Inquisitor, meet Hawke: the Champion of Kirkwall

by

Silver-Eyed Rukia

Rated: T

Summary: What if Adaar and Hawke had a friendly conversation and some drinks after being introduced to each other? You never know what might happen. Friendship may blossom, arrows may nearly kill you...you know, the usual for the heroes.

Pairing: Adaar x Sera; Adaar x FemHawke friendship

Note: This isn't beta-ed, so please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.

"Inquisitor, meet Hawke: the Champion of Kirkwall."

"Though I don't use that title much anymore."

The infamous mage calmy strode down the stairs to meet with her friend and the Inquisitor, the ghost of a smile never leaving her lips as she approached them. It only seemed to widen at the sight of the Inquisiton's leader if anything.

"Hawke, the Inquisitor. I thought you might have some friendly advice about Corypheus. You and I did fight him after all."

The ravenhaired apostate bowed her head lightly, as did the Inquisitor as Varric stepped aside to give the pair some room to talk. Hawke eyed the Qunari and grinned as she rested her arms on the wall in front of her.

"You've already dropped half a mountain on the bastard, I'm pretty sure anything I can tell you pales in comparison."

"Oh, I don't know. I heard that you once saved a city from a horde of rampaging Qunari."

The Champion's head turned to face the taller woman, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't really see how that applies. Unless there is a horde of rampaging Qunari I don't know about?"

The horned woman crossed her arms over her chest, eyes fixed on the mage and face stern.

"I am a horde of rampaging Qunari."

The sound of Hawke's merry laughted filled the air and Adaar only watched the display with a mixed look of amusement and curiosity.

"You have to excuse me, your Worship, but I do actually believe that. Seeing you say it with a straight face though was beyond my expectations. Not that I am used to anything else concerning your people but hey, no offense."

The Vashoth eyed Varric shortly and the dwarf only shrugged in response before taking a sip of his alcoholic beverage, skillfully avoiding any responsibilities that might come out of this rather interesting meeting,

"They are not my people, Serah." The word was spoken with a harsh edge, nearly qualifying as an unspoken threat as the taller woman took a step forward, towering over Hawke who was still slightly bend down. "Qunari and Vashoth may be the same race, but they are hardly the same people. Much like your templars and mages are all human yet nothing alike except for their violent tendencies."

Varric hid his smirk behind his bottle as Hawke scratched the back of her head with her non-armored hand, looking at the Inquisitor with an apologetic smile.

"It seems that my mouth has run off without my head again. I didn't mean it as an insult by any means, my lady. I realize the carelessness of my statement though and apologize. I know the difference between Qunari and Tal-Vashoth, better than most probably. Even if I have to yet encounter an ordinary Vashoth eager enough to converse with a human, a mage nonetheless."

Adaar couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about the Champion that made forgiving her so much easier than it would have been for pretty much anyone else. She nodded in understanding, taking a mental note to watch herself carefully around the apostate or she might just be swayed by her charme.

"No offense taken, I was just trying to lie out the differences between those two groups."

"And that you did, as subtle as a Bronto", Hawke replied before raising her hands in defense. "Okay, okay. Shutting up now."

Bianca's owner gave his friend a short wave before adressing the Inquisitor with a friendly advice.

"That's who she is, don't get upset over it. Give Hawke a fair chance on who knows, you may end up actually liking her. It's how it worked out for me."

And with that he departed, leaving the two women to silently stare off into space until the mage dropped the farce, her silver eyes serious and her face stern.

"Corypheus was dead, I made sure of it. No human being can survive what we threw at him."

"Human beings maybe, but he is more than that. Whatever he used to be, he is now a darkspawn trying to ascend into godhood." Adaar watched as the apostate unconsciously traced the scar adorning the left side of her face, wondering if it was a habit or if she was remembering something.

"I don't pretend to be happy-go-lucky to make things easier for Varric, Inquisitor", Hawke said as she stood to her full height, being much smaller than the Qunari but not an inch less intimidating. "But he already has enough weight to carry that I put on his shoulders. The capture, the interrogation, all of it. So before you ask, no. I would never lie to him, but I would keep things from him if it means keeping him safe."

"You are not what I expected, Champion."

Hawke's smirk returned in full force as she patted the Vashoth's back, guiding her down the stairs towards the tavern.

"I know, I'm even more stunning in real life. Now, how about a pint? Or six?"

The tavern was empty except for a few off-duty guards and the ever-present bartender. Bull and his chargers were currently off on a mission including Vints and their Venatori cult, leaving the establishment in much quieter company than when they were around. The apostate and the warrior were sitting at a table close to the entrance, Adaar facing the bar and Hawke facing the door.

"I must apologize for the rough start we had, I had meant no disrespect. But the joke about Qunari was too good to pass up on, even if I used it on one of the most influencial women of our time, your Worship"

The pair had just sat down after ordering their drinks and the mage was already back to her humorous, seemingly easy-going self. The warrior shook her head and took a sip out of her mug, enjoying the harsh burn the alcohol left in her throat.

"It's Adaar. I don't need any more people worshipping me as the Herald, especially not a hero such as yourself, Serah."

"Fine then, I'll drop the ass-kissing if you do the same. It's Hawke. Or well, Liara if you really wish to know my name. Not that anyone ever adressed me as such but hey, you might just be the first. Second, actually. Isabela always used to shout it when we-", the mage interrupted herself with a generous gulp from her pint, smiling at the memory. "Varric most likely told you already. I love the stumpy-legged man but damn can he not shut his mouth sometimes. Isabela is my...partner. We haven't been in contact much lately due to the circumstances but I know she's off playing admiral and having fun."

A short break followed and Hawke added as an after-thought: "Well, not too much fun I hope."

The Vashoth couldn't help the smile creeping unto her face and the mage slammed her mug down on the table as she noticed the change of expression, splashing some of the contencts over the table.

"I knew it! Qunari do have the facial muscles required for smiling! Vashoth, I mean."

"We can also laugh, but you might want to calm down first before seeing it or you might have a heart-attack."

"And humor? This trip is already worth it. Here I thought I'd die with the words "Do Qunari feel happiness?" engraved into my tombstone."

The pair shared a laugh at the absurdity of their conversation, ordering another round as they engrossed in further conversation.

"What's it like, being the owner of all this? I still remember the feeling I had when I first entered the mansion in Hightown...like everything I had done up to this point had been worth it. I managed to give my mother and brother a new home, even if the later went ahead and joined the templars. He rarely ever came over after that."

Adaar stared at her own reflection on the ale's surface, pondering the question in her head.

"I don't know, sometimes. It's good using the Inquisition's resources to help, but having the power of commanding such an army, of deciding the fate of a nation at my fingertips...my friends keep me grounded, on the right path." The Inquisitor faced the woman across from her, knowing that she understood how she felt, how it felt to have both the burden and the blessing of being a leader. "And they are what keeps me going, no matter what actions I have to take to end this war, once and for all."

The apostate raised her mug, smiling and snapping her fingers, creating a little lightning spark to celebrate her newfound friendship with the Vashoth. "To our friends. And the ones that we may soon call such."

Hawke's smile never wavered, not even when an arrow stopped mere inches before her head, caught by one of Adaar's big hands. "See? Being friends with you already payed off."

The Qunari stood to her full height, angrily staring up to the first floor of the tavern as her eyes landed on the painfully familiar outline of the blonde elf residing in the establishment. Several guards followed the Inquisitor's lead, rising from their seats, hands ready to draw their swords and daggers if ordered to do so but Adaar reassured them to stay where they were. "No need to intervene, you may continue enjoying your time off duty, soldiers." Arrow in hand she ascended the stairs, never breaking eye-contact with the owner of the weapon still resting between her fingers. When she finally stood in front of Sera, gaze tearing holes into the archer's conscious, she didn't yell, nor did she ask about the "why". She simply looked at her because she knew if Sera had words to work with she'd find a way to turn it around on her. But silence she couldn't deal with, and it showed. The elf fled into her room and Adaar followed after giving Hawke a sincere nod of apology. The Champion just gave a sloppy salute and was already using her charme to get Maryden to drink with her. Or sing. Maybe even both.

Upon entering the small room the warrior found her love stabbing little holes into her windowsill with an arrow, unconsciously forming a heart.

"I hate it when you do that, you know."

"Stay completely reasonable when you just tried to shoot the Champion of Kirkwall? I can see how that's an action to be despised."

"Stop shitting me!" Sera yelled and turned around to face Adaar, looking as if she couldn't decide to be angry or sad or worried or something in between. "I know nothing of magic, yeah? So you don't get to blame me for being cautious when I spot you being so friendly with one of them mages. Never know when they might twist you into thinking you like them when you really don't." Greyish-blue eyes turned gentle as the owner mumbled something into her non-existing beard, "I also didn't know it was the Champion."

"You can not simply decide these things on your own. I'm the Inquisitor, and who I speak with and how I do it is none of your business as long as it stays within the Inquisition and the consequent duties." Her words were harsh and she knew that Sera's intention weren't evil, but her way of procedure simply wasn't acceptable and deep down she knew that even the elf realized that. She just didn't know of any other way to deal with these things, things concerning magic and the spellcasters using it. Much like Cole, who believed that putting people out of their misery by killing them was the only way to truly ease their pain until Varric showed him another path.

The rogue stayed silent, so unlike herself, and the Inquisitor was torn between getting angry and trying to reason with the elf. She eventually gave up on thinking about it and flung the arrow against the window frame to blow off some steam.

"Well, thank you ever so kindly for trusting in my reflexes then because otherwise you and Varric would be having a problem now. I don't think he'd take you killing his best friend lightly."

"If I'm so stupid why bother with me then? Could find someone better than this daft tit I bet."

Footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent room as the horned woman approached the archer slowly, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close, even as Sera tried to wrestle her way out of the embrace but eventually gave up, wrapping her own arms around the much taller woman and burrying her face in her chest.

"This isn't a dream, innit? I already lost you once, dream land or no, and that incident with the Magi-whatever in Redcliffe. I just saw you and that mage and damnit you make me feel stupid."

Adaar smiled gently as the rouge pulled back, lightly slapping her arm, and she bent down to plant a soft kiss on her unevenly cut bangs. "I love you too. But promise me to not spick every mage with arrows that so happens to have a conversation with me. There has to be another way for you to make sure I'm not being too friendly with mages of unknown background to you than trying to scatter their insides all over the wall."

The smaller woman scrunched up her nose at the thought. "Ew, no. You know I hate that. But I could try to not hit them, just scare them off with an arrow between the legs or close to their heads?"

"We will think about something, but not now. You may come up to my chambers later so we can go over it, sounds good?"

Sera nodded and blushed slightly, sitting down in her chair and crossing her legs. "You apologize to her for me, yeah? I don't want to get turned into a toad. Maybe tell her she's pretty, for a mage, if that gets her off my case."

The Vashoth placed two fingers below the elf's chin and lifted her head, pressing a passionate kiss against her full lips before exiting the room with one last statement.

"You better be good tonight and make up for it then."

The apostate was well into her 6th pint as the Inquisitor returned to her seat at the table, Maryden sitting to her right with an expression that clearly said that she didn't know what to make of the situation she was in. The guards had also settled back down into their various activities including games of Wicked Grace and just simple conversations. They trusted their leader's judgement, but Adaar knew that any of them would be ready to draw their blades again if the situation called for it, off-duty or no.

"And she finally returns! I was about to be worried when I didn't hear any make-up sex from you two but your lovely minstrel kept me entertained enough to not linger on that thought for too long." A short pause before she continued in a less enthusiastic, quieter voice: "Damn it Isabela, you're rubbing off on me. Oh, and also: 6th drink. Told you."

Adaar excused the poor bard with a reassuring nod and she fled the table with a polite bow towards the Champion, cheeks still flushed from the unfamiliar attention she had received.

"I am sorry for-".

"Your lover's concern regarding an apostate flinging magic into your face? I don't think that's neccessary." Hawke dropped the smile and replaced it with a look of amazement instead. "You think I am upset because of that? Quite the contrary. It's good to know that you have someone who cares so much for you that she even notices this little get-together we have. It also gave me an insight on your reflexes, Inquisitor. Remind me to test them myself one of these days. But you needn't have bothered, really." The mage turned her wrist around in a quick motion, revealing the barrier that surrounded her since Maker knows how long. "I've been in this business long enough to know when to be on guard and when not."

A raised eyebrow accompanied the words following the Champions statement: "So, always be on guard and never don't be."

Hawke grinned and downed her last pint.

"Exactly. Now would you be so kind to show me where Varric's at? I still need to hex the hell out of him for that book he wrote about me."

Note: My Hawke in DAII was mostly humorous, but also serious when the situation called for it. Romanced Isabela, kicked the Arishok's ass to gain the lady's favour and was best friends with Varric, Merrill being like a sister to her. Disliked Carver in a sibling kind of way, thought Anders was a nut-case and helped Aveline get over her awkward flirting attempts. Flirted rather openly with Tallis (Isabela suggesting a threesome, what? :D) and and and. But that's some of it ;)

Annotation: In German we use the comma after the direct speech, like this: "Bla bla", [subject name here] said. (Kudos to anyone who gets the reference by the way). So please bear with it, it's too much work to go back and change it every time.

Happy New Year! Well, it was like...what? 2 hours ago here in Germany. So yay, I'm late to the party. Or early, for some of you lot.

Oh, and somewhat intoxicated while writing this so there MAY be more mistakes than usually. No promises though because I know you love pointing them out! :D

Anyways, here's the first step towards my New Year's Resolution (of writing more than I did last year. Ugh.): another Dragon Age story with even more Adaar x Sera, even if it's not the main focus here this time. Well, kinda. I was just disappointed with the lack of conversation material concerning Hawke. It was a sad excuse considering what they could have done with it. Especially since my Hawke is a humorous little shit :D As you probably noticed. I hope that I captured her well enough to be recognized as funHawke.

Alright, shutting up now and leaving you alone with my senseless rambling^^

PS: You can certainly expect more FemHawke from me, because I love her too much for her to only be around during the Adamant Questline. Such a waste of great character :/

Phrase of the Day

"So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways"

"Raise your Glass" by Pink (P!nk)

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