AN: Gift fic for Lady Catra :3 Hope you enjoy it dear.
She'd been watching. Every single time her brother hadn't been looking at her, she'd been looking at him, and watching him stare. Maybe he hadn't noticed how, after the elf's offer, he had been taking him everywhere with him. From the nastiest places in Darktown, to the upper crust of Hightown, out to the Bone Pit, all the way to the top of Sundermount, there was always at least one elf with the two of them. One elf with deeply tanned skin and white lines that she could even appreciate. Despite his anger at them, they enhanced rather than taking away from his looks, and she was sure Eorwyn could see that too.
And after that mess at his former master's mansion, hearing him flirt in his own awkward way by telling him that killing him for those marks was a waste of a perfectly handsome elf, her hands were tied. So she stared at him from across the hovel they called home as he looked over letters that Gamlen still complained about.
Oh she had no doubt that her brother was an attractive man, but of late, he had let himself go a little. In his haste to drag Fenris along with them to spend as much time with him as possible, he let small things go. Nothing so bad such as personal hygiene. Indeed, she didn't know a man that lived in Lowtown that was cleaner than her brother. Even now, his long, usually lightly curled hair was hanging straight from a cold bath. That was one thing she hated to do, taking a cold bath. She never felt clean from it, but she supposed that her brother made due so that he didn't have to haul warm water more than twice, once for her and once for their mother.
Shaking her head a little on those thoughts, she looked at him again. Brows even she envied hung over the most disconcerting red eyes. Eyes framed by thick lashes and, she was sure, though she never saw him apply it, some sort of makeup to make them stand out even more. He had their father's nose, long and straight, like a noble's, and full lips. That was when she frowned. That full, wide mouth, was starting to get overshadowed.
It wasn't that she personally didn't like men with facial hair. Oh no, she found some of them to be downright handsome. But not her elder brother. He'd been cleanshaven since he'd had his first peach-fuzz. And now there was a scruffy sort of beard growing over his cheeks and chin, and an untrimmed mustache hanging over his upper lip. Reaching into a concealed pocket, she fingered the few silvers that she found and made up her mind.
If her brother was just going to go all demon-doe-eyed at the elf and not concern himself with how he looked, then she would concern herself. "Brother?"
"Mm...Yes Bethany?" Eyes that had never really frightened her fixed on her and she gave him a smile.
"Will you take me to Hightown? I wanted to run some errands." She could see the slightly put out look before it was gone. Really, escorting her up there was hardly a big deal, nor was it really dangerous, but if she had to, she'd play up being afraid of templars.
"I..." A glance toward his letters, then his shoulders rounded out a little, the furs exaggerating the movement. "Why not. I wouldn't mind getting out of here for awhile." A sharp bark came from across the room. "And apparently neither would he."
She smiled triumphantly as the letters were tucked back into their envelopes and laid in a certain order to prevent Gamlen from being a snoop without him knowing, moving to the door and waiting. Her staff, for now, looked like a glorified walking stick, and she took her brother's arm when he joined her. The plan would be to get him into a barber to get a trim and a shave to start with, then perhaps they'd come back and visit Lirene's for some better clothing that didn't look battle hardened.
After that, it would be a simple matter to arrange a dinner for the other two somewhere and see where it went. She was sure Varric or Isabela would happily help with the last part, and the smile on her face lingered as they walked up the flights of stairs leading to the higher end market. Apparently though, it was making Eorwyn nervous, because he kept casting odd looks at her.
"Alright...just what in the Maker's name is running through your head?"
She laughed to deflect it. "Trust me, you really do not want to know." Patting his arm, she chuckled at the horrified look, only able to imagine what her brother must be thinking of. "And do get your mind out of the gutter. Leave it for Varric and 'Bela."
"Bela..is it...You worry me, little sister." Well that much was obvious, and she laughed it off again as she steered him away from the shops to the services that were set up elsewhere and inside of buildings. Thankfully, he didn't seem to realize where they were going until they actually stepped inside, and only then trained a look on her. "Bethany...? Please tell me it's your hair we're getting cut today."
Unwinding her arm from his, she took a tiny step back to push him forward to a chair that had hair shavings around it. "Oh certainly not." She was probably one of the only ones that could get away with pushing her brother into a chair, and she tugged on the scruffy, dagger-trimmed beard, almost smirking at the wince. "You need to keep yourself up better, dear brother, and that includes getting rid of this and a haircut." When he opened his mouth to protest, she laid a hand over it and called the barber over, detailing exactly what she wanted. Then she squealed as a tongue licked her palm and wiped it furiously against her hip while glaring at him.
"You could have just told me instead of beating around the bush you know." The humor in his voice made the glare go away and she shifted away so the barber could get to work.
"You probably wouldn't have paid any attention to me." There was no response, and she saw that the barber had gotten to work. Small bits of hair were being trimmed off to fall around him and into his face a little, and when the hair was done, his beard and mustache were next. She made a gesture to say to take it all off and the barber nodded as hot foamy soap was applied to it. Soon enough, that was being scraped off very closely, and red eyes were closed to the feel of it. She supposed it might feel good to have someone pampering you like that, but she didn't want the facial hair that would give her the option to have it done.
When all was finished, she dropped some coin on the counter for the barber and smiled at her brother, who was thanking the man. "We still have another stop, brother dear."
"Another...? Maker, why are you doing this?" His only answer was a laugh and her grabbing his hand to drag him along. One more stop with him, then a dinner plan. Then hopefully she'd see something cute.
Pulling him back down to Lowtown, she slipped into the Fereldan-owned shop to look at the clothing that was on display before holding up a thick leather to her brother's broad frame. "Hm...I think this will do."
"And let me guess, there are leggings to go with it?" One broad, callused hand came up to hold the jerkin up and against him as the sardonic voice questioned her.
Her eyes twinkled a little. "Perhaps if you keep questioning me, I'll make sure that it's patterned, as well." That was enough to shut him up, and she forced him to hold the clothing she was picking out. There was a pair of hose that came with it and furs that could easily be fashioned to make it look better than it already did. New leather boots and various bracers in fashionable leather completed it, and she heard a suffering sigh as she pulled out her small purse and paid for the purchases.
"I swear..I'm going to buy you a dress that you'll hate me for later." The threat meant nothing to her and she helped him carry some of it home.
"I'm going to arrange for a dinner for you with someone, and you're going to wear this outfit," she told him, ignoring protests again. "I don't want to hear it Eorwyn. You haven't been doing anything for yourself lately, and since you haven't, I'm going to do it for you. Understand?"
"You do realize that I'm the older one here, right? You shouldn't be talking down to me?" There was a hopeful tone in his voice and she turned to walk backward for a moment.
"If that were the case, then why have I been taking care of myself and you haven't?"
"Oh bugger it..." was the grumbled response and she laughed as they marched back into Gamlen's house.
The dinner was surprisingly easy to set up when she talked to Varric. The room next to his suite was clear and free, and talking to the dwarf meant that he had set it aside for them through careful discussions with the owner of the Hanged Man. She had convinced her mother to make a special meal for two and carried it over herself after ordering her brother to get changed.
If he suspected anything, she was unaware of it, and she quickly went about setting up the meal she had so thoughtfully helped to make with covers on it to keep it warm. Fenris would be arriving soon, she knew, so she had to make herself scarce. Not that they would know she'd still be watching. The Hanged Man was nothing if not full of little holes, and she had found one on Varric's wall that she could peer through.
Stepping back a few paces, she frowned at the table and the small handful of flowers in a vase between the platters. It would have to do. Hurriedly, she moved away from the room and hid in Varric's. An amused look from the dwarf told her that he knew exactly what she was up to, and at the softest sound of bare feet on wood, she moved to peer into the room. As expected, Fenris was first to arrive. He looked slightly confused at the lack of company but the obvious two plates, and a quick glance out the door showed that her brother had shown up and and was looking as good as she'd hoped. Now if only the dinner would go well, things would be perfect.
Then she could claim a title of matchmaker and make doe eyes at the two of them when they were all sappy. Hearing voices, she eagerly looked back into the room and listened in. At the very least they were getting along, and she rolled her eyes a little as Eorwyn acted like a gentleman with a lady, offering Fenris the first chair and pulling it out for him even. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth, however, as Fenris removed the gauntlets that he normally never took off so he could eat easier, and her eyes sadly traced the lyrium lines on his hands until she couldn't see anymore.
She wished, vaguely, that she could better hear what they were saying, but the smile and obvious chuckle coming from the elf proved that her brother had turned on the charm and was more relaxed. Sitting back, she smiled. Mission accomplished, and hopefully there wouldn't be a problem in the future. She wanted to see the two of them together in a large way, mostly to please her own aesthetical vision, but also to make her brother happy.