romdeau | a fishing date;

"See, this is why you're here. Balance, wit, and very nice to look at."

Negotiating over half-eaten fruit. Her brow rose just a bit higher as she stepped closer and she tried her damnedest not to let too much of her amusement shine through. "I'm very good at bartering, I'll have you know." Whatever else she began to say was slightly derailed, attention drawn to his lips and to his eyes. For a man who was easy to get a blush out of, the looks he could give were at times so intense that they caught her off guard. Her smile was wicked as she suppressed the urge to shiver. "Name your asking price."

"That is how I made it into the order. On my looks. It was a prerequisite in Ferelden. You may have noticed the Marchers have different standards." His lips trembled with his fierce efforts not to break into a grin or laugh. He had to purse them slightly.

"I suppose we'll see," he said, almost sing song. "My opening bid...hmmm." He squinted in thought, gave her a sly glance from beneath his lashes, and patted his leg. "You should probably sit while we discuss this. It could take a while."

"Highly different standards," she said, voice low and almost conspiratorial. "I have heard, though, that the stick and the sense of entitlement is commonplace for Free Marchers. Is that true?"

Her free hand settled on her hip briefly. "You know, I believe my father once told me that if a handsome man told me to sit on his knee while we discussed trading, that I shouldn't trust him." She was hardly serious; the smile on her face said otherwise. She sat as he bade her just the same.

"That would be telling," he said, some of the laughter he had been holding back coming out. He couldn't totally throw over his brothers and sisters in arms, no matter how much the assessment fit some of them to the letter.

"Wise man, your father," he said, sliding his free arm around her waist. "Now...let's see. Something comparable for a bite of very good apple." He bounced his knee where she was seated while he thought about it, well aware he was being a brat. "I'm a generous sort. I could part with a bite for a kiss. It would have to be a good one."

She gave him what could have been a pout of her lips had it not been mostly twisted up in a grin. "Come on. If you don't tell me, I'm going to have to find out somehow." Isabela would probably find out for her. ...If she hadn't already. (She probably had.)

"Very wise," she concurred, knocking the tips of her toes gently against the side of his ankle in retaliation for the bounce. "'A good one', is it? That's rather subjective, don't you think?" She swung one of her legs up over his other knee, nearly stretching out as though he was an armchair of her own. A finger tapped thoughtfully against her bottom lip. "If I got a bite of the apple first..."

"I'm sure you have your ways. I'm not in the slightest bit worried that you don't, in fact." He couldn't resist meeting that grin with one of his own.

"As subjective as it is to say the apple is good," he countered. He shook his head, eyes shining with his amusement. "Oh, no. I wasn't born yesterday. Let me think..."

He lifted the apple for a small bite, more juice running. He caught it on his finger and waved it at her. "How about a small taste? If it's sweet enough for your liking, you'll know if it's worth the asking price." He didn't think he'd be nearly so bold in broad daylight. There was a certain advantage in knowing the heat rising in his cheeks wouldn't be blatantly obvious.

"That sounds like a challenge." One she would most assuredly take him up on when she found the opportunity.

"Which could also be a lie. I'm only taking your word for it because you seem like such an honest, generous man." She shrugged. "And if you keep eating it, there'll be little left for me to try." Any further rebuttal died on her lips, his boldness silencing her rather effectively. It was hardly a deterrent, however; her eyes were alight with interest and surprise both as her gaze flickered from his face to the finger he offered her.

She didn't give him the chance to change his mind. Taking his hand in hers, she dragged her tongue across the tip of his finger before taking it into her mouth.

"I don't think you back down from many of those, if any." It was something he had admired about her for some time now. He knew he wasn't alone in that.

He supposed he should have expected her to meet that as head on as she did other things. He shivered once, almost forgetting to chew and swallow the small bite of apple. The swallow was a bit harder and louder than entirely necessary. He watched her intently, his questions coming low. "What's the verdict? Worth the price?"

The proof to that statement was right in front of him. She didn't make much of a show of what she was doing, though she was certain to slide her tongue out once along the underside of his finger just to prove her point. That shiver did wonders, making her smile briefly before she released him.

She looked thoughtful, dragging out the charade only a little longer. "Hmm..." She swallowed, the taste clinging to her tongue, and nodded. Her eyes were fixed on his. "Yes, I believe it is." She lifted a hand to settle in on his cheek, waiting for him to be ready before she tugged him down into a waiting kiss.

A small part of him was amused at both of them, carrying on in such a way. It was a silly game but a fun one. When she drew him in, the amusement drifted away and left behind a small thrill of excitement. He realized that what they had done earlier had merely banked the fire, not quenched it.

As tempting as it was to push into the kiss and see if he could taste any of the apple on her tongue, he held back to let her direct it. It was part of the rules of the barter, after all. He felt a smile trying to form against the soft contours of her mouth and allowed it to come. Lifting a hand, he cupped her cheek lightly, the pads of his fingers curved inward and resting against her smooth skin.

Like children, and she'd gladly tell him so if she wasn't distracted by his mouth, by that smile curving into the lips against hers. She almost wanted to see it for herself but decided it was much nicer to feel it instead, the gesture making her smile as well.

Tilting her head a little more, she deepened the kiss, tongue flicking out across his bottom lip. She could taste the fruit there first and it almost invited her to keep searching for more. It would be a slow process as she allowed herself to savor the kiss first, with the taste of apple and him both, before she finally decided to delve deeper still. A nip at his bottom lip signaled a request to have his open mouth.

It felt nice, allowing himself to be teased and explored the way she wanted. The small flicks of tongue had his breath catching slightly. He slid his fingers lower to feel the subtle movement of her jaw and parted his lips for her at the tug of teeth. He almost smiled again at the thought that he was getting the better part of this bargain. He didn't dare voice it as it would violate the whole point of negotiating in the first place.

Perfect. Her jaw worked into the open-mouthed kiss, her tongue drifting in to twine with his briefly. He tasted like ale and fruit first, his natural taste beneath it. She suppressed the faint groan she might have made, lifting herself to better fit her lips to his. Her legs swung down from his so she could sit properly to have the advantage of stable footing instead of lounging in his grasp, even if it was undeniably comfortable. There was time for that later.

It was all too easy to fall back into intimacy with her. She had a way of moving against him that made him want more, more of the tongue twining kiss, more of the sinuous press of body to body. He brought his forearm up against her back, careful to hold the apple away from her shirt in the embrace. He couldn't hold back a low vocalization as she deepened the kiss.

"I could get used to this," he murmured. With a gentle tug of his lips to her lower one, he drew back and offered the apple up between them. "Well bought and paid."

He was terribly encouraging and though she might have wanted to continue, a deal was a deal. She smiled against his lips just before he pulled away, and she settled back carefully enough so she could look at his expression now. She took the apple with an almost smug look, mischief glittering in her eyes. "Thank you," she sing songed as he did before, taking a bite.

Her thumb pressed to the side of her lips to ensure nothing spilled, and she swallowed before she spoke again. "Has anyone told you that you're very comfortable to sit on? If you ever retire from being a Templar, you could get a fine paying position as a chair."

She had his full attention, eyes bright and look slightly heated. He was enjoying flirting with her, something he made no attempt to hide. "Now you're the one teasing me with that." He nodded toward the fruit. "Turnabout is fair play?"

He laughed and reached to gather her sideways across his lap, as much holding her in his arms as atop his thighs. "No. I've never been told that. I don't let just anyone use me as furniture. If I do start charging for it, I hope they don't expect kisses in the bargain."

"Absolutely," she teased with a brief wink. "Besides, you never stopped to ask why I didn't go get my own apple." Why would she, when she could have him just as easily? As if to emphasize her point, she took another half-bite before offering it back to him, the smug smile hardly dissipating.

An arm draped around his shoulders and she laughed with him, glancing down at his arms. "Oh no, not that. You would get room and board, for starters, and an hourly wage for spending money. ...Of course, if you decided to work after sundown, the pay might be a little different."

"And miss the opportunity for some stiff negotiation? I'd never," he said. "Besides, I like sharing with the right incentive." He took the apple and made a show of selecting the perfect place to bite, the fruit dwindling quickly down toward the core. "I had the feeling we might have that in common."

He laughed harder. "This is sounding less and less like an upstanding sort of job. Just what would I be doing after hours to justify that extra expense?" There went the blush again. He didn't seem to mind it so much when it was mutual teasing.

"Stiff negotiation that doesn't involve putting a blade into someone? My favorite kind." Even if a good threat never really hurt anyone once in a while, if played right. "I can't say I've ever bartered quite like that before, though."

She made a great show of looking positively devious in her thought process as she pressed the side of her thumb to her bottom lip, her lips curling even further at the edges. "Well..." There were so many things she could say in response. That blush was such a nice motivator, too. "It would really all depend on whose house you ended up in. I can only imagine what you would be doing in an Orlesian household."

"No blades, no elbows, not even a well placed knee," he said cheerfully. "I save those negotiation tactics for when I'm wearing armor."

He watched her shift of expression and feigned his best wary look. Even so he wasn't expecting that particular turn. His laughter was as much sputtering as anything else. The red spread up to his ears and hairline. "Honestly? Looking for the nearest window to climb out of before things got...strange. I've heard stories."

He offered her a final bite of the apple. "I suppose I'll have to insist I only work for Fereldans."

"I don't think we're in the proper position for the latter, anyway." And she could only imagine how painful that would be if his armor was on.

Oh, she'd really need to keep coaxing those looks out of him. It would be an exercise in restraint to behave in the Gallows; she'd be too tempted to see how quickly she could get him that red. The challenge was too good not to pursue. But she laughed easily, nudging him gently. "Clever man. But I don't think any Fereldan in Kirkwall can afford you."

She took the apple from him and examined it. "Well, except for me, I suppose. And I like you just where you are." She took that last bite, savoring it, careful not to spill as she did so. After a quick chew and swallow, she lifted herself up to kiss him again, letting him share the taste. He was kind enough to offer the last of it to her, after all. She could return the favor.

"She catches on to my clever ploy," he said, grinning. "All I have to do is price myself out of the general market and turn down the foreigners, and I'm in. You should tell me more about this night duty, though. I'm not sure I'm completely clear on what justifies the extra expense."

He watched her with the apple, starting to realize why she might have seen what he was doing earlier as a tease. It was enticing. When she closed for the kiss, he gently ran his tongue tip along the curve of her upper lip, teasing her lips apart for a deeper taste. The sweetness of the apple hadn't abated. He reached up with both hands, cupping her face between them. Again and yet again, he went in a little deeper, offering her the fullness of his lower lip, a slow twist of tongue to tongue.

She laughed. "So that's your game. I should have suspected." As though the thought hadn't crossed her mind. "Night duty, though..." She smiled. "Well, can you cook? If not, I could set you up as decoration, I suppose, but that would be boring." Her smile widened, teasing. "Or you could keep the dog company, if it suited you."

Lips parted at his coaxing, her tongue briefly sliding against his. The touch was magnetic, the game shifting from simply playful to alluring in its own right. A hand found his shoulder to anchor herself to him, lips fixing to his lower one when she wasn't distracted by the twist and feel of his tongue. Her mouth worked into the kiss, her head tilting slightly to better accommodate him.

"I can't cook anything you'd want to eat unless it's around a campfire. I'm not bad with fish. It's hard to mess up something you can toss into a hot coal bed and allow to sear."

He gave her his profile, chin slightly lifted. "Decoration? Like this?" Glancing at her from the sides of his eyes, he quirked a half smile.

All of the teasing words died away in the kiss. He had believed all of the desire wrung from him for a time. She was quickly proving him wrong. Part of what made it so nice, so easy to fall back into, was their isolation. There were no other lights in the waterway, no fires in the distance. Just the gently rocking boat and the rising moon kept them company.

He fumbled for the apple core to toss it over the side. He wanted her to have both of her hands free just as he did. He gathered her against him as the kiss continued, sensation he could all but drown in if he allowed himself. "Remind me why we never did this sooner," he murmured, never breaking full contact and then kissing her too hard to allow her to answer right away. With the way another smile fought to curve, it was almost a certainty it was deliberate on his part.

"That's all I can do... That, and stew of a sort." Throwing meat, stock, and vegetables in a pot was close enough to stew, right? "And seafood. Some seafood." She left the cooking to her mother, then Bodhan, and now Orana. She wasn't home enough to do much of her own cooking.

She laughed, admiring him openly. "Absolutely. All noble houses have suits of armor in them with the family's crest, don't they? I'll just have an attractive man in it."

There were worse things than being almost forcibly silenced by a pair of lips and, frankly, she didn't want to protest. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his broader, stronger body. The hand that had not been occupied by the apple moments before threaded into his hair as she savored his kiss far more than she had the fruit

A muted hum buzzed against his moath in response to his question, pleased. She laughed breathlessly as they parted only long enough to breathe, her lips still brushing his. "I'm blaming the Qunari for keeping me distracted," she murmured, even if it was only a half-truth.

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