There's a thoughtful hum, Merrill carefully picking around a few loose stones. Anders had specifically advised her against telling the Council about her blood magic, though he hardly needed to; she had never truly planned on it. Now, though, his words echo through her head.

"I'm not sure that most of my concerns are specifically about mages. Or are anything the Council would agree upon." There's a sideways glance and crooked smile toward Ellana, brief but telling -- she knows exactly what Varric's book says, after all. "But I will remember, if something comes up."

Barkley, though, is a much less complex topic. "Only a few months -- very few. He's Inquisition born, aren't you?" Not that the dog has any real idea what that means, but he does turn to look at them, wagging his tail at the sound of Merrill's voice.