Hi there!

New chapter, as promised. It seemingly doesn't add nothing new to the story, as it is based on the dialogues from the game. But we all know the most important things are hidden between the spoken word. ;)

Of course, the world and its habitants don't belong to me. :)

Enjoy!

'So the seneschal's tax collector won't be coming again like you asked'. Isabella says. 'Funny story-'

'I'll pass. But thank you for the help.' Fenris stops her. It is better to leave those kind of stories for the drunk evenings. Still, he's really surprised how quick she got taken care of that.

'Spoilsport.' She smiles. 'Why you want to squat up here in Hightown is beyond me.'

'I like the view.'

Isabella stands up and looks him up in a more than intimate way.

'So do I.' She turns and heads for the door, when the other unexpected guest arrives. Hawke. That's unusual. Two women pass by each other and whatever Isabella does at that moment makes the mage suppress a giggle. The image of them with elven maid locking themselves up in a private room flashes before Fenris' eyes, making him a bit uncomfortable.

And there she is. Their dear leader, saviour and cause of most of their troubles, Lady Hawke. He wonders what kind of important matter brings her to his mansion, but she's silent.

'Three years' He starts then, suddenly being aware of the time that has passed. It seems like only a moment since she rescued him and he offered her his service. When did that all happen? 'There's still no sign of Danarius. I'm beginning to wonder if he's finally given up.'

'This is his mansion, isn't it? He must know you're here.' She finally speaks.

'Would you be surprised to learn that it isn't, in fact, his mansion?' He catches her attention. 'It belongs to a Tevinter merchant, one who has evidently given up on the place. Perhaps he is dead.' Of course he is. 'Perhaps Danarius killed him. Either way, if Danarius is aware of my presence, he has done nothing.' It has been bothering him since a long time. Is it a trap? Or does his former master wait for a moment of Fenris' carelessness?

'Isn't this what you wanted?' She has him there.

'Yes, but...' That's one of the questions he wasn't able to answer since he moved here. 'Tell me: what do you do when you stop running?' Hawke doesn't say anything at first.

'You start over.' She states somehow uncertain. 'Isn't that what you want?' Another damn question that makes it all even more complicated.

'I don't know how.' Fenris admits with a bit of unwanted sadness in his voice. 'My first memory is receiving these markings, the lyrium being branded into my flesh. The agony wiped away everything. Whatever life I had before I became a slave... it's lost.' He stops, noticing more was revealed than he wanted, but Hawke still looks at him attentively, making him uncomfortable for the second time this day. He stands up. 'I shouldn't trouble you with this. My problems are not yours.'

'You don't know, who you were?' She seems genuinely surprised.

'Fenris was the name Danarius bestowed upon me, his 'little wolf.' If I once had another name, or a family... then they were taken from me. But, again, this is not your concern.' There's an awkward silence for a moment.

'I might be able to help with your problems.' Hawke says after a while in a tone he has heard before. 'Or give you a few more.' She gives him a little smile.

'More problems than you normally do, I assume.' He says a bit harshly, but soon after remembers the promise he gave to Hawke the first time she visited this place. Practice his flattery. He'd never had occasion to. The woman he found 'capable' turned out to be a blood mage in front of him. Since that, he kept the matters strictly professional. But here she is, in his chair, smiling at him in a quite ambiguous way. Practice his flattery? He's never been good at it.

'You're a beautiful woman, Hawke.' He tells the truth instead. They might have had their arguments and fights, but it doesn't change the fact he finds her appealing - not only in the physical way. With her pious look she could probably fool Andraste herself, but paradoxically it's her inner force, dark and aggressive, that pulls him in. 'Is there no one else who has your...attention?'

'Do you see anyone else here?' She reposts a bit vaguely. If Anders told him the truth, the woman might be a spirit of Ferelden Hero in person. He's seen her yesterday at the Blooming Rose and Hawke knows it. Yet she still wants to play. And Fenris accepts the rules.

'I'm an escaped slave and an elf, living in a borrowed mansion. None of those things bother you?'

'And I'm an apostate refugee. Does that bother you?' Hawke smiles and there are tiny sparks in her eyes.

'You have me there.' She knows exactly what she's doing. 'You raise an interesting point... I'll have to consider it. But, that's enough about me. You came here for a reason, haven't you?' He breaks the tension, not without satisfaction, but even if she feels disappointed, she's good at hiding it.

'Yes, of course. There's a job, in fact, and I'd need you, Anders and Varric for it. The problem is, I couldn't find our dwarf at the Hanged Man and Isabella has to stay low for the next couple of days. Do you happen to know, where he is? Cause it's like he disappeared into thin air after yesterday.'

'Oh, no, he's fine. He's just got some more... personal matters to take care of. As the head of Tethras family, that is.' He smiles wondering if 'taking care of sick friends' just got the second meaning.

Thanks for reading! Revievs and comments highly appreciated! :)