A Grieving Land [Celestial x Evilfang]

[Celestial]

The Story so far ...

----

Celestial

"So this is Tevinter, is it?" said a copper-toned woman as her eyes scanned the contents in the various stores. The trinkets practically danced before her eyes as Isabela felt the thieves impulse trickle down her fingers. "Oh how pretty that one looks."

She chuckled to herself as she kept on walking. She was dressed differently compared to her usually attire. She wore a tattered and slightly revealing white blouse that showed off her upper breasts as she donned a longer black coat cut off at the sleeves around her. She had on tight fitting leggings with her high boots stretching all the way up to her knees. Her twin Her golden necklace wasn't on her neck any longer as she had grown bored of such a heavy piece. In truth, the things she kept was the blue bandanna she wore to keep her raven dark hair out of her eyes, the embroidered sash of blue and gold she wore luxuriously around her waist, and the arm pieces that she took up when she was with ... her.

Shaking the memories away, Isabela hurried towards the city gates. She still hadn't gotten over that part of her life. Every night she tried to convince herself to forget about the one woman that made her forget her true nature momentarily and caused her to fall in love.

As she approached the gates, a guard approached her and eyed her up and down. "Avanna madam," he said as she noticed the slight twinkle of lust in his eyes. "No one is permitted to leave."

Isabela's eyebrow rose as she swayed her hips to the right. "And why not? Did a slave run away from a mage?" Slavery, the one word she detested. She joked about it at times, but it didn't sit right with her. "I'm a busy woman ... perhaps we can come to an arrangement?"

The guard looked to the others and nodded. "Come on then," he said as he led her to the guard house.

Men are so predictable. Isabela put on her best smile as she followed the guard into the guard house and closed the door.

"I'll ne--"

He didn't have a chance to finish as Isabela punched him square in the face. He buckled and slid to the ground. She crouched down and pouted playfully as she stroked his hair. "Like I said, I got places to be," she said as she stood up and winked. "Hope it was worth it."

She laughed as she looked around the room and then went to the second floor. To her joy, she found a window and looked down. She whistled. "Long way down, no?" She looked around and found the a bundle of rope. The sea captain within her took it right away and tied it to a metal stack. Tying the rope secure, she threw it out the window and scaled down the wall and hit the ground roughly moments later.

Smiling to herself, she was on her way with no one the wiser ... for now at least. Give 'em some time and then there'll be a fuss she thought. She walked along the paved road as she traveled away from the large Tevinter city. As the distance lengthen, she pulled out a rather expensive looking amulet and smiled.

I bet that old fool will miss this. It'd fetch quite the coin down in Antiva.

With the sun still hanging high in the sky, Isabela kept moving forward and never looked back. Only one memory nagged at her as she began to reminisce about the past.

---

Evilfang

Jasmine Hawke's day began in a very familiar fashion. With her screams ripping through the peaceful quiet that had settled over her modest home and even more 'modest' (some would say tiny) farm. Every morning started the same, with the former Champion of Kirkwall screaming herself awake before jolting up in the bed covered in a sweat. Normally a person could calm them self down by just remembering that it had simply been a dream, unfortunately for her that would not work. It was probably because that these were not dreams, they were memories that haunted her every day of her life. She could not remember the last time she had slept through the whole night. Sitting up, she continued to breath heavily as the images of this latest dream flashed through her head; this one had been of when she saved Isa-......when she had fought the Arishok. It had been a hard fought battle that she had won, but not without nearly dying.

Closing her eyes, the Mage's had absentmindedly moved over her abdomen and traced the long scar that resided there. Sometimes she could still feel the cold steel of the Arishok's sword slicing through her as if she were nothing. She involuntarily shuddered and shook her head, moving to get out of her bed and get ready for the long day that she knew lay ahead of her.

The sun had only just broken over the horizon by the time the young woman was dressed and examining herself in the mirror. The place she called home now was a small out of the way farm several miles from a large Tevinter city, it was near enough to get supplies but isolated enough so that she rarely saw anyone else. Looking into the mirror, she saw a woman with electric blue eyes and hair as black as night that descended past her shoulders, but was pulled back into a ponytail at the moment. The black hair contrasted with her pale skin and yet it seemed to compliment all of her features quite well. She used to cut the hair extremely short, but had decided to grow it out to better hide her appearance.

Jasmine wore a plain tunic and trousers, a far cry from the noble's clothing that she had once worn but now she simply needed clothing that she could work in. Leaving the mirror, she left the small and very bare home and stepped out to examine her land. She knew that here in Tevinter she could live like a Queen. After all, she was the Apostate Champion of Kirkwall! She had vanquished the mighty Arishok, shown that Mage's could be trusted with power. "And started a bloody war while losing everything" she thought to herself bitterly. She did not deserve to be a Noble. She did not deserve anything. When it came to the things that mattered, she had failed.

The Apostate shook her head again and went to work on her chores for the day, hoping that diving into the labor to make her small farm a success would help her.

It was several hours later, when the sun was high and Jasmine's sweat was now a result of plowing fields and not horrible dreams, that she decided she would need to make a run into the city. She needed more seed as well as some basic things like food for herself. Heading back inside, she grabbed her 'walking stick' as well as a hooded cloak and began walking. While being an Apostate was entirely legal in Tevinter, she still wanted to remain anonymous and fly under the radar as much as possible.

Sadly it did not seem like today would be a day for that. On her way to the city, she saw an overturned wagon and a rather frightened looking family being held at sword point. "Probably slavers and bandits" she thought, eyeing the criminals from a distance. They hadn't spotted her. Good. Pulling up her hood, the young woman continued walking down the road. She was quickly stopped.

"Well 'ello there missy, you know it's dangerous to be walkin' out here alone. Dangerous men are out here!" a bandit said, placing a hand on the sword that hang on his hip casually.

Jasmine ducked her head down, obscuring her face even more. "You should leave these people alone Ser. They look like they're foreigners." she said in a soft manner.

The bandit just chuckled and suddenly grabbed Hawke by the scruff of her neck "Yeah well I hate foreigners and bitches who can't mind their business!" he said cruelly.

"And I hate men who pray on families" she whispered, her voice full of venom before placing a hand on the man's chest and freezing him in place. She hit him with her staff and he shattered into pieces. "One down...." she whispered.

---

Celestial

Coming out of her whimsical day-dreaming, Isabela had started to wonder if that guard had ever woken up. Truly, she was surprised that he went down so fast. She supposed she had some strength but definitely not that much. She let the other side have the strength while she flaunted her flexibility and speed. She sighed to herself as she craved some excitement. In bed, a quick duel, or even a heist on land or sea, anything she supposed. Having lost her ship a while back due to mage fanatics burning it in flames, she had reconsidered finding another ship.

Damn well expensive those beasts are. She rubbed her forehead as she thought how Hawke would have reacted to that. Definitely not happy and jolly.

Isabela looked up as she heard a sound ahead of her. There was a family, caravan, whatever, that were surrounded by a group of burly, unkept men. Typically, she would have just walked away from the scene, but the days of Isabela the runaway sea captain had long since been lost to her.

"Oi! Lookie what we have here!" One of the sword swashers walked over to her as he licked his lips. "Copper-tone bitch. Just how I like them."

Isabela rose an eyebrow as she smirked. "You're certainly forward aren't you?" The others were all watching as she closed the distance between herself and the man. "Not afraid of voicing your opinion ... I do like that in a man." Her smirk grew wider as she saw the man trace her hand as she reached into her blouse.

"Lookin' for a bit of fun, eh? I'm sure I can deliver, madam," he said as he bowed mockingly. The others were all laughing as one whistled and nodded to the bandit brushing his sword menacingly in front of the scared couple.

Isabela laughed as well as two small balls lay in her hand. "I hope you fancy a bit of blind fun, my dear." She threw a ball on the ground as a series of coughing erupted from the mans throat. She threw another at the farther bandit farther and begin to rush into the smoke and head directly for the bandit closest to the family. He was the problem, not these two louts.

"Sven!" shouted her target as he stared wide eyed as she appeared from the grey fumes. "You bitch!"

Isabela danced to the side as the man overstepped his swing and followed the blade forward. Her twin daggers were already out as the excitement she had been craving was found at last. Her left fang slashed at the crude iron sword while the other, carefully placed, drew a minute drop of blood but enough to make the sword fall from his hands. To add in a sprinkle of humiliation, she kicked the bandit in the ass as he tumbled forward and bowled straight into one of his fellows as they both dropped back into the now dwindling smoke.

She relaxed from her dueling pose as she stared at the family. "On your way then," she said briskly then she noticed the wagon full of things that she could only presume were theirs. She sighed. "Temporarily at least."

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a shattering noise. Her eyes scanned the horizon and saw someone standing before a frozen shattered man. She had no time to think on that as the three bandits had finally regained some balance.

The one she had first spoke to walked forward with his own blade unsheathed. "A little fight in you, eh? Oh are we going to have fun with you, you little whore."

Isabela sighed as she pointed her left dagger towards them and raised the other defensively. She grinned. "Try to keep up then, my dear."

---

Evilfang

Jasmine's eyes quickly scanned the area, wanting to take in how many men she would have to face. When she had been walking towards her first victim, the Mage had spotted five men. However, it appeared that someone else had decided to come to the aid of the family and was keeping three of the bandits occupied within their own mini skirmish. She did not take the time to examine whoever this newcomer was, they appeared to be using smoke bombs and it obscured her vision of that fight.

Right now Hawke had to pay attention to the man standing in front of her, who appeared to be quite angry that a Mage had just brutally killed his comrade in arms. He stood well over 6 feet tall and was all muscle, in his right hand was a large broadsword and he wore iron armor. This man would be much more of a challenge than his idiotic friend.

"You bitch...." he growled, his voice deep and full of gravel. "You sodding WHORE!" he shouted before swinging at her, aiming to lop off her head in one blow.

The Mage ended up leaping out of the way just in time, as the tip of the sword swiped just a few inches from her throat. "My....you're quick for being so big!" she said to him, "I bet you hear that from all the girls though" she finished.

Jasmine didn't used to do this, she used to take every fight seriously, wanting to keep casualties to a minimum and taking her enemies out in the most efficient way possible. Now if someone saw her fight, it was as if she was inviting death. Aveline would most likely call her a bloody suicidal idiot.

The huge man continued to swing, and the Mage kept dodging, her hood falling down at some point, before finally losing her patience. As he swung towards her again, Hawke's hand suddenly was engulfed in flame and she shot the fireball right into the bastards face. He was dead before he could even process what happened.

Breathing heavily, Hawke looked towards the other fight to see if the mysterious fighter had died yet. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of a woman fighting quite well and handling all three attackers as if they were nothing. "I better lend my aid" she thought to herself.

She ran towards the fray before catching sight of the woman's face. A face that she could never forget, even if she wished it (and she had wished it many times). Those beautiful deep eyes, those seductive lips, that bronzed skin. Jasmine should have seen it before, a dark skinned woman handling three men as if they were nothing? It was as if she were re-living the first day they met, when the Pirate had beaten Lucky and his men in the Hanged Man without trying.

For several long moments, Hawke was frozen in place as she watched the love of her life fight against the three men. She had to leave....now. Hawke began backing away, hoping Isabela wouldn't see her. She knew that the Captain could take care of herself and there was no need to worry. Hawke turned around and began running, feeling all those years coming back. Those horrible, terrible, glorious, beautiful years.

---

Celestial

Isabela smirked as she danced around the bandits. They were clumsy; they were clueless; they were amateurs. It was a sad thing that she was fighting them, for they never had a chance from the start. With each parry and riposte, she was only toying with them as a cat would a mouse. She hoped they would get the idea to give up and run instead of fight. However, their stubbornness knew no bounds.

With a slight change in tempo, Isabela side-stepped the bandit named Sven and slashed at his back as crimson water began to flow freely. The man cried out in pain but was silenced shortly after. She turned quickly and saw the remaining two. "Your friend ruined my coat. Someone's going to have to pay," she said as she eyed them cooly. "If you gentlemen leave now, I'll spare your lives and you won't end up like dear little Sven. Be gentlemen and run along now."

The man she kicked earlier bared his teeth and rushed her. "You'll pay for that woman!"

With a quick swish and flick the man was dead before he knew it. "How about you?"

The last man stared around as no one else from his group were still standing. He cried and ran as fast as he could across the hills without even a glance back. Isabela couldn't help but smile as she cleaned off her daggers and stored them neatly. She turned to see the family in need still there as she nodded to them. "Will you lot be alright from here?" She saw a child and frowned and nodded apologetically. "Didn't mean to ... you know ... let the little one see."

A man walked forward and bowed to her. "We'll handle it. If you hadn't come along, I'm not sure if any of us would still be breathing. We're forever grateful Madam. Grateful indeed."

A smile cracked across her lips as Isabela nodded. "I'll be off then. It'd be better not to dawdle too long."

With that, she said her goodbyes and was off. In the distance, she saw two corpses, one was burned and the other was frozen. The mage up and left then she said to herself as she continued to walk. She noticed slight depressions in the grass as curiosity got the best of her. "Lets go pay the mysterious character a visit then," she said to herself as she continued along in the sun-filled warm day.

---

Evilfang

The sunny Tevinter day seemed to be almost a cruel joke, considering how suddenly this day had turned into one of the worst days she could imagine. Not only had she endangered her anonymity by playing the hero once again, but she had almost run into the one woman she wished to never see again. Her stamina had never been great, and over a year of farming instead of fighting had kept her in good shape but the run to her home still tired her quickly. By the time she reached her small farm, she was breathing heavily and was sweating like mad, though that could be either from seeing Isabela again or the run.

Stepping into her home, Hawke dropped her staff to the floor and went to the water basin she kept on a night stand near her bed. The home had only two rooms, a main room that acted as her kitchen and bedroom, and a small bathroom. It was obvious that this home was meant to only be livable by one (very lonely) person.

Dipping her hands in the water basin, she cupped them and silently channeled magic into the water to make it ice cold before splashing it onto her face. Repeating this several times, Jasmine began taking deep breaths and exhaling the air slowly until her heart rate calmed down.

Her icy blue eyes looked into the mirror and she stared at her reflection before saying "She's not looking for you. No one knows where you are, she's just passing through."

It was true, she hadn't spoken to her friends in a long time, though she did find ways to keep tabs on them. But she had taken a queue from Varric and began anonymously telling stories within several bars, spreading rumors that The Champion of Kirkwall had died. She knew that The Chantry probably wouldn't believe it but the more misinformation there was about her, the better her chances of living peacefully.

After finally calming down, Hawke walked over to her window to see if any bandits had followed her or to see if patrolling soldiers were marching through the road. What she saw was worse than either option. Isabela seemed to be heading straight towards her farm.

"Fuck."

There was no option now, it was clear Isabela was tracking her here and there was no back exit from the home. No matter what, Isabela would see her.

Grabbing her staff once again, Jasmine Hawke stepped out onto her porch and held out hand. It was covered in fire instantly and she pointed it straight at Isabela. "Just threaten her and hope she bloody leaves" Hawke thought to herself.

"That's far enough Isabela." she stated with a cold look on her face. It was the first thing she had said to Isabela since the night they had defeated Meredith and fled Kirkwall.

- - - Updated - - -

Isabela stopped before the mage as her eyes widened briefly before she returned herself to normal. She smiled as she saw a flame appear around her long lost dear companions staff. She looked around to see the surrounding scenery and just sighed. "And all this time, I'd thought you'd be far from this continent." She stepped a few feet closer and stared into Hawke's beautiful ice blue eyes that reminded her of the most lustrous of sapphires. "Now Tevinter, you could be living the good life in this country yet here you are," she looked to the surrounding lands, "farming."

The rogue was taking quite the gamble, but she couldn't leave. She didn't want to. At the same time, she was angry and hurt. Though Hawke had rejected her, which was fine - to an extent, the woman left without even a word which made Isabela even angrier. She stared at the flames again then back to Hawke's cold eyes. "Didn't want to see me that much, eh? Well, I damn well need some answers Hawke!" She took another step closer until the two were inches away. "If you're going to burn me; do it. My darling fangs are sheathed, nothing's stopping you."

She stared in defiance as she was uncertain with how the outcome would be. She hoped, if she knew the person in front of her as well as she thought she did, that this was a farce and maybe, just maybe, deep inside, Hawke was hurting with this unseen reunion as well.

[Evilfang]

Jasmine Hawke's expression stayed cold and angry towards the beautiful pirate Captain, trying her hardest to make sure she did not tremble in the presence of the other woman. Of course, Isabela had to make things even worse with that blighted smile of hers! "How the hell can she be acting so casual about this?!" Hawke thought to herself, which ended up making her feel even angrier towards her former lover. That damned casual confidence she just oozed! Isabela had almost never acted otherwise around her, even after returning to help get rid of the Qunari.

When Isabela made a comment about farming instead of living a rich lifestyle, the Apostate couldn't help but get defensive. "Well unlike you I would rather have a hard days work; rather than a hard day on my back" she replied. There used to be a time when the comment wouldn't have been so full of anger. Where she might have instead said it in jest or in good fun. Now, with Isabela here; all Hawke could feel was the anger over being left for three years without so much as a proper sodding goodbye mixed with the joy of seeing the woman she loved again after thinking (and hoping) they would never cross paths again.

However, if there was anything that could make Hawke angrier and more confused at this moment it was Isabela's statement about deserving answers. That coupled with Isabela's very close proximity caused Hawke to falter, needing to take a deep breath while staring into those deep beautiful eyes. They used to argue plenty back in Kirkwall, it was in their very nature to clash when it came to everything. Hawke had always been upstanding and as noble as she could be, doing things because they were right and good. Naturally, this caused quite a few arguments with the pirate captain.

But those arguments had always ended the same way for the both of them. Eventually they would both get angry enough to throw the other into a wall and the argument would dissolve into passionate and angry sex. That was not an option here.

After staring down Isabela for several moments, the fire around Hawke's staff began to dissipate before going away altogether. "I don't owe you a sodding thing" she said to the woman angrily before turning and going back into her home, knowing Isabela would most likely follow.

[Celestial]

Isabela just sighed as she followed Hawke into her home. Back in Kirkwall, she had visited her estate freely and unannounced leaving things here and there for the woman to discover on her own. However, this case wasn't the same at all. Instead of being on rivalry/friendly terms, it seemed the two were now at the same relationship point as they were when the first met. Another long process to build upon again Isabela thought to herself as she emerged into the very modest cottage. It reminded her of her home back when she was still a small girl. The home was made from dingy wood, the bed was of straws, and a small hovel was the extent of the kitchen with few utensils and some ingredients no doubt grown by Hawke herself.

She's become quite the capable woman. Isabela couldn't help but smile but kept her thoughts to herself.

Isabela took a seat on a wooden chair, out of a set of three, as she leaned back and looked at Hawke, the strongest woman she had come to know. "To be more ... accurate, you owe a few people an explanation - myself included." She sat up and leaned on the table as she straightened out her white blouse and brushed back her coat. "Why'd you leave without telling us? Any of us? Though the Chantry and Templars are running around with a stick up their arse, we would have told 'em to shove off."

She rubbed her temple as she laughed at her attachment. In the past, this would have been so easy to let go. It was all Hawke's fault.

[Evilfang]

Hawke set her staff down on her bed silently as Isabela followed her into the home. She expected a snide remark about how this was a step down from the Hawke Estate back in Kirkwall, or maybe a sarcastic 'oh how quaint', but instead Isabela remained entirely silent about her home. Looking back at the dark skinned woman, Hawke's eyes traveled over her body for a brief moment; although she no longer wore the clothing that Hawke was familiar with she still looked very 'Isabela'. Her clothing commanded the attention of everyone in the room yet it was accentuated every part of the pirate's gorgeous body. "Dammit, don't think like that. Not now." she thought to herself. The Mage leaned against the wall of her home, crossing her arms and frowning as Isabela casually sat in one of her chairs.

The Pirate was the first visitor she had gotten since coming to Tevinter and it seemed that living alone had made Hawke forget what it was like to be a host.......that or she just didn't want her ex lover in her home. Along with the difference in her manners toward Isabela, Hawke no longer looked like the Noble she was. Her cheeks were a bit shallower than they used to be, and her normally short but well kept hair was now long enough to be in a ponytail and looked like it hadn't seen a comb in a while.

When Isabela finally asked her question, including telling her that she owed everyone an explanation, a slight sense of shame fell over her. Hawke had consciously told herself that the others would not worry about her and they would not miss her, but a part of her felt guilty for leaving without a word. She hadn't even spoken to Aveline who was like a sister to her.

Darting her eyes to the floor for a moment, Hawke sighed deeply "You wouldn't understand......though you're pretty familiar with running away too." she said. There was a bit more bitterness in the statement than she intended. "After we killed Meredith and I went home, I realized that I had nothing; I had spent 10 years protecting my family and Kirkwall." she said honestly. As much as she hated it, Isabela was able to make her open up just by being around.

"The only family I have left are Carver and Gamlen, Carver is a Grey Warden now and Gamlen found his Daughter. I didn't have a place in their life....and as for Kirkwall......" she trailed off, closing her eyes. Images flew through her mind when her eyes were closed; the Arishok stabbing her before being burned alive, the mangled corpse that was her Mother, the Chantry exploding, Orsino giving into blood magic, Meredith losing her mind. A shudder ran through her body for a moment at the memories before she opened her eyes again to meet Isabela's gaze, her expression now hard and bitter. "Kirkwall showed me what happens when you pretend to be a bloody hero" she stated, her tone full of resentment and self loathing.

"So I grabbed some things from my home and left" she finished, looking away from Isabela. It was hard to believe the young woman who had once been so hopeful and believed in the good of everyone else could now be so bitter.

[Celestial]

Isabella listened in silence as she studied Hawke as she spoke. She sat quietly as she noticed how her ex-lover had changed. Her cheeks were much shallower than she remembered when the whole gang was still in Kirkwall. Her hair was also longer, which Isabela couldn't complain about. Heck, she was thinking about cutting her hair. It was getting ... a little too long or so she thought.

Her fingers laced together as she sat back. She let Hawke finish before she herself spoke up. It was one courtesy that she could extend. "You're right about one thing." Isabela sighed as she crossed her legs. "I am pretty ... familiar with running away. Hell, I do it so much that its become almost second nature to me. That's besides the point though." Isabela sat forward as she tried to get a glimpse of Hawke's eyes. "Carver may be a Grey Warden, your Uncle may still be in the cesspool of Low town; however, your family isn't only them Hawke."

The memories of the best flashed through her mind as she replayed how Hawke bravely faced off against the Arishok, how the gang fought against the blood mage that had tried to take Fenris away, and also when Aveline, Fenris, Varric, Merril, Anders, and the both of them stood against the Templars while Orisino was lost to the temptations of blood magic and had become the very monsters the Templars had accused them of being. It was disheartening to see a woman who had endured all of that look so broken now. Hawke, though her attitude was rough and mean on the surface, was actually a lost soul had was trying to find meaning after she had caused the great civil war through her actions. It hurt Isabela like nothing else be it a pirates sword or losing a valuable treasure - hell even her ship for that matter.

She stood up and walked over to Hawke though she knew the woman didn't want anything to do with her. She stopped in front of the mage as she took the hands of the fallen hero into hers. "I suck at these things Hawke. I really do. But believe me when I say it. The things that happened ... they were bound to happen with or without your intervention. You saw Meredith. She was crazy, missing something in the head." She took a step closer to Hawke as she looked on with worry. "All of us who were there knew it, and none of would blame you Hawke. Hell, I heard Varric is spreading your adventures and stories around the free marches."

She laughed to herself as she closed the gap and pressed her head against Hawke's. "I might be the last person that'd you wanted to see, but I'm so glad to have finally found you." She exhaled slowly as she stepped off. "Next time you leave without a word, I'll have beat some sense into you ... you stubborn fool."

[Evilfang]

Hawke stood across from Isabela and made her best effort to not notice how Isabela seemed to be more beautiful than the last time they had seen each other. While Hawke looked haggard and worn, Isabela seemed to still be the vision of beauty and seductiveness that she had been since the two of them had first met. They were right back to square one with each other, once distant and not believing in their feelings for the other; while the other was still obviously wanting something more between them. The only difference now was that the roles were reversed.

The words that Isabela said in reply to Jasmine's own statement came as a complete shock. There had been a time where Isabela would have never even alluded to counting herself and the friends Hawke had left behind as any kind of 'family'. Yet now she was not only doing that, but she was attempting to comfort Hawke in an almost tender way. Maker....when had the Pirate become so open with her emotions? The only time Hawke had seen this from her was when Isabela had declared her love to the Mage.

Even now Hawke remembered it, the way Isabela's eyes were searching her face for some kind of reaction. The vulnerable and almost scared tone in the Pirate's voice. The way her expression fell when Hawke rejected her.......

"Stop it" she thought to herself angrily "It was the right thing and you know it, so stop feeling bloody sorry for yourself"

The Pirate Queen's touch came as a surprise and caused Hawke's breath to hitch for just a moment. It had been years since they had last been together, yet her body almost pushed Isabela into the wall to ravish her. It was as if reacting that way to Isabela would have been natural. Thankfully, before she could do such a thing Isabela let go and Hawke was able to immediately move away from the pirate. She brushed past her ex lover and crossed to where her door was, facing away from Isabela.

Now every instinct within her was screaming to throw the woman out of her home and never speak to her again. This was not what she wanted, no confusion, no naive thoughts swimming through her mind. All she wanted was to be left alone for the rest of her days to carve out a simple life for herself. However, instead of doing this she acted like her old self and thought of others first.

"......How are they? The others?"