Bull sat at the usual place in the tavern away from Krem and the other Chargers. It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying himself. He simply preferred to observe rather than participate. Some of the new Inquisition recruits were seated at a table by the far wall and even with Maryden singing, he could hear them discussing the stories and rumors they'd heard since arriving at Skyhold nearly a month ago.

It was entertaining, he supposed, as subjects of conversation changed with no real rhyme or reason. The Boss was included, not that they seemed to have anything against mages but their curiosity about his talents was obvious. Bull, himself, was discussed and so were others that belonged to the highly acclaimed 'Inner Circle'. Bull wasn't surprised when one man, a young lean blond with a patchy beard, steered the discussion to Raven. From the way the others joined in with lewd comments even Bull was polite enough to keep to himself, it was obvious none of them knew that come sunrise tomorrow she would be the one knocking them on their asses and Bull had every intention of seeing it. Maybe participate if she'd let him.

It was at that moment she came through the tavern entrance looking a lot more refreshed and clean since her arrival that morning. Her hair was tied back in a braid and the way some loose strands framed her face made her look younger than she was. She wore the same simple pair of black leather breeches he saw her in that morning and one of those loose white tunics she'd worn during their expedition to the Western Approach. She was alone, although he couldn't say he was surprised about that. With what he'd heard in the last month from Dorian, Varric, and even the Kid, himself, Bull expected it.

The last time he and Cole talked, the Kid hadn't agreed much with his idea of an upfront approach when it came to telling Raven how he felt and Bull was willing to bet all the gold he had in his pocket that Cole was most likely still avoiding her.

As she walked past the new recruits without giving any of them an indication that she heard them speaking of her, Bull noticed them all stop suddenly and watch as she passed them on her way to the bar. Their eyes were on her ass the entire time and he knew it was the part of him that thought of her as a little sister that made him suddenly want to knock their heads in. She could handle herself but he still protected those he cared about. By the time she made her way over to him, he'd gotten up and was taking a seat at one of the nearby tables.

"Way to make a first impression." He nodded toward the recruits once she sat down and pushed a large drink his way. His favorite little redhead didn't bother looking where Bull motioned but she grinned. She knew, of course. They hadn't exactly been subtle and someone like Raven didn't get to be in her position without at least a few observational skills. "Without even a glance their way you had them practically drooling."

"That'll change after training tomorrow." Her sure tone made him laugh before taking a large gulp of his ale only to sputter and gasp for breath. As familiar as he was with maraas-lok, it could knock even the strongest on their ass if they weren't expecting it. Blinking once, twice, three times to clear his vision, he narrowed his eye when he saw her hand over her mouth while her shoulders shook in silent laughter.

"Jokes have repercussions, Girl." She waved off his low, threatening tone because she knew he wasn't serious and he let out a loud laugh before taking another drink from his tankard while making a point to look her in the eye as the burning liquid went down much easier.

"What joke? Don't you prefer that disgusting shit anyway?" She could've at least attempted to sound curious as she spoke. "But as I said, those guys-" She pointed back at them half-heartedly, "will change their minds by midday tomorrow."

"Or make it worse. You can never tell who's a masochist these days and who isn't. Care if I watch?" He knew she wouldn't mind but asked out of courtesy. At this point in their friendship, he knew that ending up on her bad side was nearly impossible and it was the same for him. After all, she'd made sure his men were safe. Still, respect went a long way and, just as he expected, she nodded while finding a more comfortable position in the wooden tavern chair.

"Go ahead. Cole will be watching from his usual spot so you're more than welcome to join him." Bull didn't show his surprise but he had to wonder what could've happened in the time since he'd last seen her to make her so sure of the Kid's presence. Had he changed his mind about approaching her or was she simply guessing based on the fact that he'd observed her every day since the beginning?

"Not that it's my business but how are you two? Have you seen him?" That should be casual enough, he thought to himself. Raven didn't answer at first but that didn't stop the small smile from creeping up on her face or her cheeks from turning the deep pink color he loved. If she had that reaction, he knew she was now spoken for, but still he couldn't help think about how nice that color would be on the rest of her body. It was nice that some things didn't change.

"Better now, I think," she replied quietly and finally took her first sip of the tea in front of her. "We talked for a while today and now a lot is out in the open. Hopefully, things will be easier going forward for both of us."

"Good for you. Tension is never a good thing on the battlefield." He had an idea that more had happened than just talking, but he wouldn't bother pushing for more than she was willing to share. Chances were he'd find out the next time she and Cole were in the same room together.

"Says the Qunari who gets turned on fighting dragons." Her sarcastic comment only made him chuckle.

"Sexual tension is different from awkward tension," Bull replied with a laugh as he took another drink. "It fuels the fire, makes you alert, giddy even. You become more eager to succeed because you know what will follow afterward."

"How so? Sorry, but this is something I don't entirely understand," Raven asked simply, then suddenly diverted her attention away from Bull as Cole appeared in the seat beside her. Even though he couldn't see the Kid's face, it wasn't hard to guess that the Kid was looking at him.

"Spending time with the brunette woman in Crestwood or back in the Western Approach, how it would be taking you back to your tent still covered in dragons blood and making-"

"She doesn't need to know things like that, Cole," Bull cut him off before he could say anything else. It wasn't a secret that he'd fantasized about the tiny redhead across from him but she didn't need to know the finer details, those were for himself. The last thing she needed was to worry about being around him. It didn't surprise him when Raven let out a light chuckle and shrugged. He knew it was something she often did to help herself brush off such thoughts.

"At least Bull has enough respect to keep it to himself, or try to anyway. It's nothing I haven't already gotten used to in the, what Bull, year and three months or so that I've been here?" Bull nodded in response to her question. He could hardly believe it'd been over a year, but with so much happening it was easy to lose track of the time.

"I don't like the way others think of you though. Them especially." Cole looked back at the new recruits. Their thoughts were loud and made him want to hit them. In the weeks she was gone he overheard a couple of them ask about her in passing conversation but none had ever received the same answer and it only frustrated them. Patrick had kept quiet, refusing to tell them anything, which Cole was grateful for.

Eventually the men had come to the conclusion that she was a sort of diplomat like Lady Josephine because they'd only heard of her beauty and grace. She didn't look like someone who would train soldiers, fight demons, and have nearly every noble in Orlais eating out of the palm of her hand. It would be a lie if Cole said he wasn't looking forward to seeing their surprise the next morning.

"They'll be thinking completely different things tomorrow, I promise," she replied before taking a long drink of her tea and then frowning when it was empty. With a glance over to Bull's mug to see its status she stood and turned to Cole, "Would you like anything?" When he shook his head she turned and made her way to the bar. He watched her ignore the way those new recruits watched her. When she was far enough away, Cole looked at Bull who didn't bother keeping the smirk from his face.

"So you followed my advice, after all. Good on you." Cole couldn't stop the way his cheeks burned at his friends' words. It was going to be a long night.

Getting back into the habit of waking early for training didn't come easily, especially the first morning. An hour before sunrise, Raven usually would've been awake and on her way to Cullen's office but instead she was curled up against Cole, head on his chest, still fast asleep while dreaming of food as he gently ran his fingers through her long silky tresses like he often did, even before their kiss.

"Raven..." Cole spoke softly and was rewarded with a moan as she clung tighter to him. "You're training the new recruits today."

"Those pervy bastards can wait," she grumbled and slowly sat up. Cole would've smiled if he didn't know exactly what eight of those men were thinking the moment they saw her at the tavern. They thought she was a noble, weak-kneed at the thought of carnage and that she was better suited to fulfill the needs of men. He was eager to see her put them in their place as she had with the others. She sat there a moment, eyes closed and long hair trailing down to the bed and he knew she was truly debating going back to sleep. When she sighed and slowly opened her eyes to look at him he knew the logical side had won.

Raven stared down at him in a groggy haze and she silently cursed as the funny feeling returned in her stomach. What did people back home call them? Butterflies? The feeling annoyed her, but seeing him in her bed, feeling his hands on her skin and in her hair, and hearing his soft voice in her ear was worth it. Before he had a chance to try and coax her again she scooted out of bed, enjoying the way the cool air felt on her warm skin.

"I like when your hair flows," he admitted quietly and she knew he was watching her stretch and contort her body in a variety of positions to ready her muscles and crack the joints. The sleeveless shirt she wore rode up during one stretch, exposing the pale skin of her stomach.

"I'm going to have to cut it soon, it's getting too long," she replied and walked to her dresser to find not only something comfortable and easy to move in for the day but also something that would give the right impression to her new band of recruits. "You're still coming today?"

"Yes. The Iron Bull and I were going to watch," Cole replied once he was finally out of her bed. Having slept in his breeches he put his shirt on quickly before turning towards her to see she already had on a pair of black leather breeches and was in the middle of removing her loose top, her back to him, so she could replace it with one of her special sleeved training corsets. Her boots were last before she began working on her hair in the mirror. Would it be okay, he wondered, to wrap his arms around her and feel her body against his own? Without another thought, he approached her from behind, his reflection joining hers in the mirror, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her reflection smiled at his, one of her hands rested on his arms.

"After training, I have a council meeting. Should I come find you when I'm done?" She asked once she finished with her hair.

"If you'd like." Raven turned around in his arms and smiled up at him as he spoke. "Varric told me yesterday that he wanted to see you." By the time he finished that sentence her hands had traveled up to the nape of his neck and he sighed in response as his hands rested on her hips. He watched her eyes flutter closed as he leaned down to meet her lips in a tender kiss that had him fighting to keep control. He wasn't sure how or why his body seemed to come alive when she touched him but he loved it.

It wasn't until the sun was starting to rise over the Frostbacks that Raven and Cole made their way from the main hall down the steps into the upper courtyard to meet up with Bull who was leaning against the wall Cole usually sat on. He looked annoyed as he stared down at the recruits who stood in a circle more than a line, laughing loudly on the lower grounds. When Raven and Cole approached, he looked away from them and down to her.

"Trouble?" Raven asked while assessing his expression. It looked like he wanted to hit someone. Or something, and she wondered what could've caused it.

"The one with the patchy beard is a mouthy bastard but there's no weight behind it. The redhead is the one with the potential to cause damage. You'll know." His tone alone let her know he was serious so all she did was nod and, fighting the urge to ask what exactly was said, she turned to kiss Cole lightly on the cheek before making her way down the stone steps.

"I don't want her near him. He's hurt people," Cole muttered quietly when she was far enough away. Bull looked at Cole. The Kid wasn't looking at him, but down over the ledge, his attention focused solely on the redhead. Under normal circumstances, he hated the demon mindreading shit but it was good to know he was right to be worried, especially since he was going off the word of the drunken recruits the night before.

"I already let Cullen and Red know. It's not like she can't handle herself but I'm not taking a chance with him."

Raven made her way down the steps to the lower courtyard while eyeing the men carefully. She recognized most of the men in the group from the tavern the night before, including the one with the patchy beard. The redhead bull mentioned was off to the side, his expression blank as he watched her. He was one of few that hadn't been at the tavern. She'd remember him. He continued to watch her movements as she made her way to the last step. By then her presence was more noticable. Now that she was ground level with them, she realized that many of them were much bigger than her last group. She kept her eyes from glancing up to Cole and Bull as she continued to move forward.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she greeted with a smile and stopped in front of them. "Line up so we can begin." The man with the patchy beard took a step towards her, amusement plastered on his face.

"Sweetheart, are you sure you're not lost?" She fought to keep her expression what it was. The condescension in his tone made her want to roll his eyes. Or hit him. She was starting to understand Bull's mood just a bit more.

"Let me guess, the kitchen is that way?" Raven wasn't able to hide the sarcasm from her tone and as most of the men laughed, she caught the redhead moving closer to the front of the group. His movements reminded her of a lurking predator but she knew she wasn't the one who needed to worry. His eyes were trained on the mouthy bastard in front of her.

"You're too pretty to be a kitchen wench but I know that the nearest Duke's bedroom is in the eastern wing. If you –"His comment was ended by a high pitched scream as the redhead closed what was left of the distance between him and the man with the patchy beard. Raven watched as the steel dagger briefly glimmered in the rising sun as the predator pulled it effortlessly from his belt and brought it to the man's throat. His other hand prevented the mouthy bastard from moving. The other recruits backed away, voicing their surprise. She would have to work on their observational skills.

"Alex, what the fuck are you doing?" One of the recruits demanded, eyes wide. The redhead, Alex, didn't pay him any attention. His eyes were still locked onto the man who'd blatantly disrespected her not ten seconds before.

"If you finish that sentence, I'll cut out your tongue. Where would your rude, empty comments come from then?"

Raven watched the display before her, not sure what to do. There was no doubt that Alex could kill the man if he wished.

"Who the hell are you?" The man with the dagger to his throat demanded albeit with little aggression in his tone and expression. She caught the subtle tightening of Alex's grip on the man's hair.

"Who I am doesn't matter. Do you know who she is?" The hand holding the dagger left his throat to point to her. The man with the patchy beard let out a whimper when the dagger took its place back against his throat. He shook his head. Raven continued to stare at the display. The man, Alex, knew her but she'd never seen him before. His accent wasn't Ferelden or Orleasian and she tried to recall seeing him from her travels but there was nothing. She'd been everywhere there was to go so far except the Exalted plains, The Fallow Mire, and The Storm Coast. Christopher had tried to convince her to join that trip but she'd absolutely refused, much to her friends' disappointment, because of the Darkspawn. Who the hell was he?

"She's a diplomat!" The man with the patchy beard spoke as if his answer would solve everything. It brought her back to attention.

"Recruit!" Alex's eyes settled on her. "Stand down and step away." She shouldn't be as surprised as she was when he did as she said without objection but his reaction caused knots to form in her stomach as a wave of unease took over. When his dagger was back in its scabbard she focused on the man with the patchy beard. Other than his greasy brown hair being slightly disheveled and the look of terror on his face, he seemed no worse for wear, even as his hand went to his throat. "Are you okay?" She asked him anyway.

"Who are you?" He asked as his eyes met her.

"My name is Raven O'Hara and I'm to be your trainer. Normally disrespect gets you kicked out for a day but it looks like your fellow recruit did enough." Her eyes glanced over to Alex before settling back on the man who seemed to bristle at her words before laughing. Raven cocked her head in confusion.

"You're not our trainer."

"Why do you say that, Recruit?" She truly was curious as to what his answer would be although she had a feeling that his answer would be less than polite.

"You're the size of a child with no armor. I'm supposed to believe that someone like you –"

"Stand down, Alex." She repeated as she watched his hand leave his side.

"- could actually best me in combat or train me? Us? I'm not falling for this sham of a joke." She had to admire his honesty, if nothing else. He'd grown braver the longer he spoke and he seemed to disregard Alex to his left since it was obvious the man would listen to her.

"There's only so much disrespect I'll take, Recruit." She held his gaze as she spoke, "You won't be training with us today. Instead, you'll report upstairs to Iron Bull. He's the Qunari above us." He must not have noticed Bull or Cole standing in the upper courtyard because she saw his eyes widen before he focused on her again.

"Fuck you, I will. You can't –"

"Make that a week. Anyone else want to join him?" She was glad to be answered by silence, even from his friends she saw with him the night before.

"You can't do that, bitch! You might have this crazy bastard on your side but whatever authority you think you have doesn't mean shit to me." The man's voice was growing louder the longer he spoke. Raven kept her eyes on him while doing her best to ignore the way her blood pressure slowly rose and how her hands started to twitch as she subtly changed her stance. He looked angry, his cheeks flushing in the cold mountain air. Would he try to attack her? How long would she have to pull out her daggers if he charged at her or would she be forced to dodge and disarm him instead? His words hurt but she couldn't show it. Not now. Not in front of him and the others.

"Derin, you can't say things like that." One of the unfamiliar men spoke out to his friend from the group of men standing away from the mouthy bastard in front of her. Alex remained at his side but even from a distance, she could see his knuckles turning white from the clenched fists at his sides.

"You think you're a badass, Derin? Of course, you do. A young man from a small farm in Ferelden leaving to join the big bad Inquisition." As she spoke, trembling hands made quick work of removing her braid and throwing her hair into a simple messy bun in case the petty bastard in front of her were to attack and try to grab her, "You must be a real man now."

"Give me ten minutes, bitch, and I'll show you how much of a man I am." He bit out and despite the situation, Raven laughed. It was loud and came from deep in her gut. Was this man serious? Of all the things – by the time her laughter died down she had to wipe tears from her eyes. Looking up, she noticed that Alex had moved closer to Derin whose angry expression spoke volumes of how he felt about her. Who the hell were these people? Weren't recruits vetted before being allowed to join?

"I'll tell you what; come at me with all you have. If you manage to knock me on my ass before I knock you on yours then you'll get your wish. You can train with other soldiers and I will no longer be your instructor."

"Great –"

"However, if I win this little game then you have two options. Report to Iron Bull or Warden Blackwall every day for a month for your behavior or you're out of the Inquisition. I suggest you choose wisely." He gawked at her ultimatum.

"You can't do that!" he yelled. Raven didn't miss the smirk that appeared on Alex's face. Whoever he was, he knew she was more than a simple trainer. Whatever he knew, whatever Derin decided, she was done playing and apparently so was he.

When he charged at her seconds later with his small practice sword in hand, Raven dodged him easily enough. His attacks were ill-timed and clumsy, full of chopping motions like he was trying to split a piece of wood. To anyone else, it was obvious that she was toying with him. Dodging his faulty, inexperienced swings and inaccurate lunges with a trained rhythm that was taught over years and years of trial and error. After a minute and a half – she knew because she'd been counting, Raven gracefully dropped to her hunches and didn't spare any amount of strength to knock the cocky bastards feet out from under him with a swift kick. As Derin landed with a loud crash of metal on hard ground, she slowly rose from her position, standing straight while the others remained silent. Derin groaned from his place on the ground.

"I don't know what you might have heard in my absence or what you and your friends think you know. To be honest, I don't care. You've disrespected me, the Inquisition, and yourself today. Get up, take off that armor, grab your shit, and leave."

"You can't do that!" He objected while struggling to stand from the place he fell. Raven stared at him, unwilling to help.

"If you blatantly refuse to follow orders from someone who outranks you simply because she's a woman, then there isn't a place for you here," she replied. It was another ten seconds before Derin was standing again and facing her, his breathing rapid with the exertion he'd just gone through.

"And what role could you possibly have? You're a child!" Again with the challenges. Was it too late to just go back to bed and sleep until tomorrow? A presence at her side caused Raven to turn her head. Alex stood next to her but she appreciated the distance as he was just out of arm's reach.

"Ma'am, do you need me to remove him for you? Or give him to the Qunari?" Her eyes widened at the amount of respect in his tone. Who in the hell…? Wasn't he the one they didn't want her around?

"That won't be –" Derin was less than polite and he disrupted her.

"Ma'am?" Raven bit back a curse as he spoke. "Who are you?"

"Actually, yeah. Remove him, but you and I are going to talk later." A wide grin appeared on Alex's face and she was impressed how he wasted no time moving forward and grabbing Derin by the ear. He squealed as Alex began to lead him from the lower courtyard. It would've been funny had he not wasted half an hour of training and insulted her directly. With a long sigh, she glanced up to Bull who wore the same passive expression he normally did while observing those around him. His smile was gone as quick as it appeared and he nodded.

When her eyes shifted to Cole, she noticed his head was turned and he was watching Alex lead Derin up the stone stairs to the upper courtyard. His expression was one she'd seen only a couple of times since she met him. He was angry. Furious, even, and she didn't blame him.

"She doesn't have this kind of –" Derin yelled loud enough for her to hear. His sentence was cut off by a squeal and she knew Alex had pulled a little harder than necessary. They were now in sight and she watched how Derin tried to struggle again only to bite back a curse as Alex moved the arm that was holding him. When Alex looked down to her as if waiting for approval, she nodded. What could he possibly want? He turned back to Derin and she didn't miss the way he smiled.

"She is an advisor to the Inquisitor." Alex announced, his voice loud enough so she and the recruits could hear, "And as an advisor to the Inquisitor, she can do whatever the fuck she wants."