"I mean, if we do end up going to see Anders, I'd probably lose it anyway."

Merrill gasps in dismay. "Anders isn't racist! He's...a little ignorant, but he's always willing to correct himself!"

"Well, I'm very glad to hear he isn't racist!"

Anya rolls her eyes and bumps Tabs with her hip. "Stop flirting with the man. He isn't even here to flirt back."

"Let a girl rehearse so she doesn't stammer her way through something truly embarrassing." 

"Oh, did I miss something dirty? I always miss dirty jokes. Sometimes I'd quite like to hear them."

"Never you fear, we'll teach you some truly terrible ones."

"Don't actually take our dirtiness into your vocabulary. You will make NO friends. You'll probably lose them. We're terrible."

Merrill reaches out to loop her arm with Anya's. "I would have you two, and Isabela, and Hawke, and Varric. More than enough friends for anyone."

"That is quite a handful." She squeezes her arm. "You're really great. Thank you so much for everything."

Merrill blushes a deep, deep red, and giggles. "Oh, it's nothing, really. Teaching is a far nicer way to help than fighting, anyway."

"You'll find we heartily agree there."

Merrill giggles a little more, ducking her head. 

Once they're in the city, heading towards the Alienage, she points out the stairs to Darktown, and then with a wave, heads home.

Anya waves back and then takes Tabs' hand. "Darktown really is such an ominous name."

"I suppose calling it 'the slums' wouldn't be fantasy enough though. At least there's not rakghouls in this Undercity."

"...isn't there, like, darkspawn though. Or demons? I definitely remember demons."

"I think that's further down. Like this bit is the hub world, kind of thing. But yeah. Demons. Oh! And lyrium smugglers."

Anya makes a face. "Remind me to never ever take any lyrium ever."

"Don't worry, you're all good. Mages can't get addicted, it's just non-magicky folks. I won't be taking any. No Templar powers are worth losing what's left of my mind."

"What, seriously? How does that work?"

"Lyrium's kinda...mana. In solid form. The Titans- you remember that truly awful Inquisition DLC, right?"

"I try to forget, but yeah. It's their blood or something, right?"

"Yeah! So anyone with magic in their veins, like you-" She boops Anya's nose. "-is fine."

She scrunches her nose. "Wild. This is so fucking weird. I'm so glad you're such a huge nerd."

Tabs scoffs. "God, such a huge nerd. Disgustingly nerdy. Someone stop me."