romdeau | a fishing date;

"I do my best," he said, still grinning. "Maker, yes. She's wonderful for reality checks.

"How would you know unless I told you?" If he was that far along, he'd be tipsy enough to say just that, though, and he knew it. "I could just...quietly go numb and tease you, and you'd never know."

That had him laughing anyway, unable to resist the chance to tease her now. "Oh, sure. Say that to a man then laugh when he agrees. How could that ever go wrong?"

The warmth in his eyes remained even after the smile faded, the corners of them still crinkled. "Maybe this is a better place for foolishness." Before he could talk himself out of it, he lifted his hand to tip her face toward his and leaned to kiss her, a brush of lips that was shared breath and brandy touched. The tips of his fingers rested against her jawline.

"The true power of the Knight-Commander: unwavering disapproval." That, and her prowess in battle. Anyone would be afraid of facing her, mage or no.

"You'd suffer in silence just for that?" Hawke smirked. "There's a wicked streak to you yet, Knight-Captain, try as you will to hide it." Make no mistake about it, she was enjoying how forward he was being tonight, even if he was teasing. He was relaxed with her.

She laughed with him. "It wouldn't be with any intention to upset you, honest. But I would then be standing there, wondering, 'Well, what do I do now?' I couldn't drag you off somewhere, after all!"

Even with the talk, she still found herself surprised that he made a move first before she could. She tilted her head obligingly and leaned in to the press of his fingers as her lips pressed to his. It was a simple thing but no less exciting, a crack of his defenses that she could blame on the liquor. It wasn't a deterrent; she lifted one of her own hands to settle it lightly on his cheek in turn, the pad of her thumb resting on the curve of his cheekbone.

"Never underestimate that. Disapproval of that magnitude can move mountains, or at least motivate underlings to try." He snorted softly. Few were those who could withstand one of Meredith's glacial, withering stares.

Tellingly, he made no effort to deny any such wicked streaks, amusement evident. "True, and there's no such thing as a quick anything when it comes to plate mail's removal, even in part."

He kept it shallow, a warm, exploring press of lips to lips that lingered until he felt his breath catch. When he drew back it wasn't far. "I didn't think it fair that you had taken all the risk up to this point." He knew from personal experience it wasn't easy to express interest in someone. There was always the chance of rejection. Her words might have shocked him that day, but the interest was flattering. He had yet to find a reason to regret seeing where it might lead.

"Why do you think I avoid her when I can? If I stuck around too long, I'd find myself doing some improbable tasks because she asked me to." It was only a matter of time, she was certain, before that happened.

There might have been a hint of rosiness beneath her eyes, though that might just have been the brandy. "Then I would be barred from the Gallows until further notice, and where would that leave us?"

Even when they parted, her hand remained for another moment or two longer before she thought to move it. It did not stray very far, instead coming to rest on his shoulder. She swallowed the first quip that came to mind, instead meeting his gaze without flinching. "I'm not afraid of the risk." After all, she did not have a real position to lose like he did. "But you keep surprising me." He didn't reject her advances, didn't scoff when she invited him out.

"You would. Everyone does sooner or later, even Orsino." The Knight-Commander had her ways.

He couldn't quite stop the mischievous quirk of lips as he answered. "Meeting places far better than the Gallows. Ideally, I'd like for you to be able to come there if you need something with less potential for embarrassment, so it's just as well we've gone the more indirect route." Low lighting was her friend at the moment. He missed any flushing.

"You thought I might balk?" He held the eye contact, too, no accusation contained within the question, simply genuine curiosity.

She laughed. "Ideally. We can keep it to business and small talk only from now on." A sly smile found its way onto her lips, however. "It was worth it to see you blush," she teased gently, the volume of her voice dropping just slightly as if they were passing secrets across the courtyard itself. It had been such a rewarding sight, truth be told. Hawke spent her days getting under people's skins and she had enjoyed that flabbergasted expression while she had it.

"Yes, I did. I thought you would have told me how inappropriate I was being." She shrugged. "Anyone else would have told me off, I suspect, if they had your position. I was making a gamble with someone else's reputation."

He laughed and shook his head. "That's probably a sight you'll get to see quite often if you spend enough time with me. Something I've never quite been able to bring under control. I'm much better than I used to be, though. Growing older does have a few benefits."

Something almost defiant sparked in his gaze. "If you're good enough for these Marchers to save their city state, surely you're good enough to date their Knight-Captain?" Something about that look boded ill for the first person who thought to bring it up to him in a negative light, if that day came to pass. "I wouldn't be worth seeing if I were the sort of person to bow so readily to possible negative attention." For all of her detractors, Hawke had more than a fair share of supporters, too. If he was the sort who feared public scrutiny, he wouldn't have accepted his promotion, a controversial decision given both his age and country of origin.

"I'm glad I surprised you."

Now she was curious if her cousin had any thoughts to say on that subject, if she ever saw him blushing while he was younger. She kept that to herself. "I look forward to it, if that's the case," she said instead, her smile sticking.

"I think it would be understandable considering what your job is." He'd told her how hated the Templars were at times, how Meredith's views alone lost them some favor with how harsh she was. Even if she had some of the city rallied behind her, Hawke was still someone many had cause to fear and even hate. "You have enough to worry about without me adding to your trouble." That was why she was even more pleased that he chose otherwise. It spoke to his favor, in the end, even if she would have thought no less of him had he rejected her advances.

She leaned forward to kiss him once more, just another brush of lips, her hand squeezing his shoulder. Against his lips, she murmured, "I'm glad you did too."

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Somehow he didn't think he minded so much. There were worse fates than being flustered by someone good at it.

"I have a feeling whatever trouble might come from this is the sort I'll enjoy addressing." There was something to be said for usually being soft-spoken and fairly agreeable only to surprise others when a different side came out.

His hand slipped back from where it was resting into her hair, a light cup of rough fingertips against her scalp. He smiled slightly against the murmur and captured the fullness of her lower lip between both of his. It lingered a little too long to be a tease. As he broke the kiss a second time, he pressed a smaller one to the corner of her mouth and turned his head to brush cheek against cheek, staying close.

"Possibly. I suspect you'll rise to the occasion, though." And she'd expect him to, little by little.

Hawke shook her head with incredulity, though she did not contest what he had to say. If he wanted to handle it, who was she to stop him? She'd done enough protesting before at the restaurant about the consequences this would bring them both. If he was prepared for the risk, then so be it.

The tingle that came from his reciprocation wasn't from the brandy, she could tell that much. She leaned back into his fingers when they kissed and even when they parted, cheek against his. Her arm went up across his shoulders and kept him there, the gesture oddly gentle for all of her previous innuendo. A slight turn of her head granted her access to nudge the side of his jaw and press another kiss there, smiling.

"Repeated exposure is bound to inure me to it all eventually. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be the one making you blush." He doubted it would be happening any time soon.

And then he wasn't thinking about that at all. He tipped his head for her, the pulse at the side of his throat visible and quickened. His arm that had rested across her shoulders lowered into an embrace with her turn toward him. "I think we might want to cap the brandy," he murmured. It would be a shame to have a spill when things were going well.

"That sounds like a challenge, serah. One I'll gladly take you up on." She didn't wonder if he could manage it or not. Her mind went to the things he might attempt in his efforts instead.

With her lips over his jaw and leaning towards his neck, she almost didn't let herself think on what he'd said. But then she remembered the weight against her leg and she paused, drawing away with a smile. "That's probably a good idea," she said, looking around for the cap. She found it between their feet and grabbed it, corking the bottle and setting it aside, someplace a little safer than before. There was still plenty left in it, she noted, enough to let them continue if they fancied.

"I'd say one day you might regret it, but then I'd be going for the wrong sorts of blushes." He figured that even if it did take him some time, if he did succeed it would be well worth the effort. In the mean time, he'd have fun trying.

He leaned back enough to give her room to take care of it. After she had it off to the side, he reached to pull her back in close again. His eyes were well adjusted to the darkness now. He could see the pale curve of her cheek, the glitter of her eyes from the shallow shadow of brow. He shifted a dark spike of her hair to the side with two fingers. As his hand passed lower, his thumb brushed the cusp and then the side of her chin, light pressure to encourage her to tilt her head.

She smiled. "I'll be the judge of that." If nothing else, it would be a mutual challenge with excellent benefits on both sides.

There was some mild shifting to be had so that when she finally went back to him, she had more to work with and could even be closer than before without the worry that either of them might lose their balance or knock into any bottles. She lifted her face at his urging and rose her hands up to his shoulders, though her attention was on his eyes and the curve of his lips, drawn in to his gaze. With another shift to accommodate him, Hawke went back in for another kiss from him.

He inhaled more swiftly, a soft little hiss of breath as he met her kiss with more heat. His eyes slid shut. He found himself enjoying the close press against him as much as the kiss, warm and solid, and no need to worry about anyone or anything else. It was almost a shame they had to sail out to a salt marsh for that particular luxury. As far as he could see right now it was well worth the extra effort.

His arm tightened lower across her back, hand curved against her side. He broke the kiss to trail smaller ones along the line of her jaw, taking his time because he could. "I think," he whispered close to her ear, "this is much better than having to rush."

Surprised - but still pleased - at his response, Hawke let him set the pace of their mouths, allowed him to decide how much he wanted from her. It was a little like a game, the push and pull, back and forth that came with testing new waters. So far, she'd been successful in more ways than one; that little hiss of breath was enough to have butterflies in her stomach at the sound.

She squeezed her shoulder once more when their lips parted and she could not stop the little shiver that ran up her spine as he dipped his lips to her jaw. Tilting her head for him to have better access, she smiled, toes curling in her boots. "I agree," she murmured softly, hand spanning downwards and resting on his chest.

He drew her earlobe between his lips in a soft tug, kissed lower along the side of her throat. He could feel the thud of his heart against his sternum and shifted himself the better to face her. It was something of an awkward position in the bottom of the boat, pressing himself against her partially turned to the side.

Reaching his hand up again, he cupped the back of her head, stubble scratching lightly over her jaw. He found her lips yet again in an insistent kiss and the first light flick of tongue. He trusted she'd let him know if he went too far.

Oh, now that wasn't fair. That little maneuver earned him a sharp intake of breath, fingers curling against his chest. He was determined to keep surprising her tonight. Hawke turned as he shifted beside her and she slid an arm around his shoulders more securely, content to keep him there.

The next kiss gave her a better opportunity to reciprocate, her hand moving from his chest to cup his cheek. Her lips fastened around his lower one, nipping gently without teeth.

He made a little mental note of that, her reaction. That was worth coming back to later, if he could convince himself it was possible to get enough of the kissing. He half opened his eyes, wishing for the first time that night that it wasn't quite so dark. He wanted to see her close, the pale blue of her eyes he had found striking from their very first meeting, once he wasn't too distracted to take notice.

He flicked his tongue against the bow of her upper lip while she took his lower. The rise and fall of his chest was visible now, breath more audible on his inhales. He quickly tired of the half twisted position both of them were forced into by the shape of the boat and reached a hand down to the back of her thigh to encourage her to come more across his lap.

She hummed softly against his lips, not resisting the impulse to open her mouth to him just enough at the swipe of his tongue. If she had thought he would be lost here, new at this, she was pleasantly mistaken. She tilted her head to better grasp his lips in hers, her thumb stroking downward over the stubble of his jaw. The roughness was surprisingly pleasant, she found, almost ticklish if she held her head just so.

Carefully, and reluctantly, she disentangled herself from his lips to glance down at how they were sitting. "Just a second," she whispered, trying to see in the dark how this would work. She grasped his shoulders for purchase and half-stood, sliding over and positioning herself in his lap. It would be a slightly precarious situation but she was confident in her own balance. She tipped her head down once to kiss beside his mouth as she made herself comfortable, smirking at him.

His tongue slipped past her lips, a deepening of the kiss he lingered with for just a few moments, enough to feel soft inner lip and a teasing flick of tongue tips. He tilted into her touch, her fingers cool against his skin.

He blinked as she drew back then realized why, nodding. "Of course," he murmured. He held to her waist to help steady her with the back and forth roll of the skiff over the water and smiled faintly for the kiss. When she settled, it was far more comfortable and he was able to hold her without an awkward stretch.

"I don't think I thought all of this through," he said in amusement. "Next time I'll at least rent a flat bottomed boat."

She smiled, lips lingering close to his as she situated herself better. "You were expecting this?" she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. She couldn't say she wasn't satisfied at the outcome, though.

Carefully gauging how much she could move or tilt herself without upsetting her position, she leaned her forehead against his. "Perhaps next time we won't be in a boat, though I wouldn't say no to this sort of trip again." All things considered, with the two of the inexperienced with boating, things were turning out very well.

From this angle, it was easier to press her lips again to his, this time latching onto his lower lip and tugging briefly just to prize open his mouth for her.

"No," he said, flashing a grin. "I mean...I thought I might try to kiss you tonight, but expecting it? No." He shook his head. "I hoped we'd have fun and that I wouldn't get us lost or run us aground." He chuckled. "So far so good on that front."

He pressed up into the lean. "We should probably spread the boating out. Cuts down on the chance of mishaps, not to mention the season is shifting. Soon enough the weather won't be cooperative." Which just meant they'd have to be more creative about their entertainment options.

He made a soft sound and parted his lips for her. His hands spread across her back with fingers in a warm press. He wasn't going to let her tip or spill.

Thought he might try. Hawke smiled right back. "If you weren't going to, then I was going to try before the night was over," she confessed. But that was how she operated, much to the surprise and sometimes chagrin of others.

She bumped noses with him as she shifted once, fingers tapping his shoulders idly in thought. "How many places in Kirkwall could we stow away to, though?" she murmured. She could think on the possibility later, when she wasn't so distracted by his presence and his mouth with that damnable smile, but it would be a concern if the weather would be changing soon.

Cullen was warm against her and she slid her arms around his shoulders, relaxing into his grip. It was all too satisfying to coax those small sounds out of him, to see him willingly participate in what she'd only thought of doing before. Her tongue flicked out against his, tip to tip, and she sighed into his mouth.

"It would be bad manners if I made you take all the initiative," he teased. Manners weren't exactly on his mind when he kissed her.

"I'm sure we can find a few suitable places. We're not hiding, after all, just being discreet." He thought that Lowtown and Hightown both were out for completely different reasons, but there were bordering districts that weren't quite parts of either, not to mention the Docks, where some of the taverns and inns were respectable enough and with the benefit of being low profile.

With her kiss, those thoughts retreated. There was something almost maddening in the gentle, half teasing back and forth. He invited her deeper with a stroke of his tongue and rocked upwards beneath her. One hand slipped back up into her hair for a tangle of fingers, his grip tighter than before.

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