[sic]

Snow pressed against the side of her face, the cold seeping into her bones even through the layers of her uniform. Her ears still rang from the blast but then Charter was there, yanking her up, Adaar's voice somewhere in the distance telling the troops to regroup. Harding tried to help, pulling up members of their squad but too many of them weren't moving. The snow around them was tinged an awful red, the blood raising unnaturally past her ankles. She was trying to get Chevin up when someone yelled incoming and another blast landed too close sending them both flying and landing hard against rocks and snow. 

Lace's eyes snapped open, her breathing loud in the tiny apartment. A memory. A nightmare. Even after months of being away from the military the nightmares persisted. She never even used to dream before being a solider, now it felt far too often her sleep was being intruded on.

She shivered in the dark, the heat in the building barely worked and the early winter air was cold. That made her frown because she shouldn't be cold, she'd gone to bed curled around Zalan, the two of them barely fitting in her tiny bed.

Wrapping the quilt around herself she slipped out of her room, looking for where he'd gone. 

"Zalan?" 

The apartment was small enough just glancing around was enough to tell her he wasn't there, but the window to the fire escape was cracked- probably the thing that had woken her up, the outside air making everything even colder. 

Pushing the window open Harding maneuvered her way out, still clutching her blanket close. Lounging on the steps going up the fire escape was Zalan, sitting crossed legged with a few folders and papers spread around him, staring at one page so hard Lace worried his face would get stuck like that. She could tell when he noticed her, he tensed before forcing his body to relax and sat up looking concerned. 

"I didn't wake you did I?" He held his hand out, concern marring his features as she took the hand and let him pull her closer until she was sitting in the opening of his lap.

"What are you doing out here?" It was still dark and cold out making her pull the blanket tighter. Zalan noticed, he always noticed, and rubbed her arms despite not wearing much more than herself.

"Couldn't sleep." A lie. She could hear it in his voice, he always was a bad liar when it came to her. She hummed a noise in disbelief. "Dreams. I didn't want to disturb you so I came out here." He rectified. That one sounded more true, and he did look worried. 

She leaned back into his chest, "You didn't wake me. A nightmare did. … and it's cold in there without you." 

She could feel the vibrations of him chuckling softly, "Ah so you were just looking for your human blanket?" He leaned his chin on her head. 

"So what if I was?" She teased, elbowing him gently in the ribs, "What else am I keeping you around for?" 

"Ouch," He held a hand over his heart dramatically, "I was hoping for at least my dashing wit? Or maybe for that thing I do with my tongue—"

"Ahh!" She shrieked and slapped her hands over his mouth, flushed and laughing. "I get it, I get it, I'll never tease again." 

"Liar." Gently moving her fingers away he kissed her knuckles, making her smile softly at him. Trying to fight back the embarrassing butterflies she twisted to pick up one of the papers that he'd been looking at. 

"So what are you working on?" She glanced over the report; numbers, dates, times, expenses. And something else, in between, 

"Something for Varric, he asked me to take a look and see if I could spot anything." He leaned back on his hands with a sigh. Harding leaned further into him, letting her eyes find the irregularities. 

"There's a code." She finally said, "A set of coordinates and the word Fen'Harel." He leaned close to her as she pointed to several of the numbers on the page. 

"Varric's not going to like that." He mumbled and set his chin on her head as she put the papers away. 

He was quiet for several long moments before shifting and looking back at Harding, "If you're not going to go back to sleep then I want to show you something." 

Lace's face stayed warm and pink as she stood and let Zalan disappear back inside for a moment. When he reappeared he was carrying blankets and she raised an eyebrow but let him lead the way up the fire escape. 

"Zalan where are we going?" She had to stoop to pick up a pillow that had fallen out of the pile. 

"The view of the city from the rooftops is almost as beautiful as you. And it'll be dawn soon, we can watch the sun come up." He explained while they climbed the couple of levels to the top of the building. Lace choosing to ignore his flirting with a roll of her eyes.

The roof was flat with minimal piping and electrical storerooms. It looked old, the bricks sun bleached and pavement slightly lined with tiny cracks. Zalan picked a spot near the roof access stairwell to give them a place to sit against and dumped all the blankets in a pile. Lace chuckled watching him trying to put together a makeshift nest of sorts for them. 

"Did you take every blanket in my apartment for this?" She chuckled as she crouched next to him, shoving the throw pillows he'd carried into the pile. 

He grinned at her as they made something that looked passably comfortable and pulled her down into the plush space, "Most definitely, but I think it's worth it." 

Lace, bundled up in her quilt with another blanket pulled close around both of them and Zalan at her back she finally felt warm again. Relaxing against his chest and following to where he pointed out over the city. It was beautiful- it was still dark enough that the lights flickered and cast a soft glow out across the nearby buildings where the bustling nightlife was still going strong. They were just far enough away that the sounds were dulled but there was movement, twinkling lights flitting from place to place. There might have been the barest outlines of stars in the sky too if she squinted. 

"My Ma used to do this with me back home. You could see so many stars." She could feel the hum through her back. It had been beautiful back home too. The owls and peepers in the summer or the howl of a coyote. It had been a fuller kind of darkness. It was easy to remember her Ma setting out a blanket on the ground for them and letting her stay up past her bed time. 

"The city that never sleeps provides us with our stars. They're just closer to the ground here." He mused. 

"I guess this city does have its charms." She mused, watching the cars shine like lightning bugs in the distance, wondering if one day she'd think of the city with as much fondness as she did of the farm back home. 

Gently booping some people who might be interested in reading (no pressure if you don’t) ::

"Varric you have to stop doing this, one day you're going to get into a fight you can't win." Harding was scolding him, frustration lacing her words as she wrapped up a bleeding knife wound in his arm. 

The graying dwarf huffed a laugh, "I hate sitting idle, might as well stick my nose in all the places it doesn't belong." He grinned but it quickly turned into a grimace when she pulled the bandage a little too tightly to tie it into place. 

"This isn't the inquisition- you don't have a bunch of us to keep you safe. You're on your own out here." She gave his knee a pat as she got up to put away her first aid kit.

"Then come work with me, you always were the best at keeping me alive." He laughed. Harding scowled at him, but the thought did cross her mind. He needed more help than whatever he was getting. 

⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖

"Thanks for meeting me Harding." Varric was sitting at her favorite little cafe in the heart of the city, three steaming mugs before him. 

She raised a brow at the drinks as she slid into her short chair- the biggest reason, other than the good tea, it was her favorite spot. Her feet touched the ground easily and Varric slid her a mug, 

"It's your favorite tea, I need a favor after all." He told her 

"The third mug Varric." Lace said, gesturing to the empty chair beside the older dwarf. She was in between interviews for jobs beneath her qualification and it was beginning to grate on her. 

The third person; a human man, short for a human, slid into the seat, tipping his dark baseball cap at her and flashing a grin. 

"Harding this is Zalan, he's helping me with this job I've told you about."

"What's the favor?" She asked, sipping her tea, which was in fact exactly how she liked it, which almost soothed the headache beginning to form.

Zalan set an open laptop on the table and slid it to her, "We have surveillance footage and Varric says we need your excellent, lovely eyes, to go over it. See if it's doctored, if the shot was possible, things like that." 

She was already frowning before the laptop was even on her side of the table. Her eyes slid to Varric who gave a little shrug. But Harding wasn't amused. 

"Do I want to know where you even got this?" For Varric. She would do this one thing for Varric. 

"Probably not." 

⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ 

Harding hopped from foot to foot, her eyes skating around trying to keep eyes on every direction outside her tiny office in the pharmaceuticals company she was currently working for. Varric was on her work computer, doing something with Zalan again at his side looking deep in the companies files. If her bosses found them in here she was definitely fired. 

"Hurry up." She hissed and Zalan looked up with a smile, 

"Don't sweat it Harding, we'll be out of your hair in just a minute." He popped a thumb drive into the tower and was directing Varric on which files to take and Harding blanched, her blood starting to boil, 

"You can't just steal the company's information like this." She warned, stomping closer trying to pull the drive out. 

Zalan managed to catch her hand and give her pleading eyes, "We really need to track this down, please Lace." Antivans. They were too good at big puppy eyes. 

She bristled at it and pulled her hand back, "Don't call me that." 

Varric declared it was finished and pulled the drive just as the door to her office opened, a man with several stacks of papers for Harding freezing just inside before his face turned an interesting shade of red. 

⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ 

Varric handed Harding a cup of her favorite tea, an apology written all over his face as the jingle of the coffee shop door sounded behind him. 

"They fired me." She told him, anger rising in her gut. She took a sip trying to cool her anger but she had been right. Another new job, a corporate accountant for some clothing company, still not something she'd want to do forever. But this time it had been cut short because the numbers didn't lie. The upper management was pulling money out of the accounts into their own. Corruption, telling their workers it was a lower sales season when really they were doing better. She'd tried to tell someone. They didn't like it.

"It's tough here kid. There's corruption in lots of places. It's hard but there's always ways to fight back. Things will look up soon, I promise" 

Varric had listened to her rant about it the entire walk to the cafe. He'd bought her a tea and made a phone call right when they parted ways. She may have thought it strange but it was Varric, he was always busy. If she had any suspicions when she heard the news about the business being hacked and money suspiciously being funneled through all the most legal channels back into the workers accounts, Harding chose to stay silent. And if she got a small card embossed with a crow on it slipped through her mail slot with the message, 'Some wrongs can make things right.' Signed: R00k she said nothing. After all Varric might just be onto something- someone was fighting back. 

List to the masterpost

Gently booping some people who might be interested in reading (no pressure if you don’t) ::

Keeping in my own tradition I’m posting trading cards on day one! I love getting photos of Harding but because she’s a wields a bow her action shots don’t often totally fit in the card shape 😔

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Masterpost for all the trading cards is HERE

Harding huffed and slammed her book closed in frustration, dramatically flopping her head onto the table.

"Harding? You're here in early. I thought you weren't on until later," Neve said as she walked over to check if there was a pot of coffee ready in the Wyvern 952.

"Yeah I have a few hours before I'm scheduled to work. I rode in with Taash. Plus if I work on my school work here, I get the good coffee. And pizza."

Neve nodded in agreement. "And how is school going?" She asked, eyebrows raised in a way that Harding knew she'd seen her little breakdown.

"School is great. I love the classes. Dock Town community is a lovely school and they offer evening classes."

"But?" Neve prodded. Harding furrowed her brow at her friend. Sometimes she hated how perceptive Neve was.

"It's taking forever! Thought I would have been done with my degree two years ago, and instead, I have at least two more years at the community college! Maybe longer, depending on what classes are being offered in the evenings!" She dramatically flopped back onto the table again.

Neve nodded knowingly, though Harding couldn't see her. She sipped at her coffee thoughtfully. "Do you want me to schedule you less? I've been thinking about hiring someone else to ease up the pressure on all of us."

"No. I still need to work, even with roommates. Books for these last few classes were really expensive. And I like being able to work and do school. It's nice to break things up."

"Then what's the real problem, Lace?" Neve asked, sitting down at the breakroom table with her.

She didn't lift her head. "That's it. It's just school."

"Sure. Well, if you want to talk about it, let me know," Neve said, standing to go to the main part of the store.

"Can you ask Lucanis to make more coffee?" She said, peeking out from her arms.

"Sure Lace."

Come back tomorrow for the next installment 💖

Special thanks to @blackwall-my-tiny-husband for the banner and dividers.

Sending out gentle taggies, as always no pressure and have a consensual forehead kiss either way

Charter stopped the car beside the curb, the apartment building looming up before them. The car was filled with boxes taped and labeled in Lace's neat handwriting. The elf let out a low whistle, leaning over her friend to look out the passenger window. 

"Harding this place looks like water damage and a fungal infestation waiting to happen."

Lace laughed lightly, Charter was exaggerating, it didn't look that bad. "It's an older building- just a little rough around the edges is all." 

"You're moving into a garbage heap. I can't believe Varric told you this place was livable." Charter shot back. 

Lace ignored her. Varric had told her it was one of the oldest apartment complexes when she'd told him where she was moving to in Antiva City. But it was the best looking one in her budget. And the big city where both Varric and Cassandra lived sounded like the perfect change of scenery she needed.

"It has character." She finally mumbled when she noticed Charter still looking at her. 

The elf groaned but got out of the car, stretching. "Where is that old man anyway. He's supposed to be here helping." 

Harding looked around the place she was about to start calling home. The sounds of cars and people and life were in abundance here. So very different than the quiet of her Ma's farm. The rolling hills and mountains in the distance replaced with tall buildings obscuring the horizon and gray sidewalks winding through the city instead of trickling streams. And different still than the places she'd been stationed in the military with the Inquisition. Not the sands of the Hissing Wastes, nor the dreary wet of the Storm Coast. A much needed change. 

"You shouldn't be so rude to friends offering time out of their very busy schedules to come help out." The gruff voice pulled Harding out of her musings and she turned with a smile to see Varric. 

He looked older than the last time she'd seen him- with gray streaking his hair but he was grinning and his eyes still shone with that warmth she'd always expected of him. 

Charter snorted with laughter, "What busy schedule? Writing your smut books?" 

Lace pulled him into a quick hug in greeting, it had really been too long. And Varric barked a laugh at the elf. "I'll have you know Swords and Shields is doing great." 

The easy back and forth brought another smile to Harding's face, she'd missed having more people around. After coming back it had felt quieter at home, she'd missed the bustle of too many people in cramped quarters and the camaraderie that laughter at shared meals and joking out on duty brought. 

Patting the back of Charter's car she popped the trunk, it was time to get her new life rolling.

⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖ ⌖

The door to her apartment was hanging open while all three of them looked at the tiny space inside. Lace had tried not to let her heart drop a little every time she saw it- she'd known it was going to be small but the one room apartment was even tinier in person. The bathroom looked like it could have been found in a motel, cramped, yellowing, and the door barely squeaking past the toilet. Same with the closet sized bedroom with the little twin bed inside. But the place had come fully furnished. That counted for something if she ignored Charter's joking comments that it was probably because the last tenant had died there in the room. 

With her things inside it felt even more crowded but looking in it still felt like an accomplishment. Her colorful throw pillows sat on the dingy off white couch, her books lined the singular wobbly shelf, her quilted bedspread covered the tiny bed and made the space feel warm and loved. She'd been expecting to have to make the journey here herself, alone. But Chater and Varric had really pulled through, insisting that they help their friend. It was always the kindness of her friends that buoyed her. 

Charter sighed but didn't say anything and just called to order delivery pizza. Varric chuckled at the elf's exasperation but nodded to Harding, "I know you picked this place out to try something new, get away from it all. But I'm doing some work here." He paused and Harding looked at him, something about the way he said it had her Scout's instincts on edge.

"Not war reporting, there's no war here." She looked at him, and he shook his head, 

"No, not writing. But you know me, I'm always getting into trouble. I'm helping some questionable friends out. Good enough people generally but not on this side of the law. If you get bored come find me." He told her, quietly, so Charter wouldn't pay them any attention. She was intrigued, anything Varric was up to was always dangerous but usually well meaning. But she had moved to get away from everything, not to be back in the middle of it all. She wouldn't have left the military if she'd still wanted that. 

He must have seen it on her face because he hurried to add, "Just if you ever find yourself missing the action. And maybe as a heads up if I show up at your door it means trouble isn't far behind." 

She dipped her head towards him in acknowledgment, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be out of the action for long if he had his way. "If you need somewhere to lay low you always know where I am."