#also thinking about my hawke dicking around in skyhold

[lunchador]

so when do we get the long post about your feelings about dragon age inquisition!!! i dunno if u wanna wait until dlc or not! i am i n t e r e s t e d (also its ok if u dont feel up to it im just!!!! again, interested in ur opinions/feelings)

kajsldkjf PLEASE I HAVE SO MANY DA FEELINGS ALL THE TIME and Inquisition was twice as long as the others so might as well do a word vomit now and I can always do another after the dlc (which several people have assured me are worth playing )

SO

Yeah so inquisition is long. I dislike open world games so a lot of the (super repetitive!!) side quests did grate on my nerves and that docks this game a few points but over all the LORE IS SO GOOD, and it tying in so many choices in from 1+2 is the greatest butterfly effect I ever experienced in video games. I thought telltale + Until dawn were fun for that but good LORD bioware has showed up all of those games and I am really stoked to try mass effect when its out later and play more bw games. I only played Anthem before this and that game seemed...idk, gutted against BW’s wishes.

ANYWAY

Yeah, I managed to go into the whole DA series knowing very, very little, despite how many artists I followed did fanart for it. Once I started playing, I added all the words I could think of to my blacklist but a lot of untagged stuff came through (fair, series is 10+ years old and inq is like what 4-5?). I allowed my friends to pressure me into playing an elf mage for the lore and to romance solas cuz they said he was as important to the story as alistair was. A lot of online followers said I should play how I wanted, which I def would recommend to anyone else, but honestly I can see where they came from and while he never would have been my first choice, I think he actually paired REALLY well with my Inq and how I was playing her. I put her as sensitive but trying to put her responsibility above herself, she was definitely the least funny of my 3 characters, but not incredibly serious. A bit reserved? Just more mature. She’s got faith but she didn’t think she was the chosen one but she’ll do her role the best of her ability. She makes hard decisions and then sobs her chest empty over them because how is one to ever feel like its the right one? I really like how the game lets you choose how you wanna approach the responsibility. Like i said, I wasn’t a reluctant chosen one, but she will do what she can. Versus my friend playing at the same time as me said he played as the second coming of jesus essentially lmfao Having so many characters come back for different roles was so GOOD!!! Like everyone told me Varric was in this one but were like ‘teehee you still cant romance him though’ but you how you play drastically changes your relationships with each person. Tons of characters I met I knew would be personal favorites but I ended up interacting way less because others were more fitting to my inquisitor. So i.e while I love Varric and would’ve smooched him a heartbeat with Hawke, I didn’t get that vibe with Clover. They were really good friends, he was a grounded friend with a sense of humor that was a good escape from everyone else and the ~inquisition~. At least, until the Beyond the Abyss quest. That obviously heavily fractured their friendship and hurt them both :( And i felt that for a long time, until the end. He looked tired. Poor guy is gonna be borderline dead in 4 at this point. But so many side characters you talk to coming back like Dagna and Samson??? Speaking of that quest, I got Stroud because, yeah...Alistair was dead for me and APPARENTLY IT COULD ALSO BE LOGHAIN??? If he stays a grey warden??  wish I did that so def would’ve preferred to save Hawke even if I think the wardens are more important as a concept but like.......i wanted to behead him, so....But yes even tiny details like..Varric wrote home to kirkwall to Carver for me because the rest of my family was dead and I never completed a full romance in 2 lkajslkdjf but the fact that changes based on your play through. BUT YEAH THE way this game weaves all your decisions in and how yeah, overall the story is the same but it makes it so personal to YOU and so different from everyone else ;w;

But I could see my Inq genuinely falling for Solas, and I see her best friends as Cassandra and Blackwall/Thom. Really close to Leliana and the Iron Bull as well. I just loved all their interactions. All the characters were so cool to get to know?? Like I thought I would’ve hated Cullen (hes a dick in O) and tbh I just got into the series as the VA was being a complete shit. But I liked him a lot!! I love the work buddies vibes between the Inq and the advisors. I thought I was going to love Sera!! And like, I did, but she hated my Inquisitor and their personalities clashed a lot. Shes the only one i didn’t get a cut scene for in the end :’) I loved coming back from story quests and having to take like 20 minutes to go around skyhold and make sure I talked to /everyone/ for their new dialogue. You genuinely feel connected to all these wonderful npcs ljkasljdf

I wanted to make Cassandra the new divine but I made leliana on accident and kinda dug it so I stuck with it. VARRIC IS THE NEW VISCOUNT??? h i l a r i o u s.

One of the things I loved the most in this game in particular, and while this is something in all of them it just really struck me in this one, was....everyone gave up so so much to devote themselves to the cause, y’know?? Like, it’s almost heartbreaking how much everyone loses and they’re still looking towards you with their belief and willingness to follow you to the end ;-;

The final fight almost felt, Idk, underwhelming? Dude dragons are way tougher than him asdkjhfkhjd. I even went up a difficulty in this game after feeling like I got the hang of the series. But at the same time, we just spend how many hours knocking down each and one of his advantages so fuck him lol.

But yeah there are so many things I wanted to do but I felt so worn out by mindless sidequests and story being level locked in comparison to the previous games. askdjhflkd

One of the things that blows my mind is so so many people were stoked i was playing DA and they couldn’t wait til I got to Inq, and so I find out most people I know only ever played Inquisition? TBH if I didn’t play O+2 I think I would’ve dropped inquisition and never finished it *shrug* all of the build up just means SO MUCH!!! Everyones argument seems to be the older games are ugly and yeah O has rough battle system but its easy to get over imo. Like, you need the chaos of 2 to get the real weight of the mage/templar stuff?? Theres so many characters and story and dialogue that go over your head without Origins?? Like yes inq can stand alone pretty well but, idk, I’m in love with this entire series and the world building and THE!! WAY!!! IT!!! ALL!!! CONNECTS!!!!!!!!!!!

I love how a quest can go differently by whos in your party, I love you can have more dialogue based on lore you’ve managed to pick up around, I love HOW COMPANIONS BICKERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! The lore of these games are so good. It’s like playing an epic line of novels. It’s so immersive and I don’t think I’ve played too many games to this level.

I didn’t like the skill trees to being a mage in this one, Idk why. It wasn’t nearly as fun for me as 2, but then  again I really fucking liked being a force mage haha. I wanted to be a rogue to complete a diff class per game but everyone said mage brings a lot more interesting story/lore stuff so

but yeah I love having the full context now and seeing other peoples Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors and asking people how they played and how their options differed from mine and THERES JUST SO MANY POSSIBLE DECISION TREES!!!!! No wonder the fans play over and over.

but yeah ultimately so much fucking happened?? I’m probably missing a lot of key points.

[dross-the-fish]

Why are you so harsh on Inquisition? It's an amazing game!

I don’t hate Inquisition by any means, I think it’s perfectly fine, but it’s also very shallow. 

Spoilers ahead

When an event happens it kind of just feels like I’m supposed to care because that’s the right answer. Idk if that made any sense but I’ll try to elaborate. When you leave Hawke in the fade it’s supposed to be a hard decision and it has a very large impact on Varric. I didn’t FEEL that, at all, we got one scene of Varric grieving but then for the rest of the game he just continues as normal. Hawk is never really mentioned again so there’s this weird feeling of “A thing happened but it doesn’t really matter.” so much of the consequences of your choices play out in the war table, where you read about them, you don’t LIVE them. Even siding with mages vs templars feels like a superficial choice that doesn’t physically impact your play through, just the text that plays in the epilogue and the presence of different NPCs who don’t say or do much around skyhold. 

Sara is a Red Jenny but wtf does that even mean? I get it’s some kind of robin hood dealio but I can’t join them and don’t really interact with them so why should I care? 

Cullen is back, ok, he wasn’t THAT major of a character in origins and was slightly more involved in DA2 but everything he did/went through is kind of just shrugged off. You can help him kick his lyrium habit if you feel like taking the time and effort but….neh. 

The world of Thedas has TONS of lore, but I didn’t feel like I really got to explore it in inquisition. Every find seemed to yeild a war table mission, or a codex entry. There’s not really a gameplay payoff to most of the exploring. 

Solas is terrible and I hate him. I don’t give a dick what he wants and I hate that he becomes so important in the game.

Most of the interesting content tends to revolve around the companions while actual world changing decisions end up on the war table, the tedious, boring, horrible, war table. 

We get to the well of sorrows and I think “Oh boy, FIANLLY A BIG CHOICE! Surely this will alter the destiny of my character!!!” nope. The game plays out p much the same, but it’s worth it to see Solas disapprove again. 

Everything in that main game feels anticlimactic. The game feels almost episodic in its series of events that barely seem connected at times and the game is more likely to tell than show the impact your decisions on the world. It feels like there was more time and effort put into the characters and their individual stories than there was in the world itself and in the events of the game and a lot of the motivation to do things is for the reward of companion approval and I catch myself making choices based on “who do I not want to make angry?” instead of actually deciding based on my character’s interest. 

Now, I’ve dumped all over this game so it must seem like I hate it but the truth is, I still like it, there’s ENOUGH to it that I can enjoy it. I think that’s the reason I am so critical of it, because I’m more likely to be angry at something I like when it disappointed me, or when I see missed potential than I am to be angry at something I wasn’t invested in. 

#Dragon age inquisition #critical #spoilers

[nug-butt]

Now that im back into Dragon Age fully I’m also back to thingking about a Varric x Hawke wedding

#😳 #also thinking about my hawke dicking around in skyhold #faling down some steps

[tyramir]

Inquisitor Ask Meme

1. Race:

Human

2. Class/Specialization:

Warrior/Champion

3. Your homeland?

Ferelden. It’s cold and muddy, a lot like Canada. And I love dogs.

4. Your family?

Dicks.

5. Who were you before?

The same person I am now.

6. Would you be religious?

Philosophical? Yes. Spiritual? Yes. Religious? Never.

7. Do you have a mabari?

See: “I love dogs.”

8. Your opinion on other races?

I’d probably roll my eyes a lot at the Dalish, the Dwarves that still live underground, and any Qunari who follow the Qun. They’re all so set in their ways, so conservative and opposed to change, that I’d never be able to get over that. But City Elves? Surface Dwarves? Tal Vashoth that aren’t murderous savages? I could get behind those.

9. What would Varric’s nickname for you be?

“Smiley.”

10. What would your tarot card look like?

Probably some variation of The Hermit.

11. Where would you hang out in Skyhold?

Probably in the cellar. It’s away from people, has that one big ass codex book, and I could play with the shinies in the vault and play the Quizcuisition. 

12. What would you do for fun?

Everything I literally just said, plus hang out with Bull and Sera. Probably discuss philosophy with Solas.

13. What armor would you wear?

Heavy.

14. What would your room look like?

Pretty plain and unadorned, with some books heaped in a corner.

15. Who would be your friends at Skyhold?

In order: Bull, Solas, Sera, Cassandra, Varric, Harding, Josephine, and Dorian. I don’t think I’d get along too well with Vivienne, and while I love Leliana, she became a little hard after DA: O. Yes, you can unharden her, but she’s not the same Leliana that she used to be. She doesn’t sing for joy “just because” like she used to, and I miss that.

Blackwall and Cullen aren’t really my go-to friend type, and say what you will about Cole, but I’m not entirely convinced he can have friends, at least not in the sense that we take the meaning. Can he care for people? Sure. But I imagine trying to be friends with Cole is like trying to be friends with a cat. You can be companions, you can show affection for one another, but there’s a fundamental disconnect beyond that. And now both the Cole fans and the cat lovers are going to come for me.

16. Would you have any friends outside of the Inquisition?

Doubtful. The Inquisition’s a big responsibility.

17. Who wouldn’t you get along with?

I’m a pretty amiable guy. I can get along with just about anyone, so long as they aren’t a self-righteous prig, or openly value ignorance. Or if their name is “Anders,” but that’s a different game.

18. Who would you romance?

Well, given my real life plumbing, and who that is compatible with in-game, probably Cassandra? If anyone at all. Probably no one. I see Cass as more a friend than a romantic prospect.

19. Would you do pranks with Sera?

Uh, duh doy. Who wouldn’t?

20. Would you sleep with the Iron Bull (casually if not romance)?

No. I don’t swing that way. However, I can’t deny that the thought has never crossed my mind.

21. Would you keep Cole around?

Yes. I said I don’t think we could be friends. I didn’t say I was repulsed by him. 

22. Can you play the game (politics)?

Hell yes, I can.

23. What would be on your tombstone in the fade (What are you afraid of)?

“Happiness.”

24. Who would you recruit to seal the breach?

Uh, you mean other than the awesome lineup Inquisition already gives you? What are my options here? If I’m restricted to just the DA franchise, I’d probably add in Hawke and the Warden, as well as DA:O Leliana (see above), Zevran (I think he’d get along famously with Dorian. Think of the potential scandal), Merill, and Bethany. I absolutely would not recruit Fenris (I always side with the Mages - always), Isabela (I love her to pieces, but I would absolutely not trust her in the face of demons for, well, obvious reasons), and Anders. Because fuck Anders. Oh, also Sebastian, because fuck that guy, too.

25. Opinion on Mages versus Templars?

Both sides have a lot of good points, but I refuse to create a second class of humans because there exists the potential for corruption/demonic possession. There has to be a way to prevent demons from possessing Mages. We’ve seen people become bonded to Spirits, we know there’s a way to cut Mages off from the Fade (and made Tranquil), and we know there’s a way to cure that. There needs to be research and action down that avenue.

26. Who would be put in charge of Orlais and why?

This one is complicated, but my favourite route is the Celene/Briala power couple. They’ve both done shitty things to each other (especially Celene), but I hope they can learn to overcome that and try to approach one another as people more than just people that are the living embodiment of their titles/positions. 

Also, yes, I know Celene usurped Gaspard’s better claim to the throne, but a better claim does not equate to competence. Celene is a deft player at the game. Gaspard is a battle axe.

What’s more, his open defiance of diplomacy (Celene’s approach to the Templar/Mage rebellion) and his revolt against the rule of law with force are open invitations for future challengers that this kind of thing is okay. Out of the three of them, Gaspard is the better person. He is most definitely the better general. But he isn’t the better ruler.

27. Would you sacrifice the Chargers?

Never.

28. Would you go after Blackwall?

Yes.

29. Would you drink from the well?

I fully believe that knowledge must never be lost, and I’d never trust it to Morrigan. I like Morrigan. I will listen to and take her advice. But I would never, ever trust her with that kind of power and knowledge.

30. Where would you go if the Inquisition was disbanded?

I’d go and see if the Red Jennies were recruiting.

31. How do you react to the egg telling you he is an elven god?

I’d choke the shit out of him until he saw reason and then noogie his stupid bald head until he begged forgiveness and then I’d tell him it’s okay and to never do it again.

Tagging my Dragon Age peeps. You know who you are.

[shannaraisles]

Set In Darkness

Chapter: 53 Author name: ShannaraIsles Rating: M Warnings: None Summary: She’s a Modern Girl in Thedas, but it isn’t what she wanted. There’s a scary dose of reality as soon as she arrives. It isn’t her story. People get hurt here; people die here, and there’s no option to reload if you make a bad decision. So what’s stopping her from plunging head first into the Void at the drop of a hat?

Snowbound

"So ... I have a question."

Rory glanced up from her paperwork at the sound of Kaaras' curious voice. She was huddled next to the big hearth in the main hall, using the other end of Varric's table to get up to date on everything she needed to read and sign off on.

A heavy snow-storm had descended on Skyhold, burying the courtyard in drifts three feet deep, and that was nothing compared with what the storm had done outside the fortress. Skysend was virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the plateau from up here, the drifts so deep that people had taken to carving tunnels through them rather than trying to shovel the excess out of their way. Thankfully, they'd only had one patient in the tents that were still serving as the infirmary for the time being, and he had been relatively easy to move to the armory. There were plans to restore the roof of one of the outbuildings next to the tavern and turn it into a real infirmary, but for now, they were having to make do. No one was doing any manual work until the storm had passed over them.

With nothing else to do, and a firm insistence from everyone around her to stay indoors and not do anything silly, she'd given in and set to catching up on her paperwork, though there would invariably be more to do once contact was reestablished with the city and the world beyond it. She wasn't the only one who had sought refuge in the hall - Cullen was working at a table near the dais at the far end, since their bedroom was now inches deep in snow and the tower itself too cold to work in. Blackwall had fled the stables when it became clear that Master Dennet and his people were going to barricade the doors and wait out the storm, and was even now polishing his sword with his pouch of silks for that purpose. Cassandra, deprived of her usual spot in the upper courtyard, was absorbed in her book, re-reading Swords and Shields, Vol IV, for the umpteenth time. At the other end of the table Rory was sitting at, Varric was going over his correspondence, swearing quietly to himself every time he had to add a note or sign his name to something.

They were all stuck in here together for the foreseeable future, at least the next few hours, and until the roads cleared, there would be no venturing forth from Skyhold, either. Unfortunately, that also meant that the expected guests would not be arriving anytime soon. Despite the fact that no mention had been made of it, Rory knew Hawke was on his way, and Evelyn's family were due to arrive any day, too. With luck, both parties had found somewhere to hole up until the passes cleared. She didn't want to think about Evy's noble parents stuck in a tent in weather like this.

"A question about what?" she asked, setting her quill aside as Kaaras parked himself on a stool next to the fire.

He glanced cautiously at Varric, and lowered his voice further. "How do you woo someone?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

Rory stared at him for a moment, her mind caught up in manifests and supply lists. Then the penny dropped. "You mean courting?" she ventured, needing a little clarification.

He nodded, his snapped horn catching the firelight. The truncated curl had healed nicely in the month or so since Haven had fallen, the horn itself slowly beginning to seal over the delicate tissues left open to the air. He wore that break with pride, too, a sign of what he had survived against the odds.

"She likes me," he murmured to her, inching closer until he was leaning on the table, his head bowed toward her own. "At least I think she does. She almost said so. But she doesn't think I can give her what she really wants. She says she wants the ideal, whatever that is, and something about flowers and poetry and candles ... What is that about?"

Wow, that conversation happened sooner than I was expecting it. But then, in the games, that conversation depended on the Inquisitor completing a silly amount of FedEx quests, in Rory's opinion, just to trigger the cutscene. It made sense that Cassandra might bite the bullet sooner in real life. Faced with this question, however, Rory found herself drawing a blank. She just didn't remember all the ins and outs of Cassandra's romance. More than half a year without a refresher in all things Dragon Age, and she was starting to forget the important things that were going to happen.

"Look," she said thoughtfully, taking Kaaras' marked hand in hers, absently testing the tender flesh of his palm with her fingertips. "You've read Swords and Shields, haven't you?"

He frowned, shaking his head. "Dorian said it was garbage," the Qunari Inquisitor admitted awkwardly.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Garbage or not, it's got all the ingredients of the romance Cassandra yearns for," she told her friend pointedly. "It's got the larger than life hero - that's you. It's got the damsel in distress - that's her, despite all evidence to the contrary. Cassandra wants to be swept off her feet, she wants to be romanced. So what she wants is for you to prove that she's worth all the embarrassment of recreating a fantasy for. She knows it isn't like that really, but it's still what she wants."

"But why want something that she knows is embarrassing?" Kaaras pressed, deeply confused by the female brain in his experience. "What's wrong with just admitting she likes me back?"

"I ... have no idea how to explain it to you," Rory admitted, frustrated with her own lack of creativity here. "Ask Josephine? She has a better handle on where you can get all the things you'll need, too. And besides, you're already on the right lines. When Varric finishes that chapter, you can give it to her, and she'll know you consider her someone worth making an effort for. Believe me, Kaaras, you're going to have to put work into proving to her that you're in this for the long haul. If you're not, back off now, while you still have your testicles intact."

He winced just at the thought of that, but the message seemed to have gotten through. "All right, so I should ask Josephine where to get all the ... romance stuff," he muttered, apparently filing this away in the back of his mind. "And you'll tell me what to do with it, right?"

"If you can't work it out for yourself, of course I will," she promised, turning her eyes down to the glowing green scar on his palm.

Her brows knitted together worriedly - it was noticeably longer than it had been when he'd first fallen from the Fade, though not by more than half an inch. But still ... the Anchor was growing. That was more than enough to worry her, even without knowing where that growth would eventually take him. She seriously hoped that Solas was slightly less of a dick in real life than he was in the games. Maybe Fen'Harel would let his friend keep the arm, if it was possible. She hoped it was possible. Her fingertips stroked gently along the raised mark.

"Is it still hurting you?" she asked softly.

Kaaras' frown changed from confusion to annoyance as he shook his head. "Not so much anymore," he assured her quietly, his eyes on the tracing touch of her fingertips. "It flares up near rifts, and near those Veil artifact things Solas wanted us to activate, but I wouldn't say it hurts anymore. Maybe I'm just used to it."

"Maybe," Rory mused thoughtfully. "Still using the ointment?"

He fidgeted awkwardly. "I, um ... I ran out, in the Fallow Mire," he confessed with a guilty cast to his expression. "And then Haven was attacked, and you've been very busy, Ror."

"Kaaras ..." She sighed, rolling her eyes at him. "This is my job. You're not taking up my time needlessly when you have a need for what I can do. I'll get you some more of the ointment. The least I can do to help is keep that scar from splitting with all the rough handling it gets."

"Thanks, Ror."

It was strange, to see that boyish smile in a face that was already carrying more burdens than it had when they'd first met. But Kaaras was a good man - better than many - and he deserved some relief from those burdens. She hoped he would follow through on his courtship of Cassandra. They both needed a way to relieve their tensions, and doing it together would be a load off everyone's mind. With both warriors currently trapped inside with little room to spar, their ability to get annoyed was ramped up to incalculable levels.

"So, Varric ..." Kaaras raised his head, leaning along the length of the table to prod the dwarf in the shoulder. "Is your bird coming, or what?"

Varric winced, rubbing his shoulder. "Say it a little louder, I don't think Cassandra heard you," he complained, glancing toward the Seeker. Rory couldn't blame him - that relationship was a little more antagonistic than she had really expected it to be. "He's coming, all right? With friends, in case someone around here decides to arrest him."

Rory felt her interest suddenly peak. Hawke is bringing friends with him? Which friends? She let her ability to eavesdrop fade as she considered this question, ostensibly studying the page in front of her. Probably not Aveline, she's busy keeping Kirkwall under control. Sebastian's the Prince of Starkhaven, so he doesn't have the leisure to come along. Isabela's got a ship; I don't even know if Carver's alive; Anders is definitely dead. So ... oh, good grief. She had to hastily turn a laugh into an extended coughing fit. Merrill and Fenris. Oh, joy. It would be a miracle if Skyhold was still standing after that visit.

Her coughing, however, drew the attention of her husband from the other end of the room. Abandoning his work, Cullen took the length of the hall in just a few strides, snatching up a cup of water as he passed the longer table where the nobles were passing the time. Dropping to his knee beside Rory, he laid his hand gently at her back.

"Easy, sweeting," he murmured to her, apparently unconcerned that Kaaras and Varric had a first-rate view of his caring for his wife. "Breathe."

Blushing in embarrassment at how badly her cover-up was backfiring on her, Rory did as she was told, letting him guide her into sipping the water slowly. "I'm fine, really," she promised. "Honestly, something got caught in my throat, that's all."

He searched her eyes, a vague hint in his expression that he had noticed her deception but didn't quite understand why she wasn't being truthful. She smiled, leaning forward to brush her lips against his cheek, murmuring to him as she did so.

"I had a thought about Hawke," she told him in a tone carefully calculated for his ears alone. "I'll tell you later."

As she drew back, she saw the comprehension in Cullen's eyes, the suspicion fading as he stroked the flyaway hairs from her brow. "The sooner we get that roof fixed, the better," he admitted reluctantly. "I am not looking forward to bedding down in here with everyone else tonight."

"Oh, Curly, you're going to break my heart," Varric drawled, unable to let that go by without comment. "We're as much a part of your marriage as you are. We should get to experience everything with you."

"Yeah, we're not going to give you anything like that to write about," Rory interjected with a low laugh. The thought of even attempting to discreetly fuck her husband when they were sharing the main hall with a good third of Skyhold's population was, oddly enough, non-conducive to the creation of arousal.

"Not even a few sounds, so I can get it just right?" the dwarven storyteller teased.

Cullen scowled at him. "My wife is not fodder for your books, Varric," he pointed out sternly.

"Oh, give it up, Curly," Varric chuckled. "I've been writing about you two since it began. Just haven't published it yet."

"And you won't," Cullen told him, somehow managing to forget the cardinal rule when talking to Varric Tethras - never tell him he can't do something.

"And I might not, if something better comes along," was the dwarf's only concession to the commander's flaring temper.

Rory laid her hands gently over Cullen's. "Something better will come along," she promised her husband, raising a brow at Varric pointedly. "If someone gets on with his part of the deal."

"I'm working on it," Varric protested easily, glancing up at Kaaras, who was reading his manuscript over his shoulder. "Thought you didn't like romances, Beanstalk?"

The Inquisitor shrugged. "I might learn to like them?"

"Uh-huh. And the Seeker might learn not to believe everything I say," Varric grinned back at him, nudging the big man away from his elbow.

"Maybe if you were a little nicer to her, she'd be a little nicer to you," Kaaras pointed out, making Rory smile with how easily he came to Cassandra's defense.

She wasn't going to intercede in this conversation, though, even if someone offered to pay her. She liked everyone involved; she didn't really want any of them to decide they didn't like her, just because she defended the wrong person at the wrong time. Instead, she looked to Cullen, still on his knee beside her.

"I promise, I'm fine, love," she assured him. "Coughing a little does not make me an invalid. All right?"

"Take a break soon," he told her, drawing his gloved thumb over her cheekbone tenderly. "You've been at this table too long."

She raised a brow in amused indignation. "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, somewhat?"

Cullen rolled his eyes at her, rubbing his neck as he rose to his feet. "I am supposed to be joining Dorian in the library in a short while," he informed her. "I believe you should come with me."

"Oh, all right," she conceded with teasing reluctance. With the storm blowing outside, there were very few places she could go, anyway. "Only if I get to curl up in his comfy chair and read while you're both discussing the finer points of Tevinter literature."

The secret beauty of his hidden smile warmed whiskey-lit eyes as he looked down at her, squeezing her hand affectionately. "I look forward to the image that will present," he told her, as much a promise to make certain Dorian gave up that armchair of his for a little while as anything else he might have said.

As Cullen strode away, returning to his temporary desk and Rylen swearing over whatever it was he was reading, Kaaras grinned at Rory. "And that isn't romance, huh?" he asked in amusement.

"Not the way you need to know it, no," she told him with a low laugh of her own. "Go and ask Dorian to find you some reference books, you big baby. Then you can go and read with her."

"I might just do that." The Qunari rose to his feet, bending almost double to pat her midriff affectionately. "See you later, baby."

Varric caught Rory's resigned glance. "Let me guess ... he talks more to the baby than to you," he smirked, laughing out loud at the mild scowl he got in return.

"Anyone would think it was his," she admitted, her mood brightening as the dwarf's laughter died. "Mind you, in this place, I need never worry if the kid wanders off. You're all more excited about this than I am."

"Oh, I'm not," Varric assured her. "I'll read to it, but that's about it. I don't do babies."

"You know, that's actually pretty encouraging." Rory laughed softly, nodding to him as she picked up her quill once again. At least there was someone here who didn't look at her and instantly imagine the baby. She had a feeling that tendency was only going to get worse as the months went on.

And if she'd worked it out correctly ... she was going to give birth around the same time as the Inquisition laid siege to Adamant. Oh, yeah. Great timing, Rory.

#set in darkness #multi-chapter fic #mgit #modern girl in thedas #cullen rutherford/original female character #cullen rutherford/rory allen #rory allen #kaaras adaar #varric tethras #cullen rutherford #skyhold #trapped inside #romance advice #another chapter where nothing happening #i promise i'm only marking time #stuff will happen soon