Sister Leliana painstakingly climbed the hill, gasping for air.
No wonder the Hawkes were all so skinny.
She took a deep breath and climbed the final bit, finally finding herself in flat ground. She sighed. The Hawke home stood in front of her.
It was not a big house, nor was it pretty. It was a simply country family house, mostly wood, with patches of white painted brick. The brick portions seemed dirty, no, aged. It was not a house for impressing anyone.
With brisk steps, Leliana climbed the few steps of the stone porch and knocked on the large oak door.
Silence.
She rubbed her head, eyebrows lowering. She did not want to come back later, it was hard enough to come all the way from center Lothering the first time.
Scowling, she went around the house, expecting to find someone.
She knocked on the back door, loud enough to scare off nearby birds.
"Nobody's inside."
Leliana turned around instantly, reaching for the hidden dagger strapped to her thigh.
The mysterious young woman raised an eyebrow.
"You know, you're the intruder in my property." She said "I should be the nervous one."
Leliana took a deep breath and relaxed. She observed the woman.
She seemed to be in her early twenties, with burnt orange hair and piercing blue eyes. She carried a great sword strapped to her hip. More importantly, she was very much shirtless, stained white bandages wrapped around her breasts. She was fairly muscular and obviously fit.
Leliana could feel the heat rush to her cheeks. She cleared her throat.
"Excuse me, I wish to speak to the head of the household. Is Leandra Hawke here?"
"I'm the head of the household."
She stared at the young woman inquisitively.
"Hawke. Well, Storm Hawke." She said, grinning "I usually handle things."
Leliana felt herself smile and nodded.
"It's nice to meet you Storm. I haven't seen you in Lothering before."
"I don't usually go by the Chantry, sister. They're…Let's say not very fond of me and leave it at that."
Hawke smirked. She looked over Leliana, inspecting her.
"So?"
Leliana gaped at her.
"Uh?"
"I thought you had business to discuss."
"Oh!"
Leliana covered her face with her hands and shook her head.
"I'm so sorry, I am a bit distracted."
She smiled.
"Yes, well, the Chantry building has fallen in disrepair and we need some donations."
"No."
Once again, Leliana found herself gaping at Hawke.
"No?"
"Nope."
"May…May I inquire why?"
Hawke's eyebrows lowered and Leliana thought she looked much like a red furred wolf, about to jump their prey.
Not that she would mind getting jumped by her.
"What, no, focus." She thought.
"We don't have the money."
"Oh."
Hawke's face relaxed and she looked away. Leliana sighed.
"I understand."
"You know, you have a really sexy accent."
Just when she had left her guard down, the hawk was striking. She stuttered and flushed and tried to back away only to hit the back door.
"I never thought you to be a shy woman, sister Leliana."
Leliana eyes went wide and she gawked at the eldest Hawke.
"I never told you-"
"Just because you don't know me, doesn't mean I don't know you."
Leliana felt like she was trying to phase through the door.
"You're blushing sister." Said Hawke, walking towards her. She stopped, eyeing her inquisitively "If you wish to leave."
Leliana's leg didn't seem to respond to her brain anymore.
"No."
And neither did her mouth apparently.
Hawke's hand brushed her hip as she reached for the doorknob and she trembled.
In seconds, they found their way to Hawke's bed.
"Is this a bed bunk." Muttered Leliana, looking at the underside of the top bed.
"Quite obviously. Would you rather we take my mother's bed?"
"Is that the only other bed in the house."
"Well, there is my brother's but he's at that age and he doesn't wash his sheets."
Leliana looked at Hawke, eyebrows furrowing.
"You believe this to be a time for jokes?"
Hawke grimaced.
"I wish I was joking."
The ambient broken, Leliana tried to get up, determined to leave. Hawke pushed her back down. Hawke's weight on Leliana's chest was oddly sensual and she let herself lean back.
She found herself staring into Hawke's icy blue eyes, framed by gentle firm eyebrows. Leliana swallowed dry and let her begin to undress her.
"That girl is going bad places."
"Why can't she be more like her sister?"
"I thought she was just upset over her father's death, but anyone tells me she's always been like this."
"Bah, apples never rotten far from the tree. Malcolm was an awful man, always wisecracking and smirking like a dog that got in the pantry."
Leliana frowned. She continued her knitting even as the elder sisters gossiped.
"All tarts, she and all the girls who fell for her."
"Well, I believe she's a very nice, responsible girl!" barked Leliana. The elder sisters look flabbergasted at her. Leliana blushed and returned to her knitting. Feeling a lump on her throat, she drank some tea.
"Well, Leliana, you must admit she's acting very inappropriate for a seventeen year old."
The tea was promptly spit out.
"You're Sister Nightingale?"
Upon hearing the voice she hadn't heard for 13 years, Leliana felt like jumping out of her own skin. She stared at the party, unsure of what to do.
Hawke looked much older. A lock of grey hair was tucked behind her right ear and her eyebrows seemed to be permanently lowered. A facial tattoo covered her left cheek.
"Holy crap, it's you!" said the woman to the right of her. Upon closer inspection, Leliana realized she knew her as well.
"Isabela!" said Leliana, genuinely happy to see her.
At least now the other companions would think her previous expression was due to recognizing Isabela, not Hawke.
If she didn't open her mouth.
She didn't.
At the very end of the encounter, the dwarf with the crossbow had to ask.
"So, how do you know the sister, Isabela."
Isabela rolled her eyes.
"I met her when she travelled with the Hero of Ferelden."
"Oh." Said Hawke, a sarcastic smile breaking "So you're the Leliana?"
Leliana tried to compose herself.
"Yes, she was…Dear to my heart."
"That means they were screwing before the Warden kicked the bucket." Said Isabela, hand in hip and a forlorn expression on her face "You know, I propositioned to them both but no deal."
Hawke's smile only seemed to grow.
Isabela tapped her foot and rolled her eyes again.
"Wipe that smile off your face Hawke, just because you slept with her back in Lothering doesn't make you the stud of studs."
Leliana gasped. She felt like she was falling. The pirate turned to her, eyebrow quirked.
"Seems that Warden was a hussy before she met you."
"Oh!" said Leliana, exhaling in relief and smiling "You slept with the Warden!"
The smile quickly left her face.
"What."
"Listen, Sister." Said Hawke in a mocking tone "We really have to get going."
"Right. Uhuh."
After a few goodbyes, the bard was left alone and resolved to beat Hawke's face in if she ever saw her again.