Surana The Slayer: Part Two

Viscount Dumar was a very calm and polite man, but Neri could tell that underneath that calm exterior was a whole lot of worry and stress. Based on the state of the carpet in the room, she could tell he was a pacer too, but unable to pace while they sat and spoke, he had taken to tapping his foot on the ground instead. Annoyingly, his anxiousness was making her anxious—or more anxious, as it was. And she was really coming to regret ever mentioning the Qunari to the poor man, as it had only increased the tempo of his irritating foot tapping.

"The Qunari are a worry, a constant one. We have given them everything they have asked for in an attempt to be accommodating, but still they remain here, with no further reason as to why," Dumar said with a sigh, his blue eyes watching her yet focused on something far away.

She leaned forward in her chair, hoping to draw back his attention to her more fully. "They're here for a reason," she warned. She didn't want to add further worry to the man, but she knew enough about the Qun to know that this probably wasn't a simple situation or one that would be resolved quickly. How long had it taken Sten to admit he was missing his sword and needed it back before he could go home? Fucking months, it felt like.

"One which they will not reveal to us," Dumar agreed as he dragged his hand over his stubbled jaw. "You travelled with a Qunari during the Blight, did you not? I know you are not planning to stay here long… but perhaps you could-"

"I told the Knight Captain of the Templars that I might be able to speak with the Qunari. I don't know if it will help though—I'm not the best at talking with officials." She gave him an impish smile, cringing as she remembered her greeting him with a very tactful 'you're bald'.

He let out a chuff of laughter, head shaking. "Still…at this point, I'll take any outside help I can get."

Neri nodded, chewing on her lip a bit. "I was given the title of Kadan by one of their Sten. It might count for something," she said with a shrug. He seemed to take that as a sign of hope and she smiled slightly. "I know you're worried about their presence here, but as threatening as they look, the Qunari are an honourable people—they won't attack unless provoked, I don't think."

"I hope you are right," he replied wearily.

Neri cleared her throat and moved to the edge of her seat. "Well, if that's everything…" She made to get up but the Viscount gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'm afraid it is customary for a visiting dignitary from another nation to greet some of the higher ranking nobles of the city upon arrival."

Neri sighed.

"I would do away with such protocols, if I could," he said as he stood from his seat. "This shouldn't take more than a few hours, however."

"Hours?" she squeaked.

"At the least, yes."

Neri groaned inwardly.

…

"You changed things," Seamus, the Viscount's son, was saying to her. "That's something. Change doesn't always happen peacefully. In fact, it rarely does."

She sighed a bit and ran a hand through her thick golden curls. "Maybe. But it's not like I really thought about what making the Circle autonomous would do," she admitted. "I just wanted it and didn't really consider that something like that could even happen." She took another sip from her glass, grateful for the alcohol being served at this ridiculous gathering, and even more grateful for Seamus' company—he was an excellent buffer between her and the nobles all trying to speak to her.

"Would you make the same choice again, knowing what happened?" he asked her as he smoothed out a strand of his dark hair.

Neri smirked a bit. "If I knew Rylock would blow up the Tower as well, then yeah, obviously. I would just kill that bitch and any other Templar wankheads so that the transition would be all smooth and seamless."

He smiled, shaking his head slightly, apparently not disgusted with her answer. "I'd like to change things here. The way this city is now…" He shook his head, scowling slightly. "Darktown and Lowtown look the worst off, like they're the most broken parts of the system, but a lot of the people there are better than the people in this room."

"They know what it's like to have nothing—sometimes that makes them resentful assholes but most of the time they're modest and humble and know that helping one another out is the best way to survive, right? Nobles are almost always selfish, greedy pricks with giant-as-fuck sticks up their arses. I hate them." She winced slightly. "She says to the noble," she added ruefully.

Seamus let out a chuckle. "You're not alone in such thoughts."

She tilted her head, watching him watch the nobles all mingling around them; she could see the very subtle downward turn of his lips as he regarded them and knew he was telling the truth. "You're kind of blast of fresh air, you know that, right?"

He smiled, blue eyes dropping their gaze a little shyly, his cheeks colouring. "That's kind of you to say."

"I mean it. I've actually enjoyed talking to you…which can't be said for any other person in this room."

"Considering these are the very worst of the worst…"

Neri let out a chuff of laughter and bopped his arm playfully. "It was meant as a compliment, you arse."

He smirked and sipped more of his own drink and Neri went back to tapping on the balcony rail a little impatiently. "I need to get out of here," she muttered.

Seamus chuckled. "Desperate to get away from me?"

"Of course not. I just need to find my fellow Warden and-"

He smiled softly at her. "You'll need a distraction."

She nodded and gave him a devious little grin. "What did you have in mind?"

"Head for the door and you'll see."

She squeezed his shoulder then did just that. She knew Bran had a room all booked for her at some inn—admittedly that was better than staying with any of these nobles—but she didn't fancy hanging around for the some snobby Guard Captain to escort her there, not when she wanted to find Anders.

Neri headed down the steps and manoeuvred through the crowds just as she heard a cry behind her. Looking over her shoulder revealed Seamus having spilled a drink all over some woman's dress. Neri smirked, as she easily slipped out the door unnoticed thanks to everyone's attention now being on the wailing woman. She wasn't entirely sure where she was heading, but she figured at this time in the evening, that tavern would be as good a place as any to check out. If she could just remember how to get there…

…

Hightown was easy to navigate, for the most part. It was Lowtown however, that was giving her a damned headache. It was dark now and she was struggling to remember any useful landmarks that might get her to where she needed to go—it didn't help that the place was a bloody maze of identical looking streets made up of undistinguishable mud buildings that were all crammed together wherever she looked.

"You lost, sweet'art?" a gruff sounding voice suddenly said from her side. She glanced at the man emerging out of the shadows with a scowl. He was a big man and had an ugly, jagged scar running straight across his face, cheek to cheek and over his nose, like someone had tried to cut his head in half at one point. She didn't much like the look of the predatory grin spreading across his face, either.

"I am, actually," she replied with a sweet smile.

Six more men moved out from the shadows to surround her. All of them were well armed and all of them were in matching black armour and yellow cloaks, scarves and belts.

"Well, why doncha come with us? We'll help you, won't we lads?" the scarred man said, his grin widening.

"You're too kind," Neri replied. "I really am in quite a hurry, though."

"What's tha rush, darlin'?" a man said from behind her as he reached out, moving her curls away from her ear. She clenched her jaw and watched the man out of the corner of her eye. "We'll take you nice and slow," he whispered.

She rolled her eyes and stepped away from him.

"Hey now, don't like whatcha see?" the man who had touched her hair asked as he grabbed his crotch and thrusted into his hand.

"Definitely not," she scoffed, repulsed by his crude gesture. She turned, ignoring the man's muttered curses, to look at all of the other men in a circle around her. She started to smirk. "So, what are you? The Yellow Pansies?"

Scar-face snarled. "We're the Saffron Giants!"

Neri laughed. "You sound like a really shit sports team."

All seven of them drew their blades and pointed them at her. "You made a big mistake coming through our part of town tonight, knife-eared bitch."

She snorted—it was always the same with shitheads like this. One moment she was good enough to gang rape, the next she was a bitch for denying them such a thing and insulting their precious pride. Well fuck 'em. She hit every single one of them with an outward wave of force magic, and watched with a satisfied smirk as they all fell back on their arses, some losing hold of their weapons in the process.

"Did you not notice the staff?" she asked, laughing.

She pinned them all to the ground with her magic and watched as they struggled against it, legs kicking and nails grasping at their chests as she increased the power of her spell against them.

She put her boot to scar-face's neck and pushed down on his throat. "Where is The Hanged Man from here?"

"Piss off," he bit out.

She sighed and stepped off of him, then used her magic to throw him up into the air. She let him drop, enjoying with sadistic satisfaction as he screamed on the way back down. She stopped his fall at the last second, with his nose inches from the dirt ground.

"Let's try that again, shall we?"

"Fucking mage-bitch," he spat. "Take the next left! Then follow the stench of ale."

Neri snorted and let the man drop to the ground with a thump. "Not the best set of directions, but I suppose it'll do. Off you all run now," she said as she cut off her magical hold on them all. The men scrambled to their feet and disappeared off into the night with Neri watching them flee with a grin.

An elven woman suddenly slipping out of the shadows a little bit ahead caught Neri's gaze however. She watched the woman approach, a spell already at her lips, magic pooling in her palm and tendrils of it curling around her fingers, but as the woman got closer, Neri could see that she looked just as amused as Neri had at the fleeing men.

"Pietà, late to the party again, I see," the elf said, her accent clearly Antivan. "I always seem to miss out on all the fun around here."

Neri kept her magic coiled around her hand, just in case—she didn't exactly have the best track record with Antivans, especially pretty ones. "I can chase them down, if you like, and let you have at them. They'd probably deserve it."

The smile the elf gave her was nearly feral but her chocolatey brown eyes remained almost chillingly cold. "As enjoyable as that would be, watching them flee like that will have to be enough, I think," she answered.

Neri nodded. "Suit yourself."

The Antivan's head tilted slightly, long silver hair catching in the moonlight with the movement. "You are Neri Surana, are you not? The Slayer of the Archdemon."

"The one and only." If this Antivan was here to cause trouble, that title would give her pause, or so Neri hoped. "And who might you be?"

The stranger smiled a little tightly. "I'm Giselle, if you must know."

"What are you doing out in the streets at this time of night all alone?" Neri asked. She glanced around, checking the shadows. "Assuming you are in fact alone."

Giselle's lips twitched in amusement. "I am. And I could ask you the same question—the streets of Lowtown are hardly a suitable place for a lady, mage or no."

Neri let out a rough snort. "You really are a typical Antivan, you know that, right?"

Brown eyes narrowed at Neri, that amused smile slipping away into something more neutral and unreadable. "The reasons I am out here matter little, the reason I am speaking with you, however, is down to simple curiosity."

"Wanted to see what the Slayer's really like, then?"

"Indeed."

"Well, here I am. Like what you see, amica?"

Giselle's brow arched ever so slightly and Neri was sure there was a quirk at her lips too. "Perhaps." The elf prowled around her, one foot stepping in front of the other like a wolf's walk. Neri watched her carefully, eyeing the shiny silver daggers hanging from the Antivan's back with a clenched jaw. "You speak Antivan?"

"…Some," Neri admitted. She'd spent enough time with rogues to know that spilling details like that to a stranger probably wasn't the best idea. Giselle nodded thoughtfully, finishing her circle around her and stopping a few feet in front of Neri.

Giselle hummed a bit, nodding. "So what are you doing out here all alone? Surely the city's Viscount would not allow such a thing?"

Neri huffed out a laugh. "I doubt it, didn't exactly ask though."

That did have Giselle smiling. "Not a fan of nobles then?"

"Are even nobles a fan of nobles?"

Neri watched the Antivan let out a light, airy laugh with a smile of her own. "Goodness, no—they despise one another."

Neri smiled a bit and scraped her boot along the gravel coated ground. "I'm looking for someone," she said, finally explaining.

"Ah," Giselle said. There was a strange sparkle to the elf's eyes, an almost knowing one and she began to smile slightly. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for another Warden, would you?"

Neri's ears flicked back, attention suddenly piqued. "I…might be. Do you know where I might find one?"

"Mmm," Giselle hummed, her smile widening. "Last I saw of him, he was at The Hanged Man. And it just so happens, that's where I'm heading now as well." She nodded with her head. "It's this way."

"How…convenient," Neri said. At least she seemed to have been right about Anders heading to that tavern, even if he wasn't there now, she'd be able to ask after him. She followed the elf, albeit cautiously with a barrier spell at her lips.

"You don't trust me?" Giselle asked over her shoulder, looking amused once more.

"You're Antivan," Neri replied.

That got a laugh out of the other woman. "Very wise of you."

Even without the elf's country of origin making Neri suspicious of her intentions, this particular elf was armed to the teeth, Neri was coming to realise. She had blades and vials hanging from her belt, more daggers and knives across her thighs, and some even hidden in her boots. Neri had always thought Zevran was absurd for carrying so many different things on him, but this woman outdid even him.

"So, what are you doing in Kirkwall of all places?" Neri asked.

"Does it matter?"

"I…guess not?"

The Antivan nodded stiffly and picked up her pace, leaving Neri to trail behind her, watching the woman's silver hair swishing with each step she took. Her eyes travelled lower, over the tight black leathers Giselle wore and she couldn't help but smirk in appreciation at the view. For someone so terrifying, she certainly had a nice arse.

"I had a job, in Ferelden," Giselle said after a few minutes of silent walking. "Then the Blight happened and I came here."

"Ah." A bitter sort of sadness settled over Neri. The Blight affected so much, so many. "Why not go back to Antiva, then?"

"There is… nothing for me there."

"And there is here?"

"Perhaps."

"You don't miss it – Antiva that is? I always wanted to visit," Neri said a little wistfully.

Chocolate eyes regarded her, flickering over Neri's face, obviously trying to work out her reasoning for the questions.

Apparently having decided Neri was just making conversation, Giselle replied. "I miss… aspects of it, from time to time." Her tone was cautious, but Neri saw something flicker briefly through the elf's dark eyes that just might have been sadness.

Neri hummed, nodding. "I miss Ferelden's flat ground," she replied. "I haven't been there for a while and this city's nothing but steps and hills."

Giselle smiled ever so slightly and flicked her head forward again. "The Hanged Man is not much farther now."

"He's there," Neri said, suddenly – finally – feeling the tug of Anders' taint. She grinned, her heart fluttering with excitement.

"You can… sense him?" Giselle inquired, head tilted with curiosity.

"Oh, yeah. It's a Warden thing."

Her breath hitched as she realised Anders was getting closer – heading for her; he must have sensed her as well. She picked up her pace into a sprint and rounded the corner.

And then there he was, running toward her with a huge grin on his face. She let out a happy squeal and then barrelled right into his arms. He lifted her up, spinning her around and she automatically hooked her legs and arms around him. Her fingers threaded into silky, familiar hair, as their grinning lips touched for the first time in months. It wasn't a sweet kiss—it was all heat and desperation, clumsy and messy, but still filled with so much love. She melted into him, into the familiar feel and taste of him, not wanting to let go of him ever again.

When they finally broke the kiss, they were both breathless, and their foreheads rested together as they caught their breath. His amber eyes were alight with desire and relief and joy and the panted grin across his lips was all she needed to feel safe and happy once more.

"I missed you so bloody much," she laughed out.

"Not as much as I missed you," he replied. "You've been gone for months."

"Yeah, but I was in the Anderfels, everything there reminded me of you," she said, grinning and shaking her head a bit.

He chuckled as he set her down on the ground, his eyes never leaving hers. "Never leave for that long again, you hear?"

"Was that a command?" she asked, smirking. "Because I out rank-"

He cut off her words with another searing kiss, his tongue plunging into her mouth, cupping both sides of her face with the soft hands she had missed so much. Her own slender elven fingers found his hair again and fisted it, tugging him closer still.

He pulled back enough to speak, his hot panted breath caressing her lips. "Never again," he whispered. She nodded, swallowing thickly, her own breaths just as shallow and quick.

She smiled up at him and then wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I love you," she said, squeezing him. His arms pulled her close, holding her.

"I love you too."

She spun them both around and pushed Anders back against the wall, knocking the breath out of his lungs with the force of her shove. She gave the street they were in a sideways glance, only then realising Giselle was gone. She felt bad for not saying thanks, or goodbye, but as she pressed herself flush against Anders' body, the she-elf was soon forgotten, as Anders' hardness rubbed against her thigh. She devoured his mouth again, standing on tip toes to reach him. She rocked her hips against him, making him hiss against her lips and she smirked as she pulled back to stare up at his hooded and darkened gaze.

"I hope you have a room at The Hanged Man."

He flashed her a grin. "I do. But I've not been the only person waiting for you to arrive."

She frowned. "Oh?" His grin widened and he locked his fingers through hers before he led her toward the tavern.

It was loud and rowdy inside, with people singing and drinking everywhere she looked. She loved taverns like these—as soon as you stepped in through the door it was like everything else was forgotten and all that mattered was the drink in your hand and the company around you. A little pocket of escapist bliss, it was no wonder Anders had ended up here.

He led her through the crowds and up to the stairs. There was amber light from a roaring fire pouring out of the room at the top of them and, inside, Neri could hear several happy sounding voices. One voice in particular caught her attention. She grinned as she reached the doorway and finally spotted the man it belonged to. She raked her eyes over him, over those meaty thighs of his, up over his taut body, until she finally reached his face, her ochre eyes meeting Theo's warm amber ones.

"Theo?" Her grin widened as she rushed forward to hug him.

"Neri!" he cheered as he opened his arms for her.

Their hug was brief but friendly and when Neri pulled back she couldn't help but run her hands over his beard. She had a bit of a beard fetish. Or a hair fetish. It was definitely a hair fetish. "I like this," she purred, making his eyes sparkle with amusement. And then her gaze flicked down to his bare thighs and a smirk spread across her lips. "I definitely like those."

He grinned. "I got them out just for you," he said with a wink. "Anders practically identified me through my thighs," he added, laughing.

She chuckled. "Well, they are rather remarkable."

"Are you two done yet?" another familiar voice groused from behind her. She turned and found Theo's younger brother, Carver, giving her a smile. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his waist – he was way too tall for much else.

"What was your name again?" she asked. Carver hissed and Neri burst out laughing. "Kidding, Carver, kidding." The room was filled with laughter as she pulled back and checked him out. "It's really good to see you again."

His cheeks were a little flushed as he smiled and replied to her. "You too."

"I'm so glad you're here!" Bethany squealed from Carver's side and Neri was pulled into another hug. She grinned against Bethany's tits.

"You've not been nabbed by the Templars. Good," Neri said, meaning it as she pulled back from the hug.

Bethany gave her a weary nod. "We've been careful, but it hasn't been easy." Neri smiled sympathetically at the young mage.

"And where is my hello?" a very familiar voice said. Neri's entire face lit up as she spotted the pirate currently pouting at her.

"Isabela?"

"Hello, sweet thing."

Neri glanced at Anders. He was leaning casually against the door, grinning. She arched a brow at him and his grin widened as he gave her a slight nod. She had no idea how he had found so many people that she knew – but she was glad for it. She turned back to Isabela and pulled the pirate down for a quick snog. Not that Bela was having any of that; when Neri tried to pull back, she wrapped her arms tight around Neri's ass and squeezed it. Neri ended up moaning, and Isabela, being a sneaky rogue, slipped her tongue into Neri's opened mouth. Neri chuffed out a laugh in response and let her hands roam up Bela's back, humming her approval at all of the pirate's delicious curves.

They pulled back a moment later, both a little breathless and Neri grinned. "Was that hello enough?"

Isabela cocked her hip out and rested her hand on it. "I suppose it will have to do, for now," she said.

Neri chuckled. "Anders is all mine tonight, but after that…" she said with a seductive smirk.

Bela's eyes sparkled at that and she seemed to decide that was enough of a promise and took a step back from her, finally removing her hands from Neri's ass.

Neri turned next to look at the table, and the three people sitting at it - one of whom she recognised.

"Neri, I assume you remember Aveline," Theo said, hiding a smirk.

"Of course!" Neri said happily. Then she noticed the amused expression on Aveline's face and the armour she was wearing. "And you're a…guard now," she said.

Aveline's eyes shimmered with mirth. "Acting Guard Captain, actually."

Neri squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. When she opened her eyes again, she gave Aveline a sheepish grin. "You're the one I ditched earlier."

"I was," Aveline replied, smiling. "The Seneschal nearly had a fit when I told him you'd disappeared." Her smile widened. "I never did like him much though."

Neri chuckled. "Yeah, he seemed pretty douchey."

Aveline got to her feet, smiling in amusement. "I'm glad you found your way down here, even if you did take a while."

Neri laughed. "I got a little lost."

"So that escort might have been useful, then?" Aveline teased.

"Yes, probably," Neri chuckled. "Some very nice gentlemen gave me directions after a little bit of… persuasion."

"Anything I need to know about?"

"Not at all. They've just got some bruised egos, is all."

Aveline grinned, hugging her. "It's good to see you again, Neria."

"Likewise. You've done well to be Acting Guard Captain within two years, haven't you?"

Aveline's freckled cheeks blushed slightly. "It's hardly very impressive when compared to the slaying of an Archdemon…"

Neri laughed. "All I did was stab some dragon in the head. No big deal."

The guard let out a chuff of laughter and Neri grinned.

"An Archdemon is hardly some dragon," a new, deep, voice said. Neri turned to regard the dwarf now walking toward her. Her gaze would have reached his face if it hadn't gotten stuck on all of his chest hair, she was sure. It looked so soft. She had to practically fight her hand to stop it from reaching out and touching it because she was pretty sure that would be weird. Then again, he might have been used to it.

"Varric Tethras at your service. It's an honour to finally meet you, madam."

"Mmm."

He clicked his fingers in front of her. "I'm up here." He let out a soft chuckle. "Don't think I've ever used that one before, Freckles."

She finally dragged her gaze away from his marvellous chest and up to his face, her eyes widening at what she saw. "You have no beard!" she blurted, making him chuckle harder.

"You really were distracted by the chest hair if you're only just realising that now," he said, grinning.

"It's pretty distracting," she admitted sheepishly. "What did you say your name was again?"

He snorted, shaking his head, his copper eyes shining. "Varric Tethras," he said with a dip of his head. "It's a pleasure, I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh? You'll have to tell me what stories you've heard. Most began out as rumours I started—you won't believe the things they turned into."

He blinked up at her. "Shit, you're telling me you started the rumours about yourself, for fun?" He grinned. "That's brilliant. I have to try it."

"Well done, Neri, you just gave our resident story teller a new game to play," Theo said, sighing good-humouredly. "Varric, I swear if you use me again…"

The dwarf held up his hands. "Fear not, Hawke. I'll use Freckles here instead."

"Good," Theo said. "Because the one about my spunk being lucky is just-"

"I didn't start that one, Hawke."

"Oh!" Bela started to giggle. "That one was me," she said still laughing. Theo groaned. "Sorry, sweetie."

"These introductions are taking forever. Just thought I'd mention it," Anders said from the doorway as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.

Neri snorted. In fairness though, she was just as eager as he was to get to his room.

"Right," Theo said. "Neri this is Fenris. Fenris, Neri."

The quiet elf still sat at the table gave her a brief nod and she smiled back even as she frowned slightly. Theo gave her a look that said 'I'll explain later' and that was that.

"Well then… it was lovely seeing and meeting you all. Anders and I have a lot of catching up to do," she said, smirking. "Theo, you owe me a fry up, if I recall correctly. Our last one was rather rudely interrupted by a horde of darkspawn."

"I was just about to say the same thing. Come round mine tomorrow morning? I'll knock on Anders' door."

"Sounds great," she said as she headed toward the door and her lover.

"Don't forget the meeting with the nobles in the afternoon, Neri," Aveline said with an apologetic smile, making Neri groan.

"Can't wait," she drawled as she grabbed hold of Anders' hands. She followed him out the door, with one final smile at everyone else. "No talking," she said to Anders as he unlocked his door. "We can do that tomorrow."

He smirked and gave her a nod as he shoved the door open.

A/N: Did some last minute edits to this one from my phone, so I hope I didn't mess anything up XD. There is some fairly brief smut for this one as well, but as usual, it can only be read on AO3. Link is in my Bio if you fancy popping over there to read it. As always, thanks for all the love and support. Times are hard and I super appreciate it.

Until next time,

Chant. ❤️