#Akri Adaar

[ramblinganthropologist]

Writober 2023 3 Paths

Summary: Kaaras is... well, he's a failure. He's failed out of every apprenticeship the clan has set to him. He thought he was ok with halla tending, but fate has other plans.

Be careful what you wish for, Kaaras... you might get something you don't expect.

---

Another day, another bucket of hay. Such was the life of an apprentice halla keeper.

“Da’len, could you feed them for me? I have to keep an eye on the doe about to give birth.” His grandmother called to him from across the field as he got down there that morning, already reaching for his bucket. From where Kaaras stood, he could see where the clan’s halla were resting. It was easy to pick them out – the antlers of the bucks, the does with their fawns, the yearlings with their budding racks.

It was peaceful. And it was something he could do without messing up.

“Can do!” He grabbed his bucket, filling it with hay. Technically, the halla ate grass – hay was just an addition. It was mostly so he could get close and check for any injuries or illness. At least, that’s what he had been taught when he’d started training to be a halla tender six months prior to that morning.

It was the longest he had apprenticed anywhere in the clan – talk about a good sign this one was going to stick.

A light breeze blew across the field as Kaaras entered into where the halla were resting. Some of the yearlings approached him, sniffing at his bucket and begging for some. He chuckled, patting one on the head, and started to hand it out.

“Here you go. Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone.” He glanced down – the one his grandmother told him to watch was walking just fine. “Looks like your leg healed up with that poultice. Good to see, I was worried about you.”

He patted the fawn on the head, smiling at the touch and when the young halla leaned into it. All things considered, he liked being with the halla. They didn’t mind he was odd, and they licked his hand when he gave them treats. It was a quiet peace, far from his past failures and a clan that was no doubt disappointed in them.

At least he would make a good halla tender – they would have to keep him around for that, right? Everyone needed the halla…

Kaaras frowned as the familiar anxiety started to bubble up. At 16, he should’ve been almost ready to finish his training and receive his vallaslin from his aunt and uncle. Instead, he was on yet another round of training, years away from when he would be ready.

If not for the fact his grandmother believed in him, he wouldn’t know what he would’ve done.

“At least you guys like me.” He smiled sadly as he moved away from the yearlings in order to feed the adults. “Alright, who wants some…”

He trailed off. It was hard to miss the lead buck was staring at him, ears back and eyes narrowed. The buck’s hooves dug into the earth, and then before he realized what was going on, he started to charge with antlers lowered.

“Shit!”

Kaaras dropped the bucket and turned on his heel as he broke out into an all out sprint. Scenery passed as he all but ran for his life, trying to avoid getting gored by the antlers of the clan’s best halla. He didn’t even pause to look back – he could hear the running and snorting.

Lucky for him, there was a tree. Now, he wasn’t a hunter – that had been the first training he had failed out of in his younger years – but he could climb a tree as well as any other member of the clan. With antlers at his back, he jumped into the tree and climbed into a high branch, far above where any halla could reach. The tree shook as the buck collided, then backed up. If halla could glare, that would be a death stare for the ages.

“Kaaras, what’s going on?”

His grandmother’s voice carried over the din. Kaaras got to watch as the old woman approached, practically parting the wall of halla. Without a tinge of fear, she made her way to the lead buck and reached up to stroke its head.

“Steady now, Fen. What’s gotten into you, you’ve never chased after anyone like that before.”

She glanced up. “I know you’re not the type to tease the halla, so what happened, da’len?”

Kaaras slowly made his way down the tree, touching down with a shaky step. As soon as he was down, the buck looked ready to charge again. If not for his grandmother’s steady hand, he would’ve been gored for sure.

“I don’t know. He was acting normal until I came to check the does.”

His grandmother didn’t respond at first, just guided the halla to a part of the field where it would take some speed to catch up. Once Kaaras was out of sight, it calmed down and retuned to the does and the fallen bucket. It was like nothing had happened.

Hell, he wouldn’t have believed it himself if not for the leaves in his hair and the pounding of his heart.

When the old woman returned, she gave him a once over. Kaaras found himself standing ramrod straight, drawing himself to his full height for once. He had two heads on his grandmother, and he was still growing. No doubt he would hit 6 feet easily, but the 7 foot of his mother’s side of the family was probably beyond him.

Not that he was complaining – it was hard enough to get clothes as it was.

“Da’len, your horns are coming in nicely.”

It should’ve been a compliment – his horns were finally starting to take shape and curve in the familiar ram’s shape his mother bore. Instead, it came off as an explanation of just what the hell was going on.

His jaw dropped. “You gotta be kidding me, he chased me because I have horns?”

Weren’t halla supposed to be smarter than that? His horns didn’t look anything like halla antlers…

“He probably thought you were a competitor for the does.” His grandmother shook her head. “I’d try it again, but I’m afraid he’d hurt you…”

She trailed off. “I think we’re going to have to find you another training, da’len. You’re not safe around the bucks anymore.”

Kaaras’ heart fell into his soles. “But… there’s nothing else for me to do. I’ve failed out of every other training…”

Hunting, crafting, guarding… everything he tried, he failed. One door after another shut in his face as another path to his future with the clan went dark. Being a halla tender had been one of his last chances, and one of the few he had seemed good at.

And now because of something he couldn’t control, another door closed.

His grandmother sighed as she patted his elbow. “We’ll figure something out. I’m going to talk to Revas and see what we could set you up with. You just head back to the aravel and try to avoid catching the eye of any bucks.”

Sure… no problem.

Shoulders sagged, Kaaras nodded and left the halla pen. Slowly, he returned to where most of the clan would be if not for their jobs. It was just him, the children, and people who had jobs close to the camp. None of them paid him any mind as he trudged towards his family’s aravel, head low and problematic horns tucked low.

“Creators, you look miserable. Did you step in halla shit or something?”

A squeaky voice made the teen cringe as he glanced up. Much to his distaste, his younger brother was situated outside the aravel, reading from an old scroll. Akri was apparently doing his studying from home today.

Lucky him – just the person he wanted to see after failing another course.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Akri.” He sighed as he climbed into the aravel and fell face down onto his bedroll. At some point, a light weight settled onto his back feet first. “Hello, Jackel.”

His cousin settled onto his back like a cat. The weight was comforting, and for a moment he could forget that he was an utter failure again. Unfortunately for him, he felt the weight in the aravel shift as his brother entered, settling on the floor.

“Shouldn’t you be feeding the halla or something right now?” The boy chuckled. “I can’t imagine you could fail out of that…”

When Kaaras didn’t answer, he continued. “Wait… you gotta be kidding me. You failed out of halla training? How the hell did you manage that, did you kill one or something?”

He lifted up just enough to shoot a glare. “I don’t want to talk about it, Akri.”

“Man, I can’t believe you failed out of another path.” Akri chuckled again. “That’s got to be a record. I think you’ve failed out of every apprenticeship there is.”

He had, actually, thanks for the reminder.

Kaaras’ glare darkened as he sat up  - Jackel shifted to sit on his shoulders. “It wasn’t my fault this time!”

“Like it wasn’t your fault when you failed out of crafting because you couldn’t see what you were doing.” The boy snickered. “What happened this time, did the does try to mate with you and you got flustered?”

Anger bubbled in Kaaras’ stomach as he grit his teeth. “The buck thought I was competition and chased me out of the pen. Apparently it thinks I’m trying to steal his does.”

In reflection, it was a mistake to tell Akri what happened. That only made the boy laugh harder, to the point tears were streaming down his face. That was all Kaaras could handle – he got up and sprinted from the aravel, inadvertently taking Jackel with him.

He wound up in the woods, bubbling with humiliation and rage. Failing out was bad enough – getting laughed at by his genius brother was another thing. Unlike him, Akri had his path – he was going to be the Keeper one day.

He had a future. Kaaras just had misery.

“Oh, come on, bro, lighten up!” Akri’s voice carried through as he reached the clearing. “It’s not like it’s the first time you failed out of training, I’m sure we can post you to tending the fire or something. Even you couldn’t fuck that up.”

He was still chuckling, as if this was all some great joke. Kaaras’ fist tightened at his side as he grit his teeth tighter. Right then, he wanted to throttle the boy – but what good would that do? He would just get in trouble for hurting him.  Then he would have to apologize.

He’d rather die than apologize to Akri.

“Anyway, don’t be so sensitive. Unless you want to knock your horns off, that’s just something you can’t do.” He reached out to pat Kaaras on the shoulder. “You should be used to that by now, you’re practically famous for it.”

Famous for being a failure…

His fist clenched tighter. Everything felt hot. His heart pounded in his ears as he shoved Akri’s hand away. In that moment, he smelled ozone, and then there was a flash of light that knocked him flat on his ass.

Pain coursed from his palm as he held it tight, wincing. Across the clearing, Akri was flat on his back, holding onto his arm for dear life and groaning. Up above, someone was screaming for help in a squeaky voice, calling for their mamae and ada.

Was that Jackel? Jackel didn’t scream…

There was rushing footsteps, and soon his uncle Samhl was propping him up. Across the field, his aunt Revas was helping Akri to his feet, checking his arm. It looked as though he had been burned – streaks of purple traveled towards his shoulder, pulsing with light.

The pulsing matched the pain in his hand. His palm was also burned purple.

“Akri, what happened?” He heard his aunt asking his brother as the blood pounded in his ears. “Did you try to use magic on your brother and it backfired?”

Akri shook his head. “No! I was just messing with him because he failed, and then there was a flash of light…”

“There’s gotta be Vints in the area, they hurt Kaas and Akri!” Jackel screamed from the  tree, in near hysterics and far too high for anyone to get down. “We gotta find them before they hurt someone else!”

But he hadn’t seen any Vints… they were too far for that. And if Akri hadn’t done it…

Kaaras glanced down blankly at his burned palm. Logically, if his brother hadn’t done it… but there was no other logical answer. After all, he couldn’t do magic. It was the first path that had closed to him when he had started training.

He… couldn’t do magic, right?

“Kaaras, let me see your hand.” His uncle’s voice brought him to reality. Kaaras stuck out his aching hand, wincing when Samhl prodded it with a finger. “You’ve got caster’s burn. It happens with new mages.”

The man glanced over at his wife. “It looks like he’s a mage after all.”

The world stopped spinning in that moment. Kaaras couldn’t feel his heart beating – it was like he was dead on his feet. All he could do was look down at his injured palm, and then at the matching burns on Akri’s arm.

It couldn’t be… he was too old for that.

Revas sighed as she started to lead her apprentice away for healing. “I’m going to go find someone to get Jackel out of the tree. You stay with Kaaras… we’ll have to find someone  to train him once everything is squared away.”

Training.

The dull realization came to him slowly as his uncle tended to his palm. A new path, one he had never wanted to begin with, was open to him now. Yet all he wanted to do was run away and never face it again.

After all… he couldn’t be a mage. He just… had an accident was all. Maybe later it would all make sense and he could go back to dreading his future for a completely different reason. Anything was better than this.

He supposed he should’ve been more careful about what he wished for…

[thejbusition]

OC Share Day: Akri Adaar

What’s 6'9", can set things on fire, and generally dislikes Templars? That be Akri Adaar, apostate mage at your service. He’s got his attitude problems, but deep down he’s all right as long as you’re not a Templar. If you’re a Templar you might need to prepare to eat fireball. Akri was just living his life, doing Vashoth-y things until he gets blown out of the sky and now people are calling him Herald of Andraste. He doesn’t even believe in Andraste. Oh well, beats being dead.

Facts

Akri is obviously a mage, but he winds up with the Knight Enchanter Arcane Warrior specialization. Elven pride, maybe? Elven pride, most likely.

He’s an elf-blood. It’s a funny story that that ends in his pregnant mother fleeing Par Vollen with his father. They’re married now and sickeningly adorable together. He’s the second son (his older brother is Kaaras Adaar)* 

Akri’s interested in riding the Bull. He’s never been with another qunari, so it’s going to be quite the rodeo. 

Despite his intimidating face and questionable taste in eye makeup, he has a gorgeous voice. In fact, he sings like an angel. Now if only he could get over his terrible case of stage fright. 

Makes people from Kirkwall wonder if Anders reincarnated into a qunari. He’s so pro-mage it hurts. Mostly Templars. Did I mention he hates Templars? 

You can get Akri to do pretty much anything as long as you give him enough honey. He loves honey.

*Akri and Kaaras are Inquisitors in a parallel universe dynamic. Where one is Inquisitor, the other is alive and comes along later.

Thank you for sharing, I love his design! <3

[ramblinganthropologist]

What are your thoughts on an The Iron Bull romance?

I've done it with Akri Lavellan-Adaar and I think it was pretty nice. I of course save the Chargers so he didn't betray me, but he was a great guy in general.

Funny enough, Kaaras was supposed to romance him at first but then I got introduced to Dorian and went *wolf whistle*. Instead, Kaas' bro gets him. And his cousin. They both date him but not at the same time.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Do you have any ocs besides Al and his sister? I would love to know about all of them!

... *looks over to closet door stuffed with OCs* maybe.

A lot of them are dragon age, such as the Origins trio Cahel Mahariel, Cherche Mahariel (belongs to reallyfuckinggay), and Miris Tabris. Then there's the 2 Duo, Avery Hawke and Moses Hawke (belongs to reallyfuckinggay). Finally there's the Inquisition 7 which include Kaaras Lavellan-Adaar, Akri Lavellan-Adaar, Jackel Lavellan (belongs to reallyfuckinggay), Hissra (reallyfuckinggay), Aeronwen Trevelyan, Ian Trevelyan, and Owain Trevelyan.

And that's just my canon run. Non canon Shepards include MK Shepard, Calliope Shepard, and Jacob Shepard. I have non canon Wardens (Rose Cousland, Vonnar Brosca, Zara Aeducan) too. I also have a Solavellan kid named Conan Lavellan-Aclassi and an eventual DA4 character named Isana Stonebreaker.

If you wanna know about any of my kids, just let me know!

[ramblinganthropologist]

Fictober 21 - 9 “There’s no right side to this”

Fanfiction

Fandom: Dragon Age Inquisition

Summary: Kaaras has a problem. Lucky for him, he’s been training all his life to deal with it. He’s going to need a room with only one exit, a plate of cookies, and a whole lot of patience to settle things, but it’s for the good of Skyhold. Now, if he could only do it before his migraine melted his brain...

---

“Thank you for stopping to see me on such short notice, Kaaras.”

Why did getting called to Josephine’s office feel like he was getting lectured?

Kaaras at least got to sit for this as he settled into the chair across the desk from his head ambassador. Like always, it was piled high with papers and letters from various dignitaries and countries that needed their help. If it was up to him, he probably would’ve read through all of them and never got anything done, but the Antivan was far better at this sort of thing than he was. Her summaries helped move things along and allowed him to make proper decisions… but he got the feeling as she looked at him that it wasn’t about that.

Oh boy… what had he done this time?

“I’m always happy to help, Josephine.” Even his smile felt awkward as he tried to keep calm. Naturally, that was impossible for him – he always ran a bit nervous. His aunt had told him he needed a proper outlet for it, and at one point he had taken up jewelry making as a way to quiet both his hands and mind. Now he was great at it but bringing his tools to meetings tended to be frowned upon… so there went his coping strategy.

Maybe he needed a quiet one, so he didn’t wind up picking the skin off his hands.

The human in front of him smiled back, but her eyes said it was straight to business time as she sat as well. “I do hope I am not being too presumptuous with my request.”

“Hard to say, I don’t even know what it is yet. I doubt it, mind you. You’re the soul of propriety.”

At least he wasn’t babbling. Score one for the Dalish-qunari federation of two.

She smiled at him, but that soon faded as she shook her head. “Normally, I would just let them settle things amongst themselves, but things are beginning to get out of hand.”

Her words set up a number of possibilities in his mind as he sat there. Orlais and Ferelden were naturally near the top, but of course there were still plenty of mage and templar flare ups to be dealt with. For all he knew this could be about two noble families doing stupid noble shit to each other.

But… her words also made him doubt that. What would be presumptuous about that?

Josephine took his silence on the matter and continued. “Forgive me, but I would request you oversee the dispute between Jackel and Akri.”

Ah.

Kaaras could already feel the headache blooming as he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “What did I miss when I was out fighting that dragon?”

It had been one of the rare times that he hadn’t taken either both of them or at least one member of his family. Both had been preoccupied with other tasks and begged off, citing they had something important to handle. He had gone off without them, taking a few members of his inner circle to literally cross swords with an honest-to-the-Creators dragon that was causing havoc in one of the areas they were stabilizing. It had been a nasty fight, and he was just starting to settle back into being in Skyhold again.

Now this.

His ambassador nudged a piece of chocolate towards him – probably her version of a bribe. He took it anyway, mostly because chocolate was proving to be quite a boon in dealing with his headaches. If only he would have had it when his horns were growing in, maybe he wouldn’t have had to drink all that nasty tea…

But he was avoiding the problem. He did that a lot. It was kind of bad form when you led an organization.

“I am unsure. Everything was fine until a few days ago, then they started arguing with each other nearly every time they met. I fear it may come to blows at this rate, and I honestly cannot tell who would come off the worse. Josephine sighed again. “Does this sort of thing happen often with your family?”

Well, let’s see…was it normal for two people with strong personalities and stubborn natures to butt heads?

Was the sky fucking blue?

It must have been written all over his face, because Josephine pushed another piece of chocolate his way, maybe out of sympathy. “I don’t want to overstep any boundaries, but their last blow up was in the library and it put quite a few people off. Could you please talk to them and see if you could sort things out?”

Kaaras responded by popping the chocolate in his mouth and sighing as it began to melt. Once he had swallowed, he nodded. “I’m probably the only one who can get to them right now anyway. At least Akri can control his magic now, it was even worse when they were younger.”

He still had scars from those days. Lucky for him, he was must better at dodging now.

“Thank you, Kaaras.” She smiled at him. “And… would it be too much to see if you could resolve things quickly?”

“Quickly is the only way you can do these things. You need to catch them off guard.” He stood. “I’m going to need an empty room with no windows and one door. Also, if I could get some cookies or something else sweet.”

A plan was already starting to bloom as the chocolate worked its way through his sore brain. Lucky for him, he had years of experience of dealing with the pair when they were at their worst. It was time to get to work.

---

A few hours later, Kaaras found himself in the mentioned room. Josephine had made sure to find a decently sized one with thick walls, away from people. The only furniture inside was a table and three chairs – everything else had been moved out for safety’s sake.

And of course, he had the cookies. Today’s batch was chocolate chip, which in itself felt like a good luck charm.

Like clockwork, he heard his first target coming before he saw her. Jackel was quiet, but he had grown up with her. More than that, he knew she couldn’t say no to sweets. That was all he needed as he opened the door after waiting for a few seconds.

“Thanks for coming, Jacks. I could really use your help.”

His cousin, far smaller and thinner than he was even as a child, looked suspicious as she stepped through. He did his best to keep his face neutral as he gestured to the table where the cookies were waiting. Naturally, she went right for them, one going immediately into her mouth as she settled into perching on the chair.

“So, you wanted to go over shit you found fighting that dragon? Not sure why you need me, that’s more a magic nerd thing.”

The mere mention of magic nerds made Jackel scowl, and she shoved another cookie into her mouth. Kaaras felt the sweat bead on the back of his neck, but he didn’t let it show as he sat down as well. She had to think he was genuine for this to work – otherwise, she’d leave.

That was why there were no windows. She was prone to jumping out, especially if there was a nearby tree.

“I’m pretty sure this isn’t magical. Dorian gave it a once over when we found it, but he said he didn’t feel anything.” He placed the dagger on the table. Honestly, he had wanted to talk to her about it – tools like this was really her area of expertise. “I’m thinking it’s from Orlais based on the handle, but there was nothing Orlesian around it. Maybe it’s from a scouting party?”

Jackel picked it up, holding it between her hands. “Yeah, but it looks like the dragon shit it out. Where the hell did you find this?”

Not up a dragon’s ass…

Kaaras didn’t get the chance to answer – he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Lucky for him, the dagger had caught Jackel’s interest for the moment. He used that moment to stand and walk to the door. When she got like that, nothing could pull her out.

Was it wrong to use that against her? Maybe, but if it was as bad as Josephine had said, he needed all the help he could get.

Without a word, he opened the door. Just like he thought, his brother was standing on the other side. Like always, Akri looked prickly. However, thanks to how he had arranged the room, he couldn’t see the other member at the table.

This was why Kaaras had been so insistent about the room. Optics were everything in this operation.

“You wanted me to look at some magic stuff you found while killing that dragon?”

Before Jackel could react, Kaaras grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him in. The sudden throw got him off his feet, enough that he stumbled away from the door. As soon as he had, he threw the key into the lock and clicked it shut. Then the key went into his pocket, and he sat down, chair against the door.

Sadly, that was the easy part.

“What the- “Akri’s face soon hardened as he saw the room’s other occupant. “Oh, come the fuck on.”

Jackel shot him a dirty look as she glanced around the room. Betrayal crossed her face as she glared over at Kaaras. She always was good at figuring this kind of thing out, but sometimes he could trick her.

They were both going to be pissed at him after, but he would take a united front against a destruction derby.

“You’re so dead when this is over.” She shot Akri another glare. “I have nothing to say to you, asshole.”

Akri snorted as he spun his chair around and sat down, crossing his arms over the top. “That makes two of us, you dick.”

Ah, lovely. It wasn’t as bad as he had thought. At the very least they were still insulting each other. The worst was when they didn’t talk at all. There was hope yet for a peaceful conclusion to the matter…

He just had to nudge them.

Kaaras looked from cousin to brother as he gauged their reactions. “I only did this because Josephine told me you two were causing a ruckus in the library. Poor Trevy wound up reshelving half the entropy section because of your fight.”

His cousin snorted at that. “Blame your brother, he’s the one with the magic.”

“Blame your cousin, she’s the one who fucking started it.”

How the hell were they adults again?

The headache was starting to return. All Kaaras could do was pinch the bridge of his nose in a hope to ward off the worst of it. His hand sparked as he did, filling his veins with fire. In a weird way, it was a reminder that this wasn’t just a regular argument. After all, all three were involved with the Inquisition now. They needed to resolve this peacefully.

Also? It hurt like shit. He wanted to go to bed, but instead he was stuck dealing with his stupid family.

“I don’t care who started it.” Creators, he sounded like his father right then. Talk about a nightmare. “It’s fine if you’re mad at each other, but it’s dragging other people into it and I’m not going to watch what happened last time go down again.”

The scar on his wrist throbbed in memory, but he kept it off his face as he looked from person to person. Akri and Jackel were annoyed, but at least they weren’t throwing anything. Though, that was probably because there was nothing to throw.

He was an old hand at this.

Sighing, Kaaras did allow for a pinch to the bridge of his nose to stop the headache. “So, mind telling me what the problem is?”

“Don’t see how that’s any of your fucking business, Kaas.” Akri wasn’t quite at a snarl, but he was pissed. “I don’t feel like talking anyway.”

Jackel was picking at another cookie. “I’m with the asshole on this one.”

Yep, his headache was even worse.

“Fine, then we’re just going to sit here until you do feel like it. Josephine cleared my schedule for this.” He crossed one leg over the other. “So, I’m sure you have better things to do than glare at me. Might as well get it over with so you can go off and do them.”

Before either could try it, he added, “My chair is enchanted, by the way. You’re not going to be able to get me out of it until I decide to get up on my own. So, don’t even think about trying that, Akri.”

It wasn’t often he got to outsmart his family – but he had experience in the matter. And bruises, a lot of healed bruises from moments like this. Sometimes, he just had to shut off all other routes of escape to get these assholes to deal with whatever was bothering them.

He was starting to get an idea though. Only one thing could probably annoy them this much…

“Why don’t you ask your horn dog of a brother?”

Ah, right on the money.

Akri glared over at Jackel, who continued to innocently pick at her cookie. “It was my fucking night- “

“And you did it in my spot!”

His brother rolled his eyes as he scowled. “How the fuck was I supposed to know that random ass spot was your area with him? We don’t exactly share our fucking spots! If it was so important, Bull should’ve said something! Besides, that doesn’t exactly let you fuck with my experiment!”

“How was I supposed to know that random ass spot was so important?”  

Their voices were starting to get to shouting level. Lucky for him, the walls were thick enough to muffle it. They could scream until they were hoarse (hopefully not, mind you) and no one would ever hear it. It would give him the world’s worst headache, but at least he would manage to keep the peace.

At least he had the picture now.

Kaaras once again pinched the bridge of his nose. “So… if I have this right… Jackel, you’re mad at Akri because he was intimate with Bull in a space you keep special for just the two of you.”

When she nodded, he turned to his brother. “And Akri, you’re upset because you think she messed with your experiment in revenge for this.”

Another nod. Good. They were getting somewhere.

He let the matter hang in the air as the two fumed over their issues. Sometimes, it took someone else saying it for the full emphasis to drop on how ridiculous they were both being. But they were making good time… maybe he could catch a nap after all. He really needed it – the headache was only getting worse. Plus, he needed to change clothes… it was getting kind of hot in there.

Who knew being around two hotheads could raise the room temperature?

A few moments later, he let out a sigh as he ran his non-glowing death hand over his hair. “There’s no right side to this, you know.”

Before both could start to shout at him, he added, “You both crossed each other’s boundaries. This could have been solved with better communication. How was Akri supposed to know that was your special space, Jackel?”

His cousin sucked in her cheek – she could see the logic. “He could have asked Bull…”

“It was dark. You know his night vision’s shit.” At least Akri wasn’t shouting. That was a good sign. “I didn’t fucking do it on purpose, it was an accident. You can’t fucking claim the same, you cost me two weeks of work!”

And he was starting to raise his voice. Shit. Things had been going so well too…

Jackel scowled at him. “I don’t know what magic looks like, I can’t even read! How the hell was I supposed to know I was walking through mage shit?”

Akri’s scowl turned into more of a frown – that was his tell. “I had the damn area blocked off…”

“Half of Skyhold is blocked off, the damn place is a fucking ruin.” Jackel picked at another cookie – she had left two. “It’s not like I did it on purpose, I just needed to be by myself after all this.”

The tension was starting to evaporate from the room. Akri and Jackel weren’t looking at each other, probably because they were feeling a little stupid and didn’t want to admit it. By now, they should’ve been used to this feeling – it wasn’t exactly their first fight. Damn the fact they had similar personalities when it came to getting pissed.

But still... a win was a win.

“So, it sounds like you both didn’t mean it. It still happened, but it wasn’t done on purpose.” He sighed in relief as he felt his forehead throb and stomach start to churn. Neither were exactly promising signs, but he just had a bit further to go to make sure Skyhold wouldn’t fall apart due to these two and their argument. “Sound good?”

Jackel nudged the plate close to Akri. “You still need a better way to mark your spots off.”

He accepted the cookie. “Right back at you. Maybe we should bend branches or something so the shems can’t figure it out.”

“There’s plenty of walls to carve a symbol or something in too.”

Wonderful, they were thinking about solutions. This had gone better than he had hoped. Kaaras’ shoulders sagged in relief as he allowed his eyes to close briefly. His head had gone straight into fucking killing him mode in the last few minutes, so they had wrapped things up with plenty of time for him to wish he was in a coma.

Whatever was causing these headaches needed to fucking stop… but at least the quiet helped him not want to throw up.

“Kaas, you ok over there? You’re looking green as hell.”

Akri’s voice was calm, but it still hurt. The palm on his forehead was cool, though. He was almost sad for it to be pulled away with a hiss.

“Shit, he’s burning up.”

Jackel’s chair scraped as she went somewhere, he didn’t know where. “He’s probably fucking overdoing it again. Come on, let’s get his dumb ass to bed before he passes out.”

The enchantment tingled as Kaaras tapped the chair and took a shaky step to stand. Almost at once, he stumbled. Lucky for him, his brother was way bigger and stronger than he was. No floor naps for him.

“I got you, Kaas.” Then his feet were off the ground. “Damn it, did you eat anything while you were killing that dragon? You’ve lost like ten pounds at least.”

They were moving now – the motion made his stomach churn, but at least he didn’t have anything in it to void. All he could hope for was that they were going through a quiet route. People tended to get upset when they saw their leader out of commission.

“I was fine… until a few minutes ago.”

Jackel snorted somewhere near his side. “Bullshit, you’ve worked with the flu before. I can’t believe Josie didn’t notice the shitty condition you’re in.”

Neither did he apparently… maybe that wasn’t a good sign.

After a few flights of stairs, Kaaras felt his back land on something soft. Akri slipped off his jacket and helped him work his way out of his upper shirt. Then it was straight to pillow town, operation him.

“Thanks…”

From the sound of things, Jackel was sitting nearby – so was Akri. “Just get some fucking rest, moron. If you’re up later, we’ll get you some dinner.”

“We’ll make sure nobody comes to fuck with you.”

Well, at least they were working as a unit again. Kaaras could be glad for that as he buried his burning face in the pillow to sleep off his headache. Nothing like a family medical emergency to bring people together…

You think it would teach them to talk things out, but it never did. At least they had him to sort things out… though he would’ve preferred to do it without his body crapping out on him like that.

Oh well… he could worry about that later, after his nap. With any luck, Josephine would come up to look for him and get the good news. That would save him giving a follow up report of how his family’s sex and work life had become hopelessly intertwined.

Creators, he would give his left hand to avoid that…

[ramblinganthropologist]

Fictober 21 - 29 and 30

Fanfiction

Fandom: Dragon Age Inquisition

Summary: Well, clearly there’s something going on between Kaaras and Dorian. Jackel and Akri don’t like that - maybe it’s time to have that shovel talk they’ve been planning for years.

---

It wasn’t every day that he got yanked into a side corridor…

“What the- “

“Shh!”

A hand was pressed over his mouth, the other was positioned over the lips of the woman holding him hostage. Akri blinked back surprise as he watched Jackel hop down from her hiding place. How she had managed to tug him away, he had no idea… she was small.

Then again, she knew how to throw her sub-100-pound weight around… it came with the territory of being around people bigger than her.

Just to be safe, Akri held his breath as he peeked into the corridor. Skyhold was a lot safer than Haven, but there was always the chance of a rogue agent sneaking in through the numerous passages in the ancient castle. Really, they should have been sealing those up… but he wasn’t exactly a stone mason. He could certainly blast stones apart but getting them to stick together was another story.

Definitely didn’t see any assassins, though if he had he would have assumed they were pretty bad at their job.

“What’s going on?”

At least this time his cousin didn’t try to silence him. Instead, she hopped down from her hiding spot in order to settle onto his shoulders. Something about her weight was a familiar comfort that brought him a bit of peace, but unfortunately her ass didn’t bring clarity with it. Instead, he was just as confused as he had been before.

An explanation would have been nice…

Jackel nudged him forward, so he started walking. “I’m surprised you didn’t see them when you came thundering through. We’ll be lucky if you didn’t scare them off.”

Akri cocked an eyebrow as he kept moving. The path they were on would take them up a flight of steps to the entrance of his brother’s personal quarters. It was off the grand hall, and definitely quieter… but that didn’t explain much.

“Who are you talking a- “

She shushed him again, but at least her hand didn’t go over his mouth – the damn thing was nasty. “Quiet, they’ll hear us.”

“Why are we whisp- “

And there was the hand again – gross. Still, Akri was willing to take the direction and use his eyes instead of his mouth. Carefully, he peeked into another bend of the hallway, careful to make sure he didn’t get spotted by whoever they were tailing. It took him a few seconds, but he managed to spot something off in the distance.

Nobody had red hair like his brother… and only one person in Skyhold dressed like that.

Jackel nudged him forward, and Akri stuck to the shadows as he crept along. The closer he got, the more he was able to make out. From the sound of things, the two men were engaged in conversation. That shouldn’t have been important – his brother could talk to whatever man he wanted, but… they did look close. They weren’t touching or anything, but it was a closeness that he usually only reserved for family.

“My thanks for allowing me to read in your quarters. The library has grown rather noisy as of late.”

Kaaras’ soft voice was harder to pick up than Dorian’s, but Akri was used to listening for it, so he picked it up. “It’s not a problem. I know how hard it is to study with distractions. Besides, I could use the company while I’m working. Sometimes I completely lose track of time when I get into something…”

The mage chuckled, and briefly his hand rested on the qunari’s shoulder. Akri and Jackel exchanged incredulous gazes through the nearby window as they watched the two climb the stairs. Then they were gone, up the stairs and out of sight.

“Did he just touch him?”

Jackel sounded just as surprised as they kept going. “Sure looked that way to me. I caught them in the library last week looking pretty cozy too. Trevy says they’re together there a lot too, but she’s only seen them working together.”

Akri shook his head as he rounded another corner. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve sworn they were a couple…”

His words trailed off as he caught his cousin’s gaze again. This was unfamiliar territory for them, honestly. Out of their little triad, Kaaras had been the only one to never really date. As far as either knew, he’d never had a boyfriend. He’d gotten close once before but given the fact he looked pain whenever he spoke on the matter, it hadn’t ended well.

At least he seemed to have gotten back on the halla?

“That’s why we need to catch up with Dorian.” Jackel cracked her knuckles. “It’s time for a chat with the Vint.”

Ah – the shovel talk. Akri had been rehearsing this particular one for quite some time in the hope that one day he would need to use it on his older brother’s beau. It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust Kaaras’ taste in men – ok, maybe, given he was into a Vint of all people – but the other qunari was sensitive. If anyone broke his heart, he was going to break their face.

And well… that wouldn’t be ideal in the Inquisition. Dorian was kind of their go-to guy for Tevinter shit.

“Well, I don’t think we’re going to get him this time if he’s with Kaas. You know he’ll get flustered, and we’ll wind up right back where we started.” Akri frowned as he leaned on the nearby open window. Outside, it was a snowy day, the kind that made him contemplate wearing shoes for a brief moment. “Maybe it be better to catch him when he’s alone?”

Jackel hopped off his shoulder – the easier to have a conversation. “What would you propose then?”

“Well, he’s always in the library. Trevy could let us know when he’s by himself. After that, we just drag him into a nearby room and get to digging.”

His cousin grew quiet for a few moments as she mulled it over. Finally, she nodded. Then she was back on his shoulders as they switched directions to head back to the library. Lucky for them, the head librarian was Jackel’s other ride. If anyone would help them out, it be her.

The question was… when?

---

When came a few weeks later, it turned out. On a particularly cold and snowy day, Akri found himself in the library, browsing among the elemental selection with not much thought in mind to what he was looking for. It was too cold to go outside, so he had decided to stay in and try to get some research done.

At least he had until Jackel jumped from the second floor to land on him.

“Damn it, it took me forever to find you with all these books.”

Akri put the book back he had been looking at and adjusted his position. “Normally you don’t launch yourself like that. Where’s the fire?”

Jackel nudged him forward, towards the small rooms that the members of the Inquisition could borrow for private study. “Trevy said she reserved a room for Kaas about two hours ago. Then about an hour ago, Dorian came by asking about it. They’re still in there.”

She pointed towards the room in particular – it was his brother’s favorite thanks to the large window that faced the mountains Skyhold was built into. Right then, the door was closed. However, that didn’t matter much when he had an expert lock picker sitting on his shoulders. They’d get in no problem, and then… time to break out the shovels.

Unsurprisingly, the door was locked when he tried it. Jackel soon was down on the floor, reaching for her tools. Akri blocked her from view as she worked on the lock, completely silent save for the occasional scraping of tools on metal. At least this part of the library was mostly empty – for some reason, people didn’t tend to like the cold from the windows much. He didn’t blame them, honestly – he suppressed a shiver as he watched his cousin work.

Could she speed it up a little? He couldn’t exactly risk a warming spell that close to the books.

It took a few more seconds, but the lock clicked open. Then Jackel was nudging the door open and sliding through like a ghost with a little more weight on its ethereal bones. Akri was left to bring up the rear, unsure as to what he was about to find.

They wouldn’t fuck in the library, right? His brother couldn’t be that damn horny…

“You gotta be kidding me…”

Akri was almost afraid to look as he entered. “Please tell me they’re not fucking…”

“Nope. Even worse.”

Jackel’s weight settled back onto his shoulders as Akri finally dared a peek. Inside, the room was like it always was – the large table was covered in books and papers, the warming spell embedded in the wall was going full force. Thanks to the window, he could see the imposing, snowcapped mountains clearly.

He could also see his brother, asleep on the couch, his head in the lap of a mage who also looked to be out for the moment.

Honestly, they looked… peaceful. That was the only thing Akri had in mind as he took in the sight of his brother fast asleep. His glowing murder hand was currently pointed towards the floor instead of curled up at his side, so for once it must not have been bothering him. There was no pain on his face – just dreamless sleep, the kind he desperately needed.

He looked… happy. And he hadn’t looked that way in quite some time.

Dorian didn’t look as exhausted either now that he was taking a second glance. Lately he’d had some nasty dark circles under his eye, but his face was just as relaxed as he dozed on the couch, his hand nestled into Kaaras’ hair and bumping up against one of his horns. Normally, his brother didn’t let people touch him like that – even family wasn’t always guaranteed.

It had to be something…

“Well, might as well get s- “Jackel had to cling to his shoulders as he backed out of the room and shut the door behind him. “Hey, what the hell?”

Akri put some distance between them before he stopped moving. She could still jump off his shoulders and go back – and probably would – but for the moment, he was happy to be the roadblock to them being woken up.

“Don’t ruin this, Jacks.” He shook his head. “Whatever’s going on between them, if it helps them sleep a little better then let it go for now.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I haven’t seen Kaas look that peaceful since before he left the clan. Made me realize how rough shit’s been for him lately.”

This time, he was the one sitting at a small alcove near the entrance to the room. Luckily, Jackel didn’t try to bolt off – instead, she settled into the chair on the other side of the table. It wasn’t off the table yet, mind you, but at least she was listening.

Good sign.

“He has been looking exhausted lately.” Her voice was quiet. “But I’m not about to let Dorian just walk in and snatch him up without saying something.”

Akri nodded at that. “I’m not saying we have to lay off him completely, just this time. Besides… you know Kaas hates people touching him. If Dorian can get that close… it’s gotta be something serious.”

It was weird, realizing that his older brother actually did have someone in his life now. He had always thought that the man would just remain single like their uncle – same position, same romantic prospects he had assumed. Well, that was the thing about assuming – it made an ass out of him.

But no… there was all the proof he needed.

“I still have no idea how they managed that without anyone noticing. He’s not exactly subtle.” Jackel sounded like she was sulking over that. If his job were all about finding out people’s secrets, he’d be like that too. Since it wasn’t, he didn’t really see the problem with not catching on.

It was going to bother her, though – he knew her well enough to understand that.

“Guess they snuck around while we were busy.” Akri shrugged. “I mean, Dorian’s obviously got some skeletons in his closet about it, can’t blame the dude for not flaunting it.”

Jackel still didn’t seem too happy about that, but she nodded. “And Kaas has no idea what he’s doing, either.”

No, he didn’t. That was what made Akri worry…

His cousin must have read his mind because she nodded. “We’ll pay him a visit tomorrow night and make sure he understands the ground rules.”

“Sounds good to me.”

And that was that – their plan was in place. Now they just had to kill time until then. Lucky for Akri, there were plenty of books to read on his ever-growing research list. No doubt Jackel would find something else to do while he worked, and before long they would be reading Dorian the riot act.

He better get some rest… he wouldn’t be getting any tomorrow night if they got their way with the conversation.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Writober 2020  7 - Tower

Summary: It’s moving day for the Inquisition’s head librarian. Luckily, she has help getting the books out. It’s a big thing, moving to the tower… and not just because of the distance. Trevy’s not sure if she’s ready, but what are friends for anyway but to help you move?

(Takes place six months after the last one, definitely post Haven boom.)

—

She was going to miss this room.

“Trevy, you ready?”

Jackel’s voice called from behind the door. Trevy turned, a box in her arms weighed down with her possessions. There was one more like it, a small one, waiting on the bare bed at the heart of the room. That one would be light enough hopefully.

Moving day was always so stressful, especially when her new room was … well, suggested would be putting it mildly.

“Yeah, I just need to get my flower!”

The tiny window above her bed that always let in cold air was the perfect place for the room’s other sole occupant, a tiny potted flower that was starting to bloom. She had found it the day after tranquility had broken – it was the first thing that had made her stop crying long enough to dry her eyes. So it was coming with her, no matter what. It had been a comfort, here in the space she had found herself in.

If she was being nice, it was cozy. Honest… well, somehow they had gotten a too-small bed and a tiny chest into what was pretty much an old closet. Trevy hadn’t minded it – it had helped her feel more secure in the first couple weeks after Haven. If they had left here there permanently, it wouldn’t have bothered her at all.

Problem was, it bothered Jackel. And Jackel had a way of getting what she wanted.

“Is this all you have?” The elf was careful to open her door and peer around. “Damn, I brought too much muscle.”

Trevy cocked her eyebrow as she looked her friend over. “What do you-”

A pair of gray hands with black painted nails soon took the box from her arms, then removed the one by the floor. They belonged to Jackel’s cousin Akri, who definitely could not fit inside the small space if he straightened up. His horns were practically brushing the top bent over. The poor man practically had to crawl out.

Just looking at him made her back ache, and that was saying something.

“You got everything, Trevy?” Akri had no problem with the boxes. “Don’t want to be coming back in here, you’d fucking smack your head on the door and die.”

Trevy responded by picking up the flower on her small windowsill and held it close to her body like it was a stuffed bear. Once that was gone, the room was empty of everything she had put into it. Now it was just a sad closet someone had shoved a bed into.

Hopefully whoever was next in there was smaller than 6 feet tall…

“I have everything.” She paused, feeling her emotions start to want to leak. They were getting easier to control, but she still felt them. Tears budded at the corners of her eyes, but she willed them back. “Thank you for helping me.”

Jackel was on her shoulders as they entered the library proper. Here, the smell of books and the sound of flipping pages filled the air. Something about it always made her heart beat a little slower, as if she was sinking into a hot bath. Libraries always had calmed her down, even before the brand.

“You needed to move anyway, it’s bullshit they shoved the head librarian into a closet.”

Trevy felt her cheeks heat up as she hugged her flower friend. “That’s a new title, though…”

The ink probably wasn’t even dry yet on the promotion sitting in Josephine’s office. It was part of her moving, but apparently it had been in the works for some time. Nobody knew the library better than her, and that was without her Tranquil memory. When it came down to it, she liked books and liked them in their place.

Besides… the last one shelved them wrong. She hated that.

“Still yours. It looks pretty shitty if Kaas has his head librarian in a fucking closet.” Akri adjusted the boxes. “Where we heading anyway, one of the ramparts?”

Jackel’s voice sounded from above Trevy’s head as they walked. “Nope, in the tower. They just cleared out a nice room luckily enough.”

Somewhere among the veiled insinuation of what her friend had done to help her move, Trevy felt her heart stop. Her mind went numb, then the words sank in. The tower; the tower where the Inquisition’s mages lived and worked. Akri had a room there, as did her cousin Ian. She had seen Dorian coming from there too when he wasn’t hanging out with his boyfriend.

She was going there?

“Makes sense, guess they’re used to keeping all the mages together.” Akri cast a glance over his shoulder towards her – his eyes were hard to read. “Hey, you’re slowing down there. You didn’t hurt yourself shelving books did you, Trevy?”

The former Tranquil felt the tears bead at her eyes, but there was no way to stop them. So she employed her second method – wiping them on her sleeve. More followed, and then she felt her chest heave. It wanted to make her sob. That was kind of embarrassing in the middle of the walkway, though. At least she could control that.

It was a work in progress, clearly.

“I-I’m fine!” she managed to choke out in case anyone was worried. “J-just… you know. Reacting is all.”

They had told her she would always feel things stronger than others and be more likely to cry as a result of the brand being both applied and removed. The tattoo on her shoulder helped somewhat, but there was always going to be the chance she’d just start sobbing. It was just part of her now, like the burn on her forehead she hid away behind the headband.

It was still kind of humiliating, though. Her brain still worked well enough to tell her that.

“Hey, you’re doing it less though.” Jackel’s ass on her shoulder did wonders for a grounding method, as did her voice. “Now, we going or what? You never know who they’re going to try to move in. They’re like hermit crabs or something…”

Trevy giggled as she finished mopping off her eyes. Her sleeve was pretty soaked, but it would dry. It always did eventually. Now that she thought of it, it was staying dryer more these days than ever before. Perhaps that was a sign of progress.

Once the crying had passed, they were back en route. Before long, they were entering the tower and beginning the climb up the stairs. Her brain kicked into overdrive as it began to memorize the route. One floor became two, and then a third. They eventually stopped at the fourth door, one she knew very well.

A grinning skull opened the door for her. “Welcome home, Aery.”

Ian was looking pretty good. He had put weight back on, enough that he didn’t actually look like a skeleton with skin slapped on. Now it was just the paint that carried the effect for him. He had his sleeves rolled up, probably to help with the move. Seeing his eyes glitter like that brought a smile to her face as she nodded and walked through.

She could smell the herbs from someone’s study, and someone was scratching away at parchment towards the opposite side. They passed her cousin’s door, wide open and showing the mess inside. Had he just rolled out of bed?

“Nice, Trevelyan.”

“Shut up, Adaar. At least my smalls aren’t on the floor.”

“That was one time-”

Ian and Akri were ribbing each other gently as they walked. Something about it made her heart feel warm. Much to her surprise, however, they stopped at the door next to his. Here, the plate slid into place held a name she knew well: Aeronwen Trevelyan, Head Librarian.

“Here we are.” Jackel jumped from her shoulder to the floor with all her assassin’s grace. “Who has the key, or do I have to pick this damn thing open?”

Her cousin answered by pulling a key from his pocket. “Got it right here. Practically had to murder the last guy for it, but oh well. They’ll do better in the field anyway.”

Trevy briefly felt a pang of guilt as the key changed hands, but she knew there was nothing she could about it at this point. Jackel was sliding the key into the lock, then clicking it into place. With a shove, the door opened and she was staring into her new room.

Well… it was definitely not a closet.

Trevy walked in first, heading straight to the opposite side of the room. The window here was larger, and despite facing snow-covered mountains she didn’t feel the chill. Her little flower would be happy here – perhaps with a few friends. The windowsill was definitely large enough for at least one more pot if she was judging it right.

The rest of the room was bright. There was a magelight set into the wall above the desk that no doubt would provide safe light at night when she was reading. A similar one hung above her bed, smaller. She remembered ones like it from the Ostwick Circle – but that was a lifetime ago. Something about it made her heart ache, but at least she didn’t start crying. Instead, she sat down on her new bed to look around.

Yep, this was a bed that could fit her. No more sore knees. And she had a desk too, with a chair large enough that she wouldn’t feel cramped. She even had a proper dresser, with a mirror hanging above it and a small washbasin below. No more using the communal one in the library for her.

“Way better for the head librarian.” Jacks settled in next to her as Akri put both boxes on the floor. “So, do you like it? Because if not we can bully Ian for his.”

The mage in question scoffed dramatically. “As if you would need to bully me to help my favorite cousin!”

“She’s the only cousin you talk to, genius.” Akri rolled his eyes. “But yeah, we’ll totally kick his ass out if you want to swap. You’ve seen his room before, right?”

As Ian and Akri playfully argued about the merits of throwing his bony ass out on the stones, Trevy let it all sink in. Everything was changing so fast that it was hard to keep up those days. Her head was honestly spinning from it all. Overwhelming was putting it mildly – it was a miracle she was able to focus at all.

But the plant on her window helped. In a few days, it would bloom. Then she would have something pretty to look at. Thinking about that calmed her heart as she stretched and let herself fall back against the wall. It wasn’t the best move – her back cracked in such a way that all three of her guests turned to look at her.

Well… it had been a very small room in her defense, and she was a very tall woman…

“You uh… didn’t break anything, did you?” Ian’s eyes darted nervously to the door. “We got a healer-”

A giggle bloomed at Trevy’s lips as she closed her eyes. “I’m fine. And you don’t need to kick Ian out, Akri. This room is perfect for me.”

And it wasn’t just because she fit. They fit too. The space held the chance of having her friends over, of long nights bothering her cousin over various ideas. She was no doubt going to spend long hours at that desk. With her luck, she’d burn the magelight out at least twice.

It all sounded wonderful to her. No matter how frustrating or upsetting it got, at least she had this space to return to, and the plant on the window. That would be enough to get her through some of the rougher patches.

Though… actually unpacking and arranging it was another story. Would it be rude to ask for help in that matter?

Only one way to find out…

“Hey, guys? Can I ask for one more favor before you go?”

Judging by the looks on their faces when she opened her eyes, maybe it wasn’t so rude after all. Excellent… because she really didn’t want to put her books away alone. Without someone to help her, she’d be there all night.

What… she was a librarian. She was allowed to be particular.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Dragon Age 100 - 5 (Light)

Summary: Haven sucks and the newly minted Herald Kaaras Adaar is at the end of his rope. Luckily, there’s someone there to pull him back from the edge and remind him the wonder of self care. Family’s great like that. (Inquisition.)

---

“I believe that will handle business for today.”

Fucking good.

Kaaras' entire body ached as he stood up from his spot at the impromptu war table. Spread out in front of him were numerous pins stuck to the map of Ferelden, all of them someplace he needed to be or something that needed doing. They were growing by the day as more people heard about this nightmare freak show people were calling the Inquisition. Apparently, they were gaining a reputation for getting the job done.

“Herald, you have been quiet today.”

His insides twisted. The voice belonged to Cassandra-way-too-many-names, a Seeker and major pain in the ass. Back when they had first met, she had shouted at him and even hit him once before dragging them both out to the ass end of hell itself. It hadn't exactly created a first impression, and that was without all the demons pouring out of holes in the sky. The fact she refused to call him by his own damn name didn't help matters either. No matter what, she didn't seem to get he wasn't fucking Andrastian.

Or maybe she was trying to convert him. It wasn't working.

It was hard to think of words – exhaustion coursed through his entire body as he resisted the urge to stretch tired muscles. When was the last time he had slept, or eaten for that matter? He couldn't even remember the last time he had had something to drink, and he felt it in his dry lips and parched throat. Wasn't much time for that with having to run all over Ferelden chasing leads and killing Templars.

“Not a lot to say, Cassandra. You've all got this handled.”

Next to him, the Inquisition's ambassador was still writing. Once she glanced up at him, eyes concerned. He liked Josephine about as much as he could like anyone in this hell party. She was nice, and more importantly she asked if he could do something before she gave it to him. Everyone else just barked orders. Talk about rude.

“Are you sure, Kaaras? You look tired. Is your hand bothering you?”

Yes. Yes it was. The damn thing refused to shut up during the night when he tried to catch a few hours of sleep. Every time he tried, it pulsed green light and shot pain through his entire left side. On bad nights, it kept him gasping and clutching at his thin, too small sheet as he all but rolled onto the floor. It was more comfortable down there anyway, given how small the damn bed was.  But hey, it closed rifts so that was good enough for the torture, right?

He allowed a tired smile that he didn't really mean. “I'm getting used to it, Josephine. Don't worry about me.”

She didn't look too convinced, and if he hadn't been stuck in the middle of nowhere he would have appreciated it more. The woman was lovely, it was just bad circumstances that had shoved them together. Maybe in different light, they would've been just fine. However, she was attached to the Inquisition and thus put him on edge.

“You should rest.” Leliana, shadowy and creepy in the way a good spymaster should have been, was rolling up her notes. She had spent most of the meeting arguing with their commander – something he was glad for. He hated the fucker and his attempts to oust him hadn't worked. “Your control of the anchor only grows worse with exhaustion.”

It was a blunt statement he couldn't deny. Kaaras' shoulders sagged as he managed a brief nod. Sure, he would try – but there was no guarantee it would work. Even if he did, sleep was no better. Lately all he got in his fitful rests were endless nightmares of glowing green apparitions that chased him in the darkness. They were growing closer by the night, as if they were closing in on him. What would happen when they caught him, he didn't want to know. Maybe he would just die in his sleep.

It was bad, but that almost felt comforting to think it could end. Talk about a light at the end of the tunnel.

Outside it was cold and snow had freshly fallen on the ground in patches. The rest was all gray sludge or mud, trampled by countless feet that swarmed Haven like a hive. Kaaras walked a familiar path, head down. Right then, he probably couldn't have handled a conversation.

His stomach ached dully – a reminder he hadn't eaten. It matched tempo with his pounding head and aching body. He felt like one big bruise in various stages of healing, and if someone were to press down he would feel it even worse. Plenty of people needed – even wanted- to do so those days. It was like they didn't even care about him.

Of course they didn't – all they wanted was his fucking hand.

Kaaras had a small room to himself off to the side. The key clicked in the lock when he threaded it through, and he sighed as he fell onto his bed. All he had left was the energy to take off his boots and jacket – forget his binder. He had lost track of how long he had been wearing it. Who cared about his ribs right then anyway? Certainly not him as he curled up to fit onto the bed, too tired to arrange his blanket on the floor to seek out a bit more comfort.

At first, he would cry himself to sleep. Lately, he was out of tears to do that. So he just  lay there, feeling his body pulse and throb. In the morning they would probably send him to some ass end of Ferelden again. Then, who knows. They were talking about heading out to fucking Orlais – Orlais of all places! - next. Just thinking of it made him want to cry, but instead he closed his eyes and prayed to the Creators for sleep.

They didn't answer. He was beginning to think they had forgotten him too.

Kaaras wasn't sure how long he lay there, feeling his body ache. Maybe it was hours. Whatever it was, he was suddenly roused to wakefulness by the sound of commotion coming from outside. Guards were shouting, and they sounded pissed.

“Stop right there! Identify yourself!”

“Get fucked, Templar, you're lucky I didn't fry you. Now tell me where the fuck he is.”

There was the sound of metal hitting a wall at a fast pace. It was close. Someone let out a strangled gasp as the deep-voiced man held them probably against a wall. Pure fury dripped from every word they spoke.

They... they were Dalish.

Kaaras sat up, eyes wide as he stared at the door. Logic had abandoned him in the fleeting hope of a rescue. He would have thought he was dreaming, but his hand decided to pulse. It was a painful reminder that all of this was real, strange as it was.

“O-over there.”

The metal hit the ground. Silence echoed across Haven as footprints approached his door. It was locked, but that didn't matter. A familiar sound of scraping metal tools against the lock was his world right then. Just a little more to the left and it would open.

The lock clicked softly and the door swung open. Standing on the other side, armed to the teeth, was a qunari. He barely fit into the door as he strode through, broad shoulders cloaked in dark leather of Dalish make. His face was unmarked, but his jewelry and bearing could have only marked him as one of the People – a very tall member. He had to be 6'8, maybe even close to 7 feet tall. His purple eyes focused on him, and then they widened.

“Shit, Kaas.”

Akri had grown since Kaaras had last seen him. And... apparently gone to the wild side if his spiky hair and facial piercings had anything to go by. His body language was rage and annoyance, so different from the young man he had left behind. What had happened to him since they had last met?

“What the fuck did they do to you?”

A female voice sounded from his shoulders. Kaaras' eyes traveled up – someone was sitting on his brother's shoulder. She too was Dalish, with red hair and tattoos to Mythal inked into her skin. He knew that slight frame and bright green eyes anywhere, though. Those hadn't changed much over the years, even if she was apparently now an adult.

Jackel was soon at his side, Akri not far behind. They were soon squeezing him hard, almost enough to compress his aching ribs to the point of breaking. It didn't matter though – tears were soon trickling down Kaaras' face as he hugged both of them for dear life. They were real, and they had come for him after all.

“It's gonna be ok, Kaas. We'll get you out of here.” Akri's deep voice rumbled as he squeezed tighter. “No fucking shems are going to hold you if we have something to say about it.”

Jackel had settled onto his shoulders, still weighing about as much as two grapes. “Who's in charge here anyway and where do they sleep? We need to have a talk.”

At this, Kaaras let out a bitter laugh and felt his shoulders sag, taking his cousin with him. Here was the cruelest fact of all, the one he had been trying to avoid since it had begun. Speaking it would only make him feel worse, but they needed to know.

“Technically I think it might be me.”

He held out his hand, glowing palm on full display. “I'm in really deep, you two.”

Just then in pulsed and sent out fire. Akri's eyes were as large as dinner plates as he watched. No doubt he was running through every spell he knew and then some. Maybe the Dalish had something, because the humans didn't. They had run every test on him and found nothing. It closed rifts and hurt – that was their conclusion.

“I'm going to murder someone.” Jackel's voice was a solemn vow as she looked over at Akri. “Write Mamae. Maybe she'll know.”

“Already working on how to describe it.” He frowned, piercings moving with him. “But before that, we gotta get Kaas back to eating and sleeping. You look like shit, bro.”

Always the blunt one, and yet Kaaras found himself chuckling. It turned into a full laugh that scraped his insides of a lot of the bullshit that had been building up over the last few months. Where there had only been despair, now there was the slightest bit of hope.

They cared about him. Someone fucking cared.

Jackel patted him on the head, right above his horn. “Nobody's gonna fuck with you tonight, Kaas. We'll make sure of that.”

Oh, and Kaaras was surer than anything of that. For the first time since he had woken up in the dark, he wasn't afraid. Well, that wasn't accurate – he was still scared shitless, but it was easier to handle it with family by his side. They had his back, even in the midst of utter bullshit. Maybe that was why his eyes started to flutter and ache for closing. At last, his body was shutting down.

“I got you, Kaas. Don't worry about it.”

That was the last thing Kaaras heard before he gave himself over to strong arms and the lure of sleep. Even in the mist of cold Haven, he was warm. That alone put a smile on his face as he fell into a thankfully dreamless slumber. Maybe they would keep the demons at bay for him. If they did, he might sleep after all.

---

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Leliana's mouth was in a thin line, and Cassandra looked ready to throw something. Next to them, Josephine looked perfectly calm as she peered into the room that their Herald normally occupied on his own. Apparently, he had guests.

They were all on the floor on a makeshift pile of blankets. Kaaras was in the center, face peaceful as he was lost in a dream. Haven's two intruders flanked him on either side, the smaller elf all but throwing herself over him like a makeshift blanket. The other qunari was close by, one arm wrapped around the Herald. Neither looked like they were about to be moved.

“The bigger one is a mage. He blasted through the defenses the little one couldn't pick.” Leliana was still doing recon. “They're both Dalish.”

Cassandra's tone was flat. “I can see that.”

“Perhaps they are his family? Kaaras had mentioned he was Dalish.” Apparently, Josephine was the only one to remember things. “They do resemble each other... maybe he asked them to join them in Haven?”

If they were able to slip past defenses, perhaps they would be useful additions to the Inquisition. They could always use more mages, and Leliana had been complaining she needed better agents. There were plenty of places for them to support the Herald should they choose to stay.

And judging from the grip, they were.

Their voices roused the smaller one. One large green eye fluttered open and locked into a death glare. She had a knife in her hand, from where Josephine had no idea. She took a step back as Cassandra stiffened and Leliana reached for her bow. This was... not ideal close quarters.

“You're all fucked when Kaas wakes up.” Her voice was thick with sleep as she cuddled closer to Kaaras. “Now fuck off he hasn't slept in days because of you people.”

“Fuck off, shems.” the qunari echoed, not even opening his eyes. The air still tingled with electricity, however – he might not have been looking, but he was aiming just fine. Josephine certainly got the message, and luckily so did her companions. They shut the door behind them and backed away.

Later, when the Herald was awake, this would need to be discussed. However, if they managed to get him to sleep she couldn't see harm in letting them stay. Really, that was the first time she had seen the qunari look so peaceful. And realizing that was... unpleasant.

Even more unpleasant? Dealing with the Inquisition's forces later. After all, they had been blitzed by two lone agents. That was just embarrassing, but it technically wasn't her department. That one was on Cullen.

Maybe Kaaras had been onto something about his removal...

[ramblinganthropologist]

Trapped in a bank during a robbery: Bad News Trio

In which Kaas and Jackel take nothing seriously and Akri has a brief stint as straght man.

---

Really. How the entire fuck did theyget into these situations?

“I said get down!”

Akri felt a vein in his foreheadthrobbed as he stayed as low as he could behind a desk. Being nearly7 feet tall, that wasn't easy. Luckily, he had plenty of experiencehiding from people – what some people his size couldn't do, he didjust fine. It just involved not breathing too deeply and prayingnobody looked too far to the left.

Thanks to his position, he got agreat view of the goings on. It was almost a cliche scene – a localbank, people cowering behind desks or on the ground. There were somearmed gunmen, one of them barking orders, as another wired somethingto the safe in the back. He wasn't an explosive expert, but he knewshit that blew up when he saw it.

It wasn't supposed to go down likethis. When Josephine had asked for the favor, they had been happy todo it to get away from Skyhold. It had been such a lovely afternoontoo – right until the guns started appearing. He didn't like guns.Now there he was, stuck in a bank that was in the midst of beingrobbed. It was so ridiculous he didn't want to believe it, but thedesk digging into his side provided plenty of proof.

“They're doing it all wrong.”

At first, Akri thought he was hearingthings. However, he realized with mild shock that the man crouchednext to him was indeed talking. Not more than a few feet away hid hisolder brother. Kaaras, from the sound of things, was not amused.

Unlike Akri, he was an explosivesexpert. And normally he was fucking sane.

“Forget that, what kind of bankdoesn't have a trip wire? I looked all over the damn place. What isthis, amateur hour?”

Truly, the world had gone mad.Practically under him was another member of the peanut gallery,adding her two coppers to the mix. Jackel was far smaller than eitherof them, just under five feet tall and wiry as hell. It made her goodfor sneaking around, perhaps in a bank as she looked for nonexistenttrip wires.

Of course she had looked for them –no wonder she had wandered off.

Akri felt the vein twitch as hestared over at the pair in almost absurd fascination. “Are you bothfucking serious?”

He barely spoke above a whisper, butlaid his scorn on thick. Kaaras and Jackel responded with a matchedpair of blank looks in green and purple. Of course they were serious,is what their eyes were telling him. Why wouldn't they be?

…

Was this how Kaaras felt all thetime? No wonder the man stress ate.

“They didn't bring nearly enough toblow the door off. At best somebody's going to lose a finger and somehearing.” Kaaras let out a low scoff. “Amateur hour.”

Jackel nodded her head as shecontinued to watch the operations. “I could take that guy with onehand behind my back. But seriously, there are no traps in this place.What do they think is gonna stop people from robbing the place?”

The police? Akri didn't even dignifythat with a response as he descended further into what could only bestraight man hell. It wasn't a place he went often – given hewasn't straight to begin with – but it was where he found himself.If they got out of this alive, he would see to it that he never wentback there again. After all, it was Kaaras' job.

“Damn it, have you got that thingwired or not?”

Guy with the gun was starting to getimpatient – a class sign of an amateur rush job. He was twitchinglike he had ants in his pants. One good blow would probably take himout, and a barrier could hold off the worst. Easy-

Akri shook his head. Now he was justbeing ridiculous.

Next to him, Kaaras rolled his eyes.“No he doesn't, he's got the wires in the wrong way. Who taughtthis idiot demolition?”

“I'm going to bet the internet.”Jackel was watching too. “Is he even holding that the right way?”

“Gods no, he's lucky he hasn't losta finger yet. I'm taking bets on the ring finger if he's lucky.”

The peanut gallery was clearlyenjoying themselves, no matter how many looks he shot them. Akrifinally settled on heaving a sigh and hoping that someone would comesoon. He wasn't worried about himself, more what his family might doto the would-be robbers if they got bored and decided to leave. Or,even worse, show them how it was done.

He loved his brother, but when itcame to demolition he was a mad scientist.

Off in the distance, a low boomsignified that the explosives had gone off. It shook some things offthe walls, but there was no earth-shattering crack that indicatedthey had blasted the door off its hinges. Instead, when the smokecleared it was just mildly dented – something you could buff rightout once everything was done. The man with the gun looked ready toscream as he stormed over to his accomplice, hauling him to his feet.

“What the fuck? Why didn't itwork?”

“I...I don't know! I followed theinstructions!”

Next to Akri, Kaaras shook his head.“Like I said... amateur hour.”

That bit of motion, a flash of brightred hair perhaps, was what screwed them over. Their gunman stompedacross the lobby at high paced speeds, soon coming to rest in frontof their hiding place. He was suddenly glaring over, gun pointed.Great.

“What the fuck did you say?”

Now, normally this was the part whereKaaras would fall apart. After all, he wasn't great at being yelledat, especially by strangers. However, a special interest was aspecial interest. Instead of crumbling, he pulled up. Akri would'vebeen impressed if not for the complete bullshit of their situation.

“I said amateur hour. What, did youget that off YouTube?”

Akri groaned and slapped hisforehead. “Oh for fucks sake...”

His annoyance had finally bubbleover, coupled with a gun in his immediate facility. No more misterstraight man. From deep down, his power bubbled up and lashed out ina brief barrier. It wasn't to hurt, but it threw the man back a fewfeet. The gun skittered out of his hand, under a desk where it wouldhave been hard to reach for anyone but Jackel.

Jackel of course wasn't anywhere nearit – she was getting the drop on the other guy.

Kaaras nodded at his work, clearlypleased. “Your barriers are getting better.”

“You almost got your dumb ass shot.Aren't you supposed to be the mature one?”

The smaller qunari shrugged hisshoulders as he watched the man struggle to his feet. “What can Isay, they don't exactly inspire fear. Want me to handle that one ordo you want to do it?”

Akri sighed and shook his head. “Igot this. You just finish critiquing I guess.”

Across the hall, Jackel signaled theother man was out – alive, thankfully. That just left erecting abarrier and waiting for whatever law enforcement showed up. Thetension had finally passed, but his headache hadn't. That one wasgoing strong as the vein in his forehead throbbed away. As he held,one thought passed through his mind: it was supposed to be a simpleerrand.

How the fuck did he get himself intothese things?

[ramblinganthropologist]

Inktober Day 11 - Cruel

Summary: The residents of Skyhold are awoken one night by the sounds of alarm. What’s going on? Are they under attack? That’s what Ian Trevelyan and his cousin are soon to find out as they enter into Skyhold’s dark night. 

---

Midnight. It was time.

Kaaras took a deep breath as he stood at the top of Skyhold's tallest towers. From there, he could see the dim lights of the courtyard below. Right now it was empty except for a few guards that milled around. It was a quiet night, with the only noise coming from the Herald's Rest. Apart from that, most people were either fast asleep or settling in for some rest. There was nothing remarkable about the night as it laid thick around them.

At least not yet.

He looked towards the guard standing by him, waiting. “You can start now. Thanks for your help.”

“At once, Inquisitor.” Was there a gleam in their eye? Maybe he was about to be party to some payback. But Kaaras didn't mind as he shifted his position, scanning the horizon. In a few seconds, it was going to get interesting.

He could only begin to imagine how well Skyhold's first drill would go. Hopefully, well enough he wouldn't be murdered in the morning.

---

It was the loud, pounding noise of an alarm that rocketed Ian from his sleep that night. He wasn't due to wake up until an hour after sunrise to start his work in the library, but the piercing screech almost shook him out of his bed. He peered around, half blind in the darkness, and grabbed for the staff he kept by his pillow. An alarm couldn't mean anything good.

He only had time to pull his boots on, leaving him shirtless in the chill of night. Outside his room, the other mages of the tower were making their way to the exit in a similar state of dress. Ian didn't follow them. Instead, he went up the stairs two at a time to a room that had its door closed. Luckily, it wasn't locked.

“Aery, I'm coming in.”

Inside, the bed's occupant was sitting up and staring into the darkness. Trevy yawned as he entered, still  half tangled in her blanket. She was barefoot and barely moving. It would take her at least five more minutes to wake up fully. Whether that was because of the brand burned into her forehead or just her nature, Ian wasn't sure. But she wouldn't be good to anyone like this.

“Ian? What's-” another yawn. “It's loud.”

He found her boots next to her bed. “Not sure. Come on, get into your shoes and cloak. We need to get out of here.”

“Ok.” Normally she would've asked if it was an attack. But she was just too tired and was easily moved into a more decent state of dress. At least Trevy managed to grab her own staff, though she probably wouldn't be able to do much with it. Ian took her free hand, and together the two of them brought up the rear of the mages leaving the tower. Out into the cold night they went, unsure of what was going on.

It didn't sound like an attack, but that didn't mean much of anything.

Ian guided his cousin not towards the tight group of mages, but to a lone figure off to the side that waved him over. Standing by the high wall that enclosed Skyhold's courtyard was Akri, arms crossed over his bare chest. Apart from his  short staff and a pair of small clothes, he was basically naked. It made the human shiver, but that also may have been because he wasn't wearing a shirt either.

“Either of you know what the fuck is going on?”

Akri sounded as tired as he felt. Ian shrugged his shoulders as he looked around. “Hell if I know. What do your elf eyes see?”

His companion snorted as he glanced around in the darkness. “Real cute, Trevelyan. Mostly I see a bunch of idiots standing around without much clothes on. Jackel should be back soon to let me know if she found out anything.”

Ian frowned as he tried to pick anything out. The sky wasn't on fire or spitting out demons, so that was a good sign. The guards didn't look too worried either, so that was another. He didn't hear people dying – a third sign that pointed to an all clear- but that didn't solve his question. Why the hell were they all standing around?

“Have either of you seen Kaaras?”

A new voice drew both men's attention. Dorian had found them, looking rumpled and like he would prefer to be asleep. They all were, but he was particularly unsuited to the cold. He was shivering a little,  but he looked to be ok. Seeing him, though, made Ian glad he was a Marcher. He could at least take it a little better.

Akri was the one to answer, still peering around. “Nope, haven't seen him. Would've thought he was with you, pretty boy.”

“He had his own work to handle tonight.” The other mage shot him a look. “We don't spend every night together, you know.”

“Sure feels like it.”

Ian felt a tension headache coming on, so he stuck his staff between the two of them in the hopes to clear the air. The way they were going, they might start a fight. He was definitely not in the mood to settle that, especially when he was barely dressed. That was just asking for trouble.

“Come on, you two. Save it for the morning.”

They both glared, but backed off. Ian breathed a sigh of relief as he settled in. Next to him, Trevy seemed to be a little more awake. She let go of his hand to pull her cloak a little tighter. Maybe the cold had sharpened her senses.

“Anyone want to tell me why we're all standing around in our pajamas?”

Yep, she was awake. Thank the Maker.

Even better, Akri's shoulders bounced a little as Jackel settled in. The elf looked fit to be tied, and she was glaring towards the tower she had no doubt come from. When she looked like that, people definitely tended to wind up dead. Hopefully, it wasn't anyone they knew.

“Find anything out?”

Jackel swore in elvhen, so Ian couldn't make heads or tails of it besides the name of the goddess who marked her face. “Yeah. Kaas set this bullshit up.”

What bullshit it was she left unsaid. Luckily, she didn't need to say it – the crowd was turning to shift towards the stairs. Ian squinted to make it out, an realized that Kaaras was indeed standing there. He was still fully dressed too, the bastard.

The Inquisitor cleared his throat as he faced the unruly mob. “Right, well... sorry for waking you, but thank you all for participating in Skyhold's first evacuation drill. From what I've heard so far, nobody died getting out. I'd call that a success.”

He didn't laugh. Nobody did. It was a miracle nobody aimed an arrow at him – Sera looked to be ready to do so from where she stood. Luckily, she had forgotten her arrows. Maybe Kaaras had been counting on that.

The qunari rubbed the back of his neck with his anchor hand. “I'll... keep this short so you can go back to bed. This is just to get you ready in case anything shows up in the middle of the night. If you know what to do half asleep, you'll be ready for anything.”

He clapped his hands together. “Right... well, I'm going to run before you all try to kill me. Goodnight, everyone.”

That was a smart move, judging from the mood in the crowd. Still, his words echoed as Ian stood there in the chill. He had goosebumps, but it wasn't from the cold. Instead, he was thinking back to a dark night that he would rather much forget.

Of course this was about Haven. Why else?

“You know he could've done this after dinner or something and gotten the same result. We were attacked then.” Akri had all the tact of a lump of wood as he started trudging back to wherever he had been sleeping. “I'm going back to bed. We can make plans for murdering my brother in the morning.”

“I already have three plans.”

“Excellent. I want in, Jack.”

The crowd started to disperse after that. Ian eventually headed back too, Trevy following behind him. Neither of them had really said anything. However, they shared a look as they grabbed each other's hand.

At least there was no attack tonight. It was just a drill. Just... a drill. But with any luck, the residents of Skyhold wouldn't need what they had learned on a dark night like this so long ago. It would just be an annoyance and something to grumble about in the morning.

Ian could at least hope for that. The last thing they needed was another Haven. Skyhold had been hard enough to find.

[ramblinganthropologist]

★ ★ for your spiciest character (lol)

When I asked my friend who my spiciest character was, I got Avery Hawke or Akri Adaar. Since I can’t decide you get both!

Avery Hawke (Who is apparently a dorito)

After becoming a reaver, she’s had pretty bad insomnia. The only conclusion they can come to is that the dragon blood is active and won’t let her quiet down. The only way she gets much sleep is with a potion Anders makes, but she won’t take it a lot in the fear of becoming dependent on it. So, she’s had to learn to function on not a lot of sleep. It’s... not great. She definitely has days she crashes hard and sleeps 16 hours. 

Avery tracked down Malcolm’s family in the Denerim alienage. At first they didn’t believe she was related to them, but she has her father’s eyes and razor sharp tongue. She helps them out once the Act 1 exploration is a success. In all I think she has a paternal grandmother, two aunts, an uncle, and like 5 cousins split among her relatives. Her aunts and uncles are now trying their damndest to make sure their young children don’t grow up to be as impulsive as she is. 

Akri Adaar (who is a kinky motherfucker)

Everything he does is in reaction to being demoted from First (in training? Cause his uncle is first) due to his poor health making him unpredictable. He never wants to be betrayed like that again, even if he logically understands the reasoning. This is why he was so easily convinced to go looking for Kaas - he couldn’t stand remaining with the clan and looking at his replacement (who he knows he could take and destroy). 

Akri is Clan Lavellan’s first Arcane Warrior in about five generations. What’s more impressive is he’s basically self taught and learned the rest from guesswork and trying things out. He’s probably far from the ancient warriors he descends from, but he’s a hell of a lot closer than those damn Knight Enchanters. Plus, he can make any hilt into his blade if he so chooses by focusing. Pokey (his 20th birthday present, an ironbark sword hilt made by his mother for him) is just his favorite and the easiest to control.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Yep, that’s it. Kaaras Adaar is bucking all three choices and submitting his cousin, Jackal Lavellan, for divine.

Neither of them are Andrastian. He just doesn’t want to be involved with selecting the pope when it’s not his religion and he doesn’t even like the Chantry.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Inkjournal Day 3 - Have a Drink

Summary: When the going gets tough, the tough use virulent walking bomb. Only... we’re pretty sure he’s not supposed to be able to do that. WTF? Word count: 1581

---

The funny thing about being between a rock and a hard place is that you rarely notice you're there until your back is getting stabbed by a boulder.

Kaaras' shoulder was broken badly, and he grit his teeth against the pain as he ducked behind a rock. In front of him, the Iron Bull lay prone, unmoving. He had been that way for a few minutes now, and his posture matched Dorian's. Both of them had been knocked out by the force in front of them.

Whoever had forgotten to warn them about the giant in the Emerald Graves was going to catch hell from him later if they got out of it alive.

“Never thought we'd wind up dying in the graves of our ancestors. There's gotta be irony there.”

Akri was nearby, grinning despite the broken ribs that were making blood trickle down his mouth. He was holding his stomach with one hand and clutched his short staff in the other. Both were trembling, and it was doubtful he had more than two good spells left in him.

Kaaras managed a grim smile as he nodded. “Too bad Jackel's not here to point it out, huh?”

She was back at the base camp, sleeping off a broken leg from having fallen into a badger warren. Though she had considered it a bit of bad luck, both brothers realized now that perhaps she was in the best position of any of them.

Maybe if they survived, they could tell her that themselves.

“Man, I regret never learning some healing magic.” Akri winced as he prodded his side. “That's at least two broken ribs.”

It got worse, as Kaaras looked to their scant supply of healing potions. All that remained were empty bottles and a faint stain where one had leaked out earlier. Maybe that could have been their salvation as they looked towards the giant.

“How many lyrium potions do we have left?”

There was relief there. Tucked away, two last potions glowed bright blue in the darkness of his bag. Two last shots for a mage to try and take the giant down. While it wasn't enough to heal them, it might just work.

Kaaras dug one out, wincing as his shoulder throbbed in agony. Carefully, he handed it over to his younger brother, ducking as a spray of dirt from the side reminded them the giant was still there and very much alive and angry. Primal magic, Akri's specialty, might just get it done.

However, Akri didn't drink from the bottle. Instead, he grimaced and nudged it back into his older brother's waiting hand. When he was met with a confused glance, the young man grinned as best as he could.

“Have a drink, bro. My shit's too wrecked to be a big damn hero.”

And then he coughed, blood spurting down his front as emphasis. From the look on Akri's face, he didn't have much time before he was out like Bull and Dorian. It was left now to Kaaras as he stared down at the glowing blue bottle.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and turned back to his younger brother. “Get as much cover as you can. I think this is going to be messy.”

And without another word, he uncapped the bottle and drained it in one gulp. Every sense was on fire, and the urge to throw it all back up was so strong that Kaaras almost doubled over. However, the lyrium did its job as he felt the energy welling up from within his usual meager reserves.

Not many people knew the Inquisitor was a mage. That was the way he liked it.

Another deep breath, and Kaaras grabbed his brother's short staff. It hummed under his hands as he ran for cover yards away. All the while, the giant nearby thrashed with its large arms. From where he was standing, he could see some blood. It was hurt.

Good.

“Creators, let this work.” Another silent prayer, and then the staff began to glow. Gritting his teeth, he broke into the best run he could with a broken shoulder. With his speed and where he was headed, there was only a small margin of error.

Up above, his target roared so loud that the ground shook. It swung its massive improvised club, a tree it had ripped out of the ground, but it missed. Kaaras let out his own cry as he swung the staff as hard as he could, feeling it through his entire body as the ironbark head made contact with the giant's ankle.

Bones cracked, but that wasn't the point. He let go of the spell he had been charging, feeling the energy leave him in a great wave. It was so strong that he was thrown back, landing hard against a tree with a dull thud. However, he managed a pained grin as he looked over.

The giant was roaring, and not because of a broken ankle. By now, it was feeling the energy burning it from the inside, turning it into one giant bomb ready to go off. It just needed the finishing touch, and then it would all be over.

For one last time, Kaaras raised the borrowed staff. Weak energy made it turn white once again. With all the will left in him, he let it go. A purple bolt of energy struck his target somewhere in the knee, setting off the reaction from his previous spell.

“Now stay down.”

---

“I'm going out there!”

“Lady Lavellan, you have to stay here!”

Jackel grimaced as she pushed past an Inquisition agent. Her still tender leg protested every movement, but she was already armored up. When everything was over, she was going to give Kaaras and Akri one hell of a piece of her mind for leaving her behind.

“Those idiots are going to die without me! We can fix my leg later!”

“The Inquisitor told us to keep you-”

Words were drowned out by a massive explosion somewhere to the west of the camp. It shook the trees around them, sending loose branches toppling to the ground. Jackel hit the ground as well, her shaky balance overpowered by the unsteady soil she stood on.

Scouts around her geared up to check it out, some of them with bottles of healing potions should the blast have caught the forward party in it. However, she just sat there, staring at where the burst of bright light had just started to fade.

“Fuck... what happened out there if he did it?”

Grimacing, she stood to make it out of camp. This was going to take a lot explaining, and if her fears were correct, she would need to be the one to do it. The piece of her mind got upgraded to a full blown ass kicking as she limped down the path. Though, when she was going to be able to kick was another story altogether.

---

It was hours later that they were all reunited. Kaaras' shoulder had been set and healed, while his concussion and sore back had been seen to. Out of the four, he was the least injured, and so he sat by the fire waiting to hear the good news that the healer had finished with his friends.

A fist came from the darkness and pounded him straight in his recently healed arm. Wincing, Kaaras held up his good hand to avoid anymore blows. By chance, he caught Jackel's small fist in his palm just as it was about to slam again.

“What the fuck, Kaas?!”

She plopped down next to him, fit to be tied. Her leg was bandaged, with strict orders not to run out of camp again if she wanted to keep it. Honestly, he doubted she would listen to healer's orders for more than a day. After that, all bets were off.

Jackel wasn't finished in her tirade, of course. “I wake up, you're gone, and then the whole fucking forest explodes? Somebody could've seen you!”

“Dorian and Bull were knocked out. The only one there awake was Akri, and he's not exactly telling anyone.” Kaaras winced as he rubbed his arm. “If I hadn't done it, we would've died.”

He knew that well enough without a healer. His team had been in such a bad state that he could've sworn he'd heard Falon'Din swooping in. Now he was at bay for the moment, and they could all catch their breath.

It appeased his cousin somewhat, but she still pouted. “Next time don't go fighting a giant without me, ok?”

A tired smile stretched across Kaaras' face as he patted her on the head. “Sure, I'll drag you along next time. Maybe you can shake your broken limbs at it.”

And then he was dodging again, but nothing was serious. A levity had returned for the moment, where before there had only been the heavy feeling he always got after consuming lyrium. No doubt he would be sick as a dog in the morning, but for now he could handle it.

Though, she was right. He was lucky no one had seen or thought to ask questions. In the future, he would need to be even more careful. But that was for another time. Right then, his biggest problem was not getting beat up by his cousin.

That would've been insult to injury.

[ramblinganthropologist]

31 Days of Fanfic, Day 11

Topic: Smut Characters: Akri, Jackel, and Kaaras/Dorian Summary: Where the fuck is Kaaras? Ah, don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll come soon. Warning: Slight NSFW at one point. Word count: 1244

---

You think it would be easy to spot a redheaded qunari in Skyhold, but you'd be wrong.

“Mythal's tits, where the hell did he get to?”

“We've checked everywhere – quarters, library, training field. He's not out on a mission either.”

To put it bluntly, Jackel and Akri were beside themselves as they scanned the courtyard for the third time since they had started their search over an hour ago. No matter where they looked, there wasn't hide nor hair to indicate that Kaaras had been there. It was as if he had vanished.

Normally, they wouldn't have minded much. He was an adult and free to go wherever he wanted when nobody was bothering him. However, a letter from their clan had come in, and it would have been wrong to leave him out of his parents' well wishes.

Problem was, finding him had proven to be quite a feat.

“Are you sure we didn't miss him going out?” Akri frowned as he sat down on the stairs, taking his cousin down with him. In some aspects, it reminded him of when they were kids and his older brother had run off into the woods to be on his own. Only problem was, they were kind of on a mountain, and it was a long way down.

Jackel shook her head as she looked towards the gates. “No, definitely not. We would've heard something. Besides, he normally takes at least one of us with him or tells us where he's going.”

Kaaras hadn't mentioned a mission, and even the last minute emergencies had at least a flurry of activity or shouting for the Inquisitor that told them he would be leaving soon with some frantic scout pouting at a rift or a dragon. Those two were in short supply at the moment, and the panic level on most of their scouts was pretty decent thanks to a change in rotation. So, anything that would have pulled him away wasn't present.

Where the hell was he?

“Maybe we should check the library one more time. We could've missed him moving around.” Akri groaned as he stood, holding onto his lower back. “Going to need to ice that later.”

Up above, his cousin snickered. “That's what you get for having Bull against the wall when it isn't your turn.”

“We can discuss the bad energy that comes from fucking our mutual lover out of schedule when we find Kaaras. Creators knows he'll be game for kink shaming.” Akri kept his head high in the air as they continued their journey, just barely missing the top of the door as they entered Skyhold's main building once more. Most of the nobles gave them a wide pass, which neither of them minded. Most of them smelled too strongly of perfume anyway.

The library, when they got to it, was as quiet as ever though. Even worse, there was no sign of the qunari as they looked around, trying to spot the familiar bun of red hair or curved horns. However, there was someone else there, standing a half head above the regular crowd, that was a sight for sore eyes.

Jackel waved as they approached Trevy, the mage currently sorting through books. “Trev, have you seen Kaas?”

It took her a few seconds to process people were talking to her, but she booted back up. “Is he missing?”

She had the grace – or perhaps the understanding by now – not to sound too surprised that they couldn't find him. Most people would've led into a height joke, even though he wasn't all that tall compared to others. Maybe it was because she had stood next to Akri and Iron Bull to get a proper gauge of qunari heights, or just her own sense of propriety. Either way, it was appreciated at the moment.

“Well, probably not, but we can't seem to find him.” Jackel looked around some more, frowning. “Has he been here?”

Much to her relief, the mage nodded. “Yeah, about a half hour or so ago he came in looking for Dorian. I think he sent Kaaras a note about wanting to show him something. Last I heard, I think they were going to his quarters?”

So, it really had been a double reach around. At least they had a real lead on him now. Akri and Jackel were happy to leave the library after a quick thank you to the mage for her tip. Crossing back into the Great Hall was easier now, especially since the entrance to the Inquisitor's private part of Skyhold was right nearby.

It was the one with the horn gauges in the door beam. Sometimes, missteps happened.

“I wonder what ol' staff nerd wanted to show Kaas, though.” Akri kept one of his hands in his jacket as he rounded the stairs up. “Not like he does time magic.”

“Eh, sounds like he pulled him away for a nap or s-” the words died in Jackel's throat as her head cleared the landing. “Oh my gods.”

The sentiment was shared between them when they both were on equal footing. Somehow, they had missed the noises, moans really, but not the clothes scattered about on the floor as if they had been torn away.

Actually, torn away might have been an apt description, given what was going on.

“Fen'hendis, don't stop...”

Kaaras wasn't one for swearing, but given that Dorian's head was between his legs it might have been appropriate. One of his hands was wrapped around the bedpost, the other buried in the mage's normally perfect hair. His apparently now lover didn't answer – probably couldn't answer given what his tongue was up to – but he did manage to make the qunari squeak with whatever he was doing.

One thing was clear – neither was aware they had an audience. Maybe if they had been, they would've made a grab for clothes, or Dorian would've taken his hands away from their cousin's privates. Instead, they were still going at it.

Akri had the decency to clear his throat. “Well... good to see you're branching out in technique, Dorian.”

Without another word, he descended the stairs as up above, the couple scrambled to find their clothes to put on. Neither he nor Jackel said a word until they had reached the Grand Hall and sunk into a nearby bench, and even then a long moment passed between them.

It was the elf who eventually spoke first as she climbed down to make a grab for some sweet on the table in front of them that a noble had left behind. “Our little Kaas is growing up.”

“Growing up and getting eaten out, apparently.” A pained expression passed over Akri's face as he closed his eyes. “Gods, I never want to see my brother's tits again as long as I live.”

Next to him, Jackel snickered as she peeled apart the wrapping of the treat. “Put me down for that in regards to Dorian's cock and we have a deal.”

Oh, they were going to have material for days when Dorian and Kaaras eventually joined them down in the Grand Hall. But until then, they were content to stew in the fact that at least they knew the men of Tevinter were circumcised.

Neither really needed to know that, but it was a fun fact to pull out nonetheless.

[ramblinganthropologist]

31 Days of Fanfic - Day 28

Topic: A character doing your real job Author’s note: I’m unemployed, so I stole @reallyfuckinggay‘s tutor job. Thanks for letting me steal it~ Summary: I don’t think Dorian actually needs computer help at all. Who’s bright idea was this? Word count: 1015

---

“Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think I had the wrong day.”

If not for the fact the show had been off for years, Kaaras would have been sure he was being punk'd.

Normally, when he went in for his tutoring job, the young man saw some of the same faces. Students who needed a little extra help, those he enjoyed. Ones that wanted him to do their work for him were politely but firmly instructed to do it themselves. Sometimes, even his brother would step in to bother him.

None of them were the well dressed, mustachioed man who was sitting in front of him, laptop opened up and ready to go.

“I heard you're the best when it comes to comp sci.” Dorian was all smiles as he slid a little closer, until their shoulders were nearly touching. Kaaras could practically feel his heart straining against the fabric of his cardigan, as if the buttons were the only thing keeping it from bursting out. “If anyone can help me, it's you.”

The laptop was open to a half filled Microsoft Word essay on the dangers of mixing time and space magic. All of it went over his horned head and was way out of his field of expertise. He was beginning to get a sinking feeling, and it wasn't from missing lunch.

“I wasn't aware you were taking comp sci.”

Maybe the diplomatic approach would work. Kaaras sat back and adjusted his glasses, waiting for the response. It gave him the chance to check, and as far as he saw, nothing on Dorian's home screen would have helped him. He was more likely to get something out of the carefully hidden Minecraft than anything else.

Good to know even the mighty son of magisters like to build bricks.

Dorian chuckled, nudging a little closer. “It's nothing too serious, just an entry level course to fill a requirement. I thought I'd be able to get past it, but as you see I'm here.”

Uh-huh. As far as Kaaras knew, there was no comp sci requirement for any magic related degree. After all, sparks and electronics went over like a lead balloon. It was why there was so many anti-magic glyphs in the computer labs, and why his own laptop was covered in them at home.

One could never be too careful from a sudden surge.

Still, he could at least help with that end. “Look, let me get you a glyph sticker. If you're doing any kind of coding, it might save your computer.”

“Really? What, is a virus going to come in and kill it?” There was a playful tone to the mage's voice as he no doubt watched while Kaaras went to retrieve a sticker from the stack. They hummed a little at his touch, but produced no reaction as he carried one back.

He had practiced with them.

The best feeling was peeling the sticker of the backing as he prodded it into place in the corner. “No, but my brother's a mage and I've seen what he can do when he's frustrated.”

Campus security officer Cullen's computer was still fried after Akri had gotten to it. Of course, that was better for the school as a whole, so nobody was quite rushing out to fix it. He certainly wasn't going to waste sweat on it.

Dorian swallowed ever so slightly. “Do you have any more of those? Just in case.”

At that, Kaaras let out a laugh as he went to get more. “Careful, I might have to charge  you if you need a lot.”

Much to his surprise, Dorian's palm rested on his when he went to slide the small stack over. The air tingled, but it wasn't magic that did it. No, that wouldn't have caused his heart to beat even faster, or for the blood to rush to his freckled face in a mass exodus.

“Would a cup of coffee or two cover it? Say tomorrow around noon?”

Despite being sure it had been there a second ago, Kaaras found that he couldn't locate his tongue. Mutely, he nodded instead, much to the apparent joy of the mage standing in front of him. He finally let his hand go, glyphs at his side.

“Wonderful. Now, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a theory class to sit through. See you tomorrow, then at Herald's Rest?”

Another nod, and Dorian was gone as soon as he had arrived. If not for the tingling feeling in his palms and the heart racing out of his chest, Kaaras would have thought it was all some strange dream. Yet there were less stickers, and he heard the door shut.

Also, he was pretty sure he might have had a date?

---

“Two sovereigns says he chickened out.”

“Akri, he's your brother!”

“You're right... four sovereigns.”

Aeronwen, known to her friends as Trevy, shook her head as she and Akri waited for their magic theory class to start. Both of them had their eyes on the door, waiting for the third member of their study group to arrive.

If she was right, he would be walking in any second.

“You're on.”

She spoke just as a familiar mop of black hair poked into view. Dorian always entered class with such a presence, but today he seemed more like a giddy school boy than a powerful mage. If she hadn't known better, she would've said he was skipping.

Next to her, Akri groaned. “Shit, really?”

“Hey, it was your idea. No backing out now.” Trevy flashed Dorian a smile and moved aside to give him some space. Of course, Akri would complain for the entire class period, but she didn't mind. One miserable study group partner was the price to pay for another on cloud nine.

They would make such a cute couple too, once they got over the awkwardness. Better yet, she was about to come into four sovereigns. That was going straight into her coffee fund.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Beep Akri

4. A late night text

To: Jackel Lavellan

Akri Lavellan @ 3:05So... are you going to be mad if I tell you Bull and I used up the last of the condoms on your night?