The journey back to Skyhold was quite uneventful. No doubt the Inquisition had made quite the impact on the political climate there; it would hardly surprise Leon if it took years for things to settle back to something resembling normalcy. Assuming the new Emperor would ever allow it toâsomething which seemed quite unlikely given his temperament. Still, Leon couldn't think it was a change for anything but the good, even if it was only realistic to suppose that the early years of Lucien's reign would be contentious at least.
There were bound to be at least some disruptions to their troops as well: it seemed unlikely that he'd be able to continue commanding the Lions from the throne; it would be a conflict of interest, and he seemed fastidious enough to avoid those deliberately. Which meant that in turn, the Lions on loan to the Inquisition might find their status to be quite different. Leon was content to wait until he knew exactly what would be happening there, but he'd decided already that he was prepared to offer each of them a promotion as incentive to stay, if they needed it. Their work training the regulars was of immense value, and their obvious moral character and experience were both good for morale additionally.
He was making a note to himself to draw up new commission letters just in case when there was a soft knock at his door. Setting his quill back in its inkwell, Leon glanced up. "Come in," he called. It couldn't be Khari or SĂ©verine; neither of them stood on quite that many formalities. The former just opened the door whenever she pleased, and the latter simply announced that she was entering and then did so, not that he minded.
But the person at his door was the Lady Inquisitor, or just Estella at the moment, from the bright expression she wore as she leaned slightly into the office and met his eyes. She'd been in a rather good mood of late, though Leon had not asked why. "Leon," she greeted amiably. "Some of us are going down to the Herald's Rest for a drink. It's past dinnertime already." She sounded as though she didn't expect him to know that, which was honestly a fair guess on her part. "Why don't you come with?"
He considered it, and found he had no reason to refuse. So he didn't, offering her a nod instead. "Very well; just a moment." Leon checked to make sure that none of his clothes had too many ink stains on them, then threw his cloak over his shoulders, gesturing for Estella to precede him out of the office.
Spring was slowly blooming over Skyhold; much of the snow had melted, leaving large puddles of mud in the bailey. It wasn't impossible that there would be another major snowstorm or two before winter gave up the ghost for good, but hopefully not. He was quite ready to head back into the garden and do the spring planting.
"Your perennials will come back in soon," Estella said, either guessing at his likely train of thought or following a similar one herself. "I bet the rosebushes will be really nice this year."
"I hope so," he said. "The red ones seem to be popular; I noticed quite a few of them were cut last year." Not that he'd minded, of course; the responsible party hadn't ruined anything.
She laughed, though he didn't know why until she explained. "I know who that was," Estella said, still clearly very amused. "Donnelly has a... preoccupation with that shade of color in particular. Resembles something he's very fond of."
Leon was slow to catch on. So slow, in fact, that he was quite sure he had no idea what she was talking about, but he wasn't about to ask her to elaborate. In any case, they reached the tavern, and Leon held the door open for Estella, who stepped in smoothly, allowing him to follow and be ensconced in the warmth moments later. A few of the most frequent patronsâand occupantsâwere already about; Leon raised a hand in greeting to Vesryn. Zahra was there too. He suppressed a lingering twinge of awkward embarrassment as he followed Estella to the table they were set up at.
Vesryn was already spreading some butter over a slice from a loaf of fresh bread. "Good to see you, Leon," he greeted. "Any word from the Emerald Graves yet? They should be back soon, shouldn't they?"
"A few days, I expect," Leon replied, settling himself down on the bench and helping himself to one of the rolls in the basket Estella nudged towards him. "Captain SĂ©verine sent a rider ahead; he got here this morning. We've got a few casualties incoming, but no deaths, thankfully." Considering what they were up against there, that was better news than he'd expected, by a considerable margin. It would seem that all the hard work the Templars had been doing was paying off.
âSounds like good news to me,â Zahra interjected with a smile, not quite looking up. She was working a line of beads of varying colors on the table, threading them through a leather strap. Intricate knots worked with small hands. Perhaps something sheâd picked up back in Llomeryn or on one of the many ships sheâd inhabited in her youth. She took a moment and set her piece down, snatching up a nearby cup and downing whatever drink it was filled with. Ale, from the froth left on her upper lip. There was a slight redness to her ears; indicating that it may not have been her first.
She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and regarded Leon for the first time since heâd sat down at the table. There was a sense that she had something on her mind. Something she wanted to say. Though the moment passed just as quickly as she regarded the lute-player across the way, playing a soft tune near the unlit fireplace. Like the others, sheâd chosen a lighter fare of clothing. Almost too light. It seemed as soon as the sun stared baring down the mountains, she dressed as if she were in the more tropical parts of Thedas. Bare-armed with leather vests and billowy, sleeveless shirts.
A pirate, through and through.
He wasn't sure he exactly wanted to know what she planned to say. If there was one thing he'd come to understand about Zahra, it was that she didn't exactly bother with the same level of reserve as other people about most any topic, so if something was stilling her tongue, it was probably for a very good reason.
Fortunately, the waitress came by before the silence could edge into an awkward length, and he and Estella both ordered something to eat and drink. The distraction afforded him the opportunity to think of a way to keep the conversation smoothly afloat, so he used it. "Any progress with that letter?" he asked Zahra, leaning slightly forward against the table. It was a rather personal matter, so he kept his voice quiet in the asking.
"Can I ask what letter?" Estella interjected, clearly picking up on the caution of his approach and responding with the same.
âLetter?â
There was a pause in the conversation as Zahra pushed two more beads down the length of the cord. A hum sounded in the back of her throat as she pushed the beads, and leather strap to the side, reaching over towards the lone bottle resting in the middle of the table. She gave it a swirl, inspecting the contents, before pouring herself another cupful. âOh, that letter.â She set the bottle down and glanced up at them. It appeared as if she were trying to weigh her words in her head before speaking them aloud. Something she hardly did. The sensitive nature of the subject might have had something to do with it.
If she were deciding something⊠she did it with a wistful smile, swinging her gaze towards Estella and Vesryn. âI got a letter in Halamshiral. Dropped at Lucienâs door. It was from my youngest brother, apparently. He was asking for help. But I havenât seen him in ages. Then, in the Winter Palace, someone gave me another.â She puffed an errant curl of hair from her eyes and lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug, âIt wasnât Maleus, thatâs all I know. Even with the mask.â The frustration on her face was obvious. Not knowing who was involved or what to do had taken its own toll on her.
âI havenât opened it yet,â she traced her fingertip across the rim of her cup, âActually, I was thinking of bringing it to Cy. Heâs better at figuring stuff like this out than I am.â
Estella nodded like that made perfect sense to her. It almost certainly did. "That's a good idea. I'm sure he'll do what he can. But if there's anything the rest of us can do... we're here for you, too."
Leon nodded his agreement. "Of course." He hadn't missed the fact that the two of them seemed to be friends of a slightly closer stripe than usual, and he could certainly understand her wanting to keep things close to the chest until she'd figured out what was going on and what she wanted to do about it. But it was worth the reminder, maybe, that the rest of them were willing to help as well, should they be needed.
Their food and drinks arrived at that point; Leon drained half his ale glass before setting it down, almost surprised. Apparently he'd been thirstier than he thought. Probably hungrier, too, now that he could smell the food. Some kind of meatless casserole, from the looks of it. He'd not specified beyond vegetarian.
Zahra tipped her head to the side, and smiled wider this time, âThanks. Iâll keep that in mind.â She knuckled at her nose, and leaned back against the bench. As of late, she seemed to be relying on others far more, where she might have once struck out on her own. There was a sense that asking for help did not come naturally to her. Unreserved and stubborn as she was, settling matters on her own seemed more her style. Her pace. Some things, however, couldnât be dealt with alone.
She gave the air an appreciative sniff. Her empty plate had been scooped up when their food arrived. Even so, she always seemed ravenous; stealing from peopleâs plates like a magpie, usually whenever they looked away. This time, she seemed focused solely on Leonâs face, scrutinizing him in an uncomfortable way. If she understood that doing so was at all strange, she wasnât showing any signs of it. There was an inquisitive frown pulling across her lips. One could almost hear the gears whirring in her head as she stared.
âYou know, I was thinking,â dangerous words spoken in a low voice, âhow would we have driven that couple away in Halamshiral if it had been you and Rom, instead of you and I.â A snort. Obviously, sheâd already drunk too much. Either way, she found the thought rather amusing.
Of course, she'd waited to ask until he was halfway through another swallow. Leon inhaled when he really shouldn't have and coughed, swallowing the ale in enough time to avoid disaster but not the discomfort of trying to clear his throat out while his eyes stung. He may have lost some of the drink through his nose, but he was quick to grab one of the cloth napkins that had come with the food.
Maker, he was not nearly drunk enough for this conversation.
Estella struck his back a few times, which helped, and once the coughing fit had passed, he cleared his throat awkwardly, relieved at least that the color of his face could be excused as related to the near-choking and not the embarrassment it actually was. "I suspect," he ventured, focusing very intently on the plate of food in front of him, "that we'd have struck each of them once over the head and left them to reawaken in a closet or something of a similar nature."
"But I take it that isn't what happened?" Vesryn's eyes were narrowed ever so slightly, glancing back and forth between Zahra and Leon. Clearly suspecting that they were onto something good here, something worth prying into if Leon's reaction to it being brought up was anything to go off of. "The two of you drove the couple away in a different manner."
Zahraâs face lit up. She was easily baited by Vesrynâs goading to tell them what really happened. Crumbling like a stack of cards. Whatever promise sheâd made in Halamshiralâs hallways was all but forgotten at the opportunity to tell a good story. She straightened up her shoulders, and slid back up the bench, leaning forward so that her elbows were perched atop the table. Her smile wobbled as she tucked stubborn bangs behind her ears, a thick eyebrow arching up.
âYouâre right, thatâs not how it happened at all,â her voice had only risen to a cooing gossip, as if she were regaling someone with juicy details and not humiliating someone who sat in front of her. She took a deep breath through her nose, probably for dramatic effect, before continuing on her tale, âRom was busy picking the lock to the Empressâs chamber. I suppose his skills may have been a wee bit better than mine, but thatâs neither here nor there.â There was a pause as she drew her cup to her lips, and took a long dredge, depositing it back with a soft thud as soon as she was finished.
âThere was a couple coming down the hall towards us. Paces away. Looking for a place to dance, if you take my meaning.â It was apparent that she assumed they had, because she nodded her head and tapped two fingers across the table, grinning wide. âWe had to think of something quickly, before they found us just standing thereâso, I had a brilliant idea. This is Orlais. If theyâre looking for a place for a little tryst, then what would happen if they bumped into a couple whoâd already laid claim to the hall?â
She slapped the table with her hand. âSo, we pretended and I kissed him. And we drove them away. A victory, Iâd say.â Her smile eased and faded into a thoughtful line, before she swung her gaze back in Leonâs direction and raked her hands through her unruly hair, âI⊠didnât apologize for that, did I? Feels like more than documents were stolen that night.â
Leon's face felt like it was on fire, but it took him quite a while to dare lifting his eyes to the rest of the table. "That's quite unnecessary," he said, far too quickly. "The ruse was effective, and considerably less... violent, than what I had in mind, which is probably for the best." He cleared his throat, nudging over the new glass of ale one of the staff had brought over during his coughing fit. He might be needing it quite soon. "I was just... surprised, is all."
A quick glance to the side revealed that Estella's brows seemed to be making an effort to reach her hairline. Well, at least he wasn't the only surprised one, then. He was considerably less enthused to note her obvious amusement; she raised a hand to cover her mouth. But it passed quickly enough, replaced by a slightly more serious expression, though she didn't stop smiling. "Not a common item in a Seeker's repertoire, then? I confess I would have thought it came up often enough. Perhaps I read too many silly books."
"Er... no. Not as such. First time it's ever happened, actually." True, but ambiguous. That was something that he'd learned as part of his training.
"Wait," Vesryn looked somewhere between suspicious and offended on Leon's behalf. "The first time? You'd never been kissed before?" He seemed to be having some trouble processing that. "But you're... Leon, you're incredibly attractive, you must know this." He looked sideways at Estella. "We can agree that Leon's a very handsome individual, can't we?"
"Obviously," she replied with a nod.
Perhaps he hadn't been as ambiguous as he thought. Resisting the urge to drag a hand down his face, Leon took a generous swallow from his drink. "If we want to split hairs, it's only the first time I've been kissed by a woman," he muttered, more into the glass than anything.
It was apparently quite sufficient for him to be heard, however. "I'm sensing a story here," Estella said. "Care to share?"
He sighed. "I was raised in a Chantry," he pointed out. "The one in The Anderfels is more conservative than any of the southern ones by leagues, too." Needless to say, recruits had been watched very closely for any sign that they weren't taking their duties seriously, social contact with anyone but other recruits was rare, and they were very discouraged from that sort of interpersonal relationship. Helped along in most cases by the fact that they were usually gender-segregated on their non-training hours.
"The man in question was a close friend of mine. We were teenagers, he was about to go for his Vigil, which is a year with no contact with anyone or anything. It was exactly as awkward as you're thinking, doubly so because it all came about due to a misinterpretation of some things I said." He'd certainly been a great deal more careful with his words since then.
"After my own... I never had the time to even really think about that sort of thing. I was with Ophelia, and then I was... working." Often alone, only rarely with repeating company. Hardly the type of environment in which to cultivate the kind of connection necessary for such actions to mean anything. And he knew he'd want them to mean something, if ever he undertook them on purpose. "And then I was here." He shrugged, still a bit pink but less so.
He blinked, then moved his eyes to Zahra. "I'm not upset, I should say. You couldn't possibly have known any of that, and it's hardly... well, there's nothing for me to be upset about." He dredged up a characteristically mild smile. "So don't worry about it."
Zahraâs expression had gloomed considerably from the first moment sheâd described what had really happened. Her eyes had widened slightly, before she sunk back against the bench. The amusement had melted away into concern⊠and then something that resembled culpability. She clearly hadnât expected that sort of revelation. It hadnât occurred to her at all. Perhaps she was also under the impression that someone so handsome couldnât have possibly had his first kiss in Halamshiral. With her. In a ruse to shoo a couple away. For once, she was the one who looked choked up. Unable to conjure anything remotely amusing.
âSo, I stole your first kiss. As a woman. Well, as long as youâre notâŠâ She rubbed at her chin and stared at the knots wound into the table, before meeting his eyes with an apologetic smile. As contrite as one could be, when they were known for taking things that didnât belong to them in the first place. She did look rather sorry, even if it wasnât particularly needed. Another deep breath was taken from her nose, as she leaned forward and looked at him seriously. A mottled redness had already begun blossoming along her collarbone. A telltale sign that sobriety took no part in this conversation. âI solemnly do swear⊠that I, Zahra Tavish, wonât ravish your handsome face again, unless a dutiful situation calls for it.â
As good an apology as heâd ever get. Her eyes drew into squinting slits once more, âVes is right, you know. Too handsome not to have a lass at your arm. A shame. No, a travesty.â
There were a lot of things he could have said there. About time, and how he'd never have enough of it again. About how many times he'd wondered what it might be like, to have something that might eventually become something more. But he didn't say any of them. It was hardly the right occasion, and he had no desire to bring the mood down any more than he already had, however inadvertently. His work fulfilled him, it was worth doing until his time was up. That was enough. And the fact that he had friends at all, the sort of people to get into laughable misadventures with, to speak to about the peculiarities of his life before all of this, well.
That was more than he'd ever expected.
So instead of giving voice to any of the more depressing aspects of the situation, he only smiled a little wider, a little more easily, and settled back into his chair. "I'll take your word for it. But surely I am not the only one with embarrassing personal anecdotes to be shared?" He glanced at Estella first, as she'd technically asked for his.
She cleared her throat. "Well, I was also raised in a Chantry, but not what anyone would call a conservative one, exactly. So..."
There were bound to be at least some disruptions to their troops as well: it seemed unlikely that he'd be able to continue commanding the Lions from the throne; it would be a conflict of interest, and he seemed fastidious enough to avoid those deliberately. Which meant that in turn, the Lions on loan to the Inquisition might find their status to be quite different. Leon was content to wait until he knew exactly what would be happening there, but he'd decided already that he was prepared to offer each of them a promotion as incentive to stay, if they needed it. Their work training the regulars was of immense value, and their obvious moral character and experience were both good for morale additionally.
He was making a note to himself to draw up new commission letters just in case when there was a soft knock at his door. Setting his quill back in its inkwell, Leon glanced up. "Come in," he called. It couldn't be Khari or SĂ©verine; neither of them stood on quite that many formalities. The former just opened the door whenever she pleased, and the latter simply announced that she was entering and then did so, not that he minded.
But the person at his door was the Lady Inquisitor, or just Estella at the moment, from the bright expression she wore as she leaned slightly into the office and met his eyes. She'd been in a rather good mood of late, though Leon had not asked why. "Leon," she greeted amiably. "Some of us are going down to the Herald's Rest for a drink. It's past dinnertime already." She sounded as though she didn't expect him to know that, which was honestly a fair guess on her part. "Why don't you come with?"
He considered it, and found he had no reason to refuse. So he didn't, offering her a nod instead. "Very well; just a moment." Leon checked to make sure that none of his clothes had too many ink stains on them, then threw his cloak over his shoulders, gesturing for Estella to precede him out of the office.
Spring was slowly blooming over Skyhold; much of the snow had melted, leaving large puddles of mud in the bailey. It wasn't impossible that there would be another major snowstorm or two before winter gave up the ghost for good, but hopefully not. He was quite ready to head back into the garden and do the spring planting.
"Your perennials will come back in soon," Estella said, either guessing at his likely train of thought or following a similar one herself. "I bet the rosebushes will be really nice this year."
"I hope so," he said. "The red ones seem to be popular; I noticed quite a few of them were cut last year." Not that he'd minded, of course; the responsible party hadn't ruined anything.
She laughed, though he didn't know why until she explained. "I know who that was," Estella said, still clearly very amused. "Donnelly has a... preoccupation with that shade of color in particular. Resembles something he's very fond of."
Leon was slow to catch on. So slow, in fact, that he was quite sure he had no idea what she was talking about, but he wasn't about to ask her to elaborate. In any case, they reached the tavern, and Leon held the door open for Estella, who stepped in smoothly, allowing him to follow and be ensconced in the warmth moments later. A few of the most frequent patronsâand occupantsâwere already about; Leon raised a hand in greeting to Vesryn. Zahra was there too. He suppressed a lingering twinge of awkward embarrassment as he followed Estella to the table they were set up at.
Vesryn was already spreading some butter over a slice from a loaf of fresh bread. "Good to see you, Leon," he greeted. "Any word from the Emerald Graves yet? They should be back soon, shouldn't they?"
"A few days, I expect," Leon replied, settling himself down on the bench and helping himself to one of the rolls in the basket Estella nudged towards him. "Captain SĂ©verine sent a rider ahead; he got here this morning. We've got a few casualties incoming, but no deaths, thankfully." Considering what they were up against there, that was better news than he'd expected, by a considerable margin. It would seem that all the hard work the Templars had been doing was paying off.
âSounds like good news to me,â Zahra interjected with a smile, not quite looking up. She was working a line of beads of varying colors on the table, threading them through a leather strap. Intricate knots worked with small hands. Perhaps something sheâd picked up back in Llomeryn or on one of the many ships sheâd inhabited in her youth. She took a moment and set her piece down, snatching up a nearby cup and downing whatever drink it was filled with. Ale, from the froth left on her upper lip. There was a slight redness to her ears; indicating that it may not have been her first.
She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and regarded Leon for the first time since heâd sat down at the table. There was a sense that she had something on her mind. Something she wanted to say. Though the moment passed just as quickly as she regarded the lute-player across the way, playing a soft tune near the unlit fireplace. Like the others, sheâd chosen a lighter fare of clothing. Almost too light. It seemed as soon as the sun stared baring down the mountains, she dressed as if she were in the more tropical parts of Thedas. Bare-armed with leather vests and billowy, sleeveless shirts.
A pirate, through and through.
He wasn't sure he exactly wanted to know what she planned to say. If there was one thing he'd come to understand about Zahra, it was that she didn't exactly bother with the same level of reserve as other people about most any topic, so if something was stilling her tongue, it was probably for a very good reason.
Fortunately, the waitress came by before the silence could edge into an awkward length, and he and Estella both ordered something to eat and drink. The distraction afforded him the opportunity to think of a way to keep the conversation smoothly afloat, so he used it. "Any progress with that letter?" he asked Zahra, leaning slightly forward against the table. It was a rather personal matter, so he kept his voice quiet in the asking.
"Can I ask what letter?" Estella interjected, clearly picking up on the caution of his approach and responding with the same.
âLetter?â
There was a pause in the conversation as Zahra pushed two more beads down the length of the cord. A hum sounded in the back of her throat as she pushed the beads, and leather strap to the side, reaching over towards the lone bottle resting in the middle of the table. She gave it a swirl, inspecting the contents, before pouring herself another cupful. âOh, that letter.â She set the bottle down and glanced up at them. It appeared as if she were trying to weigh her words in her head before speaking them aloud. Something she hardly did. The sensitive nature of the subject might have had something to do with it.
If she were deciding something⊠she did it with a wistful smile, swinging her gaze towards Estella and Vesryn. âI got a letter in Halamshiral. Dropped at Lucienâs door. It was from my youngest brother, apparently. He was asking for help. But I havenât seen him in ages. Then, in the Winter Palace, someone gave me another.â She puffed an errant curl of hair from her eyes and lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug, âIt wasnât Maleus, thatâs all I know. Even with the mask.â The frustration on her face was obvious. Not knowing who was involved or what to do had taken its own toll on her.
âI havenât opened it yet,â she traced her fingertip across the rim of her cup, âActually, I was thinking of bringing it to Cy. Heâs better at figuring stuff like this out than I am.â
Estella nodded like that made perfect sense to her. It almost certainly did. "That's a good idea. I'm sure he'll do what he can. But if there's anything the rest of us can do... we're here for you, too."
Leon nodded his agreement. "Of course." He hadn't missed the fact that the two of them seemed to be friends of a slightly closer stripe than usual, and he could certainly understand her wanting to keep things close to the chest until she'd figured out what was going on and what she wanted to do about it. But it was worth the reminder, maybe, that the rest of them were willing to help as well, should they be needed.
Their food and drinks arrived at that point; Leon drained half his ale glass before setting it down, almost surprised. Apparently he'd been thirstier than he thought. Probably hungrier, too, now that he could smell the food. Some kind of meatless casserole, from the looks of it. He'd not specified beyond vegetarian.
Zahra tipped her head to the side, and smiled wider this time, âThanks. Iâll keep that in mind.â She knuckled at her nose, and leaned back against the bench. As of late, she seemed to be relying on others far more, where she might have once struck out on her own. There was a sense that asking for help did not come naturally to her. Unreserved and stubborn as she was, settling matters on her own seemed more her style. Her pace. Some things, however, couldnât be dealt with alone.
She gave the air an appreciative sniff. Her empty plate had been scooped up when their food arrived. Even so, she always seemed ravenous; stealing from peopleâs plates like a magpie, usually whenever they looked away. This time, she seemed focused solely on Leonâs face, scrutinizing him in an uncomfortable way. If she understood that doing so was at all strange, she wasnât showing any signs of it. There was an inquisitive frown pulling across her lips. One could almost hear the gears whirring in her head as she stared.
âYou know, I was thinking,â dangerous words spoken in a low voice, âhow would we have driven that couple away in Halamshiral if it had been you and Rom, instead of you and I.â A snort. Obviously, sheâd already drunk too much. Either way, she found the thought rather amusing.
Of course, she'd waited to ask until he was halfway through another swallow. Leon inhaled when he really shouldn't have and coughed, swallowing the ale in enough time to avoid disaster but not the discomfort of trying to clear his throat out while his eyes stung. He may have lost some of the drink through his nose, but he was quick to grab one of the cloth napkins that had come with the food.
Maker, he was not nearly drunk enough for this conversation.
Estella struck his back a few times, which helped, and once the coughing fit had passed, he cleared his throat awkwardly, relieved at least that the color of his face could be excused as related to the near-choking and not the embarrassment it actually was. "I suspect," he ventured, focusing very intently on the plate of food in front of him, "that we'd have struck each of them once over the head and left them to reawaken in a closet or something of a similar nature."
"But I take it that isn't what happened?" Vesryn's eyes were narrowed ever so slightly, glancing back and forth between Zahra and Leon. Clearly suspecting that they were onto something good here, something worth prying into if Leon's reaction to it being brought up was anything to go off of. "The two of you drove the couple away in a different manner."
Zahraâs face lit up. She was easily baited by Vesrynâs goading to tell them what really happened. Crumbling like a stack of cards. Whatever promise sheâd made in Halamshiralâs hallways was all but forgotten at the opportunity to tell a good story. She straightened up her shoulders, and slid back up the bench, leaning forward so that her elbows were perched atop the table. Her smile wobbled as she tucked stubborn bangs behind her ears, a thick eyebrow arching up.
âYouâre right, thatâs not how it happened at all,â her voice had only risen to a cooing gossip, as if she were regaling someone with juicy details and not humiliating someone who sat in front of her. She took a deep breath through her nose, probably for dramatic effect, before continuing on her tale, âRom was busy picking the lock to the Empressâs chamber. I suppose his skills may have been a wee bit better than mine, but thatâs neither here nor there.â There was a pause as she drew her cup to her lips, and took a long dredge, depositing it back with a soft thud as soon as she was finished.
âThere was a couple coming down the hall towards us. Paces away. Looking for a place to dance, if you take my meaning.â It was apparent that she assumed they had, because she nodded her head and tapped two fingers across the table, grinning wide. âWe had to think of something quickly, before they found us just standing thereâso, I had a brilliant idea. This is Orlais. If theyâre looking for a place for a little tryst, then what would happen if they bumped into a couple whoâd already laid claim to the hall?â
She slapped the table with her hand. âSo, we pretended and I kissed him. And we drove them away. A victory, Iâd say.â Her smile eased and faded into a thoughtful line, before she swung her gaze back in Leonâs direction and raked her hands through her unruly hair, âI⊠didnât apologize for that, did I? Feels like more than documents were stolen that night.â
Leon's face felt like it was on fire, but it took him quite a while to dare lifting his eyes to the rest of the table. "That's quite unnecessary," he said, far too quickly. "The ruse was effective, and considerably less... violent, than what I had in mind, which is probably for the best." He cleared his throat, nudging over the new glass of ale one of the staff had brought over during his coughing fit. He might be needing it quite soon. "I was just... surprised, is all."
A quick glance to the side revealed that Estella's brows seemed to be making an effort to reach her hairline. Well, at least he wasn't the only surprised one, then. He was considerably less enthused to note her obvious amusement; she raised a hand to cover her mouth. But it passed quickly enough, replaced by a slightly more serious expression, though she didn't stop smiling. "Not a common item in a Seeker's repertoire, then? I confess I would have thought it came up often enough. Perhaps I read too many silly books."
"Er... no. Not as such. First time it's ever happened, actually." True, but ambiguous. That was something that he'd learned as part of his training.
"Wait," Vesryn looked somewhere between suspicious and offended on Leon's behalf. "The first time? You'd never been kissed before?" He seemed to be having some trouble processing that. "But you're... Leon, you're incredibly attractive, you must know this." He looked sideways at Estella. "We can agree that Leon's a very handsome individual, can't we?"
"Obviously," she replied with a nod.
Perhaps he hadn't been as ambiguous as he thought. Resisting the urge to drag a hand down his face, Leon took a generous swallow from his drink. "If we want to split hairs, it's only the first time I've been kissed by a woman," he muttered, more into the glass than anything.
It was apparently quite sufficient for him to be heard, however. "I'm sensing a story here," Estella said. "Care to share?"
He sighed. "I was raised in a Chantry," he pointed out. "The one in The Anderfels is more conservative than any of the southern ones by leagues, too." Needless to say, recruits had been watched very closely for any sign that they weren't taking their duties seriously, social contact with anyone but other recruits was rare, and they were very discouraged from that sort of interpersonal relationship. Helped along in most cases by the fact that they were usually gender-segregated on their non-training hours.
"The man in question was a close friend of mine. We were teenagers, he was about to go for his Vigil, which is a year with no contact with anyone or anything. It was exactly as awkward as you're thinking, doubly so because it all came about due to a misinterpretation of some things I said." He'd certainly been a great deal more careful with his words since then.
"After my own... I never had the time to even really think about that sort of thing. I was with Ophelia, and then I was... working." Often alone, only rarely with repeating company. Hardly the type of environment in which to cultivate the kind of connection necessary for such actions to mean anything. And he knew he'd want them to mean something, if ever he undertook them on purpose. "And then I was here." He shrugged, still a bit pink but less so.
He blinked, then moved his eyes to Zahra. "I'm not upset, I should say. You couldn't possibly have known any of that, and it's hardly... well, there's nothing for me to be upset about." He dredged up a characteristically mild smile. "So don't worry about it."
Zahraâs expression had gloomed considerably from the first moment sheâd described what had really happened. Her eyes had widened slightly, before she sunk back against the bench. The amusement had melted away into concern⊠and then something that resembled culpability. She clearly hadnât expected that sort of revelation. It hadnât occurred to her at all. Perhaps she was also under the impression that someone so handsome couldnât have possibly had his first kiss in Halamshiral. With her. In a ruse to shoo a couple away. For once, she was the one who looked choked up. Unable to conjure anything remotely amusing.
âSo, I stole your first kiss. As a woman. Well, as long as youâre notâŠâ She rubbed at her chin and stared at the knots wound into the table, before meeting his eyes with an apologetic smile. As contrite as one could be, when they were known for taking things that didnât belong to them in the first place. She did look rather sorry, even if it wasnât particularly needed. Another deep breath was taken from her nose, as she leaned forward and looked at him seriously. A mottled redness had already begun blossoming along her collarbone. A telltale sign that sobriety took no part in this conversation. âI solemnly do swear⊠that I, Zahra Tavish, wonât ravish your handsome face again, unless a dutiful situation calls for it.â
As good an apology as heâd ever get. Her eyes drew into squinting slits once more, âVes is right, you know. Too handsome not to have a lass at your arm. A shame. No, a travesty.â
There were a lot of things he could have said there. About time, and how he'd never have enough of it again. About how many times he'd wondered what it might be like, to have something that might eventually become something more. But he didn't say any of them. It was hardly the right occasion, and he had no desire to bring the mood down any more than he already had, however inadvertently. His work fulfilled him, it was worth doing until his time was up. That was enough. And the fact that he had friends at all, the sort of people to get into laughable misadventures with, to speak to about the peculiarities of his life before all of this, well.
That was more than he'd ever expected.
So instead of giving voice to any of the more depressing aspects of the situation, he only smiled a little wider, a little more easily, and settled back into his chair. "I'll take your word for it. But surely I am not the only one with embarrassing personal anecdotes to be shared?" He glanced at Estella first, as she'd technically asked for his.
She cleared her throat. "Well, I was also raised in a Chantry, but not what anyone would call a conservative one, exactly. So..."