No matter how well they tried to hide themselves, she could sense them tracking her movements through the forests towards Rivain. Their loyalties mattered little to the Princess, it was the inconvenience they’d created in her attempt to shirk her royal cloak for being no-one. While her plan of action was still in its development, being caught and returned to the Palace was not conducive to it. She would be no-one’s puppet or prize, to be used for anyone else’s means but her own. Everything going on was a blot on the legacy left by her father and she would have those responsible eradicated from existence.
But to do that, she needed power, skills to take her chance and, perhaps, allies in taking her revenge. These idiots, however, wouldn’t survive an outing with the current level. This would be childsplay.
Slowing the pace of her mount, Addy swung her leg over to dismount, guiding it towards the stream passing by the roadside. While she could sense them, her influence over them was waned by the physical distance. It didn’t matter, sooner or later they would creep closer, closing the gap where her mind’s eye could hone in and enrapture them. In the meantime she’d play house, tend to her stolen steed and wait.
Zevran’s life had been filled the crows, either being forced to work for them, or his efforts to try to bring them down. He was always on the go, not really staying in one place for long, when he wasn’t working with the Vultures to take down the Crows, he was doing jobs for the Red Jennies. It was a go go go lifestyle for him, and though he usually felt that was fine, he was getting up there in years and wasn’t as young as he used to be.
This particular day he was on his way to a wealthy noble’s home, in order to steal something back that did not belong to him, when he came across some men stalking someone. He was up in a tree and didn’t catch everything they were saying, but enough that he didn’t like where it was headed if the men found their prey. So naturally Zevran began stalking the men.
They weren’t terribly well coordinated, one went down with simply a gasp. Then as Zevran killed another, he looked into the clearing beyond and realised he must have finally come upon the men’s prey. It looked to be a girl in the clearing, though he couldn’t tell much from where he was standing. He could tell it was a girl, but he couldn’t see her face at the moment.
He stepped out of the clearing, assuming he’d been quite quiet, and then cleared his throat, all while keeping a safe distance from the girl. After all, just because seemingly bad men were stalking her, didn’t mean she was helpless or someone he should trust.
You keep some rather interesting company, what is it you could have done to receive such attentions. I hope you don’t mind, but I, uh, took care of a couple of them. he flashed a grin, not that she could see it, but then he didn’t know yet who he was dealing with.
A soft smirk settled across her lips. His words amused her, though not for the reason he might think.
The Princess had sensed his joining in the chase, though until the first of the two had ceased to breath she’d believed him a third. He thought his approach quiet, undiscovered, but the idle thoughts of the mind echoed his location without sound. The second would-be assassin fell, their impression burned briefly but soon was smothered into nothing as the man passed on.
Adaria merely stroked the mare’s neck while he made his way through into the edge of the clearing. No. It was his attempt to keep a safe distance that amused the young woman. While there were limits to how far she could extend her will, concentrating it within this distance would find no hindrance. Yet things did not have to go so rudely.
Her hood tilted, musing over his words for a long moment. [color=#b20080]“Firstly, I’m a rather interesting person. Interesting company is only natural.”[/color] Drawing her hand away from the horse's mane she’d pull her hood down, shaking out her hair as her body turned. [color=#b20080]“Second. Someone is just mad I burned their prized tavern. Only it didn’t belong to them, it belonged to my Fath-” [/color]
She didn’t finish, only expelling a long sigh to calm her irritation. [color=#b20080]“So… what? Do you want a medal?”[/color] Lips curled into a smirk, knees bending to offer a mock curtsey. [color=#b20080]“Well. Thank you, complete stranger, for the unneeded rescue.” [/color]
Who says I was rescuing you, perhaps I just didn’t want to let you have all the fun… Zevran wasn’t about underestimating people, sure she looked like a girl, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have taken out the men stalking her, but he was in the area, and not the sort that could just walk away either. It just wasn’t in his nature. He looked at the girl, then tilted his head. Something was familiar about her, but at the moment why she looked familiar was alluding him. He met a lot of people day to day, but this felt different, like she was out of place or something and him not being able to remember why was beginning to bug the ever loving piss out of him. He squinted his eyes slightly, maybe he’d been drunk when they’d met.
I don’t know if you get this a lot, but I could swear I know you from somewhere. Have we met before? The more he looked the more a growing feeling of, ‘no fucking way’ filled him. No that couldn’t be, that didn’t make any sense at all. It was simply his eyes playing tricks on him. That was it, this person just looked like someone recognisable, it couldn’t actually be them. That was absurd, or was it. Wait, why would you burn down a tavern? He had so many questions.
Adaria’s head tilted to one side. She didn’t need her magic to delve into his mind and tell her he didn’t quite mean it. [color=#b20080]“Well…,” [/color]eyes locked on to his, and for a moment Zevran would hear her words echo in his mind instead of his ears. [color=#b20080]You took all the fun, but I don’t have time for childish games of hide and seek anymore.[/color]
Flashing him a smile, Adaria withdrew her mind, returning to him the privacy of his own thoughts. [color=#b20080]“I don’t… and do. My family are… well, it’s complicated. But no, we’ve never met.”[/color] Bitter amusement caused her to flick her hair back over one shoulder. Perhaps it was good he couldn’t place her, less danger she’d have to get her hands dirty and snap his neck. Things were forever in flux, however. Ending him would be easier than the thought it took to lift her pinkie, yet the question about the tavern caught her off guard.
Her brow furrowed, a small scoff of a laugh tumbled out. A hand began hesitantly gesturing. [color=#b20080]“I.. admit I was a little upset.” [/color]
Zevran tilted his head at the words about her family and it being complicated. She seemed certain they’d never me though, so he wasn’t sure what else to say on the topic, beyond still feeling like he was looking at someone he should know. He definitely didn’t want to push it, familiar or not, he didn’t know her, and didn’t want to fight with someone he didn’t know.
Well, show me a family that isn’t complicated and I’ll give you five gold. It made him think of his own fucked up family. Father abandoned, mother dead, sold off by the brothel owner to the Crows to pay his mother’s debts. He did his best to push those memories out of his mind and focus on the girl in front of him.
I suppose one would have to be, to burn down a tavern. Personally I could think of better things to burn down in a fit or rage, but to each their own. I can’t really talk much about rage issues, after all I’ve spent the last nearly twenty years trying to dismantle the Crows, not a light undertaking and probably not one I will see to fruition before I die. Not that he planned to retire, no he’d die doing what he did, but he felt it was a worthy cause. Not that he saw all the Talons as bad, no he felt there were at least a couple that were worthy to lead a band of assassins, but not the majority.
The truth of his words caused a hollow chuckle to escape her, void of melody and music.[color=#9a00b2] “You are charming, I’ll grant you that and quite right.”[/color] Eyes left his for a moment while she mused, debated if she would provide more insight or not. How was her family situation best described … messy? Yet he seemed keenly more interested in the destruction than the reasons behind it. His last few words fully captured her attention though, her head snapping back towards him.
What? Dismantling the Crows? Adaria’s brow furrowed, head tilting the other way as she looked over him more closely. Memories flitted through her mind, back to the days learning from her father about the various power houses in their beloved homeland. Wait. He wasn’t…
[color=#9a00b2]“...You’re Zevran Aranai.” [/color]The recognition in her face became clearer. [color=#9a00b2]“My father mentioned you. Praised you for your efforts. You.”[/color] A genuine smile brimmed to the surface.[color=#9a00b2] “You’re a bit of a legend.” [/color]She had no memory, or knowledge of her father ever meeting the assassin, but knowing him, a drink was perhaps shared? [color=#9a00b2]“He’d be angry with me though. The Royale was his favourite, but it was better than letting her have it.”[/color]
While there was a part of Zevran that was still trying to figure out why the girl looked so familiar, he wasn’t expecting to be suddenly recognised by her. Though certainly not the first time he’d been recognised by someone by his deeds, and certainly wouldn’t be the last.
He grinned, it was always a boon to his ego when someone did, especially since he was quite proud of his work against the Crows. Though he was also proud of his work with the Red Jennies, but that work was far less known by most circles. He bowed slightly, still grinning ear to ear.
Ah, why yes, yes I am. Your father, well I do the best I can. It’s not entirely that I’m against assassins in general as a career choice of course, but the methods of the Crows. How can slavery truly be dead outside of Tevinter when the Crows are allowed to treat people like they do. It can be described as nothing less than slavery itself. Not that she needed to hear it, he imagined she was perfectly knowledgeable in the customs of the Crows.
When the conversation turned back to the girl’s father, he listened and nodded. Then his eyes brightened up as she mentioned The Royale. He knew that establishment all too well, and although he considered mentioning it was one of his favourite establishments in Antiva, another thought crossed his mind. He knew all too well who owned The Royale, and she’d mentioned, or at least started, to say the word father earlier. Suddenly he was putting two and two together and coming up with four. He grinned even bigger.
Why you must be. Now, you can’t be. Has it really been so long that you’re all grown up now? Though it would explain why you look so familiar. Last time I saw you, you barely reached your father’s knee. More questions flooded his brain, but the biggest thing that came to mind of all, was the fact that the last news he’d heard about the royal family, was that Frankie was dead, though not before having passed on the crown to one of his sons, but just the same. Zevran didn’t look at her with pity though, life was hard, something even princesses weren’t safe from. No, all that was going through his mind now, was how he could help.
Adaria chuckled. Yes. This was indeed Arainai. She played her part as a member of the Royal house. While she rarely graced court with her presence, faring her books and tinkerings to the mundane plots played by those in her age group, she was not immune to the news, rumours, thoughts flicking through busy bodied minds.
[color=#9a00b2]“I remember my Father telling me of House Arainai. How he toasted and spat on the grave when it came to the funeral.”[/color] It was only fitting that a cruel and terrible man be given an equally disgraceful end. Just a man in a box, tossed off the end of a pier. To rot at the bottom of Antiva City’s harbour. [color=#9a00b2]“He did what he could to enforce his own change,”[/color] but what had that got him? Betrayal and later exile, forced into hiding and living on the run.
Her eyes drew back to his when he mentioned her father. Eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of tension slipped into her shoulders. Her father’s knee? Suspicion melted into uncertainty. How close had these two men come within reach of one another? Shared a drink, or in her fathers case, been the one rescued from whatever misfortune had befallen him.
Adaria let out a bitter laugh that quickly faded into silence. With a sigh, she offered Zevran an acceptable curtsey. [color=#9a00b2]“The one and only. I must have been quite young then. Now I am more than a mere girl.” [/color]
Zevran was really starting to enjoy the exchange between him and once Princess of Antiva, that and the fact that his feeling that she looked familiar was in fact for a valid reason, which also made him feel good. He liked it when his feelings were right, which generally happened at least a little bit more often than being wrong.
Well if we and the Vultures have our way, we’ll see more of the talons and cuchilos dismantled. At least weed out all the bad seeds and traditionalists who would rather die than see change. I’m afraid there won’t be a place for them in the future I see for Antiva. Though he didn’t expect to live to see it, he did expect to do his part for as long as he was able.
She was definitely more than a mere girl, and considering the news he’d heard out of Antiva, about Frankie though he the news about Alfred the butler had been vaguer. Something about a fire, but now that he’d heard about the tavern from Addy, he was even more confused about what happened to Alfred.
Well, could any daughter of Frankie’s be a mere anything? No, if you are even a fraction of your father, I imagine you’ll do great things. I’ve heard the news. If there’s anything, anything at all I can do, my daggers are always at your disposal. He didn’t offer condolences, or sympathies, no that wasn’t the sort of man he was, and he imagined it was the last thing that Addy wanted to hear right now. She had enough people in her life to offer such things. No, Zevran was angry at the idea that Frankie was murdered so easily, and if he could lend a hand in avenging that, it wasn’t even a question.
She had to admit, his grin was infectious. Enough that Adaria lowered her guard, the tension in her shoulders relaxing while hands gathered in the small of her back.
[color=#9a00b2]“A noble cause. Something you and my father share, he spent his reign with Antiva’s future in mind. It’s why he fought so hard.”[/color] She never doubted her father’s love for his people. Not when she had sneaked out, watched him mingle and listen with the commoners. The trivial problems of the nobility and the Game played between Talon houses and Merchants were nothing to the suffering of Antiva’s foundations.
She caught the flicker of confusion across his face, lips twitched, almost apologetic. The grip, the control over her emotions tightened, yet relaxed once no apologies fell afterwards. [color=#9a00b2]“Your offer is a kind one. But I do not need a babysitter, an advisor perhaps. I don’t intend to let my father’s killers go lightly, nor quietly.” [/color]
The world would definitely be a little duller without Frankie Campana in it, he wasn’t just a leader, but someone that Zevran truly respected and admired. He simply nodded at the comments about it being a noble cause. Honestly there were times he wasn’t sure now much of it was noble and how much was just an angry bitter elf wanting to stick it to the organisation that had stolen his childhood.
There was a time in his childhood, he blamed everyone for his problems, not just the House Arainai and the Crows in general, but the royal family and the merchant princes because he felt like they allowed the travesties that the Crows committed to happen. It wasn’t until he was an adult that he came to understand just how much more complicated the situation really was.
For a moment, when she mentioned babysitter, he almost said out loud that if he thought she needed a babysitter he’d call on Alfred, but with the butler dead he simply chuckled and shook his head slightly.
You’re far too old for a babysitter. I suspect you’ve been too old for a babysitter for quite awhile now truth be told. She seemed rather mature for her age, though off the top of his head he couldn’t do the math to try and remember how old she might be. No, it has nothing to do with me thinking you need looking out for. Your father deserved better, and if I can help you bring the justice he deserves, then I will help in whatever capacity you require.
The full smile that spread across Adaria’s face almost completely changed her appearance. For the briefest of moments, the mask fell. [color=#9a00b2]“Thank you,”[/color] returning it with a distinctly Frankie-like grin. [color=#9a00b2]“I did have a bodyguard, but I can’t say they are any good,”[/color] gesturing to the lack of a shadowing tin can. She was long past outwitting and out manoeuvring any sort of obvious surveillance. Perhaps it was also in her genetics, along with the demons and shadows that haunted her father.
Her cool demeanour returned as both thoughts and conversation returned to her father. Adaria would nod, thinking it over. While scraps of plots had been aired, thrown out to the ether, none had an outlook she could use… unless.
A devious curl slipped into her lips, her sharp hues finding his serious, but daring. [color=#9a00b2]“Yes. I think there’s something you could help me with. It’ll help both our causes actually and unsettle the players if we… pay one a visit in a few weeks?”[/color] She’d need time to prepare, settle other matters first before waltzing back into Antiva City.[color=#9a00b2] "My aunt is fond of charming guests so do stop by before then."[/color]
Zevran definitely perked up when Addy said that she could indeed use his help with something. Then when she mentioned it was something that would serve both their causes, he perked up doubly. It was always fun when two people’s goals aligned.
Now, he knew she was a mage, but he had no idea how skilled she was as one. She was determined certainly, and of course he’d heard the occasional rumour, but even those were few as far as anything he could reasonably attribute to having to do with Addy. He considered asking her, but as he looked at her, he didn’t see a weak timid mage. He saw a fighter, someone willing to do anything to avenge their father. He pushed the questions to the back of his mind.
Well, colour me intrigued. A few weeks eh? I think I can work it around my schedule. Is your aunt still in Orlais? Zevran asked, and paused, he knew Mica had attended the funerals, so he assumed she was headed back to Orlais after. He had some friends in common with Mica, so their paths had crossed a bit more frequently with each other over the years than they had with the other Campanas, especially when Mica was in Orlais.
Eyes cast off to the side as she thought on steps, positions of the various pieces, but it was achievable. An element of satisfaction filled her smile, this chance encounter and his intervention had produced a favourable opportunity. His piqued interest only bloomed when she explained the result would also lend to his own cause.
Adaria carried herself with secure confidence in herself and her family’s position. Any slither of weakness aired could spell all manner of disaster, and she heeded her father’s words.
[color=#c14700]Mind the room, watch the windows, check the corners. Eyes and ears lurk in all manner of corners and while you may not set off an immediate trap, they could leave one in wait. The position of the crown is always coveted, not often by noble men.
[/color]So, she had kept most of her talents and abilities carefully obscured, cloaked from prying eyes, unless she had needed to make a point. She still had her family’s reputation to uphold, and she would command respect, just not always with magic.
[color=#9a00b2]“I have things… to do before then. Yes, she has an estate there. There’s also to be a wedding I believe. Perhaps a week after that?”[/color] The wedding would be an excuse to step out, give the spies something to prattle about, back to the ears waiting on news of her whereabouts. Adaria refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her weak and her prolonged absence from the societal engagements garnered questions.
