Stupid Paul and his stupid horse came trotting up the path just after dusk, when the day's last vestige of light was nothing more than a soft purple crown atop the mountains in the West. Sera didn't like Paul, though it wasn't because he was stupid. He also happened to be annoying, pretentious, and had Becca swooning over every little stupid thing he stupidly did. Arseface, Sera thought when Paul flashed his little smile her way in greeting, dismounted, and embraced Becca in his arms. The two started rambling on about, well, something. Sera made sure to tune them out as quickly as possible as she sauntered off back towards the bonfire they'd started. The flames blazing the sticks and dry leaves within were dancing from the cold winds rolling off the mountainside, casting flickering shadows in an arc around their little forest clearing. At the edge of the clearing, their prisoner sat.

They'd bound Cassandra seated on the ground, with her back pressed against the bark of a big tree and a bundle of rope wrapping her up tightly to it. Her hands laid tied in her lap; her long legs stretched before her and bound at the ankles. The upper half of her face was hidden away under a blindfold, the lower remained wrapped up beneath the gag. It made the Seeker look… very vulnerable. And sort of sexy, Sera mused with a grin as she plopped herself down beside the woman, folding her legs gracefully beneath her.

"Stupid Paul's here."

Cassandra's head turned just slightly in her direction. Otherwise, you would've never known the Seeker had heard her at all.

"He's one of the friends. Of Red Jenny, that is. I don't much care for him, in truth, but… Becca just loooves him, and we needed a third anyway just incase our 'interested party' at the meeting location gets any funny ideas." Sera ran her fingers down the side of her quiver. "'Course, an arrow will fix that right quick." Cassandra shifted a bit in her ropes, but remained otherwise statuesque and silent. "Hey, you've had that rag stuffed in your mouth for a good bit now. You want a drink of water or something?"

The Seeker hesitated, sighed, but eventually nodded.

Sera retrieved a canteen from one of the horse saddles and returned. "We're in the woods," she explained as she reached for the knot of her prisoner's muzzle, "but that don't mean you can go shouting and hollering all you want. Raise your voice, even a teeny tiny bit, and I'll shut you right back up again. Understand?" Cassandra nodded and Sera worked the gag loose before plucking the wadded up cloth from inside her captive's mouth, considerably more damp than when she'd first put it in. "Eck. I'll have to fetch you a new one of these, too." She twisted the cap off the canteen and carefully guided the nozzle against Cassandra's bottom lip. The Seeker took long swallows, Sera watching her throat move up and down as she did, and came away licking at her lips and gasping when the canteen was moved aside.

"…thank you," she croaked as Sera dabbled at her chin with the sleeve of her blouse.

"Thank you? Well there's a nice bit of courtesy after all them threats you were making the last time I allowed you to speak."

"There is no point in fighting with you anymore," Cassandra explained. "You've stolen me from the castle. I have no idea where I am. And now, apparently, I am outnumbered three against one." She paused, meekly twisted her wrists against the ropes binding them, and asked, "Would you remove my blindfold as well?"

"Nope. Keeping you in the dark for awhile longer, love, sorry. I know. It's shite. But I don't trust that little 'defeatism' act you've got going on at all, and I prefer you not knowing your surroundings."

"I am bound hand and foot and tied to a tree. Surely, you don't expect me to-"

"I expect you to be thankful I even removed your gag after that little stunt you pulled on the bridge back at Skyhold," Sera interjected, the thought of it still rousing her anger a bit. "If you'd gotten us caught with all that writhing about you were doing atop the horse, I would have lost my head for it. Not very nice, Seeker. Not very nice at all."

Cassandra sighed. "I had to try. It was my last chance to escape you. Now… now I'm not sure what is to become of me."

"I told you this already. Don't you listen to me? We'll be showing you off to our noble pig's agent, then when we're sure he's going to show up to our little sabotage get-together, I'm sending you back on your merry way to Skyhold and your precious Inquisition. So cheer up, love. You'll be rid of me soon enough." In truth, Sera had been thinking of that since they'd set up camp. Her and Cassandra's time together was just about over. It sort of made her sad. "You'll finally get your wish, I guess. You won't ever have to see me again."

Cassandra's expression, what could be seen of it beneath her blindfold at least, hardened. "We will see about that, I suppose. I have no intentions of forgetting or forgiving what you've done to me."

Sera had to laugh. "You know, if you actually want me to let you go at some point, you might want to consider lying next time I tell you I'm letting you go free and saying 'Oh, gee, thank you, Sera. I vow never to come after you for all this kidnapping stuff. All is forgiven!'. Your little threats are only making me want to stash you in, like, a sack and flee to the Free Marches or something."

"I am a Seeker of Truth. I do not lie."

"Well, you should give it a try sometime. It's fun."

Cassandra scoffed. "Fun. The most important thing in the world to you, obviously."

Sera rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored the jab. She looked her prisoner over, her eyes lingering on the woman's long legs. They were shapely, fit, legs, and Sera had a sudden desire to touch them. With a grin, she laid a hand on the Seeker's thigh.

Cassandra jerked a bit in her ropes, but they kept her still for the most part. "Please don't touch me."

"That ride down the mountain was a bit bumpy, wasn't it? I know my thighs got a little sore, but yours… with all them ropes keeping you from adjusting your riding position? Your poor legs must have gotten chafed raw, huh?"

Cassandra's mouth tightened. "Sera, remove your hand from my leg…"

"Hush, or its the gag for you again. I just want to help, anyways."

"Help by leaving me be. I wish to be alone. I'd… I'd like to rest."

"Well, I'll help you relax then." She slipped her fingers down between the Seeker's thighs and rubbed a little circle there with her knuckles, massaging her captive's leg.

"Sera…"

"Quiet. If you tell me to stop again, you're getting muzzled. Now just relax. I'm doing you a favor, you know. Some people actually appreciate them when they're offered." Some people who don't have a divine stick shoved up their divine arse all the bloody time, she thought. She worked her other hand between the Seeker's long legs and started used her thumbs to press deeply and rub tight circles up and down, back and forth, covering as much thigh as she could with Cassandra's legs all bound up together.

The Seeker was stiff at first, tensing and squirming at every little poke and rub of Sera's fingers, but as the massage went on, Sera saw the woman's posture ease up a bit. Once, she even thought she heard the slightest of moans escape the Seeker's throat, but it was there and gone in a heartbeat, and then only Becca and Paul's rambling and the quiet stir of the wind against the grass played on into the night again. Cassandra pulled a deep breath and 'suffered' through a good few minutes of her massage in, thankfully, silence.

"There's nothing wrong with enjoying this, you know," Sera told her as she moved her hands up to the tops of Cassandra's legs and rubbed her just above the knees. "It's just a little massage."

"A massage forced upon me… by my kidnapper…" Cassandra added dryly.

"I could force a lot more on you, if I wanted. But I haven't, and I'm not planning on it. So be thankful." She chewed her lip. "And you're sure you're not just being such a prude because of the whole elf thing, right?"

"Maker's breath, for the last time no," Cassandra snapped. "I don't care what anyone is born as. I care only what they make themselves into."

Sera liked that answer quite a bit, but pressed the Seeker anyway. "…then, is it because I'm female? Got the slit instead of the stick? Because you might-"

"Sera, just stop. I don't care that you're an elf. I don't care that you're female. I do prefer the company of men for the most part, but there are women that… and I… there's…" The Seeker sighed. "Oh, what does it matter? I don't like you because you're you. Putting aside the fact that you deceived me, knocked me unconscious with a potion, bound me, kidnapped me, have endlessly taunted and teased me… even if I were to forget all that, you're still you. You're frivolous and immature and impulsive, you take nothing seriously, you're-"

Sera reached across the gap between them and clamped her hand over the Seeker's mouth. "Alright, I get it. I'm shite. I don't need a bloody list."

When she removed her hand, Cassandra added, "Clearly, you do. For you've been all of those things since I first met you, and haven't changed in the slightest since."

Sera frowned. "Why would I change? I'm me, and I like me. What do I care if I ruffle the feathers of some pretentious Seeker with a stick up her arse ever now and then?" She removed her hands from Cassandra's legs and stood. Her skin felt hot and itchy, and she suddenly found herself wanting to be rid of the woman's company. She turned to leave, got three steps, spun back and pointed a finger down at her blindfolded prisoner. "And I'm not frivolous anyway." She wasn't sure what 'frivolous' meant, truly, but it sounded stupid. "You're frivolous. You're pretty much, like, the most frivolous. So… there." She turned to leave again, made it two steps this time, and turned back. "Ah, almost forgot." She marched back, knelt beside Cassandra, and jammed the wadded up cloth back in the woman's mouth before tying the second cloth around her lower face. Cassandra grunted and grumbled as Sera pulled the ends hard and knotted them. "There we are. Tight enough, love?"

"Mrnmmnm"

Sera patted her cheek. "Good. Now, while you're sitting there, you can stat thinking of your apology to me. 'Cause I want one. And it better be a good one, too, or I'm kissing you again." She chewed her lip as she looked the Seeker over, a grin gradually tugging at the corner of her lips. "And this time, I'm going to use my tongue."

Cassandra jerked at her binds. "Hrmph!"

"Quiet, love, you need to focus and start thinking up that apology." Sera made a kissing sound beside her prisoner's ear, snickered, and left.

Becca and Stupid Paul were still engaged in whatever rambling thing they'd been going on about when Sera took her leave of them. She sauntered up between the two and folded her arms against her chest, halting their conversation and drawing their eyes her way. Stupid Paul had a stupid look on his face, and Sera avoided him altogether as she spoke. "What's the word, B?"

Becca answered, "Our Nevarran prince has agreed to send his agent closer than we'd thought. We can meet up with him just west of the Hinterlands. A day's ride. Maybe less."

"Good news, for once," said Sera.

"I'd like to be on with this," Paul interjected. "Becca and I have discussed it already, Sera. We both want to leave tonight instead of camping. If we ride hard and send a crow ahead of us, this meet-up can be finished by morning."

The man's breath was foul when he spoke, prompting Sera to wince and lean away from him as she listened. "Fine by me, but thanks for including me in the discussion, anyways." Her eyes moved to Becca's and narrowed.

"You were too busy with your Seeker girlfriend over there," Becca teased with a grin. "We didn't want to interrupt. I guess you don't know yet, Paul. Sera here has a little crush on our prisoner. It's just adorable."

"Shut up," Sera growled, shoving her friend's shoulder. "It's not a crush, stupid."

"If you say so, Sera. Just seems like you can't keep your hands off the woman since we've had her."

Stupid Paul laughed stupidly. "Just keep your hands off Becca and we won't have a problem." He took Becca by the arm and pulled her in for an obnoxiously long kiss.

Sera grimaced. "Yuck. Look, are we riding or not? Because if I have to watch that happen again, I might be too sick to seat a horse."

"We're riding," Paul answered. He looked to Cassandra. "I can take the prisoner on my horse. I'm bigger than you, Sera. Stronger. It only makes sense, no? Unless…" he shared a sly grin with Becca, "you want her to yourself."

Sera rolled her eyes. "I've already bound and kidnapped the woman. I'm not cruel enough to subject her to your stinking breath too, Paul. She rides with me." Without waiting for a reply, Sera turned and eagerly took her leave of the other Jennies. At the tree again, she knelt and started untying Cassandra from the tree. "Right then. On the road again, it seems. You going to behave yourself?"

Cassandra nodded.

"'Cause you know, last time you indicated you were going to be a good little prisoner, you lied, so I guess you Seekers do tell your little fibs from time to time, huh? Either way, I've a good mind to just hogtie your arse and toss you over the back of the saddle. What do you think of that, love?"

Cassandra, obviously, could not respond. She shifted around a bit as the ropes came loose from her torso, but remained otherwise silent.

Sera sighed. "Right… whatever. I don't have the heart for it, even after all that 'frivolous' talk before. On your feet then, Seeker. Let's get you on our big beastie." She aided the woman to a stand, cut her ankles loose, then walked her over to the horses. Getting her mounted atop their courser was a much easier task than the last time they'd done so. She learns quick, Sera thought, watching Cassandra get herself seated without use of her arms, hands, or eyes. She hopped up behind the woman and scooted close to her backside. "Our final ride," she said, taking the reigns around the Seeker's arms. "I know, tragic and all, but be strong. Try to hold back the tears. You've still got an apology to think up or you're getting a nice, big, wet one on the lips when we arrive at our destination."

"Mrmnmm" Cassandra groaned.

"There's the spirit!" Sera dug her heels into the courser's sides, spurring them to a canter to catch up with Becca and Paul a bit further down the path. She rode right between the two of them, close enough for her horse's tail to swat at Stupid Paul, found a comfortable riding distance out in front of the couple, and stayed there for the whole ride throughout the night. Cassandra, this time, held true to her word, sitting quietly and without struggle the entire way. At a point, when their horse was on the straight and narrow down a wooded path, Sera released one of the reigns and took Cassandra by the waist. The Seeker stiffened at first, but did not fight to remove it, and it was like that they rode the last stretch of travel towards their destination.


It was just before dawn when they reached the cave. It was a boring old unassuming cave, but that sort was just the sort you'd want for an inconspicuous meeting anyway, so Sera had no complaints. They rode beneath a natural arch of rock, just starting to turn a ruddy red as the day's first light came creeping over the mountains in the East, and down a gently sloping fall of land, at the end of which the path grew thick with weeds and vines, and the cave entrance peeked out of the earth like some big, great, gaping maw, complete with a few jagged stone teeth hanging from its upper lip. A slight shiver took Sera's spin as she rode beneath the 'teeth', and she quickly used her free arm to wrap Cassandra a little tighter against herself.

The cave was cavernous; high ceilinged and wide walled, with a few spires jutting up here and there. It was dark, too, until Paul rode in, dismounted, and set to planting a few torches around the perimeter. At the rear of the cave, a few cracked barrels and an upturned table of rotting wood lay in ruin, and it was there Sera led her horse to dismount and tie. Stupid Paul and Becca followed suit, then the three worked together to get Cassandra unseated and down to the cave floor.

"If our crow flew true, the prince's agent will be here shortly," Paul explained.

"Who picked this place for the meetup?" Sera asked, glancing about the cave.

Paul jabbed a thumb proudly against his chest. "I did, of course."

"Figured. Not the best choice for having to flee should our pig's piglet bring a small army with him and decide the three of us each have one head too many above our shoulders, is it?"

Paul laughed in his stupid way. "An army? For what? Her?" He gestured to Cassandra, standing idly by with her arms, wrist, eyes, and mouth locked away in her restraints. "With the Dive Justinia dead, and the chantry in decline, these Seekers of Truth are a dying breed. All of Thedas knows it. I'm just surprised our little Nevarran Prince was interested at all."

"There won't be no trouble," Becca agreed.

"There better not be," Sera warned, "because if there is, we're stuffed up in this bloody hole in the earth with nowhere to run. This was a stupid place to choose."

Paul frowned and looked ready to argue, but Becca took hold of his arm and shook her head, and that seemed to placate the big oaf's frustration. The two walked arm-in-arm off towards the upturned table and salvaged two chairs from the wreckage. Sera, gladly, took Cassandra by the arm and went off in the opposite direction. She found a barrel that looked sturdy enough and helped the Seeker lean against it.

"Looks like I got you here in one piece after all. Told you I would. Was it really so bad?"

Cassandra grunted and began moving her jaw about.

"What? You want to say something?"

She nodded.

"Well… alright, but the first thing out of that big mouth of yours better be 'I'm sorry', or, well, you will be sorry." She reached around the Seeker's head and untied the gag, then plucked the second cloth from the woman's mouth.

"Sera, listen to me," she began.

"That doesn't sound like an apology to me."

"Fine, I'm sorry. There. Happy? Now, listen, you-"

"Not sincere enough," Sera interrupted. "You actually want me to kiss you, don't you? Wait… do you?" She asked hopefully.

The Seeker sighed. "Listen, one of your friends said you were in contact with a 'Nevarran Prince' before. Did I hear that correctly? Is that truly who seeks to purchase me?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I should have wrapped your ears up in a cloth, too, you eavesdropping little Seeker, you."

"Sera, I have a very bad feeling about this," Cassandra plowed on; her voice sounding uncharacteristically a bit unnerved. "I… I mean, my family… we were Nevarran royalty once ourselves. Well, the Pentaghasts still are, technically. Including me."

"Alright. So?"

"So… so there may be enemies of my family, or… Maker, I don't know. I just don't have a good feeling about this. Look, would you be willing to untie my hands and arm me? There are three of you and one of me. What harm could I do?"

Sera twisted her lips. "Hmm… you with a sword? Quite a good bit of harm, I'd imagine. I seen you take the head off that training dummy the day I nabbed you. Scary stuff, Seeker."

"Sera, for once, take me seriously."

"What is she blabbering on about?" Paul questioned, moving quickly across the gap between them. "Why is she not gagged?"

"She wanted to talk, so I let her talk. Piss off, Paul," Sera said.

"I want her quiet," Paul retorted. "She might scare off the agent when he arrives if she starts flapping her gums. Silence her."

"Sera, please," Cassandra interjected, twisting at her bound wrists. "I can't overpower the three of you. Just arm me incase things go poorly."

Becca laughed, joining in beside Paul. "Now she wants a bloody sword, too? That's just grand. Out of my way, Sera, I'll gag her myself."

"You step back, B," Sera warned. "Neither of you are putting a hand on her. I'll put her frigging muzzle back on good and tight when the agent arrives. Until then, back off. In case you two have forgotten, we're not actually selling her to no one. Just showing her off. So she doesn't stand to gain nothing in scaring the agent off anyways."

Paul and Becca exchanged a look, some tacit conversation passing between their eyes. Then Paul said, "Fine, but you keep her quiet, elf, or I will come back over here and quiet her down myself."

Sera laughed. "What are you going to do, Paul? Breath on her and knock her out from the odor?"

Paul glowered. "Just keep her quiet." With that, the couple turned and traipsed back off to their chairs at the other side of the cave.

"Thank you," Cassandra said when they'd gone. "Now, please Sera, if you'd just remove my binds…"

"I can't, love. Them two will yell at me, and you'd probably just bust my nose up with your fist the second you got the chance, anyway." Sera moved beside the woman and laid a hand on her forearm. "Don't worry. I won't let no one harm my little Seeker. I'll protect you."

Cassandra sighed. It was, clearly, not the answer she was looking for. She shifted around on her heels a bit before seating herself against the barrel again. "The blindfold…?"

"Can't take it off quite yet. Sorry."

"So if things go sour in here and we have a problem…"

"We won't," Sera assured her. "And if we do, I've got a quiver full of pointy little friends slung against my hip here, and every last one of 'em is awfully good at… problem solving." She grinned and patted her arrows.

"And after this… you still intend to let me go free? Truly?"

"Truly," Sera confirmed.

Cassandra hesitated, took a breath, and said, "Then if that is the case… I will apologize for the things I said to you earlier. …when the times comes."

Sera raised her brow. "Yeah? And you promise you won't come hunting me down to cram a big old slice of Divine justice up my arse?"

Cassandra's answer was brief, blunt, and not entirely unexpected: "No."

Sera had to laugh. "Fair enough, Seeker. Fair enough." She hopped up on the barrel beside Cassandra and folded her legs beneath her. She sighed, laid her chin in her hand, and idly picked the fuzz from her prisoner's cloak. "Now we wait."

And so, they waited.