A crow and the Corine (Closed - Zevran)

[corineshalen]

Kirkwall, Week 1, Day 6

"I still cannot believe that we are doing this", he said in a spiffy voice, tugging the hood into place on his head, leaving most of his face in the shadows. Strands of silver hair spilled out from the darkness of the hood through, falling over the worn light-metal armor he wore. "We should be doing jobs for our fellow elves; they actually need the help!". He trusted a fist into the air in front of himself, looking to his daughter with anger in his blue eyes. "Taking jobs from these Shemlen! You know that they won`t pay you the promised reward...they will most certainly demand more out of you the moment you finis-"

"They are welcome to look, but not touch". With her entire face hidden in the shadows of the hood in her cloak, the smirk of the rouge was hidden. "Its not like I don`t want to help them, there is just more coin to gain from the humans". Not having the patience to listen to more of his rambling, she increased her pace a little, keeping her pace somewhat bulky and holding her shoulders low, intimidating the movements of humans like it was natural. Her treasured drakeskin armor hid most traces of her long limps and slim body, but the curves of her hips and burst remained noticeable. Armor itself was tugged away as well, hidden by the black cloak she had brought before entering Kirkwall. It had not been cheap, but it did its job in hiding her armor and weapons.

"I know, but still...you know that I am just worried. You never tell where you get these contracts from, and can see the guilt in your eyes, as you lie to Amon about what the job was". He brushed his fingers over the handle of his sword, shaking his head a bit. "Obeying shemlens, nothing has changed".

"You insisted on coming along, I cannot see why you should be-". Despite being tugged underneath cloak and hair, sharp ears picked up the sudden change. "Shh...", she said in a considerably lowered voice, one that had come from many years of having to stay hidden. It was soft, yet powerful enough to put her in command of the situation.

Placing herself against a nearby stonewall, she slided a hand into her cloak. The sharp sky-blue eyes scouted from the darkness of the hood, taking in the surroundings. They were currently in an alleyway, and the open market place stood between them and the house, in which their target was said to hide. The moon was almost full, giving her a natural light to observe in...unfortunately, the guards had put up touches tonight. It did provide more light, but the shadows around them were deep, giving any potential attacker plenty of space to move in.

"Why are we stopping? Weren`t you in a hurry to-". Daeren stopped, barely noticing his daughter in her dark attire against the wall. Crossing his muscular arms, well large arms for an elf, he tilted his head to the side, remaining quiet. He was no servant to the shadows as his child, but even he noticed that something was strange...there was no sound..

After four minutes of waiting for any new sounds, Corine finally pushed herself away from the wall, and stepped out in the alleyway, the flames from a nearby touch lighting up her shadowed body. "I wonder, is it a little kitty who stalks the dark streets? Oh, I hope it is..cats are so cute...so..innocent and usually they don`t attack people in the middle of the night..". Her tone was playful and lighthearted to begin with, but as she ended up on the last words, she lowered it to an almost sensual sounding tone, teasing the prowler of the darkness to show him or herself. Both of her hands had been tugged into the cloak now.

[Zevran]

The stone covered streets of Hightown had become unusually quiet that evening. Even the sound of guard patrols seemed to have been frozen under the cool moon light. The only sound to be heard was a slight breeze that passed over head. Several seconds passed before another sound would echo through the streets. Foot steps, slow and purposeful with the long gate of a human. A lone guard exited a cross street, his uniform was clean and orderly. His chin was covered in a light coat of scruff, the start of a messy goatee. His muddy eyes fixed upon the the two hooded figures.

"Halt! What in Andraste's name are you doing out at this hour?! Go ho--" A loud crash followed by a scream cut the guard's thought short. Rushing passed Corine and her father, the guard quickly turned down the dark street and disappeared. Moments later he returned, his face twisted in rage as he approached the girl. "Murderer! Thief! Stop right where you are!" the man spat, drawing his blade. "Both of you are coming with me! Guards!" The man reached forward with his free hand, his gauntlet clad fingers snatching at the cloak. Just as his grazed across the fabric, a fast whoosh of air burst from the shadows from whence the guard had come. The guard's hand stopped just as the rest of his body lurched forward, as if hit by some unseen force. Lowering his blade, the man staggered back, his eyes wide as though he had just remembered something important. Another whistling whoosh of air burst forth, this time making the guard fall forward on to the street. Two arrows stuck out from the man's back, one within his shoulder the other buried in his spine. Dark red stains spread outward across the cloth and in thick streams over the metal.

Laughter erupted from the darkness as a man with a thick Antivan accent stepped forth. His eyes were dark and his skin tan. His brown hair cut short and a single scar ran down his cheek. A bow was strung across his back and in his hand he held a dagger with a strange flowing crest upon its hilt. "Well, well, well...Meow little one...tell me, what brings you out here so late? Could you be...waiting for someone? Hmmm? My friends and I are waiting for someone too...maybe you know him?" As the man spoke, five other elves and six humans came forth from the shadows around them, blocking off the streets with devilish grins. Each clad in leather armor and armed with similar blades and bows. "Why don't we wait together..."

[corineshalen]

Corine lowered her shoulders a little, tilting her head to the side as she saw the source of the noise; it was surprising it haden`t been louder really. Heavy boots hitting the cold rock this city considered streets, and a clattering sword hitting the side of his leg. Maker, she haden`t lost her touch well? There was no time to be concerned through, as the guard was quick to call them out, yelling at them to go home. Reminding her a bit of a strict grown-up, telling his kids to go to bed, she slowly began to take her hands out of the cloak.

"Well, we were on our way home and we got lo-". Just as she had started on the vague explanation, and thought of ways to dispose of the guard`s body, a sudden crash sounded from the alley. The guard rushed passed them, causing Corine to tilt her head in amazement. Apparently the Kirkwall guard was taken for granted, running in those heavy boots could`t be easy. Just as she thought they had been released from this guard, he returned moments later, anger filling his eyes, as he yelled like a barbarian, branding them murderers and thieves...well, both fit, through she had done nothing tonight..at least for the moment.

Like a patient snake, she waited as the guard crept closer, his blade drawn and eyes fully open. Silently she tugged her hands around the handle of one of her daggers, her growing smirk hidden in the comforts of her hood. His armor looked tough, but it was easy to see that the metal wasen`t the strongest. He did look a top-notch guard, so his death would probably be noticed...Maybe she should stash him somewhere in Lowtown? A murder in high town would look suspicious, since all the petty nobles would stick out their noses, and complain to the guards that they didn`t want their pretty streets covered in dirty, dirty blood!

The next few moments passed by fast; Barely having time to sense the two arrows, she tightened the grib on her two daggers, tugging them close to her curved hips, keeping them hidden in the folds of the cloak. The arrows penetrated at just the right places, killing him fast and silently, leaving him no time to scream or struggle around...a perfect kill neh?

To her surprise, the culprit revealed himself moments later...or rather, they revealed themselves. The others didn`t matter through, as the man seemed to be their leader; they would`t strike unless he told them so. The man himself didn`t look bad; dark eyes to swim away in, a scar to add mystery, and a very thick accent that seemed familiar...taking note of the weaponry of his lackeys, she took a wild guess on that he was Antivan. The land of assassins...heh, quite fun.

"D`aws, what a cute bunch of kitties, don`t you agree Papa? ". Never taking her eyes off the supposed leader, she spoke in a light-hearted and witty tone, her voice coming off to be endearing and almost innocent. Like a small child speaking to their parent.

"Cute..kitties? Don`t play a fool now!". More panicked than his off-spring, he brushed the side of the cloak away, the handle of his steel blade reflecting the beams of pale light from the moon. "Please, we mean no harm...we will be on our way now..". He tightened his hand tightly, his feet trembling in an obvious way. A certain anger arose in his voice through, as the man with the scar ended his speech.."Wait..together?..Keep your hands off my-".

Corine lifted her left arm out of the cloak, using the other to keep it closed. Best to keep the weapons hidden for now. "Now now Papa, the nice kittes are just asking questions!". She looked back at her dad briefly, waving her hand a bit. With both of her hands revealed, the drakeskin glows were in full display; The hand-crafted leather had, despite several weeks without repairs, not gotten a scratch. The golden lines in the though leather, and the fine stitches, gained a soft glow in the shimmering light of the touches.

Letting the glows remain in full display, she calmly began to approach the leader of the merry band, keeping her steps and posture human-alike. She did however sway a time or two with the hips, pushing out the cape to reveal the curves (through slightly suppressed by the armor), still was noticeable. Having introduced himself like that, indicated that this kind of simple act would be enough to change their mood a bit...at least for the henchmen. "Well, to answer your question, mr. Kitty; nope, I do not know the name of my target, heck I didn`t even know the gender until you told me it..So nice of you".

Having reached him now, she reached up with the masterly crafted glove, running the smooth leather of her palm against his cheek, her index finger following his scar. "Waiting together? Heh, why that does sound..lovely..". Her hand traveled from his face, following the edges and curves of the armor covering his chest. She then reached up and curled her gloved fingers around the tanned neck, pulling him down to eye-height with her, Being close to her face now, he could see that her full lips had curved into a smirk, and that the face was slim, her skin pale with a softness to it. He was now so close, that her hot breath rolled across his nose, over his lips, like a cookie just out of reach.

"Mr. Kitty...it sounds so childish, no? Why don`t you tell me your name, and maybe heh..I will tell you something myself?". Using a hidden folder in her cloak, she pressed the edge of her silverite dagger against his hip, tilting her head to the side like a child.

"So what will it be? Mr. Antiva Assassin?

[Zevran]

The man smirked as the girl came closer, his eyes locked on her shadowed face. His grin only grew as she ran her hands over him as slight excitement filled his eyes. Around them several of the others docked their bows, training their arrows upon the girl's father. The man chuckled a bit as Corine pressed her blade against his hip. A spark of malicious joy flashed across his face as he slid his free hand across her cheek and under Corine's hood. His fingers gliding over her warm skin and into her hair. In one sharp movement his hand closed tightly around a thick clump of her hair and tugged it sharply, nearly ripping it out of her scalp as he pulled her to the side and twisted her around to face the others, ignoring the possible pain in his thigh.

"I see Zevran's taste in women hasn't changed...manipulative, lying, and extremely foolish. I already know enough about you to satisfy my needs...now you're going to play nice or else..." As he spoke, the man pressed his knife to the girl's lower back, twisting it back and forth as the tip wore a hole though the cloak. "Now, I'm a fair man...if you help me, there might be some coin in it for you..." Leaning in, he whispered tauntingly in her ear. "But if you resist...I will destroy everything you hold dear, including...your son..."

Straightening up, he released the Corine and gave her a shove towards her father. Three more figures docked their bows in anticipation, only with their eyes locked on the cloaked rogue. "Now...what say you...little one?"

[corineshalen]

As the sudden yank was made in her hair, she angled the knife a bit downwards. So as he forced her around, the blade sank deeply into his thigh, avoiding major arteries, but cutting through flesh and muscle, giving the maximum amount of pain. She had no intention of keeping the others alive, but this man was a different story. "Urg-...Foolish? Now that`s not a nice thing to say. And here I thought you would be a good little kitty..". Having been in worse situations, a certain encounter with a templar-captain coming to mind, she managed to keep her breathing calm, and took the time to gather information.

The name Zevran was mentioned and, on the brief comment he made of him, it seemed like he was "good" around the ladies, or at least those willing enough. She carefully brought a hand up to her cheek, sliding her sleeve into the darkness of the hood. The man`s touch had almost felt electric, clearly an experienced hand...seductive assassins from Antiva..A smirk appeared on her full lips. So she had gotten the honor of facing the famous crows?

As if she wasen`t motivated enough to fight, and kill most of them, the leader of the merry band made his greatest mistake. "..Amon?". A brief flash of her son`s bright smile, as he used his first ice spell appeared in her head...Speaking of head, she had lowered hers as he pushed her forward. Using the forced forward motion, she pressed the tip of her left foot into the stone ground. Sliding four knives into her glove, she spun around, her foot kicking the drawn dagger out of the leader´s hand. The knives were then thrown into the air. Like good little puppets, they haden`t moved from their position. So the knives did their job, as they buried into the neck of four of the archers, cutting the main arteries instantly.

Over the thuds of bodies hitting the floor, she heard arrows leaving their bow. Tying off her cloak, she threw it into the air in front of herself, ducking down as the arrows tore through the cloak moments later. Sliding into the shadows of the touch, she drew her daggers.

Daeron haden`t let the moment pass, and he sped forward with drawn sword, quickly closing the gab between him and the archers, who was preparing their arrows. He managed to sink his blade into two of them, before he felt an arching pain in his shoulder, the third having reached to shot at him. With an exhausted effort, he took three large steps, burying the sword into his throat, the tip sticking out of his neck.

Having counted on her father dispatching the rest, Corine had used the shadows and slipped behind the scared man. She forced him against one of the nearby pillars, a dagger pressed against the neck, and the other against his stomach. "Heh..heh...you know, at least the templars have managed to wound me before". Catching her breath, she straighten out her back, looking up at him with narrowed sky-blue eyes.

With her cloak off, the full splendor of the drake-skin armor came into view. The quality of the gauntlets was repeated over the entire set, all the swirling decorations coming to an end on the back, which resembled a family shield, the kind that noble families had. Soft chest-nut colored hair flowed down to her neck, spilling over a good potion of her shoulders. After hours underneath the cloak, it had gotten a bit unruly, strands of it hanging over her left eye.

"Now, you are going to tell me who you are and what your doing here or I swear by the dreadwolf, that I will end your puny life this very instant.."

"Something dosen`t feel right...why would my brother lure us into an ambush, when he is willing to risk his life to hide us from the shemlen?". Having forced the arrow out of his shoulder, he moved towards his daughter, sword still in hand. His worn, but though, armor had prevented the arrow from reaching very deep. The archer had also been panicked, so it haden`t been aimed at any crucial spot in his shoulder. "Tell us, Assassin..why are you here? And you better talk fast..I won`t let you live for touching my daughter like that". His eyes were focused on the badly wounded assassin, but he kept a watch out for more unwanted company.

[Zevran]

The man now stood against the pillar with a look panicked surprise, in a flash his men had been killed and himself disarmed. A small lake of blood had begun to form in the marketplace as many elves and humans alike dragged out their last desperate breaths. The crimson liquid flowing from the man's leg and over the stone covered streets looked black in the moon light. He had failed his first hit. His first and only hit. His life was over, even if his bait decided to be merciful, Zevran and the Crows would not. Either way he was doomed, and he knew it. Smirking, he spit in the girl's face. He had at least been right about her being the assassin's type, whether he knew it or not. Chuckling, the man said what would be his final words. "Andraste piss on you whore."

As if on Que, an arrow whizzed past Corine's face and found its mark within the man's eye. A small splash of blood and greyish puss flew from the entry point before running down his face in a steady stream. Behind them, all on the opposite side of the market stood a relatively thin elf. His skin was the same shade of tan as the now dead Crow, and his face marked only with three wavy lines which curled from his forehead to his jaw. His shoulder length blond hair was for the most part tucked back behind long sharp ears. Save for a pair of worn leather boots and Dalish gloves, the man was clad in mostly green and black drakeskin. His warm chocolate eyes had a look of playfulness about them, despite the years of experience he clearly had. There was no doubt that this man had come from the same place as the corpse that now lay at Corine's feet.

The man hooked his bow across his chest and over his shoulder with a slight smirk. "Such harsh words to such a beautiful woman deserves an equally harsh punishment, no? I apologize for his rudeness my lady, kids these days just have no class. Everyone knows that you must bed a woman before killing her. Tich. So very sad." Stepping closer he took a slight bow. "But where are my own manners? I am Zevran Arainai, former Crow and skilled bed mate, at your service!"

Straightening up, the elf walked casually over to one of the corpses where he knelt down to inspect it. Removing one of Corine's blades from what was left of a man's neck he stood up. "Very impressive indeed! Such art! You'd bring many assassins to shame! Though killing an average thug won't get you a medal." Walking over to Corine's father, Zevran pulled out a rag and wiped the blade clean before offering it to the man. "You must be very proud. Though I am curious as to how planned death became a family activity...in any case, it would be best if we were to gather up what's yours and leave this place before someone else decides to kill us."

[corineshalen]

"May the dreadwolf eat your ugly face". With a voice almost leaking with venom, she drew back her left hand, ready to stab him in the neck. As she blinked through, a sudden gush of blood painted the left side of her face. Releasing him from her grib, she stepped back, letting the body hit the stone with a solid thud. She haden`t even heard that arrow...had she really been so focused on ending his little life? Or was the archer simply above the usual band of people that came in her way. Corine turned to face the approaching owner of the arrow, narrowing her eyes to observe every detail she could.

Her father on the other hand, was still panicked.

"S-stay back, assassin!". With sword still in hand, and blood slowly tickling down his left shoulder, he took a few steps towards the tanned elf. "I don`t know what sick game you are playing, but I`m not letting you come near my little-". He halted mid-sentence, feeling Corine`s hand on his healthy shoulder.

"Had this fellow of the shadows wanted us dead, he would`t be shedding his weapon, well papa?". With a reassuring tug on his shoulder, she walked towards the remains of her cloak, tilting her head to the side as the antivan elf began to talk. "It does indeed demand a punishment, but I would have been more pleased if I had ended his life instead. Not that I mind playing a damsel in distress, if it involves getting rescued by a handsome prince in leather boots".

As the elf introduced himself as Zevran, a former crow and casual boasting-guy for his skills in bed, she could`t help but to raise an eyebrow. The way the arrow had been fired, how quickly he had been to shed his weapon to show that he meant no harm, and even his words....so she had taken down a rookie then? "I would say my name, but there is no need to repeat what is already known, no?", she said with a little smirk, playing a bit on an improvised version of his accent. "And I don`t have any fancy titles either...ah, what a poor impression on the first date!".

"What is wrong with you? He just killed a man, and he could easily kill again! This is no time for you to be joking around. And-..huh?". With a raised eyebrow, he looked to the left, as the former crow had approached him, offering him a clean rag. "Hmp..". With a mental sigh, and a heavy eyeroll, he took the rag in a swift movement, pressing it against the wound. "I am not proud, she`s just an unruly child", he responded in a snapping voice, not really realizing his words before they had left his clenched teeth.

"Now now Papa, why don`t we follow the handsome prince in leather boots? Unless you wanna stay and play with the guards..". Slinging the cloak over her left shoulder, she plucked out the remaining three blades, making a small nod in Zevran`s direction. "I`d hate to leave a party, it was just getting interesting...But who can deny such an offer, when it comes from a person like you?". Still playing, actively disobeying her father`s concerns, she made a small bow towards Zevran. Her hair fell down around her face, exposing her own pointed ears, through these were much shorter and narrowed.

"Lead the way, prince"

[Zevran]

Zevran grinned upon Corine's response. He had a feeling he had chosen well. Handing the knife to Corine, he checked his gloves. They were so similar to the ones his mother had...every time he looked at them he wondered how Aedan could have possibly known. True, the leather in this pair was thicker, but they had softened over the years. If there was one thing he couldn't stand being ruined, it would be his gloves. Returning from his thoughts he looked at the others with a flash of excitement. "Excellent! I know just the place where we can talk. Follow me!" With a slight nod and an enthusiastic smile, the former Crow started casually down the street. His foot steps seemed unnaturally light as he made his way across several alleys and down the bricked side streets. He did not look back to make sure the others were following him, only keeping his eyes forward and his pace steady. The Corine's father's words had not bothered Zevran in the least, in fact they were probably some of the nicest words a father had ever said to him. True, he usually only ever saw them either before he cut their throat or bedded their daughter, but it still counted for something.

After many twists and turns the group made their way down to Lowtown. It was here Zevran looked at Corine. "You are an unusual woman, no? You have a family who loves you in a world that has so much pain, yet you follow a profession that many would say only serves to make things worse. Tell me...why is it you take this path?" While his question had been a serious one, the elf spoke in almost a joking manner. Turning yet again down an alley, Zevran paused. "You may wish to watch where you step, this place isn't exactly clean if you know what I mean." As he pressed on several bodies lay slumped across heaps of trash and refuse. The elves' feet soon covered in chunks of coagulating blood. The sticky substance clung to everything it touched. "I hope you don't mind, I haven't exactly had time to take care of the mess."

As they exited the alley Zevran lead the way down the steps into the alienage. His pace slowed for a moment to look at the massive tree that stood at the alienage's center. He had seen many alienages before in both Antiva as well as Ferelden, but each time he looked upon those trees a single thought always went through his head. How many elves have peed on this one?

Taring his gaze away from the tree Zevran continued on to a relatively inconspicuous house Zevran was sure Corine would recognize as her uncle's. It was here he stopped completely and turned around. "Should I knock or you?"

[corineshalen]

"Lead and we shall follow", the younger female remarked, following him across the market. Even at the first steps, his past as a crow became much more believable. Despite wearing boots in leather, they barely made a sound against the cold stone, his movements being fluid and steady. Had she not been paying so close attention, he could probably walk right by without anyone taking notice. A valuable skill if your target was in a large crowd, or if coin was screaming to get stolen.

Zevran must have spend quite awhile in Kirkwall, since he easily navigated them through the smaller streets, using the dark streets to get to his destination. Just how long had he been here? Kirkwall wasen`t short of people who had lived there their entire life, yet they could easily get lost. So either he had very good memory, or he had just proven how silly humans could be.

As they entered Lowtown, he suddenly began to speak again, directing his questions to her motivations for doing this kind of things. "My handsome prince, that is a cruel thing to say. I am no assassin, I simply take jobs where I can. It takes a lot of coin to keep people silent, and sometimes the best jobs are the ones that requires blood to be spilled". Tilting her head to the side, she met his eyes with hers. "Besides, I would rather kill a thousand men, more if it was needed, to keep my family from the templars...but I do my very best to avoid that".

After turning a few corners more, the former crow suddenly made a brief stop, apoligizing that he haden`t had time to..clean up? Puzzled by his words, she kept right behind him as they went down the allyway. Her confusion was lifted as they reached the halfway point, the stench of rotting corpses and drying blood violating her nose. Years of hunting and doing jobs that left a messier scene, lessened the impact of the stench through, making it easy for her to avoid stepping in the puddles of sticky blood. The last she wanted was to explain to Amon, on why she had blood on the armor.

Entering the familiar surroundings of her current home, she glanced around for any guards or templars. Of cause there were non, but it never hurt to be careful. "I should do it, unless you want your handsome face melted off"/color]. Throwing the cape over her left shoulder, she began to make a small series of weak and strong knocks, which hummed through the silent night air. As soon as the last knock had been made, the faint sound of feet running across a floor, sounded from the house.

The door was opened carefully, before a bolt of white shot out from it, pale arms wrapping around Corine`s waist. "Mamae!", the voice of a young boy sounded, its happy tone warming up the air. The source of the voice came from the ivory thing which had emerged from the house. The thing turned out to be a lean built boy with sky-blue eyes, and soft white hair that trailed down to his lower back. Half of his face was covered against the drake-skin armor of Corine, but it was easy to notice his flat and rounded ears, in contrast to those of Corine and her father. His face was strangely mature, narrowing at just the right angles to make it look like something shaped by the maker himself.

"Amon, you should be more careful when opening the doors. What if bad company had been accompanying me now?". Brushing her fingers through his hair, she led them inside the house, closing the door behind them tight. "Gramps and uncle went for a walk; they said an hour or so", the young human with an ivory crown said, as he tugged onto his mother`s hand. "How did the job go, Mamae? Did the old lady say thanks when you returned her kitty? Was it a cute kitty?"

The quality of the house was as good as you could expect from Lowtown, through it did raise itself a little above the average "hut". The layer of dust on the floor was quite thin, and a few lit candles located on small tables, casting a warm light into the main room. There was also several doors, one leading to a kitchen, the others into the deeper parts of the house.

Heh, yes she became very happy. Someone had stolen her money through, so it will be a few days before I get payment...and yes heh, it was very, very..cute". Petting his white head a little, she kneeled down, kissing him on the forehead. "Grandpa had an accident on his way home, why don`t you heal him and go to bed? I will join you after I talk businesses with the nice man here".

Lightly nudging Zevran on his shoulder, she let them through one of the doors, turning left twice before they ended up in what looked to be a bedroom, based on the rather narrow bed placed in the middle of it. Closing the door, she threw the ruined cloak onto a nearby chair, running a hand loosely through her hair.

"Now, start talking my Prince in leather boots, cause it cannot get more private than this. Unless you would prefer that I stuck you underneath the bed, while I jumped in it? At least that could be fun, no?". With a smirk on her lips again, she began to peel her gloves off, checking the stitches for any damage.

[Zevran]

With slight surprise Zevran followed Corine and the boy into the house. He had heard that she had a son, but he hadn't yet seen him with his own eyes. His white hair and paleness suggested something was off about the child. Magic probably. After all he had heard and confirmed that Corine's family had mages in it. He had to admit that he would not have expected that the boy could cast anything lethal without aid but he had misjudged people before. Another thing that surprised him about the boy was how human he looked. If the boy truly was Corine's, the only possible explanation was that the father was human. Judging by her father's reaction to him and what he had seen of the two's interactions with the newly deceased Crow, Zevran was somewhat surprised. The man must have been very skilled to get past the old man and get away...assuming that he actually had gone.

Following Corine away from the others and into a bedroom he paused as he retracted that last thought. "Indeed, private and intimate." With a chuckle he took a seat on a nearby chair before motioning for her to do the same. "While that might be fun, I'd prefer to be on top of the bed, rather then under it. But, as much as it pains me to say this, we have business to attend to first...as I am sure you have figured out by now, there never was a noble who hired you...only me. You see, it took some digging to find you, but find you I did. You see I had heard of your skill, as well as your...problems with the Chantry. While I worship the Maker as well as any other Antivan, I don't believe things are always so...simple."

Leaning forward the elf shifted in the chair. "While I have problems of my own, I cannot help but feel some form of...oh, I don't know...sympathy? And, seeing as you just scratched my back, let me offer the same to you...you are a woman of great skill and beauty. Together we could be quite the pair, no? We could make enough coin to keep all of Thedas from harming your family...now, I know that I am simply a stranger in your home, but believe me when I say that my intentions are...well...lets face it, less then pure. But know that if you refuse my offer, I will leave quietly and never bother you again. All I ask is that you consider my offer. A small group of individuals can change the world if they want to...I have seen it with my own eyes. Kill the right people for the right price and an entire country can be flipped upside down. If we work together, we could change things. Make a world safe for your son...or at the very least have a good time before we are all killed horribly."

Laughing, Zevran leaned back and folded his fingers together. "But what am I doing, talking your ears off with such a long winded speech about something other then your beauty! Tut! Perhaps I am loosing my mind! Come now, let speak of things less intense for a moment. Tell me about yourself. Tell me how a woman like you, ended up in a city like this?"

[corineshalen]

"Well, that`s how its always been. Work and boring stuff first, passionate fun afterwards". Spoken with a little smirk, she sat down in the chair in front of him, the old wood creaking like it was about to break into a hundred pieces. It held through though, as Corine peeled off her gloves, and leaned down to work on the boots. With her hands free from the fine leather, she made quick work on the left boot, taking it off while listening to the appealing voice of her company.

"All of Thedas neh? Heh, you should`t joke about things like that, cause that just might be the case". Taking off the last boot, she leaned back, crossing her left leg over the right. The armor was beautiful, and not that heavy in the end...but maker did it feel good to get some air to her toes. "The world will never be safe for mages to live in, but enough coin would certainly make it less troublesome to live in".

Leaving the comfort of the old chair, she passed by him, briefly stopping to run a hand through his blonde hair, ruffling it up a bit. "Maybe you have lost your mind, my handsome prince, and this is what your deepest fantasy looks like...but I doubt that it is the case, since I still wear clothes". Proceeding to the bed, she reached underneath it, pulling out a pair of flat-sole shoes. They were certainly less striking than the other ones, but it would keep her bare feet separated from the cold floor.

"What is there to tell? My story is one that has been told many times; We have mages in the family, so we run...run, run and run a little more, to remain free". Her fingers hooked into the edges of her pants, pulling them down in a swift movement. Instead of bare skin through, a pair of knee-long cotton pants was revealed, which were in a fine state, despite having spend hours tugged underneath an armor. "But I doubt that this will satisfy you..very well, I shall provide a short summary; I was born in Denerim and spend five years living as a normal child, but we had to flee the city. We join a traveling caravan led by a grumpy dwarf, who was quite the entertainment once he got drunk enough...ah, look at me, getting side-tracked so easily. I make for a poor storyteller".

Corine sat down onto the bed, slipping on the softer shoes. "I played around with a human noble when I was sixteen, gave birth to my little jewel, and seven years later my mom decides to slit her wrists, to keep the templars from us. Apparently she managed to kill a templar-captain and get away, but that is a different story". Removing the daggers from the hooks in the armor, she stuffed them underneath the pillow on the bed, taking a moment to place them correctly. The last thing she wanted, was for them to slip out.

"And, according to the templars, my son and grandfather are blood mages as well, so they have put up a bountry, making it hard to hide in Ferelden. Papa suggested we fled to his brother in Kirkwall, and here we are!". As if she was presenting something grand and amazing, she spread out her arms, with a smirk on the lips. "Oh, and just an hour ago, I met the prince of my dreams; dressed in beautiful leather boots, and all...quite the tale, no?". Ending on her bad impression of his accent, she removed the last piece of armor.

The curved figure that the armor had outlined, came into the light as Corine placed the armor next to the bed. Just like the pants, her blouse was also of cotton, yet it had long sleeves and clung rather tightly to the body. It was lacking any kind of V cut on the front, but the tightness of it showed put her delicate hips on full display. "As much as I enjoy your unending supply of cheesy compliments, I would like to know you better". Her head was tilted to the right, a portion off it covering up her left ear completely.

"Besides your former life as a crow, and your skills in bed which you brag about, I know little else. And it would make me more agreeable to take you up on that offer, if I knew my partner better. Unless your the sort of person, who skips the boring dialog and jumps right into the fun and steamy parts?"