The moon hovered on the edge of the foggy ocean. Its brilliant light casting its brilliance across the calm water. The murky clouds diffuse the light to a soft glow. The frigid air was biting Zevran's exposed skin as he jogged across the dock to keep warm. The long island pier stretching out into the bay where many tall ships were tied off in wait. Warships, and schooners of all sizes. The most intimidating of all was Antivan Galleon. Its hull painted a rich burgundy and its yellow sails were an eyesore even in such little light.

Zevran was charting passages for his mercenaries across the waking sea to Ferelden. They were halfway there and this was the last ship they had to catch. Meeting with the head of a wealthy family of Tevinter with a note from the Antivan crows in his satchel. His contact was waiting for him at the end of the pier. Inside a small gazebo that overlooked the docks with the best view of the fleet.

"You must be Emilio Di Pasqua, I have come on behalf of the Antivan Crows. My masters send their most gracious thanks for your donations." Zevran said as he approached quickly.

The man turned around as Zevran stepped up behind him. Magister Emilio Di Pasqua was a haunting figure dressed in red silk adorned with gold. He wore garnet wools to drape his fragile frame and had piercing eyes. One brilliant blue, and those other a vibrant hazel. As Zevran shivered, he was dressed in heavy antivan leathers lined with blonde canine fur. A wimp against the wind, shocked to see the magister fair so easily. Yet kindly the human handed him an extra layer to look over the frozen ocean shoreline with him.

"The ship is ready to take you and your men to Ferelden, my trusted Captain Damien Wolf of the Demon's Run will meet you in the morning.

"Fantastic, one last thing for you my lord." Zevran walked up to Emilio and handed him a scroll of parchment and a small bag. The magister paused and studied the elf closely.

"I've never met an elf-like you before," Emilio said, his voice deep and sultry which brought a smirk to Zevran's lips.

"You are full of assumptions, there is no one like me," Zevran said with confidence.

"Yes, I assumed you were a dumb blonde." Emilio retorted.

"Ah, yes that is true but what I lack in brains I make up in skilful hands and charm." Zevran was quick and leaned in a little too close to the Magister. Who had a glare that could murder the weak? Zevran took the hint and backed off.

"Your task is clear when you arrive in Ferelden?" Emilio asked straight-faced.

"Of course, find the targets and eliminate them post-haste and return to the Demon's Run before the fortnight it out. My lord." The overconfident elf said a little more graciously.

"My lord I have never once seen you shiver. How do you survive with so much skin showing? It is very distracting." Zevran quipped to lighten the mood.

"Hm, you're very bold," Emilio said and turned around to face the elf. "I take it you're confident you will succeed."

"Of course, I have been training all my life for this my lord." Zevran nervously swallowed but kept his smile strong. Emilio's glance was intrusive, as his eyes scanned him and lingered on his thighs. Suddenly aware of the hemline of where his armour sat. Zevran tucked his feet together in a gracious gesture of gratitude, a bow. Emilio approached him as he adjusted his coat to fall off his shoulders.

"What is your name?" Emilio asked.

"My name is Zevran. Zev to my friends, are you my friend Magister?" Zevran responded

"Are you aware of what these are?" Emilio responded with a question and gestured to the bleeding dragon tattoo on his chest. Visible only now because his wild furs hung in his elbows. Zevran glanced, for the magister walked closer to him once he looked.

"I'm afraid I do not, but if you are willing to explain I would be happy to learn from you. You're grace." Zevran's smile dropped, as they came to face to face.

"The complexities of Necromantic Enchantments are beyond your understanding, for the whims of mages are not for your ears," Emilio said plainly.

"Oh come now, must you wound me so much? I am smarter than I look, trust me. Everyone in the crows does at least, why do you think they sent me?" Zevran was quick-witted, and as he spoke he found his confidence again. Enjoying how the Magister liked to lean in as close as he could and toy the line.

Zevran wanted to test him, so he took a step towards the end of the dock where a tall ship loomed in the fog. A grin tugging at his lips as Emilio followed his stride and covered himself up as he followed.

"They are powerful spells permanently tattooed in my skin." Emilio began to explain, but Zevran cut him off.

"Oh yes! Like my tattoos, I see you have suffered the pain of the needle more than the average man of Tevinter. Most whom I have met are fat off clout and coin." Zevran spoke quickly and Emilio was enraptured by him.

"My tattoo's are far different from yours." Emilio's face began to clear off his hazy vision, but Zevran approached him this time.

"Yours must be special then, is that why they glow against your chocolate skin in the dim light of the moon?" Zevran was laying it on thick. Emilio's attention hung on every word, and quickly he stepped away from Zevran. He approached a birdcage on the pillar of the gazebo, inside was a beautiful red macaw imprisoned in an iron decorative cage far too small for him. Zevran didn't even realize it was alive until Emilio opened the cage, the terrified bird shivering at his presence, but never left its prison. Emilio breathed deeply to quell the ache in his chest.

"Such disgrace, you dare…" Emilio was flustered and clawed his face to hide his blush. "Enough, yes they are Lyrium. Expensive, and powerful. The target wishes to keep this power to herself and I want her dead. If you come back here and she is alive. I will hunt you down and show you how I can kill a slutty whore with the snap of my finger." Emilio snapped his finger.

In a blink of an eye. A lightning bolt struck making the dock spark wildly with flashes of violet violence. Nothing had happened to Zevran, but he jumped.

Once a few beats of silence passed, Zevran noticed the Macaw now laid at the bottom of the cage in a heap of burning feathers. His eyes went wide as he looked at Emilio with terror.

"Get out of my sight." Emilio cursed and Zevran bowed.

"Yes my Lord." Zevran quickly left, horror still in his eyes at how his cockiness nearly got him killed.

"Yo! What the hell, I saw the lighting." A qunari rogue with crimson hair and curled horns jogged up to Zevran as he left the dock. Magister Di Pasqua left to stare at the ocean as the pair quickly walked the coastline towards Denerim's dock. A small tavern town attached to the busy strip of merchants and travellers.

"You heard the man Fritigern, We find the Duchess and eliminate her then go home. Easy as pie. Relax." Zevran pat the qunari on the back.

"Why don't you just call me Fame?" Fritigern asked.

"Why would I do that when your name summons tales of wonder the ladies of the night pay me to listen to," Zevran responded with a chuckle.

"You cheeky bastard," Fritigern replied as they walked towards the tavern house where they would stay the night.

Zevran and Fritigern sat down to drinks with the rest of their associates. Zevran had a pensive look on his face, which concerned the qunari.

"You've barely touched your ale," Fritigern spoke up, snapping the elf out of his thoughts.

"Oh? Well, tonight it tastes like piss." Zevran said in an attempt to dodge the question.

"Well, you're not wrong. That's not what I was talking about. You okay?" Fritigern asked.

"Right as rain my friend, I have never met a tevinter Magister before." Zevran stared into his cup still hearing that voice in his ear.

"Well, You met a true one at least. Did you know many mages from Tevinter use that title for clout? When they are merely lower class citizens." Fritigern replied.

"Oh? You don't say?" Zevran raised a brow curiously.

"Yea, Magister Di Pasqua is a Noble Lord of the Golden Reef," Fritigern said and finished his ale before Zevran could get a quarter through his.

"You certainly know a lot about Tevinter nobility." Zevran raised a brow curiously.

"Hey, I was once part of the Qun. I think I know more about Tevinter than you beach boy." Fritigern punched the elf in the arm making him flinch.

"Hey! Emilio was scary. I gave him a genuine compliment and he murdered that poor parrot over it." Zevran sighed thinking about the creature.

"You didn't hit on him did you?" Fritigern asked.

"I may have," Zevran said innocently.

"I would watch it with that, in Tevinter that stuff is shameful within the noble families." Fritigern rolled his eyes.

"What? No wonder he was so uptight. I could tell he liked me." Zevran laughed and took a long swig of his drink.

"Everyone likes you Zev," Fritigern smirked and slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm going to go talk to that cute barmaid, see you in the morning," Fritigern said and stood up.

"We leave at sun up for Denerim, we still have to meet with Logain to confirm the target location." Zevran alerted the qunari as he walked away.

Zevran sighed heavily as he left his drink and walked off to his room, through the halls of curtains where giggles of whores could be heard canoodling with their clients.

"Ashante Kafas!" A curse bellowed and Zevran moved quickly to hide within the sheets on the wall.

"I don't understand how anyone is to have any privacy in these places for such affairs. Oh well." Zevran sighed as he sat on the bed. Taking out a quill from his pack and parchment, he wrote down a note.

"Alright, I have everything… perhaps I should get those boots, I have some money left." Zevran scratched his chin as he looked out the window. There he could see the boat that was going to take him across the ocean to Ferelden. "I can get them when I come back… besides I can lavish myself with the matching gauntlets with my reward." He grinned to himself and clapped his hands. The excitement of his new contract among other noises making it hard to find sleep in the whole house.