#setting: da2

a kind gesture || patting/rubbing their back

Anders was always tired to varying degrees, or so it appeared; whenever Zevran dropped in for a visit at the clinic or caught a glimpse of him trailing after Hawke, weariness seemed to seep through past whatever expression the mage decided to wear. 

It must be difficult, he supposed, to be constantly on his feet, constantly on watch, constantly on guard. Zevran himself was used to it, having grown up in the lifestyle, but Anders – well, perhaps he was used to it, too, in a slightly different sense. But there was no respite for apostates; at least assassins could kill those who came after him, and if he was ever caught all he had to lose was his life.

He understood, in a way. Perhaps that was why he reached out and gave the mage a friendly pat on the back after a particularly draining day of work. Anders blinked in understandable surprise -- and Zevran thought he saw a hesitant sort of gratitude flash briefly across his features -- before looking away, his shoulders sagging a little more. 

“My friend,” Zevran sighed.

The last time he had been in Kirkwall -- many years ago now -- had been on a job; tracking down a renegade Crow and putting an end to him.

The irony was enough to make him laugh even now. Well, here he was, sitting by one of the tiny braziers in Darktown and attempting to blend in with the locals. He’d hidden his pack and all of his weapons save for a small dagger at his hip; with his hair loose and a smear of dirt concealing his tattoos, he might be taken for just another elf living in the slums. 

All who truly could bear the title of assassin were capable of scaling walls and flying over rooftops, crows on the wing, running down their prey and claiming their kill.

He was pretty sure they weren’t meant to scale cliffsides. 

Not me at any rate, Zevran thought to himself as he reached for another handhold, gritting his teeth. Frankly speaking, however, he had gotten himself into this situation; he had dropped his dagger, it had skittered away and fallen from the side of the cliff. Thankfully it had landed on an outcropping of rock, not too far away, and Zevran had figured that well, it wasn’t much of a descent.