Despite not being the top floor of the Foaming Fishwife, the smell was certainly frighteningly familiar. Kallian had brought Aedan, Solona and Keran to a ship assembly building that was right next to the ocean. During the summer it was abandoned because the ships that were built in here were assembled during the winter when the craftsmen returned from the summer seas. For now, it was a convenient hideout that smelled strongly of fish and had a large amount of space to move around in. The elf had informed Aedan upfront that this was where she wanted her people trained, and that her people worked in the night since that was safest for thieves to come out and do their work. Aedan agreed to the plan, though not without a fair amount of hesitation. He was still a bit wary of teaching the elves how to fight, and it wasn't a notion that anybody missed during the exchange.

Solona examined the place with a critical eye, glad that there was more than enough room to spread out and have personal space for once. There was all manner of ropes and rigging hanging about disused, as well as canvas, stacks of wood and crates of all shapes and sizes. Most of them had either nothing in them or hammers, wedges and other crafting tools. There was a pit that could be passed off as a forge that the two could use for a fire if it got chilly enough in the night, though she highly doubted such a thing needing to ever be lit except for perhaps cooking. It was fairly warm near the sea in the summer, and even if it did get chilly there was certainly enough heavy canvas material to compensate.

Once Kallian was done showing them around she left them to their own devices, and let them know that she didn't expect any training today, since both of them looked like they could use a good night's rest under a roof and a hot meal. Promising to return later that night to check and see how they were doing, the elf and her two gang members left to resume stalking the market district.

"By the Maker…" Aedan breathed when she finally left, shaking his head slowly with his hands on his hips. "Of all the trouble I thought that I'd get into, this was certainly not one of them. Aiding an escaping apostate, assassinating a Teyrn, and now also petty thievery and helping along another raid on the Arl's estate."

Solona smiled distantly, unclasping her tattered and travel stained cloak and let it fall to the floor, glad to have the heavy material off. "Well, it's certainly not at the top of the list for dangerous acts performed." She quipped with a small smile, setting her staff against the wall and then walked over to the pile of canvas and rope that she'd spotted earlier, examining first the pile then the various hooks hanging from the ceiling and attached to the wall.

"No, it's really not." Aedan agreed with another heavy sigh before similarly setting down what little gear he had retained from their flight from the Templars. Keran was entertaining himself by chasing rats around the huge space, barking at the rodents as they scurried away from the war hound.

After a pronounced silence, Solona gathered her breath to speak again. "You haven't had much experience with elves, have you?" It was more of a statement than a question, and even though she didn't turn to see his reaction, Solona could hear that he had stopped moving.

Aedan considered her words for a handful of silent seconds, wondering what the best reply to that could possibly be, for she was clearly waiting for him to say something wrong. "I knew many elves in Highever."

Apparently that wasn't the answer that she was hoping for, for her shoulders sagged visibly and she shook her head before turning around to face him, her face carefully neutral. "How many of those elves did you know by name…?" A long moment of silence stretched between them as Aedan tried to think up names and kept coming desperately blank in the way of answers. "I thought so."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aedan shot back quickly before he could think about it, crossing his arms over his broad chest and assuming a defiant pose.

"Well, that you're nobility. I couldn't have actually expected you to have much respect for the elves working for you. No doubt you had many." There was a slight bitterness in her voice, and though she didn't cross her arms, Aedan could tell that she was settling in for a long argument. The look on her face said as much.

However, he didn't particularly feel like taking the jab lying down. "You're hardly an elf yourself, and I don't see how you can complain, since you didn't exactly grow up in an Alienage."

An angry flush stained Solona's cheeks briefly. "I knew many elves from the Alienage, Denerim or otherwise. They are victimized on a daily basis from humans of all station, but much more from the nobility. You're very lucky that Kallian doesn't know who you really are. If she did, she would probably rather see you dead than take a second look at you. I'm saying this as a warning; do not try their patience. We're not dealing with elven servants that cower from humans. These ones are dangerous and willful."

He wondered at that briefly, trying to recall if the elves that served his family had ever displayed any amount of hostility towards himself or even ever in his presence. However, he could only remember the elves either fleeing at the sight of him or else remaining quiet and bowing low. "I've never abused an elf in my life."

Solona shook her head. "That doesn't matter. Others of your similar status have, and it's all that the elves know of humans in general. The ones that came to the Circle always had a hard time getting used to the idea that they would have to share living space with humans- shemlen. They were bitter and harsh toward any that weren't of their own, and though I told Kallian that they were all treated as equals in the Circle, even that is untrue. The dislike between humans and elves is practically bred into the bone. It takes much to undo that sort of deep mistrust, especially when instilled at such a young age. Not all of us human mages mistreated the elves, and after a time they seemed to accept that, but such was not the case for all."

"So what do you expect me to do about it? These elves are hardly going to start trusting me, especially since I'm going to be pressing them in training all the time. No doubt they're going to hate me anyway just for that, human or not." He could easily recall the large amount of disdain that he held for his old training master when the man would demand he get up before the crack of dawn and then make him run around the compound several times before he could eat breakfast. After that it was seemingly endless exercises that were specifically designed to make him bored and tired. No, he wouldn't be winning any favor there.

"Just try and talk to them." Solona replied gently, taking a few steps toward him. "Staying closed off and silent will only confirm their suspicion that you hate them. They'll assume that you think you're too good to try and train them, and that you're only using Kallian's generosity for a roof over your head and protection."

Aedan brought his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I will try diplomacy, then." At least he was good at that. Or at least the kind of diplomacy you saw in court.

"Good." She shot him her biggest brightest smile and then returned to the pile of canvas and ropes. "Now help me set up a hammock, if you will. You're tall enough to reach up to some of those hooks."

-0-0-0-

As promised, Kallian returned bearing food and this time brought with her an unremarkable sack resting over her shoulder. Keran loudly greeted Kallian's return, bounding up to the red-headed elf and stopping just short of barreling her over again like he'd done out in the market place. With a laugh she scratched the big dog behind the ears, and with his greeting done, the war hound ran to Aedan's side, wagging his tail with his tongue lolling out.

"I see you two made yerselves at home." Kallian called as a way of greeting, setting down the small sack of food that she had over her shoulder by the unlit forge.

"Yes, thank you again for showing us this place." Solona said, walking forward to inspect what they'd been brought. She was surprised to see that it wasn't all pitted fruit and moldy bread, but the good stuff that she had sorely missed ever since breaking out of the Circle. Her stomach growled just looking at it, and she offered Kallian a shy smile. "Seems I'm a bit eager."

"Well, it's here fer you to eat, so eat it." The elf replied with a shrug and a grin, sitting on the lip of the raised fireplace and eyeing the two's handy work with the canvas and ropes. "Good to see that yer handy with what yer given."

Solona dug through the sack of food, nodding absently to Kallian's words as she dug out an apple and examined it briefly before rubbing it on the cuff of her sleeve to wipe off some breadcrumbs and dirt. "It seems like we'll be here for a while. Might as well make things comfortable."

Kallian noticed with a dry smile that Aedan seemed to look anything but comfortable, standing a short distance away with his hand on Keran's head, scratching the dog absently and watching the conversation. "Oh, 'afore I forget…" She opened up the bag attached to her hip and rifled through it briefly before pulling out two scraps of red fabric the same color as the gloves around her hands. She handed Solona one of them and wadded the other up, tossing it the distance to Aedan who caught it with a raised eyebrow. "That's the teller for my gang. If ya get stopped by thugs anywhere near the docks, flash 'em the teller 'an tell 'em that yer under protection of the Knifers. Should send 'em runnin' an' save you a fight."

Aedan unraveled his wad of fabric, lifting an eyebrow with a look of disbelief on his face. "Knifers?" He repeated slowly. "As in, 'knife-ears'? I thought elves hated being called that."

Kallian whistled, a sarcastic grin on her face. "Oi, Ammy, where'd you get a sharp nail like this one, eh? The man's right clever."

Solona couldn't help the small chuckle at Aedan's expense. "Well, it is an interesting choice of names, to say the least."

"Couldn't think of anythin' else that sounded mysterious-like or threatinin' fer a bunch of rag-tag elves runnin' about an' pretendin' to be real mercs." Kallian replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Then it stuck."

"So, what is it that you… Knifers… do, exactly?" Aedan ventured to ask, neatly folding his square of cloth and tucking it away in his pants pocket. "And why do you want into the Arl's Estate, if you don't mind me asking?"

The elf took a few moments to consider his question before shrugging, adopting a bored look. "Well, that's a good question, now innit? You tell me your reason 'an I'll tell you mine."

Solona hesitated mid-bite, watching over her apple as Aedan and Kallian appraised each other silently. They were both strategists, though in vastly different ways, and she could practically see the two trying to place the pieces together before the other one could win the game. "I'm curious as well, Kallian." She finally said, breaking the tension and drawing all eyes on herself instead.

"Well, I suppose you'd find out sooner or later. Noris has looser lips than a fishmonger's wife." Settling her palms on the cold stone of the forge, Kallian took a second together her thoughts. "The new Teyrn what's claimed Denerim is a dung-crusted git, in short. When I was in the prisons below the estate, I heard things from the guards. The former dung-crusted git that used to own the place, Vaughn, was right upset by my little… exploration of his place, and figured he'd take out his anger on the whole Alienage. He started crackin' down there, let his goons wander an' take what they would. Well, the elves finally got angry an' rebelled.

"Vaughn sent word to the new Teyrn of Highever, askin' fer aid since his father took most of Denerim's troops south on the King's orders an' couldn't handle it himself. Well, this Howe fella comes stompin' right in with his men and clears out the elves rightly enough, but he didn't stop there. Vaughn got thrown in with the rest of us an' the new Teyrn left 'em down there to die. I heard 'em kickin' and screamin' from down the hall, I did. But it didn't matter what the bastard said, he wasn't let out." She took some satisfaction in recalling that Vaughn had been trapped in the very dungeon that his cronies had locked her up in, and though at the time she had been battered, broken, weary and depressed had managed to crack a smile at Vaughn's pitiful moaning and attempts at bribery for any guard that passed. "But Howe wasn't happy with just takin' over Denerim. He wanted to elves quiet fer good, and put a Purge on the Alienage.

"I suppose he wanted some money, too, 'cuz that wasn't even the end of it. I heard the guards talkin' 'bout how he struck a deal with some slavers. They got free access to the Alienage, 'an fer every elf that they drag out of there, they had to pay a tariff. The guards that had been keepin' me fer…" She hesitated briefly, a lump forming in her throat. She cleared it by swallowing hard, her nails digging unconsciously into the stone before continuing. "…Well, they wanted some easy money, so sold me to 'em on the sly. That's when you two saved me." Kallian inclined her head gratefully to the two, drawing her hands into her lap and rubbing her wrists through her gloves.

A sad look had dominated Solona's face after Kallian revealed her sad story, reading between the unspoken lines. Her heart ached for the elven woman, but knew that pity wouldn't help her now. Revenge would probably be a better outcome, and after hearing the story she knew that there would be no way she'd turn down Kallian's need for help. "I suppose that there are still slavers in the Alienage, correct?"

Kallian nodded. "They bring out about five elves a week to the docks. I'd stop 'em myself but…" She shivered, flexing her hands then clenching them into fists until her knuckles turned white. "They got blood mages on their side, an' I ain't about to step up to that alone. They way they get in yer head…"

Solona went silent, her gaze immediately averting to the floor. Thinking that it was because of her own brush with the Tevinter blood mages, Aedan picked up the conversation instead. "Our motives are different, but the result will be the same. The Teyrn-" Aedan's fists clenched at having to call Howe by such a title "-owes me a debt that can only be satisfied by his life. You've my arm in this battle, Kallian."

She seemed a bit surprised to hear Aedan declaring himself to her cause with such determination, and Kallian didn't bother hiding the look. She'd pegged him as the type of shem that would rather lick dirt than help an elf, so became cautiously hopeful that perhaps she was wrong about him. "I'd toast to the death of the swine, but I don't got cups."

A grim smile tugged at the corner of Aedan's lips and he raised his hand anyway, miming holding a wine glass in his hand. "To the death of the swine."

Smiling, Kallian mimicked his motion and they pretended to clink glasses, though skipped the actual drinking bit. "Glad yer on board then. Now, about yer particular talents there Ammy."

Solona looked up sharply, something that resembled a glower on her face. "Must you call me that?"

Kallian waved off her simmering anger nonchalantly. "Yer name's far too complicated fer me. Anyway, I didn't tell anyone that yer a mage, an' I don't plan to until I feel 'em out a bit, see which ones are skittish and which aren't. But I know that yer healing is mighty useful, so I don't wanna have to keep you under wraps fer too long. What's yer say in this?"

She took a moment to consider, knowing very well that the general populace didn't react very well when it was revealed that there was a mage in their midst, especially one outside of the Circle's control. The fact that Kallian seemed so calm around her was a very rare thing for Solona to experience. "Telling them sooner rather than later would be for the best. I don't want to accidentally be caught setting somebody on fire and having all of the others flee from me for it."

Kallian nodded, being of the same mind. "I figured as much. Sola and Noris might be a bit more forgivin' of yer nature than the rest of 'em. We knew a mage growin' up in the Alienage. We were fast friends afore his powers manifested an' then he got spirited away to the Circle overnight. I'm not so sure 'bout the others."

"That's fine, do what you think will help." Solona gave Kallian a small smile and rolled her apple between her hands for a moment. "But in the meantime I could make healing poultices for you. That doesn't require magic so much as skill and supplies. They're good for healing in a pinch when you don't have a mage conveniently near by."

"Sounds like a plan. Make a list of anythin' you need, an' I'll make sure to swipe it fer you if I can." Kallian didn't miss Solona's wince at the idea of stealing ingredients, but chose to ignore it. No doubt the two of them had been living the straight and narrow aside from running from Templars and such. They would have to get used to the idea that they were allied with a pack of thieves if they wanted to be able to sleep at night. She stood and patted off her gloved hands, drawing a deep breath of the salty air. "But I'll let ya have yer rest. I'll be bringin' the group over tomorrow evenin' fer training." They exchanged goodbyes, Keran getting a good scratch from Kallian before she took her leave and left the two to their own devices.

"I've done nothing but run into strange circumstances since I left home." Aedan mumbled with a drawn out sigh, shaking his head and walking forward to see what was in the food bag for the first time.

Solona swallowed a large bite she'd taken of the apple, watching him with a faint smile on her features. "It's a small world in the Circle. It seems that even outside of it, the world doesn't get much bigger. We are fortunate."

Aedan allowed himself a chuckle, taking out a half a loaf of hard-crusted bread and a wrapped package that contained a hunk of cheese. "I don't know if being recruited into a gang of elves counts as being so much fortunate as desperate. I only hope that Kallian's assessment of this Sola and Noris are well-founded for your sake." He held out his hand and Solona placed a small dagger in it, the one that she kept hidden on her at all times for emergencies and herbal work. He used it to cut off a slice of bread and cheese before returning it to the mage. "I would feel a fool indeed if I were unable to protect you if she's wrong."

After carefully wiping down the small blade, Solona replaced it in a fold near her hip and finished off her apple. "You haven't let me down so far, so I have no reason to not trust in your abilities." Her face warmed slightly, recalling the seductive whisper of the Desire demon disguised as Aedan pledged to protect her, and with a great show of will banned the memory from her mind for the moment. "Thank you for always having my back."

He inclined his head slightly, taking her thanks in stride. "And thank you for being at mine as well. Never underestimate the presence of a trusted friend."

A pained smile was forced to Solona's face, wondering silently if he would think her such a trusted friend if he actually knew what had been required to silence the Templars once and for all.

AN: A relatively uneventful chapter, but it was needed. More fleshing out of characters and what not, and just a little taste of the dynamic that runs between our three heroes. As always, I thank you for all of your support!