A/N:
So I need suggestions for a nickname for our dear Nero, Varric has given pretty much everyone else nicknames so why not, eh? Also i can't seem to think of anything that isn't terrible.

Isabella ended up staying that night, although she told me not to expect it, she was just too tired to head back to the hanged man. And so I had warmth in my arms for the first time in eight years. It did not matter that I didn't have romantic feelings towards her, that I knew she didn't think of me as an 'it' was all I needed.

I wasn't surprised when I woke up and she was already gone. She did not show up for the next few days, no one did, and I grew restless, so the fourth morning when I woke up I decided I would get dressed, grab my weapons and brave the wrath that was Fenris.

So I made my way through the mansion till I was in front of his door where I took a deep breath and knocked.

"What?" I heard his gruff voice answer from the other side of the door.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to do me a small favor."

I heard a loud sigh and the sound of a bed creaking, footsteps towards the door and a click as it was unlocked. "Let yourself in." he grumbled.

The sight that met me was a very generous view of his naked back as he put a shirt on. The tattoos swirled everywhere, disappearing into his pants, sprinkled with light scars. Although there was a large knot of flesh over the back of his ribs on his right side. But my eyes were more drawn towards watching his muscles as they tightened and moved like very hypnotic snakes under his skin as he lifted the shirt over his head.

I didn't realize I was entranced until he glanced back and asked "enjoying the view?" with a raised eyebrow.

I started and scrambled for something to say, settling with a small smirk and "...maybe."

However, my smile failed when he turned around with a scowl "what do you want?"

I scowled back "I need coin, I was hoping you could tell me where I might find some work to obtain it."

He turned to grab his armor and began putting it on as he explained, "Hawke often finds small jobs and brings some of his friends along and shares the spoils or payment. However, I do not know where he finds these jobs."

"Okay, so where would I find Hawke?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"At the hanged man," a sigh, he swung his sword onto his back and walked past me out the door. "come, I'm going there now."

And now here I was outside of Kirkwall heading to Sundermount so that Hawke could take some amulet to the Dalish clan residing there. Isabela was teasing Fenris, Hawke was chatting with Bethany and Varric told me the story of how he got said amulet.

"...and they were surrounded by Darkspawn, their disfigured faces snarling and taunting them. When a high dragon swooped down, and scorched the rock with her powerful flames, her iridescent scales of blood red and deep purple absorbing the light as opposed to reflecting it. She made quick work of the darkspawn before her, sweeping her massive and elegant head through them, catching a hurlock on one of her horns. And as the tormented screams and death cries died out around them the dragon stood and morphed into a regal woman. She was both old and young, beautiful yet ugly-

"-and a goddamned dragon!" Hawke exclaimed, throwing his head back and laughing.

Varric sighed dramatically, "yes, I already explained that Hawke. You have no appreciation for storytelling, it is a very specific magic."

I rose an eyebrow, trying to hide my smile, "so how does this story end?"

"She asked us to deliver this amulet to the Dalish here in payment for getting us to Gwaren and for saving us from the darkspawn." Bethany said

Varric threw his hands up in disgust, "so anticlimactic!"

I chuckled, "So who was this woman?

"She said she was the Flemeth from the legends," Hawke answered, "well...she alluded to it anyway, I might as well believe it, the woman was strange. I don't think she ever even slept, and her hair looked like horns, and she wore feathers on her shoulders. What is it with mages and feathers?" he laughed.

Suddenly there was a commotion up front, where Isabela and Fenris were.

"So what duties did you have? As a slave, I mean?" Isabela asked.

"Not this again." Fenris stopped walking, in hopes that Isabela would leave him alone. Bethany, Hawke and Varric just walked past them as Isabela continued to prod him.

"I heard that Tevinter slaves are kept oiled so they glisten. Did your master oil you up? Did you glisten for him?"

"I was his bodyguard." he growled and began walking again, leaving me to walk behind the two of them.

"Always close at hand. Always within reach. Glistening." Isabela said in a far-off voice, her mind running away with her.

"You have an entire story written in your head already, don't you?"

"Mmm." she purred

After a few moments of silence Isabela slowed her pace to walk next to me. "What about you Nero, did you glisten?"

I laughed "I hate to disappoint you, but no, I did not." she pouted "tis more difficult to keep a hold of something that's oiled up, don't you think?"

"This is true," she tapped her chin, gazing towards the sky, thinking, "but surely some of the magister's you...entertained, would have liked to see you glistening."

I tensed and frowned, not noticing that Fenris also tensed when Isabela referred to the mages in Tevinter.

"There are other ways of making one...glisten," I muttered "... magisters tended to prefer those methods over oil."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her mouth form into a silent 'O' then guilt took hold of her features, she mumbled an apology and made her way to the front of the group. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to ignore the unpleasant memories tickling at the edge of my mind.

I ended up falling into step beside Fenris, with Varric and Bethany in front of us and Isabela hanging off of Hawke's arm in the front.

I trudged along silently for a few minutes, my mind twirling with memories of my blood, chains, whips, rough hands, screams, sharp pain, and dull aches when I was left alone. I closed my eyes, trying to force the images away.

"Fenris," I spoke quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear, "Say something, anything...please."

He said nothing for many minutes, so I finally opened my eyes, silently grateful that I didn't trip over anything while they were closed, and sneaked a glance at him. His eyebrows were knit together, but he wasn't scowling, and there was a faint redness to his cheeks that wasn't there before...he looked like he was thinking, hard.

"Never mind." I muttered, looking away.

"No...I..."he sputtered before giving up and scowling again, clenching his fists.

It was then I heard Bethany's voice drift back to us, and I found myself listening to a conversation between her and Isabela.

Bethany asked, "I guess you've been with a lot of men, haven't you?"

Isabela shrugged her shoulders, "Men. Women. Elves. A dwarf in drag once, but I don't remember that."

"O-oh." Bethany quietly responded.

"Aaaaawww!" Isabela gushed, clapping her hands. "you're blushing! Why? How many lovers have you had?"

"Good lord," Hawke groaned, speeding up his pace, "this is not a conversation I need to hear."

"Then shut you're ear holes, puppet." Isabela suggested, "back to the question at hand, how many Bethany?"

"I-I never..." Bethany stuttered.

"You're a virgin? Hawke, you've been holding out on the poor girl! Get her a night at the Blooming Rose. On me!"

A blushing Bethany replied "that's, um, very generous."

"I'm a giver." Isabela said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Maker's breath," I muttered "that woman is going to corrupt the world with sex."

Fenris snorted beside me, and I had a small moment of surprised satisfaction before Bethany and Isabela's conversation continued.

"So, you've been with women. In bed?" Bethany asked, a confused tone to her voice.

"I know, shocking, isn't it?" Isabela quipped, "You see, sweetness, men are only good for one thing. Women are good for six."

"Six? Which six?"

Hawke finally turned around with an exasperated "Isabela!"

She laughed and we continued our trek with Isabela moving on to tease Hawke, Varric telling outlandish stories to Bethany and Fenris and I taking up the rear in silence.