To Love A Thief (Horatio x zombierooster)

Ah, Denerim.
Dodger loved the smell of cold, hard consumerism in the morning. He'd traveled all over Ferelden and besides Orzammar, Denerim had to be the most oppressive city in the country. He could see and smell the alienage from where he stood, lingering over the scents of food stalls and spice vendors.
Ugh, this is why he lived away from society. Too much drama and not enough reward. He ran a hand through his dark hair and forcefully pushed his disgust of alienages out of his mind. He wasn't going to change the world today. His only intention for this sunny day was to buy more tea and supplies to make more arrows. He was running low and preffered to make his own rather than trust someone else's craftmanship. Plus, he'd designed his arrows specially, they flew faster and cut deeper than your average arrows. It was all in the shape and density. And he liked to think the carvings he added gave them the perfect touch. Not that his targets noticed or appreciated the designs. Their loss.
Dodger smirked and pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning on, stepping out of the shade of Wade's armory and making his way towards the market stalls. Let's see, he had to buy tea, hopefully Saria had his favorite, then his weapon supplies. Maybe he'd stop by the Wonders of Thedas and see if they had any interesting books. Once he got back to his little house outside the city, he'd have lunch and then there was that damnable paperwork waiting for him. More letters from his father, bills from Denerim and an oddly fancy envelope from Orlais that bore the seal of some noble. Only Dodger's hatred of nobility had kept him from tearing it open in curiousity.
Maybe it was an invitation to marry the Empress' only gorgeous son who was good with his hands...as well as other body parts. The brunet chuckled to himself, ha, if only he were that lucky.

Venidin traveled separately from Eraad to market that day, as he usually did. The people here didn't yet know his association with the especially big, hulking kossith currently browsing a fruit stand, and he preferred to keep it that way, at least for now. Eraad, however helpful, was not discreet in any way. Venidin preferred discretion, especially when he was curiously following a man through the market.

The human didn't look like much, but Ven knew from several reliable sources that this was a man of noble birth and great wealth. Perhaps he was just a very eccentric human. Venidin was surprised the man even did his own shopping; most nobles tended to send their servants, although that wasn't all bad, since Ven often found it easier to approach other elves than humans. They had a common ground. Human nobles usually just mistook him for another human noble's servant. That did grate on his nerves and caused his fingers to just so uncontrollably twitch towards fat purses and jewels.

He followed a short while as the man walked through the market before stepping quicker and making a somewhat amateurish show of picking the man's pocket; at that, he abruptly veered away, his thickly braided hair hardly shifting on his shoulders. If the man was thick enough not to notice Ven's hand rather unartfully stuck into his jacket, Eraad followed closer and closer to politely inform the man of the thief halfway across the market already. Perhaps it wasn't the most tactful way to set up a business meeting, but Ven found the old chase fun.

Dodger had sensed the thief long before his pocket was actually picked. He'd felt eyes on the back of his head as he did his shopping and knew he was being followed. He wished he had his bow with him, his fingers twitching to hold the familiar polished wood. He had a dagger in his boot, but he didn't feel threatened, just uneasy.
Then as he was perusing a jewelry stall, eyeing a particularly awesome dragon shaped ring, he saw the hand and felt the appendage in his pocket. He flexed to reach out and grab the thief, but the elf didn't run as he had expected, just walked away as casual as you please. So, not a normal pickpocket then. He really should just let the elf keep what he had taken, it wasn't like the archer couldn't get more, but his stubborn pride was on the line and he never had been able to let the little things go.
Dodger pursed his lips as he began to follow the elf just as nonchalantly, knowing this was most likely a trap. The brunet squared his shoulders and readied himself to grab his dagger as soon as they were out of sight.

Ven had learned the city streets quickly after coming to Denerim. Knowledge was his shield, his sword, and ultimately his power. He'd pored over maps of the city and given himself a few walking tours of the place, emphasizing most the places he thought would be most useful to him as hiding spots, or like this-- private "conference rooms." He probably knew Denerim better than some permanent residents, at least in terms of its street plans.

He continued to walk at his leisurely pace as he heard the market noises fade slightly. They weren't far, but the high buildings made nice pockets of the city where all was quiet, even from the loud rabble of the market.

The elf tucked himself into a dead-end alley, bouncing the coin purse in his palm as he waited for the man to turn the corner as well. "You're not so thick as you look!" Ven grinned, a toothy shark expression, into the half-compliment. "Big fellow like you, I thought you wouldn't even notice," he chuckled, rolling the little purse in his palm again and smirking past the human noble's shoulder. Eraad had appeared at the end of the alley, not as a threat but as a quiet wall to keep the man in.

"Now that my associate has joined us, will you talk with me a moment, Ser David Rowling?" Venidin tossed back the purse, albeit with a hint of regret. He didn't need for that bit of coin, but a thief loathed to return anything rightfully stolen. "I have for you a proposition. If you wish to no longer be bothered with a lowly elvish thief, my associate will let you past without harm. If you hear me out and then wish to leave, he will again let you go. However, if you hear me out, you knowingly enter a contract to keep what you hear secret from everyone. I am much more than a pickpocket," he said in a warning tone.

By the time he had reached the alley, his dagger was clutched loosely in his hand. It was a trap but it seemed the elf meant him no physical harm. He looked back, eyes widening momentarily at the sight of a Qunari before his face was calm once more.
He caught the purse deftly and tucked it back into his pocket. The brunet crossed his arms while his stance stayed defensive. He listened to the elf's words, gray eyes hard as stone, but he nodded once the elf was finished. A slight smirk worked its way onto the archer's features.
"I will only talk with you if you call me Dodger," his father called him David and that was annoying enough, "And what would more than a thief want with little old me?" he feigned innocence, bringing a hand up to scratch at the scar on his face disguised as a tattoo.

"Fine then, Ser Dodger," Ven shrugged. The name was a little strange to him, but he wasn't one to question a man he didn't even know. "Although that does not change the fact that you are of the Rowling family," the elf pointed out, tilting his head slightly. "And therefore, you have noble ties, even if you are estranged from your family. You are still wealthy and, in all practicality, still a lord. What I need from you is access to another lord." He smirked, crossing his arms over his own chest.

"A certain Lord Burke is throwing some sort of lavish gala in a couple months. There will be hunting and feasting and general merrymaking-- I'm sure I do not need to describe it all to you," he chuckled. "I have knowledge that indicates you will be invited to this gala, if you have not been invited already. I would like for you to endure the attendance of his Lordship's party in order to allow me access to his estate. You need not worry yourself with the specifics of my task. Follow through with this arrangement, do not expose me, and you shall be given an equal half of the reward coming to me from my employer." He smiled brightly, his hands clasping together in conclusion of his brilliant plan. "I know you have little love for your noble brethren. You, like me, must at least take some delight in their misfortune."

Dodger grimaced as soon as the topic of nobility came up. At least this explained the envelope from Orlais. A fancy Orlesian party hmm? What was that about hunting? Dodger knew how to hunt but he didn't think Orlesian nobles did. Was there a prize for whoever brought back the largest kill? As much as the archer hated the upper class world he was born into, there was appeal to rubbing their noses in his success.
But there was the most major question of all, if he had received an invitation, did that mean his father had as well? His father being a Bann was the only connection Dodger could merit to him being a guest. His father hated Orlesians, had fought in the war against them with Loghain, so his likelihood to attend was low. So Dodger could survive nobles and eat superb food for an evening right?
That then brought up the elf's proposition, use Dodger's invite to sneak in and steal from this duke. And get a cut of the profits. So far, he didn't see a downside besides an upset noble which wasn't a sad thought to Dodger. Unless he could be linked to the crime, it sounded like an all-around good idea.
Dodger let his hands fall to his sides, twirling his dagger between his fingers absently. "Let's say I help you with this, what crime are you committing if I may ask? My hatred of nobility isn't so deep that it overlooks murder."

"Have no fear; I'd hardly murder a man for the pittance I'm being paid," Venidin scoffed, rolling his eyes. Well, the sum was far from a mere pittance, but the elf required a hefty fee to kill anyone. He preferred not to get blood on his hands if he could afford it; most employers could not afford his exorbitant assassination prices. Killing was just not a thief's way, not when he could more easily slip in and out unseen and unsuspected.

"I'll only be stealing a small trinket," he showed some imperceptibly small space between his fingers, as if to illustrate its insignificance. The jewel, from the descriptions and documents he'd managed to uncover, sounded like a beautiful little treasure, surely worth stealing. He might have stolen it for himself had he not felt the thing would be more trouble than he needed selling it. "My plan is this: you will attend the party, and I will pose as your personal servant." He'd donned the servant's disguise plenty of times before. It didn't suit him, but he could stay in character long enough to get a job done. "While you enjoy yourself, I will slip away to hold up my end of the bargain. They won't even notice I'm gone." Elves were very much the same to most humans, but he bit that back as it tugged at his tongue. He was accustomed to speaking with non-humans most of the time, and he found it difficult to remain civil around humans at all. He could always complain with "humans this" and "humans that" with Eraad, but not with Dodger, not when the man hadn't even agreed yet.

"So do you agree?" He asked, his tone betraying no emotion of his as he looked calmly to the man, his hands moving to loosely grasp his hips. "I'll allow you a few days to make up your mind, if you'd like. However, do know that I do not intend to involve you any further than my entrance to the estate. You won't be in danger of accusation; they will quickly assume that I am entirely at fault before pointing fingers at an honorable noble boy such as yourself."

Dodger snorted as the elf finished his little speech, "Me, an honourable noble? Obviously you didn't look into my background very deeply," the only reason he hadn't been stripped of all titles and thrown to the mabaris was because of his mother. She didn't stop her husband from disowning their only son but she did make sure he lived in modest comfort. There was no Bann before his name, he barely even warranted a Ser and his house could be considered large by the poor but it was a cottage compared to his parent's castle in the Bannorn. Honestly, Dodger would prefer a cottage, more cozy.
He bit his lip at the thought of his father, old anger bubbling in his veins. Gray eyes looked over the elf once more before he smiled and stuffed his dagger back in his boot.
"Alright Ser Thief, I'll help you, but in doing you this favor, you must grant me one in return," he stepped closer to Ven and stuck out his hand, eyes stony despite the soft smile still on his lips, "Deal?"

"Oh, but you don't have to be honorable. You just have to pretend to be," Venidin smirked. As... distant as Dodger was to his family, his blood didn't, couldn't change. And whatever his relationship with his family, the man was being invited to this fancy Orlesian place, which said something, at least to the ignorance of the duke who had invited him. The Orlesian didn't need to know anything untoward about Dodger.

He still watched the human cautiously, even when the dagger was sheathed once more. Ven wasn't a fool, and he knew that he himself could probably pull that dagger out quick enough to attack. Of course, the human was not him, and Venidin was a top-class thief with the fastest hands he knew of. It wasn't boasting if it was true.

At the proposition, he eyed the man a little suspiciously, not yet offering his hand. He didn't like the look in the man's eye, and he definitely didn't want to be pegged for doing anything for the man. He wouldn't accept such an ambiguous offer... at least not until he had an idea of what the man may ask. "And what kind of favor would this be?" He raised his hand, but only to support his chin on his thumb and forefinger with the other arm folded across his chest in a gesture of thought.