"We need to talk," Isabela said firmly, bursting through the estate door and pulling Hawke away from her writing desk and up the stairs. She all but threw the Champion through her bedroom door, slamming it behind her before rounding on Kianna. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Isabela spat. "What?!" Kianna asked, genuinely confused. "Don't you play dumb. I just had a long chat with our big girl and she told me you've still been taking jobs for Meeran!? WHY?" "Why not?" Kianna asked, confused. "Look around you. You could bathe in gold if you wanted to – that actually sounds like fun – but my point is, it's not like you need the money. So why are you still working for him?" Kianna was speechless for a moment but quickly found her voice. "I owe him a lot, Isabela. If it weren't for Meeran, my family and I would never have made it past the gallows. He payed our way into the city. It only feels right that I do him the occasional favor. And besides, there's something – I don't know – freeing about mercenary work. There isn't right and wrong and morallity and ethics and politics. There's the job. The target. My mission to kill him. Black. And white. It's...refreshing." The expression on Isabela's face grew more somber. "Isabela," Kianna stepped toward the rogue, gently running a reasuring hand up and down her arm."I'm always careful. I know how to watch my back; I stay safe." "Well, I just don't like it. You could still get hurt no matter how careful you are," the pirate fumbled for an excuse. "I don't like not being there. You aren't nearly as good a fighter as you like to think you are," Isabela finished, trying to hide her emotions with sarcasm. "I don't even usually have to fight anyone. Occasionally I'll have to take out a bodyguard or two, but usally my targets don't even know what hit them. And if they do see me coming, they move to defend themselves with words, not weapons. And the words I can ignore easily enough," Kianna said, irked that Isabela was giving her so much grief. Isabela shook her head deciding to cut to the point. "I know. And that's what I– what Aveline was worried about. She doesn't like that you have no qualms with the work. That you so calously kill. She worries that...it isn't you, that you're changing, that you're loosing those ridiculous morals that make you...you." "She is? Or you are?" Kianna asked, softening as understanding dawned on her. As Kianna softened, Isabela stiffened. "That's not what I said," she stated, still trying to sound upset. "No, but it's what you meant." "Balls," the pirate breathed. Kianna stepped closer still so that their bodies were a hair away from each other. "Don't worry about me, Isabela," she soothed. "I'm still that morally uptight prick that you met at the Hanged Man all those years ago. I just need that bit of freedom from time to time. I need to be able to not think, to just kill, to just...switch off my brain." "I never thought you were a prick," Isabela said softly. Kianna raised her eyebrows and Isabela burst into a fit of laughter. "Ok, ok. I thought your head was so far up your ass that you could see out your mouth." "Thanks." "Any time," Isabela smiled. "But you've grown on me, alright? I just...wanted to make sure you were ok. Don't read too much into it or anything." "Wouldn't dream of it." - For those of you who are still reading these, thanks for sticking with me! I've launched YET ANOTHER playthrough of DA2, so with some luck, some free time, and a cooperative muse, you'll be seeing more of these soon! And as always, thanks for the reviews! You know who you are!