Never thought I'd see the day I dared write a Dragon Age fanfic *shrugs* Oh well, first time for everything, am I right? Anyway, first foray into the Dragon Age fandom, my little contribution to the travesty that is an inability for FemQuisitor to romance Cassandra.

My OTP for DA:I. I love this pairing, followed very closely by FemQuizzy/Josephine.

I know, I know that tonfas are Asian in origin, however, Dragon Age has no comparable ethnic group to take their place, so I used another.

Read on!

Chapter 1

"No way! You're lying, Inky, I know it!"

"I swear, Sera, I'm not!"

"…you really never done it in public?"

"I've never had a reason to."

"Don't need reason, just pull it out, shake it 'round, yeah? Act like the big girl in the street, all better-than-you, bow-to-me, innit?"

Cassandra paused in the shadows of the Chantry, brow furrowed as she came within earshot of the conversation between Sera and the Herald. A disgusted sound echoed quietly in the relative quiet of the building as Sera laughed boisterously at some quiet comment Trevelyan made. "Last time I looked, size didn' matter, just how ya use it, right? 'sides, it looks plenty 'nough to me. Keeps you tucked right in close, dunnit? Kinda the purpose, I'd suppose."

"Yes, well, it's no good to me if someone else gets a hold of it, you see?"

There was a momentary pause, then a hum of acknowledgment. "Don't be a prig, Inky, show me for real!"

"Alright, Sera, alright. Meet me on the training field before lunch?"

"Yay!"

Cassandra heard the faint scrape of Sera's boots on the dirt as she scampered away, then Trevelyan cleared her throat and chuckled. "You can come out now, Cassandra." The Seeker startled and stepped out of the shadow, squinting in the light of the sun as the rogue grinned at her, sky blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Did Sera suitably insult your sensibilities?"

"She is as crude as…as…" Cassandra felt her face heat as Trevelyan's grin widened into a toothy lopsided smirk.

"As me?"

"I would not-"

"It's true," she interrupted, waving off Cassandra's mortified sputtering. "Don't worry, I won't be offended by something that I know is true, and besides, great rogues think alike. I may be offended if you continue to look like you just ate some of Bull's cooking, though."

Cassandra felt her lips twitch and schooled her expression to careful neutrality. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Of course you don't." Trevelyan rolled her eyes and offered her elbow to Cassandra, who stared at it in confusion. "It's my arm, my dear Seeker, not a snake. I promise I don't bite – unless you ask, of course."

Cassandra, who had just touched her light gloves to the crease of Trevelyan's elbow, yanked her hand back and the Inquisitor laughed aloud, grasping her belly in mirth. Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest and snorted disdainfully, waiting for her to restrain her mirth.

Trevelyan finally straightened and wiped her eyes, fighting back another bout of laughter as she caught the Seeker's unimpressed glare. "I'm sorry, but you – you have to admit, you kind of set yourself up for that one." Cassandra rolled her eyes and walked away, listening as the rogue quickly caught her and fell into step at her side. "Where are we going?"

"I thought you wanted to take me somewhere, Herald."

"For the last time, you are allowed to call me by my given name. I don't know the last time I heard it, actually."

"It would not be proper, Your Grace. We are colleagues, and if someone heard me being overly familiar, it could-"

"Offend their delicate sensibilities? Please, we both know the only ones who would actually give a rat's arse would be the Orlesians, and we haven't had any of them here for weeks." The rogue grinned and Cassandra relaxed minutely, still refusing to make eye contact with the woman.

"Oh, c'mon, Cassandra, do I need to get on my knees and beg?" She tugged on Cassandra's arm, turning her toward her, and her expression was positively impish. "I would, but I can think of much better things to do on my knees with you than beg." Her fingers fluttered along Cassandra's forearm, teasing her with the hint of nails before she withdrew. "Come, let's get to my cabin, then to the training field. I believe I promised to show Sera a few things."

Trevelyan led the way down the steps to the housing just below the Chantry, confident the Seeker would follow her out of sheer curiosity if nothing else. She left the door open for Cassandra to step through as she strode to a chest at the foot of her bed. She dug through the chest for something, muttering to herself as Cassandra stood uncomfortably just inside the door, feeling her palms slicken under her gloves. Her eyes roved the small space, noting the personal touches the rogue had added since her recovery immediately after the explosion. Small stones speckled with colorful ores, feathers, small skulls and trinkets she'd purchased from merchants dotted the shelves and window frames, catching the light and throwing rainbows across the well-worn floor. By her bed, Trevelyan made a victorious sound and withdrew a flat case from the bottom of the chest, setting it reverently at her side as she replaced everything. She stood and set the case on her bed, tracing the design decorating the varnished wood, and Cassandra crept closer with curiosity lightening her amber eyes.

"What is it?"

"The last thing my brother gave me before becoming a Templar," she responded quietly.

"He was at the Conclave, was he not?"

"Aye, he came with his men to represent the Templars."

Cassandra swallowed, felt guilt and sorrow threaten to overwhelm her as thoughts of the Herald's family and Regalyan swam through her mind. She hesitantly set her hand on a bowed shoulder, eyes lowered respectfully, giving the rogue as much privacy as she could while remaining behind her. "I am sorry…Trevelyan. You loved him much?"

Long, loose blonde hair bobbed as the rogue nodded. "He was my hero. He gave me my first knife, taught me how to roll with the punches, was always at my side whenever I got in trouble for sneaking out of the house or making off with one of the stallions for an afternoon ride." Trevelyan sniffed and set her palm on the case, thumb stroking the smooth wood with familiar ease. "He gave this to me on my sixteenth name day, told me he'd work with me on them, then I'd have to master it myself, as he was shipping out in three months' time.

"That was the last time I saw him, before…before." She bowed her head silently and Cassandra let her have her moment, hand still set on her shoulder in camaraderie. After a minute, Trevelyan raised her head and sighed, throwing a thankful, watery smile over her shoulder at the Seeker. "Alright, enough mush. Sera will have my arse if I don't show up soon."

She opened the case and Cassandra looked over her shoulder at the objects within. "What are they?" Her tone was skeptical, eyes roving over the innocuous metal weapons with an incredulous eye

"I know they don't look like much, but the Orlesians know, if nothing else, how to make a weapon so understated that no one realizes how deadly it can be." She picked up the weapons and hefted them experimentally, twirling the batons for a moment in a dizzying whirl of glinting metal. Simple in design, they were equipped with a grip that stuck out perpendicular from the baton about two thirds of the way along the length and wider at the far end. The one in her right hand had a hook on the opposite side near the wide, blunt end. Winding up the length of the batons were shallow grooves that ended at the blunt tips of the weapons and, on the opposite end, Cassandra spied a deep, circular divot that she couldn't decide the purpose of.

"They are…I don't know, actually."

"They are called tonfas, they are used primarily for defense, but my brother and I figured out a way to use them effectively offensively. Of course, I've yet to have need to use them in battle, thankfully, but I carry them nonetheless."

Cassandra had a moment of epiphany, her mind's eye flashing back to past mission with Trevelyan in her standard leather armor, bow and quiver on her back, daggers belted to her hips and those same weapons strapped at the small of her back, usually covered by her pack. "Why do you carry them if not to use them?"

"They are…a safeguard, I suppose. My last line of defense if I get in a bad way. I know how to use them," Eve assured, twirling the tonfas in her grip lackadaisically, "I just have never had need to use them. No one's ever gotten close enough to force my hand." She shrugged and holstered the weapons at the small of her back and exited the cabin. They meandered toward the training field and saw Sera at the same time the elf spied them, Trevelyan speeding up excitedly while Cassandra lagged, muttering to herself and sighing in a put upon way.

"Bout time, Inky. Thought you'd gotten shiver-scared, gonna back out, right?"

"No way, Sera. This is just getting interesting." She smiled coquettishly at Cassandra as the Seeker walked over and leaned against a training dummy standing several yards away, arms crossed as she observed the duo. "Besides, I've got a beautiful woman to impress now, can't slack off." She threw a wink in Cassandra's direction, laughing as tan skin darkened with a blush and the Seeker sputtered incomprehensibly. Sera bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet as she pulled her daggers out of their sheaths, twirling them in her grip as the rogues began circling slowly.

"What – you are using real weapons?! Your Grace, this is madness!" Cassandra took a step toward them but stopped when Trevelyan raised one hand.

"It will be fine, Cassandra. Don't worry, this is a good way to improve my reflexes."

"It is foolhardy and reckless, we cannot afford you being injured in some misguided attempt to gain admirers!" The two ignored her words and ran at each other suddenly, the screech of metal on metal ripping across the field. Cassandra watched in entranced horror as Trevelyan flipped her grip and raised her forearms, stopping Sera's quick horizontal swipe with the tonfas that were pressed to the length of her forearms. She pushed the elf away and jumped back as Sera recovered and chased her, cackling manically as Sera cursed when she couldn't land a hit.

"Stop being all shifty-sneaky, Inky! It's not fair to pretend to be Creepy!" She howled with impotent rage as her blades passed through empty air that had just been occupied by Trevelyan's back. Cassandra held her breath when the woman spun suddenly and, with one tonfa, blocked Sera's incoming strike, turning aside the blade as her other hand reversed her grip. The air audibly rushed out of Sera's mouth as the blunt end hit her solidly in the stomach and she reflexively dropped her weapons. She quickly found the batons crossed over her neck, Trevelyan straddling her after kicking her to the ground with a cocky smirk and barely winded.

"Been holding back, huh, Inky? Got me under you now, whatcha gonna do?" Sera had the nerve to wink up at the woman, sticking her tongue out lewdly and making a face. Trevelyan laughed as she rolled off her and offered her hand to help Sera stand, handing her back her daggers as the elf sheepishly dusted herself off. Cassandra frowned when Sera reached up to straighten Trevelyan's ruffled collar and leaned in closely, whispering to her before giggling and running off.

The rogue stared at her retreating form for a moment until Cassandra cleared her throat and walked over, sky blue eyes finding amber and shining happily. "So, was I up to expectations?" She twirled one tonfa idly as she returned the other to its sheath at her back and Cassandra crossed her arms.

"It was…enlightening. I do not see the appeal in such a defensive weapon, but it is clearly something you are adept at wielding so I will not say anything else."

"Like I told you, Seeker, it's not just a defensive weapon." Suddenly, she thrust the tonfa out and caught the hook behind Cassandra's bicep. "I've got a few surprises yet, my dear Seeker. Don't get too comfortable." She winked and released Cassandra, sliding the weapon into its sheath as she swaggered away, a little bit of extra sway in her hips that left the Seeker's mind empty of thought and eyes uncharacteristically wide.