stars, smiling to herself. He wondered how many conversations he'd had with her at Haven or Skyhold when she was actually sober. When they were out on a mission together she seemed able to keep it together. Sure, she was often smoking when they made camp, but she didn't drink. At Skyhold (and previously at Haven), however, she seemed more than happy to drink to excess. If anything, she seemed almost happier when drinking than when not.

"You know the Dalish have stories about the stars," Siara commented, sounding rather blissful.

"I do."

"I'm not too fond of the stories, though."

"Why is that?"

"Because I think that the stories are full of shit," Siara scoffed. "Most of them are about Dalish gods. And I'm not the biggest fan of them."

Solas smiled, taking a seat on the grass next to her.

"Is that so?"

"I haven't been the biggest fan since Mara, Jacen, and I left our clan. What have the Dalish gods done for us? Both Mara and Jacen believed, for a time. I think Jacen believed to the end, but Mara and I were both disillusioned," she looked over to Solas and whispered, rather conspiratorially. "I don't even think that the Dalish gods are gods, if they ever existed."

Solas raised his eyebrows slightly. It surprised him slightly to hear someone speaking like this.

"Is there a reason for that?"

"Well," Siara started, "what have they done for any of the Dalish clans? I don't know of anything, not for a long, long time. I believe in Andraste, though. And given recent events, I've even started believing in the Maker a bit more strongly. Not sure I believe He's good, though. Maybe better than the Dalish gods."

"Did you ever believe in Dalish gods?"

"Maybe," Siara shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. How can a child of nine years know what they truly believe in? I think I believed, because it's what my parents believed," she once again looked around to Solas. "Do you think the Dalish gods ever existed?"

"Possibly," Solas answered, "but I wouldn't be sure that they were all they made themselves out to be."

"You know, I think you know more than what you're saying. But that's okay. You don't have to say everything, do you?" Siara frowned slightly. "I don't understand why people expect to be told everything."

Solas regarded Siara closely, but didn't say anything. He thought he was beginning to understand Siara a bit better, but he knew there were still things she wasn't saying. But she respected him enough not to pry, so who was he to try to get her to talk? He now knew that she would speak when she was ready.

They stayed there for a while longer, not saying anything. After a time Siara stood up, said a brief goodnight, then headed up to her room. Solas stayed where he was, looking up at the night sky, watching the stars above him.