"I couldn't tell if they were with those others or someone else entirely," he said. Knowing how things were at the docks, it plausibly could have been either. He resisted the urge to look her over more closely. Exposed on the steps leading to Hightown wasn't the place for such things. She was on her feet, not gushing blood, and not wheezing. That had to count for something.

"I'm all right." He wiped his sword on the downed man, although it was more difficult to find a clean spot on his clothing that wasn't already blood soaked.

"These crabs had better be ambrosia." He was beyond irritated at himself for not anticipating the kind of trouble they'd probably run into on the way back from the trip. He wouldn't make that sort of mistake again. They might have been better off staying overnight and sailing in with the dozens of other boats coming and going. Would they have truly been more conspicuous?

He bent for the basket again, turning a thought over in his head that wasn't exactly...pleasant...but was practical. "We should stop at the Rose," he said hesitantly. "I'm not Madame Lusine's favorite person, but...she's never one to turn down the opportunity of being owed a favor, and she'll have potions and things to clean these injuries. She'll also be discreet. She didn't get her position in the Coterie by blabbing other people's business all over Kirkwall, and she's not stupid enough to try to blackmail either one of us."