Tabs is used to sleeping with a light on, and to soft music, but her bed has somehow become made of rocks, so she stirs grumpily. 

Anya is used to warm and dark and soft and much quiet.

This is not that.

The not-bed is no longer able to be ignored, so Tabs rolls over with a groan, blearily blinking her eyes open, while her hand gropes around for her phone. 

"Uggghhhhhhh...where is it-" Then she sees where she is, and sits up. "...where am I?"

"What? Why awake?" She reaches for Tabs.

"Anya, I'm- I'm kind of freaking out-" Tabs grips Anya's arm tightly.

Mrp????

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm hallucinating. Giant tarot cards. Like the ones from Inquisition?"

She flops a little and snuggles. Though she's waking up slowly through the haze. And the cold.

"Are you dreaming?"

"I'm like....90% certain I'm awake? When I talk in my sleep, is it usually clear sentences?"

"....Nope." She opens her eyes and forces herself awake. Then blinks at the space around them. "Um."

"Oh, good! You can see it too. We're both crazy."

"That's not news, babe. But also um???"

"Uh huh! Um. We've fallen into a nightmare. Love that for us."

The tarot cards seem to glow brighter, as they both wake up, and the images clear, to reveal the four playable races from Dragon Age. 

"A nightmare about Dragon Age?" She sits up, pulling Tabs up with her. "Am I in your head? Where is your husband?"

"The fact that my husband isn't here is proof this is a nightmare. If this was a dream, I would not only have Anders, but also a pile of ginger kittens." 

Tabs frowns at the cards. "Are the cards...trying to beckon us?"

"They do look particularly beckon-y. Want me to poke them?"

"Yeah, and I will stand behind you, like the true Gryffindor I am."

She hugs her quickly, takes her hand and walks over to the large and weirdly magical looking huge floating tarot cards.

Tabs twines their fingers and grimaces at the maybe-hallucinations.

The cards shuffle themselves as Anya gets close, stopping with the human one in front of her, the qunari on her right, and the elf on her left.

....okay. She will poke the human one then. Since it's right in front of her.

The card glows, and then Anya glows.

"Fucking shit!"

!!!!

"I'm glowing??? Why am I glowing? Glowing was not on the cards! Literally."

"Okay, but like...you're fucking glowing!? Like glow-in-the-dark stars!?"

The glow fades, and Anya can feel memories not her own, a backstory for a character. 

The human card flips, and splits into the three classes: warrior, rogue, and mage.

"....I have a background now. Tabs. This is a character creation thing. What."

"...you just picked your race. And you picked human?" 

Tabs snorts. "Ya basic!"

"Can I go back? I wanna go back, please, magic card things. I'm pressing B!"

The character class cards simply glow brighter.

"Okay, that's bullshit, you can go back in actual Dragon Age, floaty cards."

Anya huffs and squints at the new three cards.

"Okay. All of these options are pretty awesome. But magic."

"Hell yeah! You've gotta pick mage! OOooooh, Anya! Anya, Anya, Anya, we know all the subclasses!"

"Ice! Freeze-y magic! My aesthetic. But also fire."

"It's just elemental. Don't listen to the Inquisition classes, they're liars. Also, it was bullshit watering down from the first two games."

The mage card agrees with Tabs, flipping once more to show...are those the classes from Dragon Age 2?

"I kinda want healing too. Because that's just sensible. So that's... Creation or Spirit Healer?"

"From memory, Creation has basic heal, and buffs for stamina and strength. Spirit Healer has group heal, and resurrect. I know, because I take Anders literally everywhere and those are his skills."

"Spirit Healer involves literally joining with an actual Spirit though, doesn't it? Like Wynne and her Spirit of... Faith?" she tries to remember.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot that part." Tabs grimaces a little. "And we don't really know how to do that...without doing a Justice-type situation."

"Joining with a spirit... yeah, pass. Sounds creepy. Also mixing that with my bipolar. Yikes."

"Oh, oh yeah. Eesh. Yeah, I am banning us from putting any kind of spirit in our heads."

"Agreed. That's a no from us. So. Creation and Elemental? Primal is super tempting though. Also Spirit has like... shields and things? I don't remember."

"Maybe we'll get to pick more later? We will get to level up, right?" 

Tabs directs her next words upwards, into the ether. "WE GET TO LEVEL UP, RIGHT!?"

The cards glow. Maybe in agreement? 

"Okay, awesome! Um. Um. Hmm. Okay. Okay, this is super stressful. Aaaa. Okay. Chill. Yeah. I'll pick Creation and Primal because legit lightning is cool as fuck."

"Aww! You're channelling Nia!"

"Look, Nia is also cool as fuck and she appreciates the aesthetic. Also I wanted to play as a zappy mage. So."

"Hey! Big Approve from me! You're crowd control."

"And I can make you fast and tough and heal you. Is great." She pokes the relevant subclasses.

The card glows once more, and envelopes Anya in soft light. When it fades, she is dressed in robes in shades of purple, with a staff strapped across her back.

Tabs' wolfwhistles.

Eeeee! Soft! Purple!

"I have a staff!!!" She takes it off her back to admire it. "Though I dunno if I wanna carry it around or rely on it? It's super suss and what if it, like, breaks or I lose it? That's so much stress and responsibility."

"I mean, none of the Templars in game seem to notice that people are getting about with staffs strapped to their backs. I mean, Hawke literally uses magic in front of Cullen and he doesn't even notice. Plot immunity?"

"Can we count on that though? Assuming that this is leading to some sort of wacky us-in-Thedas type of thing."

"You're the self-insert fanfic expert. You tell me?" Tabs grins.

"Could go either way? I have no idea. But just in case I'm gonna get some non suspicious clothes and learn how to do magic without the staff. Being a mage in Thedas is fucking dangerous." She pokes at her backstory. "Am I an apostate?"

Anya, no last name known, is a recent apostate. Originally from the Anderfels, she was brought to the Tower at Montsimmard as a child, and raised there. She was Harrowed at age 16, the process taking 6 hours. A few months ago, she was travelling with a retinue of mages and Templars to the palace at Halamshiral, to entertain nobles, when she attacked the phylactery chest, destroying them, and disappeared into the nearby Dales.

She can speak the King's Tongue, Orlesian and Anderfellian.

"Holy shit, I'm a badarse. And I'm from the Anderfels!"

"Ooooooh, that's why I like you so much. Makes sense now."

Anya hugs her Tabs. "Is it your turn now?"

"Yes!" Tabs bounces, her arms doing that weird thing she does when she's excited. "And thanks for going first and showing me how not to fuck up."

The cards flip back over and reshuffle, the races coming back up. 

"And are we really surprised?" Tabs says, pressing on the elf card. She glows, the same as Anya, but instead of the nothing that happened, she becomes a little more lithe, her face slightly pointier. 

And also her ears sharpen into high points, and a sprawl of blood-red vines appears on her face. "Ooooh! Anya! I'm Dalish!"

"Legit your life is now complete."

"I don't think I could be any happier. This moment is perfect. No, wait, I could also be a robot."

The elf card flips, revealing the classes again.

"Are you gonna be a rogue? Like Az? Stabby elf?"

She does hover over the rogue option for a moment, but pulls a face. "You know, I feel like that's playing into the elf stereotype too much. I'm coming for Fenris's brand." 

She taps the warrior option, and a glow envelopes her. When it fades, she's in light looking armour, a two handed sword with vine and leaf decorations strapped to her back. 

"Pretty. Fenris better watch his back. What's your backstory? Do we know each other?"

Tabitha, of clan Lothorian, has lived in the Dales her whole life, one of the few Dalish clans to not roam far from the lands of their origin. She has spent her days protecting her friend, a mage historian, as he delved into ancient ruins, discovering lost secrets.

She has knowledge of the King's Tongue, and what little of the Elvhen language the Dalish could recover.

"Hmmm. Apparently I'm showing you how to get to the Free Marches. Why, however, seems to be elusive. Why would you wanna go there? Next to Orlais, it has the most amount of Templars?"

"Uh. Yeah. That sounds like the worst idea."

"Though, uh, depending what year it is, I have a reason to go to Kirkwall..."

Anya laughs. "Okay. If we're even in the right Age. We're totally going to Kirkwall. Despite the spoopy Templars. If I deny you Anders I would be the Worst Wife Ever. The horror."

"Oh, it would be divorce for sure." Tabs pokes at her subclasses. "Vanguard and Warmonger. I'm going to run screaming at enemies and they. Will. Fear. Me."

The cards flip over again. "Wonder what happens now."

The cards shuffle once more, and then split up into smaller and smaller categories. Familiar symbols appear on them, and rearranges into something looking like a timeline.

"Do we get to pick? Neat."

...apparently not, as the symbols glow, solidify, and disappear.

"So...I guess the Keep isn't a thing?"

"Well that sucks. Imagine adding in, like, Azry or Anwen or someone. Then we'd get to meet them."

"Anwen would hate you. Which would be a weird experience. Do you think Azry would like me?"

"Anwen would hate me so much. My precious xenophobic angry elf child. And probably? I don't see why Azry wouldn't like you. You're not human, which counts for like, a bunch to Azry. Well. At first, anyway. She's so much less racist than Anwen."

"She does also have that 'idolising' the Dalish thing going on. I've got that in my favour." 

The cards return one last time, this time, forming an archway.

"That sure does look like we're supposed to go through it."

Tabs grabs Anya's hand. "Yeah, let's draw on the strength of our angry elf children and trust this complete fucking weirdness."

"Yup. Yup yupyup. Let's do this. There's probably something uplifting and witty that could be said here, but fuck that and let's do this bullshit."

"That's what you're here for, bad news and witty one-liners?" Tabs shakes out her limbs, steels herself. 

"Okay, all right. It's fucking go time." She starts walking.

Anya is pulled along for half a second before she catches up.

"Katie is gonna be so mad she missed this. Missing her chance be a dorf and romance Varric."

“Yeah, I wonder why we’re here and she’s not? Or why Kat isn’t? What made us get chosen?”

Tabs tries to push down the flare of panic she feels, as she spirals into existentialism. 

"Maybe they're somewhere else. Shooting Husks in Mass Effect." She looks up at the arch. "Here we go!"

Tabs shudders. "Oh, they can have that."

She grips Anya's hand, and nods. "Let's do it."

The archway glows, welcoming them.

Tabs steps through- 

Into the Black Emporium.

"Ah! Visitors! Thaddeus, stand up straight!" Says an aged voice.

...well this is sure a thing.

"Hi!"

"Hello, travellers! Welcome to the world not your own."

"Xenon? Xenon the Antiquarian?" 

Tabs looks behind them. "We...came out of a mirror?"

"A nexus! A dimension of world-colliders! But essentially, yes. A mirror."

Anya looks around in fascination. But mostly at the mirror.

"Do you get us sort of visitors a lot?!"

"Rarely. There has to be a certain set of circumstances. A certain bits of calling, in each soul. You two were in perfect alignment to come here."

"So you didn't call us here?"

A deep, gravelly laugh. "If I had that power, I would draw forth more than just two tourists, however knowledgeable you may be."

"Tourists. Is that what this is? Some sort of weird extra dimensional tourism thing?"

"If you would like it to be. You could be conquerors too. Or merchants."

Yikes. "How about we do some good instead? Use our knowledge to help people and all that sort of higher calling stuff. What time period is this?"

"Nine thirty-two. Dragon. You will find Hawke already settled, his mercenary time over. Perhaps you may run into him."

"Ew, dude Hawke?"

Anya bumps Tabs with her hip lightly.

"Is he one of our Hawkes, or does the universe have it's own?"

"The nexus decided on it. Apparently, there had to be an obstacle for...certain things."

"...do you mean the romances? Because weren't they all...bisexual?"

"There is a tendency, in the nexus, for certain constants. There was one, that aligned with both of your interests, and the nexus chose this. I would say flowers to be an appropriate thank you."

"Gee, can you vague that up for me?"

"Probably. I am not known for my clarity." 

"So we go in, find Hawke...then, what? Stop the qunari attacking?"

"Plus maybe prevent the whole Anders-Blowing-Up-The-Chantry? And Meredith's descent into madness... which probably involves scooping the red lyrium thing."

"Or we could just...kill Meredith?"

"...I super don't wanna murder or kill anyone?"

"Okay, well, murdering Meredith and such notwithstanding, we might not get a choice on the whole not-killing-people thing. At least, not when it comes to self-defence."

"I hate that for us."

"Yeah, it's...not great. But we had to pick fighting classes for a reason, as sucky as that reason is."

"I'm hoping that I can just zap people as a distraction, and buff and heal everyone else. Which isn't great morally. Since, like, it still leads to people dying. But yeah. Probably we won't have much choice."

Tabs nudges her. "Hey. Combat wasn't everything. We'll get to explore too! Though you are not getting me in any damn caves."

"You could claim it's an elf thing. Gotta be able to see the sky, or somerot."

"Don't think I'll need an excuse for not wanting to go into the Deep Roads, on the upside. Who wants to go down there!?"

"I mean... I can kinda see the appeal. If you ignore, like, the whole darkspawn infestation and broodmothers. Pretty architecture, lost treasure. Darkspawn and broodmothers are kinda hard to ignore though."

Tabs eyes widen. “What if we found a way through the nexus to stop the darkspawn from ever invading?!”

“Your prattle bores me! If you do not linger to purchase something, begone!”

Anya blinks at her. "What, how even?" Then to the proprietor: "I don't think we even have any money to buy things.... unless you wanna buy my staff and robes at a great price and point out your more practical non-mage-looking clothes."

“Wait, I remember from the game, there’s a chest of free stuff in here!”

Xenon mutters something moodily, ending with ‘nexus nobodies.’ 

“By the statue of the Naked Andraste. If you must.”

"Ooooh! Free stuff!"

"You mean the invisible statue?" Tabs says, glaring at the Antiquarian. 

Xenon harrumphs. "Urchin! Show them the chest!"

A young boy scurries out, with a huge grin. "Over here, sers!"

She squints down at the child. "He does pay you, right?"

"What for? I live here, I do!" 

The urchin points out a slightly beaten up chest. "That's the lot, sers!"

"I'm...not comfortable leaving this vulnerable child in the care of a man who runs a museum for profit."

"Get your own urchin!"

She takes a look inside the chest.

"Does he at least make sure you have everything you need?"

"'course, ser! Lived here since the Black Age, I have!" 

"I don't 100% remember the DA timeline, but I do know that was a fucking long time ago."

It is mostly junk in the chest, a few broken or torn things, but there is a full intact set of simple leathers (in purple, funnily enough), a small set of throwing knives, two books on magic, and two matching amulets. The amulets are glowing with a faint blue light.

!!! "Cute. We can have matching necklaces. Do you want the knives? Sharp pointy."

"Oooh, I could learn how to throw knives!" Tabs excitedly grabs the knives, and then beams at the amulet. "That's adorable," she says, lifting it to her eyes to get a closer look. 

"That's adorable," echoes the amulet in Anya's hands.

"Gosh. Magic communicator jewellery!!!"

"Dorian gives the Inquisitor these! Skype crystals! These will require lots of testing, but at least we have an easy way to find each other, if we get separated."

The words again echo to Anya's.

"I appreciate that so much. Can't go losing my Tabs-monster. Especially not in freaking Thedas." She then looks down at the leathers. "Okay now how do I, like, put these on?"

Tabs taps her lip. "Have you got anything on under those robes?"

She makes a pfff noise. "I think so, you perv."

Tabs winks and clicks her tongue. "Then strip, baby. Get to those skivvies."

She side eyes the immortal urchin kid, then the proprietor.

"...fine. Kid, turn around."

Xenon grumbles, and his book moves higher.

The urchin salutes. "Right you are, ser!" He scampers off, disappearing into...was there a door there before?

"This world is so fucking weird. Our lives are so fucking weird," she says as she strips down.

"At least today they are!" Tabs grins. 

She picks up the chest piece, and holds it out to Anya. "Put this on like a backwards vest, I'll tie the laces."

She does so. "How do you even know this?"

"Watched a tutorial when I was writing that scene when Alistair helps Azry with her armour. Then I kinda...fell down an armour related rabbit hole." It takes a couple of tries, but eventually the back is laced neatly, and not so tight Anya can't move. 

"Okay, the pants are jerkins, and will basically go over anything, and then the belt can go over it."

"This is so cool. I'm gonna look so cool." She carefully puts the pants on and then the belt. "Do you think I should sell the other stuff?"

"That's almost entirely how you make money in the first part of the game, so probably."

She looks around at Xenon. "Can we sell this to you?"

For an entirely still statue, the way he manages to give her a dead-eyed withering glare is incredible.

"Is that a no? Because legit, use your words."

Xenon's book slides back over his face.

Snort.

Anya rolls her eyes. "I guess Xerox the Barbarian has said his last, then."

Tabs giggles helplessly. "That's so dumb."

"If you are quite done robbing me, I demand that you leave. Your presence here is frightening my tiny bear."

"We better go before we annoy him into killing us."

"....I wanna see the tiny bear."

"Leave, tourists."

Tabs loops her arm through Anya's, and tugs her along to the exit, looping her amulet over her head. 

"There's also a tiny fennec and a tiny nug. I'm heartbroken. We could have tiny pets!"

"Maybe we should 'invent' some sort of modern tech or, like, soap and make bank."

"They definitely have soap, Anya," Tabs giggles. "Oils too! And salves and balms- We're gonna have to invent, like, indoor plumbing or some shit."

They reach the door, and woah! There is in fact, a tiny bear, hiding next to the door. 

Do not steal the smol bear, Anya.

"Awww, hi baby, hi little thing!" Tabs crouches, holding out a hand to the tiny bear. 

It snaps at her, growling. 

"Ah! Okay, not like a cat, do not attempt to pet."

....the impulse to steal the bear does not go away.

"You're so cute. Can I pet?"

Tiny bear stares suspiciously at Anya, but doesn't growl. Promising?

She kneels and holds out her hand. Slowly and carefully.

Tiny bear sniffs, hesitates, and then Anya can feel a huff of hot breath on her fingers.

"...I bet the tiny fennec would've loved me."

Eeeee! She gives it a light pet on it's head.

"You are very cute and foxes are very you. Bears are my favourite though."

Bear doesn't purr, but it does look mildly satisfied by pats. If a little confused.

"Foxes are my people." 

"You're the best bear of all the bears. I would scoop you but I probably shouldn't piss off the proprietor more than I already have. Can I come visit?"

Bear huffs onto her hand, and ambles off.

Adorable. "I'm gonna take that as a yes because I'm bias." She stands and takes Tabs' hand. "Off we go?"

She squeezes Anya's hand, and bounces. "Yes! I'm even forming a plan! Or at least the outlines of one." 

She opens the door and steps through.

It seems to be an ordinary stairwell, though from above, they can hear the sound of a bustling market, and below, the gentle lapping of waves.

"Girl With A Plan. Hot." She takes everything in. "Where to now? Assuming you know where we are."

"I-" There is a strange noise from behind them, and when Tabs turns to look, the door to the Emporium was gone. "Aw, no. Tiny bear."

Anya pouts. "My life is spiralling downwards."

"Okay, depression about tiny animals aside, if we're hearing a market upstairs and water below, I think we're in Lowtown, or the Docks. Either way, let's head up and see if we can't get a bearing." 

Tabs tugs Anya along. 

Anya goes easily. "Bearings then hearing of plan?"

Tabs leads her up the stairway. "Plan is, we find some shelter, or at least somewhere to squat, then we list everything that happens before Hawke leaves for the Deep Roads. We organise it by what we can handle with our shared skills, or what we can leave for Hawke and co. Then, we find an in with Hawke. I think I have an idea for that."

They reach the top of the stairwell, and Tabs gasps. Right across from them, a breathtaking view of Kirkwall's bay, Hightown stretching across the cliffs.

"Best plan. We should make it super vague and hard to read for not-us people. Just in case it gets out." Anya stops and stares up at the Twins. "This suddenly just became extra extra real."

"Yeah. Yeah, it did. Wow. That's...Christ. Wait, no. Maker? Fuck, I'm Dalish. Mythal!"

Tabs rubs a hand on her temple. "I'm panicking about blaspheming wrong."

Anya leans her face on Tabs' shoulder and snugs.

"Could go with 'gods'? Might be easier to remember."

She leans her head into Anya. "I always told you that my encyclopedic knowledge of Dragon Age was useful and endearing. Gods, I wish I had my encyclopedias right now."

"I have no doubt your current knowledge is gonna be enough. Your memory for Dragon Age knowledge is crazy insanely good. Even on an off day."

"I do know more about Dragon Age than I do about my own life. Why is my memory like this." 

Tabs turns to look down the nearest street. "Okay, I can see a couple of people heading down that way. Let's see if we can orient where in Lowtown we are."

Anya nods, holds her a little closer, and walks on.

"I wonder what class Hawke is."

"Wonder why you want to know that," Tabs singsongs.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replies not at all trying to lie convincingly.

"Honestly, no judgement here. I'm two seconds away from dragging us to Darktown, reason or no," Tabs laughs. 

The street empties out into a very familiar back street. Tabs points. "That...that's Gamlen's house, isn't it?"

She squints up at it. "....it totally is. Gosh."

"Which means the Alienage is that way-" She points down one street. "-and the market is that way. And the Hanged Man. Holy shit, Anya!"

"This is the best thing ever," she eees.

Tabs bounces excitedly. "Kirkwall! Actual Kirkwall!"

"Okay, okay, seriously though, marketplace? To sell this junk, and maybe get some basic supplies so we don't look totally out of place?"

"And so we don't starve to death, probably."

"Oh, god- Mythal, yeah. What do you think the Thedosian equivalent of Menulog is?"

The street is rather busy, and judging from the sun, it's about midmorning. When she and Anya would normally wake up anyway. And then probably decide to go back to sleep.

"Paying some random smol child to go get us food?"

"Xerox did tell us to get our own urchin!"

Anya laughs and bumps her lightly.

"Apparently giving us the best advice."

"An urchin of our very own. How very medieval of us." 

The tracking down of the appropriate stall doesn't take very long, one man standing next to a table filled with junk. "I think that's Vincenzo. Feynriel's dad?"

"I did not know -- oh wait. That was an actual mission, wasn't it? Is he an arsehole?"

"Well, yeah. He knocked up Feynriel's mum and then fucked off to Antiva. He also sends Feynriel to Samson, who sells him to slavers. So, yeah. Arsehole."

She taps her chin. "I bet if I flirt with him we'll get more coin."

"...has that actually happened yet? Because I kind of want to pick a fight with him. Regardless of a yes or no answer."

"Until we know what Hawke is up to, or we talk to...Ariane? I think her name was? We have no idea. But please don't fight him. Templars? Remember?"

"Point. I also probably stick out a bit carrying this mage-y robe, staff and magic books."

"Babe, once we have a place, somewhere to hide contraband mage shit, and know what we're doing vis a vis Hawke? We are going to kick his ass, Samson's ass, that slaver who's living in Darktown's ass, there is not an undeserving ass that won't go unkicked. Also I hate that I'm being the responsible one right now."

"I'm pretty sure you're always the responsible one, dear heart."

"How dare you."

"Terrible truth telling wife."

"You exist only to vex and shame me." Tabs sticks her tongue out at Anya. "Come on. Let's go charm this man into buying our junk."

"Where you go, so goes my nation."

"I love that that's your nickname for it. I call mine Eva Green."

"Why are you like this?" she laughs.

Tabs starts dancing over to the table, twerking as she goes, humming 'I got that kryptonite pussy-'

"I'm divorcing youuuu," she groans.

Tabs throws a grin and a wink over her shoulder, and then drops into a much more confident walk, catching Vincenzo's attention. 

The man is a unrepentant misogynist, and a probable elf-fetishizer to boot, but hey. That works for Tabs right now. 

"Of course, I will give you only the best deal, gorgeous. If in return, I might ask your name?" Vincenzo says, pushing a stack of coins over. 

Tabs flutters her eyelashes, and pockets the coin. "Grackey. Bye." She turns back to Anya, and loops her arm through hers. "Run, now, before he asks me about 'what else is pointy', what the fuck does that even mean!?"

They make a quick exit.

"Dicks. Always threads back to dicks. Obviously. Ugh."

"God. Okay, first chance we get I am submerging myself into a body of water." 

She leads them back towards Gamlen's house.

"If we can find a place to bathe, sure. I'm pretty sure the water here is beyond gross."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll hold out for rich Hawke and his no doubt forty million bathrooms." 

They start heading towards the Alienage. "Is my master plan for meeting Hawke and getting a house becoming clear?"

"Crystal. Why the whole party doesn't just live together is a mystery."

"My most treasured headcanon is that even if you don't romance them, Anders and Merrill move in with you. They need homes the most!"

"That's adorable. Yes Good. Headcanon accepted. Though I guess whether it's actually a thing time will tell."

"I can guarantee that we will be taking up some rooms in that place. I am not roughing it, no matter how Dalish my heart is."

They start heading down the steps.

"Legit. I miss my bed already." She takes in the huge tree before them. "What do they call that again? It's sacred, right?"

Tabs goes silent, and slips her arm out from Anya's. She walks up to the tree, and touches the patterns painted onto it. The feeling is strangely centering.

"Venadahl. The Tree of the People."

There are elves around, sans-vallaslin, staring at Tabs with open wonder in their eyes.

Dalish are pretty rare around here. Though surely they've met Merrill?

She doesn't actually voice these thoughts, and watches Tabs and the others in silence. It's super not her place.

When Tabs turns back around, she’s actually wiping away tears. “Sorry, I- I think I had an actual religious experience.”

"Looks like it. First time for everything," she says lightly.

Tabs laughs weakly. “Yeah, years of Christian school, zip. Half an hour in a video game? Literal tears of joy. Or sadness. Who knows.”

She scrubs her face again. “All right. Ready to meet our first party member? Because I am shaking.”

"Merrill? Oooh, yes, one hundred percent yes."

“Her house was over here, by the stall, from memory.”

Tabs leads the way around the Tree.

Anya takes her hand again and tries to appear very non threatening and calm and inconspicuous. But she's the tallest one around by probably a foot and is Very Human.

Tabs squeezes her hand gratefully. Physical contact after a weird burst of emotion? Please. 

She then frowns, watching an entire family come bursting out of Merrill’s door. “Uh...I don’t remember Merrill having housemates?”

"...wrong house? You could ask around, maybe?"

Tabs frowns harder. “No, this is it. Next to the stall in the corner. Always was.”

Stubbornly, she marches up to the now closed door, and knocks on it. 

She continues to try to appear smaller, and awkwardly waits besides her.

....and tries not to bounce in excitement.

A young girl comes to the door, her bushy black hair tucked behind a pointed ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, sweetheart. We’re looking for Merrill? She’s a Dalish, like me. Is she in there?” 

The girl nods, and disappears.

Soon, a very familiar face is at the door, big green eyes staring at Tabs and Anya with undisguised interest. 

“Hello. I’m Merrill. I’m afraid I don’t know you? You’re not from the clan are you? They must’ve taken in new people, but I haven’t been around in a while- sorry. I’m rambling.”

Tabs is smiling so hard her face is hurting. 

“Its okay! I’m a rambler too, ask anyone. No, I’m not from Sabrae. I’m from Lothorian, in the Dales. I’m Tabs. That’s my friend, Anya.”

!!!!!!

"Am Anya! Hi! Oh, wow, you're adorable. Hi!"

A fierce, bright blush spreads along Merrill’s cheeks. “Oh! That’s...that’s very kind. You’re adorable too? Is that okay? Can I say that to humans? Hawke’s been trying to explain things to me, but I haven’t spoken to many people who aren’t him or his friends or the clan-“

"You can totally say that. Especially since I'm the one that started it. Pretty sure that's universal in flirt-speak."

Merrill giggles. 

“Oh, flirting? That’s nice. That’s, um, that’s lovely! You’re very sweet!”

She gets pushed out of the way suddenly, and two elves apologise as they rush past her. “It’s okay! Good luck at work!”

“Is everything all right? You have a lot of people coming in and out.”

“Oh. Yes, it’s, um, houses in the Alienage, they’re a little cramped. Not a lot of space for a lot of elves.”

"Ah. We probably shouldn't be asking for a place to stay then."

“A place to-?”

Tabs bites her lip. “Yeah. I’d heard that there was a Dalish living here and was hoping we might be able to stay with you? Just until we can find something a little more permanent.”

“Of course you can stay! There’s a communal living space in the middle, or you can stay in my room! Don’t be silly, we all have to look out for each other.”

"Me being human isn't a problem?"

"Not to me! Though, I can't speak for the other elves. They haven't been treated kindly."

"Funny that. When you restrict people to living in only one small space, they start to resent you." 

Tabs wraps an arm around Anya's waist. "It's okay, babe. You're with me. I have clout."

"That's... super fair. Also, relatable. Being imprisoned in a Circle Tower isn't the same... but I can relate a little." The memories of her 'life' are a little vague, but still present.

“You’re from a Circle? My frie- well. Hawke’s friend is from a Circle! He’s very angry about it though.”

Tabs does not react. 

"Fairly. Most people's experience in a Circle is... very of the not good." She does not look at Tabs and sidesteps the Anders Thing. "You mentioned 'Hawke' before. Should we know him?"

“Oh! He’s quite famous! Well, I’m certain circles. He was a mercenary for a bit. I don’t really know much about it. We became friends a few months ago. He brought me here. He’s nice!”

"Sounds like you're making friends just fine to me."

"Oh, Hawke's friends don't really like me. Varric is nice! And Isabela."

She points inside the house. "Would you like some tea? Varric brought me some yesterday. It's nice, floral!"

Anya grumbles internally about people that can't appreciate how adorable Merrill is, and nods enthusiastically.

"We'd love that. Thank you so much."

Tabs can sense that internal grumble, and agrees heartily. 

"Yeah, well, people always tell you what you should be and how you should act without really knowing you. Especially when it's about something they don't understand and don't want to."

Merrill hangs a kettle over the fireplace, and sparks the flames beneath with magic. "That's true. Shem rely to much on that Chant of theirs to really understand anything. We Dalish have our own histories and knowledge. We don't need theirs." 

She smiles at Anya over her shoulder, a little worriedly. "Not that it isn't lovely! Very pretty!"

"I have literally no attachment to my history or culture, go wild with the human jabs. We deserve it."

"I don't want to be disrespectful. It's not a nice feeling, being looked down on for things you can't control."

She pours a small amount of dried leaves into the kettle. 

"I think you're a lot more grounded than people give you credit for."

"Oh! I, uh, didn't know people were saying that about me. I don't really know a lot of people here, yet."

Ah. Shit. 

"Just from what you've been saying. About Hawke's friends?"

Anya attempts to further cover. "Is there a Dalish grapevine? Is there Much gossip?"

"I did hear some things, going through clan Sabrae." She projects 'thank you' eyes at Anya.

Merrill stiffens somewhat, but relaxes soon. "I can't imagine anything nice. I didn't leave on good terms."

"Well, yeah. But I'd rather draw my own conclusions. Power-mad mages don't leave their clans for the clan's good, after all."

"You seem sensible. I imagine you had a good reason. And that's just by knowing you for like five minutes."

"Carver says I could use a little more sense, some times. He had to help me find my way back home last week. Even though the Hanged Man isn't that far."

Tabs nudges Anya.

Anya playfully glares at Tabs. "Sounds cute. And helpful! The best type of person."

"He's very sweet!" Merrill starts pouring the tea. "He's frustrated though. Not like Anders, it's different. I think he wants something for himself. I can understand that. Though maybe not the specifics."

She hands them both a cup. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Kirkwall? It's not a common place for mages or Dalish elves?"

She pokes at her backstory.

it was meant to be just a pitstop, meeting up with someone who was going to take you to Rivain. However, the story changed once you took control of it.

"We were just going to pass through on our way to Rivain..."

"That's a good idea! There aren't as many Templars there, which I guess makes sense, being so close to Tevinter."

"Yeeeah. Problem is is that Tabs' and I have kinda fallen in love with Kirkwall? If you can believe it."

"Oh! Well. That's...lovely?"

"We are fully aware of how batshit insane that sounds."

"It's just...it's not particularly safe? For any of us," Merrill says, gesturing between the three of them. She sips her drink, and then nods to herself.

"Right. You two must come with me tonight to meet Hawke! Having a friend like him will keep you safe."

Awww! Bless her cotton socks.

"We'd love to meet your friends! You should tell us about them."

Tabs tucks her head into Anya's shoulder to silently scream about how cute Merrill is, holy shit.

"Oh! Well, you'll meet them all tonight, but Hawke is funny, and very sweet. Carver's a little grumpy, but he cares, really. Varric sort of hovers over everyone, Isabela's very naughty, Aveline is...well. Domineering, but cares, really! I don't know much about Fenris, other than that he hates mages, and Anders is tall and hates Templars."

Anya grimaces. "Yikes. I guess I'll avoid Fenris then? Or maybe not mention the mage thing at all..."

"Oh, I don't know. Hawke certainly doesn't care. He's very friendly with Fenris! I even saw him blush once."

"Same constants in the nexus, the most common ship for Garrett Hawke is Fenris!" Tabs murmurs to Anya.

She nudges Tabs lightly with her elbow.

"That's something, at least. Plus, blushing is always adorable."

"It's very sweet. I just hope Hawke knows what he's doing, Fenris has made his distrust pretty clear, and Hawke is such a good person, and-" Merrill cuts herself off, blushing herself. "Well. I just don't want to see him get hurt."

"We all feel protective of our friends. Especially ones who have helped us. Hawke sounds like a really good friend."

Merrill ducks her head, smiling into her cup. "He is." 

Anya has some of her tea.

"Have you been in Kirkwall long?"

"We got here just before the Fifth Blight started. We were from Ferelden, originally."

Merrill runs a finger around her cup. "All our halla died. Some kind of sickness, and they're highly empathetic. When one went, it wasn't hard for the others to follow."

Tabs reaches over, to take Merrill's hand. "Merrill, I'm so sorry. Falon’Din enasal enaste."

"Ma serannas, lethallan."

Shit, fuck, she made her sad again.

"I'm sorry. I have that foot-in-mouth disease. It's incurable."

"No, no! It's okay! It's better to talk about it. I don't like keeping things bottled up. Hurts more."

"I think you're probably the most healthy out of all of us. I have bottles and bottles of stuff I keep squirreled away."

Merrill smiles softly. "I do understand that. It's hard, being that vulnerable. And it doesn't always work out well."

One of her fingers strokes along an old scar on her hand.

Tabs leans her head on Anya's shoulder. "You can always talk to me, babe."

"Words are hard sometimes. But I know."

Tabs kisses her cheek.

"Aww! You two are so sweet."

"We are the most cute. It's true. Also infectious, so watch out."

Merrill pretends to hide. "Oh no!"

"If you need any help, we're always here."

"We say like half an hour after meeting you. But it's true."

“Hawke said that. He’s lovely too.”

"Like attracts like?"

Merrill blushes. 

Tabs does not want to ruin this. She wants to continue it and she wants to extend friendship to Merrill- 

But she needs to extend their plans. 

They need some time to speak about this alone.

"You mentioned a space for us? We just arrived in Kirkwall, is all, and we're dead on our feet."

“Oh! Of course. I’m about to head over to- well. A friend. She’s worried about her son, and I thought I’d lend a hand. You can use my room!”

Merrill stands, and gestures them over to a worn door. 

Anya follows and takes the room in.

"Make sure to shoo us whenever you need to. This is your space and that's important."

Merrill blushes deep red. "I- of course! Friends do that. Friends- I- I'll see you soon!"

With that, she's gone.

Tabs shuts the door. "I am literally going to die, she is so cute."

"Jesus christ, she is. That was... beyond anything."

"I know I'm cute? But that was ANOTHER LEVEL."

Anya laughs. "Definitely. Though with the whole elf thing... you're also coming for her brand too."

"She's gonna be A LOT better at it than I am. I know what the Old Gods and Elvhen pantheon actually are, remember."

"Eek. Yeah, you have a point." She takes seat on the bed. "So. Aaaa?"

"Yeah. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."

Tabs threads her fingers into her hair. "Where the hell do we start?"

"The Deep Roads. Definitely. That's one hundred percent when things really start going to shit."

"Okay." Tabs spots spare parchment...vellum? She guesses they call it? And grabs it. There's a quill and inkpot next to it. "Agh. Here's hoping that one time I did penmenship in year 5 pays off." 

She notes down 'Deep Roads', only splashing ink a little. "Okay. We need to convince Anders to go with them, because I can't see us having an effect on Carver."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Unless Hawke totally vetoes it. Which... we have no idea if he will do."

"Exactly. So, my ulterior motives aside, we need to befriend Anders, or at least somehow convince him to be a Grey Warden once more."

"Should we tell him, or anyone, about the red lyrium idol? Because, legit, that shit needs to not leave that Thiag. Ever."

"Varric. We tell Varric, definitely. Frame it as we've heard tales? From that thaig?"

"We'll need to put more detail in that. Who we heard it from and a little bit about it. Otherwise we're going to look like shady idiots when he asks more questions."

"I could cite a Dalish legend? Make something up about the Dread Wolf? God, no, that would probably just make him wave it off. Do we know who told them in the first place about the thaig? We get their names, we're part way there."

"I have no idea. It was probably definitely Varric's brother that has that info? God, I wish we had the wiki right now."

"Holy fuck, you're telling me." 

And then, a thought. "Wait. I know shittons about the Shaperate and stuff. I throw a bunch of dwarveny words in there, and Batrand's traditionalist ass will believe whatever I say. That'll be enough to convince Varric, right?"

"Yeah, probably not? Varric isn't like his brother at all."

"I guess I'm kinda relying on the fact that Varric doesn't really give a shit about dwarven stuff? And so might just take our/Bartrand's word for it. Maybe that's a reach. I don't know. Or, I guess, we can just-" she shudders. "-go down and destroy it?"

"I think that's the nuclear option..." She pauses. "Does Thedas have seers?"

Tabs frowns. "I'm vaguely remembering something about Rivaini Seers? I think you can give Isabela a Seer amulet or something as a gift?"

"So we have no idea how seers work here. Us telling them I had some sort of funky vision will probably domino into badness."

"Isabela might be on your side in that, though? She's Rivaini."

"She might also, like, instantly disprove it."

"Well, she's not a mage herself so maybe she doesn't- fuck, Anya, I don't know. I don't know!"

She drops her head onto her knees, her fingers in her hair. "I just know that shit is fucked and going to get more fucked and I want to stop it!"

Anya scoots closer and hugs her many many. "Shit is so fucked. Much fucked. Uber fucked. We do not need to solve it right this minute."

"I have cried actual tears over these not-actual-people. And now I have a chance to stop so much hurt."

"We're going to help. I promise. But for now, let's add more to our list and come back to it later."

"So you're as stumped as I am about the convincing anyone we're knowledgeable front?"