#ockiss 16

Frieda liked when Halim blushed. For as tall as he was, he had never seemed intimidating to her. She liked him and how he made Lady Cassandra smile, how the world seemed to move just a bit slower when he was there and people felt safe.

She moves backwards, right into the tent and Ellya notices how red her fingers look, how tense she is, knees pressed together, arms over her chest. Not an answer, just more hiding in the shadows. More silence, so cold, Ellya feels it.

Stretching her hand out,  Ellya lets her magic flow, and a soft warm light begins to shine between them. It’s a simple spell, a fire warm and yet not burning, like the morning hours in summer.     “You don’t need to be scared, dahlen. They can’t hurt you when you are with us.” It’s like the girl sees her for the first time, the green in her eyes widening as realization graps her and gently pushes her back into Thedas from wherever she has gone to take shelter.     “Are you cold?”     “Y-yes.”, the girl’s voice is firm, despite her stuttering, “You used magic, right? To make this place warmer?”    “If you come closer”, Ellya begins, stretching out her hands just a little, “You’ll warm up faster. Or we make you a warm broth and you can eat?” She moves forward in a careful mixture of crawling and  sneaking. The skin near her ear looks nasty, but thanks to the herbs they applied, only a scar will remain.   “My name is Ellya.”, she introduces herself, “What is your name?”    “Emeryn.”, the girl says and comes closer. What Ellya did not know was how much Eryn would remember the warmth of the tent, the patient and soft smile and voice that could pull her back when she was scared. She’d remember a flame, not a fire, gentle and soothing in the night.    “I can’t go home anymore, can I?”    “No”, Ellya answers, “I think you would be in danger if you did.” As distant as the child has been, now she launches forward, clinging to Ellya’s back like to a tree, trembling without making a noise. She tries not to cry and all Ellya can do is whisper and cast spells, warmth over her arms, comfort into her heart. She switches phrases, Elvhen and Fereldan, endearings and promises. When she places a kiss on the girl’s hair, the child holds even more to her. Like a lullaby, Ellya repeats - warmth, comfort, closure.

Gaelle shot her a confident glance before going back to spying, but Akilah needed longer to tear her gaze away from her. Since Briala had started assigning them tasks together, Akilah found herself staring and biting the questions back. It was easy to remain quiet, it was what she had done at the circle all the time. However, her eyes always remained watchful. Many elves, and, it seemed, elven mages even more, moved like they were invisible, gliding out of the focus of Templars and hunters effortlessly. Gaelle, however, walked with pride. Pride, anger and confidence. When someone walked like that it was hard to look away. If that person happened to be beautiful, it was even harder.

   “I can feel you staring.”, Gaelle smirked, not averting her eyes from the dancing pairs, “Do I have something in my face?”

She was successful in fighting down a blush but even then, Gaelle grinned triumphantly and turned to her,    “Is it because you have freckles and I don’t?”

   “W-..excuse me?”

As Gaelle touched her cheek, Akilah jerked back, almost screaming in surprise. The soft spots where she had felt the other’s fingers felt hot yet still, she felt a lump building up in her throat.    “Don’t touch me just like that.”

   “Then I’ll ask for permission – can I touch your freckles?”

Why did she have to be so smooth? Smooth and obviously not interested in Akilah or she would certainly have gotten the tiny hints, that Akilah always waited for her, accidentally brushed her hand against hers and complemented her hair. Yet, after being shot down with several ‘I know’s when she commented her beauty and pride, Akilah had tried to give up the fascination of hers.

   “Yes.”, she answered instead, breathlessly and felt Gaelle’s hands almost tenderly cupping her cheek, almost affectionately caress her skin, listened to the other’s low chuckle as she counted the freckles.

  “Cute.”, Gaelle observed, her face so close to Akilah’s that the Circle Mage could smell the honeyed scent of her hair. They needed to focus on the nobles, not each other, yet, for the moment, Akilah couldn’t take her eyes of the other one.

She closed the distance between them instead, breaking of the next sentence Gaelle wanted to start. For a moment, the Dalish freezed as she felt Akilah’s lips against her own.No one of them pulled back. Their lips still touching, Gaelle’s hands on her cheeks, her own hands resting on the other’s hips, their eyes met. The Dalish’s eyes had widened and as soft as Gaelle’s lips were, Akilah felt guilt spreading from her throat through her whole body. She had just acted on a stupid impulse. She had disregarded the woman she admired for this small moment. Pulling back, the first word that escaped her lips was an apology.

  “You..you can’t just kiss people like this...”, Gaelle whispered, her voice hoarse and high, almost a hiss, “and then apologize like it was an accident!”

Akilah was at loss for words, since yes, Gaelle was right, what she had just done was wrong and something she shouldn’t have and yet she did.

“I know you are not interested, it was just…you were so close and…”

Covering her mouth, the Dalish silenced a loud gasped and pushed herself away from the railing. She looked almost flustered, her eyes shining a bit brighter, her lips wet from the kiss,   “H-how...? Y-You never asked if I was interested, Aki. You just went ahead, usually you plan everything and now you just charge right into the moment?”

He saw it, in her and as he looked into her eyes and spotted his reflection in himself as well. Hidden away from the breathing forests and streams behind cold walls that promised safety but offered chains. He wanted to sleep but his eyes refused to close for too long, his heart beat as fast as the wind.

She moved closer and with her came the scent of home. To him it was the scent of the wind and the falling leaves, the feeling of wandering once again, that made him feel the sand under his feet once more. And while the feelings that awoke with this scent were just memories, she wasn’t. He would know if she was any different, if her dreads were just illusions, her golden vallaslin just another game of his loneliness.

Carefully, he stretched his hand out and placed it in on her cheek. Softly, he moved his fingers just a little, skin brushing against skin, before running his thumb over her lips.     “You’re like a tree.”, he whispered.

It earned him a smile, her lips twitched for just a moment before giving it to him, her brown eyes gaining even more warmth than they already had,     “Am I?”

    “Yes.”, leaning forward, he placed a soft kiss on her lips, less passionate than all the others but as honest as usual, “Strong”, another kiss, longer, his voice shaking just barely enough for her to notice, “Enduring”

   “No matter how hard the world is shaken, you stay yourself.”

He kissed her once more, let his mouth linger a bit longer on hers. He could still feel it, the anxiety deep within his heart, fluttering constantly. Yet, as Iri pulled him closer, her arms around his shoulders, her breath as steady as her.

    “Not everyone is as scared as you.”, she whispered teasingly.

He could not answer that. After all, she just stated the truth. What he knew, however, was, that with her, the world all felt a tiny bit safer than usual.

    “Do you think it’s alright to be scared? Of being alone?”

When she smiled at him without any judgement, he could read the answer from her face. Resting his head on her shoulder, he inhaled in the sound of home and enjoys the warmth she is ready to share.

That’s how a lot of their conversations started. Aedan smiled and gestured at the seat by his side, once more humming the familiar melody. In her brown eyes, he saw recognition, thus, he started, with a low voice, the same ritual they always did.

    “I’ll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne’er fear of drowning,     And gladly ride the waves of life if you will marry me.     No scorching sun, nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey,     If you will promise me your heart and love me for eternity?”

He saw her eyes turning warmer and within a moment, she had taken his arm, picking up the pitch and continued in swift Anders.

     “Mein Liebster, ach klingt mir dein Lied so machtvoll und verwegen…“, laughing she put one hand on her hip. Aedan understood and swiftly got hold of her right hand, leading her two the empty space in the middle of the tavern, stepping in rhythm to her singing. Her voice did not shiver, just remained warm and strong,     “Kein starkes Wort brauch’ ich, wenn sich deine Arme um mich legen.”

The traveller, picking up on their dancing played as they sang, a happy mixture of languages and laughter as Aedan lead her skilfully through the room, that slowly filled with the music of their voices and languages, the sound of their steps on the wooden floor, Frieda’s sweeping dress and the playful tune.

The faster they sung, the faster they danced, ending with Aedan grabbing her by the waist and twirling her around while her voice broke into a high mix of giggles. Carefully, he set Frieda back to her feet, though she still kept holding to him.

    “You’re a good dancer!”, she smiled, “The best I have ever met.”

Smirking, her moved a few streaks of her hair back behind her ear, while she found herself hesitantly letting go of his tunic, her hands just shaking a little,     “Then you haven’t met many dancers.”

With a swift motion she got to her tiptoes and leaned forward, placing her lips against his cheek for just a moment. Furrowing his brows, he touched the spot, the kiss over as fast as it had begun. Seeing the question in her eyes, she started to laugh nervously, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks,     “You need to dance with her, Wächter. At least once.”

    “Why?”

    “Because it feels like flying, and who wouldn’t like to fly?”, unbraiding her hair, Frieda took a step back, “Even sparrows like me get a bit bold then.”

    “So you decide to kiss me?”, he chuckled, watching her almost fall over her own feet, “I am thankful for the sentiment but I do not see the connection between your suggestion of me dancing with someone else and your action, Morgentau.”