#so have a pissed of and tired ellana
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Trespasser
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“Could one thing in this FUCKING world just stay fixed ?!”
#dragon age#dai#lavellan#dorian pavus#cassandra pentaghast#cole#my art#my ocs#I freaking LOVE this dlc#The story the landscapes the music the sensation of urgency and the FEELS !#so have a pissed of and tired ellana#yeah she snapped
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the declassified texts of the inquisition’s elite [170]
(325): There’s a child, alone, sitting on a picnic table out there, making bird noises
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(715): I thought it was your cat but I was wrong your Roomba is possessed by a pissed-off evil spirit.
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“That’d be Kieran,” Leliana says. “Morrigan, I found Kieran. And by that I mean Cullen’s found Kieran. He seems to be alright. Should we leave him be?”
“What’s he doing?” Morrigan asks, pausing as she’s turning the page of a research report Leliana had dug up for her to review.
“Making bird noises in one of the communal greens of the Inquisition’s residential area.”
“Which residential area? He’s by himself?”
Leliana quickly texts the question to Cullen. “Why, was someone specific supposed to be watching him?”
“Not necessarily. I left him at the child care center,” Morrigan replies. “Not that I would blame them for losing track of Kieran. He’s willful. And creative. He’s…elusive at the best of times.”
“Is that him taking after you or Theron, do you think?”
“I think he’s cherry picking our worst traits,” Morrigan deadpans. “In this case my distrust of authority and Theron’s incredible knack for escaping from anywhere and anyone. Would that our son pick up some of our good traits as well. Aside from Theron’s athleticism, of course.”
“Cullen says that he’s got time to stay with Kieran until someone picks him up, or Cullen can bring Kieran with him and drop him off with somebody on his way to his next meeting. He doesn't see anyone else around. And it’s the green close to the small creek. The one where someone put up a tire swing.”
“This Inquisition of yours is too large,” Morrigan says, “You’ve essentially taken half the mountain as yours. You’re an entire country of your own. Surely someone, somewhere, has some sort of protest to this slow moving invasion of yours?”
“Well. If they do they’re not very good at making a case for it because we just got another few acres on the other side for expansion,” Leliana replies dryly. “I think it’s to be used to build more on site facilities.”
“You have your own mailing zip code and branch of the postal service working within the Inquisition. How large, exactly, do you plan on expanding? Of course, this does not take into account the several off site auxiliary branches and offices you’ve established.”
“I leave such planning to Josephine. My sort of infrastructure isn’t the kind you can see. Well. Leave Kieran to his activities or have Cullen bring him somewhere else?”
Morrigan shakes her head. “Kieran won’t follow Rutherford. I’ll go fetch him myself and bring him back here. I don’t suppose you’ve changed so much that you don’t have colorful markers and spare paper in your desk.”
Leliana reaches into one of her desk drawers and pulls out a metal tin that she pops open to reveal several markers, colored pencils, and crayons.
“The art of forgery requires a wide and varied tool kit, Morrigan. Don’t underestimate me.”
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“Oh, you’ve upgraded in life and gotten yourself an automated cleaning machine have you?” Dorian grins as Evelyn stares into the middle distance. “A sign that life as the Inquisitor of Thedas is looking up, or at least upper middle class?”
“Funny, Dorian. We’ve got more important things at hand to question. Why does Maxwell think I have a cat? We live in the same house. He would know if I got a cat. He knows I got the roomba. He made me get it. I wanted to get a cheaper version but he insisted on getting the actual Roomba. And then he bullied me into writing it off as an expense.”
“You? Get bullied into something? Shall pigs begin o fly next? Have the Orlesians abandoned their masks? Will the Fereldan dog lords be less aggressive about denying their entirely logical and perfectly acceptable fondness for other species of animal?”
“I’m serious. Why does Max think I have a cat?”
“Shouldn’t the more pressing question be what was your Roomba doing that Maxwell thought it was a sentient creature stalking your home at night? Don’t they have a very…well. Mechanical and recognizable sound? Wouldn’t it be somewhat like listening to a refrigerator?”
“Spoken as someone who’s never had a roomba in their home,” Evelyn says. “That thing can make some really weird noises. Especially when it gets stuck somewhere like on the edge of a rug or when trying to get over electrical cords. But there’s nothing I’ve ever heard it do that would make me think ‘a that’s an angry cat’. Priorities Dorian. Why does Max think I have a cat? If he’s got the idea that I have a cat it must’ve come from somewhere. And it certainly isn’t me. I would’ve told him if I’m bringing in a pet.”
Evelyn turns to Dorian.
“Dorian. What do you think the chances are that someone’s snuck an animal into my house? And by someone I mean Ellana.”
“Let’s be fair now. It could be Cole.”
Dorian and Evelyn fall into silence as they think that over.
“What are the chances you think Cole’s snuck an animal into my house and has been secretly raising in there when I’m not present?” Evelyn amends her previous question.
“High,” Dorian answers instantly. “The chances, Evelyn, are very, very high. The question is, who do you ask to confirm that? Cole or Varric?”
Evelyn releases a heavy sigh, tapping the edge of her phone against her forehead. “You might as well ask me if I’d rather talk to a wall or a hand.”
“Very true. Both are bad. Cole won’t understand what the problem is and Varric will try to dodge the question and then deal with the issue himself later before you can get around to it. Now isn’t this a real puzzle you’ve gotten yourself in?” Dorian holds a hand up. “Wait. Before we get further side tracked by this delightful and for the most part low stakes, harmless, mystery of yours — you better tell your cousin that you don’t have a cat.”
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Followers Appreciation Month Videos Masterpost
Sam Draws Master Post
First things first, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!!!!! You guys are the best followers anyone could ever ask for and I loved drawing all your beautiful OCs!! ❤️
I don’t have names for some of these OCs so they’ll be listed as “OC”, but I can fix that if y’all let me know! :)
Also I was gonna tag everyone but some usernames have changed and when I was typing this all up, I hit a wrong button and already had to relink EVERY SINGLE LINK for the videos so I’m too tired and pissed off at tumblr and my own mistakes to fix that part lol
Anya Trevelyan for gugle1980
Sylvhen Lavellan for elevanetheirin
Vaella Lavellan for tabrishawkelavellan
Shokrakar Adaar for ironbullsmissingeye
OC Adaar for goldfishfiasco
Abigail Henderson for laraslandlockedblues
Athera Lavellan for historioitsija
Emily Shepard for aceaspieanxietyadhd-ohalsofandom
Shaera Lavellan for elfsplaining
Demelza Tabris for shannaraisles
Jessabelle Cousland for hedwigs-travel-companion
Ilsa Lavellan for solasy
OC Lavellan for missmajora-hearts
Nimue Lavellan for inconspicuous-cupcake
Illyra Lavellan for doctor-whothefuckknows
OC Warden for yuki-assassin
OC Lavellan for princessbatteringram
OC Lavellan for grltoworld
Amerinel Lavellan for glasshallas
Vhelani Lavellan for marvel-maven
John and Junia for john-cousland
Ellana Lavellan for dickeybbqpit
Rion Lavellan for the-tevinter-biscuit
Evelyn Lavellan for ladymdc
Farek Lavellan for numberonetribble
OC Lavellan for cloakinghawk
Faye Lavellan for under-thedreadwolfsgaze
Ryan Trevelyan for tessa1972 (OC by nikashepard)
Sunari Ryder for sayurinitta
Illyria Lavellan for sayurinitta
Bryenna for sayurinitta
Aafje Lavellan for fortheloveofsolas
Lydia Trevelyan for a-shakspearean-in-paris
Xabiere Hawke for hurtled-into-the-chaos-you-fight
OC Lavellan for ivyadalyn
Eveline Trevelyan for nexustation
Amara Lavellan for queen-of-the-crows
Kahlia Mahareil for katalyna-rose
Hallalin Lavellan for seboostianillustrations
Aiwenor Lavellan for ellieisnotoldyet
Jeremy Ryder for imbiowaresbitch
OC Lavellan for rhunae
Dalynn Suruna for thebeautifulsilverhare
Lyanna Trevelyan for myfinalfrontier
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Hey there! For the bookish questions: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 (which is in fact OUR country of birth, hehe :D), 12 (even though I'm sure you told me about it), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 (no, not a TW book, that's not fair ;) ), 19, 22, 25, 26, 27, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50. Have fun with that :D (and no, I won't let you talk about 1 and 23 because I already know the answers and I'm an asshole ♥)
You are crazy. Also : Challenge accepted! See how I can talk about Bottero almost everywhere!
2. What is thelongest book you have ever read? How many pages?
Apparently it's HarryPotter and the Order of the Phoenix (which is pretty cool ;D)with around 800 pages (says wiki, I'm too lazy to move to check. Alsothe French and English versions probably don't have the samepagination... Anyway who cares, you all know this book!)
3. What is the oldestbook you have ever read? (Based on its written date)
Gorgias by Plato, as for the date? I don’t know. Wiki says “around 380 BC”
5. What book or bookseries would you like to see turned into a film/ TV series?
….. OH YES I CAN TALKABOUT BOTTERO AFTER ALL ;D
Ahem. I mean, I would haveto say Ellana (I mean the whole series, Le Pact des Marchombres) by Pierre Botterojust to see a badass woman fighting and writing haiku? I mean Iwould sell my soul to watch this. Please someone just turn this intoa TV show already!
6. What is yourfavourite stand-alone book?
Every book can stand byitself, I can't say (Okay, okay I just couldn't choose one thatseemed to be “the one” because I mainly read series...)
9. What is a book youhave read that is set in your country of birth?
Urgh, the first two thatcame to my mind were The Sun Also Rises byErnest Hemingway and La Bête Humaine byEmile Zola... I despise both books and I hated reading them!
12. What book do youpassionately hate?
Despite what I just said:Robinson Crusoe by DanielDefoe. Okay they're all books from school, so it doesn't help me, butman, this book? I read 100 pages and I couldn't go any furtherbecause it was just so loooong and boriiiing and oh my god he had tostop killing and eating animals. And really, a book to show me how tobe a good Christian? No thanks.
13. What is thebiggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?
… See, I can still talkabout Bottero :D (Oh I'm doing this on purpose, yes.)
Okayactually this is a tie?? I wasn't expecting this. So the first onewas Les Chevaliers d'Emeraude +Les Héritiers d'Enkidiev with 12 books for the former and I don't know how many for the latter. Istopped at 2 for the second, so that's a total of 14 books I actually read.
Thesecond one is Pierre Bottero's series set in Gwendalavir, with 4trilogies, one “stand-alone” (*cries*) and a short story; so 14 books as well,that I consider as a book series because everything is linked and setin the same imaginary world.
14. What book givesyou happy memories?
OH COME ON I'MTRYING... I gotta go with Ellanaby Pierre Bottero because thepoetry touched me, and oh my God I see the next question, but thisbook is probably one of the first that made me cried for acharacter's death (although I don't think it occurs in the firstbook...), and it was just so so goodand it's the one that got me to read Bottero. So kudos and yay!
15. What book madeyou cry?
Just so I do NOT talkabout Bottero again, and stop with the French books, recently Isobbed madly while reading The Sweet Hereafter byRussell Banks. It was great. But yeah, I was ugly crying more thanonce.
16. What book madeyou laugh?
I had to mention that atsome point, but it has to go to Anything Goes byJohn & Carole E. Barrowman because just looking at the book makes me smile and Ilaughed a lot while reading it.
17. What is yourfavourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?
La Meute bySlimane-Baptiste Berhoun (OH YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING, DIDYOU?) because I couldn't really find another book with lgbt+characters, sadly, and actually why would I? I loved that book.
19. Have you read abook set on another planet? What is it?
Technically Bottero'sbook must be set on another planet as they travel in our world :D(also I'm not sure I have read one clearly set on another planet soyou gotta accept that)
22. What famousauthor have you not read any books by?
Any recent famous author.The first I thought about was Stephen King, so there you go.
25. How many books doyou own?
Roughly, 40 (I mean, thatare really mine, not generally my family's) because I am pooooorand spent my childhood reading thanks to libraries so never really buying books ;)
26. What is yourfavourite non-fiction book?
Oh God I don't know whydon't you ask someone else?! (I really have no idea my brain won'twork)
27. What is yourfavourite children’s/middle-grade book?
… Les Âmes Croiséesby Pierre Bottero? :D (And I amnot kidding...) but this book is just... so... wonderful. It makes mego through a shit ton of emotions every time I read it, and it's justso wonderfully written and it kinda became a dream to follow. Eitherthe characters, or the fact that I want to write something asbeautiful as this, I don't know, but it helped me a great deal and Ienjoyed it a lot.
39. What bookoffended you?
The Cursed Child byI-don't-know-who-wrote-this-but-they-surely-never-touched-a-HP-book-in-their-lifebecause I read only a few pages and couldn't really go through it.Or, I mean, the mere existence of Fifty Shades of Greyoffends me.
40. What is theweirdest book you have read?
Suddenly Last Summer byTennessee Williams which is a play that I finished thinking “so whathappened??” and realised afterwards that I had understood nothing.When I mean nothing, I mean NOTHING: there was a rape? Really? Thedead guy was gay? I missed that? It was about cannibalism? What theheck people? (I must have been tired when reading...) But even once Iunderstood it, well, it still is a weird one ;)
43. What book did youbuy because of its cover?
Le Chant du Troll byPierre Bottero because it's prettyyyyy pretty very pretty :D
44. What is a bookthat you love, but has a terrible cover?
I don't particularly likethe cover of The Yellow Wallpaper byCharlotte Perkins (although it's a great cover for the book) justbecause it's kinda creepy and I wouldn't buy it.
45. Do you own apoetry anthology? What is your favourite poem from it?
Yup, thanks to school morethan one ;) One of them is Les Fleurs du Mal byBaudelaire, and I'd say the poem L'Albatros butI have no idea why.
47. Do you own anyhistorical fiction?
I'm not sure I actuallyown any...
48. What book madeyou angry?
I think The Catcher inthe Rye by J.D. Salinger pissedme off because I hated the main character and I wanted to shake senseinto him by punching him repeatedly. / Madame Bovary byFlaubert, do I seriously need to explain why???
49. What book hasinspired you?
Actually, Verlaine did,with Romances sans paroles becauseI read it (for school again) while I was going through a hard time,and thought that poetry was quite nice, so I wrote some. And ithelped me, so, thanks Verlaine?
50. What book got youinto reading?
Probablysome book from Jean-Luc Luciani. I remember my school organizedsomething with him when I wasn't reading much, but then I rememberchecking his books and loving them, so it's probably him. (youknow in what book they talked about Jean-Luc Luciani? That's right,baby, Bottero did!)
#mel trashtalking#it was so loooong to do#and i have an exam tomorrow#oops#but thanks xD#books#yes I know I mentioned Bottero a lot.#orphanage-body
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Embers and Tides (1)-A book I’ll probably never write.
So guys, this scene just came to me one day while I was sitting idle in class. So did the characters and this entire world. But, I can’t come up with a proper, solid story to build up and fill in the gaps, but I know my characters so well. And this is so close to my heart, so I wanted to share this here. Tumblr is the one place I feel safe leaving this extract in. This is inspired by the zodiac signs but focuses more on elemental magic. I wrote just this chapter and a half months ago, while I built up their history. Either way, I don’t know if I’ll ever finish this but I would really be so grateful if you guys read it. It isn’t that great, but I’d love some feedbacks. Thank you so much guys! <3
P.s I am still working on improving dialogues ._.
Ellana’s legs were aching by now and her boots were soaked.
Gods, she hated the wetness at her feet. The layer of snow coating the forest floor was so thick today that her boots were submerged. Light was scarce too, the canopy of ice covered trees blocking the sun above her. She had to be quiet and stealthy to get this kill. One wrong noise, one misaligned step and the deer would run. Grumbling as silently as she could manage, she trudged forward, eyes never wavering from her prey. It was perched on a rock near the frozen stream, a moment’s rest and replenishment no doubt- and game for Ellana. The deer seemed so serene, so completely unaware of its upcoming doom that it unnerved her for an instance; too perfect. This whole situation was too perfect. Her gut told her something would definitely go wrong but she chose to pay no heed to it. Focusing on the magnificent creature, she nocked her bow and reached for her quiver of arrows. She placed one of her favored arrows on the bow and readied the aim.
This part came easily to her; as easy as breathing. She was an excellent huntress, one of the best undoubtedly. It was her gift, along with the fire running through her veins. She almost always hit the mark and with the flames at her disposal, trapping the prey was no ordeal. Usually. She contemplated using the fire to trap the deer but something stopped her. She stared at its shimmering gold pelt shining under the brazen sun and it somehow felt wrong to disrupt its last moments of tranquility.
Shrugging off her thoughts, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with chilly air. Raising her bow, she exhaled a misty puff of air and fired. She watched in satisfied awe as the arrow soared through the air in a perfect arc, ready to strike bull’s eye. However, just a split second before the arrow struck home, a gush of water from the side hit the arrow midair and knocked it off course, snapping it through its descent as it landed in pieces on the ground. By then, the deer’s ears pricked up at the commotion and it became aware of the fact that it was being threatened and predictably, dashed off into the depths of the wilderness.
Rage surged through Ellana as she recognized the cause of the intrusion. Tyra. Groaning, she stood up. Not again.
“That arrow was hard to get by.”
The other girl chuckled as she came into view.
��I’m sure you’ll find others”, she said, looking smug.
“What is the bloody matter with you, Fish? No one wants to hear your incessant whining about your own damn life today? Or are you just so sick of brooding about that you’re here to ruin someone else’s fun?” Bloody, spineless bore.
“Don’t you ever get tired of stalking and hunting these creatures? I mean, if you used half the time you spend in this forest actually DOING something with your life, you may not actually need to survive solely on your game meat”, she sprouted.
“Oh yeah? Maybe I should pay YOU a visit one day, Little Miss Sunshine, have my fun with you. How much gold would you fetch in the market, I wonder? That would certainly make me rich enough”, Ellana attacked back, a wicked glimmer in her eyes.
Oh, how delicious it would be to chase this wench through the forest as she screamed and screamed as Ellana suffocated her with plumes smoke and ashes while she struck her with an arrow. Pure, undiluted joy. Rage flickered in Tyra’s teal eyes but she never yielded. Headstrong for a Fish, got to at least give her that.
Running her long, sculpted fingers through her platinum braid, she went on.
“Be very careful of what you say, dear Huntress. I can drown you; boil your skin while you scream through the steam enveloping you. No one will hear you pleading as your lungs fill with water.” She had the audacity to smirk. Ellana wanted to slap that off her face.
Yet, something like fear flashed in Ellana’s face for a slight instant against her will. For all her bravado, the Fish was right. Before her tides, Ellana’s fire was nothing. Moreover, Tyra could actually use Ellana’s fire AGAINST her. Still, she never learned; that temper and impulse always won over. She scoffed. “You really believe that? Why don’t we see who actually chokes whom?” she declared as her hands conjured a tiny inferno of their own.
“Foolish choice, Huntress”, the other girl said as the frozen river erupted behind her, shattering through the thin layer of ice glazing its surface.
All her broke loose. Ellana’s fire blazed around her in all its majesty. All the snow within the radius melted from the heat. Her dull-gold eyes flickered with flames, looking like the fiery pits of hell as the fire grew larger by the second, engulfing her in their warmth. Swirls of red and orange reflected on the teal eyes of the water-wielder as the blazing flames moved in harmony with the Huntress.
She knew she was at a disadvantage here. There was snow and ice everywhere around her, coating the thick forest in the purest of white, along with a frozen river. This was a treat for the Fish and a weakness for Ellana. So, without waiting to be drowned and drenched, she went on offense. She willed her fire to swerve around her and sent them staggering through the air towards Tyra. To her credit, she deflected but the edges of her blue dress caught it and were singed. Ellana took a little pleasure from that but had to instantly shift.
Baring her teeth, Tyra attacked, sending waves after waves crashing towards Ellana. She managed to swerve sideways and avoid the first blow but wasn’t so lucky the next time. She wouldn’t stop. The girl attacked, manipulating water everywhere. Damn the snow. It was limiting Ellana. The water drenched her from head to toe, instantly dousing the flames. The hood of her cloak dripped water onto her eyelids as she spat and coughed out the rest that gushed down her throat.
“Bitch”, she cursed as she stood up.
Tyra smirked and without any warning, yanked all the water out from under Ellana’s feet. Caught off guard, she lost her balance and fell right on her rear as her knees gave out. She slipped and landed with a thud, groaning in pain as her bow and quiver slid off from her shoulder and out of her grasp.
Spitting out a string of curses that would make any sailor proud, she glared at Tyra. The girl stood there, delighted by her demise. Ellana looked around, dripping wet and marvelously pissed off as she discovered the only way she could win this right now. Letting the heat rolling off her skin dry her body, she summoned the flames to her fingers. Tiny golden whorls showed up on her fingertips as she willed her mind as well to conjure orbs of fire circling Tyra. Spheres of firelight glowed around the girl as her fair hair caught the color, flashing a brilliant shade of muted orange. She looked beautiful, much to Ellana’s aggravation, who looked like a dripping, fuming vagrant with her wet, tangled hair and dirt infiltrated clothes. The flames kept the girl at a distance, far enough as to not burn her skin but the ice around her started to melt and the water surrounding the girl began to boil and steam, clouding her vision and making her skin plaster with sweat.
Tyra was snarling at her and Ellana used this distraction to warm and dry the branches and twigs around her as she proceeded to ignite fire within them. She had to be very careful in this maneuver, making sure she didn’t start a bonfire. That would be an irritable inconvenience and the towns’ folk wouldn’t shut up about it.
The ignition made a strong fire in the branches which grew and grew. By the time Tyra realized what was about to happen, it was too late. The flames blazed up and the smoke coming out of it was so heavy and thick, it almost curtained Ellana’s own line of sight. But smolder and ashes never bothered her and she willed the exhaust to drift towards the Fish, whose eyes were already watering from the fumes and soon enough, as expected, the girl was gasping for breath; suffocating under the weight of the blanket of smoke.The Huntress watched with some satisfaction as the girl pleaded with her to stop, but she just stood there grinning. Just a little longer, no mortal harm would come to her that way. Okay, perhaps just a little.
“Who’s pleading now, Fish?” Ellana stated with a cocky grin.
All of a sudden, the temperature around her dropped a dozen degrees and even the fire in her veins wasn't quick enough to warm her. The hair stood on her skin as suddenly her trachea closed up and it was she who was panting for breath. Her fingers clawed at her throat and she tried taking in gulps of air, but there was none of it present in the atmosphere. Her legs wobbled and buckled under her as she fell against a tree, growing weaker by the second, her vision blurring.
At the same instant, there were sounds of hurried footsteps on rustled twigs and Tyra was easing up as the smoke around her cleared allowing her to breathe again. That was when she grasped at what was happening.
Right on cue, a tall, fair-haired silhouette with broad shoulders and a lean build rushed into the scene and helped Tyra up to her feet. Ellana was still gasping when the boy turned toward her, his silver-blue eyes boring into her gold ones when all the air rushed back into her lungs. She gulped it down as the sweet relief of finally being able to breathe slammed into her. She closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling.
“Hello, Jonah”, she whispered, her eyes still shut.
“Do you two never, ever have anything else to do rather than squabble with each other?” the boy called Jonah asked the girls.
“Well, your darling sister started it when she decided to knock my arrow out of the air and ruin my day’s hunt. So I decided to burn her” Ellana spat out as she grabbed the tree she was leaning against and stood up.
A hint of amusement winked in Jonah’s eyes but it was immediately masked with a calm exterior. You’d almost think you imagined it.
“Didn’t do a very good job now, did you?” Jonah stated as if that wasn’t entirely obvious. Ellana rolled her eyes.
Tyra scoffed at her.
“She never does.”
“And YOU” her brother turned to her “need to stop wandering about the forest and playing with water whenever you want. You know better than to start bickering with someone like her.”
Tyra glared at her brother, as did the Huntress.
“Excuse me, someone like ME? You mean a rare, funny and attractive huntress who could scorch your pretty little face in an instant?” Ellana asked, with an innocent smile on her face.
“Someone like YOU as in a hot-headed, impulsive little girl with no self-control whatsoever” he said, stepping right in front of her with impressively quick strides; face a mask of cool temper, yet, with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Douche. She didn’t give him the satisfaction of breaking his stare.
Exasperated, he exhaled and shook his head.
“Honestly you two, you need to stop or the whole village will be simultaneously scorched and flooded one day. Now enough, let’s get back.”
“Don’t tell me what to do” Ellana snapped back, though not with much conviction.
Jonah just shrugged.
“Alright, Your Highness” he said in a mocking demeanor “suit yourself. You’ll probably pass out from hunger by morning anyway”
“Whatever” she said as she stalked of, feeling cranky and defeated to go collect her bow and quiver full of arrows and started trailing back toward the duo.
Jonah chuckled and Ellana elbowed him in the stomach. Hard. The boy barely even flinched. Insufferable; and exhausting. Just like this whole pointless day.
“You owe me an arrow, Fish” and with that she ran off into the wilderness, towards the confines of her home, already dreading it, leaving the fair-haired siblings behind.
#fantasy#story#zodiac#sagittarius#pisces#gemini#cancer#virgo#huntress#forest#books#books ill never write#writer#fiction#winter#magic#elements#fire#water#air#earth
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the declassified texts of the inquisition’s elite [160]
(336): Did you get good sleep?
(832): I dreamt that I was a lipstick lesbian in the 1950s, working at Walgreens and solving mysteries.
(832): So yes.
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“I take it you know Kallian, or is that being racist?” Herah asks.
“When it gets to the point where you're a person of elven descent in a position of high power, high visibility, or any kind of notoriety then you start to figure out who all the other elves in the same position as you are. At that point it’s no longer about the stereotype of all elves knowing or being related to each other and it’s more about a minority grouping together to hold hands and mutually suffer through the fact that they’re a minority,” Kallian says before Mahanon can answer. She narrows her eyes at the man. "That said, I am nearly entirely certain that I’ve represented you in court before."
“Lyna's my distant cousin on my mother’s side,” Mahaon replies. “Which is why I might seem familiar to you.”
Kallian wrinkles her nose. “Mahariel? Lyna Mahariel? The hippie?”
“Yes.”
“The one related to the Gray Warden? The dumb one with the kid?”
“The very same.”
Kallian narrows her eyes further. “Is your sister the lunatic?”
“Possibly, depending on who you think I am. Are you thinking about Neria or Ellana? They’re both slightly off kilter in separate ways.”
“Violent one.”
“That’s Neria Surana. The Lavellans are so distantly related we might as well not be. My sister is the one who’s off kilter in ways that make you realize how broken of a society we have because she gets away with it due to the copious amount of loopholes that seemingly exist just for her. Some would call her a manic pixie girl. Those same people would probably be attempting to charge her for assault except she gets away with it every time because of aforementioned reasons.”
“Fair enough.” Kalilan nods. “Have I represented you in court before?”
“I’ve never had any of my cases, prior to joining the Inquisition, get taken to court. You’re thinking of someone else.”
“This is absolutely riveting. Now that you’ve established that you two do not, in fact, know each other but know the same people, can we get down to business?”
Kallian flips her notebook open, clicking her pen and starts jotting some things down. “If you were related to the Surana I would’ve charged triple.”
“You probably should anyway,” Herah mutters.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Herah waves a hand. “Anyway, thank you for coming. For some reason you’re the only lawyer of note we could find in the entire district.”
Kallian smiles and it’s eerily reminiscent of a very, very satisfied wild cat. “All the other ones were weak. They quit as soon as I got my firm established in the area. Couldn’t handle the competition. They also couldn’t handle a woman who doesn’t need to wear a pant suit and a string of pearls to be taken seriously.”
“I think I’m starting to be fond of you,” Mahanon says, “You might be the first lawyer I’ve considered respecting enough to work with.”
Herah glares at Mahanon, “Don’t fuck this up. I meant it. Every other lawyer in this district is absolute shit garbage and if we have to work with them because you pissed off this one I will personally make sure that this trial ends badly out of spite. Fuck the consequences.”
“I’m starting to like you as a person,” Kallian says to Herah, “I would say do go on with this but I’ve gotten about four hours of sleep in the past day and a half and if I’m representing the Inquisition I don’t foresee getting myself much more than that any time soon. I want to get my associates working this case as fast as possible so I can try and head off whatever stupid tricks the opposing side wants to use.” Kallian’s eyes grow distant for a moment. “And when it’s over I’m going to do my best to lucid dream a continuation of my lipstick lesbian episode last night.”
“What?”
“Not important. Let’s start at the beginning.”
“How far back is the beginning for you?” Herah asks, “Because we’ve been working this case for a while. And let me tell you, it’s been one fuckin’ wild ride to get here. The only reason it’s being tried in this district court and not the original one is because the little weasel of a shit heel we’re trying to get charged has too many people in inconvenient places.”
“I can work around that. I don’t lose cases. If I’m on a case it’s mine.” Kallian flips open one of the files Herah had prepared for her.
“Has anyone ever told you that maybe you should’ve been a PI?” Herah asks. “Or a bounty hunter?’
Kallian grunts, “I tell myself that daily. I dream about it, sometimes. Maybe I was in a past life. But if there’s something harder than being a respected and feared lawyer of elven descent in this country it’s establishing your own private eye business, or getting respect as an independent contractor. I’m working my way up in my own way.”
“If you ever get tired of the whole lawyer thing I think you’d have a place in the Inquisition.”
“Recruitment?” Mahanon asks Herah, “Now? Really, Adaar?”
“I’ve got an eye for talent, Lavellan, and you’ve got an eye for trouble. Stick to what you know. I’d regret it forever if I let this chance slip.”
Kallian’s lips twitch upwards. “I’ll think about it. Maybe after I’ve done enough time in court that I feel like the law school fees were worth it. In the mean time, I’ve got to justify the thousands I’ve dropped on my fancy degree. So. Let’s do that now. Should we start with going over the specific reason why the defense wants to say that this is a set up and that the entire thing was rigged due to — “ Kallian pauses, eyebrows raising, “Racial prejudice against humans. Oh. I’m going to enjoy this case like a fuckin’ rare steak. Let’s get cracking.”
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newfragile yellows [870]
“Alright Wolf, relax, put your teeth away,” Bull gently nudges Ellana’s shoulder, and then firmly presses down on her arm when she doesn’t lower her blade. The magic actually seems to hum and strengthen, if anything. “No, seriously. Relax — Wolf, stand down and lose the sword.”
Ellana lowers her arm, allows the blade to lose some of its vibrance — Bull doesn’t doubt for a second that the blade is still exactly the same strength as before. She’s just…made it slightly less visible. Like when she’s trying to kill someone without them knowing she’s about to kill them.
“Someone sends assassins after the two of us and you want me to relax?” she says tersely.
“Firstly, not someone. The Qun. You can say it,” Bull replies. “It doesn’t hurt to give it a name. I can take it.”
“Can you?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. The Qun has sent assassins after us, again, and you want me to relax?”
“Yes. Because — like I told you and everyone else before, if they sent real assassins after us, we wouldn’t be standing around here talking about it.” Bull glances down at their assailant. “I’m one of their former top agents, and you’re basically third in line after Corypheus and the Inquisitor in terms of magical threat.”
“You talked me up too much.” Ellana gives her blade an irritated shake and Bull swears he can hear the magic humming. But angry. Angry humming. If there’s isn’t a word for that Ellana should create one.
“I didn’t talk you up enough, frankly,” Bull grumbles. “You’re number three on the list because of how unknown your abilities are and how close you are to the Inquisitor.”
“Thanks much. My abilities are perfectly well known.”
“You’re the only person I know who talks to who you say is a god and has that god talk back on the regular.”
“Plenty of people have that happen. Unfortunately most of those people happen to be human, which — you know. Means they’re fucking insane.”
“Don’t say that around any humans.”
“You think I’m suicidal? Of course I won’t say that in front of humans.” Ellana scowls. “Seriously though. You want me to relax? In this situation?”
Ellana gestures around them, specifically the fact that they’re both in a partial state of undress and Ellana’s still got a few soap suds around her shoulders.
“We were both in the middle of washing blood off of ourselves and doing laundry,” Ellana exclaims. “I think that I get to be upset and want to kill someone when they peep in on me when I’m partially nude, Bull. I think I get to be very upset when that person also ruins the clothes I’d just finished washing blood out of by getting more blood on them than there was before I did the damn washing.”
Ellana’s scowl deepens even more.
“What a damned waste of soap,” she turns towards said clothes that had been previously been drying on rocks they had set up near the fire. They are…covered in blood, silt, and mud. “I spent ages scrubbing that, Bull. And you’re telling me to relax?”
“I thought you were more angry about almost being killed thing.”
“Almost nothing, they didn’t even come close.” Ellana rolls her eyes. “I’m more mad about the clothes and — you know. This is the second time they’ve come at me during or around a bath. If it wasn’t the Qun I’d say there’s something else going on there. But it is and I can’t help but think that it’s incredibly telling that they think they can only take me when I’m undressed.”
“If you didn’t kill the first round of assassins who went after you when you were mostly naked then maybe they would’ve gone back to tell the rest of them that it isn’t a good idea,” Bull points out.
“I only killed two of them the first time, I left the others incapacitated and delivered them to Leliana’s care.”
“I don’t hear a difference between the two.” Bull glances back down at the would be assassin. “Anyway, like I said. They didn’t intend for this to actually kill either of us. It’s a message.”
“Have they ever heard of a letter?”
“It’s probably on his person.”
“Have they ever heard of a carrier bird?”
Bull half heartedly swats at Ellana. “Go walk it off, cool your head. Go for another dunk in the river.”
“Oh yes, the river where I almost drowned in because I was trying to wash blood and grime off and was attacked by yet another assassin in. Lovely.”
“Wolf.”
“Fine. Fine. I’m leaving this to you, but I’m still going to be perfectly peeved about it as much as I please.” Ellana finally disperses the magic in her hand, dispelling the sword, turning and marching away, head held high. It’d be quite an image if it weren’t for the fact that there still is soap on parts of her bare skin and bright red marks — some probably going to turn into bruises — from where she’d skidded along rocks on the river bank.
Bull sighs and turns his gaze back down to the assassin, nudging the trussed up figure with his foot.
“Alright, what’s the message?”
The man glares up at him balefully.
“Right,” Bull palms the back of his neck, feeling so very tired. “Don’t know what I expected there. The usual then? You’ll regret this, you’ve made a serious enemy, blah, blah, blah?”
He bends down and grabs the man by the shoulder, hauling him up and dragging him away from the water side.
“I’d say you and I were going to have a talk, but we both know that’s pointless. You aren’t talking and I can already guess what you’re going to say.” Bull shakes his head. “Damn waste of soap though. I’d do you in here, but if Wolf saw more mess and didn’t get a chance at her own cut she’d be even more pissed. And you wouldn’t even be around for her to take it out on.”
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the declassified texts of the inquisition’s elite [89]
(212): My life is far to together for someone who's such a hot mess inside
-
(660): I got the shit slapped outta me last night but the pain in my jaw doesn’t even compare to the hangover I have.
-
“You’re a hot mess?” Malika looks surprised as Evelyn flicks through her documents.
“Of course,” Evelyn says, not looking up as she looks between two pages. “I’m running an extremely controversial military and intelligence operation that handles the case no one else wants to and is above the jurisdiction of most countries. I’m practically running my own nation and my previous job was college professor. I wasn’t even in the humanities. I’ve got a doctorate in mathematics. Almost all of my family hates my guts and sees me as a traitor to everything the name has stood for because I’m not a religious nutjob and I believe that people who make less than a certain amount of money are still people. I was declared wanted dead on sight by multiple governments for over half a year. I’ve gone to literal war. I’ve been pronounced dead twice. Do you need me to keep going?”
“I knew all of that already,” Malika says. “I was there for most of it. I mean. I’m just surprised you feel that way. You always look so composed.”
“It’s the professor in me,” Evelyn sighs. “Externally I’ve got to know what I’m doing — the college I worked at had a lot of staff who didn’t take me seriously because I was younger than they are.”
“That’s shitty.”
“And now I’m running a small country, so never take shit from anyone in life Malika. And don’t give anyone shit either. You never know who’s going to end up where.” Evelyn sighs again and closes her eyes, sliding the documents back into the folder. “This is as good as it’s going to get. I hate trial days.”
“You’re so good at them, though. Social media always pops off whenever you have a trial day. Everyone comments about how cool you sound and how stupid you make other people look and how neat you look doing it,” Malika says. “The last part isn’t too important, but I thought you might like to know. I know you always fuss over what you wear to court.”
Evelyn offers Malika a tired smile. “Thanks. I know I have to look presentable. Josephine and Vivienne gave me a whole run down lecture on it. I have their notes on what to wear and when to wear it taped to the inside of my closet door.”
“That sounds really harsh.”
“It’s the life I lead. Unless you want to take over for me. I think you’d do a fantastic job.”
“Um. Thanks, but that seems like a lot for an almost twenty year old.”
Evelyn’s smile turns into a broad grin, “Oh, so does that mean when you’re a bit older you’ll give it a shot? We can revisit this conversation.”
Malika holds her hands up in protest. “How about never? You know, you’re not exactly selling the job.”
“Ah, but you’ve got something I don’t.”
“What’s that?”
“A family who’d kick ass for you,” Evelyn says. “I mean. I’ve got Max. But Max against the world is a lot of ass for one man to kick.”
Malika laughs, “That’s true. How about I stick to being your social media person for now?”
-
“Did the drinking happen before or after you got into the fight?” Bull asks, reaching into the freezer to pull out an ice pack.
“Both,” Herah says, eyes closed as she slouches in the break room chair. “There was a fight, then drinks, another fight, more drinks — you get the idea.”
“Assignment?” Bull asks, dropping the ice pack directly onto Herah’s face. The woman jerks, striking out blindly and missing entirely. “Or both?”
“Assignment,” Herah says, moving the pack to her jaw, eyes still closed. “Well. The last round of fists was the assignment, before that was just trying not to get cover blown and doing my best to keep shit stable until we got the signal to close in.” She grimaces, working her jaw for a second. “Lucky I didn’t lose teeth honestly. I need to make an appointment with one of the dentists.”
“Ask Stitches to book it for you, he can see all the appointment slots so he can slide you in early,” Bull says. “But the mission went okay?”
“Yeah, in the end it did,” Herah says. “Max tackled one of the guys off a balcony and they both landed in a dumpster. Lucky break or them. Meanwhile I was getting beat on by four knuckle headed bastards who couldn’t figure out Inquisition raid from regular barroom brawl. I got an ash tray thrown at me.”
“And?”
“And I haven’t had that happen to me in damned years. Maybe this Inquisition is making me soft or something.”
“It’ll do that to you,” Bull shrugs, kicking out a chair across from her and sitting down. “You need something for the hangover?”
“Why, you offering? What’s the catch?”
“Ellana’s got hangover cure back at our place,” Bull says, “The catch is that she’s having a video call with half of her cousins in the time zone on her dad’s side and you might get roped into it.”
“It sounds nice. I’m surprised you aren’t there.”
“Bold of you to assume I wasn’t. I was in yesterday’s call,” Bull says. “But I’ve got a meeting in half an hour and a seminar to run all afternoon so I had to call a rain check on today’s call. So yeah. You can get the hangover cure but you might be stuck there for the rest of the day. Did you do your debrief yet? Because if you go to my place you’ll definitely miss it.”
“Damn,” Herah groans. “Can’t win on that one. Cure the hangover and miss debrief and get Leliana mad, or suffer through the hangover and the bruised everything and make sure the higher ups aren’t pissed. You think I could ask Mahanon to sneak it in and out for me?”
“You could ask, but I don’t think he’s going anywhere near our place until he’s sure that he’s got all of his shit done so he can join the call,” Bull shakes his head. “He’s mad because he missed yesterday’s because of that assignment you guys were on and he feels behind on the family drama.”
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newfragile yellows [1197]
That's one hell of a story. And one fucked up mess we're all in if it's true.
Are you done talking? Explaining? Alright. My turn then. We've heard yours, now you hear ours. Dalish, stand down. We aren't going to get anywhere with you aiming to blast a person to pieces. Go check on the Hunter. Skinner, Aclassi. Take the rest and secure the perimeter. Rocky, with me. If anything happens bring the entire mountain down on us.
I'm willing to listen to you, don't get me wrong. But I'm not going to let that many demons escape just because I give you a fair shot. You get that, right? I'm with the Inquisition. As much as I want to try and be fair to you, even with my instincts telling me to cut your head off now, I can't just do that.
Alright. Ellana. So these demons. These spirits. They're angry. They don't like that people are here and they want them gone. Is that the gist of it? They're angry because people are squatting on their land and they want to chase them off. And they'll start with the vulnerable because that's the sensible thing to do. You go after the weak target.
You're right. I don't really know much about demons aside from how to get rid of them. I don't care to know. I don't like demons. I'm not fond of magic. It's a mixture of how I was raised and common sense, from my point of view. I don't care much about the how's or the why's. I just want to know the conclusion as long as the conclusion is somewhere along the lines of 'and the demons got got'.
But you know what I do know a lot about of?
Stone.
You’re holding all of those demons back. How long has it been? A few months, now? Three, maybe four? And you’ve got a handle on it.
For now.
That’s what they always think. People think that they can handle anything if they put their mind to it. If they focus. If they have enough will. And sometimes they do. For a while. But what you’re doing here isn’t a skirmish. It isn’t a climb over a frustrating incline. You’re in a siege. You’re trekking across an entire mountain ridge. This is a matter of endurance.
The mind is a fragile thing. You should know that. It’s fragile. It’s delicate. It needs so many things to just function.
I’m not trying to preach to you. I’m telling you my actual real life experience.
I’ve spent a lot of time breaking down the mind. Others, mostly. My own, too, though. I’ve broken my own mind down plenty of times. I have experience in finding the fault lines.
You have a sharp one. I’ll give you that. And you have a good heart. Those two things, Ellana, tend to fuck a person up. Sorry. It’s true.
Here’s what will happen.
You’ll hold on for another month. Two months. Half a year, maybe. Just a little longer than that, if you’re lucky. And you’ll think you have it. You can live with this thing forever if you have to. You’ll start thinking you’re close to a solution, if you can hold onto it just a little longer things will resolve. They won’t.
And I’ll tell you why.
Stone.
The mind, the body, is like a stone. It can withstand a lot of shit happening to it. But it wears down. It cracks. It erodes.
And so will you.
Here is what will happen to you, Ellana. Again. Not preaching. I’m speaking from experience.
It will start small. Stupidly small. An annoyance. A fly in your face. A child’s off hand comment. A friend’s miss-timed joke. Maybe your own brother will say something, or do something, that annoys you. Maybe someone chews too loudly or breathes through their mouth or snores in their sleep and it frustrates you. Annoys you. Irritates you.
And you’ll be tired already. Six months or more of harboring demons and keeping them locked up will make you tired. It will, Ellana. It will. And on top of that you’re keeping it a secret. You’re trying to protect all of these people that these demons hate, all these people who are continuing to make these demons pissed off just by existing. It will drain you.
And then you’ll also be defending yourself, justifying yourself, to the people who do know. Even if we, the Inquisition, leave and let you go — what about your brother? He has to keep your secret too. Don’t tell me that he’s happy with this situation. Don’t tell me that he agrees with you. I’ve only talked to the man a handful of times, but I don’t think I need to be his best friend to know that he hates demons as much as I do. There’s no way he’s willing to go along with this. He’s doing this for you. That’s a burden on a person. You’re bringing him along with you on this secret, this dangerous secret mission of yours, that you know he doesn’t agree with.
So now you’re tired. You’re mind is tired. Your body is tired — don’t tell me it doesn’t take a physical toll. It does. It absolutely does.
And you’re annoyed. Your temper grows shorter. You have intrusive thoughts, now. And demons will latch onto anything. Even the smallest thought that doesn’t even get more than a second in your consciousness. They’ll latch onto that. Doubts and demons both.
That crack will build in you. It will build in you until it is a subconscious river. Is it worth it? Can you do it? Should you continue? But what now?
You’ll stay that way for a long time. You’ll get weaker the entire time though. It’s only downhill from there. You’re tired. You have your doubts. The demons are picking at your annoyances and turning them into, what you think, logical grievances. And they’ll start to tell you — it’s your right to be annoyed. After all, you’re doing this for these ungrateful people who didn’t listen to you in the first place. This is your right. You deserve to at least be comfortable. To have a moment’s peace.
Now either this thought takes you, and you break — you do something you’d really regret. Something the demons want and you don’t.
Or this thought trips you. You don’t give in exactly, but you start small. You start getting mean. Malicious. You start getting cold. Cruel. Temperamental. Moody. That’s what they want, too. They’ll eat you up from the inside.
Don’t tell me they won’t.
Are you the greatest mage to ever live? Is that what you’re going to tell me? That you’re better than the rest of the people in the history of the world? You’re impervious to getting tired? Your will is somehow stronger than anyone else’s? That’s pride right there. Like that glowing demon just over your shoulder, breathing down your neck.
See? It’s already started.
Are you better than me, Ellana Lavellan? I used to think I was good too. I used to think I was stone. But I broke down eventually.
In the end I was only a man.
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newfragile yellows [298]
Ellana sits up, pushing her hair out of her face and over her shoulder as she squints out the window. The Iron Bull lets out a low, tired sound and she feels his hand curl into the end of her hair, fingers winding through the ends.
“Long,” Bull mumbles, “Forget how much of it there is when it’s all done to make you look like a wild thing.”
Ellana leans back a little to create a little more slack between his hand and her hair, “I should get Krem to cut it.”
“Not Skinner?”
“You know Krem’s better with scissors than Skinner is,” Ellana replies, yawning as she rolls her shoulders. There’s a dull twinge in her left one, she’ll ask Stitches for more ointment to rub into the bruises. The weather lower down in the mountains isn’t set to clear up for another few days, she has time to heal before Evelyn drags them all off to more parts unknown to make them known.
“Your hair smells good when it’s clean,” Bull says and she leans back as he pulls her hair closer to him.
“Most things do,” Ellana replies, obligingly falling backwards, halfway on him as she turns towards him. She braces herself on her hands as he coaxes her into a kiss.
Ellana opens her mouth.
The Iron Bull retreats, nudging her jaw with his chin as he kisses her there, “You sure?”
“Yes,” Ellana says and kisses him again. And again. And again. Soft things, long things.
There is a dragon’s tooth that rests on his chest and Ellana did not know how good it would feel to see it there, a physical thing, instead of to just keep it inside, an invisible weight.
Ellana did not know how good it would feel to become something, and in the Wolf’s cryptic words, in the process of becoming something, become everything.
And they say that Mythal is the patron of love.
If Ellana had known that vowing herself to the Wolf would set her off on a twenty-something year long path to love she would have laughed her damn head off. But here she is, almost thirty years into her journey waking up in bed next to a man that she knows she loves beyond explanation. A man she knows loves her back.
She slumps over him, pressing her face into the junction of his neck and shoulder and breathes deep, the air warmed by his skin as he closes his arms around her and pulls the blankets back up over them. His hand is warm on her shoulder as he gently prods at the bruises there.
His tooth presses into her skin, cool and hard, but hers is also trapped between them. Quickly warming.
“Maybe don’t fall off a cliff and onto rocks next time,” Bull suggests mildly.
Ellana takes some skin between her teeth and bites, because obviously he’s right, but also it’s not like she chooses where she falls in those situations.
Bull laughs, shaking her with the sound and motion of it.
“Where’s she dragging you next?” Bull asks when he’s done laughing. Ellana releases the skin that she had been loosely holding and moves her head enough so she can answer -
“Storm Coast.”
She can practically feel all the blood in the Iron Bull’s body consider traveling south.
“Oh, yeah?” The Iron Bull says and Ellana rolls her eyes.
“You aren’t being subtle,” Ellana says, pushing up and flopping over onto his other side. “Round two against Vinsomer.”
“You want some back up for that, since the first time it didn’t go so well?”
“I’ll put a good word in for you to come with us,” Ellana says dryly. The Iron Bull grins down at her, wide and unabashed. “Try not to get overly excited at the sight of all the blood and lightning.”
-
Evelyn is in the middle of carefully sussing out the Iron Bull - though she’s pretty sure that he knows she’s trying to catch him up in a lie and is therefore not lying, but also Evelyn can’t believe a Qunari spy just goes around announcing he’s a Qunari spy to organizations called The Inquisition - when the Iron Bull is hit in the side of the head with a thick bundle of cloth.
The Iron Bull laughs, not even moving despite the heavy sound of the impact, and catches the cloth as it falls down.
Evelyn turns and sees Lavellan scowling from the Iron Bull’s tent, wrapped in thick wolf pelts and glaring at the Iron Bull.
“Druffalo,” Lavellan says, expression schooling into a more polite one as she nods to Evelyn before retreating back into the tent.
Evelyn blinks.
She had heard…rumors of the Iron Bull when she came back to Haven and found that his Chargers had arrived before her party after all. Most of them involve Chantry Sisters and…um. Some other things she’d heard from Vivienne and gotten from one of Maxwell’s letters. Evelyn isn’t sure how Maxwell’s letters keep getting to her so late, when he seems to receive hers so quickly. He’s the one in the middle of traveling from Ostwick down to Haven and she’s the one with a mostly permanent location, shouldn’t his letters be finding her faster?
“Was I…interrupting?” Evelyn asks. In the Circle one grows used to interrupting trysts. There’s only so much space and so many people about. Evelyn, herself, may have been caught in what should have been a booked study room once or twice.
But she didn’t think that Lavellan would. Erm. Fall so quickly. That’s probably not an assumption Evelyn should be making. She doesn’t know Lavellan that well and she’s only had a handful of interactions with the Iron Bull.
“Nah,” The Iron Bull says, shaking the cloth out, “Is she still watching?”
“Not that I can tell.”
The Iron Bull lazily throws the cloth over his shoulder and leaves it there.
“She gets pissed if I don’t bundle up because usually she’s the one who gets stuck with me. We share a tent and all,” Bull explains. “In theory, because I’m technically her boss, I could kick her out and into another tent, but then she’d probably do something stupid like stay up all night to keep watch in below freezing weather. Old dog, you know, doesn’t learn new tricks.”
“You…know Lavellan? You’re her boss? Technically?”
“She’s a Charger,” Bull says simply, “I signed her, so yup. I’m her boss. I guess you’re her boss, too, since you’re my boss.”
“The Inquisition is your boss.”
“And the Inquisition answers to you.”
“It doesn’t,” Evelyn says, “The advisors ask my opinion on things is all.”
“Right, you tell yourself that, Trevelyan,” The Iron Bull shrugs, eyebrow raised at her as he crosses his arms, “But I’m pretty sure that if you asked anyone else here they’d say you’re the boss.”
The Iron Bull grunts as another bundle of fabric, this time heavy enough that the man staggers back a little, smacks him.
Lavellan comes out of the tent pulling the many pelts around her as she trudges walks towards them, “Wear it, before one of your nipples pokes someone’s eye out. I didn’t trade away three stags and a wolverine for you to let it moulder away in your trunk.”
The Iron Bull obligingly throws the leather and fur over his shoulders, letting it settle and drape, “Yeah, yeah. You just want me to wear it so you can steal it back later and have it all warmed up for you. I’m on to you, Wolf.”
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newfragile yellows [285]
“Ah, Wolf. It's you.”
Ellana raises her eyebrows as she sets down the supplies Stitches had sent her off with next to the Iron Bull’s bed.
“I see no Wolf, here,” Ellana replies.
“Look in a mirror then, or frozen piss, whichever we have closer on hand,” The Iron Bull replies, “I was wondering who it’d be next.”
“Stitches and Dalish got tired of playing nursemaid,” Ellana says, “I think they think that either you’ll let me tend you because I’m new and you’re trying to get me to stay or that you'll go easy on me because you only do it to fuck with them.”
“And what do you think?” Bull says, voice not that much lower than usual, but there is something of a dullness to his usual sharp edge. It’s hidden beneath even more, now.
“I think that maybe you ought to be more discerning of who you take to bed,” Ellana replies, raising her hand towards his head and waiting for him to signal her.
The Iron Bull raises an eyebrow and gestures for her to begin her examination. Healing will never be her forte, but with the sickness that’s been making its rounds and with the tenacity it’s been going, Ellana thinks that maybe the reason they asked her to start assisting in tending the ill is because it might not be sickness they’re looking for.
So when Ellana takes her thick glove off to check his temperature - still high, but not as high as some of the others she’s seen today, possible rebound is to be considered - she also weaves a subtle spell to wash over him and check for signs of foul play. It’s unlikely but not entirely out consideration.
The wave of illness struck in the middle of crossing the Emprise, and they’ve been stuck in the same camp for the past week. But before then they were in Sarnia, and while Sarnia is not exactly a center for people and ideas of great import, it is not entirely off the map.
No signs of poison that she can sense. No signs of foul magic, either.
A regular bout of winter colds and such, then.
“Are you judging me?” The Iron Bull asks, incredulous.
Ellana raises her eyebrows as she pulls a cloth from her inner pocket and coaxes him into raising his head so she can put it around his neck to absorb some of his sweat.
“You are a handsome man of healthy appetites and a fair and clear judgement of ethics, who you take to bed is none of my business except for when that person had just recovered from severe fever and cough,” Ellana replies, “Did you consider possibly waiting a week or two to make sure symptoms were clear before taking him to bed?”
“Alright, hindsight and all that shit,” Bull mumbles. “And when you say all those things about me it sounds downright clinical.”
“It is downright clinical,” Ellana replies. “Sit up, if you can. I’m going to undress you.”
The Iron Bull gives her a flat look.
“Do you want to lie down in your own sweat?”
The Iron Bull slowly sits up and Ellana peels off layers of furs and cloth to expose flushed skin, grumbling under his breath.
“Are you feeling up to another round to keep your mind occupied?” Ellana asks, “Or would you prefer silence?”
“Another round,” The Iron Bull replies immediately. “But you start because I can’t think right now.”
“You put me at an advantage then, should I be concerned?” Ellana says as she carefully checks his arm for any marks of magic - just in case. The Iron Bull slowly opens and closes his fingers.
“Nah,” The Iron Bull shrugs a shoulder, pulling his knee up and hunching over, eye closing as Ellana carefully wipes at his skin with cold cloth. “Feels nice, Wolf.”
“Let’s start there, then. Wolf?”
He shrugs again, “Everyone gets a nickname at some point. Wolf suits you fine. You look like one. Sometimes you even act like one.”
Ah, another question to tuck away for later.
“What a fine pair we are then,” Ellana muses, “A wolf tending to a druffalo."
Bull opens his eye to glare at her.
Ellana smiles at him a she slowly moves around to get to his back.
“I changed my mind, get out of my tent,” He says without any real force. He shifts forward to give her more room to work.
His skin is very warm.
“Does it hurt?” Ellana asks. “And that doesn’t count as part of the game. I hope you realize.”
“It feels raw, but it’s good when you put the cold cloth on,” Bull says, “And yeah, I know it’s not part of it. I wouldn’t count it anyway. That’d be kind of unfair to me. That trick you did, when we were knocking some sense into those dumbass noble brats. The one with the lightning in your hair. Where’d you learn that?”
“Trial and error,” Ellana replies. It takes her a second to remember what he means. She’d allowed a small lightning spell to channel through her hair, through the beads and the cords she’d woven through her braids, causing her hair to rise in a static filled wave, undulating and moving on its own. Like deep black snakes. “A lot of error. I’d gotten the idea from a hedge-mage I’d met towards the Anderfels. He’d used lightning over his skin like an armor shell. A last defense, or a very interesting intimidation tactic.”
Bull laughs, “Nice. Can you do that?”
“I could, but I’d prefer to get rid of my enemies before it becomes necessary,” Ellana answers, going around to his other side. The full weight of his attention, now that she’s on his right, feels heavy in the confines of the tent. “Why do you take in mages? I’m sure it’s gotten you in trouble.”
“Every merc band worth paying for has mages,” He says, “You need the leg up. I don’t think I’m the first person to hire you.”
It’s not a question, so it doesn’t need an answer.
“No, but you are the first that is so comfortable with me,” Ellana answers anyway. The last time she had signed on with a band of mercenaries she felt like she was moments away from being either thrown to the Templars or worse. She had made as much coin as she needed and left.
“Are you comfortable with us?” The Iron Bull asks.
Ellana goes to search through his things for new blankets or skins. She’ll clean and air out the other ones after this with the others she’d gathered from the other patients she’s treating with Stitches and Dalish and the other surgeons and healers the Chargers has on their roster.
“Yes,” Ellana says.
After she has the Iron Bull settled again she sits next to him and pulls out the braid she had started. It’s much longer now. It would be useful as a necklace, perhaps. Or maybe some sort of wrap for an arm brace.
She’ll stay until he sleeps. Dalish and Stitches told her that if she was in here no one would bother her, and that she could use the rest. Also that the Iron Bull gets bored very easily if left on his own when he’s sick and it was really best for all of them if she just stayed with him to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble. Apparently he can get very introspective when he has a fever and is stuck in one place for too long.
The Iron Bull snags at her cloak as she’s considering what else she should put into her leather cord.
“Stay with us in spring,” He says. “With the thaw there’s going to be worse shit an we’ll be moving back up towards the North. Might pass through some contested land. We’ll need the help.”
Ellana decides to put a very light enchantment for enhanced durability so she can start working on some deeper magic. If she’s going to make this thing any longer she might as well start investing some serious magic into it.
“Ask me again when spring comes,” Ellana says and the Iron Bull lets out a quiet almost laugh. “Sleep well, the Iron Bull.”
“With the Wolf keeping watch?” The Iron Bull replies, “Can’t imagine another way to sleep.”
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newfragile yellows [823]
Wolf goes down. And she goes down hard.
He knows she's not getting up because her magic sword had fizzled out of view the second she’d been hit and it’s not shimmering back into existence. There’s always the chance that she’s keeping it invisible, or at least, hard to see, for a surprise factor. But Bull doubts it, because Wolf is crumpled on the ground in a way that no one can describe as comfortable and would willingly maintain if they were conscious.
It’s not a surprise. If Bull were hit that hard and thrown that far and hit rock he’d probably be down too. And if not downed then he’d be having a damn hard time getting his feet under himself again.
There’s no clear path to her and even if there was he’s got his hands full with the, apparently, biggest most fucking annoying giant in the group. As fun as giant killing can be, it gets annoying as all fuck when they start calling their friends over to join the party. And unfortunately, this ugly bastard has a stupid amount of friends for what was originally a quiet bit of forest.
Bull grits his teeth, arms shaking with strain as he blocks another hit.
The giants aren’t the only ones fighting with friends.
The next time he risks a glance in Ellana’s direction he sees the Grim’s gone to cover for her and Rocky, who’s dragging her away and towards the fringes of the combat zone. Hopefully they can get her up again because having another mage in this fight is more helpful than having muscle.
But there’s no time to think too deeply on that right now.
Instead Bull pulls together every single bruise, every single cut, every single tired scream of his muscles. He gathers in his heart and in his back and in his legs the outrage at seeing Ellana Lavellan being thrown like a child’s doll. He gathers all of that into a dark, solid, snarling thing in his chest and he lets it flow through his veins. Bull’s focus seems to sharpen and fade out at the same time.
Sounds are clearer and yet far away. His sight focuses entirely on what’s in front of him, and yet he’s so aware of his surroundings that it threatens to be overwhelming.
Bull swears he could feel each and every single overlap of leather on the handle of his blade and he could count the individual droplets of sweat on his body without looking.
Every muscle aches but his heart pounds and his lungs inflate and his bones move as his blood snarls its way through him.
Slowly he filters through all the sensations, blocks out the extra noise, turns all of his focus on the mean-ass fuck in front of him and moves.
He trusts the rest of the Chargers to handle the other ones. He trusts them to get Ellana stable, and return with her to the fight, or move her somewhere safe before coming back. Bull trusts that by the time he’s finished with the big one over here, the other ones will either be subdued, or caught up in fights that are completely under control and are on their way to being done. Or are in the middle of being maintained in order for back up to be available.
Bull’s trained and trained with his people well. They know how to work together and they know how to work apart and how to come back together when needed. The Chargers are like blood. They flow where they’re needed and they work as one body.
The Chargers are like his blood.
They are his blood.
The part of him that is dark and possessive and furious seethes to the front as he pushes in. His hands tighten around the grip of his sword so hard he can feel his callouses grind and his knuckles sting against their bruises. It helps keep the rage focused. It helps keep the violence directed.
First this big bastard. Then whoever’s left.
And when they’re done here Bull’s going to check his people over and see if they’re one functioning piece.
They’re going to collect their payment, lick their wounds, and come back from this even stronger for next time.
But first.
This one’s his.
-
“Bold of you to assume that Ellana Lavellan listens to me when I tell her to do something,” Bull says, scratching at his jaw. He glances down at Evelyn. “Don’t make that assumption when she’s in earshot otherwise I’ll never hear the fucking end of it. She’ll talk me into deafness.”
“I thought you liked listening to her talk.”
“I like listening to her talk when she isn’t attempting to lecture me into my grave,” Bull answers. “I don’t tell Ellana Lavellan what to do. I tell her what I hope she’ll do and it’s up to her whether or not she actually does it. Usually she does it. Usually. Eight times out of ten. Once out of ten she’ll do it but she’ll do it in a way that makes me wish she didn’t. And then there’s the remaining one where she just doesn’t do it at all.”
“What kind of employer are you?”
“The kind that knows how to handle his people,” Bull says. “If I want someone to tell her to do something I ask Krem to do it because she listens to him. You should’ve asked him from the start.”
“You can tell me honestly, Bull,” Evelyn says, “Are you actually in charge here? Are you just a figure head?”
Bull rolls his eye, giving Evelyn a slight nudge to pick up the pace.
“Unlike you I know how to delegate jobs I don’t want. I said she listens to him, I didn’t say she does it well,” Bull points out. “Sure, she’ll do what he tells her to do. But if she doesn’t like it she’s going to make sure that no one’s ever going to even think about putting her name to the thing again. Wolf’s a stubborn piece of work and she can be mean about it. I’d like to see her go up against an Orlesian noble in a debate just once. It’d be one of those tasks where she’d get pissed at having to do it and never want to do it again but she’d do it so well that no one else would want to go up against her anyway.”
“Alright. What I’m hearing from you is that this is less the Iron Bull’s Chargers and more Iron Bull and a group of people who sometimes follow a common direction.”
“Hey. The others listen to me perfectly. It’s Wolf who’s out there doing whatever.” Bull pauses. “Well. She does listen to you.”
“She does?”
“Yeah,” Bull says. “Didn’t you notice a distinct lack of mouthing off when you talk to her?”
“That’s because I’m polite.”
Bull laughs. “There are tons of people who are polite. Ellana’s still going to talk shit to them if they tell her what to do. She’s talked shit to her own god before. Congratulations. Ellana Lavellan likes you enough to do what you tell her to. For now.”
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newfragile yellows [819]
“You know, I used to be worried about what would happen if the Chief ever formed a relationship with one of the Chargers,” Krem says. His gaze is on the clouds above them as he leans against a tree. The breeze ruffles his hair a little. He’s wearing a loose fitting shirt and is bare foot. Overall he makes a picture of a very handsome fiend. “I mea. You know. A relationship like yours? A deep one? In a different way than his relationship with me or Dalish or whatever you know? You know what I mean. Anyway I used to worry about possible favoritism and how we’d balance the power dynamic. And then you came along and put all those worries to bed. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you’re a gift that keeps on giving, Wolf. You’re the most generous person I’ve ever met.”
Ellana gasps in air. She almost wants to vomit she’s so tired. Every muscle is on fire. Ellana doubles over. Her head is pounding with how out of breath she is. She’s got a stitch in her side and everything.
Every part of her is covered in sweat.
“What part of this looks like favoritism to you?” Ellana wheezes. She’s so tired and out of breath she can’t even see straight.
“Man, if I’d have known that Chief would show favoritism by running his favorite into the ground with drills and endurance training I’d have gotten back hours of my life spent stressing over possible conflicts of interest,” Krem continues, grinning to himself. Smug bastard. “Did you know Dalish and Stitches and I actually had discussions about this? What ways the three of us could counter balance the Chief if he started doing weird shit? Because it would take three of us, you know. Me as second, Stitches as main medic, and Dalish as lead for our archers.”
“I’m telling you, Dalish is an archer. What do you think the use of an aiming crystal is for?” Ellana closes her eyes and sinks onto the ground, grass pricking against her skin. It feels like her entire body is her heartbeat pounding against her skin. “I’ve never trained this hard in my life for anything. And I’m Dalish. You could argue that every waking moment is a training session of some kind. What does he expect me to do? Be able to fight a high dragon by myself?”
“I think he’s training you to keep up with him,” Krem says. “You know. Since you’re the favorite? So he can keep you right next to him?”
“Aren’t you his second? Shouldn’t you be the one getting this treatment?”
“Oh, no. The point of the second is that I can go somewhere he isn’t and he can trust me to lead and do what needs to be done.”
“I can do that.”
“Sure you could, but you aren’t the second in command, you’re the favorite.”
“I hate being the favorite.” Ellana groans, throwing an arm over her face. “Why can’t Skinner be the favorite? They bond.”
“Well he’s your favorite so it isn’t like it doesn’t go both ways.”
“How do you know he’s my favorite?”
“Because he’s the only one you actively engage in pissing contests with.”
“You clearly haven’t seen me interacting with some of our other members.”
“Let me correct myself. He’s the only one you instigate pissing contests with.”
“I am not the instigator.”
“Also when the two of you are going at it, it’s like you two forget the rest of the world exists. It’s like the entire scene narrows down to the two of you having your playful banter. It’s a different atmosphere Wolf. Trust me as someone on the outside looking in and going, ugh, fuck not again. I’ve had to stop Stitches from throwing water at the two of you when you get at it sometimes. That’s how bad you two are.”
“We are not, get your eyes checked. I’ve seen you being terrible.”
“Not nearly as often as I have to endure you being terrible.”
“We’re not that bad, Aclassi.”
“Oh, back to Aclassi now are we?”
Ellana feels his shadow cross over her. Ellana moves her arm to glare up at him. His grin is just as stupid up side down as it is right side up. Krem’s bending over her, hands on his hips as he smirks down. He nudges her shoulder with his foot.
“Well, Lavellan, I guess you must not want my help skipping the next round of training.”
Ellana narrows her eyes further at him. “You spent the entire time standing there gloating underneath a tree and weren’t helping me? You were holding out on me? I thought you were supposed to look out for us. Bull looks out for the group and you look out for the individual.”
“Sure. But for this bit I agree with him. You need more endurance. You’re good at quick bursts but the Chargers do a fair bit of extended battle,” Krem shrugs, offering her his hand. Ellana takes it but makes him do all the work in dragging her to her feet. “But he’s got you down for strength training with Stitches later. Stitches’ been skipping regular training so much that it’s gotten the Chief pissed. So he figures, pair him with you, he’s gotta go.”
“You’re only helping me because you owe Stitches a favor, aren’t you?”
“Does the reason why matter, Lavellan?” Krem asks. “Look, I’m pretty sure you don’t need strength training right now. Sure, you’ve got the staff and you carry basically an entire apothecary with you at all times, but I figure that’s daily training. You’re used to it. No one here’s going to ask your to move a boulder or cut down a tree. Our priority should be having you working in teams and rotating you in and out of different groups to see where you best fit. We don’t have a group of agents who are just solo agents. And we don’t have many jobs that require sending only one person in.”
“Cut to the point, I’m exhausted.”
“I’ll switch in with Stitches because he’s kind of made me al little annoyed too. But I’m sending you out on a supply run with some of our third string line up. Good?”
“If it gets me out of this then yes, agreed.”
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newfragile yellows [135]
“What do you mean I can’t be there?” Bull asks as Dorian throws himself into the passenger seat of Maxwell’s car. Maxwell watches all of this with a look of undeserved delight. “You’re about to become the father of my wife’s child.”
“Because it would be so many levels of awkward, Bull.”
“You’re letting Maxwell go with you.”
“Maxwell has experience with this and thus I trust him to know if things are going well or not,” Dorian says and Bull leans down low so he can look at Maxwell.
“Cullen and Evelyn thought they’d have to do things the hard way for a while,” Maxwell replies cheerily, “And as the favorite, best, and overall kindest and most loving cousin in the world, I, of course, took it upon myself to help them research this. And I was also there to make sure Cullen didn’t, you know, croak right there on the spot as soon as he walked in the doors. That’s probably not sort of the death Evelyn intended to get out of him.”
The three of them pause to take that in.
“And then she got twins,” Dorian muses.
“Maybe you’ll get twins, triplets even,” Maxwell suggests.
“Please, no,” Bull murmurs.
“They weren’t even trying then,” Dorian continues. “That was a drunk accident.”
“She was on birth control.”
“Stitches and Sera have made it their personal mission to make sure that everyone we know always has a condom in their wallet at all times,” Bull adds in.
“It was the holiday party,” Dorian says, “They were gone for literally ten minutes.”
“Deck the halls,” Maxwell makes a gesture with his hand and winks.
Dorian grimaces. Bull rolls his eye and leans on the car. The car, noticeably, sinks to one side.
“Hey!” Maxwell says, and is ignored.
“Maxwell gets to come but I don’t,” Bull says, “I feel like this is somewhat unfair of you.”
“Technically, you could come all you want,” Maxwell says. He is, of course, ignored.
“It’s just awkward for me, Bull, alright?” Dorian says, “One, I’m getting a married virgin pregnant. Two, I’m doing it by jacking off in a sealed room in a building with many other rooms designed with this express purpose and may or may not be occupied. Three, I’d be in public.”
Dorian quickly cycles between red, pale, green, and then red again.
“I don’t know how people do this, just saying it outlaid is all sorts of,” Dorian can’t finish that sentence and just shivers violently.
“Bull could do it,” Maxwell says, “Born exhibitionist.”
“You’re not cute,” Bull says, “Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine. It can’t be that hard. Cullen did it.”
“Cullen did it many times, in fact he even did it with his wife once,” Maxwell says. “And really once was all it took.”
“I’m having second thoughts about this whole thing, but mostly you Maxwell,” Dorian says.
“Bull could drive you,” Maxwell says, “I mean, he’s literally the only other person who’s in on your little secret.”
“I have no idea why you told him,” Bull says, “If this gets out I know exactly who the leak is.”
“Rude.”
“Again - he has experience in this, but now I’m starting to regret it,” Dorian says, waving Bull away so he can slide the car window up. “Anyway, no you can’t come with us, yes I’ll be able to do this, yes I’ll probably try to call it off four different times before eventually getting around to it. I’d say wish me luck but somehow that just seems wrong.”
Bull sighs and stands up, waving them off, “Don’t get me triplets. I know you and Evelyn have that whole rivalry thing going, but don’t extend it to kids. I’m begging you here.”
“Tell that to your wife,” Dorian slumping in the car seat as Maxwell drives off with a murmured finally. “Ellana would totally get pregnant with triplets just to see if she could match Evelyn.”
-
Ellana fights hard to keep her breathing even and quiet, ears attuned to the Iron Bull’s breathing. He’s asleep. He’s definitely asleep.
He’s got to be asleep.
Ellana slowly reaches her arm out from underneath the covers and braces her hand on the nightstand. An agonizing inch by inch series of movements gets her one foot on the floor, half her body off the bed, and not a single change in the Iron Bull’s breathing.
About ten minutes later she’s fully off the bed and carefully creeping towards their bedroom door.
She has a hand on the doorhandle and she’s so close, if she can just make it down the stairs -
“And you’re going where?”
Ellana groans, hand sliding off the door handle as she slumps against the door, “You’re supposed to be asleep.”
“Pot, kettle, ever met before?” Bull replies, sounding only half asleep and about half as tired as he should be. He sits up, flicking the light on the nightstand on. Ellana grimaces, squinting her eyes shut at the bright light. “Seriously, where are you going?”
“How long were you going to just let me get on with it?” Ellana asks instead.
The Iron Bull rubs a hand across his face, “I thought you were going to piss and you were being weirdly polite about it. Considering that you’ve actually walked over me before when you aren’t pregnant I thought its was weird but there are weirder things in this world than you suddenly being polite about needing to pee. Seriously, where are you going?”
Ellana considers bluffing and then going back to bed, but he’s her Iron Bull and she doesn’t lie to her Iron Bull.
“I had a craving,” She says.
He doesn’t even judge her, he just takes in a slow, deep breath, and throws the covers back. He grabs his phone off the nightstand and walks over to her, “Where we headed?”
“You don’t have to,” She says even as they walk down the stairs together, “I can go myself.”
“Yeah, no, I don’t think so but nice try,” Bull snorts as they put on flip flops and jackets. Ellana sticks herself into one of Bull’s sweatshirts. It’s more of a giant blanket than a sweatshirt on her, really. But it’s so cozy. He grabs his keys. “Should I get my wallet?”
“I wanted churros, so no,” Ellana says, “We have enough change for that in the cup holder.”
“Alright,” Bull nods, “Might as well get some nachos while we’re at it.”
Ellana’s mouth waters, “I didn’t even think of that.”
Bull gives her a lopsided and still a little asleep grin, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side, “That’s why we’re a team, Kadan. You’re churros and I’m nachos.”
Ellana grins, “We have the stuff for warm cider, too.”
“Nice,” Bull says as they get into the truck, “Let’s put on that one horror movie that we always like to make fun of. Warm cider, churros, nachos, and that shitty movie? We’ll be out in minutes.”
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send the morning [55]
“I think that I’ve made a mistake,” Edric says, sounding remarkably calm.
Mahanon hums, picking dirt out from under his nails, “You don’t say.”
“Are you still breathing?” Kaaras asks, “Any swelling?”
“Should we, at any point, help?” Evelyn says, watching in complete horror as Edric turns a slow circle, completely engulfed in a black, buzzing, mass of bees.
“Do you want to become absorbed into the cloud of bees?” Mahanon asks. “I, for one, do not. He’s still talking. As far as I can tell he’s fine.”
“I’ve pissed myself.”
“Do we have anything we can use to make some smoke?” Kaaras asks. “Edric, are they on you? Or are they just around you? Can you move your arms?”
“I’m afraid but also my arms are getting tired of behind held up,” Edric says, “I’m going to lower my arms very slowly.”
“Mahanon, do something,” Evelyn pulls on Mahanon’s arm.
“What?” Mahanon looks at her, confusion all over his face, “What do you think I can do? Do you want me to assassinate bees?”
“Do something!” Evelyn and Kaaras say.
Edric’s face is indiscernible underneath all the bees, but presumably it looks appropriately beseeching.
“You assume that I have some sort of - some sort of affinity for bees,” Mahanon says, “That I can somehow - using some sort of woodland sense - make these bees leave.”
“Yes,” Evelyn confirms without hesitation.
Mahanon clicks his tongue sharply, “It’s a learning lesson for you all then. Don’t mess with bees because just because I’m Dalish doesn’t mean I can talk to bees.”
“Well we can’t just leave him here,” Evelyn gestures at Edric.
“Quietly,” Kaaras whispers, as the swarm of bees grows ominously louder, “I - I don’t. I don’t think they like it when you’re - when you’re loud.”
“Mahanon please.”
“That’s unfair of you,” Mahanon says, “To assume I can always get the rest of you out of these sort of messes just because I’m a Dalish hunter.”
“So you can’t?”
Mahanon glares at Evelyn before pushing up off of the fallen tree he’d been sitting on. He silently cross over to Edric, thrusts his hand straight into the cloud of bees, and pulls Edric out, dragging him back to Evelyn and depositing the stunned dwarf at her feet.
“I can,” Mahanon says, “But I shouldn’t have to.”
“How.” Kaaras looks between the cloud of bees that hovers in the general shape of Edric on one side, and Edric, the actual flesh and bone Edric, dazedly staring into the sky on the other. “Mahanon, how?”
“I don’t want to because every time I do you rely on me more,” Mahanon says, sitting back down on his rock, “And I perpetuate the idea that Dalish hunters can do anything in a forest. I dislike it immensely. They would have dispersed eventually. You’re welcome.”
“I saw the spirits of my dead parents,” Edric whispers, “They were horrified at what their daughter had become and were very sorry for leaving me to her.”
-
“We’re going to have to work together,” Evelyn says, “So at some point we’re going to need to address this.”
“Address what?” Dorian asks.
“That every mage in this room hates the other,” Evelyn answers.
“Untrue,” Kaaras says immediately, “I don’t hate you.”
“Except Kaaras,” Evelyn waves her hand, “Kaaras, you can leave this meeting.”
“I - should I leave though?” Kaaras looks around the table.
Vivienne looks deeply unimpressed and calmly sips her tea.
Solas is reading a book.
Ellana’s chin is hooked over the edge of the table where she’s crouched between Dorian and Solas, looking between the two of them to see who’ll sneak her something to eat first.
“Vivienne and Solas can’t spend two heartbeats together without descending into impetuous silence or poorly disguised aggressive taunts. Unless they’re working together to tear into Dorian. Dorian and Vivenne sometimes can put aside mutual differences in favor of mocking Solas and Ferelden. Dorian and Solas argue when they aren’t trying to sabotage each other or team up against Vivienne. Literally the only time any of you get along is when you’re trying to fight someone else. Also, Vivienne and Solas make Kaaras uncomfortable - Dorian also makes Kaaras uncomfortable but that’s a different type of uncomfortable. And Ellana, in general doesn’t like to be near Vivienne, likes to pester Solas, generally teases and spooks Kaaras and Dorian, and all of you are going to drive me up a wall because I am forced to be mediator every time.”
“I see no problem with this,” Dorian responds instantly, “Do any of you?”
“None at all,” Vivienne answers.
Solas ignores them in favor of pushing his teacup towards Ellana.
Ellana’s arm snakes up over the table, snags the teacup, and she disappears entirely.
“If it makes you feel better Evelyn, I do see the problem with it,” Kaaras says, broad shoulders hunched as he looks at Evelyn.
“Like I said, you’re fine, you don’t even have to be here,” Evelyn puts a hand on his shoulder, “Also, Dorian, stop trying to play footsie with him under the table. You keep kicking my shin.”
“You should have thought about that before sitting us apart.”
“If I don’t sit you apart you’d just flirt him into a blushing and stammering mess. Now we’re going to work this out and we’re not leaving until we do. I’ve had the Valo-kas and the Chargers take stations at every entrance and exit.”
Evelyn points to the back door just as it opens.
Herah strides in with a bewildered Ellana tucked under her arm. Ellana makes a rapid series of what? hand gestures, pointing at Herah and herself.
“No one,” Evelyn takes her seat as Herah deposits Ellana on the floor by the pink sofa, “Is leaving until we have a working arrangement.”
Herah salutes, “Good luck, mages of Skyhold. Make it good, we’ve got bets going on.”
“I despise you,” Dorian says to Evelyn.
“You should have left when you had the chance, Kaaras,” Evelyn ignores Dorian and instead puts her hand on Kaaras’ and squeezes, “Now you’re here for negotiations. And it’s everyone for themselves. I’m sorry. This had to be done.”
Kaaras swallows nervously.
Ellana squawks, attempting to open the door.
“Does she even count?” Vivienne asks after a few moments of observing Ellana trying to pry the door open.
“Ellana is technically a mage, even if she isn’t a practicing one. And she’s also part of our problem. Yes. She counts. Now let’s begin. Who’d like to start? Solas, you always have something to say. Why not you?”
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