twoforsurprise | One Short Day In Antiva City

One Short Day In Antiva City

Davrin might have forgotten Lucanis' offer about the tailor, but he had not. Not all of their excursions were for fighting demons or cultists or darkspawn, and eventually Rook was going treasure hunting on the Rivani coast with Taash and Harding. And just them. Quite adamant that only Taash and Harding were needed, in fact.

Andraste preserve them, Rook was apparently becoming interested in matchmaking.

It worked out, though. The timing. Lucanis ever so casually mentions that Davrin promised to assist him in some errands in Antiva and Rook is just so happy they're not at each other's throats that they're told to not take however long they need. Lucanis makes a mental note to pick up something nice for Rook when they're in Antiva City.

Ah, Antiva City. A less beautiful Treviso, Lucanis used to say. That was before the Ossuary, before the occupation, before the blight. Now it's hard to not see everything that's been lost. He doesn't insult Davrin by assuming the man can't keep up with the Crow routes along the rooftops and across ziplines, so much faster than the weaving crowded streets up the hill the city is built on overlooking the harbor the few times they need to duck down to street level.

"Should be right around - ah, there it is," Lucanis declares once they're half way up the hill, the financial district of the city settled between the Palace at the top and the harbor and all the wealth the shipping industry brings. This time when he drops down to the street level it is where they'll stay for the time being, heading to an understated store front with a simple hanging sign that looks like an embroidered rose carved into the wood of it.

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Davrin was unfortunately right. It was why Lucanis had made the comment about needing new measurements in the first place. It would take long enough to get back to his old self - especially with the struggles of dealing with the problem that was Spite - that there was little point in not simply accepting the way things were now and just adjusting again as needs be later on. That was what he was trained to do. Accept. Endure. Move forward when you can.

"Very well, if you're certain," Lucanis said, all proper graciousness. Unlike Davrin he's not just getting shirts but the whole measurements re-done, which means undressing down to smallclothes. Davrin had already seen him sans pants, so that's not much different. His wound is also healing well, no longer needing bandaging, the energy burn marks are down to barely darker shadows against skin and the stitched part holding together nicely. Probably nicer than he would have done for himself, half-assing it because he knew he could. His torso and arms were much the same with a few scars here and there - an expected amount from a year imprisoned by Venatori who had a very personal grudge against the 'the magekiller'. And yes, ribs and spine a little to clear under skin. Something unexpected though - a series of horizontal scars along his back, dozens of them, the kind from repeated hits. A couple were less than a year old, likely from the torture, but the vast majority of them were old. Years old. Maybe even decades. And perhaps more tellingly, while La Rosa was too much of a professional to let too many feelings show his brow furrowed slightly at Lucanis' thinness when the assassin was turned away, arms held out for the tape.

He didn't even blink at the scars on the back. These were a known quantity for him.

Lucanis asked how the clientele in Antiva City was compared to Treviso, and La Rosa obligingly filled the silence.

He was looking. He was looking and he knew Lucanis would know he was looking, because he there was no escaping the multiangled tailor mirrors in this room. He should probably stop.

But he was still looking.

The good news was he wouldn't ever feel subpar about his stitching when it came to patching up Lucanis. The scars may be straight and neat, professionally done, but no attention had gone in to preventing the lingering marks. If Lucanis' brother was half as vain as the man seemed to suggest, no wonder he had a particular bone to pick with his upbringing. It wasn't just his back, either. Legs, arms. A lifetime marked before the torture.

Said he'd get us out, but he stays.

Just how many people could Lucanis stand to escape from?

The only help Davrin was in filling the silence was reaching for another pastry, chewing softly. And looking.

Lucanis, like Davrin, is good at holding still and moving when directed and only then. These are also modifications to what he already has, so while he is getting everything measured again it goes relatively quickly, and soon enough La Rosa is stepping back making more little marks on his notebook and Lucanis is pulling his clothing back on.

"I will send a few things to be altered in the coming weeks, please take your time with them."

"Of course, of course, just a few moments," the older dwarven man said, ducking back into the back rooms once more.

Lucanis took up his coffee cup to settle on the chaise again.

"You should join Taash and me. Build the muscle back."

Pull-ups, push-ups, weight lifting, just generally challenging each other until they were ready to pass out. It was all fair game when practicing with the dragon hunter, and Davrin couldn't claim it wasn't having results for the both of them. He paused for half a moment, the sheer amount of watching he'd just done requiring something to soften that sentence.

"And teach them how to fight in a cape."

One of them alone was quite a handful at times, Lucanis was not certain how he would feel being 'outnumbered' by both of them at once. Then again. Taash was not remotely afraid of Spite or of Lucanis for his connection with the demon, and Davrin had been having the best luck keeping him in line. Perhaps this was the ideal group for it. Even if his fighting style was completely opposite to either of theirs.

One attempt couldn't hurt. If it went terribly, he wouldn't have to make a second.

That last part got a small smile from him.

"Yes, they seem quite interested in that, and it takes some getting used to..."

"Especially with the fire. We should do the first one outside."

Could the Lighthouse burn down? It was dragon fire. Who knew. Davrin was just sure he wasn't particularly interested in finding out. Last thing he needed as all of Neve's sad whisps following them around because their room was ashes.

He shook his head a little, clearing all that. Now that all was said and done and Lucanis actually had taken his own medicine as well, Davrin looked over at him from the corner of his eye.

"Thanks."

Tit for tat, right? And in truth Lucanis probably would have ended up feeling uncomfortable if it hadn't ended up a little equal between them. Poking Davrin was fun because they were on even ground, even if they were standing in very different places.

"Anytime. We need the team to look respectable, after all," he replied, but his smile was a little softer for it.

And La Rosa saved them both from too many feelings, returning with a wrapped parcel in a bag that was the shirt, a second wrapped parcel that he informed them was a few more cornettos for later, and a written note in neat handwriting naming two butchers in Antiva City and approximate directions for how to get there.

"You are both too generous sometimes," Lucanis said, shaking La Rosa's hand as he stood.

"Ah, your family has taken care of ours, if we are talking about being too generous. Whatever we can do for you, we will. Please take care. It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Ser Warden."

Davrin made all the appropriate thanks and requests the same go to the wife and finally, finally, they were back on the street. With only slightly bruised prides and fuller stomachs.

"That butcher list better not be another trick. These are good boots."

He'd gotten them off a fallen commander during a dark spawn raid on a village when the family insisted he be burned in dress uniform. Not that he had a need to be specific with Lucanis about that.

"What, you think the butcher is secret directions to a cobbler instead?" Lucanis teased, holding up the list.

That would be a good bait and switch. He eyed Davrin's boots.

They were perfectly serviceable. Ah well. Lucanis had to wonder how many previous owners they'd had before they got to Davrin.

Checking the direction again he headed towards the closest option which Alessa had noted always had good bones for their dogs. Bless the woman for being on the same wavelength as Lucanis about what specifically to get as a gift for Assan, though Lucanis was also going to get some things to make a few meals while they were here. Only a couple blocks, he supposed they could stay on street level for now.

"For all I know, that was an elaborate Crow drop and we're on our way to a mark."

It's not serious, obviously not serious. But Davrin couldn't help but think the quaint dwarf tailor and baker wife cooing about their grandchildren would be a perfect cover. And that it was all Lucanis' fault he was thinking this way. Before he'd actually met an assassin, he'd never been concerned there was one standing at every corner.

"Ah, the finest undercover operatives Treviso has ever produced, how did you make them so quickly?"

Teasing. He was teasing. OR WAS HE?

~~He absolutely was.~~

"Alright then, Fledgling, who would be our mark if they were the drop?"

It was Antiva City, of course there were Crows on basically every corner. Not all of them did outright assassinations though, some were just scouts, runners, people in training. Many were above street level, some were dressed out in the open, others just looked like day laborers. Lucanis wasn't looking for them, he had no business with them in particular after all, but he couldn't help but notice them as they passed. As they were likely doing to him and Davrin as well. It made him wonder if they would return to Treviso to have Illario asking why Lucanis did not see fit to bring him along to Antiva City.

Fledgling he mouthed, corners quirked up in amusement. But, alright, he'll play. Blame it on being Antiva, the city just brought out a little murder in everyone.

"Running off the elaborate assassination plots from Bellara's serials?"

Yes, she really had gotten half the Lighthouse reading them now. Davrin may not join in on the book club, but it was impossible to resist picking up the trashy newspaper stories when the other elf gushed about them so much. And those convoluted always-a-cliffhanger plots were more fun than whatever a real assassination would look like.

His lips twisted for a moment as he looked up to the sky- spotting more people running on the roofs, of course, in the process- and giving it all honest consideration. If he was going to play a game, he aimed to win. Never mind there was no winning at story telling.

"The butcher would just be the halfway point. Going up pick up some drugged meat with a passcode. Then the target's name will be written on the butcher paper."

Those serials! Really, Lucanis preferred the romances, though he enjoyed the book club. If nothing else the romances didn't have characters that were thinly veiled versions of him somewhere in there.

"Oh ho. Alright, how do we get the meat to the target, then?" He prompted next. There were plenty of options, he was curious which one Davrin would take. He could see the sign down the other end of the street with a druffalo's head engraved on it.

"I'm doing all the work here? Is master assassin like First Warden? You just sit around in bars doing meetings after serving long enough?"

He was still amused though, enough to keep going with the game. Griping was just a requirement in conversation between the two of them, that was all.

"But I'm an elf. Classic sneak in as a servant, no one notices technique. The target's got to be some rich neglectful husband or something."

"You're a little noticeable for a servant," Lucanis had to point out. Those impressive shoulders, the handsome face with the tattoos, Davrin was quite memorable.

"Do you not let your trainees take point to build their confidence with a senior member as backup in case they fail in the wardens? No wonder you have so much rabble," he added, because they had to snipe.

The shop had a bell on the door that rang when opened. The butcher was helping another customer - an elf dressed as a household servant, of course, but he gave a nod to the two of them to acknowledge he'd be with them as soon as he was done there.

"You're saying that because you met me as a Warden. Trust me, most rich humans? Put me in an alienage dressed like this and they'll never pick me out of a crowd. We're all the same to them."

Dalish that had run to the cities were uncommon, but not rare. He'd learned that himself when he'd first left his clan. That and just how lazy human guards were when it came to finding the guilty. It varied from country to country and city to city, but one elf was as good as another, most of the time.

But he appreciated the fact Lucanis found him...notable.

"Which just means some elf would be blamed. So I'd probably confess to keep them out of trouble. Then maybe get recruited into the Wardens as an alternative to the noose. Call it fate."

Lucanis thought he would find Davrin noticeable no matter what - but he was also trained since childhood by the First Talon, and going undercover as a servant was one of his own plays he deployed regularly. And Davrin was simply good looking enough to draw attention, that was an objective fact.

"Ah, I can already imagine the report. 'Talented but lacks the attitude and spirit necessary for a full Crow. Suggestion: allow the Wardens to have him, forward any remaining pay to his family with apologies and inform Wardens where his skills need improving so he will have an edge on his training with them'," Lucanis said with a grin, folding up the note from Alessa to slip into his own pocket.

"You've written that before."

It was somewhere between a statement and an accusation. Davrin tried to do a mental check of any Antivan wardens he may know, but he had never really been one for making lasting connections. Do the job, move forward, hope the people you just left behind will be alive next time you pass through. But don't count on it.

He followed Lucanis inside, ready to see what the master chef thought appropriate for a wild hunter to eat.

"Written? No, I am not an Heir, I do not handle training or recruitment," Lucanis said with a little wave of his hand.

Read the reports to Teia and Viago, been asked for a second opinion on the matter and suggested pay be forwarded to the family with apologies, well.

It was Antiva, so of course a good ten minutes worth of small talk with the butcher was required before business could be started. For all that the questions were innocuous ones though it still gave plenty of information on the current state of things in Antiva City. It was not Lucanis' home, he was not on a job, but one never knew when additional information could come on handy.

He finally dropped that the butcher was recommended by the La Rosa's as a reliable and quality provider of bones for their dogs, and he was quite happy to assist a friend of a friend for the same. He was clearly assuming a dog for Lucanis, and Lucanis let him believe that, putting a hand on Davrin's wrist behind the counter where the butcher couldn't see to stop the other man from correcting him. There was a helper in back that Lucanis could see who was very obviously (to him) eavesdropping on the conversation. Maybe it was a Crow too, but Lucanis would hope they were better trained in Antiva City to not be so obvious. He couldn't be sure, so he defaulted to paranoia.

He ended up settling on some druffalo bones that the butcher insisted took weeks to crack. Lucanis thought they would be lucky to last several days with Assan's beak, but those would be days he wasn't chewing on something important so it was still going to be a win. Along with that, a dozen hearts, some tongues, as well as a liver - he also allowed himself to be talked in to druffalo lungs as well. Some sausage too, though some of that was for them. He was planning on making a lasagna later.

Davrin watched with a raised eyebrow as the list grew. And grew. And grew. Assan was going to set his expectations way too high after this trip. The Wardens would go broke feeding him alone, never mind once they gathered all his siblings back.

Spy he was not, but he looked down at the hand on his wrist, then up to the people behind the counter, and got some idea. While the butcher was packaging, he leaned in closer to Lucanis.

"I never asked- would killing you make the killer next in line for first?"

Clearly they just needed a benefactor with deep pockets and no children of his own. Provided one could get past the whole 'blood money' aspect.

"Why, have your sights set on a career change?" Lucanis teased. He knew damn well that wasn't why Davrin asked though and shook his head a moment later. "No. Bragging rights, maybe, and a target of their own on their back would be the only rewards for that if they succeeded. It's a whole thing with the council and the current First Talon's wishes."

Former First Talon's wishes. Lucanis was Caterina's heir presumptive, everyone knew he was her favorite and favored. But that was before he carried a demon within him, and that surely changed some opinions of the other talons.

His own was not needed or required. The decision made for him, like so many others. Caterina was like a force of nature, and all that could be done was to endure.

Davrin has the patience to at least wait until they're out of the shop, burdened with meat that would need to make its way back to the Lighthouse sooner rather than later, before picking at that particular thread again. He wasn't trying to open a wound, but in his experience groups in turmoil were groups dangerous to be a known ranking member of as people saw their chance to skip up the ranks. And between the death of the first talon and the blighting of Treviso, the Crows were in turmoil.

"And who exactly is that now? The First."

It would. Which meant there would be no lingering in Treviso on the way back. Need to get this to an icebox sooner rather than later.

He bites back a sharp comment that it is neither Davrin's concern nor his business. It was neither of those things, but he could already hear Rook's chiding tone prompted by another fight to stay his tongue.

"No one. There's other matters taking everyone's attention right now," he said. Like the blighting of Treviso. "Illario will probably make a move for it. He's always wanted it."

And with Lucanis not a viable option thanks to Spite, he had his chance.

"And you didn't?"

He's pushing hard at the edge of the peace they've made, and he knows it. But when the opening was that clear, he couldn't force himself to stay his hand and leave his curiosity unsatisfied. He's wondered what Lucanis would have been if allowed to make his own choices. Now, for better or worse and at a terribly high price, the man may be facing a dark version of that very opportunity. He wanted to know what he thought, earnestly and honestly, even if it was enough to reignite a real argument between them.

"I would have done as Caterina asked," Lucanis says, and that's the sad truth of it.

He didn't want it, at all. But if she'd told him to take it, he would have. It was entirely possible her favor would have shifted to Illario anyway with Lucanis now being an abomination. It probably would have been. That would have been the ideal scenario - everyone got what they wanted, more or less. Illario might be happy then. Him and Caterina could finally come to an understanding.

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