Neve: Cam, I have a great idea.
Cam: Let’s hear it.
Neve: We trick Tarquin and Ashur to go out on a date together.
Cam: YES!
Cam: And hey, if that doesn’t work out, maybe you and me could go out, get some drinks—
Neve, hitting her with a book: THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU.
Cam: Do you want to explain the text you sent me last night?
Neve: It was autocorrect.
Cam: Autocorrect wrote "You're so hot. Please step on me."?
Neve: Yes.
Neve: Do you want to know your gay name?
Cam: My… my gay name?
Neve: Yeah, it’s your first name-
Cam: Haha. Very funny Neve-
Neve: *gets down on one knee* And my last name.
Cam: Oh- oh my god.
Cam: I'm trash.
Neve: As someone who's environmentally conscious, it's my duty to pick you up. Does 7 work for you?
Cam:
Cam: You smooth motherfucker.
Cam: And yes it does.
Davrin: Just be yourself.
Cam: Really? Davrin, I have one day to win over Neve’s parents.
Cam: How long did it take for you guys to like me?
Dora: Couple of weeks.
Bellara: Six months.
Isa: Jury’s still out.
Cam: See Davrin? ‘Just be yourself,’ what kind of garbage advice is that?!
Neve: I don’t know how to tell you this, but… I love you.
Cam: That’s great, Neve. Especially considering the fact we’ve been married for 6 fucking years.
Teia: So you’re dating Cam?
Neve: What? No! I’m just buying her an accessory since she has terrible fashion sense.
Teia: That’s literally a wedding ring.
Neve: I truly go into housewife mode when I’m someone’s soulmate- like, I’ll make you pancakes and bacon every morning.
Cam: This is a lie.
Cam: I’m literally dating her. This is a lie.
Cam: SHE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO COOK A PANCAKE, WHAT IS THIS.
Cam: Stop doing that.
Neve: Stop doing what?
Cam: Saying things that make me wanna kiss the hell out of you.
Isa: And now for a gay update with Cam and Neve.
Cam: Getting gayer.
Isa: Thank you, Cam.
Cam: Hey Lucanis, wanna third wheel on my date with Neve tomorrow?
Lucanis: Sure.
Cam: Isa! Wanna third wheel on my date with Neve tomorrow?
Isa: Uh, sure?
Cam: Great! I've always wanted to go on a double date!
Lucanis & Isa: ...
Neve: Cam...
Neve: Hey, wanna take a shower with me?
Cam: I have a gun in that nightstand beside the bed. If I ever say no to that question, I want you to take it out and shoot me because I’ve obviously gone crazy.
Cam: It's pretty cold outside.. wanna hold hands? We should stay close.
Neve, blushing: Okay.
Davrin: It's fucking summer.
Isa: Hey, what have you two been doing?
Teia: we were helping Neve with her wedding vows and we were kicked out of her house for making it inappropriate.
Dora: How is “Nice ass, Cam” inappropriate?
Neve: *Holds a sign that says "Prom?" outside Cam's window*
Henry: OH my God, Yes!
Neve: *Yelling up* No, tell Cam!
Henry: Cam! I'm going to prom with your lover!
Teri: I'm gonna need a human skull but you can't ask why.
Isa: Only if you also don't ask why.
Isa: *pulls four pristine human skulls out of her bag*
Teri: ...
Teri, grabbing a skull: This one will do.
Lia: I made this friendship bracelet for you.
Elene: You know, I’m not really a jewelry person.
Lia: You don’t have to wear…
Elene: No, I’m gonna wear it forever. Back off.
Isa: When I was your age-
Elene, mocking Isa: When I was your height.
Isa:
Isa: Listen here you little shit-
Teri: Why is it that I always lose things as soon as I need them?
Isa: Actually, it's not that you lose things when you need them. You lose them a while before. It's just that you LOOK for things when you need them.
Teri: Okay yeah thanks Isa, that's great but WHERE'S THE FUCKING FIRST AID KIT?
Isa: You know you've made it when you see your picture everywhere you go.
Lia: Those are wanted posters!
Henry: Thought I was meowing back at my cat for the past hour, but it was just me and Lia meowing at each other from different rooms in the house.
Isa, bleeding out on the ground: Blood loss? No, I know exactly where it is.
Isa, eating a meal: I poisoned one of our glasses… but I forgot which one.
Elene: The way this dinner is going, I pray to God that it’s mine.
Henry, about Adelina: She's covered in blood again. Why is it she's always covered in blood?
Idrilla: Well, it looks like it's her own blood this time.
Teri: Isa and I were crossing the street, and this man drove by and honked at us.
Elene: What did you do?
Teri: She chased him to the next red light, and reached into his window, and-
Isa: *walking in* Who wants a steering wheel?
Teri: *clicks pen*
Idrilla: *clicks pen in response*
Henry: Stop that.
Teri: Stop what?
Henry: You’re talking about me in Morse code!
Teri: Yes, that’s what we doing. In our very limited time, we took a class on a very outdated, very unnecessary form of communication just so we could talk about you in front of you. Congrats, you figured us out!
*later*
Idrilla, to Isa: That’s actually exactly what we were doing.
Adelina: Hey, wanna help me commit arson?
Isa: What the hell!?
Adelina: Oh, sorry, my bad.
Adelina, whispering: Wanna help me commit arson?
Isa, whispering: Of course. What do you need?
Lia, walking into Isa and Lucanis’s bedroom in the middle of the night: I had a bad dream.
Isa: What was it about?
Lucanis: No, don’t ask her that!
Isa: Why not?
Lucanis: Cause she’ll answer!
Elene: I’m going to hell.
Isa: Probably.
Elene: I'll pick you up?
Isa: *nodding* Carpool.
Teri: Stop thinking whatever you're thinking.
Isa: Huh?
Teri: You always make that face when you're about to say something stupid just to piss me off. So cut it out-
Isa: I love you.
Teri:
Isa:
Isa: Also, cereal qualifies as a soup.
Teri: I KNEW IT!!
Lia: I have so much energy, I want to run a marathon or commit a crime... which should I do?
Elene: Please don’t get arrested.
Lia: No promises! <3
Adelina: Why not both? Get creative!
Lia: Wonderful suggestion, thank you.
Elene: Please don’t encourage her, Dela.
Isa: What has Thedas ever done for you?! Why would you wanna save it?!
Henry: Cause I’m one of the idiots who lives here!
Elene: You wanna fight?! You got one!
Isa: Okay! *raises fists*
*Henry runs in, scoops Isa up in his arms, and runs away carrying her*
Elene:
Elene: What?
Isa, in Idrilla’s window: I thought I’d find you here!
Teri, climbing past Isa: WE COULD HAVE USED THE DOOR-
Isa, on the phone: Uh. . Hey, Henry, i uh, I’ve been stabbed.
Elene: WHAT? WHERE ARE YOU?
Isa: Wait- You aren’t Henry. Sorry- I didn’t mean to call you-
Elene: NO, WHERE ARE YOU? I'M COMING THERE. I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE SOMEONE ALONE WHO'S BEEN STABBED!
Isabella finds herself in a tight spot after she's captured and not able to get any word out to her Crow colleagues or her lover. With Lucanis in a panic, he seeks out Viago, who advises his to be patient and to not do anything. However, another de Riva Crow has a rather strange idea that thinks might work in favor of them saving their poor wayward Crow.
AO3
Lucanis paced in his office as he waited for the reports to come in. He had been waiting patiently, but there hadn’t been any new updates.
Spite was starting to lose his mind as well, but all they could do was wait until they received new information. They couldn’t ruin the contract because it had taken a longer time than usual.
Isa had taken a contract in Bastion in the southern part of the country, and the job was only supposed to take a few days, maybe four at most. It had been a week now.
It wasn’t the first time a contract had taken longer than usual, but Isa had been able to get a message across that she was alright. That she was okay or that she had been delayed. He had heard nothing from her at all, and there was nothing to show that she was uninjured or that the job was done either.
So Lucanis paced in his office as he fucking waited.
Illario had tried to come in to distract him, but Lucanis told him that he only wanted to know if there had been any updates. Not even his grandmother came in after that.
Near midday, a Crow knocked on his office door with a report. Lucanis took it from him before the Crow made himself scarce, making an excuse that he needed to leave in a hurry. Lucanis didn’t say anything, but he didn’t think it was a good sign as he closed the door.
Reading the report, he felt his blood pressure spike as Spite grew erratic. The only good news was that Isa was alive. However, she had been taken by the target and held captive. She nearly got out before being recaptured, and the Crow who reported didn’t have time to assist. Spite suggested stringing up the Crow who failed to help, but Lucanis shot the idea down. The only reason they knew that Isa was alive was due to the Crow.
Another thing that came with the report was the location where Isa was last seen, and from what Lucanis could glean from the it, it didn’t sound like her captors saw the reporting Crow, either. That meant that they weren’t thinking about relocating her anytime soon as well.
“When you said you had news, I thought it would be better news than this,” Viago hissed irritably, shaking his head.
Lucanis had gone to find Viago at the Diamond to share the report, and he was luckily there with Teia and his Crow, Adelina. The less Lucanis had to relay the report, the better. He didn’t want to talk about how she was missing and captured since he’d rather discuss an extraction plan more than anything else.
“How long as she been gone?” Teia wondered.
“About a week. Three days longer than she should have been. She sent a Crow when she arrived in Bastion, but that was the last time we last heard from her,” Lucanis explained.
“Positive. The report came in today and was dated from yesterday,” the First Talon answered with a nod.
“You can’t send anyone to get her,” Viago informed.
“I will not leave her there,” Lucanis countered sternly.
“Viago is right. The Crows can’t send anyone. This was a target that was supposed to be a quick job, but they managed to capture Isabella. This job was a trap. Any Crow we send will mean that we didn’t recognize it, or that you didn’t care that it was a trap,” Teia explained with a softer tone.
Lucanis took a deep breath, placing his hands on his hips. He knew that he could probably get the people he worked with the Veilguard together to help Isa, but he wasn’t sure how quickly he could get them to where Isa was.
“I think I can handle it,” Adelina mentioned, leaning forward a little.
Viago stared at her in confusion while the Crow started to think about a plan. Lucanis turned towards her, willing to try nearly anything.
“If I can get the word out to a handful of people, I can make it look like Isa is getting help from non-Crow people who are also not apart of the Veilguard,” Adelina mentioned as Lucanis raised a brow. “Isa said that she still doesn’t want to be recognized as Rook, right? I would like to make sure that she revealed like that, either.”
“That would be ideal, yes,” Lucanis agreed.
Viago exhaled, folding his arms as he started at his Crow. Adelina ignored him while Teia smirked, wondering if Viago was destined for stubborn and inventive Crows in his House.
In the end, Adelina was given permission to hire who she needed to pull this off as long as she didn’t give any indication that she was a part of the Crows or that the Crows were involved in Isa’s rescue. While Lucanis only cared about whether or not Isa was safe, his newer position as First Talon was still vulnerable. He did appreciate his fellow Talons looking out for his position as well.
Isa looked around the room she was trapped in, searching for another way to escape. She had been locked in the spare bedroom of the target’s house with her arms tied behind her back and her ankles tied together. She wasn’t exactly helpless, but there wasn’t anything she could do by herself. If someone tried to attack her, then she could use leverage to gain the upper hand, but alone, she was stuck.
The people who had trapped her were thorough, even if they had missed her hidden knife the first time. They found it after her escape attempt, and now she was trying to figure out how she was going to manage another escape attempt. It would be difficult, but not impossible. She just needed to figure out how to get out of the binds on her arms.
The target was supposed to be a random noble in Bastion who had a bounty on his head, but it turned out to be a setup. She didn’t understand what the trap was for, but it was clear that she was the bait at this point. They didn’t question her or do much else other than hold her hostage. She wasn’t even sure what they wanted.
A part of her wondered if they worked for another Talon or for a Crow who wanted Lucanis to give up his job or something. She also wondered if these people knew she was Rook, and they wanted something from her. However, they didn’t really speak to her. It was like they were waiting to hear from some outside source about what to do with her first. It didn’t fill her with confidence.
Of course, in the end, it didn’t matter. What she needed to do was to get out so she could get word to Lucanis and Viago that she was alive and breathing. The last thing they needed was either of them doing something rash on her behalf because she managed to get caught. She just hoped that they wouldn’t give her a lecture about getting caught when she did get back to Treviso.
When she was staring at the barred window, wondering if she could get past the bars after she broke the glass, the door opened. Isa turned to the door and glared as one of her captors stood just within the threshold.
“I wasn’t sure you would be awake, petit Corbeau. I don’t think you’ve slept at all since you’ve been in our care,” the man said in a thick Orlesian accent.
“As if I would be comfortable enough to sleep around you,” she sneered, glaring at him.
The man sighed, shaking his head. He looked exasperated, as if she had chosen the wrong side. As if she had a choice in whether or not she was being held against her will. Frustrated, she pulled at her binds, and the man just watched for a moment, letting herself test the ropes.
“You aren’t going to go anywhere, and no one is allowed in this room. You might as well get some sleep,” the man sighed.
“Why am I even here?” Isa demanded loudly.
This man wasn’t her target. She wasn’t even sure the target was even there anymore, and she wouldn’t be surprised if the contract had been pulled entirely. She glared at him, and he just watched her like a caged animal in a zoo.
“You are here because we needed you to be. We were fortunate that you were the one to take this contract, but we were hoping that the Demon would come himself,” the man explained as he exhaled. “The Demon has a lot to answer for, and we are hoping that grabbing his petit Corbeau might attract him to us if our contract does not.”
“As if Lucanis would be stupid enough to fall for your tricks,” Isa growled with bright eyes.
The man raised a brow, regarding her carefully. He wasn’t sure if he believed her, but there was something in her tone that made him question his plan. Her glare hardened, and the man was glad that she had no access to magic at least. She couldn’t hurt him while she was tied up as she was.
“We will see, won’t we?” the man remarked softly before taking his leave.
Isa grimaced at him as he closed the door, hearing the defining locked that kept her out from the rest of the world. She was glad to know that she knew why she was there at least, but it didn’t help that she was nothing more than bait for her lover. Now she had to figure out how to escape and get the word to him before something worse happened.
Adelina was pretty proud of herself as she stood in the unfamiliar lighthouse with five other unfamiliar faces staring back at her. She had sent the word out to the other factions that she needed help rescuing Isabella. Her fellow Crow had mentioned that she had met people in the last few months that she had helped and took contracts from, so Adelina sent the word to those who Isa had met already. She hoped that they would be willing to join her plight to rescue her.
To her relief and delight, all five had agreed. Henry Thorne from the Anderfels, Elene Mercar from Tevinter, Wysteria Ingellvar from Nevarra, Idrilla Aldwir from Arlathan, and Thalia Laidir from Rivain all came with Adelina called. They were more than willing to help, excited to find and help their Crow friend.
Although, no one looked comfortable in the lighthouse as no one had been in the Fade like this. Not that Adelina had either. The experience was new, but she acted like she had done it for as long as Isa had. She needed the confidence to convince the others that she knew what she was doing.
“So, do we know why Isa was taken?” Henry asked, still a little confused.
Adelina had given the bare bones explanation when she recruited them, so she had said that she had been taken on the job by people who wanted to keep her hostage. However, that was as much information as she gave.
“As far as we know, it sounds like it’s most likely a ploy to bring out the First Talon. They are keeping her hostage as bait for him,” Adelina explained with a grimace.
“And is that why the Crows can’t help? Besides you, I mean,” Idrilla added.
“The Crows can’t be involved at all. Lucanis has to be completely removed by this, but I’m positive he will be absolutely grateful that you helped with this,” Adelina reassured.
“I don’t care about that. She saved me from a dire situation, I don’t mind returning the favor,” Elene shrugged.
“And how alive do we need the people who took her?” Thalia piped up from the back. “Just wondering if I need to worry about any poisons I shouldn’t be using.”
“I think as long as Isa is released from their custody, any deaths are fine. I don’t even think the First Talon cares about keeping the leader alive at this point. Whatever the reason Isa is being held hostage can be learned from documents we can gather later,” Adelina replied, lifting her shoulders.
“That’s necessary?” Henry asked softly. “Seems unnecessarily violent towards people we aren’t sure have harmed her.”
“They staged a Crow contract to have her kill someone only to capture her and hold her until her fiancé came around. I doubt it was so they could just chat with him,” Wysteria pointed out calmly. “While I do agree that killing indiscriminately is a waste, I don’t think we should wait around to ask questions when Isa could be in danger.”
“Alright, fair point,” Henry conceded, exhaling.
“Okay, so if we’re all ready and prepped, we can head to Bastion and save Isa,” Adelina instructed before pointing towards the eluvian room. The people around her cheered briefly before following her down.
Adelina had waited until after dusk to take the group out into the city, knowing that not all of them would be able to stealth thought the area. The darkness aided them, and she had the map where Lucanis had said that the Crow had spotted Isa in the report. He was confident that she would still be there since they were sure it was a trap more than anything else.
Adelina had also learned that while she had been recruiting the group she was going to work with that Lucanis had further interrogated the Crow. He had learned the Crow who reported Isa’s location had been paid off by her captors to tell the First Talon about where she was. Further interrogation proved to Lucanis that the Crow wasn’t lying. However, the Crow was an example of why you didn’t cross the First Talon.
As they neared where Isa was being held, it was clear the place was being watched as it was a little too barren for the area. Adelina looked it over before she pointed out the second-floor window that was the only one that was barred. The rest of the windows were closed and covered with curtains or other items, but that one was the only one that had bars covering the glass.
Adelina wondered if Isa was put on the second floor for a reason, questioning the motives of the people in charge. Was it to increase the confidence of her rescuers? Was the barred window supposed to be the trap? Or was it the red herring? Isa had already escaped once. It made sense for them to reinforce her surroundings.
There were too many variables, and Adelina started to overthink it. This was completely different from the last contract she had gone on where she it didn’t matter who lived or died as long as the target died. Now she needed to make sure her target lived, and that was a different task entirely.
Before she could overthink herself to the point of panic, Henry stepped forward and placed a hand on her should gently. She nearly moved to remove his hand before she remembered who was with her. She nodded, knowing that he was there to help. They would work together to get her out as they had agreed to.
Thalia also came forward, mentioning that this reminded her of a treasure hunt in a strange way where it was important to get in and out with the prize without it or anyone else getting hurt or damaged. Adelina nearly laughed before she understood what the Lord of Fortune was saying. The Crow let Thalia take the lead and make a plan, starting with the basic infiltration with Adelina’s help on the basics of Antivan building design. While she was sure the layout wasn’t out of the ordinary, she wanted to help anyway she could.
Isa struggled in her binds, more frustrated than ever as she started to get rope burns on her wrists. The man who had set the trap kept coming in and chatting with her, wanting more and more information about the Crows and Lucanis. She had kept silent after their first conversation, and he was growing more irritated.
She wasn’t sure how much longer it was going to be before her captor was going to start resorting to either torture or possibly sending different parts to her lover to motivate one of them to do something.
Regardless of her position, she was proud of Lucanis for not doing anything rash, though. The last thing Isa wanted was to see him get hurt because he flew right into a trap designed for him. She was glad that he had seen what was happening and resisted the clear bait, even if it meant terrible things for her.
Of course, that didn’t mean she was going to sit there and do nothing. Isa was going to fight tooth and nail until the end, regardless of what was going on. They were going to rue the day that they ever thought about using her for bait, that was for certain.
Isa heard the hand move, and she started to struggle more in her bindings, wanting to get out even more, gnashing her teeth in frustration. Any day now could be the last straw for her tormentor, and she did not want to see that day.
However, the door swung open, and Isa froze with wide eyes as Thalia and Henry stood on the other side of the door. The Crow blinked before Adelina pushed past them to reach her while Wysteria, Idrilla, and Elene weren’t far behind.
As Adelina cut her bonds, Isa stared at each of them, shocked to see the six of them working together. It wasn’t surprising to see them as a team, since they were all clever and hardworking, but Isa never expected these people to ever meet each other. Not to mention it never crossed her mind that these people could be her saviors.
“Grazie,” Isa whispered, forgetting herself, while Wysteria healed her burns.
“Gern geschehen,” Wysteria answered with a smile and wink.
Isa laughed, gripping her friend’s hands, before turning to the others who were watching the door. Adelina was checking the window, but it was definitely the barred one they had seen outside. Henry had given an alternate exit plan, and it seemed that they were going to have to go that route, even though it was riskier.
“Ready to go home?” Thalia asked as Isa turned to her.
“More than you know,” Isa replied with a sigh. “But I don’t understand. How are you here? How did you know?”
“A Crow saw you and reported it to Lucanis. I found out, and you mentioned you had met and help people around Thedas,” Adelina explained.
“Since the Crows couldn’t get involved since it was an obvious trap,” Wysteria added.
“We decided to come get you instead,” Elene finished, walking over to help Isa to her feet. “Figured that you would have helped us if we were in the same position.”
“Of course I would have,” Isa replied with a grin.
“So, let’s get out before the rest come pouring in,” Henry mentioned. “I hit the leader guy pretty hard with my hammer, so I don’t think his friends are going to be very happy when they see his body.”
“No, probably not,” Isa replied with a relieved smile, letting the others take her home.
Isabella is called to the Anderfels on a contract send by Evka and Antoine Ivo. After the Evanuris war, the Wardens are picking up the pieces of who they are and what they are going to do. However, not everyone is on the same page. When a former Warden turns murderer, Evka hires Isa to come and help take care of the problem. With Lucanis indisposed, Evka offers a trusted colleague of hers instead.
AO3
It wasn’t often that Isa found herself in the Anderfels on a contract. Sure, she would go to check in on the remainder of the Wardens that she had met during her time fighting the gods. Davrin lived with his uncle in Arlathan with the rest of the griffons, but Isa enjoyed checking in on Antoine, Evka, and Greta when she could. Not to mention Lace would spend a majority of her time in Kal Sharok as well.
However, Isa was tasked to hunt down a former Warden who had gone mad, for a lack of better term. Without the blight and the darkspawn to hunt down, the man had taken to hunt down people instead. Evka and Antoine had tried their best to reach and detain the man, but he proved to be elusive and hard to catch. So, they turned to the one of the few people they knew who could find and take out the Warden turned murderer.
It was a job that Lucanis would have gone with her on, but it had been scheduled during a Talon meeting that Viago had helped him schedule several months prior. Therefore, she was venturing there alone to meet with another Warden that Evka and Antoine worked closely with instead. It wasn’t something that either of the Crows preferred, but a contract was a contract. Even if Caterina had some words of warning before Isa left. Something about Wardens being a siren song for Crows. Lucanis told Isa not to worry about it.
Now, she was searching the area for her secretive partner that she was supposed to find. Evka said that the person she was looking for would be easy to find, and she had sent a letter ahead of time, so he knew to expect the Crow. The man had practically volunteered when Evka brought it up among the former Wardens that she worked with still, and Isa was glad she was working with someone who was eager for justice, whatever that meant for the guy.
Her Warden partner had gone on ahead, wanting to get a head start on finding the murderer. Evka pointed her deep into the Anderfels mountains, and Isa did her best to follow the trail that she pointed out. Luckily, Wardens weren’t known for covering their tracks or moving stealthily through the land. She was able to find evidence of a person camping with a smothered campfire that couldn’t have been more than a day or two old.
As she crested a hill, she saw an armored human man with fiery red hair at the bottom of the path. He matched the description that Evka gave for her temporary partner at least. She made sure her hood was still in place, but she did lower her mask. While they were going to be working together, Isa liked the idea of teasing him a little bit.
She strode down the road silently, noticing that the former Warden was looking at the path as well, searching for tracks or clues. Carefully, she walked up behind him, peering over his shoulder before glancing around.
“Seems like you’re making headway,” Isa commented, startling him out of skin.
The man nearly lost his balance as he turned to her with wide eyes before cursing under his breath. He glared at her for a moment, and she noticed a few straight-lined scars over his right eye. They seemed superficial, though, as his hazel eyes met hers.
“Crow de Riva, I presume,” he grumbled irritably.
“Isabella de Riva, indeed, at your service,” she chuckled, bowing dramatically at the waist.
She saw him stand to his full height in her peripheral, but she didn’t realize how tall he really was until she tried to meet his gaze again. This man was easily over a foot taller than her, and she grimaced. Isa wondered if he was almost as tall as Taash.
“Most call me Isa, though,” she admitted, trying to keep her smirk. “And you are? Evka didn’t give me your name.”
“Thorne. Henry Thorne,” he answered reluctantly. “I don’t like when people give my name to strangers, and she’s willing to work with me on that.”
“Then we aren’t strangers anymore?”
“We’re working a job together. That’s hard to do if we’re strangers.”
“A fair point,” she replied. “So, what’s the plan here?”
“Tracking him down?”
“Anything to add?”
Isa folded her arms as she stared at him. Henry glowered a little before exhaling shortly. He turned slightly, facing the direction he had been in when she had surprised him. He pointed down the path as she followed where he gestured.
“From what I can see, someone came through here recently. Given from the reports in the region, our killer was here recently as well. The villagers said that he was traveling on foot, and he was alone. If he acquires a horse or something, then we will be in trouble,” he informed.
“Then we need to catch him before he attains one,” she agreed with a nod. “So, we just need to get to follow the tracks as close as we can? We should have brought a dog.”
“We’ll manage,” he shrugged.
“How fast can you go?”
“I think these mountains will surprise you.”
Isa nearly laughed at that before she lifted one shoulder playfully, looking up at him.
“I haven’t met someone who can keep up with me yet,” she remarked, silently wishing Lucanis was there to argue with her. “Willing to try?”
“And if I outpace you?” he hummed.
“If you outpace me, then I’ll eventually catch up,” she answered, waving her hand at him dismissively.
Henry nearly rolled his eyes while Isa broke into a run, staring at the ground as she followed the tracks. He exhaled, thinking that she would burn out after the first incline. He decided to jog behind, expecting her to slow.
However, he was shocked and concerned when she didn’t. The Crow kept her pace as she went up and down the mountain trails, and now he was worried that she would fall over dead before she took a breather.
It was nearly an hour when she finally stopped, finding something of interest on the side of the road. Henry caught up to the Crow, hearing her deep labored yet controlled breaths. She held up an old broken satchel with old flecks of blood on the leather before she inhaled.
“Do you recognize this?” Isa asked.
Henry only stared at her, blinking twice.
“That’s why you stopped?” he countered.
“Yes. Is this evidence?” she continued. “I don’t know Warden issued items. The Warden I knew wore some Warden things, but he tended to blend elvhen items with his wardrobe as well. Plus, this has blood on it as well.”
“I thought you were taking a moment to rest,” he practically hissed.
“No need to rest,” she informed irritably. “Can you answer my question or not?”
“It is Warden issued, yes, and it likely means we’re on the right track,” Henry replied bitterly. “Now let’s take a moment before your lungs give out.”
“They won’t.”
“They-”
“The blood looks pretty fresh, though. Maybe a day or two. Look,” Isa interrupted, taking a moment to look at the bag.
“If I look at the bag, we’re taking a moment here,” he told her.
“No time,” she reminded him.
Henry snatched the bag out of her hands before examining the stained leather. The blood was still flaking off rather than just stained on. It was fresher than he expected, and it meant that they were gaining on him.
“See? No time,” she repeated, seeing the understanding in his eyes.
“We have a little time with you running around like a maniac,” he complained.
Isa laughed under her breath while he handed the satchel back to her. She looked it over again before she frowned. The bag was old and the strap was broken, but it otherwise was in good condition. She looked it over, seeing that the strap was cut instead of worn.
She quickly went over the different idea of why it would be cut in her mind. It wouldn’t be too heavy or bulky since it was empty, and it was light and thin enough to be ergonomic. Even the blood could be washed off or even buffed out if needed. She glanced around to see if there were any other items that would have fallen out, but there was nothing, just the old satchel.
“What?” Henry asked, more delicately this time.
“The satchel is odd,” she answered, gesturing to the clean cut.
Henry frowned, finding it odd as well. The bag was old, but not old enough where the strap would snap so cleanly. This had been done with a knife and quickly, too.
“Do you think he was robbed?” he wondered.
“No, I think he did it,” she whispered as she reached for her hip.
Isa kept her hood up as she grabbed both of her daggers, slowly scanning the trees for movement or signs of activity. Henry frowned, connecting the dots.
Their target had laid a trap, but he had yet to spring it. Isa just couldn’t figure out what was taking so long for him to decide to strike.
She felt an arrow fly past her head, watching it be embedded in a tree in front of her. Isa flipped to see a man hidden in the trees with a bow aimed at her, frustrated that he had missed while she was distracted.
Henry drew his sword and shield as Isa stepped towards her current partner. He glanced at her, surprised by the sidestep.
“The contract said to find and bring to justice. Are we talking breathing or cold?” she asked quickly. It had been a question she had meant to ask earlier.
“If he dies, he dies. Otherwise, we’ll bring him back to Evka,” Henry replied darkly.
Isa dipped her head once before rushing forward towards the trees with Henry close behind her. Their target sneered, aiming with another arrow, but panic started to affect his aim. As the Crow drew closer, the killer discarded his bow and grabbed his knife from his belt, wildly swinging at her.
She sighed inwardly, seeing the mad anger and bloodlust in his eyes, and she just wanted him to stop. To see him use her weapon of choice like a brute object was more offensive than if he had hit her with the arrow earlier.
Isa easily deflected the knife while Henry shouted at him to surrender. She could hear him call the killer’s name, but she didn’t catch it. She was too focused on keeping the bastard’s knife away from her skin.
The killer shouted back at Henry, mentioning something about how he should have minded his business. Isa ignored the conversation until the killer stared her in the eyes, pointing the knife at her instead of swinging it. She frowned while he slowly grinned.
“I think you would like quite nice without your skin, little lady. If your bodyguard wasn’t here, I would have you laying the dirt while your blood ran down the mountain,” the killer taunted.
“Little lady?” Isa scoffed, smacking the knife with her dagger. She knew she would need to resharpen it later. “You have no idea who you’re talking to, brutto pezzo di merda. You are going to wish you hadn’t said what you did.”
“Oh, what are you going to do?” the killer sneered.
Isa didn’t even dignify him with a response as she threw her dagger at his shoulder. The killer tried to deflect it, but his reflexes were too slow, and it embedded in his flesh. With a shout, he dropped his weapon, gripping the hilt protruding from his shoulder.
The Crow huffed, grabbing a poison dart before sticking that into him as well. Henry lowered his sword to the killer’s throat as their target stared at the dart in his arm.
“What is that?” Henry asked.
“Poison. Insurance in case he did something stupid,” Isa answered with a shrug.
Henry glanced at her as she held up two vials. She shrugged, pocketing them again.
“My blade had the base poison, and I nicked him when he started swinging. Nothing lethal,” she admitted before smirking at the killer as he fell to his knees. “Unless the second is introduced, which I added to the dart in your arm. Then you have about ten minutes before you perish.”
“So, his something stupid was to threaten you?” Henry sighed.
“Of course not. He recognized me,” Isa answered plainly.
The killer snarled with a dark laugh. Henry looked back at him before glancing up at Isa.
“I was hoping you would make your way back to the Anderfels, Rook,” the killer growled, his voice starting to sound strained. “Pretty little Crow, prancing around the Wardens as if she owned the place. I wanted to take your head during all the chaos you caused, but there never was a chance. Never thought I would see you again. Didn’t think you would come out for me.”
“Rook?” Henry whispered.
Isa huffed before lowering her hood. It wasn’t that he would recognize her with hood anyway, but it felt symbolic in a way. She had no reason to hide.
“Come now, Thorne, you surely know your savior. The one who saved Thedas from the Evanuris,” the killer announced. “You didn’t think to ask why a Crow would bother to come all the way to the Anderfels? Why would First Warden Ivo invite an assassin in the first place? Unless she wasn’t a full assassin.”
“I am a full assassin, stronzo,” Isa hissed angrily.
“The assassin who saved the world,” the killer sighed, turning to Henry. “Most of the world thinks that Rook died, you know. She disappeared right after the battle, but all her team returned back down from the battle. Not Rook.”
“I was indisposed,” Isa whispered through clenched teeth.
Isa yanked her dagger out of the killer’s shoulder, causing him to lose his balance. The killer fell forward, but he didn’t have the strength left to hold himself up. She wiped the blood on the back of his clothes before she sighed, walking back towards the road.
Henry waited to make sure that the man was dead before rejoining Isa on the path. She stood with her arms folded, her hood still down. He walked over to her, surprised that she was still waiting for him.
“Job’s done,” she mentioned when she saw him.
“It is,” Henry nodded. “Didn’t realize I was being partnered with a war hero.”
“I’m not a war hero,” Isa groaned.
“You could have fooled me,” Henry chuckled, sheathing his sword at his hip. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t Evka tell me Rook was coming?”
“I’m not a fan of strangers knowing that name,” she explained. “I wanted to disappear after the battle, like he said. I wanted to go back to the life I had before.”
“Were you able to?”
Isa paused as she took a deep breath. She turned to him with a slight smile, lifting her shoulders with her arms still folded.
“More or less, I suppose. I’m still a Crow who has contracts to complete,” she admitted before smirking. “Even though those circumstances have changed.”
“Getting better jobs now?” he asked, starting to walk back towards Lavendel.
“Kind of. I get better pickings, I guess,” Isa hummed. “I know the First Talon rather well.”
“Ah, so the famous Rook and First Talon romance wasn’t just gossip, then?”
“Didn’t realize that we had gossip going on about it.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Now people are wondering if Rook will come and get the First Talon out of the new marriage contract he’s found himself in,” Henry mentioned with a smirk. “Sounds like Rook already has.”
“I promise, Lucanis is exactly where he wants to be. He makes that very well known,” Isa reassured, sighing with a smile.
“Very good to hear.”
“Although, I am curious. I did think that I met most if not all of the Wardens in the Anderfels. How come I never saw you around while I was fighting the gods?” she wondered.
“Oh, I went against the former First Warden’s orders a while ago, and he sent back to Ferelden to work down there for a time. I think it likely saved my life,” he explained. “When I heard about Weisshaupt, I made my way back here to help with the aftermath. I think I arrived a few weeks after your battle with the twin dragons or whatever.”
“Ah, so you were barely in the area when things went to shit.”
“Yeah, made it to Lavendel when the sky turned red. I stuck around to help where I could when half of us went to the Battle of Minrathous, too. I didn’t think I could help against the gods since I was gone for so long. I had no idea what was happening, so I figured that I would fight the blight like I always did.”
“Now that the blight’s gone, what are you doing now?” she asked carefully.
“I’m going to stay with Evka and Antoine for a while, I think. I want to keep helping people where I can, and I have a few skills that I learned from the Wardens. It’s strange to think that the Grey Wardens aren’t going to be around for much longer without the blight, but it’s for the best. A world without blight is the best version of the world,” Henry shrugged.
“You certainly have a knack for tracking and deducting,” Isa pointed out. “I have a detective friend in Minrathous if you ever need work in a city.”
“I’m surprised you aren’t offering me more Crow work. Was I not good enough for your standards?”
“I find that most Wardens are off put by Crow contracts, or work, as you said. Although I think I would enjoy working with you again. You might give me a crick in my neck, though.”
Henry belted out a laugh at that, surprised by her comment. He hadn’t noticed that she practically had to stare straight up to look at him, but she was over a foot shorter than him. She was lithe and nimble, which was needed for a Crow. It made him wonder just how far he could throw her if he needed to. He doubted that she would enjoy that, though.
“Well, I’m not thrilled with the idea of killing every target, but you did ask if this was going to be a detaining or killing mission. I suppose I could be convinced to work with the Crows depending on the contract,” he admitted.
Isa grinned at him before nodding.
“If I come across any more in the area, I will let you know. Or if Evka sends me out this way again, you should let her know that you’re interested to work with me,” she pointed out. “Oh, and I could introduce you to Lucanis. He usually accompanies me on these contracts, but he happened to be busy this time.”
“I’ll let Evka know,” Henry smirked with a nod.
Isa smiled, glad to hear it. She rambled on about how he would enjoy meeting Lucanis, even if Henry silently disagreed. While Isa seemed kind and agreeable, Henry was aware of the general dislike between Wardens and Crows, mostly coming from the Crow side. Of course, the Talon could be different. The former Warden would just have to wait and see.
