On his way out of the Keep, Hawke was distracted by a commotion at the top of the stairs in the main reception hall. A harried-looking Seneschal Bran was surrounded by several rough-looking types, all of whom wanted his attention at the same time. Hawke wondered how they'd been granted entry into the Keep in the first place, and, his curiosity getting the better of him, he moved a little closer, standing at the foot of the stairs.

From what Hawke could gather, the rough types were mercenaries, either individuals or groups, and all seemed to be vying to secure a job on behalf of the viscount, with some of them offering bribes to the clearly-disgusted Bran.

"The Viscount's office will not grant exclusivity to any one party," Bran told them haughtily, fanning his hand in front of his face, presumably because of the pungent smell of sweat and beer that hung around the top of the stairs. "The reward will be paid to the first person, or persons, to bring back the Viscount's son alive and safe. You will leave, now."

The mercenaries, finally getting the message, began to depart, and, as some of them glanced at their rivals, their pace increased as they neared the foot of the stairs where Hawke stood. One woman who looked in need of a good bath bumped Hawke's shoulder as she barged past.

"Guardsman Braddock," Bran called from the top of the stairs, and one of the guards at the door stepped forward. "See these…people out."

"Come on, you lot!" commanded Braddock, and Bran, who by now looked quite pale, took a clean handkerchief from his pocket, pressed it over his nose and mouth, and turned toward his office.

"Seneschal Bran?" Hawke called out, taking the stairs two at a time to catch the administrator before he disappeared. Bran stopped, turned around slowly, and shot Hawke a look of pure disdain.

"Yes?"

"I couldn't help hearing something about the Viscount's son and a reward. I might be interested in helping," Hawke offered.

Bran shook his head. "There are quite enough of…your kind already involved in this matter. Your help is not required." He turned on his heel and strode toward his office.

"Oh, fair enough," Hawke said brightly. "Guess I'll see you the next time you go to the clinic. With that…problem of yours that seems to keep cropping up. Farewell!" Hawke also turned on his heel and started down the stairs, hearing a slight choking sound from behind him.

"One moment," Bran said.

Hawke bit back a laugh and put on his most solemn expression as he turned around. "Yes?" he asked, echoing Bran's patronising tone.

Bran took a few steps forward, uncertainty in his narrowed eyes. "You are the one who assisted acting Guard-Captain Vallen, are you not?"

"Am I?" asked Hawke with exaggerated innocence.

Struggling to restrain himself in the face of this impudent upstart, Bran folded his arms and stretched his lips into an insincere smile. "Perhaps someone with a little more…class is called for in this matter."

"And what matter would that be?" asked Hawke.

"The Viscount's son, Seamus, has…misplaced himself. His last known whereabouts were somewhere along the coast. The viscount has not ruled out foul play. The swift and safe return of his son is imperative."

"I'll need a description of him," said Hawke, and Bran provided him with one. "Any idea where on the coast he'd be?" Hawke asked.

"No. Perhaps you could ask the people who have just left? I'm certain you would find them most helpful," Bran offered sarcastically.

"That's very decent of you," Hawke replied with equal sarcasm. "And I'm sure you'll find Anders most helpful the next time you have your little problem."

Bran shifted uncomfortably and his false smile turned into a grimace that made the man look constipated, and Hawke sailed down the steps, grinning from ear to ear. Knowing that other parties would also be attempting to rescue Seamus, Hawke decided to gather as many of his friends together as possible, and returned to the mansion to call on Fenris.

After Hawke had knocked and waited for a short time, Fenris opened the door; he'd obviously been in the middle of some intensive training, as he was covered in sweat, and his hair hung in damp strings around his face. He had removed his breastplate, and wore only leggings and a thin white shirt, which was soaked through and clung to the contours of Fenris's chest, offering a tantalising glimpse of dark nipples beneath. For a moment, Hawke completely forgot what he was going to say, and stood staring at Fenris with his mouth open.

"Something wrong, Hawke?"

Hawke blinked. "Oh, no…I-I'm sorry to interrupt your training, Fenris, but a big job's just come up, and I wondered if you wanted in? It's on behalf of the viscount, so it should pay well. I know I said I'd see you tomorrow, and I didn't want to disturb you again, but I didn't want to leave you out, either."

"Must we leave immediately?" asked Fenris, pushing his damp hair out of his eyes.

"As soon as possible."

"I would like to change, first," said Fenris.

"Of course. Tell you what, I'll run to the chantry and see if Sebastian wants to come along. Meet me there when you're ready?"

Fenris arched an eyebrow. "You are going to run to the chantry?"

"Well, there's no need to be like that!" Hawke laughed, and Fenris smiled lopsidedly. "I'll walk very quickly to the chantry, then."

"That sounds more realistic," remarked Fenris, and, as he closed the door, a beaming Hawke strolled over to the chantry, but not before taking a few very deep breaths.

Sebastian agreed to help, and he and Hawke waited for Fenris in the square. When Fenris arrived, they went to Lowtown and called in at the Hanged Man, hoping to find Varric or Isabela; unfortunately, neither of them were there. Remembering that Varric had said he was going to spend some time with Bethany, Hawke decided to leave them to it. Their next stop was the alienage, where a very eager Merrill joined them, and finally, they travelled to Darktown in the hope that Anders would be free.

Upon entering the clinic, Anders was tending to a woman with a minor injury, but appeared to have no other patients. When he'd finished treating her, Hawke introduced him to Sebastian and explained the job, asking if he was free to help out.

"All right, Hawke…the coast, you say?" Anders took Hawke aside so the others couldn't hear. "There's a series of tunnels beneath Darktown, one of which leads to the coast. It's just that, well, it's part of the underground," he whispered. "We can use it, but I don't want the others knowing what it's used for."

Hawke shrugged. "They don't need to know, do they? It's just a tunnel."

Anders grinned and relaxed a little. "Thanks, Hawke. It should shave a bit of time off the journey, and it would mean that we don't bump into those mercenaries on the way."

"That's a great idea, Anders," said Hawke, and the two of them joined the others. "Anders knows of some tunnels that will take us directly to the coast. They'll be dark, though, and there will probably be a few rats about. Anyone have a problem with that?"

"Rats?" Merrill exclaimed, aghast. "Eww. I don't know if I fancy that."

"Between you and me, Merrill, I'm not over-fond of them, either," Hawke told her with a wink, and she smiled nervously.

"Well, I don't mind rats," said Anders, "I'm used to them, living down here, and I'll need to go in front, anyway. Hawke, I suggest that you take the rear, and we can both light up the tunnel. Merrill, you can go in the middle, if it makes you feel better."

Merrill, surprised that Anders was being friendly to her, smiled a little. "Oh, well, that's very thoughtful of you, Anders. Yes, I'd like to do that, if it's all right with everyone else?"

Her male companions nodded. "I will walk behind you, Anders," volunteered Sebastian. "If there are any rats ahead, I'll pick them off with my bow," he said with a kind smile at Merrill.

"I think that's settled, then," Hawke said, pleased that for once his companions seemed to be getting on well, and he made a mental note to take Sebastian along on future jobs, as he had fitted in well and seemed very amicable.

Anders extinguished the lamp that hung outside the clinic, indicating that he was out, and he led the group to a secluded corner of Darktown. "This is where we need to go," he whispered, pointing to a wooden trapdoor. He glanced around and raised the hatch, lowering himself down. "We'll have to crouch for the first hundred yards or so, but it opens out after a bit." As Anders bent down and disappeared into the tunnel, a faint white glow followed him as he produced light with his staff. Sebastian went after him, followed by Merrill, Fenris, and finally, Hawke, who closed the trapdoor behind him.

"Ooh, this is proper spooky," Merrill muttered as soon as the hatch was closed. Hawke struck the ground with his staff, and a faint halo of light appeared around him to match that of Anders's.

"Better, Merrill?" he asked, summoning a wisp and instructing it to stay close to her.

"A bit. Thanks, Hawke."

"The tunnel will open out in a little while," Anders called from up ahead.

"Fenris," whispered Hawke, and the warrior turned his head back a little. "Name me something beginning with 'D'."

"Dark," Fenris answered immediately, and Hawke chuckled.

"Now, name me something beginning with 'B'."

In the dim light, Hawke noticed Fenris's shoulders shake a little, and the elf nodded. "Blackness?" he guessed.

"Very good!" Hawke joked. "Well, that's me out of ideas."

Fenris laughed quietly, and Hawke watched as the pale light reflected off Fenris's white hair, noticing how soft it appeared to be. And, although Hawke had never noticed any discernible odour to Fenris before, due to their close proximity, Hawke occasionally caught the faint tang of fresh sweat from the elf, following his training session. Something stirred inside of Hawke, deep in the pit of his belly, and he took a slow, deep breath, his grip on his staff tightening.

"I have one," ventured Fenris. "Something beginning with 'C'."

"Are you two playing 'I spy' back there?" asked Sebastian.

"Something like that, yes," answered Hawke, shifting his focus back to the game. "'C', eh? Hmm. Let me think…"

"Cold," Merrill guessed.

"Incorrect," answered Fenris.

"Cavern? Cave?" asked Anders.

"No. Your time is running out."

Hawke grinned to himself, delighted to see Fenris joining in with the others. "Hang on, Fenris! Give us a bit longer."

"Cramped," Sebastian ventured.

"You are correct, Archer," called out Fenris.

"Aw, I was about to say that!" moaned Hawke.

"Too late, my friend," Sebastian teased.

"It's opening out, now," Anders told them, and they all straightened up as they emerged into the main tunnel.

"All right, I have another one," said Hawke. "Something else beginning with 'D'."

"Dangerous. Depressing. Doomy," stated Merrill.

"'Doomy' isn't a word!" asserted Hawke.

"Actually, I believe it is," Fenris corrected him.

"All right, Mr. Smarty-Pants with the huge vocabulary," Hawke sniped.

Once again, Fenris's shoulders shook a little, and Hawke laughed along with him. "Well, whether it's a word or not, which it isn't, it's not the one I want."

"It is a word," Fenris uttered quietly, and smiled as Hawke harrumphed from behind him.

"I'm turning left," called out Anders, and the rest of them followed him.

"My feet are getting wet," Fenris said. "I know what your word is: 'dank'."

Hawke didn't answer.

"Well? Am I correct?" asked Fenris, turning back to face the mage.

"No," Hawke answered quickly, looking dead ahead.

"Oh? And which word were you thinking of, then?" asked Fenris sceptically.

"I'm not telling you that until you guess correctly," Hawke answered with a shifty glance at the elf.

"I believe I already have guessed correctly," stated Fenris. "You are attempting to stall me so that you can think of another word beginning with 'D'."

"How dare you," Hawke accused, his laughing eyes betraying him. Fenris affected a disappointed expression and shook his head, a brief smile dancing across his face as he turned away.

"Actually, the word I wanted was…'dim'," claimed Hawke.

"Bollocks, it was," Anders muttered from up ahead.

"Please, serah; there is a lady present here," Sebastian scolded him.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"What does 'bollocks' mean?" Merrill asked innocently.

"Over to you, Sebastian," said Anders.

As Sebastian spluttered out a refusal to speak of such matters in front of a lady, a faint hissing sound could be heard from the rear of the group as Hawke tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter with his hand. "Sorry, Fenris. I neglected to mention that word during our lesson; you were learning the letter 'B', after all."

"And glad I am of it," Fenris replied drily.

"Well, now you do know it," said Hawke. "So, every time you look at your…" He sniggered and cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure you'll remember it, anyway."

"Childish. Very childish," remarked Fenris, his shoulders trembling a little as he faced away from Hawke.

"Well, if I'm childish, then so are you; you are laughing," Hawke retorted.

"I am doing no such thing," claimed the elf.

"Take no notice of them, Sebastian," joked Anders. "They don't get out much, and they get a bit overexcited when they do."

"I know exactly how they feel!" agreed Merrill effusively. "It is exciting to go out, isn't it?"

Hawke failed to hear what Merrill had said as Fenris turned back slightly and cast an amused glance at him before once again facing forward, causing Hawke's stomach to somersault.

~o~O~o~

By the time Hawke's group had exited the tunnels and located Seamus, they realised they were too late. From their hiding place among the dunes they spied a young man matching Seamus's description surrounded by one of the gangs Hawke had seen at the Keep. Seamus was on his knees next to the body of an enormous warrior, and the woman who'd looked like she needed a bath stood next to him, with half a dozen men standing watch.

"What in the Creator's name is that?" asked Merrill, meaning the fallen warrior.

"It's a Qunari," Anders answered quietly.

"Indeed," agreed Fenris. "He is presumably one of the Tal'Vashoth; namely, one who has turned his back on the Qun."

Although Hawke had seen a Qunari before, in Lothering, the rest of Fenris's sentence was lost on him, but he nodded anyway. Merrill, however, made no such pretence at understanding.

"What the bloody hell are you going on about, Fenris? What's a Qunari?"

"They are heathens," opined Sebastian. "Their kind has been at war with the Chantry for ages. A Qunari contingent arrived in Kirkwall only recently, but, so far, their intentions are unclear."

"They are a proud warrior race," offered Fenris. "Whatever your opinion of their beliefs and values, that fact cannot be denied."

"I certainly would not deny that, Fenris," Sebastian answered.

"Well, what shall we do now?" Hawke asked the group. "They've won fair and square; looks like we've wasted our time."

"Wait, Serah Hawke," said Sebastian. "That woman appears to be threatening the young lad."

Sure enough, as Hawke turned his attention back to Seamus, the grubby-looking woman cuffed the boy around the head and waved a dagger at him.

"That's the Viscount's son, Hawke!" Anders said angrily.

"Looks like we'd better step in, then. Sebastian, Merrill, Anders, spread out and keep yourselves hidden until you're needed. Fenris, come with me."

As the others began to spread out as instructed by Hawke, Fenris turned to him. "You should also conceal yourself, Hawke; you are not sufficiently protected."

"Sorry, Fenris; I'm not letting you face them on your own."

"I will not be alone," argued the elf. "I have dealt with many of their kind before; I do not fear them."

"I know you don't fear them, but even you would struggle against half a dozen of them. It only takes one arrow; remember that night at the coast? That was too close, Fenris."

"You would be better placed to prevent any attacks upon me from a concealed position," Fenris insisted with a hard edge to his voice.

Hawke shook his head. "No; I won't allow you to go in alone unless you let me protect you."

"You will not allow me?" snapped Fenris with a scowl. "Who do you…"

"Fenris, I'm not arguing about this."

The two men stood staring at one another, neither of them prepared to back down. From the corner of his eye, Hawke spotted Anders's head bobbing over the top of the bush he was hiding behind, as another argument broke out between Seamus and the woman who was threatening him.

"You vashedan bitch! What did he ever do to you? My father will hear of this, and when he does…"

"Just get going, you snotty little shit!" the woman ordered him, pointing the dagger at his chest. "I couldn't give a rat's arse what your father thinks, so long as we get our money!"

"Hawke, do something!" Anders hissed from his hiding place.

Hawke, his eyes still locked with Fenris's, folded his arms. "Decide quickly, Fenris; time's wasting."

"Pertinax Asinus!" growled Fenris, his scowl deepening.

"Asinus? Are you calling me an arse?"

"I am calling you a stubborn ass!" hissed Fenris. He growled again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "How will you protect me?" he snapped.

"Just a quick spell; one that will increase your awareness and your resistance to injury."

"Do it quickly, then," demanded Fenris with displeasure, "but do not touch me."

Hawke stretched one arm out toward Fenris and placed his other hand over his eyes, whispering something to himself. Fenris immediately felt his skin tighten, and all of his senses became heightened; he could hear Hawke's breathing, could see the fine pores on his face, and could smell the soap he'd used that morning.

"It's done," Hawke told him, removing his hand from his eyes.

With a final withering look at Hawke, Fenris turned and walked into the clearing where Seamus and the woman were still arguing.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" demanded the woman.

"Release the child," commanded Fenris, and the woman and her lackeys burst out laughing.

"Please, Ser Elf," pleaded Seamus, "these thugs killed my friend." Fenris glanced down at the dead Qunari and raised an eyebrow. "And now they're going to claim some sort of reward for finding me. They cannot be rewarded for murder!"

"They will not claim their reward," Fenris said with a cold smile, readying his sword.

"And you're going to stop us on your own, are you, you knife-eared bastard?" challenged the uncouth woman.

"He's not on his own, you stupid cow!" called Merrill from behind a dune.

"Spread out!" the woman commanded, and her lackeys looked around in confusion, not knowing in which direction to spread out.

"Paralyse them!" ordered Hawke.

As Anders, Merrill and Hawke began casting, Sebastian shot a warning arrow that glanced off the woman's boot. She immediately grabbed Seamus and held a dagger to his throat. "Back off!" she snarled as Fenris began to circle her.

"You will not harm him," sneered Fenris as the woman's lackeys were turned into statues by the three mages, and Sebastian emerged from his hiding place, an arrow trained directly between the woman's eyes.

"You won't even have time to blink if I release this arrow," he threatened. "Now, unhand the boy at once."

"Hoy! That's our bounty!" called a voice from further up the path, and immediately, all eyes turned in its direction; all eyes, that was, except for Fenris's.

"Shit! Another group of mercenaries has arrived!" guessed Hawke. "Merrill, come on; you and I will take care of them. Anders, Sebastian, stay with Fenris!"

As Hawke and Merrill ran up the path, Fenris took advantage of the woman's distracted attention and lunged at her, sending Seamus sprawling to the ground. She staggered and slashed wildly with her dagger, inflicting a severe gash to Fenris's cheek.

"Run!" Fenris commanded Seamus, who scrambled to his feet and darted for cover. At the same moment, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced the woman's shoulder; she yelled in pain and dropped her dagger, falling to her knees.

Sebastian immediately nocked another arrow and strolled into the clearing, followed by Anders, who renewed the paralysing spell on the thugs. "Fenris, are you all right?" asked Sebastian.

Fenris touched his cheek and glanced down at his bloodied hand, rubbing the crimson liquid between finger and thumb, a murderous glint in his eyes as he began to charge up the path.

"Fenris, that needs to be healed!" protested Anders, to no avail.

"Holy Andraste!" exclaimed Sebastian as Fenris's markings blazed. "What-what's happening to him?"

"It's a unique ability of his," said Anders with a shrug. "Don't worry; the others will be quite safe now he's gone to help them. Keep an eye on this lot," he instructed Sebastian as he walked over to where Seamus had hid to check the boy for injuries.

"Anders…can you do something for this woman's pain?" asked Sebastian. "I know she attacked us, but she's suffering."

"In a minute," called Anders as he beckoned Seamus out. "We need to tie them up, first."

As Sebastian looked around the makeshift campsite for rope, a loud cry from up ahead pierced the air as two hearts were ripped out of their chests, and then silence fell. After a few moments, Hawke, Merrill and Fenris entered the clearing, and Merrill ran over to assist Sebastian secure the thugs, leaving Hawke and Fenris to continue with their bickering.

"I need to take a look at that, Fenris!"

"It is fine. The bleeding has almost stopped."

"It'll scar if it's not healed immediately, Fenris, just…"

"Then it will scar."

Hawke gasped in astonishment. "And you call me stubborn?"

"You are stubborn!"

"Pertinax Asinus!" spluttered Hawke, and Fenris came to a dead stop, one eyebrow slowly rising as he glanced at Hawke.

"You remembered."

"Of course I remembered, Fenris; it's a perfect name for you!"

"I used it first," Fenris said quietly.

Hawke placed his hands on his hips, his mouth twitching with mirth. "Now who's being childish?"

"I see only one person, Hawke."

"I could throttle you sometimes, you know that?"

"Is that a healing technique of yours?"

Hawke started to snigger, and Anders - who, having checked Seamus over and had begun to heal the bound leader of the mercenaries – watched them with interest.

"A special technique, just for you, Fenris," Hawke laughed. "It's a cure for stubbornness. Now, let me see to that cut on your face."

A look of uncertainty came over Fenris, then, and he glanced over at the rest of their companions.

"Fenris, when are you going to get it into your head that I'm not going to hurt you?" Hawke asked gently.

Fenris sighed and walked a short distance away from the group, and Hawke followed him.

"I do not believe that you would injure me on purpose," Fenris told Hawke when they were out of the others' earshot.

"What is it, then?"

Fenris looked down at his feet and shrugged. "Magic…magic causes me pain."

"What?"

Fenris looked back up but averted his eyes when they met Hawke's. "Whenever magic is cast upon me, it reacts with my markings. Danarius…Danarius often used magic upon me as a means of control. Even healing magic is painful."

Hawke's face dropped. "Shit, Fenris; why didn't you say something?"

Fenris shrugged again. "Clearly, you were not going to back down. Action needed to be taken to aid the boy, so I acquiesced."

Hawke clutched his forehead and closed his eyes. "Fenris…I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"Of course you had no idea; I had not told you."

Hawke took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Does…does healing magic cause you a lot of pain?" he asked Fenris. "Because that cut really does need to be healed. I…wouldn't want you to have a scar."

"It does not cause as much pain as other spells, no, but it is still uncomfortable."

"Will you let me heal you, Fenris? I promise to be as quick as I can." Hawke tilted his head slightly and imagined Fenris with a huge, ugly scar running across his cheek, the thought of which sickened him. "That face of yours shouldn't have a scar on it."

Realising what he'd said, Hawke released the breath he'd been holding and turned away from Fenris, expecting a strong reaction from the elf.

"If you are quick, then."

Hawke's heart hammered in his chest as he turned around, and he fumbled in his small pack for a clean piece of cloth and a small jar of purified elfroot extract with which to clean the wound. "It needs to be cleaned, first," he said quietly, unable to look at Fenris as he moistened the cloth with the clear liquid.

"I will do that," offered Fenris, and Hawke passed him the cloth, toying with his fingers while Fenris dabbed at the cut until the blood was removed from his face.

"I, um…I need to touch your face, Fenris,"

Hawke heard a sharp intake of breath, and Fenris nodded but did not speak.

"Ready?"

Fenris nodded again, his eyes glued to the ground, and Hawke raised a slightly-trembling hand to Fenris's face, gently resting his fingers against the elf's cheek. Hawke closed his eyes and sternly reminded himself that he was a healer and that he must act professionally, although his need to run his hand through Fenris's hair and claim his lips almost consumed him, and his stomach burned fiercely as those two needs warred within him.

"Here goes, Fenris."

Swallowing hard, Hawke opened the Fade and banished all other thoughts from his mind as he concentrated. Warm, soothing energy flowed from his fingers onto Fenris's skin, and Hawke willed the flesh to close, picturing it in his mind. After a few seconds, he heard a quiet hiss from Fenris and doubled his concentration, determined to cause Fenris as little discomfort as possible.

Hawke retracted his hand with great effort, almost feeling as though it was magnetised with Fenris's skin. He blinked his eyes open and stepped away from Fenris, whose gaze remained upon the ground.

"Was that all right, Fenris?" he asked anxiously.

Fenris raised a hand to his face and stroked his cheek. "It was…fine. Thank you," he said in almost a whisper, and headed back to the clearing, leaving Hawke with almost-liquefied insides.

~o~O~o~

After a long journey back to the Keep, Hawke and his friends turned the mercenaries over to the city Guard, and collected a generous reward for Seamus's safe return from the Viscount himself. Hawke gave everyone a cut, keeping a few sovereigns back for the kitty as he always did.

Remembering that Varric wanted to speak to him, Hawke asked the others if they'd like to join him at The Hanged Man, and all of them accepted except Fenris, who again politely declined but didn't give a reason.

As the exited the Keep, Fenris looked at Hawke and quietly cleared his throat.

"Erm, you lot carry on; I'll catch you up in a bit," Hawke told the others.

"What are you drinking, Hawke?" Sebastian asked.

"Whatever you're having," he replied with a grateful nod.

"I don't drink alcohol, Hawke."

"Of course you don't," Hawke laughed. "I'll have an ale, then, thanks."

"Ale it is," said Sebastian, and he, Merrill and Anders walked away, although Hawke was aware that Anders's gaze had lingered on him for a few seconds before he'd departed.

"Everything all right, Fenris?" asked Hawke, and, not knowing what to expect, his belly fluttered.

"I have been thinking," began Fenris. "This morning, when I told you about the Fog Warriors…" He paused, searching for the right words. "You reacted in a way I did not expect."

"How so?" Hawke asked.

"Well, you…did not react at all, or at least, you appeared not to," Fenris said thoughtfully. "I had expected you to react with fear or disgust, but you did neither; I was…surprised."

"I don't believe it was your fault, Fenris."

"I took their lives," insisted Fenris. "Their blood is on my hands." He shook his head as Hawke began to protest again. "What I am trying to say…you did not judge me. What I did was shameful at best, and yet, you…you…did not reject me."

"We've all done things we're not proud of, Fenris; I'm no exception."

"Perhaps," Fenris mused quietly. He looked up at Hawke, although he didn't quite look directly into his eyes. "I…wanted to thank you. You have proved to be a good friend to me, Hawke."

Hawke smiled softly. "Well, I'm honoured that you consider me a friend. You can…you can talk to me about anything, you know."

Fenris nodded and straightened his posture. "Well, I shall see you tomorrow, for our lesson?"

"Are you sure you don't want to come for a drink?" Hawke offered.

"I am not one for crowds," Fenris said with a thin smile. "Perhaps another time."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Of that, Hawke, I have no doubt." In a gesture that touched Hawke each time he did it, Fenris held out his hand and Hawke shook it warmly.

"See you tomorrow, Fenris," said Hawke as he released the elf's hand. "I hope you sleep well."

"You, as well, Hawke." With a single nod, Fenris turned and walked away.

Hawke watched him until he was out of sight, and sighed to himself, a little reassured that at least there would be a Guard presence in Hightown that night. After waiting for a few more minutes, he began to walk in the opposite direction, the feel of Fenris's skin against his replaying in his mind over and over again as he walked along.