#Aya lavellan

[bxtgrl]

cullen/inquisitor | beautiful things x

[pappadu]

why did they let us play a blood mage hawke without repercussions if the character then is completely against it in da:i. they probably are acting to get the inquisition off their tail

[bloedewir]

I have questions I need answers

1. WHO IS THIS??

it isn't Felassan right? I don't even know why my first thought was about him tbh

2. Six eyes as if .. or not?

3. What's going on between Antivan Crows these days?

4. Inquisitor Lavellan?!

It's DAI's vallaslin, dedicated to June. Hairstyle and makeup looks a bit Aya coded, if you know what I mean. (Assassin's Creed: Origins, Aya is voiced by Alix Wilton-Regan). But the hand? And the magic thingy? As time magic??

(upd: @maharellasa answered this one. It's Irelin (Veil Jumpers), not Inquisitor. According to GameInformer we'll meet Irelin and Strife in Arlathan forest. I was distracted by dai vallaslin and some of my delusional hopes 😅. Minus one more question)

5. Yavana?

Or Morrigan redesign?

(upd: John Epler said it's Morrigan. Minus one question 👀)

(⁠╯⁠°⁠□⁠°⁠）⁠╯⁠︵⁠ ⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

[distant-wcrlds]

Spook's First Promo!

All my muses are kind of lacking in people to interact with right now, so if any of my blogs pique your interest, as a writing partner or even a lurker, please send me a message or fill out my interest tracker!

Some brief character descriptions, in order of appearance:

Aceen & Damus Tall (@slayemal-na-nerate)- twin Zabrak brothers who grew apart as they got older, eventually becoming entirely estranged as one was recruited by the Republic Army as a medic and the other turned to smuggling and bounty hunting

Inquisitor Lavellan (@laimdalen-itellam)- an amnesiac elf with a big heart who SHOULD NOT have been placed in charge of an apocalypse-prevention militia but managed to do a half-decent job for the sake of his found family

Garrett Hawke (@gayrett-hawke)- a disaster gay whose barely-controlled, but incredibly strong, magic and highly exaggerated appearance of self-confidence caused him to stumble his way into unwanted fame and infamy, an equally disastrous group of friends, and enough trauma to last him several lifetimes (icon is by @melonadraws)

Leia Angelica Morales (@sweltering-in-central-city)- a geeky tomboy with social anxiety who was finally fulfilling her childhood dreams of becoming a superhero until time travel rewrote her past and left her to manage her terrifyingly destructive powers on her own, a job she failed at miserably (icon made with @ummmmandy's picrew)

Taura Caterina Andreas (@lovely-little-bull)- the Minotaur's grandchild, raised by him to fear the gods and their children, who must come to terms with being the child of an Olympian herself, all the while wondering if her new family will kill her like they did her beloved "Pappoúlis" once they realize she's a monster just like him

Rachel "Raven" Roth (@empath-from-azarath)- a take on the Titan that pays more attention to her upbringing and empathic abilities, both of which were formative in creating the deadpan dork of a goth you all know and love

Asafké Baru (@not-a-twilek)- a force-sensitive orphaned mechanic who disguises herself as a human while trying to earn enough credits to finally escape the desert wasteland of Tatooine, where she crash-landed after escaping the men who enslaved her as a child (icon made with @ummmmandy's picrew)

Bruce Wayne (@guardian-of-gotham)- your favorite autistic batdad who fights crime while dressed like a flying rodent as an unhealthy coping mechanism, now with familiar flavors of kindness and self-sacrifice to cleanse your soul after dealing with any unwanted depictions of him as an edgy, brutal opportunist who doesn't love his kids (I'm looking at you, Tom K*ng)

Aya (@not-so-artificial)- a lovable semi-organic computer program made of pure green lantern energy, who is normally very sweet but is also very bad at understanding and dealing with emotions to the extent that she tried to eliminate all life and emotions from the universe after experiencing heartbreak (she got better, though)

Rules in my pinned post. Bios in the pinned post for each sideblog. This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but my head hurt too much to deal with tagging it. I promise it's not an April Fool's joke, though.

(Also, please ignore how simple Aya's blog is right now. I only put her out this early because I needed the 9th icon to make the image format look better.)

[crackinglamb]

OC Name Meanings

Tagged by @pikapeppa, thank you! 🥰

Tagging @ir0n-angel, @lilbittymonster, @bogunicorn and @espressocomfort. No pressure!

Rules: Search and post the meaning of your OC's name (if you made their name up or they go by a nickname, post an explanation of how it came to you)! bonus if you can find something for their last name too.

Right, so...I have a lot of OC's. Holy crap, did this get long. I'll go by fandom to keep them organized, and listed here are just the main player types, not background characters. And if you want to know more about any of them, they can all be found here.

Fallout 4

Nora Howard (Junkyard 'Verse series): My first SoSu. Nora is the default name and I struggled for a long time to come up with a last name for her. At the time, I thought it would be funny for her to share a name with Todd Howard, and then it stuck.

Valara Thorsgaard (Set to Repeat, Subject to Change): Lamb the Younger gave me the first name and I liked it. Val, for short. The Scandinavian last name was just...I dunno, it felt right?

Honoria Wilcox (No One Knows): 'Honoria' is a version of Nora. Her maiden name was Beaufort, because it was slightly pretentious and so was Honoria's mother. Wilcox was her late husband's name and she was glad to take it.

Eleanor (Nights series): Another Nora variant, no last name.

Joan Whitfield (The Bargain): I wanted something different for this OC since she ends up with Kellogg. (All my Nora variants end up with Hancock.) The first name comes from my extended family, and the last name sounds lawyerish. 😆

Tien Xu (Unexpected): Ahh, the SoSu from my first real AU. She's a Chinese prisoner of war who ended up in the Vault. No real reason for her given name, but 'Tien' was my favorite chemistry professor's last name back when I was in college.

Alice Monroe (Amends to the Dead): My most recent SoSu. From the get go I wanted her to be a badass, because let's face it, you get pretty OP'd with some of those skills in-game. 'Alice' is a nod to Resident Evil. 'Monroe' is just because it sounded good.

Mass Effect Trilogy

Jayne Shepard (Soldier, Spectre, Savior series): It's the default FemShep name, but I changed the spelling. That's really it.

Jehanne Shepard (Some Kind of Resolution): Henna, for short. Jehanne is a phonetic variant of Jane.

The Wayhaven Chronicles

Aya Batra (Little Things): Batra is one of the surnames you can choose when making your Detective, but Aya was my own invention. It's a variation of an old D&D character (Aeo, who in turn is a variation on Io). Someday I want to write more for her.

Dragon Age

(oh boy, here we go)

Da'Fen Carlisle Mayers Lavellan (Until It Squeaks series): Carly, to her friends. My first MGIT. When I created her I wanted her to be a 'just some person' kind of character, so she needed a name that didn't stand out much. Tbh, I don't even like it. I think I was halfway through writing Twist when I decided it was short for Carlisle, which eased my meh a little. Then as time went on in the story, she earned the rest. Abelas was the first to call her 'Da'Fen' because she was the Consort of Fen'Harel, and she was formally adopted into Clan Lavellan after the events of the main game.

Imogen McLean (Wicked Things series): My ex wouldn't let me name Lamb the Younger Imogen when she was born, so I decided I would save it for a character someday. And so I did. 'McLean' because she's of Irish descent, and I knew a girl by that family name when I was a kid.

Eliana Hawke (Wicked Things series): I tend to give my F!Hawkes unique names, I guess. But this one was for the purpose of Imogen getting to call her Elly and Elly getting to call her Genny. It was a deliberate 'the names you use denote intimacy level' kind of thing.

Terisin Mahariel (Wicked Things series): It means 'Flint-like'. I wanted something hefty for the HoF, something that would give the impression of gravity and determination. And then everyone in the fic shortens it to 'Ter'. 🤣

Mira Foret (Driftwood series): This is actually a nickname, her full name is Almira. Her family name on Earth was 'Wood', and upon being transported to Thedas, she changed it to 'Foret', which is the Orlesian version of the word. There is actually a reason she has these names in particular, but that gets into level 40 IRL stuff, so I shan't say.

Carmilla Hawke (Maker Damned Fools): Cara, for short, and only if you have her permission. Back when I first wrote MDF, I had a notion that Leandra wanted to give all her children names beginning with the same letter. "How'd Bethany happen?" Varric asked. Because they didn't know they were having twins and had to come up with a name on the fly and Malcolm had a twisted sense of humor. It makes more sense in the fic. Anyway, she hates the name, and thus goes mostly by Hawke.

Hera Trevelyan (No More My Heart Beats Without You): I just liked it. Didn't even know it was the default name of F!Adaar. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ellisora Lavellan (Flowers For Fen'Harel series): Everyone uses Ellana. It's the default. I don't like defaults (usually) and will twist them around any which way until I find something I do like.

Sa'vir Lavellan (No Strings): It means 'the First Path' or, more precisely for her character, 'the Only Way'. It was both to give some backstory to her and was a nod to her being inspired by The Unending Wake's Vir.

Lahalaan Lavellan (My Blood On Your Hands, Your Teeth In My Skin): Ahh, my poor Laani. She kicked around as an OC for a long time before I finally was able to write something for her. She was always meant to have a longfic, but it never happened. It means 'Like the Foxes', and it suits her as a redhead and a rogue class.

La'Vise Lavellan (Just Like Fire): The title of the fic is the definition of the name. She is my one canon story. I am utterly unsurprised at myself for not finishing it.

Lark Cadash (All the Earth and Air series): Again, default is bleh. Malika > Lika > Lark. Then I leaned into the bird symbolism.

Shae Cadash (Destiny Is Just In the Timing): This is apparently a popular name for a Cadash, lol. In order to set her apart (both in fandom and in my head), it's actually a nickname. Her full name is Shaelgat, meaning 'Unto Shale', and it has Lore(tm). A daughter of every generation is named this, and will be until they find the golem they're named after.

Banal'ras Nydha, the Twice-Born (Hope Is a Fragile Thing): She's actually a MGIT, who was given the name 'the Shadow of Night' by Solas in the Fade before she became corporeal in Thedas. She has a shtick that goes with it, the ability to use Fade cloak even though she isn't a mage otherwise. Ya know, like Cole. Her story and name are part and parcel with each other and mostly because I wanted to make an OC who was Deeply Mysterious(tm) without ever explaining it. The legend-mark comes from the Avvar, among whom she lives at the start of her fic.

(we're almost done)

Virlas Lavellan (I'll tell you my sins (and you can sharpen your knife)): Default, bleh. Symbolically fitting name, yay. It means 'the Way That is Given' or something like that. This was a giftfic turned treat for the Solavellan Hell Exchange, and I didn't think too hard about the name other than something that would fit for a post-canon Lavellan.

Rinna Cadash (What Lies Beneath): Another giftfic OC. Dwarven names tend towards being short and this one just felt right.

Eshali'nan Lavellan (A Wolf Named Vengeance): This fic is a modern AU collab with my beloved Angel, and someday we'll finish it, lol. Esha, for short, was another OC that kicked around for a long time like Laani. She has quite a backstory that will likely never get told because frankly, I'm tired of writing DA retellings. Originally she was a Sentinel in Arlathan, who spent most of the intervening years in uthenera like Solas, but woke a generation ago. She lived with the Lavellan clan and was chosen to go to the Conclave. The name means 'Daughter of Vengeance' and was chosen for her at her elevation to Sentinel status.

Great googly moogly, I have too many OC's...

[dragons-and-ages]

Mostly just musing to myself here…

I don’t really have a “canon” worldstate, I have several with only minor variations. Even with different characters, I still gravitate to the same decisions in most of them. If I were to have a personal canon, it would be all mages and likely very elfy. I love dwarves, but I can’t be a mage as a dwarf. And, as much as I was excited for Qunari in DAI, I didn’t like the options in the cc and never really got into a Qunari!Quizzy.

However, the narrative seems to heavily favor humans and particularly Cousland in DAO, so I’m working on a “Lore” playthrough before the release of DATV. I was finding it hard to get into; I’ve had it sketched out for over a year, but as I read through The World of Thedas Vol 2, and knowing that The Stolen Throne is next up, I’m getting more excited about it. So, my top 3 worldstates, but by no means is this all of them:

The Lore State - Inspired by Andraste. All human women with “A” names, trying to cater to the often human-centric story and stay as close to BioWare’s canon as possible while still enjoying myself. (I haven’t actually even started this one yet lmao)

Amalthea Cousland > Ayesleigh Hawke > Augusta Trevelyan > Human!Mage!Rook (Likely named Asha or Artemisia, depending on which faction I go with)

Oops all mages! - Very magey and as elfy as I can get it. Best contender for my canon state.

Atisha Surana > Aya Hawke > Feanneth Lavellan > Elf!Mage!Rook

One of Each - Here we have all the races represented. I do love dwarves so much… if there’s ever a possibility of dwarves being able to be mages, I’m gonna lose my fuckin’ mind. Also, prayer circle for better Qunari options in the DATV cc.

Gemma Brosca > Grace Hawke > Asharen Lavellan > Qunari!Rook

Honorable mention to the Dalish worldstate (with Mahariel and Lavellan and a Hawke/Merrill romance) and the Oops All HUMAN Mages worldstate (that’s just self-insert nonsense).

[ayalavellan]

Had a sketch commission of Aya done by @fabledtactician and I’m so excited about how amazing it turned out. Look at my cute elf child and how adorable she looks! (◡‿◡✿) My First commission and I couldn’t be happier, thank you!    

[otomefeels]

Cullen&Aya - Closer (Mature)

Cullen and Aya smut with some fluff.

Summary:

A continuation of Touch. Cullen accepted Aya's invitation of coming by later, and they both know what's going to happen.

Rating:

Mature

Link:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12061275

[untaintedtea]

° （；へ：) ¥ for Kitty!

(I was gonna use a game image but I just made her in TS4 today and she looks cute as heck tbh [even tho her eyelids etc are wrong?? lol] and that’s her new hair post-game now)

° - Kitty prefers an in-between temperature, so something like ~15-20°C more or less? The surface temp of livable planets in the ME universe understandably seems to be a bit higher so maybe they’ve acclimatized better though. Generally speaking, if she can comfortably wear a shirt with long sleeves, she’s good.

（；へ：）- the stress of the whole pathfinder situation she’s been thrust into makes her cry sometimes; she can’t remember crying nearly as much as she did back in the Milky Way than over in Andromeda. In fact, she’s still getting used to feeling brought to tears, and that thought frustrates her to no end – however, her friendship with Jaal helps with her habit of not letting emotions out, even in private.

¥ - Kitty very much has a “I could die tomorrow so I should buy it today” sort of mindset most of the time. The rest of the time is when she’s regretting days like when she spent 987 credits on clothes when she could have saved it for a new gun, so she tells herself she won’t buy anything for a while…but soon after the cycle begins anew.

[headcanons list]

[royal-babey]

OC Songs

I got tagged for this aaaaaages ago but I never did it cuz I’m lazy and couldn’t think of any

But I’m in the mood to look for songs now so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-

Nico: (Nicotine - P!atd)

https://youtu.be/hrXgJ2J8dag

Percy: (Cry Baby - Melanie Martinez)

https://youtu.be/xjAoFmBUN_8

Alleyn: (Love Suicide - Okrickchard)

https://youtu.be/cAkC0eOVles

Kellen: (Don’t Forget - Okrickchard)

https://youtu.be/oAa52Bq4P4A

Ascelyn: (Secret - Pierces)

https://youtu.be/f_AyjjBAV8c

Aya: (Mind Brand - Lollia)

https://youtu.be/DsdFhsLgy_Q

Dalion: (Monochrome No Kiss - leeandlie)

https://youtu.be/drMhxPE25Og

Mari and Logan: (Beautiful Mask - Misao)

https://youtu.be/6n9DaWI196g

Anya: (Death of a Bachelor - P!atd)

https://youtu.be/IT4seGdXn_Y

Adair: (No Place Like Home - Todrick Hall)

https://youtu.be/mkJLCe7l-Qc

Felassan: (Imagination Forest - Jubyphonic)

https://youtu.be/MN9DNB8IwV0

Kit: (Hitorinbo Envy - Jubyphonic)

https://youtu.be/HJ6-K3uxUEg

Vis: (Unravel - Jubyphonic)

https://youtu.be/PS-G7s0UcVQ

-

Tagging whoever wants to do this rly <3 but uhhhhh idk @welcometojoelsvoid @aly-the-writer @kadans @heraldofwho @space-vashoth @ellatrash @seboostianillustrations @keeperscompanionsdai @mightofthedalish @chillyrose @red-wardens @tessa1972 @marquis1305 @mocha-writes

You don’t have to do this if you already have aidbaidbandkdb I just can’t remember who has and who hasn’t. You don’t have to if you don’t wanna either aaa

[bxtgrl]

aya lavellan + armor evolution in dragon age: inquisition

[pappadu]

fade time including all your original characters would have been so dope

[iwrite-sims-not-tragedies]

[ayantiel]

Imperator Ma’ena Digital Art: Paint Tool SAI

For my lovely friend Rachaar from the Bananas for Thedas Discord server we were talking about a Mad Max Fury Road AU, so naturally I had to draw her Inquisitor as Furiosa

[magicrobins]

Off To An Awkward Start

Galen Lavellan & Cullen Rutherford. Dragon Age [Dual AU]. 1,333 words. More under the cut. AO3. | @dapromptexchange 

Prompt: Cullen meets the Herald for the first time and it's not quite how the stories tell it - he only wishes it had been that simple. [x]

Mentions @bxtgrl‘s Aya Lavellan.

It’s funny ‘cause Galen and Cullen become great friends but both thought the other hated them after they first met.

Cullen wasn’t sure what he’d done to make Galen dislike him. Now the young Herald hadn’t actually said he disliked him, but he clearly avoided him. He’d met the other Herald – Galen’s half-sister, Aya – after the Conclave explosion, when she’d arrived to charge with him and the soldiers. Galen had gone up the mountain to search for the scouts that had gone missing. He’d first met Galen at Haven, when he’d been formally introduced along with Josephine and Leliana.

They’d made eye contact once during that meeting, and Galen’s ears had instantly lowered and he’d quickly looked away, moving to stand closer to Aya as if for some kind of protection. After that, they hadn’t had a moment alone together. Galen always stood a few feet away from him and never quite looked relaxed when he was around.

Cullen couldn’t think of anything he’d done to make the Herald afraid of him so he’d come to the conclusion that Galen just didn’t like him. He didn’t expect them to become the best of friends, but they did have to work together.

He was admittedly used to people not wanting to be around him, especially mages. Going from one Circle to another had shown that, and being stationed at Kirkwall’s Circle had emphasized it. He wasn’t sure what Dalish mages were told about Templars, but he thought that was most likely the reason behind Galen’s behavior. After all, he didn’t expect a mage to like him after, at least after it became known that he was once a Templar. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Galen’s reaction to him had happened after he’d been informed that the Commander was a former Templar.

He’d brought the issue up to Aya, but she’d insisted that he was wrong and that Galen thought the opposite – that Cullen didn’t like him.

He definitely thought it was because he’d been a Templar and Galen was a mage. He couldn’t think of any other reason. The elf didn’t have any issues with Josephine, Leliana, or Cassandra so he didn’t think it was because he was human. The only humans Galen had any issue with were the ones who whispered racial slurs about him and obviously those who didn’t even bother to whisper them.

So what was Cullen going to do about it? How was he going to clear up this misunderstanding?

He had no clue. That was where Aya came in. She’d offered to meet with him that night, once he’d finished with training and sparring with the recruits. However when he entered the tavern, Aya was nowhere in sight. Instead Galen sat alone at a table, looking uncomfortable. The tavern was uncharacteristically empty aside from the two of them.

Galen noticed him and his ears lowered. Cullen thought he’d earned that reaction from any mage. Even if he hadn’t done anything personal to Galen. He approached the table and a cautious looking Herald.

“I’m uh – I’m meeting Aya,” Galen explained without needing to be asked. Neither of them liked the silence that would often stretch between them. It was always uncomfortable.

“Funny, your sister asked me to meet her here too,” Cullen admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He knew what was happening. Aya was trying to get him and her brother to sit down and talk. He thought if he sat down, the mage would only get even more uncomfortable, perhaps even get up and leave – wait, no he thought Galen was too kind to just get up and leave, either that or too scared.

Galen was clearly working out what had happened in his head. He frowned. “She lied to us?” He looked up at Cullen. “Why would she do that?”

Cullen found himself shrugging. “My guess is she wants us to talk.”

“About what?”

He hesitated. “May I sit?”

Galen shifted in his seat but nodded.

He sat down and spoke up when it was clear Galen wasn’t going to say anything yet, “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Galen blinked. “I – I never said you make me uncomfortable.”

“Aya said you think I dislike you,” he admitted, “She told me after I confessed I thought you disliked me.”

Galen stared at him, eyes wide with surprise. He hadn’t known Aya had told the Commander that. She’d insisted to him that Cullen didn’t dislike him, but he’d figured she’d just been trying to cheer him up. He hadn’t known she’d been repeating what the Commander had told her.

“I don’t… dislike you,” he stated awkwardly, “I don’t really know you. I – I don’t know if you can dislike someone that um – that you don’t know.”

“Do you – do you want to get to know each other?” Cullen asked, sitting forward, resting his arms against the table, clasping his hands together.

Galen looked away. He fiddled with the fingers of the glove he wore over his Marked hand. “My uh – my clan used to warn me to stay away from Templars… The rogues and warriors were told to look out for Templars, to make sure the clan’s mages were safe. It’s why we lie – I um – I mean that’s why we only keep two mages and send the others to find new clans.”

His fumble made Cullen think the last part might not have been true, even though that was what he’d been told the Dalish did with their mages when they had a First and Second already assigned. Perhaps the Chantry’s knowledge on the Dalish was outdated, if it was ever correct to begin with.

“We’re not told nice stories about Templars,” Galen continued, though he was hesitant. He looked like he expected Cullen to interrupt him, though the Commander wasn’t sure why. “When I – When I got my magic, I was often told to never stray from where we camped. I got in trouble when I would sneak away with a – a friend. My parents were always worried that we could never get far enough away from humans. They… They were afraid Templars would find me and take me away.”

Cullen found himself nodding slowly. He’d heard about Dalish mages being taken to Circles by Templars. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen it happen – he’d seen a lot happen – but he didn’t doubt that the stories Galen had been told held at least some truth.

“I never met a Templar until I met you,” Galen admitted, “Um if you – if you count? You’re not longer with the Order, I – I don’t know if meeting you still counts then…”

Cullen forced out a chuckle that turned into a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “When we met, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Galen was shaking his head. “I – I was more scared of the stories. I never really knew if I should be afraid of the actual people.”

He thought of the mages he’d known – those in Ferelden and those in Kirkwall. He thought of what their fears had pushed many mages to. He thought of the horrible things that Templars’ fear of mages and magic had pushed them to do. Fear often didn’t help.

“I would advise being cautious,” he said, earning Galen’s attention, which had wandered to the elf’s gloved hand. “Fear… It makes people desperate.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” the Herald said apologetically, “You seem nice. Aya really likes you.”

Cullen felt his face heat up. “I… Well I – I like her too… I mean she’s good company–”

Galen smiled. “I think she’d like to hear that.”

Cullen clear his throat uncomfortably.

Galen’s ears lowered again and his demeanor turned shy. “Would you – Would you like to start over?”

Cullen found himself smiling softly. “I’d like that.”

Galen reached forward with his non-Marked hand, smiling shyly. “Hi, I’m Galen. Apparently I’m some sort of Herald.”

Cullen took Galen’s hand in his own and gently shook it. “Cullen and somehow I’ve become the Inquisition’s Commander.”

Galen lightly laughed and Cullen found himself laughing along with him.

[wombatpumpkin]

WIP Wednesday

Title: Paired

Fandoms: Dragon Age 

Pairing: Solas x Lavellan

Tags: Modern Thedas AU, Dating App AU, Graduate School AU, Academic Rivals to Lovers

 Now, I may look like a sad and lonely hobo, but I can assure you, ladies, that I am not. Beneath this poor excuse for a sense of fashion beats the heart of a wolf on the prowl and ready for love. When I’m not reading, that is.

                  You Paired with Solas on 9:40 Guardian 14  at 9:10AM

                                                 Today at 9:17AM

                                                                                                                                                                                               Me: Hello, Solas.

“That’s it?” Josie leaned over Aya’s shoulder, peering at the message she’d just fired off. Aya could feel Josie deflating. “That is all you’re going to say?”

“What? What’s wrong with that?” Aya asked, looking back at the message and trying to figure what on earth could be wrong with ‘hello’.

“You have to sound alluring! Make it spicy,” Josephine said with an indignant huff.

“Gotta tickle their balls a little bit, eh?” smirked Aya. Josephine tipped her forehead into her palms and groaned.

“Please... do not say it like that,” she pleaded like a woman who’d lived and seen too much. 

“I don’t have to be alluring at all. Half the guys on here are just looking for a hook-up,” Aya said, waggling her eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure I could say I have a fungal growth and still find somebody to bang by evening.”

“She has a point, Josie,” Leliana said from across the cafe table, nodding as she finished her coffee. Josie apparently disagreed, folding her arms tightly over her chest as she glared at Leliana. “Let her talk about her fungal growths. It’s the profile picture that will do all the talking. You did pick her a good one, yes?”

“Of course!” Josie scoffed. “And do not encourage her! Really, Aya, you have to be more tantalizing. You’ll never get a date with just a ‘hello’.”

“You signed me up, remember? All these ‘Likes’ are for people you picked,” Aya shot back. “Maybe I don’t want them to reply. And I still don’t think dating apps are the best way to meet somebody.”

“It’s a ‘Swipe’, not a ‘Like’,” Josephine corrected with a sigh. ”And I simply found you a few men who I think may be to your taste. What about him?” Josie poked Aya’s phone screen and opened up the chat.

“You mean ‘Thom’? Isn’t that a lot of beard?” 

“Here, give me!” Josie said reaching over the poor woman and plucking the phone away before she could protest. “This is how you send an alluring message.”

Leliana laughed and shook her head. “You are incorrigible, Josie. I’m getting a second coffee,” she said, getting up.

“Me too.” Aya  got up as well, frowning after Josephine who was Cyrano de Bergerac-ing away. “She’s not going to stop until I have a date, is she?”

“Nope. It’s better just to leave her to it?” Leliana said quietly, tugging Aya along to place an order. I wrinkled my nose.

“I wish she wouldn’t. I don’t want these guys thinking I talk that well,” Aya said, scratching her nose and frowning over her shoulder at Josie. Leliana chuckled.

“You speak and write plenty well,” she said as they shuffled along. “When you put your mind to it at least. I’ve read your papers.”

“Well, that’s different. You have to write well in graduate school or they don’t let you graduate.”

“Fair point, I suppose. Still, those skills are transferable.”

“Nope. If it’s not school related, my brain powers down.” Aya shifted her stance, tilting the tote bag on her hip so Leliana caught a glimpse of it. It read All I Do is Fucking Read on the side. Leliana grinned. “Those men will be lucky to get a full sentence.”

“To each’s own, ” she said. “Do you think you’ll ever read or write for pleasure once you’ve graduated?”

“After a few years, maybe?” Aya said uncertainly. “My mistake for pursuing a degree in the social sciences. My poor dyslexic brain feels a lot like scrambled eggs.”

“What do you have planned tonight, then?” Leliana asked. They were a person away from ordering. “It is Valentines Day, after all. Any plans?” 

“Well, after I get a little more work done on my thesis, I have my internship until five. Then... I guess it’s just an evening to myself.” 

“A rare night, indeed. Savor it for me.”

“What do you have planned?” They started ordering.

“One coffee please, small and black,” Leliana said, reaching for her purse. Aya pulled out hers, trying to nudge Leliana out of the way as she ordered but fumbled on the card draw.

“Caramel latte for me, decaf.” Leliana swooped in and dipped her chip into the reader. Aya narrowed her eyes. She would get her next time.

Leliana continued as if nothing had happened. “I have a date, of course! Cousland got us a fancy reservation at a restaurant across town. It’s apparently very hard to get in. I have my shoes all picked out.” 

Aya and Leliana moved down the counter and waited for our drinks to be ready. The air smelled like freshly ground coffee beans, oozing chocolate, and butter from their fresh pastries. I immediately regretted not ordering a croissant.

“And the rest of your outfit?” Aya said, raising her eyebrows. “Or is it a shoes only kind of place?” Leliana giggled.

“If only we could go somewhere as bold as that,” she replied, eyes dancing. “But I’ve chosen my red dress, the one with the silver beading in the waist. She loves that dress, as do I.”

The barista passed them the steaming drinks; Aya’s had a little foam heart in it that made her smile. The pair took their drinks back to the table, and Josie was still furiously texting. Aya chewed her lip in concern.

“How’s the damage?” Aya asked Josie as she sat down and disturbed the foam art piece as she took a sip. They used real caramel here, not some chemical crap from a pump. Aya’s lips felt sticky with sugar, and she hummed happily.

“I have a date set up for you tonight,” Josephine replied, not looking up. “I’m just setting the time and place. You’re done with your internship at five, correct?”

“Wait, seriously? With who? And yes, five.”

“Thom, of course. And I shall tell him to meet you at The Herald’s Square at seven o’clock.”

“Oh,” Aya said and smiled brightly. “Wow, I actually have a date.”

Leliana laughed and Josephine tossed the phone back at Aya from across the table. Aya caught it between her palms and flicked open the app, reading through the conversation. She groaned.

“He’s going to expect a frilly poet,” Aya complained. Josie batted away my comment but glowed a little at the compliment.

“He is...rather dashing,” she sighed a little wistfully. Aya raised an eyebrow and shut down the app. 

“You sure you’d rather not go instead?” 

“No, no, no! He is expecting you. You go and have a lovely time, truly.” Josephine beamed at Aya and exchanged conspiratorial looks with Leliana. Aya sighed heavily and took another sip of her caramel drink. And so a frilly poet she would be.

Authors Note: This is a short excerpt from a WIP I’ve been working on sporadically as I write some of my other fics. It’ll eventually go up on my A03, but I want to get a bit farther along before I start posting chapters. Any way, here is the sneak peak :)