Raeli who is busying sharpening arrow heads, and glances up, with a pleasant smile-

-and a flash of Defiance.

Talia blinks, and then inclines her head. "I understand," she confirms. "May I talk to Anders now?"

“Hawke?” Anders calls from the back of the clinic, where he’s elbow deep in a pot, mixing poultices. 

Karl moves aside. 

There's the tiniest of pauses, before Talia steps past Karl and towards Anders.

"One of them," she agrees. "Henri's running interference for me with Mama and the twins."

“I’m sorry I missed him. I hope everything’s okay?”

Talia smiles. "I'll let him know." Beat. "I had an offer for you, if you'd like. An apology. For taking you away from your..people."

"It's-" no trouble? It was. It was the right thing to do? Maybe so, but he doesn't feel that way. Nothing seems right to say, so instead he nods. "You don't need to apologise, but thank you."

"You're probably the only one of your little family to think that," Talia says. "And speaking of your family. Your clinic seems...a little crowded for you all."

Anders looks around the room. “You’re not wrong. It seemed much bigger when there was just the three of us.”

"Turns out, I now have a basement fairly nearby here. Bit more space." She holds out a key. "Even if don't owe you for dragging you to the Deep Roads, I do owe you for keeping me, Henri and Varric alive."

Anders stills, his mouth drops open in shock. “You- that’s a very generous offer, Talia.”

“One that we should very happily take. We can’t very well cram into the back room every night,” Karl says as he walks up next to Anders. 

"Exactly. Listen to the smart man."

“Are you sure? You’re not going to need it?”

"I'm a Ferelden farm girl, who now has a mansion. I have more rooms than I am ever going to know what to do with."

“Such a problem, huge mansions. A very relatable concern,” Anders laughs. He takes the key, marvelling at it. “Thank you, Talia. Truly.”

“Is it close by?”

"Yes. And there is in fact access to it from here. I can show you?"

“Please. I’ll come with you so Anders can stay and keep healing.”

“Let us know how much work it needs,” Anders says with a laugh, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s clearly worried about being separated from Karl for any length of time. 

"It won't take long," Talia assures.

Raeli materialises at Anders side. "I'll come too. Need to stretch my legs anyway."

Anders is unabashedly relieved that someone else is going with Karl. Not because he doesn’t trust Talia, he just doesn’t trust Darktown. Or Kirkwall as a whole.