Pair of Hawkes: Aftermath of That Thing Has Legs

The next day arrived, and Adia poked her head into the library, noting that Amber was awake. Her sister was blinking and looking around the room in confusion, but she hadn’t seen the rogue yet. Instead, she got up and walked over the couch, a sad smile flitting across her face as she saw the sleeping Anders. Peeling back the blanket, Amber made a face at his leg, but he caught her wrist before she could drop the blanket. “Anders?!” she tried not to scream, eyes wide. “Don't scare me like that!”

“Says the girl who single-handedly wrecked this room last night,” he teased, tilting his head. The red-eyed mage blushed fiercely.

“Mother must have cleaned up.... But when?.. I mean...” Tears pricked at her eyes, and she suddenly flung herself across his chest. “I left you! I'm so sorry!” He was too shocked to say anything, and Adia decided now was a good time to make her presence known. She stepped fully into the room, leaning on the doorframe.  

“Actually, I cleaned it up. This place was a mess,” she explained with a grin.

“I'm sorry...” her twin said softly, looking up at her. Anders sat up carefully, still holding his lover.

“It's okay,” he assured her. “I'm not upset, and your sister's not mad... At least, I don't think so.” Adia raised an eyebrow at them.

“What in the world would I have to be mad about?”

“Because... Because I wanted to try and stop Merrill before she did something foolish.... But how I did it made me no better than who I was getting mad at,” Amber blurted out, wringing her hands. The healer kissed the top of her head and sighed.

“Sweetheart, to be fair, I was being rather harsh to Merrill, even after she did my job for me.”

“Well good, we can agree you were both having fits of stupidity. Now we can all stop crying and feeling sorry and go back to being the oddball family that we are,” Adia teased, grinning broadly.

“Finally, a voice of reason,” came Leandra’s voice from behind the redhead. As the mages both blushed, the archer jumped off the wall and fell backwards onto her butt, clutching her heart.

“Maker, woman!” she yelled, eyes popping out for a moment.

“That's "Mother" to you, young lady,” the older woman gently admonished, raising an eyebrow. Amber snickered, and Leandra continued: “Glad to see everyone's feeling better. And thank you for cleaning up, Adia.”

“Well, I had to find some way to keep myself busy since sleeping wasn't much of an option,” her younger daughter replied, rubbing her head a little. It didn’t hurt, but the memory of what happened did.

“Speaking of that... What in the world happened yesterday?”

“...I rode a monster into a wall,” Adia explained with a shrug, as her mother took a step back, eyes wide.

“That was very impressive, by the way,” Anders praised. “Just... Could you maybe aim it next time?”

“Aim? She had a blade in its back. How was she supposed to aim it?” Amber wanted to know. The healer frowned and shrugged.

“...I'll get back to you on that.”

“Well, I wasn't expecting it to flail around like that,” the archer shot back. “I thought maybe it would just try to stand up and land on its back.”

“What exactly were you fighting?” Leandra asked, partially afraid to know.

“Something called a Varterral, near the Dalish camp,” her eldest told her.

“It was all legs!” the blonde mage added, using his hands for emphasis. “I've never seen anything like it, even in the Deep Roads.”

“It was like a giant... Grasshopper or something, but like Anders said, it was all legs. It tried to squish us,” Adia continued.

“Is that what happened to your leg, Anders?” He grimaced and shook his head.

“No, apparently a rock fell on me after I hit the wall a few times and blacked out.”

“Wait...” Leandra was trying to piece the puzzle together, and didn’t like the picture she was getting. “Who went on this little adventure?”

“Amber, Anders, Merrill and myself,” Adia stated, ticking of the group on her fingers. “We weren't expecting to go into some cave and fight a giant monster.”

“...Three mages and an archer? And you still took this creature head-on? What about Justice? Isn't he a warrior?”

“We had no idea what this thing was capable of,” Anders explained, hanging his head. “It was Justice who was knocked into the wall. Eventually, my body blacked out.”

“But Adia killed it, and we're all still in one piece,” Amber quickly added.

“More or less, anyway.” He leaned over and pressed his hands to his leg again, and the women all saw him stiffen as they heard the bones rearranging. He sat back after a moment, eyes shut. “I hate being a healer sometimes... Knowing what's wrong and having to fix it anyway isn't fun.” Adia was squirming as she heard the bones shifting, and shivered when he was done, turning to Leandra.

“We'll just take Isabella or Aveline with us next time we go out, Mother. It was just a small misjudgment on our part.”

“I just worry, that's all. About all three of you,” her mother replied as she hugged each of them.

“You don't have to worry about me,” Anders assured her. “Amber does that already.” But the older woman shook her head.

“A mother worrying and a lover worrying are two different things, Anders. I'm sure your mother still worries about you.” His head dropped for a moment.

“Maybe...” he whispered, as Amber wrapped her arms around him. Leandra turned to Adia again, realizing she’d hit a nerve with the healer.

“Just take Aveline with you next time. She'll protect everyone. Now I'll leave you three to your day.” She left the room and Adia waited until she closed the door.

“She'll protect us... And stop us from having any kind of fun,” she said with a grin, thinking of the stoic redhead.

“Aveline's not so bad,” her twin gently argued. “She's like a big sister. A very strict big sister... Speaking of that...” She got up and hugged the rogue “I'm sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” the redhead asked, blinking in confusion.

“For yesterday.”

“I'm sorry too, for the way I've been acting,” Anders spoke up as he got to his feet, gingerly putting weight on his leg. It held, but he limped for the first few feet he walked. “I need to talk to Merrill as well.”

“You don't have to apologize to me,” Adia assured them. “But I do think you both need to go talk to Merrill.” She looked at the healer. “She thinks you hate her.”

“I don't hate her,” he replied with a grimace. “I just-”

“Let your hatred of blood magick override your mouth?” Amber interrupted.

“Yes...” he admitted, hanging his head. “I should've been helping to turn her away from that path, not push her away because of it.”

“I... I wasn't thinking clearly yesterday, either,” his lover confessed.

“Like I said, you two should go talk to her and tell her all this, not me,” the archer said with a smile as she patted their heads. “We all make mistakes.” Her smile faded a bit, but was still there.

“...Are you going to be okay, Adia?” the red-eyed mage asked.

“You have been a bit.... Bland lately,” Anders informed her. But the redhead cocked an eyebrow, giving them an odd look.

“I'm fine.” The two mages looked at each other for a moment, grinned, and then shrugged as they headed for the door.

“Okay. We'll see you later then,” her sister called back.

“We'll tell Merrill hello for you,” Anders added.

“...What was that grin for?” Adia demanded. “You two scare me sometimes.” The blonde turned back and tried to look innocent.

“Us? Scare you?” Amber took his arm.

“Just remember, sister: You helped set us up.” Then they were gone, and the rogue shook her head.

“...I… I need a drink.” She headed out after them and went towards the Hanged Man. She noticed that the mages went there as well, going straight to Isabella and pulling her into a secluded corner to talk. Varric came up to her, a broad smile on his face.

“Birdie, what brings you down here so early?” She cast one last, concerned look towards the trio, before turning to the Dwarf.

“I want to drink away my latest injury and forget yesterday happened,” she answered with a smirk. The storyteller raised an eyebrow and grabbed his notebook.

“Why, what happened yesterday?”

“Anders, Amber and I went with Merrill so she could talk to her Keeper and ask for some Dalish carving tool. We weren't expecting to get into any fights, but it turns out in order for the Keeper to give up the tool Merrill wanted we had to go into a cave and kill this... HUGE... Thing. A Varterral... It looked like an angry grasshopper and was all legs. It was beating us soundly until I had the brilliant idea to jump on it's back and stick the blades from my bow into its neck. Next thing I remember I woke up to a massive headache and blood in my hair.” Varric’s quill paused in mid-word, and he looked up with wide, concerned eyes.

“Andraste's dimpled butt cheeks! And you're all okay after that?”

“Well, for the most part,” Adia said dismissively. “Amber hurt her arm, Anders broke his leg, and I had a concussion... Merrill seemed to be the only one who got out of it with the least amount of injuries.”

“Well, at least Daisy managed to stay mostly out of danger. And thank the Maker for Blondie's healing magick. We'd all have been dead a long time ago if not for him. So you killed the thing, and Daisy got her tool. What does she need it for, anyway?”

“That mirror she's been working on. I don't think she'll ever get it to work, but she wanted it.” He looked confused, and then snapped his fingers.

“Mirror? Oh! That thing she had me help her with. It's a weird mirror though. Doesn't reflect anything.” Now the archer was confused.

“You helped her with it?”

“I carried it into her house from this little cave she had it in. Rivaini gave me a hand too,” he clarified.

“She wants to fix it up to help her clan or something. The glass is all cracked and there looks like there's a few pieces of glass missing. I give her props for trying, but I don't think it'll work.”

“I don't think so either, but she's persistent.” Out of the corner of her eye, the redhead saw Amber and Anders leave, and a moment later, Isabella also walked out, but turned in the opposite direction from where the mages went.

“So, what'll you have?” Varric wondered, waving over one of the servers “You can tell me all the details over a pint.” Adia pointed at the door where everyone had just departed from, concern on her face.

“...Do you know what they're doing? “

“Should I?” the Dwarf wondered, shaking his head.

“...I don't know if I should be concerned or not.” But she shook her head and sat down at a table with him, going over in detail what happened the day before in the cave.
  * * *

Merrill was trying to seal one of the cracks in the Eluvian, when a knock on her door made her squeal and jump. The tool clattered to the floor, and she peeked around the doorway of her bedroom, hand to her chest to calm her racing heart. Again, there was a knock, and a voice that made her relax slightly. “Merrill? Are you home?”

“Coming, Amber!” she called out, quickly going over and unlocking the door. But when she opened it, the grin on her face immediately shifted to a frown, as Anders was with the red-eyed mage. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting… Come in.” The couple walked in as Merrill shut the door and shuffled over to the table in the corner.

“We need to talk,” the healer said after a minute, kicking at the floor.

“About what?” the Dalish wondered, folding her arms across her chest.

“I owe you an apology. For yesterday, and for practically since we met.” Merrill’s jaw went slack as she stared at the blonde. Amber was leaning against the wall, a smile on her face as she resolved to stay out of this. “I’ve been harsh towards you for the sole fact of the magick you use. Instead of trying to help you find a better way, I’ve just ridiculed and turned my back on you. I was wrong to do that.”

“You wouldn’t have helped me. Not with blood magick,” the Elf mage shot back.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “But you’re still a mage, still part of this group, and still a friend of Amber and Adia’s. I can’t go the rest of my life hoping you’ll either go away or see the error of your ways.”

“Error?” Merrill’s voice became indignant again. “I’m trying to save my Clan!”

“With the same magick that cursed them!”

“You don’t know what it’s like to lose people you care about, Anders! You don’t know what it is to have your culture stripped from you, with no way to get it back!” She stamped her foot, fists clenched at her side, and tears in her eyes. There was silence for a bit, and then Anders met Merrill’s eyes and said:

“Where I come from, my people have no culture. Not any more. First Tevinter, and then the Darkspawn stole it. We were once a proud, fierce race of warriors and craftsmen. Now the people of the Anderfels struggle just to get through another day. Those that don’t find service in the army go to Weisshaupt Fortress to try and become Grey Wardens. But even that life would’ve been preferable to being taken from all that; brought to a foreign land where no one could even pronounce my name. I’m Anders only in name. Everything else about me is Ferelden, thanks to being stuck at the Circle.” The healer’s voice started out soft, but there was anger and resentment the more he spoke. Merrill stared at him after he went quiet again, and Amber came up behind the blonde, unsure of what to say.

“I never knew,” the Dalish finally said.

“It’s not something I like thinking about,” Anders explained.

“So, can we all agree that as mages, we’re in this together?” the red-eyed girl wondered, looking hopeful.

“I will never be okay with blood magick, Amber,” the healer stated. “But…” He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “I have no problem with Merrill.”

“I’ll make a deal with you, Anders,” the Elf said with a small smile. “If you don’t talk about the plight of the Circle mages to me, then I won’t mention blood magick or the Eluvian.” There was an audible pause as the terms were considered.

“Deal.” The two shook on it, and Amber hugged the two of them.

“Thank you. I know that wasn’t easy for either of you. And for what it’s worth, Merrill: I’m sorry for how I acted yesterday. I trust you, and I made it seem like I didn’t.”

“You were under a lot of stress yesterday, so it’s all right. Thank you for being concerned about both of us,” Merrill told her friend. Anders stepped back and took a deep breath, and the glowing cracks formed as Justice took control and looked at both women.

“I feel that I should add my apologies if I made you feel unwelcome, Merrill.”

“Actually Spirit, I’ve never heard you judge me.”

“Not outwardly, no. But both Anders and I were in agreement about your particular choice of magick. However, I can more easily see the difference between you and maleficar we have dealt with in the past.”

“How? We all use blood magick.”

“It’s the intent, I think,” Amber pointed out. “Most maleficar want power for less-than-noble intentions. You want it to help others.”

“While even the purest souls can be twisted, it takes much longer. But we will not let that happen,” Justice vowed, placing a hand on Merrill’s head.

“Thank you, Justice. Knowing I have friends at my side makes this all worth it. Hopefully once this is all over, my Clan will see things the way you all do.”

“Even if they don’t, you’re one of us, Merrill,” Amber told her.

“Speaking of friends, how is Adia? She’s been awfully down since… Since Fenris stopped coming around.” No one had actually told the Elf mage what had occurred between the archer and warrior, and Amber wasn’t about to start now.

“Isabella is cheering her up.” There was a long pause.

“Oh, then she’ll be right as rain in no time!” Merrill grinned, and then took Amber’s hands. “Lethallan, I’d like to do something for you, since you came to cheer me up. Adia once told me that you were the only Hawke without a mark of your own.”

“A mark?” Anders questioned, regaining control.

“A tattoo,” Amber clarified. “Adia and Carver got theirs when they went to join the army. Mother always told me never to stick out, and getting one would do just that.”

“But Amber, you don’t have to hide any more!” Merrill insisted. “Not with being a noble, and not with all your friends here.” The elder Hawke thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged.

“Might be fun,” she reasoned. Anders took her hand as Merrill opened the door and stepped into the Alienage.

“Then follow me! We’ll have you looking almost like a Dalish in no time!” She skipped out, and the other two mages followed, smiling and shaking their heads.

“A new you, a new start?” the healer wondered.

“I’m still me, but a new outlook might be nice,” she answered, kissing his cheek.

“Leandra is going to have a heart attack.”

“Mother will accept it, just like she’s accepted everything else that’s happened in our lives. Somehow, she always knows things will turn out all right in the end.”  
* * *

It was near dinner by the time Adia and Varric were done talking, and the Dwarf excused himself to write the next chapter in the Hawke saga. She headed home, and had just gotten in the door, when a familiar pair of gauntlets came to rest on her shoulders. The rogue squeaked and sucked in a breath, freezing instantly in place, completely rigid, arms stiff at her side. “...Fenris?”

“Guess again, sweet thing,” came Isabella’s voice as she spun the redhead around, pressing her against the wall and grinning. “So... We had a deal about these things, if I remember correctly. Something about you in just your corset and knickers?” Panic, shock, and embarrassment fought for a place on Adia’s face, and her cheeks were so bright they practically glowed.

“I...I...I... W-what?”

“Don't you remember, the night I stole your clothes during Diamondback, and Anders was the only gentleman there and gave you his jacket? I said you would look better in these gauntlets than in his coat, and you told me if I could get them off the Broody One, you'd wear them with only your corset and knickers.” The grin that was on the pirate’s face was a flash of white in the darkening street. Adia shrunk further back against the wall, trying to figure out if this was really happening.

“I was...I mean... I-It was a joke. Y-you don't really want to see that, do you?” Isabella leaned in and nipped lightly at her ear.

“Now sweetie... What makes you think that? Of course I want to see... I want to see all of you....” The archer squeaked and went rigid again; the heat on her face now had nothing to do with embarrassment. “Come on. Your sister said you've been very grim and sulky lately. You know we can't have that.” She nuzzled her neck. “Anders is the only sulky one allowed in this group, not our dear little Birdie. Let's get you cheered up, hm?”

“H-how are you going to do that?” The archer’s eyes focused on the gauntlets still on her shoulders. “And how did you get those?”

“I have my ways.” The dark-skinned woman took Adia’s hand and started dragging her through the open door and towards her bedroom. “We wouldn't want Leandra to see the show, now would we?” Adia planted her feet for a moment, eyes wide, but then resolved to just let things go as they would.

“Okay…” she whispered, as they disappeared into the room, Isabella locking the door behind them with a wicked chuckle.
* * *

The next day, Adia awakened to see Isabella sitting up and looking at her, Diego's head in her lap as she scratched his ears. The Mabari hadn’t been in the room all night, but he must’ve tried to wake her up in the morning. The pirate was still naked, and the archer realized she was as well. Adia felt a blush creeping across her face once more. “Well... You're not running out of here on me... I guess that's a good thing.”

“No, I was watching you sleep,” the pirate explained with a soft smile. “Your sister looks peaceful, and you look adorable. Like a little sugar-filled Adia cookie.” Diego tilted his head and barked.

“...Does that mean you're going to eat me?” the redhead wondered. Isabella laughed and leaned in, grinning broadly

“Oh, I think I did enough of that last night, don't you think? Unless you're up for round two?” Adia’s eyes bugged out, and she pulled the sheet up to cover herself.

“No... I... I'm all right. Last night was...unexpected.” She gave Isabella a shy smile. The pirate stood and began to hunt for her clothes.

“But did it help?”

“Cheer me up?” Adia was now absently petting Diego.

“Yes, did it help you? You have been a bit down in the dumps, sweet thing. Not that I blame you, but life isn't all bad.”

“I haven't been down in the dumps,” the archer argued with a frown. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because you don't have your usual wit, and even your smiles are sad. Amber noticed first, obviously, but everyone else has picked up on it. Even Merrill. So Amber and Anders asked me to help out.” There was a long pause as Adia thought about it.

“...Amber and Anders asked you to come here and do... What we did last night?”

“Not in those exact words, no,” Isabella giggled in reply. “They asked me to cheer you up. It worked for your sister, and she thought I might help you.”

“It did... I think,” the redhead agreed with a small smile. “Thank you, Isabella.”

“You're welcome,” the Rivaini woman said as she finished getting dressed. “It's nice to have you back, Adia. Now, you might want to put something on before I open that door... Just in case there are some inquisitive mages on the other side of it.” Adia looked at her closed door and grinned.

“...Nope! They shouldn't be snooping in front of my room then.”

“That's my girl!” Isabella cheered, but then paused at the door. “By the way... You remember when you asked what a submissive lay was a long time ago?” The archer tilted her head as if thinking.

“When we were at the Rose with that apostitute? No one would explain to me what it was.” She frowned, and then Isabella tapped her nose.

“You are one, sweet thing.” She darted out the door, but didn’t get far as she ran smack into Leandra, and both women’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, Leandra! Fancy meeting you here. Bye!” The pirate then raced off.

“...Adia?” Leandra called, still seemingly confused as she saw the state of undress her daughter was in.

“...She stole my clothes, Mother,” Adia stated. “She broke in last night, hogged my bed, and then stole my clothes.” But her mother just raised an eyebrow.

“Adia Hawke, your clothes are not only on the floor, but they're on the bedpost, the dresser, and the- Are those gauntlets?” The rogue flew across the room and slammed the door shut, leaning against it for a moment to calm her racing heart.

“Sorry, Mother! It was the wind!”

“Amber! Come and talk to your sister!” came Leandra’s muffled voice.

“Why? What's wrong?”

“I don't know!” A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“Adia?” Amber called. The redhead was going around the room in a hurry, scooping up clothes, throwing the gauntlets under the blanket, and then throwing on a nightgown before she answered the door. Her hair was in disarray, and she was out of breath, but she tried to present a picture of calm.

“...Yes?”

“What's going on?” her sister wondered, looking around the room.

“...Nothing.” Adia gave her an innocent smile. “Why would you think something is going on?” Amber crossed her arms over her chest and leveled a stern gaze at her.

“Mostly because you slammed the door on Mother, and Isabella says she forgot something in here, and could I get them for her?” The archer’s eyes went wide.

“...No. She didn't leave anything.” At that moment Isabella walked over, Anders following her with a grin on his face.

“Yes I did. And I need to return them to him. Before he comes over here in a broody fit.” Leandra and both mages all gave Adia quizzical looks.

“Do none of you have anything better to do in the morning than stalk outside my room?” she shouted. Anders just snickered and walked off, whistling. Amber put her hands up and walked away as well. It was then that Adia realized she had a bandage over one eye. She’d need to find out what had happened… After this was resolved.

“I was just doing what I was asked,” her twin explained, following Anders upstairs. Leandra crossed her arms and looked at her daughter, and Isabella giggled. Adia glared at the pirate for a moment before going over and pulling out the gauntlets, handing them to the dark-skinned woman.

“I hate you,” she stated, sticking her tongue out.

“I know. I'm a wicked, wicked woman. Bye again!” She gave the archer a quick kiss on her cheek before running out the door again. Leandra sighed and looked at Adia.

“Are you better now, dear?”

“Once I live this down I will be.” She looked at her feet. “Was I really that bad?”

“Yes, you were,” her mother informed her, giving her a hug. “I don't know what you and Fenris fought about, but... He'll come around, I know it. That Elf loves you, even if he won't admit it yet. It's just like Anders and your sister. It'll get better, don't worry.”

“Let's hope so, Mother. He is rather stubborn,” Adia mused as they broke apart.

“All men are. You get used to it”

“Was father stubborn when you first met him?” Leandra started laughing.

“Maker, yes! Stubborn enough to escape the Circle, take me from Kirkwall, and run to Ferelden. Stubborn enough to do whatever it took to keep me and then you three safe, and stubborn enough to never give in to anyone, be they Templar, bandit, or mage.”

“Well it's a good thing he was then. I'm going to get dressed now. I'll meet you all for breakfast in a bit.”

“Very good, dear.” Adia went into her room as Leandra headed for the kitchen.