A/N: Hope everyone is doing well! I know things are crazy right now out there, so stay safe!

"Tallis, thank you for coming," Hawke said as the elf came into the room.

"I won't lie Hawke," she replied still looking around the Champion's home as she had been as she followed the dwarf through. "I'm hoping this hasn't been a giant waste of my time."

"I suppose that will depend on your definition," he answered, offering her a place to sit, which she refused. She looked from the Champion to his companions. She knew from the information she gathered that he had an eclectic group following him, and that they were loyal- not bought; friends… something that she didn't believe truly existed anymore.

"That doesn't sound promising," she muttered, wondering where the rest of his group were. There were currently only a beardless dwarf and a tall elf that looked angry. She remembered both of them from her first meeting with the Champion. They had been protecting a woman at the time, and didn't garner her attention much.

"You'll have to just hear me out then, to find out for certain," he said with a charming smirk, something that Tallis could appreciate. She was more than used to his type- she had seen it enough in all her travels. He may have some qualms about stealing, unless there was a compelling reason… thinking back to his companions, she thought there wouldn't be anything he wouldn't do for them, and the thought made her return the smile. Looks like I'll need to endear the Champion to me then.

She moved back to the chair, changing tactics slightly, and looking a little more vulnerable, but showing the fight to show strength. She wasn't the best actress, but felt she could pull this off at least.

"After waiting this long, I'd be a fool not to," she replied, sitting down and focusing on him with a smile of her own.

Hawke reevaluated, wondering why the sudden change in demeanor, but decided to just go with it. "We are planning on going to the Duke's, and you are welcome to come along," he said.

"But?" she asked, looking apprehensive.

He nodded at her understanding. "However," he said with a smile, "I am not certain we should help in your… uh, other endeavors."

Tallis took a moment, closing her eyes briefly, and taking a deep breath, in order to keep herself steady. She looked back up at him, ensuring the gratitude showed in her eyes. "I can appreciate that," she said, and gave a little smirk. "I suppose I could try to convince you on the journey there?" she asked cheekily.

Hawke enjoyed the humor, and was intrigued at the sudden change in her approach. She was obsessed with this treasure, certainly, but not in the normal way he had seen before. He did enjoy a good puzzle, and wanted to find the answer to this one.

"You are welcome to try," he agreed with an incline of his head. "No guarantees though."

She stood again, pacing a little as she thought logistics. "We'll need to leave in two weeks at the latest," she said. "Did the Duke give any instructions as to the size of your company?"

Hawke looked back, surprised. "Not that I am aware of," he replied. "I'll have to ask Cat, she was the one who was speaking with him."

Tallis was now the one looking surprised. "Wait, the invitation was for someone else?" she asked.

"For both of us, though the Duke seems more pleased with Cat than with me," Hawke replied ruefully.

"She did a better job of stroking his ego," Varric pointed out, his eyes still shrewd. Hawke wanted them here to observe, and try to figure out Tallis' true objective. Varric didn't like that she was just as adept as keeping secrets as he was at ferreting them out.

"I hadn't heard that the Champion was married," Tallis said nonchalantly, and Varric's eyebrow rose at the way she shut herself off.

"I'm not married!" Hawke said quickly, sounding panicked. Varric and Fenris both turned slightly to peer at him.

"Oh?" Tallis said, glancing back curiously. "My mistake." She stood there for a moment, before stepping forward again, her hand outstretched. "I know I don't have other options, but that doesn't mean I would ask just anyone for help," she said. "I accept."

Hawke took her hand and grinned. "Welcome aboard. We'll be leaving in four days."

Varric settled back in his chair, still observing as Hawke explained the details. He could see the easiest way to handle Tallis… and while it would be an easy thing for Hawke... he was just as certain the Little Dove wouldn't appreciate it.

Everyone had warned her. It wasn't like she hadn't prepared herself for an extremely long trip, or to want to maim a certain red-headed elf. But Cat hadn't known just how strongly the emotions would hit her.

Varric had been the one to broach the subject of the way Tallis had acted around Hawke, changing from the no-nonsense, tough mercenary into a vulnerable and flirtatious woman. It had been decided, with her permission of course, that Hawke would cultivate that in order to get the female to confide in him.

The fact that Cat could have easily told them all what was going on with Tallis almost had her speaking up, but she felt guilty even thinking of sharing someone's secrets with others, and couldn't bring herself to do it.

It wasn't like she could be mad at Hawke either, because he wasn't ignoring her or even treating her differently, he was simply doing the same with Tallis. She knew he was merely giving Tallis attention in order to find out what he could about her.

And she couldn't know how very much he enjoyed the thought of Cat being jealous.

All things considered, she actually liked Tallis. She was beautiful, deadly, experienced, and made Cat feel slightly inadequate, and the problem was… the feeling was growing a little each day.

Seeing Tallis with her daggers had Cat bringing along her crossbow, though it had been some time since she had used it for anything besides target practice with Sebastian. She found herself competing with Tallis over everything, just to prove to herself that she measured up, and it made her angry with herself, which in turn made her angry with the elf.

To top it all off, Cat could feel Tallis treating her differently as well. Almost… subservient in a way, but in an angry way. As if she had to, but hated it, Cat thought. Which is the strangest part. If anyone was noble and deserved the treatment, it would be Hawke or Sebastian, and Tallis treated both of them like old friends.

The whole situation was vexing to her, and while Cat wanted to get it off her chest, she was at the same time ashamed of feeling that way. She knew in her head, if there was any sort of question over the two of them, her friends would put her first.

And so, she would bury her feelings of inadequacy and guilt over Tallis. She knew she would get over it, eventually, and didn't want to jeopardize Hawke's future friendship with Tallis.

"Cat!"

She turned at the shout, seeing Sebastian coming for her with his bow in hand. She smiled as she stood. "Time to hunt up dinner?" she asked.

"Let's go," he replied, and she shook off her thoughts and went to grab her crossbow from her tent. She joined Sebastian, Merrill and Varric, and they headed off to hunt up something for their group to eat.

"I can't believe I'm going to a fancy party," Merrill said to Cat as they walked. "But I'm so glad to be invited!"

"Honestly Merrill, I don't know how fancy it will be," Cat replied.

"They're Orlesian, Little Dove," Varric said. "Orlesians have to make everything fancy."

"I suppose," Cat said wryly.

"I'm just so nervous!" Merrill exclaimed. "What if I do something wrong and embarrass us? I always do something wrong."

"You'll be fine Merrill," Sebastian placated her.

"But… I don't know anything about human manners, especially for a dinner! What if I use the wrong fork? And then accidentally stab someone with it? That sounds like something that would happen to me."

Sebastian looked flummoxed, and turned to Cat and Varric. Both of them gave a shrug, and he turned back to Merrill. "Uh… just… act annoyed that they bled on your dress… and no one will even notice?" he responded, and Merrill gave him an appraising look before nodding, starting to hum under her breath and moving away.

Sebastian looked back to the other two, a baffled look on his face. Cat and Varric chuckled as they moved to catch up to Merrill.

All things considered, the trip was actually fun. Cat got to spend time with each of her friends, both individually and in group settings. She had missed this, the easy way they blended together, even though some of them saw things differently, even disagreeing, she could feel the affection they had for each other.

After the week with only each other, she could also understand why everyone was more accepting of Tallis. They weren't going to offer her a place on the crew or anything, but she had opened up enough that they felt like they knew her a little better.

The problem for Cat however, was that Tallis was just as competitive as she was, and much better at being stealthy. Numerous times throughout the trip, Cat had found her things misplaced, only to have someone else find them right where they should be. Tallis seemed to excel at making her look like a fool, and Cat was actually quite happy once they saw Chateau Haine in the distance.

Her hopes were dashed of course, as Hawke announced that he wanted to continue to help Tallis. He didn't give any reasons, but he was adamant about seeing the entire thing through. Cat was angry until she saw the look of shock on Tallis' face. She couldn't hold onto her anger when it was obvious that Tallis was unused to having someone on her side.

"So Hawke, how are we going to play this?" Aveline asked. "The nobles and their entourage? Or simply the Champion and his crew?"

"I think somewhere in between," Hawke replied, as he stepped over to Cat, his hand running down her shoulder, and he gave her a smile. "If we play the noble card, Cat won't be able to join in the hunt. But if we stick to just the crew, we may not be given the leeway we need to sneak around the chateau."

"The Champion with his lady, accompanied by servants and bodyguards?" Varric suggested.

"Cat? How do you feel about that?" Hawke asked in reply as he turned to her.

"I don't know…" she said, thinking.

"It's the wisest course, my lady," Tallis said to Cat, acting the servant, making Cat bristle.

"And that's the problem," Cat replied. "Not that it's the wisest," she added as she realized what she had implied because of the wry smiles directed at her. "But because I wouldn't have servants."

"True," Anders answered. "We need to keep everything as close to the truth as possible, or they will know we're up to something."

"No," Tallis said, causing several to look back to her. "These people are Orlesian. You will be more noticeable if you do not have servants. They do not know you, they will simply expect you to be as they are."

"She has a point," Hawke said, looking back to Cat. "We want to be able to blend in."

Cat had to admit, Tallis was right, even if she didn't like it. "So what, women with me, and men with you?" she asked Hawke, and he smirked at her.

"I'll trade you Aveline for Varric?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"Please, you know he's here for entertainment," she said, giving Varric a wink. "Though we can use Sebastian's title as well. Isabela with me, Aveline with Sebastian, and Fenris with you?" she asked.

"You know nothing of Orlesians, do you?" Tallis said, exasperated. She looked at the crew, before starting to point at each. "You, and you… with her. You and I with Hawke, and you, you, and you, are simply traveling companions."

Hawke looked confused as well, so Cat didn't feel bad about asking. "Why?"

Tallis rolled her eyes, but explained… to Hawke. "A man in your position could hire anyone to be his bodyguard, especially because he wouldn't really need one. So, expected by the Orlesians, any travelling servant or bodyguard would be female, and attractive. In turn, a servant for your lady would be female, so as to not encourage anything, but a bodyguard would be a warrior- for Orlesians do not expect a lady to be able to protect herself. By making him an elf also, they assume he is also a servant, of yours."

Hawke nodded, though Cat could see the disgust on his features. "Very well. Aveline, you're here, I'm assuming to keep an eye on Sebastian, Varric, as a friend- not entertainment," he said with a wink to Cat, "and Isabela and Tallis with me. Fenris, Anders and Merrill, with Cat."

"I need two bodyguards?" she asked dryly.

"Better safe than sorry," he replied. He stepped closer and spoke softly, "we don't know anything about where we are staying, and I'd feel better if you had both of them with you."

She nodded, though she rolled her eyes just for form. "All right, I guess that's settled then," she said loudly, ignoring Tallis' smirk.

They all nodded, and adjusted their positions before the group continued on toward the chateau.

Cat could admit that the Duke had an incredible home. They had made good time, and the hunt would happen in two days, so she had plenty of time to simply explore the chateau and the grounds.

Duke Prosper was busy, but he made time to introduce Cat to his wife and son, and asked them to help keep her occupied until the hunt. His wife was kind, but somewhat bland, and Cat found herself keeping company with his son, Cyril.

It wasn't that Cyril was much better than his mother when it came to topics of conversation, but that he wanted to impress her, so he set about showing her all the marvels of their estate.

When Cat expressed her excitement to go on the hunt and see a wyvern, Cyril offered his arm and a surprise, and Cat went along willingly, with Fenris trailing behind them silently.

"These gardens are quite lovely," Cat said, to break the quiet.

"Thank you my lady, though in truth, I have nothing to do with them. It is a project that my mother enjoys- designing and executing the gardens around the estate," Cyril replied. "My father has often said that if she were not noble, she would have been some sort of horticulturist."

"I find that fascinating," Cat said, "as I have no talent for such things."

"And why would you?" he asked. "From what I saw, Kirkwall was still in its early, barbaric state, and has not yet become cultured."

Cat smiled at the insult, thinking what an idiot this guy was. If we're so barbaric, you probably shouldn't insult us, you moron, she thought. But knowing that he could come in handy later, she simply let it go as though she didn't understand.

"We are still young, its true, especially compared to other places such as Orlais," she replied with a smile.

"Ah, Orlais…" he said, looking out at the mountains. "I cannot wait to return home. Though I look forward to the hunt each year, it does make me homesick."

"So your father does this every year?" she asked as they continued walking.

"Yes, though not quite so grandly. This year is proving to be quite the spectacle."

Cat stopped, grabbing onto his arm more tightly. "Did you hear that?" she asked, looking around.

Cyril smirked at her, and looking back, at how close her bodyguard had come to them. He sneered at the elf who immediately backed away, but only a step. He turned back to Cat with his smirk back in place.

"Hear what, my lady?" he asked.

She could hear it in his voice, and looked at him shrewdly. "You wouldn't happen to be teasing me, now would you, lord Cyril?" she asked.

"Perhaps I simply enjoy the way you hold my arm, and want it to continue," he answered smoothly.

Cat pinked slightly, wishing she was a better actress. She felt as if he was playing with her, simply because she was there, and she sighed. Though she meant to keep it to herself, it came out loudly.

"Tired, my lady?" he asked her.

"Is that your way of distracting me from that noise?" she asked, looking at him pointedly.

He laughed, and pulled her along the path they were walking. "Not at all," he replied. "It is simply quite a shocking thing, and I want to make sure you're awake for it."

"Oh, I'm awake," she answered with a smile. She glanced back herself, wishing she was simply walking with Fenris. Or Garrett, she thought. Fenris rolled his eyes, and she grinned.

Cyril glanced over as he led the lady onward. She was proving to be much more exciting than the ladies he usually spent time with. She didn't titter, she didn't stroke his ego, she said what she thought, though he admitted it was far from profound. It was more that she simply wasn't trying… and he had to admit, the challenge was irresistible.

She was beautiful- He couldn't fault the Champion's taste. And coming from that uncivilized area meant that in a way… she was wild. He wondered just how wild she really was. He didn't miss her sigh, and though he teased her about being tired, he suspected that she was bored. This was no lady that would simply enjoy quiet walks around the garden.

He had heard from his father that she was also a warrior. One that accompanied the Champion, and would even take part in the hunt, Maker have mercy. That would be an interesting sight, to be certain.

The corner of his lips curved up in anticipation as he led her closer to Leopold. He was looking forward to her reaction.

Cat glanced over, though her gaze didn't linger. She didn't want Cyril getting any ideas, but it wasn't like him to be so quiet. It seemed he always had something good to say about himself or something insulting to say about her home or friends.

She could hear the noises from earlier getting louder, and she realized as they went through a large archway into what looked like a kennel of some kind, that he was taking her to see the Duke's pet wyvern.

Coming around another corner, she could see the cage, where a truly massive beast was being held. Her hand that wasn't holding Cyril's arm went into a fist, as she tried to hold back her excitement.

"Well, my lady? What do you think?" Cyril asked.

"Amazing…" she breathed, even as the wyvern roared in their direction.

Cyril stood there, fascinated, though he wasn't looking at the beast. He thought he now understood the Champion a little better, as the lady turned to look at him. Her eyes were shinning, her smile wide, and he thought she was simply exquisite.

She tried to step forward, and he held her back. "This is as close as we can get," he said softly. "Otherwise he may spit at us."

She looked disappointed, but listened to him, and stayed put. "Have you gotten closer before?" she asked.

"Indeed. In fact, my father uses him as a mount sometimes."

She turned to him again, her eyes alight. "Really?" she asked with a secret smile, and he couldn't help but want to know all her secrets, very much so.

"It's true," he replied, thinking what a wonderful distraction she would be until he could return to Orlais. If the Champion was anything like the other nobles he knew, he wouldn't even mind.

"Goodnight," Cat replied, moving away, with Fenris following her. They walked in silence back to her rooms, and as soon as she was behind the door, she let out a weary groan.

"Thank goodness," she said, wiping the back of her hand on Fenris' chest, trying to get rid of the feel of Cyril's lips. "I swear, its almost more than I can take to be around that sleazeball."

"Oh, really?"

She turned, seeing all of her friends- except for Hawke, Sebastian and Aveline- were seated around her suite, playing cards. And smirking at her.

"Not liking the Duke's son, eh Little Dove?" Varric asked.

"Not really, no," she replied as she flopped into a sitting chair. "He might have been a nice guy, before Orlais trained him to think he was worth more than anyone else."

"I'm fairly certain Orlesians are born that way," Anders said dryly. "At least in my experience."

"Well, his father is much better," Cat groused. "He was downright pleasant to speak with at the banquet."

"More adept at hiding it perhaps," Isabela corrected. "He looks at women as if they were things, not people."

"Then his son is following right in his footsteps," Fenris added, as he too found a chair to sit in. "He is quite intrigued with Cat."

Cat looked over with disgust. "Probably because I don't fawn all over him."

"That is probably more true than you know, Kitty," Isabela said. "They like it, up until the time they think they own you, and then they try to break you of that."

"Sounds like you have experience with that, Rivaini," Varric said as he dealt out cards.

"No, just know the type," she replied.

"So where did he take you tonight, Cat?" Merrill asked.

"Through another garden," Cat replied. "Though from the look of the preparations, that will most likely be where the party is held, after the hunt."

"Agreed," Fenris added.

"Doesn't the man have anything better to show you?" Anders complained.

"Yes, actually," Cat smirked at him. "He showed me his father's prized mount."

"I take it, it wasn't his mother," Isabela quipped, and Cat roared with laughter.

"No, I said prized, remember?" she answered with a laugh. "He showed me their pet wyvern."

The room was quiet for a few moments as that sunk in.

"Really?" Varric asked. "With everything I've heard of the creatures, they didn't seem the type to take a saddle."

"I'm assuming they broke it with food and with pain," Fenris replied. "It had scars all over it's legs."

Cat turned to him in surprise. "He did?" she asked. "I didn't see that."

"Well, he did keep us back pretty far," he replied. He turned to the others, "apparently they spit a rather bad poison, that burns like acid."

"Terrific," Anders said. "I'd better spend some time asking their healers about that."

"If not their healers, than their trainers are sure to have something," Cat said to him, and he nodded in reply.

"So where's Hawke?" she finally asked, since none of them had been forthcoming.

"On another tour," Isabela answered. "This time for Sebastian." She mimicked his voice by sounding pompous. "I simply must have a closer look at your tapestries," she said.

"And he took Aveline?" Cat asked with a smile.

"Yeah Choir boy took Aveline, and Hawke took Tallis," Varric replied. "Gave them a chance to get a better look at the guard positions and such."

"Good for them," Cat muttered, much to the amusement of the others. "All right then, everyone out. I'm going to bed."

"Already?" Isabela asked. "You know that you're considered a noble here, right Kitty? You can sleep in as late as you want."

"Sounds wonderful, but you know that won't happen," Cat replied as she headed for the bedroom. "Merrill, can you help me?" she asked as she walked out of sight.

"Sure Cat," she answered, hopping off her chair and into the other room.

Eyes around the room suddenly went flat as they looked over to Fenris. "Well?" Isabela asked.

"It is as she said," he replied. "Though she noticed the boy's interest, I do not think she understands that he wants an affair."

Isabela snorted. "She has yet to even start with Hawke, so I'm not worried there… unless he's the type to be forceful?" she asked.

Fenris shook his head. "Even if he were, she would be able to subdue him."

"Good. What else?"

Fenris gave a quick report, outlining the lay of the gardens, the wyvern cage, and the number of people that they had witnessed along the way.

"Any sight of Crows?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Well done," Varric said when he finished. "Hawke will be happy to have this information for the party."

"I'm hoping we won't need it," Anders said.

"When has one of our plans gone exactly as we planned?" Varric asked him with a smirk.

"You may have a point," Anders conceded.