Fenris walked the empty, nighttime streets of Kirkwall silently, constantly alert and suspicious of the shadows in the dingy Lowtow streets. He had to meet Anso, a Dwarf, and though he hated roaming the streets without being used to them yet, he had left his hideout because the Dwarf had finally gotten some news for him. His green eyes scanned the street warily, and he stepped into the shadows when he spotted a figure ahead of him.

Fenris relaxed though, when he saw that the cloaked person was sitting, hunched over and shaking slightly in the night's chill. A beggar, he thought, even a Tevinter spy would never stoop so low as to impersonate a beggar. Fenris moved silently, but somehow, as he got close, the beggar turned his hooded head slowly to look at him.

Or perhaps it was a she, because as they looked towards him, he saw long hair fall out of the thick hood to rest on their shoulder. Fenris froze, how had they heard him? Perhaps he had underestimated his hunters.

"Oh come now, I don't bite, Messere."

The woman was not a Tevinter, a least, her accent showed no haughtiness or harshness, nor the submissive tone of a slave or servant. He relaxed, barely, she could be hired bait – working for his enemy for a few silvers. The weight of his greatsword was reassuring as he stepped towards the woman, scanning the rest of the street for an invisible ambush.

She didn't flinch back, as most had when first seeing him – his strange markings and hair, his foreign armor and the greatsword on his back that was nearly as big as he was – but instead she tilted her head ever so slightly and looked him over curiously. That was worse than flinching, he thought, remembering Magisters in Tevinter, house guests of his Master, looking at him the same way – as an interesting pet, a lab rat, and a useful tool.

Before he could say anything to the stranger, an insult, a threat, she opened her mouth with an amused curl to her lips,

"Well, you look like you're far away from home, Messere." she said, he could hear a light chuckle, and it made him angry.

"So what if I am, it's none of you business." he snapped, and the smile disappeared. He moved closer, intending to pass her by and continue to Anso, but she moved when he was closest, moved so quickly that his only reaction and instinct was to draw his sword.

In the next second, he realized what had happened. She had her arms outstretched to him, holding a small bowl for coins, and he had his greatsword above her head, ready to slice her in half.

"Copper for a poor woman, Messere?" she had lowered her head to look at the ground, and he wasn't sure if she had realized that she could have been killed. There was no fearful tremble to her voice or her hands. Fenris pulled the sword back into its place on his back, the woman lifted her head.

Fenris had never really paid attention to women before, and he convinced himself that the only reason he stared at her now was his suspicions, trying still to read if she was an enemy or not.

But another part of him could not help but stare, she was beautiful – and it caught him off guard because of her previous and seemingly haggard appearance. The confusion she felt was evident on her face, and he looked down the street to remind him of where he was supposed to be going.

"I… apologize." he said and cleared his throat awkwardly, the woman stood and the hood of her old and ragged cloak once more shrouded her face in shadows.

He ignored the feeling of disappointment.

Fenris was about to turn away again, to head towards Anso, when she pressed the small beggar's bowl to his breastplate insistently.

"If you have not the coin to spare, Messere, all you need do is say so, and I shall leave thee be."

Fenris frowned slightly, still unsure what this woman was thinking, to continue to speak to a man who nearly killed her not five minutes ago. He rummaged through his nearly empty coin purse and two silver coins clanked into the bowl. The woman grinned and bowed her head to him,

"Thank you, Messere." she said simply as he walked away from her again, determined to reach Anso before daylight. But he heard her speak softly to herself in an amused voice,

"Ah… Tevinter coin… I knew he wasn't from around here."

Fenris finally found the flinch Dwarf, cowering in a corner of Lowtown's Bazaar. Fenris tried to make his footsteps audible but the Dwarf still jumped out of his skin when Fenris said his name.

"AAH!" he yelped, but realized it was just the elf who'd hired him, "Oh, sweet sodding ancestors, it's just you." he took a deep breath to calm himself, "I have good news, I've arranged with the Red Iron's leader- Meeran- to send word out to one of his best mercenaries."

Fenris frowned, he disliked dealing with mercenaries, they were expensive and usually didn't know what they were doing despite their big talk.

"You call this good news?" Fenris crossed his arms, not convinced. Anso held his hands up nervously.

"Now… Now just wait a minute Fenris, Meeran said this guy was the best he ever had, reliable and skilled… ex-mercenary now." Fenris raised an eyebrow, his budget and he still not convinced.

Anso made a last effort, "He… he also said the guy works for coppers, but won't switch sides if your enemy has a bigger coin purse."

Fenris leaned on his heels for a moment, thinking about it. "Sounds to be the best I can get.." he said after a moment. "Very well." Anso's relief was obvious.

"Praise the Ancestors! Meeran said the message would get there by tomorrow at the latest."

"Who is this mercenary anyway?" Fenris asked, wanting information was a survival instinct by now.

"I think Meeran said his name was Hawke or something…" Anso said.