"Zevran, I swear, if you don't stop, I'm going to impale your ass," the Warden snapped, only to receive a laugh in response.
"Sorry dear, you are simply too beautiful to behold!"
"Cut it out," She hissed, motioning for Oghren to fill her cup.
"If you were a dwarf, Rowan, I think I'd have competition for my drinking title," the dwarf chuckled, giving her more ale.
"You really shouldn't drink so much in one sitting, dear," Wynne advised, shaking her head slightly.
"I agree with that one," Shale rumbled. "It is getting distracted from its mission."
"Shale, are you going to keep calling me 'it'?"
"Probably,"
"I have a name! I have a gender!"
"Oh, I'm sure you do," Zevran cooed, causing Leliana to giggle.
"Leave the girl alone," Alistair sighed, leaning back, only to be shoved from his seat by Morrigan. Rowan's mabari, Rexus, took the opportunity to lick his face several times before he got back up.
"Damn witch," Alistair grumbled, taking a gulp of ale.
"Do you want me to do it again? Or perhaps zap you this time?" Morrigan threatened.
"No, no, I'm good – hey…where's my cheese?"
"You're all idiots," Rowan sighed, then looked around the table, counting heads. Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, Zevran, Wynne, Rexus, Shale…where was Sten? She turned around in her seat and saw him sitting under a tree, cleaning his sword. As drunk as everyone was – excluding Wynne, who was busy trying to keep Morrigan from killing Alistair, Rexus who was lying down, and Shale, who simply didn't care – it was easy to leave the table unnoticed, and she made her way over to her often silent companion.
"Sten," she greeted, and received a grunt in response. "Happy to have your sword back?"
"Happy, no. I have merely been reunited with a part of myself." He answered, not bothering to look up from his cleaning.
"Why aren't you with everyone else?" she sat down beside him, but he merely paused in his task to glance at her close proximity. He could smell alcohol on her, and when she got drunk, things usually ended badly and quite humiliating for her.
"I believe you already know that answer to that question, kadan."
"I almost got Oghren to agree to another drinking contest, but then Zevran started touching me," she didn't think before she spoke, and was surprised at both what she said and Sten's reaction. He immediately sat his sword down and turned to her, eyes locked on hers.
"I am to understand he wished to mate with you?"
"Uh…that's one way to put it, yeah…" Rowan blushed.
"And you did not wish to?"
"Well, if a slap to the face doesn't say, 'I don't want to sleep with you', then I don't know what does," she rolled her eyes. Sten stood up, holstering his weapon as he made his way over to the others, stride slow and determined.
"Uh, Sten? What are you doing?" she followed after him, confused.
"So, how's it going for you?" Oghren cackled.
"Oh, she's just playing hard to get, you know," Zevran laughed. "No one can resist my charm,"
"And what charm would that be?" Sten made his presence known, crossing his arms and staring down disapprovingly at the elf, who gulped.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Rowan tried to get Sten's attention, but he merely ignored her. She hated it when he did that.
"You do understand we have a set goal, and if we are distracted from it, we are less likely to succeed. This includes unnecessary copulation, particularly when the female does not wish it."
"Uh…yeah…yes, you are absolutely right, my friend!" Zevran balked.
"Next time, take the slap to the face as a hint, Zev," Rowan smirked, and Zevran rolled his eyes, but a smile was on his face, indicating he took no offense. Figured.