This OneSHot is a companion story to my main story "Grumpy Ones": s/8493041/1/Grumpy-Ones

The idea had been inspired by a friend on DeviantArt who did the same with one of her characters: Collecting questions from readers (here addressed at my OC Cassy) and answering them in a little story.

The following questions had been asked:

1) What went through your mind when you saw Fenris? Or more exactly: Why did you talk to him in the first place?
2) What does a man need to catch your eye?
3) As you were taught to fight, did you enjoy the training?
4) What was the most annoying thing that ever happened to you?
5) Have you ever loved someone who did not return your feelings?
6) When you were a little girl (you must have been, once^^), what was your dream? (being a princess, being rich, marrying a nice man...that sort of thing.)
7) Did you fight the Darkspawn when they invaded Denerim?
8) How did you earn your money whilst living in the alienage and was it enough or only barely so?
9) What is your favorite color (and why)?
10) What would a man have to say to you to make your heart melt?

"Alright, Cassy", the dwarf said and smiled at her, a mischievous look upon his face; "now that I have invited you to some drinks, I think that it is time to get to know each other better…"

She frowned, and he had to hide a smile when he saw the small wrinkle appear between her eyebrows. It had been a coincidence that he met Fenris and her on their travel and real fun to watch the two of them creep around each other. The elf had decided some minutes ago to do his evening training session, but Cassy had stayed in the warm tavern where they had met. It was cold outside, but that had not kept Fenris from doing what he was doing every evening. It was still fascinating for Varric to see such discipline…

"I wasn't aware that accepting your drinks would be related to get to know each other better", Cassy just answered, but took another sip and smiled.

He returned the gesture and twinkled. "Oh, I see, you obviously have to learn a LOT about men…"

This comment brought a very interesting blush on her face, and he immediately took his chance.

"Tell me, Sweetie, what does a man need to catch your eye? "

She frowned again, than shrugged.

Ah, this woman needed to be tickled a bit. "Oh. Come on, there has to be something. The eyes? Oh, or is it the chest hair…?"

That statement made her laugh and relax a bit. "No, definitely not. I am sorry, but I don't really like hairy men." He made a face, and she smiley genuinely. "I guess… it's the voice. I like a voice which makes me shiver…" She took another sip from her beer and avoided looking into his eyes. Ah, interesting…

"Not sure why I think about it right now", he continued; "but what went through your mind when you saw Fenris? Or more exactly: Why did you talk to him in the first place?"

She blushed again and shot him an angry glance he returned innocently. Of course she answered his question; otherwise she had lowered her guard.

"I thought: What a prick! And then I told him."

He laughed out loudly. "Well, that sounds interesting. How did he react?"

She shrugged and grinned. "He was… not amused."

"That doesn't surprise me at all. Fenris is more the… grumpy kind of man. You are lucky that he did not ask you for a duel."

"Oh, I would not have had any problem with that", she answered. "I am able to defend myself."

"Really? How so?"

"My mother taught me to fight", was all she answered, a warm glance in her eyes when she remembered.

"As you were taught to fight, did you enjoy the training?"

"Oh yes", she laughed. "I loved it. I could not get enough of it. Sometimes I crawled into my parent's bed even before dusk and was getting so long on my mother's nerves until she finally got up and went with me outside while my father was making us tea." Her face became sad. "But that was a long time ago, and afterwards – after her death – everything changed…"

It had not been his intention making her sad, but sometimes memories – even unhappy ones – were important. So he continued and asked: "I am wondering: When you were a little girl, what was your dream?"

She slightly crooked her head and looked for a long moment into the distance. "Actually – before wanting to become a warrior – I wanted to become a medic. But then my parents had to tell me that for an elf there would be no option to get an apprenticeship." She shrugged. "That was when my mother started to train with me. And I loved it."

"What a pity", he commented. "I can see you treating injured people and telling them that they should stop whining…"

She giggled and slapped her hands across her mouth. "O, I hate it when I do this…"

Well, he found it very amusing and grinned. They were silent for a moment, and his eyes scanned the room, watching the few people inside. Compared to the voluptuous waitress who just passed their table, Cassy looked slim and fit and tough. She obviously did not have had the easiest life.

"How did you earn your money whilst living in the alienage?" he heard himself ask. "Was it enough or only barely so?"

"I did messenger services for elves working in human households", she answered. "When they urgently needed something for their masters, they asked me to take care of it and shared a bit of their income, or something to eat, or clothes. It was enough, but only because we take care for each other in the alienage. When I had more than enough, I gave something back, and when there wasn't enough, others helped me."

He nodded. "So you have been in Denerim during the Blight?"

Her face fell. "Yes."

"Did you fight the Darkspawn when they invaded Denerim?" he gently asked.

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yes. Shianni – my cousin – myself and others, we had barricaded the alienage. But… they broke through, and if not for the Hero of Fereldan, they would have killed all of us. Or… worse…"

He scanned her face carefully and wondered what she might have seen.

Alright, time to change the subject.

"What is your favorite color - and why?"

"What?"

He grinned. "A simple question, isn't it?"

She shook her head. "You are a very strange dwarf…"

"Oh, I heard that before", he laughed and shot a glance to the door where Fenris had disappeared. "So, which one is it?"

"I don't know… I have never thought about it", she answered honestly.

"Then tell me the first color coming to your mind."

"Fine… green."

He started to grin. "Green like the eyes of a certain elf…?"

This time she seemed to have expected his teasing question, as she answered: "No, green like the first dress I was wearing in years."

"Oh, what a shame I did not see that."

"Believe me"; she answered dryly; "it was more out of an annoying matter of necessity."

"Mmm… speaking of annoying: What was the most annoying thing that ever happened to you?"

"This interview?" she immediately answered with a teasing smile, and he laughed, giving her credit for her quick-wittedness.

"To be honest: So many things come to my mind that I don't even know where to start…"

"Wow", was all he answered; "that sounds… exhausting."

She laughed and raised her glass. "No kidding!"

"So, what do you do to relax a bit?"

"Relaxing?" She made a face. "I don't know this word…"

"That's a shame. Maybe a nice man would help", he offered his advice. "So, tell me: What would a man have to say to you to make your heart melt?"

"Oh, come on. Do I look like the romantic kind of girl?"

He grinned. "You look more like the complicated kind of girl. But don't change the subject."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you want to make me angry?"

"Does it work?" he challenged with a grin.

That let her sigh. "You won't give up on the subject, do you?"

"Nope."

"Alright, let's see… I don't know: Do you want to exercise?"

He laughed. "How very romantic you are, Sweetie."

"I said that I am no romantic kind of girl."

"Sounds to me that you are just afraid", he countered. "I am wondering what might be the reason for it: Have you ever loved someone who did not return your feelings?"

She stared at him, as if she could not believe that he was really brazen enough to ask such an intimate question. Well, he was. There was a reason why he was able to tell the most exiting stories in whole Thedas!

"No", she eventually said. "There has never been someone special for me. Not really." When he raised an eyebrow, she added dryly. "And no, I am no virgin. But love… it's a big word. My parents loved each other, and I have seen how devastated my father was when my mother was gone. They had been the complete opposite of each other, complementing themselves perfectly… till the end…"

"That sounds wonderful"; he commented softly; "and worth it."

Her gaze was soft. "Maybe. But also damn frightening."

The door opened, and snowflakes flew into the room, accompanied by coldness. With a grumpy look on his face Fenris closed the door behind him, leaned his sword against the wall and sat down next to Cassy. She looked at him with an unreadable look upon her face, and when he recognized it, he turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"She looks confused", he commented into Varrics direction. "What have you told her, dwarf."

"Oh, you know, the usual: That you liked to dance in your mansion and have a preference for red wine…"

An amused smile spread on Fenris lips and pushed the grumpiness aside, showing how much he had changed during the last years and learned to understand when he was only teased by a friend. When Cassy saw it, she blushed slightly, snorted and looked at Varric again. "Sounds interesting. Tell me more."

And so he did, spending the rest of the night with these two elves, who stood a great chance to write their own story together.