Morrigan’s team was not even a little surprised to see her step onto the Marmuro’k transport caked in drying gore. Though, the look on her face caused some looks of concern and worried whining from Skoll who proceeded to start licking Morrigan generously. Despite how tired she was, Morrigan still smiled at her newest companion and took note that he too was covered in bloodstains.

  “Are you okay buddy?” She asked softly as she pet Skoll, feeling for any wounds before realizing that it was human blood coating his fur, especially around his mouth. Skoll continued to whine as he licked her while the hatch of the transport slammed shut with a hiss.

  “You don’t look so good…” Nora pointed out in concern, the look on her face more worried than everyone else as she watched Morrigan lean on the port wall and mindlessly stroke Skoll’s sticky fur. Nora wanted to do nothing more than coddle her girlfriend and make sure she was alright but even she knew that seemed like a bad idea.

  Morrigan looked across the ship into Nora’s icy blue eyes before looking at H?’tet and Xol, both baring minor injuries from consistent combat. She shook her head and sighed, “I’m just so tired…” She looked towards the pilot whose name she forgot as the ship began to rise and turn towards the void barrier. “Take us to my ship,” she demanded.

  The pilot looked back from his seat to say something but stopped at the sight of her. Even the random Marmuro’k pilot could tell saying anything to the contrary was a bad idea. Instead of responding, he merely piloted the ship towards the direction of the Inquisition ship that helped the Marmuro’k battleship pincer the Federation Frigate.

  The trip was quiet as no one uttered a word, Nora being the only one to move to stand next to Morrigan and support her as she leaned on Nora’s shoulder, Skoll laid across their feet breathing calmly, his rhythmic breathing nearly causing Morrigan to fall asleep standing up.

  The reception on the Archangel however, was anything but peaceful as the dropship hatch opened into a bustling hanger bay, a retinue of Inquisitorial troopers waiting outside the ship to greet or destroy what was aboard. Some were glad to see their Inquisitor back aboard the Archangel yet some were surprised by the massive alien canine that growled at them from inside the ship.

  Morrigan raised her hand as the retinue raised their weapons at Skoll, “Stand down, he’s with me,” she stated tiredly before stepping down the ramp with Skoll defensively at her side. She grabbed a tuft of his fur making him stop and look back at her, “Go with Nora. She’ll show you to our room.” Morrigan turned to look at Nora.

  “You got it hun, but we’ll wait for you first,“ Nora said nodding behind her lover. Morrigan turned back to see that Emily rushing over with data-slate in hand and the look of determination on her face.

  “God damn it…” she muttered to herself before stepping off the ramp and waving off the Inquisition soldiers. Morrigan expected a laundry list of responsibilities after coming back but she didn't expect them to land in her lap the second she got back on board. She saw that Nora dove into conversation with some of the soldiers as Xol and H?’tet wandered off in the bustling hanger before the Marmuro’k dropship took off and left back for Tik’Taq’To. It was hard to focus as Morrigan walked to meet Emily, all of the noise blended together and her brain refused to process anything she saw; only having her attention drawn to the random flash or spark from repair tools being used to work on damaged starships.

  The closer she got to Emily, the more she noticed how frantic she was, “Hey Mori, I’m sorry but I got Shepard breathing down my neck. I have a preliminary report of the battle and Shepard wants you on the bridge and then there’s the Marmuro’k calling for you and none of us know enough to talk to them and then there is your report…” Emily’s voice trailed off in Morrigan’s mind as she grabbed Emily’s arm and forced her to walk with her, using her as support.

  She knew Emily was still talking but noise faded away into a single, static tone in her ears as the surroundings of the hanger bay blended together. She didn’t notice the extent of the damages, the injured milling about from the raid nor did she notice Sigurd’s present standing at attention flanked by two guards as she walked through the hanger.

  The only thing she noticed was how hard it was to keep upright. “Mori...Mori? Mori!” a vaguely familiar voice reached her ears followed by alarmed shouts.

  Morrigan turned in the direction of the noise to see a hand reaching towards her, a large hand she didn’t recognize before her power discharged violently as she recoiled into Emily.

  Whoever attempted to touch her was thrown back several feet and lay sprawled out in pain as the brief burst of adrenaline brought her world back into focus.

  “Taylor…?” she asked as she stared down at the man. Her memory of the voice matched what she had heard but the man, although looked a lot like Taylor except in heavy Federation armor, looked older and more rugged than her memory could recall.

  The ginger bearded man looked up at her and she knew without a doubt that it really way Taylor, unable to forget his eyes.

  “Mori, it’s really you,” he stammered as he took in her mostly clean visage though he could see thin layers and splotches of dried blood caked on her body and clothes. He moved to sit up only for a daunting howl followed by a savage snarl before finding himself dragged another ten feet by something powerful. A massive bluish white paw crushing his chest plate as he looked up to see the large fangs and writhing electrified tentacles belonging to a massive wolf baring down on him.

  “Skoll, stop! Get off him!” Morrigan called out as she rushed and grabbed ahold of Skoll’s tail, yanking on it as she scolded him.

  By then, the entirety of the hanger froze and watched the interaction, many finally seeing the massive alien canine for the first time as their Inquisitor attempted to pull the creature off a prisoner.

  Skoll yelped and hopped to the side before lowering his head with his ears flat. His emotions told Morrigan he knew he was in trouble as he inched closer to her while trying to shrink before finally lying down at her feet.

  “Baby boy… we talked about this,” she groaned as she rubbed her face as she finally took a moment to think. She looked at Taylor before looking up to see a line of prisoners, all of which held different expressions; a couple impressed and amused, one terrified and one that looked bored before Morrigan connected the dots; they were the so called “present”.

  Well, well. The pretty boy returns, Apollyon said in amusement.

  “Sigurd!” Morrigan yelled, her voice echoing through the silent hanger. A second managed to pass before the heavy metallic foot falls of Sigurd jogging across the hanger reached her.

  “Aye, lass? Oh. I see ya saw yer present,” he chuckled in amusement before noticing that all eyes were on them and the massive dog laying on the floor, “Oh, new pup?” he inquired lightheartedly.

  “Yes, new puppy!” Morrigan snapped, letting her frustration be known before an idea popped into her head. She looked down at the punished Skoll, “Speaking of, hey Skoll?”

  Skoll popped his head up and looked at her as her semi-sweet tone told him she wasn’t mad at him. She brushed her hands across his face as she looked into his eyes, “You know, most people are not strong enough to play with you but do you wanna know who is? That man right over there,” Morrigan said quietly even though she knew Sigurd could hear her.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Sigurd watched the giant canine look over at him with curiosity before it let out a sharp huff as a small arc of electricity rippled across the creature’s body. Sigurd was also curious but given the demeanor of the situation, he realized that things were looking bad for him.

  “Now lets hold onto our skivvies for a sec, ya?” Sigurd said nervously.

  Morrigan looked back at Emily who was wide eyed throughout the entire ordeal, “Is your comm connected to the entire ship?” she asked her administrator.

  Emily nodded nervously before prying her long stem comm out of her ear and stretched to hand Morrigan the device. Morrigan looked at Sigurd with a wide, knowing smirk as she put the comm in her ear.

  Sigurd looked between her and the canine before holding his hands up as he backed up a step, “Lass… lets not do anythin’ rash now, ya?”

  His worry only made her grin as she connected to the entire ship’s intercom system, “Attention Archangel crew, this is your Inquisitor speaking. We have a new member aboard named Skoll. He is a B?r?skê, and although large and intimidating, he’s really a sweet heart. I do advise though staying out of his way and please refrain from hostile actions. We are about to conduct an exploratory tour led by Sigurd so please be aware,” she said with a smile before nodding to Skoll.

  Skoll stood up and gave a long stretch before baring his fangs in a lupine smile at Sigurd.

  “Oh… fuck me!” Sigurd exclaimed before turning tail and sprinting across the hanger towards one of the many doors. Skoll darted off after him, releasing a loud cackle as he chased after the cybernetic soldier.

  Oh, you got a mean streak. I am so proud of you.

  “Thanks,” Morrigan replied as she watched as both Skoll and Sigurd vanished through a door which led to a chorus of laughter to break out through the hanger. Soon, everyone went back to work and left their Inquisitor to handle the rest of the situation.

  Morrigan handed Emily back her ear piece before she could let Shepard inquire about the announcement. She had shut off her own comm piece before leaving the Federation Cruiser in hopes to avoid any long, drawn-out conversations yet, she still found herself dealing with things.

  Taylor picked himself up off the ground and approached a second time, holding out his handcuffed hands only for Morrigan to back up defensively, “That’s… that’s not a good idea,” she stated, reminding him of what happened last time he tried to touch her. Instead, he backed up a step and held up his hands, his face betraying his understanding with a look of dejection.

  They looked at each other and soaked in the sight of one another before Taylor spoke, “I thought you were dead… or I did, but you’re alive. I don't even know where to begin, I have so much to tell you… so many questions to ask like, what was that thing?”

  Morrigan only sighed and shook her head, “That asshole. Oh, I got a present for you- yeah you forgot to mention it was my fucking boyfriend who I hadn’t seen in years! Fucking Sigurd!” she thought to herself instead of trying to figure out how to handle the new position she found herself in.

  “That’s… my-“

  “Hey, babe?” Nora interrupted as she sauntered up while watching the door Sigurd fled through with Skoll chasing him, “Is it okay for Skoll to be… oh, who’s this eye candy?” she inquired as she wrapped her arm around Morrigan’s waist. Morrigan saw the curious look on Taylor’s face as he looked between the two of them.

  Morrigan had no energy for sensitivity and found no use prolonging the inevitable, “Nora, this is Taylor… Taylor, this is my girlfriend, Nora,” she said with blatant exhaustion as she looked away awkwardly.

  Taylor pursed his lips and nodded knowingly before looking at Nora, “Its nice to meet you…”

  Nora simply grinned, “Same here dude, I’ve actually heard a lot about you-“

  Hate dead ahead! Apollyon shouted causing Morrigan to look up just in time to see a glint of light from across the room.

  With Taylor in front of her, there was only one other target as she raised her hand in front of Nora’s face to catch the small throwing knife, the blade burying through her palm. Both Nora and Taylor stared at the knife that pierced Morrigan’s hand as blood began to trail down her wrist.

  Morrigan’s face went dark as she pulled her hand back, crimson energy crackling in her hand before she shattered the blade and used her ring finger to shove the rest of the blade through her hand to allow the wound to heal.

  “Now, what I want to know, is who just tried to kill my girlfriend?” Morrigan asked darkly before Nora looked in the direction of the prisoners. Taylor stepped aside to do the same in confusion as Morrigan found the only expression that wasn’t shock. Instead, it was an expression of hate and frustration belonging to a tall blonde woman with dreadlocks.

  “No fucking way!” Nora exclaimed before darting towards the woman.

  “Nora!” Morrigan groaned in an attempt to rein Nora back but she knew better as she moved to watch what happened next, fully prepared to draw her gunblade and fire if needed, or if her anger didn’t subside.

  Nora jogged to the woman and began laughing hysterically as she got a better look at the scowl directed at her. “Oh my God! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Nora cried girlishly before throwing her arms around the taller woman. The blonde dreadhead’s reaction was everything short of repulsion. “I can’t believe it, hey baby! You’re not going to believe this; this is my sister!” Nora turned and exclaimed, drawing more surprised and confused looks. Even Morrigan couldn’t keep from simmering down into complete confusion.

  However, Stephanie shoved Nora back, her face twisted in anger and began signing furiously despite the fact her hands were cuffed.

  “What’s this? What’s with this ridiculousness?” Nora asked with a giggle as she poorly mimicked.

  Taylor was the one to answer from 30 feet away, “she said, “You’re no sister of mine. You… made my life a living hell, you ignorant bitch, if… she wouldn’t have caught my blade, you would be dead…”” Morrigan gave him a curious look before refocusing on the woman as she recalled the story Nora had told her on the Void Star, slowly walking closer as Taylor followed at some distance. Morrigan also noticed the two guards watched everything unfold awkwardly as if they had no idea how to handle the situation. Morrigan couldn’t blame them because she had no clue either and lacked the mental faculties to try and figure it out.

  Nora cocked her head in animated thought before shrugging, “I mean, yeah, I’m an asshole but I didn’t do anything to make your life that bad.”

  Stephanie slapped Nora hard before pulling down the scarf she wore to reveal the horrible scar across her throat before standing up straight while glaring at her.

  Nora held her raw cheek with one hand with a shocked expression as her mind processed what she saw. “Oh, right… that,” Morrigan caught Nora’s tone as she placed her hand in Nora’s, the distant tone of remembrance.

  “But, to be fair, you’re not dead which is pretty important,” Nora pointed out, reverting back to her cheery tone. “Plus, hey, you’re looking fantastic and are doing well, well, aside from the being in handcuffs part but damn does that bring back memories,” she said trailing off before refocusing, “Also, I'm doing way better! I don't piss people off as much- that's a lie but I'm in a stable relationship and even got a little family going, that's improvement, right?”

  Stephanie only scowled deeper which was Morrigan’s cue to end the conversation. Nora’s demeanor was psychotic to anyone who didn’t know her but with how tight she gripped Morrigan’s hand and her soft, questioning undertone, the conversation was about to break down into something much more complicated.

  Morrigan pulled Nora back behind her as she gave Stephanie one final look before turning her attention to Nora and dragging her away a few feet. She could see the underlying emotions beneath Nora’s expression as she stared at her sister before Morrigan grabbed her face and forced her to look at her.

  “Sweetie, you should go find Skoll and head to our room. We’ll figure this out later, okay?” Morrigan asked softly.

  Nora looked between her sister and her lover as her mind raced before nodding rapidly, giving an emotional sniff before resting her forehead on Morrigan’s.

  “I'm sure you'll enjoy some fluffy Skoll cuddles. I'll be along in a minute, I love you,” Morrigan told her. Nora smiled at that albeit weakly before leaning in for a kiss.

  “I love you too, see you soon,” she said before walking away, Morrigan watching her until she exited the hanger.

  Morrigan let out a long sigh before looking back at Stephanie, not forgetting what happened, and seeing her and Taylor signing back and forth. That too grated at her nerves as she stormed forward and pointed at Stephanie.

  “You! If you try anything like that again, I don’t care who you are, I will strangle you to death with your own tendons! Is that understood?” she asked forcefully. Everyone watched Morrigan and Stephanie stare each other down. Stephanie analyzed the shorter woman in front of her before letting out a short breath through her nose and giving a quick sign.

  Morrigan looked at Taylor sharply whose tongue got caught up for a moment, “Uh, yeah, she said fine…” he said before noticing the wound on Morrigan’s hand was no longer there, which caused his eyebrows to furrow. Several of the others noticed it as well.

  “Um, Mori?” Emily said from behind a few feet away.

  Morrigan rolled her eyes out of sight of Emily before turning and stepping towards her expectantly.

  “Well, Sigurd was supposed to ask what you wanted done with the prisoners but he’s now on… tour duty. They’re the only prisoners we have…” Emily informed her.

  Morrigan covered her face and fought the urge to scream in frustration before rubbing her eyes, “Emily, I don’t care. Put them in the brig for now, I need sleep. Tell everyone to fuck off until I wake up, I’m done,” she stated as firmly as possible before walking off, ignoring Taylor and Emily calling after her and storming through the closest door out of the hanger.

  Stalking to her room, she found it completely vacant as she fell into bed and passed out before hitting the pillow.