I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Both Eva and I have been very busy and this just sat waiting to be betaed and we never managed to get around to it .

But I do have good news.

Several good newses in fact.

(Let's start with the ones you'll probably care about the most, shall we?) As some, or many, or none of you may know… My Beta (Eva) and I have been working on a book, The Order of the Realm (OotR), but as I'm writing it I find I rather miss the input I get on Stars. So here is what I propose… I'm looking for a few(5 or 10, though depending on the response I get I might up it a bit) people who'd like to… not quite beta. I've got a Google Site set up to keep track of the world, religion, important dates and history and the like as well as a few chapters written (pre-betaed and still being worked on, but written nonetheless). I would like some people who would be willing to ask questions, make comments, and just generally discuss the whole lot of it (not just the chapters, but the world and characters as well and maybe where you think things are going) as well as point out any flaws or inconsistencies you happen to notice. Please remember, OotR has nothing to do with Dragon Age. It's a-whole-nother world created completely from scratch with entirely new characters. Some of which are inspired by OCs created in Stars and Abandoned Sanctuary, but all DA references have been completely removed and their pasts and personalities have been reworked to fit with this new world. If you're interested, PM me or leave a comment in a review.

Good News #2: Yaay I finally opened my Etsy store (wirewitchery . etsy . com)! So if you happen to be a real witch (or pagan or whatever you choose to call yourself) and you like divination you should come check out my pendulums. Or if you just like jewelry, I have some of that too ;) Anyway use the coupon code DAFRIENDS10 to receive a 10% discount :)

One final thing… So I was apparently a bit of an air-brain. That comment that I said was explained in the last chapter? Yeah, turns out it's explained in this one .

Anyway, enjoy!

.oO***Oo.

Alistair dropped the hammer on the ground next to where Kallia was sitting before falling into place beside her. The fact that he happened to sit close enough their legs and shoulders bumped against each other was completely coincidental. It wasn't even slightly intentional. Except it might have maybe been a little bit intentional on his part. Possibly.

But it wasn't like she was jerking away from the contact… Or even moving away at a slow pace so-

"I don't understand the point of having a house specifically for wood," Kallia commented, bringing him out of his thoughts with a jerk.

"It's to keep the wood dry," he eyed the wood pile stacked nearby sadly. "It's just a shame that their wood is all soaked through," he sighed. "With the weather the way it is, chances are the majority of it will rot before it dries enough to be useable."

"They can always gather more," Kallia said, pointing at the line of trees just beyond the boundary of the small dock-town.

He shook his head, "Green wood smokes too much to be used inside and any dead wood out there will have the same problem as what they already have. It will rot before it dries."

"My fires burn the wood we've gathered without any problem," she answered, but there was a questioning to her tone.

"Yes, but your fires are partially fueled your magic," he answered. "That keeps them hot enough to burn regardless of how wet or green the wood is."

Kallia held up her hand and a small ball of fire appeared in it. The flames in her hand seemed no different than the ones the others had lit manually with flint stones, though admittedly she only had a few seconds to study it before Alistair grabbed her wrist with one hand and tried to pat the fire out with his other. She quickly doused it before it had a chance to burn him.

"Don't do that!" he exclaimed hurriedly, continuing to pat her hand as though the fire might suddenly spring back to life on its own. She eyed him curiously but allowed him to do as he pleased. Finally, the frantic patting slowed and finally his hand settled on hers. He had a distant, pained look on his face as he began stroking her palm with feathered touches. "Last time you did that, you burned yourself…" he whispered.

It was then that she noticed he was tracing the faint outline of the burn scar on her palm. She chuckled lightly and used her free hand to pull his away, relighting the ball in her hand. He fought her grip, once again trying to douse the flames, but at her resistance he ceased fighting and waited for what she had to show him.

"Just as the temperature of the air does not affect me, the temperature of my magic is greatly shielded from me. It will not harm me under normal circumstances," she told him, letting go of his wrist and slowly passing her hand through the fire.

"But it did, when Zevran-"

"With the vapor mixture for Zevran I dramatically, and intentionally, increased the amount of heat the fire put off. Even the fact that it was my magic could not protect me from that," she explained to him, dismissing the flame and holding out her hand for him to inspect. He did so but there was no sign of the dangerous element she'd held only seconds before. "I knew burning my hand would be a side effect but I lacked the time or the proper equipment to do it another way."

"Don't do it again," he asked her, once again stroking her palm with a pained expression. "We can get you the proper equipment, but don't do that again."

She smiled at him sadly and brought her free hand up to trace down the side of his face. "I can't promise that," she told him, he looked like he was about to protest but she pressed a finger to his lips and continued. "If I have the time and proper equipment I will use it, but if I need a very hot fire very quickly, like I did when Zevran inhaled that lye, I will not hesitate to use whatever resources I have at my disposal. Even at the cost of injury to myself."

"But-"

"Hush," Kallia interrupted him, raising her hand and chasing it down his cheek. "It's a hypothetical situation that will do no good to consider until it's upon us."

.oO***Oo.

Leliana crouched as she peered out the window in her room. She was delighted to see Kallia and Alistair sitting next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, and conversing happily. A gleeful giggle escaped her throat and she lightly clapped her hands together. The bard pretended not to notice the sound of the door opening behind her as she quietly muttered encouraging words the couple below couldn't hear, though she shifted ever so subtly so that the throwing dagger in her boot was more easily accessible.

"And what is the fair Leliana up to?" Zevran asked from the doorway, amusement filling his tone.

"Up to?" she repeated with mock indignation. "What makes you think I'm up to anything? Perhaps I am merely enjoying the scenery."

The elf arched an eyebrow and joined her at the window, looking out at the dreary cliff her window looked out on to but his eyes quickly lowered to the woodshed and the couple sitting beneath the awning. "And such enjoyable scenery it is too," he answered delightedly, settling himself into a chair by the window, "Perhaps I shall join you in your scenery watching then, yes?"

She started shushing him distractedly halfway through his replying banter and pressed her nose to the window. Zevran found himself feeling rather put off at her easy dismissal of him, but he couldn't help but look out the window to see what the two Wardens had done to so easily drawn her attention away from him.

They had moved even closer (no small feat considering how close they had been sitting before) and their faces were merely a hair's breadth apart. From his vantage point he could see the Templar's lips moving as he continued to ramble on. Despite himself, Zevran muttered quietly, "Just shut up and kiss her, you fool."

Judging by the look on the female Warden's face below, she entirely (if unknowingly) agreed.

Both rogues were tense as they waited. Both heard the sound of footsteps walking down the hall but both ignored them in favor of waiting on the two Wardens below. The clearing of a throat behind them triggered them both into action and in the blink of an eye Wynne had two daggers embedded in wall behind her.

"What are you two up to?" she asked them suspiciously.

"Up to?" Zevran repeated, quite happily sauntering up to the elder mage. "Why, Leliana was simply showing me the fine craftsmanship of the glass in these windows. Look at it, it is so clear and smooth. So glassy!"

He ran his fingers over the window with the tender care one might give to a lover and seemed to gaze at it longingly for just a moment. In reality, he merely used the chance to check on the two Wardens below and was delighted to see that both were currently enthralled in each other's lips.

"What are you really up to?" the old woman questioned with narrowed eyes.

Zevran gasped. "You wound me so! I have always had a great interest in glass craftsmanship. To suggest otherwise is like a knife straight to my heart!"

The elder mage gave the assassin a stern glare and turned her attention to Leliana, who she knew would at least take her seriously. "Dinner is ready and it would be an opportune time to discuss with the Wardens what the plans are while we are all gathered to eat."

"An excellent idea, I'll wash up and come down," the bard nodded in agreement.

"Please don't be long," Wynne nodded and turned to leave, pausing at the door and adding over her shoulder, "And if you happen see Kallia tell her as well… She seems to have disappeared."

"Our dear Warden is probably just admiring the fine grain of the timber near the wood shed," Zevran said offhandedly.

Wynne blinked. Surely she had heard him wrong, "Wood grain?"

"Yes," Leliana barely contained a laugh. "She has recently developed a bit of an affinity for firewood."

"Between Zevran's glass and Kallia's firewood, everyone seems to be developing rather odd interests all of a sudden." The woman's eyes darted back and forth between the two rogues before her. She had the distinct feeling there was something she was missing but their expressions had been carefully schooled to appear blank and she lacked enough information to put together the pieces "I will see you downstairs then," she told them slowly and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Not seconds after the latch clicked, a high-pitched giggle erupted from the room and Wynne pursed her lips. Her eyes fell on the door to her own room with a window that just happened to look out over the same area Leliana's.

As the Senior Enchanter's eyes fell on the two wardens, she clucked her tongue.

"Affinity for firewood, indeed," she muttered to herself.