romdeau | a fishing date;

"What with wheat, and goats, and pigs...yes, I can see how that could get a little complicated," he teased. "If more people would figure that out, about talking, it would work wonders toward solving misunderstandings."

He looked up and let out a soft breath. "One day I won't be so easy to fluster. You'll see." After another swallow of ale, he gestured with the bottle. "Oh, no. If you want visits like that, you're going to have to tell the dog to expect me. The Void has no fury like a Mabari's teeth."

"Very complicated," she protested cheekily. "But why talk when we can give strange dowry presents to people? Or just attack them? No, no, talking is vastly overrated." That was accompanied by a roll of her eyes and another sip from her drink.

"He won't hurt you, I promise. He's an excellent judge of character." And this was true, of course, but she couldn't help but rib him a little. "Bring him a bone and he'll roll right on over for you. Of course, it's another story entirely if he's actually upstairs and sleeping in the bedroom. You'll have to lavish him with attention before he lets you near me."

"Or! Attack them with strange dowry presents. Am I a genius, or am I a genius? I'm quite certain it wouldn't be difficult to goad a goat into attack mode. The moment the other party takes offense, you tell them it's a present. If you can't win them over with might, you can always confuse them." He eyed his bottle and gave it a slosh. He believed he might just be heading into slightly tipsy territory.

"Now that wouldn't be suspicious at all, the Knight-Captain in strange armor in Hightown in the middle of the night carrying...a bone." He arched a brow. "That sounds suspiciously like a test." He squinted at her. "I'm just not sure who'd actually be doing the testing, him or you."

She laughed, grateful she wasn't drinking anything right then. "I'm certain someone could manage it. But I will be absolutely certain to mention that next time I'm settling a dispute. If Kirkwall doesn't burn down around my ears, I'll commend your wonderful idea to the Knight-Commander." Who would probably think she was barking mad.

"There is a reason why he's bonded to me, you know," she teased. "Which one of us is testing you, that's the question. You'll need to choose wisely, good ser. You might only get that one shot to impress him."

"I will deny it to the end of my days, unless of course it works." He grinned and privately decided he liked her laugh. He'd have to work to hear it more often.

"Hmmm. I can see this is going to be a tricky and difficult test. I'll need to be sure that bone I bring has a lot of meat still on it. Bribery never hurts, so I'm told." He regarded her a little more seriously afterward. "How did you wind up with a Mabari? It's not as though you can just saunter on down to the market and buy one."

"If it doesn't work, then I'll do what I usually do: I'll blame Isabela and, possibly, her brandy." As if anyone would believe her. "And if that doesn't work, then you're going to hang your head and look foolish right beside me."

She smiled. "Can't go wrong with bribery. He'll adore you." Thoughtfully, she tapped her fingers against the bottle in her hand. "It was only a couple of years before we left Lothering that we found him. He was hurt and was going toe-to-toe with a bear on the outskirts of the village. Carver and I took care of the beast and carried the dog back home. Father healed him and he imprinted on me while I took care of him." She smiled wistfully. "Carver was so jealous. He was cross with me for days."

"Oh, you'd have to catch me first," he said smugly.

"Then I have a plan. Not the most romantic gift ever brought for a date. I have the excuse that you requested it personally." He smiled faintly as he listened, privately thinking they were lucky not to have been injured. Many wounded Mabari were as dangerous as any wild animal if not more so because of their cunning. Perhaps the dog sensed right away that she was someone he could relate to. No one fully understood how they made their decisions about people.

"I can imagine. I know I'd have been jealous in such a situation. They're very special dogs." He kept at the ale fairly steadily. "His former master must have been killed somewhere."

The smile she gave him could only be called wicked. "You won't get far if I have anything to say about it, especially in that armor of yours."

She chuckled. "I don't need any gifts. Besides, if it gets you into my house without your legs getting gnawed, then that's more than enough for me." And if it let him into her bed, even better.

"They are. He's such a lush most of the time that everyone questions if he's really a war hound until they provoke him. Aveline has him testing her guards once a week." Her smile was bright with mirth. "He's a sight on the battlefield."

"I can think of worse things than being chased down by a beautiful woman. Just my luck she'll be chasing me down to pin me with blame." His eyes twinkled with suppressed mirth.

"That is plenty for me, too, well worth the price of a soup bone or shank." All in all, it felt like getting off lightly. He wasn't having to go through a glowering, disapproving father. The thought of that put a hungry Mabari wanting belly scratches in a whole new light.

"I've heard rumors they have him playing diamondback at The Hanged Man." He never knew what to believe that came from that place. "If I ever have the chance to see it, I hope it's from the ally side."

"If you mentioned I was chasing you over goats and wheat, any Ferelden in Kirkwall would think something else was going on," she said slyly. "At least I would take the blame with you. You wouldn't be alone in your shame."

She snorted. "Oh, yes, diamondback. Varric's teaching him and he's surprisingly really good at it. He's going to put me to shame soon enough." How her dwarven friend was even teaching him never ceased to astound her.

"You know, you were in my house before. In Gamlen's, really, but the point remains the same. You were there and he didn't chase you out." And he'd been there to collect her sister, of all things. Wretched dog. She hadn't even thought about it before then. She always supposed it was because Bethany hadn't been afraid and hadn't put up a fight, but Mabari were good judges of character. Her brows furrowed as she took another sip of her ale. That was a thought that would stay with her until she ever found the chance to formally introduce her dog to him.

"Oh, that would start a potent rumor," he said, laughing. "We'd never outrun that one, I'm afraid."

He shook his head partially in disbelief. "I have to admit that was one I was taking with more than a few grains of salt. I knew they were smart. I had no idea they were that smart." Maybe it was just as well they didn't have thumbs.

Her next statement took him by surprise. He hadn't thought of it. Of course he remembered the day, very vividly. He remembered the dog. He had been so focused on just getting Bethany out of there without anything coming to bloodshed that beyond assessing the animal wasn't posing a threat, he hadn't spared him a thought. "He didn't even growl," he said, blinking.

"Not so long as the both of us were in Kirkwall." She gave a long suffering sigh. "No chasing, then, for your sake as well as mine."

Hawke smiled. "My dog is a prodigy, I'll have you know. He's better than Anders by now." She chuckled, raising her ale to her lips. "...Then again, everyone's better than Anders." It would be embarrassing if it wasn't downright funny to watch.

"Betrayed by my own dog," she muttered, though her voice was lacking in any real conviction. It was too puzzling. She turned to him. "Not even a growl? He really did nothing at all to stop you or even give a warning?" The dog didn't even stand Gamlen enough some days to keep from humming at the man. How could he have just let Cullen waltz in without a second thought?

"If you do, just leave the goats out of it, and we should be fine," he said. "No one has to know what it's about as I clang by with you in silent pursuit."

He chuckled. He had been about to ask. He didn't know what the apostate's skills might be at diamondback. He was surprised he had time for it at all given how many of his manifestos kept turning up all over the city.

"Nothing. Of course we knew you had a Mabari. We did our homework. When we arrived I could have sworn he was out with you. It's not as though sound doesn't carry in Lowtown. But then I saw him toward the corner near the door. He...gave me an odd look. When it was clear he wasn't going to attack, I turned my attention to everyone else."

"Meredith will think we've both lost it," she laughed, imagining the look she'd get for her troubles. "Everyone will think 'Oh, that poor Hawke girl, she's finally cracked.'"

She narrowed her eyes briefly. "I wouldn't bring my dog with me to the Deep Roads if I wasn't going to even bring my sister." Too much at stake for gold. If she didn't make it back, trapped down in that blighted hole, at least they would be able to look after their mother. Or so she had thought. "He gave you an odd look," she repeated, though she didn't press. She wasn't altogether certain what to say about it.

Well, besides one thing. "Mabari are supposed to be excellent judges of character," she said, tone carefully neutral. "Perhaps he knew you weren't there to hurt anyone."

"I'll be too busy running to disabuse them of that notion," he said cheerfully.

He nodded. "I couldn't begin to show you. It was a...well, it was a dog look, you know? That thing they can do with their eyes, and the ears sort of go sideways but not quite. Not like he was afraid." Maybe he had looked a little sad. Cullen had been too busy trying to make sure things didn't take a bad turn to analyze it.

It had seemed to him at the time that overall Bethany was relieved. He didn't want to say it to her. He didn't feel it was his place to tell such things. Perhaps the dog didn't make a fuss because he knew that ultimately it was what Bethany wanted to happen. He took a long swallow of his ale, his bottle getting close to drained. "I didn't want to, and we had orders not to unless we were attacked. Perhaps he could tell that."

"I wouldn't expect you to be able to. You can't scrunch your face in or move your ears." But what he was describing sounded like sadness, maybe worry. Granted, that was expected; Bethany was as much her dog's family as she was Hawke's. She felt a pang of regret for what transpired, even so long ago. An hour or a day earlier and maybe things would have been different.

She probably would have attacked him or demanded he leave. She'd have been imprisoned for her troubles at least and where would Bethany be then? With a solemn nod of agreement, she leaned back, her hands cradling her drink. "More than likely." Mabari were perceptive like that. The only other possibility - the eerie thought that was buzzing through her head - was that he honestly thought Cullen was too good of a person to wish her sister harm. And with Bethany as calm as she had been, he might have taken that as some cue not to cause trouble. "It was probably for the best," she said at last.

"I could try. The results would likely be hideous." It was a weak tease. The topic was too serious for any real attempt at levity. He thought it would be disrespectful to make light.

"It was," he said low. "I'm not saying...I'm not saying I believe your sister is a threat. I mean it's for the best no one got violent. None of us wanted that." He still couldn't forget Leandra Hawke's face as they were walking out or the grief in her cries through the door. His brows drew together and he finished off his ale.

"No, I..." She shook her head. "I know you don't look at my sister as a threat. Even if you did, you're fair enough that she hasn't been treated any less where she is. It's all right." It had been long enough. She wasn't angry with him for taking Bethany, not when her sister didn't put up a fight. She'd thought long enough about it.

"I would have wanted her to stay. It's wishful thinking, but I would." She shrugged. "But she's safe where she is and happier for it. I won't deny that. If we had fought, it only would have been harder on her in the end." Even if it had broken her mother to lose Bethany, at least she'd been alive. At least they would know if anything happened to her. Not many could claim that as a gift, but after losing Carver, she did.

"I wouldn't have blamed you for hating me," he said. Most did in those situations, the few who were spared execution for harboring apostates.

"I wish we had better solutions. I truly do." If they had fought, they were instructed to do whatever it took to bring her in. If that meant killing the family, that's what it meant. He was glad it hadn't come to that. He'd have been glad of that regardless of what they were doing now.

"I'm...surprised...you approached me, really. I mean, I believe you when you say you were attracted, but... I don't get approached like that. I haven't in some time now, definitely not by anyone who isn't a Templar. Ah, not that it happens within our ranks." That would be so many levels of inappropriate he didn't want to contemplate it.

"I was angry. I could have kept at it but it wasn't right, not when she was only so far away and saying that she was content where she was." It had almost felt like a betrayal when her sister said she was happy in the Circle, even with that first letter. "I wish there were better solutions too."

And she sorely wished the Gallows weren't referred to as such. Fenris could talk about how much they deserved their place, but residing in an area full of statues of tormented slaves was not a way to live. The reality was not so dire, of course, but it didn't help.

She finished off her drink. "I don't see why you wouldn't. You are an attractive man. In Lothering, I know there were quite a few women who had eyes for one of the Templars." But in a small setting like that, it was inevitable; everyone knew each other. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you surprised because it was me or because simply the fact that someone approached you?"

He nodded and privately hoped Bethany was telling the truth and not just saying it for her sister's sake. He didn't think for an instant any of the mages showed their true feelings to him or any other Templar. They were good at keeping their own counsel.

"A little bit of both. Most people associate me too closely with Meredith. Because she's terrifying, I'm off limits. Then there's just..." He tipped his head, thinking of how to say it. "You're always off doing amazing things. Finding one thing after another to get into or pursue. I'm rather...fixed in one place. That isn't likely to change."

"Perhaps people think she's collared you in more ways than one. For all anyone else knows, you might not step anywhere without her saying so. I have the advantage of seeing you outside of the city and knowing that's not true at all." She did worry, however, that Meredith would eventually ask for more and more of his time, but that wasn't too important at the moment.

"I wouldn't call being kicked around by Tal-Vashoth an 'amazing thing', no matter how Varric writes it." She set the empty bottle down by her feet. "I always come back to Kirkwall," she said after a moment, thinking of few other ways of reassurance at the moment. "I always will." So long as there was reason for her to stay, whether it was Bethany or her companions or even him, she would never be too far from the city itself.

"I've heard some vile talk to that effect." And worse. It was rare that gossip made him angry. Gossip that impugned people he respected could do it, though. "Perhaps it's just as well that anyone who would listen to it has stayed away. I wouldn't want to have to degrade either myself or her giving attention to those sorts of accusations."

He snorted a soft half laugh. "You know what I mean. You're always out doing good. I suppose I could see myself boring in the comparison over time." He believed that she would stay in Kirkwall as long as Bethany was in the Circle. If anything happened to change that, he honestly wasn't sure what course of action she might take.

She admired Meredith's will and prowess but she didn't like the woman. Even so, she wouldn't wish mindless gossip on her either. "It would just make her angry if she had to deal with them, I think. But that's the price anyone in power pays. It's a shame." Neither of them deserved it.

"You get up to enough on your own, I recall," she teased gently. "But I don't necessarily care, either. I can get my excitement carving up the coast on a weekly basis, if that's what I need." She had a feeling that with tensions still high, she wouldn't need to go that far to run into trouble. "The same could be said for you, though; you might think me too unpredictable or too prone to finding trouble after a while."

"She'd be furious with me for putting up with it. In that instance, she'd have a right to be. I'm fine with anyone I see not liking her or not wanting her in our business. I don't want her in our business. I'm not fine with being seen as someone's lapdog." The disrespect on both sides of it would inevitably spill over and cause public issues in such a case.

"Fair enough. I'll stop worrying before I really start. You wouldn't be who you are if you weren't out there doing what you do. I happen to like who you are. I don't think that's going to change." It was still a little hard to believe that they had moved forward with very little fuss or effort on either of their parts. He wasn't used to things going smoothly. The chemistry between them had surprised him, too. He felt a small twinge of heat thinking about it, a little something of that showing in his expression.

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