"Smart, definitely, but mostly the tired mother friend of Hawke's gang."

"I'm ninety percent certain every group of friends has one of those. Although I think Deke's ours..."

"Yes, he did seem rather...mum like," Anders laughs.

"You noticed that, huh? Yeah. If Circe over steps with anything, tell Deke. He'll deal with it."

"Once I find my footing, I will attempt to recognise overstepping," Anders says drily.

"It includes making you uncomfortable," Tana says carefully.

"She won't have to worry about that too much. Person to person? Hard to make me uncomfortable. Only deep dark spaces, apparently."

"You've never seen Circ on a bad day," Tana says. "She gets vicious."

Their dive levels out. "C'mon. Let's go see how your coat's doing. Unless you wanna see if any of the big boys are around?"

"I'll be sure to mind my tongue on those days," Anders says with a nod. 

"Sure. I'm at your disposal," he adds with a cheeky wink.

Tana laughs. "Happily married and hopelessly gay, Anders. You're cute, but so far from my type."

"Your wife is a very lucky woman," Anders says, nudging Tana playfully.

"She agrees with you. I think she'll like you."

"That's a lovely thought. I do quite like people liking me. Keeps me alive."

"Well. I like you. And Deke likes you well enough. Rex seems to as well. You're good here."

And now: laundry room. Someone had hung Anders' jacket over a line, and it seems to be mostly dry, only a little worse for wear.

Anders touches it gently, this piece of home. It still holds a soft smell of elfroot, despite everything, and maybe that means Anders can go home. Eventually.

"I wonder what my family thinks of my sudden disappearance."

"I'm sure they're trying to figure out what happened," Tana says quietly. "C'mon, sewing kit's in the medbay."

Anders smiles gratefully over his shoulder at Tana. He then grabs his coat and follows her out.

"So, why isn't your wife aboard?"

"Ri's people sailed the surface of the ocean. She grew up under the sun. Add to that she's nearly seven foot, and well... Subaqua ships are not really designed for people her height. And she gets flinchy away from the sun."

“So she’s my height then,” Anders says, with a grin. “I don’t blame her. I much prefer the sun myself. How did you meet?”

"Actually Ri's taller than you," Tana says off-handedly. "Met while I was still trying to fix myself. She was trying to find work on land, barely spoke the language, and was hopelessly lost. We hit it off."

"Must be hard being away from her for so long."

"It is," Tana agrees as they step into the medical bay, "but she doesn't do well under the waves, and I don't do very well on land. We make it work."

She rummages around in a cupboard.

"Very star-crossed lovers. My friend Varric would write a book about you two."

"Rii says one of the guys she travels with is. Or is trying to. Something like that."

She straightens, holding out a small case. "Sewing kit."

"He like telling grandiose stories of heroes too?" 

Anders accepts the sewing kit. "Thank you. I'd be lost without this coat."