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9:48 Dragon - Pluitanis / Guardian
Placing a gentle touch on the woman's nose, Neve did her best to heal the area. This particular person, a fellow mage, was with the Shadow Dragons. On the taller side, or at least a good touch taller than herself. Dark brown, almost black hair. Deep emerald eyes. A softer nose for being a Vint, but still rather sharp. Neve could tell she was lean, but muscular. A scar on her top lip, a few more small ones here and there.
Removing the rag from her bleeding nose, the Shadow Dragon cursed. "Andraste's tits, that fucking hurts."
"No surprise there, given how deep this cut is," replied Neve.
"Great. Love that." Those intense eyes met Neve's, then squinted. "Who are you?"
She raised an eyebrow, though the mild sharpness didn't surprise her. "Neve Gallus."
"I've heard that name around the hideout a few times. Why're you here?"
"I'm the one who told Ashur about this place." Neve's eyebrow twitched before her face settled back into a neutral stare. "Not sure I've ever seen you at the hideout either."
"Ships in the night, it seems. A shame because I wouldn't mind seeing you around."
"That's got to be the most shameless flirt I've experienced." Truth be told, Neve didn't mind, but she would never let someone get away with it without comment.
"Good on you for not meeting my brother yet," she sneered. "Ayda Mercar, by the way."
"Ah. The one Tarquin is always grumbling about." The stories always mentioned someone notorious for being rather direct and always working when there was "nothin' to work on." Neve had enjoyed what Tarquin told her about this particular Shadow Dragon. Standing up for those without a voice, not scared to raise hairs. Ashur said she knew when to be subtle and when to fight, which earned an ounce of respect in Neve's book.
Ayda tried to laugh, but regret twisted across her face. "Yeah, yeah. That's me. Biggest goal in my life is to keep pissing Tarquin off in new ways."
Neve couldn't stop the chuckle that broke free. "Well, I'm sure he'll love the story about this escapade. What happened anyway?"
"Oh, just Venatori being cultists. The usual. A few scurried away, but we got the main magister leading them, so overall, a success." Ayda let out an exhale. "He did throw something at me and my nose got in the way. I really don't need it to be broken a second time."
“Well, your nose is fine now. No breaks."
Checking her nostrils for any new blood and finding none, Ayda smiled. It was soft, warm, a calm fire in a comforting hearth, something Neve didn't expect.
"So," said Ayda. "Ice magic? That'd probably mix well with my fire…"
"I can see why Tarquin finds you slightly intolerable," Neve smirked, rolling her eyes as she stood up. She could flirt back, or she could stop it in its tracks. Opting for the latter, Neve started walking away.
"See you around the hideout?" Ayda called after her.
Neve stopped. She glanced over her shoulder. "Probably not you."
"You sure?"
"No." This time, she actually walked away, trying to ignore the grin Ayda had given her answer. She didn't need to get wrapped in the idea of crushes or romances or relationships that would all eventually fall flat and leave her stranded and let down, an ending the world seemed to love giving her time and time again.