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The elder Hawke twins were seldom seen without each other but there were the rare circumstances, such as when they were visiting their respective crushes. Evangeline had quite easily slipped away from her family (one of the benefits of the huge manor they now live in) and made her way quickly to Fenris’s mansion, not really with a specific goal in mind but just to check up on him. At least that was the excuse she gave him. This led to the pair sitting around in his bedroom, Eve with a glass of wine in one hand and Fenris with the bottle.
“Please let me at least sweep.” Eve had been pestering the elf since they met to clean his home. It had only taken her two months to convince him to let her remove the dead bodies and now she just wanted to dust or mop or sweep or at least remove the Maker damned mushrooms.
“No.” Fenris had to suppress a smirk, he had to keep up a strong front or she wins.
“Why not?”
“Because it is my home and I can do as I wish.” He actually did chuckle when Evangeline pouted and crossed her arms. A comfortable silence reigned as they sipped their drinks before a thought struck the elf, “If I may be honest for a moment?”
Eve looked up from her glass, “Are you ever anything other than honest?” She grinned when he chuckled again, honestly she could listen to that sound for the rest of her life.
“A fair point.” Fenris nodded an almost imperceptible smile on his face, “When I had first heard of you and your siblings, I was under the impression you were more-” He paused, looking for the right word as a mischievous grin slipped onto Eve’s face. She knew exactly what he was referring to.
“Prudish?” She offered, giggling at the mock scolding look she got for the interruption.
“Reserved.” Fenris answered sternly, the act not lasting long as Eve almost snorted but the grin was back in a second.
“If I may be honest for a moment?” Fenris rolled his eyes as she threw his own words back at him, “I’ve never met a man worthy of boldness before.” Now that caught him off guard and he quickly schooled his shocked expression into a curious one.
“Oh? How so?”
Eve sighed dramatically, “Men in Lothering were rather dull. Though my sisters and brother would disagree.”
“Is that so?” Fenris mused, taking a long swig from his wine bottle. It may have been the alcohol or perhaps the sheer guts this woman has shown over the years he’s known her but he was prepared to be a little bold himself, “And what qualities, may I ask, do I possess that these men did not?” Eve faked an interest in swirling her wine as she hummed thoughtfully.
“Character, charm, dignity, to name a few.” Despite the teasing moments ago, Eve was entirely genuine and had managed for the second time in the night to catch Fenris by surprise.
“Not the first words I would choose to describe myself.” He admitted only for Eve to smile warmly at him. She stood from her seat and made the short trip over to him, placing her hands on the armrests of his chair. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Evangeline wondered where this confidence had come from and whether she would regret this in the morning.
“Well then, one of us is a fool and I can assure you, good sir, I am no fool.” Eve thought she had the upper hand but in a moment Fenris was towering over her with a smirk of his own on his face.
“And if I were to call you a fool?” One hand was slowly sneaking around to cut off her escape, not that she wanted to as Evangeline grinned back at him.
“Then I suppose I will just have to be a fool for life.” Silence fell and Evangeline became very aware of how close she and Fenris were but she had no desire to move.
“EVIE!” Elia’s voice rang through the mansion and both Evangeline and Fenris winced with a heavy sigh. “Are you in here?!” Reluctantly, Eve stepped away and gathered her coat.
“And I suppose that’s my cue to leave.” Eve huffed, glaring at the door as though it would set her sister on fire.
“Why do you have to leave?” Fenris followed her to the door of his room, tempted to stand between her and it but decided he’d rather not push it.
“Because Elia will kick down the door if I don’t go talk to her and that would be awkward for everyone involved.” Evangeline grinned and quickly gave Fenris a kiss on the cheek, later she would blame the alcohol, and slipped out of the room.
The second she stepped foot into the front lobby, Evangeline set her twin with a furious glare and started dragging her out of the mansion.
“You have the absolute worst timing of anyone I’ve ever met.” She hissed as Elia laughed, trailing happily beside her.
“Aw did I interrupt a moment with you and Fenny?” Elia knew exactly what she did, Eve only glared at her like that when a situation involved Fenris.
“You know damn well what you did.” Eve elbowed Elia in annoyance as the redhead laughed.
“Can I give you some advice?”
“No.”
“Playing hard to get will drive him crazy.”
“Or make him think I’m not interested.” Eve rolled her eyes, “Do me a favour, next time I disappear in the middle of the night don’t come looking for me.” Elia doubled over in laughter as her sister continued the trek back to their estate, well and truly annoyed and in need of a cup of tea.