A/N: Side story found here: http:/www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/8099717/1/When_Nero_Met_Tallis

"Why would you go back in the deep roads?" Nero asked Hawke.

Hawke shrugged, "I was asked to go look for someone."

"You weren't even paid for it?"

"No."

"That's all there was to it, saving someone idiotic enough to go down there?" Fenris asked.

"Well, yeah. They were Gray Wardens, Bethany was down there too, so that was nice." Hawke said.

"What was she doing down there?" Nero asked.

"Well she's a Gray Warden isn't she? That's what they do. Also a group of Wardens wanted to go down there and figured it wouldn't be a terrible idea to bring along somebody that was familiar with it."

"Ah, so you found everyone then."

"No, I'm not sure how many were down there but we only found three people, including my sister."

"Oh."

Hawke chuckled, "we got to play with explosives though."

"Umm...that doesn't sound like that safest of ideas." Varric told him.

Hawke frowned, "why not?"

"The ceiling could of...you know what? Never mind." Varric sighed.

"I don't understand, what could have happened, Varric?" Merril asked, she had gone down to the deep roads with Isabela, Hawke, and Sebastian to find Nathanial Howe, and was worried about what could have happened.

"Well...explosions are tricky, Daisy. It could have brought the ceiling down on top of you or blocked the way out." Varric explained.

"That's terrible!"Merril exclaimed.

"It's alright kitten, we made it out alive." Isabela reassured her.

Merril nodded.

The group stopped as they reached the market square of Hightown, it was empty, as it was nighttime and it was painfully obvious they were the only ones there.

"And of course, there is no one." Hawke said, turning with a skeptical eye to face Varric.

"All I know is that it had something to do with you and nobles. Edge is usually very reliable."

"That's what you get for listening to someone named edge." Isabela smirked.

"This is normally when we're ambushed." Fenris grumbled.

"Why?" Varric asked, "Its not always an ambush."

Suddenly a number of people came out of hiding, a mixture of mercenaries and Antivan Crows. One of them approached the small group.

Varric, "Alright, maybe its sometimes an ambush"

"They timing these people have is incredible." Nero chuckled.

"And here is the Champion of Kirkwall. You die today." The Crow said.

Just as he finished his sentence a knife appeared in his shoulder, the group turned to look at the roof of the building behind them to see a tiny red haired elf with green armor. Nero's jaw dropped, and then he scowled.

"Tallis." He whispered angrily.

They watched as the red haired elf jumped down from the building and stabbed an archer in the ribs, the archer was facing one of his friends and when he was tabbed he let go of the arrow and it hit the other man in the face. Glancing to another roof she saw another man shooting an arrow at her and used the body she was holding to block it before throwing her knife at him. She hacked her way to Hawke's group and ran past them to grab the hilt of her blade in the Crow's shoulder and hold her other blade up to his throat and smiled.

"Kill her! Kill all of them!" The Crow screamed before she slit his throat and turned to face Hawke.

"Well?" She asked, "What are you waiting for?"

The fight was quick, the mercenaries growing frightened by the group of people quickly dwindling their numbers and many fled. Nero was trying desperately to make his way through the bodies to Tallis, he had the greatest urge to slit her throat, but she was on the other side of the courtyard by the time the battle was over. He cursed.

"And they say violence doesn't solve anything." Isabela chuckled as they all approached the elf.

She was kneeling over one of the bodies and tsked when they approached, before standing up, "sloppy, you'd think the crows would be better at this, they've been doing it for ages." she said.

"It seems only a select few are any good." Isabela smirked, "the ones that went after Zevran were just as terrible."

Hawke ignored her "were these Crows a gift from you? How generous." Hawke smiled, "but I don't really like birds."

"Oh, I didn't arrange this, but it's no coincidence that I'm here. My name is-"

Nero had enough, and threw the knife he kept strapped to his belt at Tallis. Unfortunately she saw it coming and dodged it.

"Tallis." he said crossly, effectively finishing her sentence. His hood had come down during the fight, and this was the first time she was able to see him properly.

She gasped, "Nero?"

"You didn't think I died in that basement, did you?" He snapped.

She took a step towards him, "you have to understand, I needed to complete my objective, they never would have let me back-"

"So you left me for dead?" He yelled, "I had trusted you, and you-I can't even- Maker's breath, did you even come back to see if I was alright?"

She frowned and looked away sadly, and he laughed, "why am I not surprised?"

"I'm different now, I would never-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Hawke interrupted, "you two know each other?"

Nero snorted, "I know her as well as you know anybody that would leave you to get slaughtered by a bunch of guards for breaking into their captain's basement." He turned to Tallis, "I suppose I created quite a good distraction for you, I hope it was worth it."

"Nero, I-" she said quietly.

"So, wait, what happened?" Hawke asked.

"We met in the southern parts of Tevinter almost ten years ago. He was a newly escaped slave, and starving, so I brought him with me to do a job, we ran into complications and...I had no choice, if I had tried to rescue him from the basement then I would have been killed as well." Tallis explained guiltily.

Hawke turned to Nero with a raised eyebrow, who nodded to assure him that what she said was true. Grimly Hawke turned back to face Tallis, "well, besides the whole knife throwing thing he doesn't seem to be trying to killing you just at this moment. And taking into account how surprised you were to see him it leaves me wondering, what exactly are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you." Tallis told him.

"Looking for me?"

"Looking for the man that has an invitation to Chateus Haine, to be specific." she said with a smirk.

"Oh, that's what edge was on about." Varric said, "you remember? Duke Prosper the one who fawned all over you at the Champion of Kirkwall banquet. He talked about a hunt."

Hawke raised an eyebrow, "I doubt I'd go to such a thing."

Tallis put on her sweetest smile, "I was hoping you would reconsider, the Duke is a delightful host. Or so I hear."

"let me guess, this isn't just a social call?" Hawke sighed.

"I need to relieve him of something he has no right to possess, and I cant do it alone."

"You want to rob him."

"Well stealing from Orlesian's is never wrong, or so I'm told." Varric offered.

Tallis frowned, and looked around them "this isn't how I was planning to ask you this, I was picturing an introduction...with less bloodshed."

"And what makes you think I steal things just because people ask me to?" Hawke scowled.

Can't she steal anything alone? Nero wondered to himself.

"Well," Isabela said, "I would."

"That's our Isabela, such a giver." Fenris shook his head.

"I may have talked you up a bit, more than once." Varric told Hawke guiltily.

"Wonderful" Hawke muttered, shaking his head.

"What? It's not like I'm exaggerating, much." Varric shrugged.

"All I've heard is that you get things done. I'm hoping that's true." Tallis told him

Hawke sighs, "why not? I hear the Orlesian's make excellent cheese."