I am so sorry for the late update. I've been working! Hope there's still some readers left. I've made this one quite long to make up for my absence. Enjoy!

11. Whisky

He stared at her, trying to work out the expression on her face. Was it sadness? Or was it fear? "What do you mean in danger?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to lose his patience again. She looked up at him, her cheeks slightly flushed. "You killed Danarius, he had powerful connections", she said simply, "so?" he demanded, an impatient edge starting to crawl along the tone of his voice. "You think the magisters would permit you, an escaped elf slave, to run free after having killed one of them? There could be no worse disgrace" her voice darkened, "I killed a group of slavers here in Kirkwall not a week ago. They're looking for you, and there's more and more coming for you" her head tilted to one side "I guess now I see why they haven't reached you yet, you have friends in high places" she concluded, watching him closely.

He suddenly got to his feet with an impatient huff, and started pacing up and down in front of the fireplace. He shook his head as Asya watched him with a frown, still sitting on the wooden bench. "I knew it" he spat, "I knew I'd never be free, I could feel it even after I killed that bastard of a mage". Asya opened her mouth, as if to speak, but closed it again. "I hate this-" he shook his head again impatiently "-this whole life" he growled. "It is not a question of being free, emma vhenan*" Asya said softly. "What did you call me?" he snapped harshly at her, "and what an earth are you talking about?".

She sighed and watched him, as he looked furiously down at her, demanding answers "you have been free ever since the very first second you escaped Danarius' filthy clutches" she replied, "you're simply in danger". "Oh is that it? Where were you eight years ago to illuminate me then?" Fenris said sarcastically. Asya frowned at him, "you thought you could just escape, kill his apprentice and then him and live happily ever after?" she demanded, slightly offended by his sarcasm. Fenris scowled and turned away, trying to keep control over his already burning hands "what would you know about being an escaped slave? What would you know about me? As far as I'm concerned, I've just met you," he said coldly. She looked at him, her eyes blank. She got to her feet and walked over to the door, where she stopped and turned to face him, "you're right" she breathed, "I know no Fenris. Leto is dead. His body has been filled with ice and steel and nothing more. You know nothing but hatred, and you prefer it to be that way, don't you?" she said, a cold fire burning in her blue eyes, "but don't worry, I shall make sure they all pay. I will avenge Leto, emma vhenan*, kill all those who step on his ashes" she looked at his blank eyes for a moment, then turned away and left the mansion.

He slowly sat back on the bench, and could feel it was still warm where Asya had been sitting. He let his head drop into his cupped hands and sighed heavily, cursing in Tevinter under his breath. He felt slightly stiff, his stomach upturned by Asya's final speech. He lifted his head slightly and looked at his hands. They were wet. He furiously wiped his eyes dry and grabbed a book from the bench, slamming it into the wall with all the force he could muster, "Vishante kaffas!". A few pages flew out of the book as it hit the floor. He stormed into his bed quarters, grabbed his armour, pulled it on, then reached for his sword. She was not going to avenge him without him, if that made any sense at all. He rushed down the steps to the main hall and opened the entrance door, slamming it behind him as he stepped into the early morning light.

Asya stormed up the stairs to the room quarters of the Hanged Man, her blood furiously throbbing in her ears. How could he? She thought angrily, as she carelessly bumped into someone. "Hey Ivory, you in a rush?" Varric's voice interrupted her angry thoughts and she twirled round to see the dwarf's scrutinizing look pierce her painfully. "Oh, hi Varric" she said, a little flustered, "come tell me everything in front of a pint, I'll buy" he offered. She gave him a look that said I really shouldn't, but she sighed and said, "I guess I'll be having more than just a pint, Varric"; "Fair enough" the dwarf chuckled.

[…]

She flung her head back and stared at the grimy wooden ceiling of the Hanged Man. "Listen, sweet pea, I've known that elf for eight-odd years now" Varric said, knowingly swilling the last dregs of whisky around in his glass and finishing them off. He watched Asya lift her arms and place her hands over her eyes, "nobody's ever got close to him.. well, apart from Hawke, but that didn't end in roses if you know what I mean" he comforted her. Or at least, he thought he was, because his eyebrows rose in surprise at the angry look she gave him as soon as he'd finished the sentence. "She what?" she demanded, slightly wonkily adjusting her position on her seat "what do you mean she got close to him?"; "Oh" Varric said, in a way that sounded very much like Oh, shit. Asya huffed and shot a frustrated look at her half empty glass of whisky; she picked it up and raised it, turning to Varric, a sarcastically exasperated look on her face, "to my useless ten years on the run, then" she said, and downed all that was left of her whisky, "wow that's bad" she added with a grimace. "Oh I've had worse" Varric replied, "and.. don't give up on that guy. As much as his extreme broodiness frustrates me, his heart's in the right place.. well, more or less" he added with a chuckle. Asya bent her head sideways slightly, and rested it on her hand, looking sideways at the dwarf. "So, what do you do Varric?" she asked him, ignoring the last few things he'd said; "Oh, this and that. I'm a storyteller so to speak, get paid for being it too. And I also get paid for not telling stories, if you know what I mean" he told her with a wink. "Lovely" she replied, her eyesight slightly fuzzy. I can't believe it's noon and I'm drunk, she thought as she concentrated hard on not looking drunk at all, pretending she was listening to Varric.

Then something caught her attention, "Hey there Broody, have you come to join us or are you just going to stand there like an idiot?" there was a small laugh in Varric's voice, and she felt someone sit on the bench beside her. She turned round and saw Fenris staring at her disapprovingly. "You've been drinking" he said, looking at both of them. Oh come on, do I really look that drunk? Asya wondered as she tried her best to shoot a superior and careless look at him, failing dreadfully. "She needed to unwind" Varric shrugged. Asya didn't listen to Fenris' angry comment, or to Varric's snide reply; she was looking at the elf's left ear, which had turned slightly pink. Her gaze trailed off down his jawline and followed his profile up his chin, up his lips, along the bridge of his nose and stopped on his eyes. It's really you, it's really you, she thought to herself absently. Fenris turned his head to face her, and she realized all too late that she was smiling, very stupidly at that, and that his expression could not be more furious. "Oh" she said "sorry, um, I think I need to pay a visit to my bed" she said, having completely ignored Fenris' and Varric's conversation and therefore totally unaware that they had been talking about her. She turned to the dwarf, who winked at her with a smile, "you know where to find me Ivory. Give her a hand, will you?" he added nodding at Fenris and sloppily getting to his feet, "I'll see you guys later then yes?" he said, turning round and heading to the bar. Fenris' ears were definitely pink now, he turned his head towards her, but his eyes were on the several glasses that littered the wooden table. He opened his mouth to speak, a frown lining his forehead. "I'm fine I can handle myself," Asya blurted out before he could say anything "I'm a stranger anyway right?" she added, dangerously picking up on the argument they'd had several hours ago. She felt bold, as you do when you drink almost a whole bottle of whisky all to yourself, and a few pints. "Why are you even here eh?" she said, nodding her head at him. "Look. Don't make me hit you" Fenris growled, quite clearly struggling to stop himself from yelling at her. Asya raised an eyebrow, and stood up rather wonkily. She turned round, stepped over the bench, and as she pulled her other leg over, she tripped. An arm shot out and she grabbed it, steadying herself, her mind suddenly very fuzzy. "Oh" she said weakly. She heard Fenris curse under his breath and, before she could protest any further, he'd flung her arm around his neck and fiercely grabbed the side of her waist.

They were walking along an alleyway.

Her arm hung loosely around his neck and his hand gently clasped her waist. The cobblestone street glimmered slightly in the moonlight. She laughed, and turned to him "I'm such a loser" she told him. "No you're not" he replied with a chuckle; "yes I am, look at me" she said dramatically gesturing at herself with her free hand "happens to the best of us" he suggested helpfully, smiling at her. "Hmm" she replied thoughtfully. She turned to him and smiled, "you're a good one Leto," and she pressed her lips on the crook between his jawline and his neck.

They had reached the top of the stairs. "I can handle myself from here" she insisted, but as he tentatively let go of her he felt her knees buckle a little, so he renewed his grip and carried on, wishing he had never set foot in the inn. "Never changed, have you?" she muttered knowingly, an absent smile on her lips, her eyes focused on nothing, but pointing in his direction. Fenris felt his insides squirm uncomfortably, as he opened the door to her room. They limped awkwardly over to the bed and he lowered her onto it. Before he could withdraw from her, her hand shot up and pressed down on his cheek. He felt her lips touch the crook between his jawline and his neck and recoiled, as if he had been burned. She seemed not to notice. She rolled over, her lips still curved in an absent-minded smile.

*emma vhenan= "my heart" in elven.