For the dao_challenge "Boy Meets Girl."

The young Crow sparring with Master Orlando lacked the usual finesse, and Taliesin was surprised that she had survived her initiation. The elven girl had bright eyes that gave too much away and a form that telegraphed every move before she made it. As she dove for Orlando's midsection, her daggers extended too far in front of her, the Master stepped aside and clocked her on the back with the hilt of his own weapon, knocking her to the floor of the practice ring. He laughed and turned to the next initiate.

"She's not much, is she?" Taliesin asked, as he noticed his partner's gaze lingering on the girl. They had stopped at this safe house to prepare for a difficult mission, and at his suggestion they had decided to watch the initiates train before retiring to bed. There was a glint in his golden eyes as he watched her.

Zevran turned to him, and the light faded. "She is not very skilled," he agreed, "but this Rinna is quite lovely, no?" His eyes found her again. "A pretty face can be useful against a mark like this."

"We hardly lack for pretty, Zev," Taliesin said, with a familiar smile.

Zevran laughed. "I do not think you are to our merchant's tastes, my friend." His fingers ran down Taliesin's arm, trailing heat, and rested on his wrist. "Although that is his loss." He removed his hand and his gaze followed Rinna. "Surely there is no harm in talking to her."

Taliesin watched the elf pick herself up off the floor. She was barely nineteen, he thought, with boyish hips and small unripe breasts that hid inside her armor. "If you really want a woman to join us," he said, "I'd chose the red-head in the dragonskins." He nodded at the other recruit, whose showing had been much more impressive, and then shrugged. "This is your bid, though, so by all means."

Undeterred, Zevran raised his hand and made a small wave. He caught the girl's attention and she nodded, walking towards them. There was a lightness in her step that was common among elves, and a grace in her stride that was absent from her fighting. When she approached them, her smile was generous and inviting.

Up close, Taliesin allowed that she had an attractive face. Her skin was the color of honey and her hair was dark and glossy, but it was her eyes that truly distinguished her. They were crystal blue and shone out of her dark features like stars in the night.

Zevran straightened himself as she stopped in front of them. "I was wondering if you would submit to another evaluation," he said, as he looked her over. "My partner and I are seeking a third to join us in a hit against the merchant Lorenzo."

Rinna tilted her head to the side, her dark hair shifting over her shoulders. "You are Zevran Aranai," she said.

Zevran lips curled into a smile. "Ah, so you know of me?"

She rested a slender hand on her hip. "By reputation," she replied. "I had heard of your mission, and I admit I am quite..." Rinna paused, and her eyes travelled over him, "...interested."

Zevran's smile broadened, reaching his eyes. She casually ran her hand through her hair, throwing the weight of it over her shoulders, and Taliesin noticed Zevran watching her. He cleared his throat. After a moment's searching, Rinna's eyes found him and she raised an eyebrow.

"I am Taliesin," he said.

She nodded quickly and turned back to Zevran. "I wonder how you managed to secure such a desirable assignment," she said. "You must have impressed our Masters very much." With a sharp breath, Rinna inclined her head. "It is my hope to someday distinguish myself as you have done."

"Well, then," Zevran said. "It would be my great pleasure to share my expertise with you, sweet lass." The purr in his voice made Taliesin roll his eyes. His partner's ego was his most glaring weakness, and Rinna clearly sensed this.

"You aren't very good with your daggers," he cut in.

Rinna turned to him again and drew a careful breath. "I am not," she admitted. "In truth, the bow is my weapon of choice." She opened her hands, so that he could see the thin callouses across her fingers from drawing a bowstring. After a moment, she lowered them. "I am quite deadly at a distance, I assure you. I am also an expert in poisons and traps, such arts as I learned from my tribe when I was a girl."

Zevran's eyebrows lifted. "You are Dalish?" he asked, his voice changing slightly.

"I was," she allowed. Taliesin scanned her face; she bore no tattoos, nor any evidence of their removal. Rinna seemed to notice his inspection and lifted her chin. "My entire tribe was killed by bandits when I was nine," she explained.

"Except you," Taliesin observed.

"I was too small to draw their attention," she said, "and I am very good at hiding. I found refuge with a merchant travelling between cities. He cared for me for some time, as well as a human might, but sold me one year when profits were slim."

Rinna's voice tightened with a longing for personal satisfaction, and her eyes gleamed with something ill suited to a member of the Crows. Taliesin was sure he did not trust her. She looked at Zevran and her eyelashes fluttered wickedly. "I share no love for merchants," she said, "but I have an intimate knowledge of their ways, such as you might find useful."

"Intimate, you say?" said Zevran.

Her lips parted as she smiled, revealing teeth. "There's no need to be coy," she said. Rinna looked over her shoulder and then back at Zevran, her posture open. "We are not blushing school children playing games. We are Antivan Crows." She held out her hand to him. "If you wish to test my skills, I would be happy to indulge you."

Zevran took a deep breath, his chest swelling, and he grinned. He stepped towards her and took her hand as she turned to follow him. Moving quickly, Taliesin touched Zevran's arm as they pulled away. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I think it is fairly obvious, my friend," Zevran said, glancing at him.

Taliesin frowned. His eyes met Rinna's, and he felt the coldness of her stare. Zevran, his expression blank, was waiting for him to say something. "Should I come with you?" he asked hesitantly.

Zevran shook his head. "No, I do not think that will be necessary," he said. He turned away from him and looked to Rinna, his eyes blazing with a light that he had never seen in them before. "You can find me later, Taliesin."

The assassin watched Zevran hook his arm around her waist and lead her towards the door that led upstairs, to their quarters. She whispered something in his ear, and Taliesin could already see that this mission would not go as their others. His eyes narrowed as he began to make plans.