Of Griffons and Hawkes
Chapter two
Garrett Hawke frowned in concentration, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he focused on his task. His arms were starting to ache and he hoped it would be over soon, behind him he could hear his mother tut and hum before quietly speaking with their dwarven servant.
"Maybe a little to the right perhaps, Bodahn what do you think?"
"Ah Messere, yes it would look just perfect there, yes."
Hawke's frown deepened as he held the stupidly heavy coat of arms against the wall. He'd had the bloody thing already against every wall in the estate twice over, now he was starting to get a little fed up. Just a little mind.
"No. No it looks just a little off centre, maybe back up on the mezzanine?"
Garrett inwardly groaned and flexed his shoulders, working the stiffness out of them as he lowered his arms and turned to face his mother, Leandra Hawke. The crest of his family clutched against his chest.
"Mother I would never doubt your decorating abilities but please, just tell me where you want this thing." Vibrant blue eyes pleaded with the older woman's
much faded blues ones. Leandra gave him a comforting smile that seemed to melt the years off her face.
"Of course darling, the mezzanine it is. I'll let you run off gallivanting soon enough, I promise."
Hawke pouted as he trailed after the grey haired woman.
"I don't gallivant mother." He huffed as he passed her, taking the stairs two at a time.
"Of course you don't dear." He heard at his shoulder as he paused at the top.
"I help people."
A slender hand patted lovingly against his stubbled cheek as Leandra passed him.
"I know you do my darling boy."
"Mother." The grown man practically whined as he dragged his feet to stand next to the lady of the house. She joyfully laughed as she pressed round soft fingertips against his forearm, with her other hand pointing towards where she wanted the crest.
"Let this old woman coddle her little boy, I hardly get the chance to spend more than five minutes with you before your running off somewhere."
Hawke grunted and ignored how his cheeks flamed with embarrassment. A cough sounded to the left of him and the man looked down to see Bodahn procure a hammer and a handful of nails.
"Now that we're settled into the estate I promise to be around more often mother." He grunted as he hefted the coat of arms to the wall with one arm, the other shoving nails in his mouth.
"Oh how you treat me so son. Bring it a bit more to the left. Yes, just so."
Hawk chose not to reply as he mentally marked where the crest would hang before placing it onto the floor. Grabbing the hammer from the dwarf, the human pulled a nail from between his lips,
leaving two more to just out of the corner of his mouth and proceeded to bang away at the wall.
"Ah!" A great big sigh of utter contentment fell out of Hawke's mouth as he leant back into the stone chair in Varric's suite, cradling a mug of cheap swill lovingly.
"Don't you have servants to do menial labour for you Hawke?" Varric chuckled in his seat at the head of the dwarven table, idly shuffling a deck of cards.
"What and have poor old Bodahn put his back out lugging that great slab of metal around for hours." The human scoffed before taking another long pull from his drink, sinking even further
into the normally uncomfortable chair.
"I love mother, really I do but sometimes she can drive me up the wall when she starts her little projects." The man sighed ignoring the chuckle from his best friend.
"Women no matter what their age or race, are very fickle creatures my pouty friend."
"He-ey. Women love my pout I'll have you know" Garrett mock-whined as he fluttered his eyelashes at his Dwarven companion.
The blonde haired dwarf guffawed at this, shaking his head as he began to deal out the cards between himself and Hawke.
"My good friend not even the whore's at the blooming rose could fall to your poutiness. No offense."
Garrett sighed dramatically, flinging an arm over his face.
"Woe is me; I shall forever be unloved by those around me, to be mocked and nothing more for eternity."
"What is he blabbering about Varric?"
Hawke peeked out from under his arm to notice a fine set of shapely tanned legs, quick as a flash his arm shot out and curled around Isabella's waist and
promptly dragged her into his lap.
"Hawke's feeling unloved from being his mother's slave mule for the day." Varric grinned as he deftly dealt out another deal of cards for the Rivaini pirate.
Garrett waggled his eyebrows at her as he placed his mug back onto the table so he could wrap both of his arms securely around his flirty friend.
"I just need a snuggle 'Bella care to offer your bountiful bosom for a pity cuddle?" The black haired man grinned goofily as he leaned forward and scraped his stubbled cheek against her arm.
"Have you gone daft?" The pirate laughed as she settled into his lap, making herself more comfortable before leaning forward and swiping the two piles of cards off of the table and passed one of them to Hawke.
"You wound me oh fair maiden of the seas."
Isabella grinned as she leant back into Hawke's chest; Varric just shook his head with a smirk on his face.
"Hawke, remind me never to let you drink the piss in here they call ale, it makes you stranger than normal." The dwarf stated as he settled into his seat and rearranged his hand gracefully.
Isabella smirked as she too sorted out her cards, glancing swiftly down at the fighter's cards occasionally much to the chagrin of her seat.
"I'm at an unfair disadvantage here but I suppose I'll have to bear you cheating 'Bella, as I get to squeeze your bum every time I catch you looking at my cards."
Garrett grinned as he held the fanned out cards in his hand against his chest whilst his other hand pinched a rounded cheek, eliciting a squeal from the curvaceous rogue in his lap.
Varric chuckled as he watched the flirtatious banter between his two friends and placed his first card down.
"We'll never be able to finish a game that way Hawke; you know Rivaini thrives off cheating."
"Why not if your quick enough to get away with it." Isabella shrugged whilst slapping Hawke's hand away from her backside once more.
"I didn't even look that time!"
"I know." Garrett grinned, flashing white teeth at the pirate.
"Do I even want to know?"
Three heads swivelled to see Anders stepping into the suite, eyebrow cocked at the couple sharing the seat. Placing his staff in the corner along with his coat, Anders joined the trio at the table, rolling up the sleeves of his cotton tunic.
"I'm pinching Isabella's bum."
Anders gave his friend a deadpanned look, clearly not impressed.
"So Varric, did Garrett try licking Lyrium dust again?" He asked without once taking his gaze off the spectacle opposite him, an amused up curve of his mouth showed he was in high spirits which was few and far between these days.
"I was curious and by the fade I'll never touch that shit again." Hawke grumbled, burrowing his face into the crook of Isabella's arm as he felt the wave of heat travel up his face. The rogue cackled heartily upon hearing this and leaned forward to swipe Hawke's ale, and gulping merrily from it.
"Oi wench, get you own ale." Garrett frowned before slapping the tanned women's backside playfully.
"Bloody freeloaders." He grinned.
Varric ignored the banter passed back and forth between fighter and rogue and turned his attention upon the mage.
"You in Blondie?" The dwarf asked as he tapped a finger on to the deck of cards remaining.
"We just started and the way things are going you probably won't lose too much coin from Rivaini."
The apostate shrugged his shoulders before resting his arms on the hard surface of the table. "Sure why not." He said with a small smile to the dwarf whom promptly dealt him in.
"Hawke I swear if you pinch me one more time I'll cut off your balls." Isabella fumed as she turned her head to glare at the man beneath her.
Garrett grinned wolfishly as he leaned around her to wet his mouth with a cup of wine.
"Ah my dusky goddess, you were being naughty. I saw you trying to slip that card out from that ample bosom of yours." The Rivaini pirate scoffed as she turned her attention back to her cards, a frown creasing her brow.
"So, there is a method to your madness then Hawke." Anders observed with arms tucked behind his head. He'd lost long ago and was wise enough not to play any more for the evening, opting to observe and enjoy the banter between the rest of his companions.
The fighter winked over at his apostate friend before once more pinching the woman in his lap.
Isabella, wheeled her head around angrily and glared down at the black haired man much to his amusement.
"You know, you don't have to sit in my lap all night you know 'Bella." Hawke pointed out with a smirk.
"He does have a point Rivaini." Varric chipped in before tossing a card down onto the table and picking another one up.
Isabella opened her mouth to snap back at the dwarf when a loud commotion erupted down in the common room.
Anders being the nearest and not being used as a cushion, stood up and ambled cautiously over to the door way and peered down the stairs.
A man had staggered bloody and dishevelled through the door and was currently being helped to sit down.
"Maker's arse, those bloody Dog Lords is out in full swing. I would've been skewered, I would if they didn't spot that woman out there. Probably dead by now too I reckon." The man gasped out, catching his breath before a mug of ale was thrust into his hand.
Anders turned back around and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, you hear that. The refugees have started up their own gang." He said nonchalantly and noticed that Hawke had propped the pirate wench onto the table before standing up.
"I heard. Come on fancy getting in a bit of exercise before the night is over?" The man grinned before reaching for his blade behind his chair.
Anders was already buckling his coat back up while Varric retrieved his beloved Bianca.
The fighter cocked an eyebrow at the tanned woman and eventually she rolled her eyes before slipping off the table.
"Oh alright then, blazes knows I need to release some tension."
AN: So that's the first two chapters, what do you guys think?
I'm fully aware that I'm poo at grammer and if any one is offering to be a beta I'll welcome it gladly.
I'm jotting down ideas for the next two chapters and hopefully they'll turn out ok.
Eurgh, I also need to sort out the page layout aswell from importing from word. I'll do that next time
Bye for now =)
Bioware owns all