Chapter two.
Isabela.
She perched on the rickety bar stool, her elbows resting on the sticky surface of the bar, a pitcher of whisky between her hands – her only friend. Well, she thought noticing all the men staring at her bronze thighs and her breasts almost popping out of her white top, her only real friend. She smiled at the men watching her and decided to give them a little of what they wanted; she lifted her leg up high to tie her boot strap. Maker, she loved it when they drooled.
The door swung open and in one quick moment all of the men were either looking down at their drinks or staring at the new arrival. Isabela's stomach dropped. She desperately needed a pick me up after the terrible week she had been having.
Worry ate away at her, if Castillon didn't know yet, he soon would. She had lost her ship, her crew and the relic that she had tracked down and stolen for him. In other words, she was neck deep in shit.
She looked up from her drink and saw that most of the men in the tavern were staring at the woman that had entered just moments ago. The new arrival was gorgeous. Isabela had always been hot and fun but this other rogue was at the other end of the spectrum.
.
She had long white hair, the complete opposite to Isabella's chocolate curls that she had carelessly tied into her bandana. Where Isabela was sun kissed and curvy the other rogue's skin was as white as snow, and she had pretty red lips and green eyes that looked around the room skittishly, eyeing out trouble. She was elegant and there was an air of beauty to her that made Isabela, for the first time in her life, have low self-esteem. She was dirty from not washing for five days, her clothes were ragged and her hair was wrecked from her being in the ocean for too long.
But it was not just the rogue that had caught her eye; it was the man next to her that stood so close that it was as if he was protecting her from the air itself. Were they lovers? No, she thought as she compared the two carefully, noticing the same eyebrows and the same skittish look on their faces. Siblings.
Maker, her brother was a dish too; she smiled as the rogue walked up to the bar where she sat.
"Hello, I've not seen you in here before. Beware of the men here; you're nothing but tits and ass to them," Isabella chimed as she introduced herself.
She looked at the woman, who stared up at her with one eyebrow raised, noticing the freshly sharpened daggers at her back. She looked like she could handle herself, yet it wasn't the daggers that made Isabella think this, it was something she could taste in the woman's presence. A building aura, something was hiding beneath those daggers. Someone likeHer would be mighty handy in a fight against Haydar.
"Well, don't mind me if I don't take that warning seriously from a woman that has both on display." She smiled and then glanced at her brother. "Put your tongue away brother," she scolded lightly.
Isabela smirked, winking at the chagrined man before turning back to the woman. "You look like someone I could trust to watch my back. I have a problem, you see." Isabella started to say but the woman's brother let out a very loud snort.
"Why is it problems always seek us out?"
The woman smiled at this, a full toothy grin. "Go on," She urged, permitting Isabella to continue.
"Someone has been bothering me for a while now. I want to have a duel with him but I don't trust him to play by the rules. I think he's going to be surrounded by friends so I want to bring some of my own," Isabela explained, watching the other rogue intently.
The woman did not change her facial expression throughout her explanation. When she stopped talking, she eyed the woman who seemed for a moment lost in thought and then after what felt like hours the woman grinned.
"Who's this person you've arranged to meet?" she asked, a coy grin on her face.
Isabela finally let out a breath of relief.
"His name is Hayder; we worked together back in Antiva. He's never liked me. He's been asking for me all around Kirkwall, thought I'd get it over with," Isabela replied, watching the woman's facial expression again.
"And why does he want to hurt you so badly? Did you tell him he was nothing but tits and ass too?" she joked, trying to act like this wasn't an interrogation but Isabela could tell whatever she said next was vital to the woman helping her.
"I've been trying to track down something I lost for a previous employer, and I failed to do it. It doesn't matter right now, this is much more important," she said, trying to change the subject away from the topic of the relic.
The woman eyed her for a moment, her eyebrow raised as if she wanted to know more of the story. But Isabela kept her mouth shut; the less the woman knew the better.
"I suppose I could manage watching your back, and if we have anything to fight along the way, we get first call on the valuables," the woman said, winking at Isabella.
"I think that sounds like a deal. My name is Isabela," she said with a coy curtsey, showing off her bosom to the woman's boy went bright red, much to her delight.
"I am Hawke and this is my brother, Carver. When do you plan to confront this dear friend of yours?" Hawke asked, her tone becoming business-like.
"My contacts telling me he is meeting with his informant tonight at the chantry, if you meet me here just after dusk we can get on with it and maybe after I can get on you," Isabela joked. Well it was a half-joke she thought, looking at the pretty young rogue's flawless pale skin and strange coloured hair.
"Well, I hate to break it to you but I don't tend to go for the ladies, my brother swings that way or at least tries to." Hawke chortled.
The younger Hawke sibling grunted at this and rolled his eyes, his cheeks flushed pink. He wasn't too bad to look at either, thought Isabela.
"Hawke? I could have gone and got Andraste's ashes and been back by now, you nug humper!" a voice from the top of the stairs shouted at her.
Isabela turned towards the voice and saw a dwarf with no beard but a lot of chest hair standing at the top of the stairs. Maker, did she like chest hair on a man!
"I'll see you tonight, Isabela," Hawke said politely and walked up the stairs to where the dwarf had called her.
Isabela could feel it in her pirate bones; the rogue she had just met would bring excitement into life. One way or another.