◇ VII.

[hawkeward]

[A: ACTION | Around town | Mint]

[No matter who you are, whether or not she knows you, and as long as you're legal - Hawke might approach you at some point today with a devilish grin on her face and a raised eyebrow. HAAAAY BABEH. :3c]

Nice weather we're having, isn't it? Very snowy. And cold. But as long as you have someone to keep you warm...

[B: ACTION | 918 Bilko Boulevard | White Daisies | For Fenris (but his housemates are welcome to tag as well!)]

[Sometimes Hawke likes to swing by the 'Danarius' household to visit Fenris (and, previously, Bethany's drone), have a drink, and read some books with him. This is one of those times - except today, there are some daisies growing in the hedges out front. WELP.]

I found some more... quality literature for us to go through. [Naturally, she has a few cookbooks tucked under her arm. :|a] Perhaps we could turn this into a cooking lesson, hmm?

[C: ACTION | Grocery store | Milkweed]

[After getting a good whiff of some milkweed, Hawke finds the urge to flirt with and kiss everyone in sight, as well as her cute little crush on Fenris, diminished, replaced with a great desire for milk. She can be found in the dairy section, holding a gallon of milk in her hands and frowning at it.]

I know everyone says "don't drink the milk," but does that actually have any weight to it? Is it really poisoned, or is this just some bizarre anti-dairy propaganda? Inquiring minds want to know!

Comments

[hawkeward]

Oh! [Hawke brightens at the sight of the book. It's a much better read than the millionth recipe book she's discovered, that much is certain.] Curious though I am about your cooking ability, no, that will do just fine. Shartan is a touch more interesting than apple pie. Shall we, then?

[unasked_for]

Gladly. I've been practicing on my own, you know. [There's almost an eager note in Fenris' voice as he says this, as though he's looking for Hawke's approval - not something he normally feels the need to strive for, though of course he appreciates her respect and approval when he does happen to get it. He almost flinches at the tone, because there's something in it that reminds him of Orana - that anxious-to-please attitude of someone whose first thought is the pleasure of someone else.

Of course, his reasons for wanting to please Hawke are extremely different from Orana's wanting to please whoever she happened to be serving. It's merely an...unfortunate association. But not so unfortunate, he privately notes, that he doesn't still hope Hawke approves of his efforts.

He also doesn't mention that he's been practicing reading this book from where they'd last left off, either; he doesn't mind rereading parts he already knows, not if he's reading them with Hawke. They have plenty of book left to go, but he wants to draw it out as long as possible, all the same.]

Please, sit. [He gestures to the sofa, even as he flips the book open and begins rifling - carefully, thanks to his sharp gauntlets - through the pages, looking for where they'd stopped last.]

[hawkeward]

[Hawke does as she's told, and sits (as close to Fenris as possible, of course), leaning toward him eagerly. Teaching him how to read gives them something that they can share and enjoy together, without the hassle and possible danger of killing things. And the fact that they are making use of her gift to him makes it all the better - knowing that he still appreciates the gesture makes her happy and fills her with warm fuzzies.]

Have you? That's good; I'm glad. [To show it, she gives him a small, very fond smile before gesturing for him to begin.]

[unasked_for]

[Fenris' answering smile is equally small - it is Fenris, after all - but equally fond, though he finds himself dropping his gaze quickly. Maker's breath, next thing he'll be blushing.

He finds the place he last remembers leaving off with Hawke - some pages back from where he himself had last worked his way to, while he'd been defending Anders with the resurrection machine broken - and begins to read. His progress is still a bit slow and halting, but he's made great strides since they first began.

Of course, since Hawke is actually from much further in their timeline than Fenris, she may remember them having been a lot further in the book than this.]

[hawkeward]

[Hawke starts to nod along as he reads, but as Fenris goes on, that little smile of hers turns into a confused frown. It's been a while since they last read together, of course, but she can recall that they were much further along than this.]

Hold on, Fenris-- [She holds out a hand to stop him, causing their fingers to brush together for a moment - and then pulls away awkwardly. Okay, Hawke, act cool, you are not going to going to score any points like this.] We were well past this chapter, weren't we?

[unasked_for]

[Fenris almost instinctively retracts his hand, as he always does when he's unexpectedly touched...but he doesn't normally look self-conscious when he does so. He's so rarely touched, and Hawke's hand was warm - warm enough that he can still feel the heat of her fingers, even after she's pulled her hand away.

It's difficult to focus on what she's saying.] No...this is where we left off, back in Kirkwall. You...don't remember? We reached the end of the last chapter just before Varric arrived and told us we needed to come to the Hanged Man, the night Isabela got Aveline drunk enough to sing.