Hawke wondered whether her lover might lose enthusiasm for the prospect of seducing Fenris after the fiasco at the Hanged Man, but that wasn't the case.
Isabela was only a little disappointed that her first plan had failed. After all, seduction was in many ways most of the fun. She was not opposed to dragging it out. If there wouldn't be a decisive early victory, it would be a long and enjoyable campaign.
"You didn't see his face, kitten," she reassured Hawke the next day, as they were strolling through the Hightown market. "When you were up on that ladder, you should have seen him. He was dying to touch you. Maybe if I hadn't brought him into the tavern with all those people around, he would have."
"You were right about the staring," Marian admitted. "I could feel him looking at me."
"And?"
"If it were possible to tear off my clothes with his eyes, then I would have been naked. I know it."
It was terribly exciting, in fact. When he came to hand her the book, she could feel him standing just behind her, and she paused a few extra seconds just to make him wait before she turned around. The power of that move was intoxicating. Prickly Fenris, the practically feral warrior, and a relentlessly fidgety one at that, and she could hold him perfectly still. Force him to keep his eyes on her and only her. It set her pulse to racing, and everything in the room seemed to be tinged with fire. And with Isabela there watching the whole thing from the doorway, she was more turned on than she'd ever been in her life.
Hawke had no idea how she had managed to get the two sexiest people in Kirkwall admiring her at the same time, but she was bound and determined to make it happen again.
That didn't mean she wasn't worried, though.
"You want to keep on tempting Fenris until he breaks?"
"That's the idea."
"I don't know, Bela. Something feels off about this." Marian looked troubled, remembering the way their friend had run off. "He was so uncomfortable, y'know?"
"It's Fenris, he's always like that." Isabela waved off her concerns. "He just needs a little more persuasion."
"What if he just leaves? He's threatened to leave Kirkwall before."
"He won't. He's got to stake out that mansion, remember? He's not taking off before he got what he came for - that magister's head on a pike." Isabela eyed her lover, hating to see that little frown spoil her beautiful face. "Come on, kitten. We're not going to make anybody do anything they don't already want to do."
"What exactly do you have in mind?"
"We'll just have to be especially tempting. He is a man, after all. I don't know if you've noticed, but the male species tends to lose all their reason at the sight of two women being intimate with each other. Not that I blame them, after all. It is a beautiful thing."
"So we're going to… make out in front of him?"
"Among other things. We'll just be a little more.. demonstrative of our affections, whenever he's around. And we'll have to be around all the time, demonstrating just how naughty we can be. Sound good?"
Hawke blushed a little. "It does sound fun. When you put it that way." Her guilty smile proved just how much she liked this idea.
"I've been a terrible influence on you," Isabela said, smiling triumphantly and throwing her arm around Hawke's shoulders. "Now, let's find you some lacy underthings."
"Is that part of your plan, too?"
"Nope. That's for *my* enjoyment, gorgeous."
The next Wicked Grace night at the Hanged Man, open sexual warfare was declared.
Unfortunately, there was clearly going to be some collateral damage.
Marian may have had Fenris on her mind when she crawled into Isabela's lap in the middle of a hand, but there were three other men at the table who went a bit bug-eyed at the sight of the diminutive Hawke curling up around the Rivanni woman.
Marian had to pretend not to notice; that was what they had agreed upon for this little exercise. She ignored Fenris in particular, which was a more difficult proposition. He was little more than three feet away, and perched sideways in Isabela's lap the elf sat almost directly in front of her, at the head of the table.
From the corner of her eye, she could tell he was suddenly studying his cards very, very carefully.
Hawke smirked and planted a kiss on the corner of Isabela's mouth, leaning her head against hers.
"Erm," Anders cleared his throat from across the table. "This is a bit unfair."
"I agree," said Sebastian, who now had a prime view of the cuddling women in the seat directly next to his.
Isabela extended her left arm around Marian's waist, holding her in place. "How do you figure? If anything, I'm the one being distracted."
"I think we're all equally disadvantaged here," Varric said, gulping a little as Hawke's hands drifted over Isabela's décolletage, playing possessively with the gold necklace the pirate always wore.
"Speak for yourselves," Aveline said crossly. She would have complained more strongly at the girls' display, but she knew an opportunity to win back the pot when she saw one. Let the men drool. At least until she made her coin.
Even Merrill looked a little fascinated by Hawke's wandering hands. "Isn't it cheating to look at another player's hand?" she asked. Isabela was holding up her cards in her right hand to ineffectively block their view of a slow, lingering kiss.
"Yes," Fenris said darkly. Surely he had memorized his cards by now.
"So, are you, uh, in or out?" Varric asked Hawke, chuckling.
"We're playing as a team," Marian told him. "It's more fun that way."
"Hit me," Isabela commanded, and then squealed. Marian had slapped her playfully somewhere not visible above the table. She glared with clearly mock anger at the smaller woman. "I meant give me more cards, for the record."
Varric shook his head and dealt the pirate two more cards. Wicked, wicked girls, his expression told them, not without humor.
Marian very unconvincingly studied Isabela's cards, and whispered into Bela's left ear. "He's looking right now," she said.
"Good," Isabela whispered back. "So is everyone else, if you haven't noticed."
Hawke bit her lip and squirmed, a bit coquettishly. She'd noticed, all right. But there was just one pair of eyes she was interested in.
She let herself look up at Fenris. For one electric moment his green eyes met hers, blazing at her from under that curtain of fine white hair, before he quickly turned his gaze away.
"I will take some cards as well," he said, his voice determinedly steady.
Hawke sighed and laid her chin on Isabela's shoulder.
The game went on around them. Although Isabela took the first hand easily (notably, all of the men folded) subsequent hands did not go as well. As usual, Varric was starting to win again.
The shock of their display may have worn off on the group, but they still had one ardent elven admirer, steadily losing money and looking more and more put out.
Hawke busied herself kissing Isabela's neck, feeling his gaze. Her lips curled back each time she nipped her lover's soft skin, letting Fenris see her bare her teeth.
She thought she heard him exhale sharply at that.
This was even more fun that Marian had imagined.
Isabela, on the other hand, was growing bored with sitting still and behaving herself. She gave over her cards for Hawke to hold. "Your turn, kitten. Maybe you'll get lucky."
The mischievous tone of her voice told Marian that the entendre was definitely intentional, and she was not disappointed. Now that Isabela had a hand free, she brought it around into her passenger's lap.
"I, um, raise the stakes," Marian said, pushing in more coin.
Sebastian folded. He also begged their pardon and left, hastily explaining that he had business to take care of.
Fenris glared at his cards as though they had personally offended him. He was nearly out of money. "I meet your bet," he said tightly.
Aveline, Anders, and Merrill all asked for more cards.
As the action went around the table, Isabela slipped her hand into Hawke's pants, and found her very wet indeed.
Marian was chewing on her lip in earnest now. Her body was commanding her to writhe at the sensation Bela's clever fingers were creating, and it took all her concentration to resist. In revenge, she allowed her free hand to wander down into Bela's cleavage.
When the bid came around to them, Marian raised again.
At his turn, Fenris's eyes darted between his cards and Marian's hand caressing Isabela's breasts.
Though he surely could not see what was happening under the table, from Hawke's flush and the hint of desperation on her face, he probably had a very good idea.
He sighed and pushed what was left of his money into the middle of the table.
Everyone else folded.
"All right ladies, let's see what you have," Varric grinned.
Hawke was by then thoroughly unable to speak without dissolving into a moan, so she simply threw down her cards.
Fenris huffed in irritation as he laid down his own hand. He was beaten, and soundly.
"Predictably, the ladies win," Varric announced.
Hawke reached out quickly to gather the pot, practically climbing out of Isabela's lap. Reaching a little too far, intentionally she brushed her hand against the elf's, making him jump guiltily.
Staying there a moment, her face close to his, she smiled slowly. "Good game," she said. Then she sat back with her winnings, Isabela curling both arms around her waist in an enthusiastic hug.
Anders leaned over to Varric. "I don't know about you, but I've never been happier to lose at cards in my life."
"I think we're all winners here," Varric whispered back. "Some of us more than others."
"I think it's time for us to retire," the pirate announced. "I have to get this one into bed."
Hawke and Isabela grabbed their winnings hurriedly, ignoring Aveline's complaints about rudeness and propriety. Hawke packed every last coin into a different pocket on Isabela's belt, lingeringly, and then, taking her hand, they went upstairs together.
Fenris watched them every step of the way, but did not follow.