#tobebrutal

The sun is setting, and for a moment things seem quiet. It's the most welcome reprieve between all the things that would likely threaten their lives in one way or another, and although Reyna can't fully trust it, she's glad to have that moment of peace. While the fire casts dancing shadows around them, it's only her and Zevran sitting together in companionable silence. Although the choice to bring an Antivan Crow into the fold was met with judgement, Reyna doesn't regret it, even if she's not foolish enough to trust it completely just yet.

@tobebrutal

leliana sighs, her mind has been heavy since this all began. she's glad for the company of cassandra - perhaps the only other person who would understand her confusion, her frustration, right now.

“ hey , smelly . ” the nickname rolls off her tongue with an ease that she can’t really help ; a nickname she'd given him as a teen , and held onto into adulthood out of nostalgia , perhaps . something in her chest tightens with apprehension though , the red and silver of his templar vestiges bright and evidently showing off the choice he has made . her gut is twisting into knots all over again , just as they did when she first found out ; a sickening concoction of hurt , anger , betrayal , and worst of all , fear . she's never been afraid of her family before , and it tastes like ash in her mouth . " nice outfit . really brings out your eyes . "

        it's another argument about nothing that's really about everything. this is the maddening pattern they've fallen into since @tobebrutal survived his joining: tense silence, most of the time, a space shared because they must and not because either of them wishes it so. this lasts only as long as it takes for one of them to say something that sets the other off, and then they are fighting again. she hates it. hates this. being angry is not how she wants to spend her days.

        but hackles rise along with their voices, and soon they're nearly nose-to-nose, too consumed in their bickering to notice how close they've become. it's in the pause for breath between snarls that they both seem to realize, eyes sharp and chests heaving. then suddenly his lips are upon hers, his kiss hot and hungry.

a visit from the great hero of ferelden was something that the inquisition had been after since before its formation. letter after letter from leliana had found its way to ariana, begging her to attend the conclave, then to come to haven after the breach had been opened. she'd ignored them all initially, her head absolutely aching at the thought of getting tangled up in politics and chantry business. she was a grey warden and it'd been made very clear numerous times that, hero or not, the circle and the chantry were no longer her business. stay out of it. even with the breach in the sky, her days of heroism were over. someone else bore a mark, an anchor. this had nothing to do with her or with darkspawn or blight.

then the attack on haven happened and everything changed. corypheus. darkspawn. red lyrium. templars infused with red lyrium. the calling was ringing in her skull way too soon and the first warden was sending out orders for everyone to come back to weisheuppt. it made her head spin. blood magic was involved. there was so much more to it than initially assumed. but then again, when wasn't there more to it?

she'd sent a letter, initially saying that she wasn't coming, that she was busy. but it was a lie. ariana was already making her way to skyhold, not wanting to declare her intentions openly in case the letter was intercepted by the wrong party. paranoia rang supreme as she made her way to the frostback mountains, moving carefully and only using a false name. the last thing that corypheus or any of his agents needed to hear was that the hero of ferelden was making her way to the inquisition's headquarters. who knew what kind of trouble that he'd send her way?

relief floods through her as she finally makes her way through skyhold's front gates, the aches and exhaustion that plague her body worth it as she drags herself through the courtyard. she keeps her hood up, not wanting to risk anyone noticing her just yet. she makes a quick visit to leliana, wanting the bard to be the first to know of her arrival. she asks her old friend to keep it secret for now, especially since she doesn't want to risk undermining lavellan's authority by simply being there.

something twists in her chest as she realizes there's another person that she needs to visit. another person that she needs to announce her presence to before it slips out in whispers and rumors. ariana knows that it's best if he hears it directly from her, but the memory of how they parted is still burned into her mind. she gets the directions to his office from leliana and makes her way there, not even stopping for food or rest. she's decided that it's best to do it quickly, get it out of the way. 

she pauses outside of his door, a part of her suddenly terrified. how will he react? will he be angry? does he still hate her? she shakes her head, trying to shake away the thoughts, takes a deep breath, and pushes that fear deep down as she lifts her hand to rap on his door before carefully opening it. "cullen?" she slips inside, not lowering her hood until she was fully within and the door was shut behind her. "is...is this a bad time?" was there any good time for this kind of reunion?