Vi widened her eyes and snapped her head towards Thren as he threw out the word 'pirate' so casually, as if he'd known all along and it was some kind of smug joke. She nearly walked into the trunk of a tree in her confusion, managing however to stop in her tracks before she completely embarrassed herself. She licked her lips, enunciating her words carefully as he walked on in front of her. "I never said I was a pirate." Plenty of sailors and merchants did small deals on the side - maybe he just assumed that anything illegal meant piracy? Trying to get a rise? She couldn't fathom his thought process; he'd continued to talk easily about his father. Some part of her registered that he'd mentioned his father was small, and that did not seem to make sense given his height, but it was not immediately important given the other matter. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally sputtering out..."He sounds like a wonderful man, truly, and I'm envious, but did he teach you what pirates look like?"
He stopped when she slowed. "Did I say something wrong?" He looked at her seriously. "If I offended you than I'm sorry... I just assumed. Merchant sailors don't seem to have the same love of the sea like you do, and in my limited experience, they don't have the same familial bond you seem to share with the crew. It's more contractual camaraderie." He smiled tentatively, silently encouraging her to return it. "Piracy seems more like a life rather than a lifestyle choice... the way your face lit up when you talked about the ship... it's just more to you than a job. That's all."
Viara examined him critically, her eyes roving along his features as she tried to gauge whether or not he was speaking from the heart, or saying something crafted. In her experience, people didn't simply exclaim the word 'pirate' like that, as if they had an ace-in-the-hole, unless they wanted something from her, or wanted to turn her in. "Did you say something wrong? No. To the contrary, you're right." She felt her arms hugging around her midsection and she mentally forced them down towards her sides, not wanting to appear on the defensive. "It's just not something you go around saying like that. And maybe you've just met very upset merchant sailors, did you ever think of that?" The joke was airy, and the corners of her lips kicked up - not a full smile, but an attempt. "Going to turn me in now? Evil pirate and all that, taking fair work away from the honest men."
He realized that he'd taken her completely by surprise, and could see her struggle for composure. He'd meant it as a light joke, he knew what she was, and had no problem with it. He hadn't realized it had been some big secret. "There are honest men in Ferelden? Huh." Vi had obviously felt it was a secret that put her in danger, and he completely understood. If she'd called him out on being a hedge mage, he'd have been just as defensive. It was the core of her, lain out in front of a stranger, long before she was ready. From his mouth, not hers. "I meant what I said last night. Live your life how you choose. It's not my place, nor will it ever be my place, to judge the lifestyles of others, to condemn them for a life different from my own. If I was going to turn you in for anything it would have been last night for selling lyrium, and I didn't, did I?" He smiled reassuringly. "You don't have anything to worry about. Except maybe bears."