Chapter 51 – Delicacies of court

'This is the greatest thing ever.'

'It is truly a gift.'

'Are you any good at drawing?'

'No, my skill lies in writing only, Riviani.'

'Damn.'

Oh, don't worry, this will come in handy.'

'Do you really think they're that tired that they don't know we're here?'

'Must be, he's usually up by sunrise. I think this is the first time I've actually seen him asleep in the daytime. Normally he's a golem when it comes to sleeping. Do you want to do the pleasure or I?'

'This is all you. I just want the best view.'

'My wish is your command,' he replies as he smirks at the couple who were wrapped up on the sofa. He wondered how they were going to play this but there was no denying how loved up they looked. They were on their sides, Makatza was near the edge of the sofa but Fenris had his arm wrapped around her waist and his head buried into her hair. They were both using his arm as a pillow and sleeping quite contently by the feel of it. Mana waves rolled from Makatza, slow and somehow peaceful, you instantly felt a little better when they touched you. Varric walked over and took Katza's hand squeezing her fingers lightly. 'Petal, time to get up,' he says trying not to laugh. 'Come on, you seem to have an elf attached to you,' he adds.

'Huh?' She said opening an eye and blinking horribly in the light. 'Wh..s up?' Katza mumbled attempting to look around without actually opening her eyes.

Varric crushed down his smile and prayed his face was blank, 'time for you two to get up-' he's cut off as Fenris moves his hand from her waist and pushes Varric on the forehead hard knocking him over. Isabela snorts in laughter as Fenris starts to sit up rubbing his temple in a slight headache which is washed away almost moments later by Katza's mana. The young woman also gets up yawning and brushing her hair from her face, Varric swore from the floor, 'aren't you two... y'know?! We caught you sleeping next to each other!' He said pulling himself up using the side of the sofa.

Makatza shrugged a shoulder, 'I'm not surprised any more,' she says simply, her face does still go a little bit red from a tell tale blush. 'Something embarrassing always seems to happen to me. I'm just thankful that I'm fully dressed, you'll be surprised how often I lose my clothes,' she stands up stretching. 'If Fenris doesn't mind then I don't care,' she looked over at him and he simply shook his head.

'It was not ideal,' he mutters. Makatza raised a brow wondering what he meant by that, he caught her eye and gave her a half smile, 'it is a relatively small sofa,' he clarifies making her giggle.

'You two are no fun! I thought that was going to be hilarious. Like, you were going to get all shy, red and flustered and you were supposed to be all stoic and broody. This was supposed to be good teasing material for weeks!' Isabela complained. 'Ugh, maturity.'

Makatza simply shrugged her shoulders and excused herself to the bathroom where she had a quick wash before returning. 'Aveline and Merrill up?' She asks as she walks back into the room and greets Garrett with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He informed her that they had already left and gave her a slight poke about her sleeping arrangements, when she didn't rise to it he pouted and sulked for a moment. 'Well, I promised Aunt Leandra that I would be close to home for the next few days for this blasted dress maker,' she explained. 'Plus I want to get back to my puppies so if you don't need me for anything?' She says to Hawke.

'No, there's nothing on the board at the minute. Some stirrings of gang activity and I want Varric to go over some of the signs with you at some point so he'll come up to the estate to do that,' he says simply. He pulls her to one side away from the others and smiled at her as he brushed her hair out her face, 'Katza, what's going on between you and Fenris?' He asks quietly, he was a little curious and as the elf didn't seem to want to talk about it he decided to try and get some information from his cousin.

She sighs and rubs her eyes, 'Garrett, we're close. Can I just have that without it being analysed? It's nice, we can actually talk without treading on eggshells. I know he doesn't let a lot of people get close so can you not overthink this and make it weird?' She asks not really wanting to admit their relationship so early.

'Okay... but you do know that he has feelings for you, don't you?' He says simply. Her face flushes heavily which makes Garrett laugh and feel a little satisfied, that was more what he expected. 'I mean, we all know it-'

'Garrett,' she interrupted. 'It's okay. Honestly,' Katza pats his arm, 'just let me... deal with this okay?' She said unable to explain what she means. Hawke takes it well and nods giving her a kiss on the forehead.

'Do you want someone to escort you home?'

'I'm sure somebody will be going the same way. If not, I'll just turn wolf and get home that way,' she assures. It turned out that Fenris was going home as well as Isabela wanting to go to the market, she grabbed her things and got ready to leave as she pulled her boots on. Isabela was whinging the entire time she was preparing about the unfairness of it all. 'Will she ever shut up?' Makatza asked Fenris with a roll of her eyes. He was a little grumpy this morning, he had wanted to kiss her but they hadn't found a moment where they were alone and it was showing.

'Maybe I should have pushed you instead of Varric. It would have given her something to focus on,' he says dryly privately liking the fact that Makatza laughs at his humour.

'Oh I don't know, watching him hit the floor was quite satisfying,' she said doing up her last buckle and pulling her hoodie on. 'Come on, you tart,' Makatza says looping her arm through Isabela's. 'You want to come shopping for collars with me? I mean you're going to the market anyway,' she converses as they leave the pub. Isabela agreed and the journey to the Hawke estate was uneventful, Makatza unlocked her front door to let the pirate in, 'I'm just going to say goodbye to Fenris,' she says honestly ignoring the massive grin that spilt Isabela's head in half. 'Oh fuck off,' she said shutting the front door on her.

'That was effective,' Fenris says simply with a chuckle.

'She'll have her giant head pressed up against the door,' Makatza said as she heard the pirate call her a name under her breath from inside the house, her hearing had certainly improved since her transformation. Fenris smiles softly in understanding.

'You have many books in the house, yes?' Fenris says making Makatza furrow her brow in wonder.

'Yeah there's quite a lot,' she nods in reply a little confused as to why he brought it up.

He moves a little closer making her heart rate spike and he grinned at her reaction, he whispers into her ear, 'Ego autem videbo vos, hac nocte,' he speaks slowly knowing that his breath was gently caressing her neck with every word. Makatza flushed red with his proximity and felt him softly kiss her cheek before moving away. 'Katza,' he murmurs stroking her cheek. She was saying his words over in her mind, he said them for a reason so she had to find out what they meant. 'Farewell.'

'Bye,' she says a little weakly as he walks away from her. Fucking hell that man is going to be the death of me, I am going to just end up a puddle of homones at this rate, she sighed as she opened the door and ungracefully boomped Isabela as she went in. 'You really kept listening?' Makatza says a little annoyed.

'Can you blame me? He's all sappy around you, there's going to be some action soon if your little cuddling act is anything to go by,' Izzy says simply. 'So, grab the pups and head back out?'

'Yeah, I want to find a book though quickly,' Makatza says as she goes to the study. She was pretty sure that he was speaking Arcanum which she was sure originated from Tevinter, he could have picked an easier language to translate. She searched the shelves for what she knew was about, it was a history book the someone had semi translated in pencil. Makatza was pretty sure that she would be able to piece it together. She could hear Bubble jumping on the pirate, much to the pirate's disgust about being covered in dog slobber. Her pups wandered into the study and licked her free hand in greeting happily. 'Ego autem videbo vos, hac nocte,' she said under her breath as she found the hardback she was looking for, she flicked through the pages and spotted a word. 'Ego... I..' she translated and continued to look, 'vos... you...' she sighed, that was two words. 'Okay, okay, what's nocte?' She said as she turned several pages at once, she caught sight of the word but there was no translation for it. 'Shit. Okay, let's figure this out. I...you...nocte? Videbo? Hmmm, sounds latin almost. Noctre... noctre... nocturnal? If it's that then it may be night? I... you... night?' She gasps and shuts the book. 'He wants to see me tonight?' She whispers to hereself and shoves the book on the shelf with a massive grin, her heart thundered in her chest it was quite romantic and very sneaky. She heard Isabela come in so she grabbed the book on Dalish customs and opened to a random page.

'What are you looking for?'

'Something for father, I want to say thank you to him well, for everything. I wondered if there was any sort of thing I could get him,' she says hoping that her flsuhed face wasn't giving anything away. The reason behind her father had been on the back of her mind and it was a good excuse as any. 'No such luck, I'll have to ask Merrill,' she shrugs a shoulder and puts the book back before greeting her puppies who were patiently waiting for her to finish. She was wondering what Fenris meant by meeting her at night? Would she have to sneak to his? The garden? The connontations were endless. She followed Isabela out the room and they bumped into Leandra.

'Sweetheart, there you are. Ewan will be here soon, he didn't want to wait. There's only a couple months before the ball and so he wants as much time possible to get you ready for it. Is that okay?' Leandra asks as she pets one of the wolves on the head fondly.

'Um, sure, he won't be here long will he?' Makatza asks not really looking forward to what this dress fitting was going to entail.

'No, no it should only take about an hour,' she assures. Makatza looks at Isabela and she smiles and nods letting her know that she was okay delaying their trip into town. Katza smiles and Leandra asks her to wait upstairs in her room and have a quick bath while she was waiting. She comes out in a towel where Isabela is lounging on her bed and Ewan and Leandra were waiting for her to come out. Makatza looked at Ewan, he was the same height as her, had short cropped hair and wore the awful version of a Kirkwall suit, brightly coloured and made out of silk. 'Here she is,' Leandra says happily as Makatza blushes a little as she's not really dressed for company. She hadn't washed her hair and simply pinned it up.

He looks her up and down and sighs heavily, 'thiz iz what I 'ave to work with?' He said in an incredibly strong Orlesian accent, Makatza refrained from her rolling her eyes. Great, another pompous git. He sounds just like the Baron. 'Hmm, I've 'ad worse,' he admits as he circles her like a vulture, Isabela scowls at him from the bed where she holds the pups gently making sure that they don't interrupt. 'Typical of a child, wit' ze marrin' of skin,' he comments her tattoos. 'An' half elf?' He says raising an eyebrow at Leandra.

'Yes, she's my niece,' she says bluntly not caring for his attitude.

'An' ze elf is from-?'

'My father,' Makatza states as she looks at him in annoyance.

He tuts but nods, 'hmmm. I can work wit' zis, I will take the comizzion,' Ewan nods. He goes over to a bag that he had brought in with him and takes out a notepad and a measuring tape. 'I will need 'er measurements,' he said simply talking to Leandra not Makatza. Oh sure, I don't exist. Not that I'm standing here in my towel or anything! Makatza refrained herself from growling at the man. 'I need 'er to remove ze towel,' he states, Makatza flushes pink and looks her Aunt who nods. Fuck my life, the first man to see me naked and he's an asshole. She drops her towel without ceremony and simply closes her eyes. 'Lift your arms,' she's told and does what he asks. 'She iz a strange shape, neither 'uman or elf. Ziz will be complicated to compliment 'er bust an' hips. At least she iz toned an' tall,' he approves. Her pups growl from the bed making him jump, Makatza feels a little smug at her pups defending her. She shushes them lightly, oh great, I feel like a prize bitch at a dog show. Shame about the breed but at least I'm attractive for what I am, she thinks bitterly. He begins to measure her with a cold and calculated touch writing down notes in his book before snapping it shut. 'Done! I will 'ave designs an' templates ready by ze end of the week,' he says simply. Leandra thanks him and calls for Bodahn to show him out. Makatza grabs her towel and wraps it around herself tightly.

Makatza waited until he was out of earshot before she started to talk, 'what a horrid man,' she says simply not wanting to cuss in front of her Aunt.

'Yes, he hasn't got the nicest manners but he really is the best tailor in the city. Besides, now that he had your measurements he won't ever need to do them again,' Leandra assures. 'I'll let you get dressed,' she says kissing her on the temple as she leaves the room shutting the door.

'I'm gonna stab him,' Isabela says simply making Makatza laugh.

'Izzy,' she warns.

'No, really. I wouldn't tell Fenris what just happened, I don't think he'd take to kindly to it. I don't even want to tell Hawke,' she grimaces. 'I'm glad I don't have to go through that. That looked horrible. What a rat,' Isabela scowls.

'Well you can help me take my mind off the whole thing by coming into town with me,' she says ignoring the whole Fenris comment. She didn't really think he'd like the idea and she didn't want the drama either so if it didn't come up she wouldn't talk about it. 'So, I want to get collars for Ciere and Elgon, any ideas?' She asked. Isabela mentioned that she knew a good leather worker who had fair prices so that was a positive, 'let's do that then,' she smiles as she gets dressed. Soon they were ready and wandered out the estate into the bright sunshine and cold wind. Makatza was on a mission.