lex

Adahlena sits in Director Vasseur's office, heel tapping against the plush woolen carpet in a rhythmic staccato. She’d arrived nearly twenty minutes ago for her meeting, and had been sitting, waiting, since. 

She glances at the clock on the wall, trying to find some comfort in the gentle tic-tic-tic. 

Eleven o’five. 

Eleven o’six. 

Eleven o’seven. 

She shifts in her chair, ignoring the anxiousness that bubbles up into her throat.

The director's office was just as she had expected, warm and meticulous. The walls were a rich brown, adorned with chantry iconography from across Thedas. A large copy of the Chant sat encased in glass in the far right corner, a small replica statue of Andraste upon the pyre to the left. Everything had it’s place.

Her desk, a deep polished mahogany, was practically bare save a single picture of the Director and another elderly woman. Miss Vasseur's smile was warm and inviting as she embraced the other lady with abandon. It was her graduation day it looked like, from her cap and gown and the crowd behind her dressed in kind.

Leaning in, she attempts to read the barely legible caption beneath ‘My Dearest Leliana, Graduation -9:21.'                                                                 

She peers at the older woman, hair greyed and up in a loose bun. She smiles back, cheek pressed against Miss Vasseurs. She is shorter, softer, and Adah can barely make out the sheen of tears resting on her cheeks.

“Justinia has always loved that photo.” 

Adah pulls back, quick enough to nearly knock her chair over.

“Miss Vasseur,” She stands, clammy hand outstretched in proper greeting. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

The director shakes her head with a smile, hand waving her away. “Please, call me Leliana.”

She gestures for Adah to sit. 

They have spoken a handful of times already, mostly when Adah was planning her move from Val Royeux. And whilst Leliana was not an unkind woman, Adah still felt an unease, an intimidation. Her gaze is sharp, observant. Adah gets the sense that nothing is missed, and what she finds is catalogued for later use. She is used to her type from her time in Orlais. The grand game was inescapable, even for those low enough to not benefit from it.

“Doctor Fen sends his apologies for missing today. He was hoping he could catch you before classes started, but he is detained with work elsewhere.”

“Research?” 

Adah should not pry, she’s sure she will find out in due time what work keeps Dr Fen from the university. Yet, there is this gnarled little slither of curiosity, excitement, that rears its head. Whatever detained him must be important, he is the foremost expert in their shared field afterall. She is loath to admit that she has read his work to the point of ruin. 

Leliana gives her an undiscernible look and she feels as though she has stepped somewhere she ought not to.

“An acquisition for the university that, if goes smoothly enough, will be an excellent addition to our extensive catalogue.”

“I see.”

Adah swallows, overwrought with a sudden sense that she was being assessed. 

“You wished to discuss some things before the term starts?”

“I-Yes. I have read over the reading list and have a few suggestions I wanted to add, if that’s amenable.”

Leliana gestures for her to continue, and Adah pulls out the list she’d agonised over for the better part of a week.

Leliana would be good at carrying on a conversation, and she’d be good at assuaging Adah’s doubts whilst getting more info on her research.

“He has been teaching this course alone for many years, which has suited him fine until recently. ” Leliana pauses, glancing towards Adah. “I believe it will be difficult for him to, ah, relinquish some responsibility.”

A sinking feeling builds in Adah’s stomach.

“Oh.” She murmurs, unsure of what else to say.

She knew her work was solid, so why was she worrying so much about Dr Fen's opinion? Why was her heart thudding against her rib cage at the thought of him being unimpressed?

“Dr Fen has read over your suggestions,” Leliana says, as if reading Adah’s mind. “He approved them. I think, truthfully, he’s a little excited to meet someone as like-minded as yourself, even if that means he must concede some control.”

“I hope you’re right,”

*******

Leliana organises a staff meeting for the Wednesday before classes start. Adah would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous; the prospect of meeting an entirely new team of people is absolutely terrifying. But Adah has finished her syllabus, sent the finalised version off to Leliana to review. Now she just waits for Dr Fens assessment of it, and she can breathe easy again.

It’s an odd feeling, the responsibility she’s been given. It’s thrilling and daunting all at once. 

She’s used to responsibility in some regard. She is after all her keepers first. When Deshanna wasn’t available or was away at one of the other clans for business, they would come to Adah. But that was lending the truck for crop pickup, or mitigating an argument between farmers, helping with the halla during the calving season. 

She’s used to teaching. She has taught most of the clan’s children, from babe to teen. She’s seen them grow from small boisterous terrors to quiet and unsure adolescents.