Well that wasn't that hard. She contemplated wiping the blood from her dagger against the man's stained tunic. She could've at least had an affair with a guy that actually cared a little for her. Granted, he was handsome, but considering she had to chase off a prostitute just so she could finish the job, she had no problem slitting his throat. All she had to do was drop a couple silvers into the half-dressed woman's hand to keep her quiet.

After meeting with her "client" and receiving her payment, Sicilia walked through the streets to clear her head. Upon night fall, the streets were left abandoned. The air cooled and a breeze began to pick up. A few strands of her hair fell loose from the tie that bound them into a tight pony tail.

She laughed to herself as a group of kids gathered in an alleyway. Nightfall was when the dirty work took place, but it was also the time when the best coin would be made. It was difficult to find honest work that paid well unless you were already well off with a good name or title. One alleyway in her peripheral caught her attention.

A woman not too much older than Sicilia stood at the corner. She wore a short white tunic with no leggings and boots that came up to her thighs. Her piercings led Sis to believe that she had some sort of high status, but her clothing suggested otherwise. Probably a pirate. The woman stood glancing around as if waiting for someone. A man walked out of a warehouse just around the corner of the alley and whistled. The pirate promptly followed him inside.

Sicilia knew when something wasn't right. That warehouse was one she had heard of from a talk with a blacksmith the day before. He had told her that if she wanted good and fast work to go there, but her instinct told her to stay away.

She heard a shuffle behind her. She turned to see a red painted chest. Slowly, she raised her head upwards to find a Qunari staring at her. His arms were crossed over his muscular chest.

"Why are you here, Basra?" His voice was quiet and deep with a gravely vibrato. The Qunari held his chin parallel to the ground, his gaze over her head.

"It's a public street, Ashaad." She knew from years of studying with her brother how to distinguish between the Qunari ranks. His armor and weapon told her he shared the same rank as her brother. "I can walk down a street, can't I?"

"If you have no business here, then leave," he said matter-of-factly. A group of four men stood behind him. His countenance told her that they must be searching for something. Though Qunari don't show emotion near as easily as other races, Sicilia could see his darkened eyes scanning the area.

"Sure, but can you answer a question for me?" His silence told her that she was free to continue. "By chance, are you looking for a severely underdressed woman?" He glanced down.

"Have you seen where this woman went?"

"Yes. She went into that warehouse down that alleyway," she pointed in the direction. "I wouldn't go in there, though. It's pretty large and I'm betting there are more guys in there. Unless you brought more than just a Beresaad of five men, I'd wait until she came out on her own." The Qunari had a questioning expression. "I have a keen eye and I'm not ignorant. I knew you weren't just another Qunari when you asked me to leave. Panahedan."

Sicilia hoped she didn't sound too disrespectful. She had a tendency to sound that way. Rounding the corner, she saw the inn and decided that it was time for sleep. It wasn't late, but she had grown tired from work.

"What have you found?" he asked. The Arishok sat hunched over in his backless chair, his elbows propping up his upper body. It was near midnight; the Beresaad had been out since nightfall. After coming back empty handed for the second night, he needed some reassurance.

"We had followed her to an old warehouse, but she never came out. Currently, I have a Sten keeping watch there and a Karasten outside the inn where she's been staying. There is still no sign of the relic."

His jaw clenched. The Arishok was growing more frustrated every hour and waiting was not his strong suit. "Were you seen? Was she somehow alerted to your presence?"

"There was one human. A female. I do not believe her to be related."

"Find her and bring her to me. The last thing we need is someone sending information to that dathrasi." If the Ashaad did not believe this female to be related, she probably wasn't, but the Arishok was not going to take any chances.

"Meravas, Arishok."

"Have you noticed Qunari warriors around?" she asked the half-elf next to her. They sat in the sand stretching. Haiden seemed focused on the setting sun in front of them.

"Yeah, they came to port a couple days ago, why?"

"I had an interesting encounter with a Beresaad last night. They were searching for someone, a woman. I think she's a pirate." Sis stood and twisted left to right to loosen her sides.

"That's odd. I know that the Arishok and his army are camped out near the docks. No one really knows why they're here, but I heard that they have been in the Free Marches for the past few years." Haiden rose and tapped his foot against the back of Sicilia's leg. Snapping out of a trance, she took her stance and their sparring began.

"We should split up and search for the female from last night. We will meet up here when the sun sets. Sten, you should take the-" the Ashaad's orders were interrupted by the Karashok to his left.

"Is that her?" he pointed to the coast. A pair seemed to be in mid-battle. The taller of the two seemed to be getting in a few hits, but the female was quick to counter.

"That could not have been easier," he said recognizing the woman. He set off towards the coast, his men following closely behind him.

Their spar continued. Sicilia managed to knock Haiden to the ground, but his quickness allowed him to regain stance faster than she could land another hit. He noticed a group of Qunari making their way down the coast. Catching him off guard, Sis hooked her foot behind his and pushed his chest.

"So, are you going to pull me down and call it a draw this time?" she asked half grinning.

"Actually, no. I'm not sure if it's a bad thing or not, but I think that Beresaad is coming up behind you." Her grin disappeared. Haiden rubbed his chest and stood. Sicilia turned around to see the same Qunari from the previous night heading straight for her.

"Shanedan," she said catching her breath.

"You will come with us, Basra," he said stopping. He did not have his arms crossed this time, allowing her to see the full detail of his painted chest.

"Can I ask why?" She was dumbfounded. What do they want from me?

"The Arishok wishes to speak with you."

"Umm…ok. Just let me get my things." Honestly, she was worried. Hopefully they don't think that I know who they're looking for. Granted, I did "somehow know" that they were looking for that woman, but I didn't know why. After gathering her weapons, she turned to Haiden. "Sorry to cut things so short. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." His thin mouth curved into a sweet smile. Sicilia seemed to realize, for the first time, just how handsome he was. The dim orange light from the sun cast onto his face made his pale skin appear tanned. The shadows added definition to each muscle of his right arm.

She followed the Ashaad as she strapped her weapons to her back. The other four Qunari followed close behind. Sicilia hadn't realized how close to the coast the Qunari had actually set up camp. The sand was practically right next to them.

Soldiers stood watch at a makeshift entrance. Tents were lined up along the left side; the red cloth seemed beautiful as it flowed with each gust of wind. The Qunari led her towards the right in the direction of a larger tent; near it was a large backless chair, which could've served as a small bed for her.

"Wait here," he said to her when they were a few feet away from the chair. He walked into the larger tent and, within a few moments, came out followed by the biggest Qunari she'd ever seen. His horns extended over a foot behind him and he towered over her by at least two feet. The stern look on his face worried her even more.

A/N:

Dathrasi - "Animal, Pig."