Bartrand's office is small, dimly lit, and smells of stale cheese. Judging from the crumbs near the corner of his mouth, Hawke deduces that his beard may very well be the source of this odor. "We've wasted enough of your time." She replies, eager to step back out into the comparably-breezy court of the merchant's quarter, "Bethany."

Bethany cocks a neatly-plucked eyebrow. Really? She seems to think. Is that really it? Skeptic or not, she follows Hawke back out into the sunlight. It is only when they are out of Bartrand's earshot does she speak. "Well that was a bit," she pauses, "anticlimactic."

"We'll find some way to gather coin, underground enterprise or not." Hawke chuckles to herself. "Underground, because they're heading into the Deep Roads?"

"No, sis," Bethany nods, "I got it." Hawke doesn't miss the eye-roll to follow, and she doesn't miss the slight smile that follows it. "I just wish there was something we could do."

Hawke opens her mouth to answer, but the thoughts are knocked out of her head as a scrawny redhead barrels into her. He mutters an apology as he sprints away, and she instinctively reaches for the coin purse at her hip. "H-hey!" That's the last of our money, he can't –

The thief lets out a yelp before Hawke can even think to pull the sword form her back. A single arrow pins him to the wall by the leather strap wrapped around his wrist. Hawke feels the anger explode behind her eyes, and she storms up to him, ready to strike. "Give me that." She growls, snatching the purse back, not before taking out a few coppers out to tuck into his hand. "You could've just asked." She adds on a gentler note. Flicking her head to the side, she yanks the arrow from the wall. "Now get out of here. And get yourself something to eat."

She watches as he scurries off, clutching his wrist to his chest. He hadn't looked like any old coterie thug trying to score an easy payload. She had seen that hungry, lost look many times while walking through Lowtown after a night of running jobs for Athenril.

"You know," she hears behind her. "I had a whole act of heroism planned that didn't involve a surprise act of charity at the end." Hawke turns to see a Dwarf – surprisingly nonbearded – sauntering up to her.

"Is this your arrow?" She asks, eyeing the crossbow on his back. Squinting at him, she frowns. "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Varric Tethras," he says, holding a hand out. "And of course I know who you are. You've made quite a name for yourself in the last year."

Varric Tethras. So that's where she knew him from. "Funny," she says dryly, ignoring his outstretched hand. "You look different without the swarm of women around you."

He grins at her, a hell-of-a-smile that almost knocks her off her feet. "You're familiar with my work!" For a moment, she wants to smile back. "Although, why you'd pick Swords and Shields is beyond me."

"Io loves her romances," Bethany says, giving Hawke a coy look. "The poor thing was in tears when we had to leave her trunk behind in Lothering." She rests her elbow on Hawke's shoulder, staring down at Varric curiously. "Tethras, huh? So Bartrand is your," she trails off.

"Brother, yes." Varric finishes. "And, lucky for you two, I'm willing to look for space for you on this expedition of ours. But it's gonna cost you."

"Ah," Hawke nods, "so you're going to extort us?"

Varric laughs, a sound that Hawke doesn't necessarily dislike. "I'm not here to extort you. I'm here to work with you." His eyes are kind. "Like I said, you've made quite a name for yourself in the last year, and I think that we can use you down in the Deep Roads. Not as a hire for the expedition, but as a partner. If there's one thing Bartrand can't say no to, it's coin." Varric scratches his chin, appearing to think about it. "I'd say fifty sovereigns'll do the trick."

"If I had fifty sovereigns, I wouldn't be doing this!" Hawke exclaims.

"Listen, Hawke, I know it sounds impossible, but just think of how much coin you'll be rolling in afterwards." When Hawke begrudgingly notes that he has a point, he continues. "And I never said I wouldn't help you scrape it together. Bartrand needs a way into the Deep Roads, and I've got the tip on a Warden with a map."

Hawke frowns, turning to Bethany. "What do you think of all this?" She asks, watching as Bethany pauses to blow her bangs out from over her eyes.

"I think that it couldn't hurt." She replies. "You said it yourself, Io. This could be it for us. For all of us."

Hawke thinks back to Gamlen's house in Lowtown, struggling to scrape together enough food for the four of them, tensions running high between Bethany and their uncle. "You've got a deal, Varric." She hears herself say. "Let's go find ourselves a Warden."