Bethany woke up to the sound of splashing water. She looked over to see her sister already out of bed and getting herself ready. Hawke took some mint from the pouch and chewed it up.
"Did you have any nightmares?" Bethany asked.
"Not a one. Your magic did the trick," Hawke gave her sibling a bleary morning smile. "So, what do you think of that pirate, Isabela?"
"I don't really know," Bethany mused, stripping out of her sleep shift. "I have a feeling that nothing dull will ever happen with her around. Why do you ask?"
"I just needed to know. We are helping her out tonight, and if you were uncomfortable..." Hawke trailed off, watching Bethany out of the corner of her eye.
The mage immediately understood that Hawke was still upset about the events of the previous night. "This is a duel between scoundrels, Sister. No Templars, and no other apostates. It will be fine." Bethany had pulled on her robes and walked over to wrap her arms around her sister. Hawke took a deep breath, telling herself that worrying too much would help no one.
"You're right," she said, facing the mage. "And you're not a little girl any more. I love you."
"I love you too," Bethany replied with a hug. Hawke removed herself from the embrace and picked up her armor. "If we're helping out ruffians, I've got to have this clean and ready."
"You might want to stay in here and do that; Mother won't be too happy to see all those blood stains after coming home so late last night." Hawke nodded in agreement, picking up her polishing rag and a tin of leather oil.
Once she had finished, she slipped into the leathers, and entered the main room. Leandra embraced her daughter.
"I was so worried about you both last night! After Carver... I just can't help but think..."
"It was fine, Mother. We are all safe. I'm here another day to irritate Uncle Gamlen!" Mangy barked happily at that, while Gamlen grumbled about them being ungrateful for his hospitality. Hawke pulled some silvers out of her money pouch. "Why don't you and Bethany go get something edible to keep in the house? I have to run an errand."
"What are you doing, Sister?" Bethany looked surprised.
"It's for Aveline," she replied, knowing the mage would pick up on her intentions immediately. "I shouldn't be too long. I'll be back in time for lunch."
Hawke looked through all the items offered from the Lowtown vendors, and saw nothing that would be a suitable gift for the loyal warrior. Maybe Hightown would have something better? Hawke found a woman selling Fereldan goods. Something from home might work.
She opened up a small box that contained strips of leather and fabric. In the tangle she extracted a braided suede headband. It was red, just like the one Aveline always used to keep her hair out of her ever-watchful eyes.
"Do you do any leather-working?" Hawke held out the small garment to the vendor.
"Depends. Whatcha need me to do?"
"On the end of the tie here, could you stamp in the name Wesley?"
"I can do that, but it'll cost extra."
"I'll pay."
"Gimme a mo'" The woman snatched the piece from the rogue's hand. "Here ya go." She handed it back after about twenty minutes, and Hawke looked down to see the name elegantly worked into the leather.
"This is fine work. What else can you do?"
"Depends on what you'll pay for. And speakin' of which, that'll be two silvers and fifteen bits, no hagglin'!"
"Thank you." Hawke dropped the money in the woman's hand and moved off to the barracks. When she arrived, Aveline was already on patrol. Brennan told her she would be back in a little over a an hour. To occupy her time, Hawke offered to spar with some of the recruits. Most of them only faced off with other recruits equipped with swords. The rogue knew they needed to have experience with opponents who wielded smaller, faster weapons.
She gave those brave enough to face her a sound beating, but not without progress. They may have been recruits, but they weren't stupid, and they picked up on her techniques fairly quickly. They worked up quite a sweat, but Hawke wasn't even winded. She gave them credit though, for wearing their armor while sparring.
"Harplin," came a stern voice. "Don't be so stiff. Loosen up your sword arm a little more, that way you're more flexible, and can move to block Hawke's attacks better. Fluidity is better than trying to stop a blow with brute force. Give it a try, recruit."
Hawke smirked, putting herself in an offensive position, gripping the wooden daggers in her hands. She moved to press her advantage on the young boy, slashing with quick, precise movements. But the boy listened to the guardswoman's advice, parrying and shifting Hawke's movements instead of only bracing against them.
He held his own longer than he did previously, but Hawke's weapons still found their way to his throat, calling the end of the bout. "You'll get there, Harplin," Hawke said, shaking his hand. "You've got good potential." He blushed at her compliment.
"I see you've been giving them the thrashing they needed, Hawke." Aveline walked up to her, amusement dancing in her green eyes.
"Well, you weren't here, so I had to step in and do something about it!"
"You should come in more often. I might even convince Jeven to compensate you for it."
"Maybe I will." Hawke found herself having trouble meeting her friend's gaze. "Aveline, I... Maker, I'm so sorry. I should have never said those things! You're not a coward; you're brave! And I was a fool! You were absolutely right about everything that happened last night and I-"
"Hawke!"
"W-What?"
"I know. You don't have to say anything. I'll always be by your side. So, for the Maker's sake, don't say anything else, or you'll end up embarrassing yourself!"
The rogue smiled sheepishly. "Here." She pulled the small gift from a pouch on her belt and offered it to the warrior. "This made me think of you, and yours is getting pretty worn."
"Thank you, Hawke. You're a true friend."
"Look at the end there, on the ties."
Aveline looked down and saw the name of her late husband. Her lip trembled ever so slightly as she ran her thumb over the suede. She took no time in pulling her old one off and tying the new one around her head. "Thank you," she whispered.
"I will never take you for granted."
"I know, Hawke. It's okay."
Hawke cleared her throat awkwardly. "So... Do you think you'll come with me tonight? To help Isabela?" Aveline's face changed immediately.
"She's the kind of person I arrest, Hawke, not aid. But, for you, I'll be there."
"Thanks, Ave! I owe you a pint at the Hanged Man! I'll see you tonight!" The rogue left, feeling a weight lifted off of her chest. Apologies weren't her thing, but she couldn't let anything bad come between her and the guardswoman.
She was making her way through Lowtown, when a woman's voice brushed up against her ear, "Will I be seeing your lovely self tonight?"
"Isabela? Don't you have a duel to prepare for?"
"Going to the Rose then getting drunk at the Hanged Man is how I prepare for a duel, Sweet Thing," she purred, falling into step with Hawke. "What do you do to prepare for a duel?" Her honey eyes fixed onto the rogue's face.
"Not get drunk and go to brothels!"
"Oh, you're no fun! I was hoping you'd be more playful than your friend, the guard."
"You don't know that," Hawke teased, slipping a glance at the Rivaini.
"Does that mean you will show me just how fun you can be?"
"I don't know if you could handle all of me."
Isabela's brow arched with interest at the small comment. "That, Sweet Thing, is a challenge. A duelist never backs down from a challenge. Especially one as delicious as you."
Hawke felt the Rivaini was all too close in an all too public area. However, she found it hard to pull away; the pirate's draw was undeniably strong. She felt a blush creeping up her face.
"What are you thinking about, while you're doing everything in your power not to look at me?" They had arrived outside the Hanged Man, and Isabela leaned casually against the wall near the entrance.
"Boring stuff," Hawke lied.
"Oh really? Do you mean boring for me, or for you? Both?"
"You are really nosy, you know that?"
"I have to be! Knowing those around me is what keeps me alive."
"Am I threatening your life?"
"No, but I am counting on you to help me tonight, which is as good as. I need to know that I actually can trust you to do so. Although..." A dangerous glint touched the woman's gaze. "I could really gauge you before tonight if you followed me in here." She jerked her head to the tavern before moving in terribly close to Hawke. She could smell whiskey, incense and something like eucalyptus rolling off of the pirate.
Hawke could only stammer a little, trying to back away, but the Rivaini kept advancing with every retreating step the rogue took. "M-Maker's breath, Isabela... This is... W-we shouldn't,"
"What's wrong, Sweet Thing?" she whispered into Hawke's ear, her hot breath sending an involuntary shiver down the rogue's spine.
"I have to go meet my sister!" she blurted, her voice a little higher than usual, feeling the blush raging in her face. "I'll see you tonight, Isabela!" She turned and half-ran away, completely thrown by the other woman.
It wasn't the first time women had offered themselves up to her, and Hawke had tested those waters before. She found both sexes to be highly enjoyable in their own ways, and Hawke had taken a number of lovers in her time; A fact that Bethany tried to ignore and Leandra... Well, Hawke wasn't as bad as Carver.
But she couldn't figure out what it was about the pirate that turned her into a gibbering schoolgirl that hadn't even had her first kiss. Isabela slid right under her skin with a scant few words, and this frustrated Hawke, who was never without a sarcastic comment or smart mouth.
She walked into the hovel they tried to call home, and met a slobbery greeting from Mangy, and returned the favor by tackling him to the ground and wrestling with the hound. Bethany giggled when the war dog nipped her older sister on the nose and yipped with pleasure.
"I'm supposed to be restoring our family name and standing, and here you are, rolling on the floor with the dog," Leandra said with a laugh.
"Hey, you raised me!" Hawke said, popping up from her tumble with Mangy.
"I suppose I failed then, didn't I." The older woman smiled at her child. "At least Bethany is more of a lady. Finding her a husband will be much easier." The sisters both choked and then stared at their mother with looks of abject horror. "Oh, come now, you didn't think I would let my daughters run around forever? Some day, you will need a man to settle with."
"Or beat up," Hawke muttered so only Bethany could hear. She strode over to the little bedroom, motioning for her sister to follow. They entered, and Hawke shut the door closed behind them.
"Is everything okay, Sister? How did it go with Aveline?"
"It went really great, actually. We love each other too much to be angry for too long."
"I knew it would work out! You two are best friends. You'd follow each other to the Void and back if you had to."
"Beth- About tonight," the rogue started.
The mage rolled her eyes. "You're not trying to dissuade me from coming along, are you? I mean, we literally talked about it this morning!"
"No. No. I mean, I ran into Isabela on my way back here, and I'm starting to see that the kind of people she makes enemies with aren't clean cut. Their morals are probably non-existent, and they're going to be dangerous. I just don't want you to underestimate what we're going to be stepping into."
"Marian, you don't have to worry! I will be fine. Besides, it's usually me saving your ass from trouble, isn't it? How many times have I turned some guy about to stab you into a piece of raider barbeque? How many times have I healed you?" How many times-"
"Okay, okay, I get it! Andraste's tits, Beth, you don't have to rub it in!"
Hawke and her sister arranged to meet up with Aveline at the Hanged Man shortly before nightfall. The pirate was nowhere to be seen, but Varric insisted on tagging along, saying that he would never miss out on an opportunity to make another great story.
The four of them set out for Hightown, encountering no trouble along the way. They finally came to an open courtyard near the Red Lantern District. Isabela was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated.
"There you are! I've been waiting for hours!"
"You said nightfall; it's barely dark outside."
"I'm impatient, but no one has shown up. It's making me nervous."
Hawke was about to tell the Rivaini to ease up a bit, but a group of heavily armed mercenaries entered the courtyard. The leader shouted out to kill Isabela and her companions on Hayder's orders. Hawke's daggers were already drawn before the order had been completely delivered.
The following battled ended rather swiftly. Though the assailants were well armed, it was clear that their skills were very lacking. Hawke found that she worked seamlessly with the other rogue, weaving in and out of armed bodies, Hawke disabled many of the mercenaries, leaving them vulnerable for her formidable guard companion.
Isabela simply melted into the shadows, disappearing entirely before revealing herself behind one of the combatants. Hawke noticed that she would whisper, "Boo!" into their ears before slitting their throats. Afterward, she would melt away again. Hawke was more than impressed with the pirate's skills by the time they finished off the last of them. She could even see that Aveline was eyeing her with a hint of appraisal, judging her a little differently now that they had shared combat.
They searched the bodies, an act that Bethany always looked away from. A note left on the leader revealed that Hayder was cowering in the Chantry, the sanctity of which Isabela took no pause in violating. She set off at a run for the building, and Hawke followed, with little choice. This man was clearly intent on killing the Rivaini, and the rogue wasn't about to let her go in alone.
They strode up the main hall, their footsteps echoing uncomfortably loudly off of the walls. It felt all too much like their previous night in the holy building, and it set Hawke on edge.
A tall, well-built man in light armor approached them from a stairwell. "Isabela! Should've known you'd find me here." He was speaking casually, but his wolfish eyeing of the pirate did not escape Hawke's attention.
"Tell your men to burn the letters next time," she replied coolly.
"Castillon was heartbroken when he heard about the shipwreck," he drawled. Other mercenaries started appearing, gathering around Hayder. Isabela was right; he was not going to play fair.
"You should've let him know you survived!"
"Must have slipped my mind," she stated casually.
"Where's the Relic?" Hayder's voice contained a deadly tone that raised the hairs on the back of Hawke's neck. Nothing good was going to come of this. She could tell that her companions felt the same. Hawke heard Aveline's armor as she slid into a more defensive stance, and noted the sound of leather gloves on Bianca's trigger. The sensation of pure energy tingled from where Bethany stood. This could be bloody.
"I lost it." Isabela's tone now matched her adversary's. "Castillon's just going to have to do without."
"You lost it? Just like you lost a ship full of valuable cargo?"
"They weren't cargo, Hayder! They were people!" So the pirate didn't like slavery. Hawke looked at her fellow rogue with more respect.
"Those slaves were worth a hundred sovereigns a head, and you let them scurry off into the wilds! And now, the Relic's gone too. Castillon won't be happy to hear about that... I promise you!"
This was the point where Hawke knew that there would be no good way out of this. Even though it was Isabela's play, she wanted to try to talk him down.
"Castillon isn't a very happy person, is he? Maybe he needs a new hobby!" Hawke hoped that perhaps a little humor would diffuse the tension a little.
"There's only one way to settle this." Isabela drew a dagger hidden Maker knows where, and threw it solidly into the heart of one of Hayder's cronies. The fight was on, and Hawke's party was more than prepared. They were outnumbered, but none of the thugs had any spectacular skill.
For a second time that night, Hawke worked seamlessly with the other woman, weaving in and out of the maelstrom, striking with deadly precision, working from the sidelines. She liked how they could easily read the other's moves, playing off of the other. It wasn't long before every single one of Hayder's men fell, leaving just him for Isabela. She slid up behind him, drawing her blade firmly across his throat. The Void was the only place for him now. They looted the bodies, Hawke excited to find a very fine dagger hidden against Hayder's thigh.
"Maker save us, look at all of these bodies! And in the Chantry!" Bethany looked like she about to be sick or pass out. Hawke grasped her sister's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.
"I was trying to talk him down," she shot at the pirate.
"Trust me, it's better this way." She looked more relaxed, pleased almost. "Castillon won't hear about me from Hayder, but he'll find me eventually. I just have to get him the Relic," she shrugged. "Simple as that."
Hawke discovered that Isabela had no idea what the Relic was, or why it was so important, but she did know that Castillon had her chasing it down across Thedas as punishment for freeing the slaves. And by punishment, she meant that he hoped she would die trying to get it. Hawke was liking the Rivaini more and more. She liked her crooked, vague sense of morals, her constant banter about sex, and she loved the way the rogue fought, dirty and to the point.
"If getting the relic gets Castillon off your back, then I'll help you retrieve it," Hawke stated firmly. Aveline groaned quite audibly.
"I still don't know where it is, but you'll be the first to know if I hear anything. Anyway, thanks for helping me out with Hayder! I think I'll tag along for a while," Aveline let out another noise of discontent. "There might be something I can do for you," her brow cocked as she gave Hawke sultry look. "And I have a room at the Hanged Man if you're looking for... company later." She left, leaving Hawke's mouth feeling dry.
"You're going to let that wench hang around?" Aveline asked.
"Oh come on, Ave! You and Bethany aside, when have I ever kept the most wholesome company?" Varric snickered.
"She's trouble, Hawke, and you know it!"
"She's useful! I know you were watching her when we fought, and I know you saw she was a good ally to have in battle! Besides, sometimes it's good to have some friends in low places."
"Fine," the guardswoman threw her hands in the air. "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"So do I. Now, let's leave before we're caught in the heart of the Chantry with all of these corpses."
"Hear, hear!" the dwarf quipped. "Want to grab a pint, Hawke?"
"I can't," she said glancing at the too-pale Bethany as they made for the exit. He followed her gaze and nodded.
"Another night, then." They all departed in silence, no one glancing back at the mess they left behind them.
"Beth..." Hawke said gently once they were closed in their small bedroom.
"That was two Chantry massacres two nights in a row! How long before they trace it back to us?"
"You know they won't, Beth. Varric takes care of that stuff."
"We need to be more careful what fights we pick, and where!"
"It's hard to be picky when we have no coin-"
"You think I don't know that? I don't mean to be so harsh, but... Marian, I'm so scared! Everything about this city... It sets me on edge. Especially with all the blasted Templars!"
"I can't tell you not to worry. We are all worried, and I've played my hand poorly. I should be doing more to protect you..."
"Marian. Don't. Please, let's just... Let's just go to bed."