Henri wraps his arm around her, setting his tankard down.

Ilska tilts her head, face suddenly serious. "Wanna say that again? To me?"

"No, no, we aren't doing this-"

"Every moment you are with him, you aren't safe. You will never be safe. That is the nature of his kind."

Ilska pushes herself to her feet, slamming her hands down onto the table, flames flickering around her fingers. "Our kind apparently," she snarls. "Insult me all you want. But leave Anders and Cia out of it."

"So like a mage to found a nest of monsters. I'm glad you all found each other, it will make it so much easier to-"

"Broody. Not a single person at this table, yourself included, wants to finish that sentence."

"Threaten my daughter again, and I won't need magic to end you."

Fenris laughs, short and cruel. "Without your blood spells, you would be worthless against me, abomination."

"He's not an abomination!"

Fenris glares at Merrill. "The Tevinter-sympathising-Dalish sympathises with you, Anders."

"Fuck Tevinter," Ilska punches the table, her shoulders are tense, and her eyes are wild. "But fuck you, fight me if you're going to call Anders that."

"You think Anders would protect you? He is simply going to lead you down the same path he did, tying yourself to demons and monsters and becoming the very thing Thedas fears. The fate of all mages."

Merrill has to turn into Henri at that, tiny, almost too-quiet-to-hear sobs, coming from her.

"We are NOT-"

"-THE MONSTERS YOU FACED!"

"Oh. Good. Justice is here."

As if without thinking, Justice's hand shoots out to grab Ilska's, squeezing desperately. 

She squeezes back, but her attention is still focused on Fenris. "People fucking suck. That's just life. You don't get to decide what'll break me. And I don't get to decide what'll break you."

"I am begging you to take this down to a dwarf level before the Templars get involved."

This is probably the sternest Varric has ever sounded. 

Fenris flinches, just slightly. 

-Yup. Ilska is practically a mirror of that. "He started it."

"Anders? Anders, please." Merrill turns big, red-rimmed eyes on the glowing form of Justice.

"I leave you all alone for one night," Talia's stern voice cuts in, as she strides into the room, followed by Raeli.

Like Talia's voice is a charm, Justice retreats, leaving a smell of ozone, and Anders blinks, and looks around the room like he's assessing damage.