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loquaciousquark · 4 months ago

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Adahla Lavellan Stream Archive

Mostly for my own reference. The two playlist links at the top should update automatically; summaries will likely be updated in bursts rather than after every stream.

Master Playlist Link

Part 1: Features character creation, the prologue, arriving in Haven, meeting the advisors and Haven NPCs (first flirt with Solas 3:05), exploring the Haven map, reaching the Hinterlands, exploring the southeastern portion of the Hinterlands, getting very stuck on a Fade rift, reaching and clearing the fortress in the west, exploring the central/western portion of the Hinterlands, getting very frustrated with a misplaced map marker for a refugee cache (6:58), returning to have more conversations with advisors and companions (7:15), first war table missions, talking with Varric about Hawke, talking to Solas about the Fade and about himself, talking to Cassandra.

Part 2: Features a renamed PC, more exploration of central/north Hinterlands, first glimpse of the dragon in the northeast, collecting shards, especially one after ten years (0:53), exploring the northern Hinterlands and hitting a leveled rift, making a round of the companions at Haven (Solas at 2:32), exploring and then immediately leaving the Fallow Mire (2:50), exploring and then immediately leaving the Storm Coast, arriving in Val Royeaux for plot (3:10), meeting Sera and Vivienne (3:52), another tour of companions at Haven, war table missions, speaking with Solas about himself (4:57 - 2nd flirt).

Part 3: Features collecting Bull, exploring the Storm Coast, returning to the Hinterlands southwest area (2:30), picking up Blackwall, more clearing of southwestern Hinterlands rifts.

Part 4: Features talking with Blackwall in camp, talking to Krem and Bull, finishing off the southwestern Hinterlands. Immediately continued in Part 5.

Part 5: Features returning to the leveled northern Hinterlands, a lengthy discussion of the portrayal of religion in western RPGs (0:28-1:15), exploring the Deep Roads thaig in the Hinterlands (1:02), discussing change in characters (1:15-1:30), looping convos with companions at Haven, reaching Redcliffe for the first time (2:26), struggling with Lord Woolsley (2:34), In Hushed Whispers, companions at Haven (Solas at 5:29) & discussion of Adahla's changing opinions of Solas, the Fallow Mire, a failed attempt at the Hinterlands dragon, In Your Heart Shall Burn, arriving at Skyhold, my hot DA takes (8:55), beginning and then immediately abandoning a talk with Solas.

Part 6: Features exploring Skyhold, war table missions regarding Lavellan clan, meeting Hawke (1:30), more war table missions, exploring the Emerald Graves, exploring expanded Skyhold (3:30), picking up some companion quests.

Part 7: Features selecting beige clothing replacement, sitting in judgement in Skyhold for the first time, war table missions, another take at the Hinterlands dragon, exploring the northern Emerald Graves, struggling with the haunted villa, doing the first astrarium without Solas (1:50), continuing to explore the Emerald Graves, returning to Skyhold (3:58), war table missions, sitting in judgement of Alexius, Cassandra reading schlock (4:25), Sera's personal quest, the first Quizquisition question, introducing the specializations, the first Fade conversation (and first kiss) with Solas (5:34), some minor upgrades to Skyhold, returning to the Emerald Graves (6:07), arriving at and exploring the Forbidden Oasis (6:11).

Part 8: Features defeating the Emerald Graves dragon, war table missions, arriving at the Emprise du Lion (0:48), discussion of hobbies (1:24), returning to Skyhold for companion conversations & war table missions (2:51), drinking with Bull (2:57), picking up Solas's personal quest (3:13), crafting, war table missions, back to the Emprise (3:51), fighting Imshael (3:06), fighting two dragons (4:35-5:10), Dorian's personal quest.

Part 9: Features wrapping up Dorian's personal quest, elven serving man (0:40), Solas's Halamshiral conversation (0:55), then a long, torturous, and eventually fruitless attempt at the Winter Palace, including a discussion of level design at 3:16 and the most tragic realization at 3:50; then backing up to the Exalted Plains at 3:52, Solas's personal quest at 4:08, a loop of conversations at Skyhold, exploring the Exalted Plains, returning the golden halla, and one attempt at the Solas romance lock-in conversation at 5:27.

Part 10: Features exploring the Exalted Plains, the official Solas romance lock-in convo (1:04), the Temple of Dirthamen, fighting the Exalted Plains dragon (3:26), discussing the length of the games (3:53), returning to the Emerald Graves for some wrap-up quests (4:04), conversations at Skyhold including meeting the Chargers (4:10), playing chess with Cullen, committing to the rift mage specialty, war table missions.

Part 11: Features the actual final end of Wicked Hearts, the Solas Halamshiral dance flirt (0:04), the Solas dance (0:38), replaying to temporarily judge the box that is Florianne (0:51), war table missions, returning to the Storm Coast for small missions for Blackwall and Varric, struggling again with shards in the Forbidden Oasis, war table missions (including the next Lavellan clan stage), landing at the Western Approach.

Part 12: Features exploring the Western Approach, Adahla realizing she's interested in becoming a scholar (0:23), discussion of DAI romances (1:00), horse adventures (1:09), taking Caer Branach (1:14), discussion of college academics (2:00-2:22), the Still Ruins (2:03), Skyhold companion convos including ruminations on the Divine (2:32), meeting Kieran (3:19), upgrading to the mage tower, war table quests, agonizing over the number of war table quests (3:51), returning to the Approach & fighting the dragon (4:07), exploring Coracavus, solving the Fenrir astrarium (5:06), backing up about an hour to fix a broken quest, returning to Skyhold after completing the Western Approach and sitting in judgement (6:08), war table missions, turning in some shards, the Cradle of Sulevin (6:28), Bull's personal quest (7:00), Vivienne's personal quest (7:19), Da'nan Hinan (7:24), more war table missions, exploring the Hissing Wastes (8:26), getting physically sick at an ocularum (8:28), a discussion of Hot Fade Ladies In Your Area (9:03-9:08), horse movement (10:01), a discussion of open world travel mechanics (10:02-10:08), discovering the dog merchant (10:19), discussion of Dorian having a bad time (10:43, 10:52, 10:56), fighting the dragon outside of hunting season (10:59), leaving for Val Royeaux for Josephine's quest (11:28).

Part 13: Features discussion of collections, review of videos finishing the Western Approach missing areas, receiving the prize from the […] woman in the Hissing Wastes, war table missions for mounts, turning in the last shards (0:35), more war table missions, wrapping up Vivienne's personal quest (0:53), rescuing Sutherland (1:07), wrapping up Josie's quest (1:12-1:22), fighting the Highland Ravager & discussing how characters react to tragedy (1:26), finding Maddox (1:53), talking with companions at Skyhold (2:04), arriving at Crestwood (2:08), Dorian having a bad time (2:50), the conclusion of the chess game (3:02), taking Caer Bronach (3:03), restoring the dam (3:48), fighting the Crestwood dragon (3:52).

Part 14: Features the Quizquisition (part 2!), companion conversations at Skyhold including a discussion of Adahla's gardening & childhood (0:28), picking up the nug mounts, returning to Crestwood (0:45), meeting Hawke & Stroud (0:55), discussion of game design (1:10-1:22), Plants vs. Zombies codex (1:12), more discussion of the Divine (1:30), exploring Old Crestwood (1:36), discussion of persuasion options in games (1:40), backing up about an hour for a broken quest, discussion of Merrill's nationality and Nevarra (2:06), discussion of MMOs (2:21), stopping the rain (2:36), meeting Hawke & Stroud in the Western Approach (2:42), starting Here Lies the Abyss (3:00), Dorian having a bad time (4:07), Nightmare challenging Hawke (3:15), gravestones (4:49), Virmire-lite (5:04), discussing why (5:07), deciding the fate of the Wardens (5:19), briefly replaying to check the other Warden option, a round of companion conversations, Morrigan taking Adahla through the eluvian (5:42), extremely frustrating conversations with Giselle (5:49), meeting Bianca (6:06), discussing the Divine with Leliana (6:22), Bull, Cassandra, Sera, Cole/Solas, Cullen, Blackwall, sitting in judgement, talking with Blackwall again in a very depressing bar scene (6:46), falling down in jail (6:54), saving Lavellan at last (6:58), war table missions, collecting the last mosaic pieces, Dorian continuing to have a bad time (7:18), review of completed collections, picking up Blackwall's personal quest (7:25), the third and final Quizquisition (7:27), the Boon of the Spoon (7:29), official stream end (7:39), recap for Silk.

Part 15: Features the personal quests of Varric & Blackwall, the WIcked Grace game (1:07), meeting Vivienne's friends, picking up Cassandra's personal quest (1:23), war table missions, wrapping up with Blackwall, pranking with Sera (1:45), discussing Adamant with Cole, Cole's personal quest (1:54), Cassandra's personal quest (2:12), Solas and Adahla's very specific form of flirting (2:26-2:32, esp. the last three minutes), picking up Leliana's personal quest, a letter from the HoF (2:44), Leliana's personal quest, a round of companions (2:58), and arriving in the Frostback Basin (3:13).

Part 16: Features an introduction to the Frostback Basin, exploring the southern and western portions of the map, astrariums (0:31), closing rifts, Dorian/Bull banter (0:41), meeting the conspiracy theorist and other Avvar tribesmen (1:30), a tough fight against despair demons on the southern island (2:20), Tilana's death (2:28), another astrarium (2:50), exploring the Tevinter ruins & solving puzzles (3:06), exploring the tomb (3:23).

Part 17: A night of bad internet. Features following Ameridan's trail, exploring the northern edge of the basin, freeing Storvackr (0:54), discussion of Adahla's possible future (1:10), the last astrarium of the game (1:28), first reaching of the Old Temple (1:35), Solas being a DPS Mercy (1:45), a lengthy discussion of political organizations in Thedas, reading some very bad poetry (2:09), reaching the astrarium cave. Internet drop, then a bit of exploration and a continued discussion of Solas. Internet drop, then a jump to hotspot internet, completion of Sigurd's quest (2:40), turn-in of many quests to the Avvar hold, discussion of god-runes with the augur (2:51), Varric meets a fan (3:00), picking up Finn's quest for his father (3:09), the Avvar trials (3:12), disappointment at the lack of verse trials (3:20), discovering that falling won't kill me has changed gameplay + wasp/leech discussion (3:38). Internet drop, then banter, completion of the Nox Mortua quest, returning to the Avvar hold to turn in several quests (4:16), beginning the DLC conclusion (4:28), entering the Old Temple (4:41), reaching the heart and final fight of the Old Temple (4;59), beginning the conversation with Ameridan (5:06), unpacking what just happened (5:13), me losing my mind at the parallels (5:25), and again (5:34), beginning the dragon fight (5:45), thinking about the relationship between Ameridan and Hakkon, finishing the battle (5:55), marveling at the events of this DLC, discussing the outcome with the Avvar, judging Storvackr (6:04), wrapping up with Kenric, a loop of companions including Cole's post-quest wrap-up, war table missions.

Part 18: Features What Pride Has Wrought with Dread Corgi part one (1:25) and Dread Corgi part two (1:31), culminating in Adahla drinking from the Well of Sorrows (1:35), a loop of companion conversations including cutscenes with Cullen and Cole, then the final romance cutscene with Solas (2:19). Internet drop, then multiple replays of the Solas cutscene, the judgement of Samson (3:11), following Morrigan into the Fade and meeting Flemeth (3:17), the Altar of Mythal, wandering around for a little banter in the Emerald Graves, replaying the Solas scene for additional dialogue options (4:04).

Part 19: Features a little Cole banter about the Solas breakup, thoughts about Adahla's relationship with the others going into endgame (0:05), a final round of conversations with all companions, Silk FREAKING ME OUT about someone getting arrested (0:14), beginning endgame (0:24), the defeat and explosion (0:37), discussing the outcome with companions (0:41), making myself laugh really hard about Solas (0:44), balcony and epilogue (1:03), thoughts about the game, Solas and Mythal (1:17), quick discussion with Cole, more thoughts on Solas & the breakup as well as the narrative going into VG, accidentally banning stealthflower for 10 minutes (1:33), me laughing the hardest I ever have on stream (1:44-2:02), entering the Deep Roads fissure (1:57), establishing the first camp (2:17), Towers of Hanoi!!!! (2:40), discussing viscerally disturbing video games (2:49), Adahla coping badly with Solas leaving (2:51), exploring the second level, breaking the darkspawn siege (3:41), setting up the second camp (4:07).

Part 20: Features continuing down the Deep Roads, exploring the expanded bridges & getting Spooked (0:35), Renn's death (0:41), discovering the road to His Majesty (1:20), fighting around a lake of blood (1:41), game crash, collecting the last gears, entering the final area (2:32), final boss battle (2:44), aftermath (2:46), final Expedition Table missions (3:00), back to Skyhold, one final round of Skyhold companions and discussions of their friendships, discussion of choice of Divine (3:16), one final war table surprise from Dagna, final base game & romance thoughts, starting Trespasser (3:53), briefly jumping back to talk to Morrigan, Josie & Varric's reunions.

Part 21: Features speaking to all companions about their last two years (including the most hilarious spa day ever at 0:54), reading several Hard in Hightown chapters, struggling for fifteen minutes on a jump puzzle, beginning negotiations with Ferelden and Orlais (1:25), going through the eluvian (1:31), exploring the Crossroads, me losing my mind at an incredibly dumb codex joke (1:39), defeating the blue fire my own way (1:47), discovering elvish history and thinking about Tevinter parallels (1:57, 2:04-2:20), discussions of throwing Varric (2:20), me forgetting what fruits palm trees make (2:26), examining a mural & Adahla half-realizing who Solas is (2:29), me making a puzzle much harder than it has to be, first Dread Wolf codex entry (2:33), discovering the back treasury entrance, me laughing at Solas again (2:36), more elvish history, returning to Halamshiral (2:47), talking with friends again, back into the Crossroads (3:15), a lovely codex entry (3:17), into the Deep Roads (3:27), second Dread Wolf codex entry (3:40).

Part 22: Features concluding the Deep Roads, returning to Halamshiral & remanding the Inquisition guard (0:18), discussions with companions, very dumb easter eggs (0:45), multiple books about the Evanuris, Sandal's diary (0:53), discussing the library's fall with the spirit (0:56), getting clues about who she's chasing (0:59), more spirit convos (1:07), third DW codex entry along with another key mural & discussion of Adahla's feelings on now knowing who Solas is (1:09 through 1:22), Hard in Hightown chapter ??? (1:28), meeting the Viddasala (1:44), returning to Halamshiral (1:55), fireworks (2:18), alimony (2:27), me being holy jumpscared by a puzzle (2:46) and then moved by the prize, beginning the final approach (3:13), the last DW codex and the last mural & Adahla's thoughts, the last last astrarium (3:20), Adahla coming to terms with who she's chasing (3:21), Adahla thinking about death (3:27), Adahla writing her will via yelling it at Dorian (3:39), freeing the dragon & meeting Viddasala again & discussing Solas (3:46), entering the final map section (3:50), the final battle (4:10), stepping through the last mirror (4:18), returning to Halamshiral (4:31), epilogue slides (4:41), initial discussion (4:56-5:17), back through the mirror, discussion of Solas's motives, third trip through the mirror and discussion of new hobbies for Solas (5:37), discussion of Adahla's feelings (5:53), watching the low approval version of the scene (5:58), discussion of how unbelievably dumb Solas can be, one last replay (6:07), discussion of ramifications of tearing down the Veil (6:26-6:36), reflections on Adahla's narrative, reflections on gameplay (6:45), final reflections on Solas & the romance (6:57), brief discussions of Veilguard, wrap-up, and thanks.

#quark's streaming tag #quark plays dai #adahla lavellan #quark's streaming archive #solas #solavellan #dragon age inquisition

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pikapeppa · 5 years ago

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Fenris/f!Hawke and the Inquisition: Promise Me (Reprise)

Chapter 64 of Lovers In A Dangerous Time (i.e. Fenris the Inquisitor) is up on AO3.

In which the crew head to the Darvaraad and beyond. Also known as the most epic and heart-pounding scramble in any game I’ve ever played, which I love/hate with every fiber of my heart.

I made a Spotify playlist for this chapter for those who like listening to music while they read; all songs from the Trespasser OST.

~9500 words; only an excerpt here. Read the whole chapter on AO3.

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Sera grimaced as she stepped through the eluvian. “Feels fuzzy here. That’s weird. Trees are nice, though.”

Toby whined and tucked his tail between his legs, and Cassandra frowned at Sera. “It certainly does not feel fuzzy here. It feels very strange. Why is it difficult to breathe? And are you talking about those dead trees?”

Sera’s eyebrows shot up. “Dead? They’re not dead! Covered in pretty blooms, more like.” She gave Cassandra a sympathetic look. “I think your hat’s making your brain a bit wibbly.”

Hawke looked up from where she was rubbing Toby’s jowls. “I’m sorry to break this to you, Sera, but only you and Fenris can see those flowers.”

“What!” Sera exclaimed. “Don’t be stupid.”

“It’s true,” Rainier told her. “Only elves can see the flowers on those trees.”

Sera’s face went blank. Then she trotted up to Fenris and tugged his sleeve. “I don’t like it here.”

“Nor do I,” he agreed. “We will be out soon.” He led them to the darkened eluvian and looked at Dorian. “You have the keystone?”

“One shiny magic-soaked gem at your service,” Dorian said. He pulled the cloth-covered keystone from his pocket and turned to Bull. “Amatus, do you want to do the honours?”

Bull shrugged. “Sure, why not.” He waited until Dorian touched the keystone to the mirror, then spoke in Qunlat: “Maraas nehraa.”

The eluvian’s surface lit up with a mercurial swirl of purples and pinks and blues. Fenris took a step toward it, but Bull held up a hand. “I’ll go first, boss. If anyone’s guarding the other side, another horned guy coming through will give them pause for a second.”

“Good thinking,” Fenris said. He gestured to the eluvian. “Go on; we will follow.”

Bull disappeared through the eluvian. Fenris followed a moment later to find Bull already embroiled in a battle with three qunari.

Fenris lit his lyrium marks, then phased behind the nearest javelineer and tore out her heart. Four more qunari were running over to engage, but the rest of Fenris’s companions were stepping through the eluvian one by one, and within a couple of minutes, the qunari were dead and bleeding on the ground.

And Fenris’s hand was frothing with unstable magic.

“Get back,” he barked at his companions. He took three hasty steps away from them and shoved his focus through the flickering mark.

It exploded with a sickening flare of light. A wave of pain tore its way up to his shoulder, but the pain was blessedly brief before settling back into its usual low-level burn.

He sighed and flexed his green-stained fingers before looking up. Dorian, Varric, Bull and Rainier simply looked resigned, but Cassandra and Sera looked horrified.

“Maker,” Cassandra breathed. “Is that what has been happening–?”

Hawke pushed past them and strode over to Fenris. “Come on, let’s go, no time to waste,” she sing-songed. “Qunari to tear apart, Viddasalas to punch in the face – we’ve got a very packed schedule ahead.” She looped her hand through Fenris’s elbow and pulled him toward a long stone bridge that led to the main fortress of the Darvaarad.

“Hang on a minute,” Dorian said as he trotted along beside them. “Why didn’t you want us near the mark when you set it off? Is it not casting barriers anymore?”

“It was casting barriers?” Cassandra said in surprise.

“For a time, yes,” Fenris said. “But I’m not convinced it will do that anymore. It feels volatile – more so than a few hours ago.” He gave Dorian a frank look. “I’m afraid it will injure you rather than protecting you.”

“Kaffas,” Dorian said glumly. “Just tell us when to duck, then.”

They scurried along the length of the bridge, and Fenris quickly scoped out their surroundings as best he could despite the darkness of night. The fortress ahead was tall and imposing, with a guardhouse in front and a tall stone tower to the left. A few large stone sculptures of qunari warriors decorated the otherwise austere surroundings, and as they neared the end of the bridge, Fenris silently counted the guards that he could see.

Rainier and Bull had apparently been doing the same; as they all hunkered down in the shelter of the bridge’s stone wall, Rainier murmured to them. “Three guards at the stone tower, and I think I spotted one in the guardhouse.”

“Two in the guardhouse,” Bull corrected. “And four more by the entrance to the keep, so that’s nine in total. We should take them out one at a time, fast, or we’ll have a mess on our hands.”

“Why one a time?” Hawke asked. “Let’s just plow right in and get this done. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t mind a little mess.”

Despite her lighthearted words, her fingers were tapping on her knees, and Fenris knew why she was impatient; she wanted to push forward in the hopes that Solas or Fen’Harel or whoever it was would remove his disintegrating mark.

He lowered his voice. “We can’t risk attracting unwanted attention. We have no way of knowing how many qunari are inside.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Sneaking it is. Who do you want where?”

Fenris looked at his companions. “Bull, Cole, Varric and Sera: you go ahead and take out as many as you can. Cassandra and I will assist if they detect you.” He looked at Hawke and Dorian. “Barriers only for now. No offensive magic unless there’s no other way. It will be too obvious.” He scratched Toby’s ears. “You stay here with me, my friend,” he murmured. “A mabari will be far too noticeable.”

Toby wagged his tail as the others moved into their positions. Bull and the rogues spread out while Cassandra, Fenris, Hawke and Dorian hid by some bushes near the guardhouse. Fortunately – and somewhat to Fenris’s surprise – the plan worked out perfectly: they took down all nine guards without raising an alarm.

They reconvened at the main doors to the keep. Varric was the last to join them as he returned from the tower; he was holding a letter in his hand, and his face was surprisingly grim.

He handed the letter to Bull. “Probably something important in here,” he said. “I found it next to some red lyrium.”

“Red lyrium?” Hawke exclaimed. “How the fuck did the qunari get their hands on red lyrium?”

Bull sighed. “Could have been from a smuggling operation. Contraband Venatori stock that the Viddasala kept for her own purposes.”

Dorian folded his arms. “So we’re not just expecting a lyrium-powered saarebas, but a red-lyrium-powered saarebas? Well, that’s wonderful news.” He raised an eyebrow at Fenris. “I do so love coming on these journeys with you. They do so much to restore my health and my sense of wellbeing.”

“I’m pleased to be of help,” Fenris said dryly. He raised his eyebrows expectantly at Bull, who was frowning as he read the letter. “What’s wrong? What does the letter say?”

Bull scratched his ear. “It’s from a saarebas to a viddathari who was having trouble getting used to the Qun. But…” He shook his head. “I don’t know magic, but this saarebas sounds like a red Templar at the end. Stuff about ‘the song liquid’... ‘it will be hard to find the wisdom in the noise. The noise is an illusion like the darkness, but the walls are real.’”

Cassandra frowned. “He was driven mad, then. A dangerous mage powered by red lyrium.”

Rainier shrugged philosophically. “At least we know ahead of time so we can prepare ourselves.”

This was little comfort to Fenris. Fighting a foe amplified by red lyrium usually meant Hawke using her light-cage to trap them while Fenris weakened them with sympathetic magic from his lyrium marks, but Fenris didn’t want her using her light-cage spell. Furthermore, they had never fought a mage powered with red lyrium before. Red lyrium warriors were one thing; a red lyrium mage, on the other hand… They had never fought a red lyrium mage before.

He took a deep breath to quash his anxiety and ushered his companions into hiding on each side of the double doors into the keep. Bull pushed open one door and stepped inside, and a couple of minutes later, he poked his head out again.

“Clear for this first corridor,” he said. “But I hear some kind of mechanical clanking further in. Not sure what it is, though.”

Fenris nodded and ushered the others inside. They padded quietly through the empty halls – suspiciously empty halls that made his skin crawl – and it wasn’t long before they came upon a storeroom filled from floor to ceiling with a multitude of pristinely labelled books and artifacts.

“Andraste’s frilly underthings,” Dorian said in wonder. “Look at all of this. What an incredible collection.”

Sera wrinkled her nose. “Incredible’s one word. ‘Bunch of weird’ is another.”

“Actually, that’s three words,” Dorian said primly, and Sera stuck her tongue out at him.

Rainier stepped into the room and ran his fingers reverently over a large animal skull. “This is a griffon’s skull,” he said. He looked at the others with wide eyes. “The last griffons died in the Grey Wardens�� care. How did the qunari get their hands on this?”

Cole tilted his head as he studied an uprooted astrarium. “There’s no pain,” he said. “Just lots of… ideas?” He blinked at Fenris. “I’m not the right kind of spirit for this.”

Fenris slowly shook his head, nonplussed by the overwhelming range of objects in this room. He looked at Bull. “They are collecting this for study?”

“Yeah,” Bull said. “Then they’ll destroy it. Or they’re supposed to, at least. But the Viddasala was using lyrium instead of destroying it, so who knows what she has in mind.” His tone was neutral, but his one good eye was wide as he looked around the room.

Hawke snapped her fingers. “This must be how they got into the eluvians in the first place! Look at what they’ve got here: rare artifacts, enchanted jewelry, books – Maker’s balls, they have a lot of books.”

“No kidding,” Varric said. “The Arishok sacked Kirkwall over just one book, and here they’ve got hundreds.”

Hawke nodded slowly. “It’s knowledge,” she said. “Knowledge and power: the things Morrigan said you need to open eluvians.” She shrugged and patted Toby’s head. “That’s what they’ve been storing here. This is how they got the eluvians to work.”

Bull grunted. “Hopefully they don’t have any more ancient magic crap to throw at us.” He jerked his thumb at an enormous skull in the back corner of the room. “That dragon skull would make a wicked armchair, though. Maybe we could take it back to Skyhold after this?”

“Don’t you dare,” Dorian warned. “It will spoil Hawke’s decor theme.”

Varric looked at him in surprise. “What decor theme? She doesn’t have a theme.”

“Of course I have a theme!” Hawke said. “My theme is ‘things I like and want to show off in Skyhold’.”

“Uh-huh,” Varric said flatly. “You sure it’s not ‘things that give an impression of total chaos when visiting nobles come to the castle’?”

Rainier nodded. “It really does look like chaos. It’s, er, nauseating, actually.”

“Exactly!” she said. “It’s strategic, you see? They come into the Great Hall and think they’re getting total madness. Then they meet the Inquisitor and realize they’re getting Thedas’s smartest elf instead.” She gestured at Fenris with a flourish. “It throws them off. Puts them on their toes. Needless to say, Leliana approves of my decor.”

“Josephine doesn’t,” Dorian said slyly.

Hawke gasped dramatically. “Did she tell you that? That little gossip! She told me she loved what I did with the Great Hall!”

Cassandra tsked. “Perhaps we should move along. The qunari will have defenses in place. We must not stumble into… into anything blindly.”

Fenris frowned at her; something on one of the shelves seemed to have captured her attention. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “What do you see?”

“It’s…” She pointed at a book. “That’s a copy of Swords and Shields.”

“What?” Hawke exclaimed.

Varric snorted a laugh. “You’re kidding.” He wandered over to Cassandra, who was now flipping through the book.

“It’s barely used,” she said. “The spine is not cracked.” She gave Varric a wry smirk. “It does not seem that they considered it to be a source of much knowledge.”

Hawke chuckled. “Oh please, we all know what you’re thinking. You want to take that copy home, don’t you?”

“Of course not,” Cassandra said. “Why would you think that? I have a copy already.”

Her cheeks were turning pink. Varric and Fenris exchanged looks of alarm, and Varric tried to silently indicate to Hawke that she should stop talking, but it was too late.

Hawke raised her eyebrows. “Because your copy is falling apart from overuse, of course!”

Cassandra’s face turned bright red. “I beg your pardon?”

Bull grinned salaciously. “Overuse, huh? Go on, tell us more.”

“Yeah, go on!” Sera cheered. “Details, details!”

Cole opened his mouth, and Varric held up a warning finger. “Don’t do it, kid.”

Cassandra glowered at them all. “I’m not – how dare–” She whipped around and pinned Cole with a glare. “Have you been spying again?”

“Oh Maker’s balls,” Hawke blurted. “No no, it’s not Cole, it’s – that letter you sent to Kirkwall before the Exalted Council! Your scribe mentioned…” She finally made eye contact with Varric, then clapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh shit, that was supposed to be a secret. Never mind. Um… Look at that vase over there. Isn’t that, er, interesting?”

Cassandra made a disgusted noise. “That scribe! That cheeky little – argh!” She buried her face in her hands.

Bull chuckled. “Come now, Seeker, nothing embarrassing about it. It’s perfectly natural.”

Dorian stroked his mustache. “A bit strange that you’re personal friends with the writer of your, er, overused material, though.”

Cassandra shot him a scathing look, but Hawke was the one to reply. “How is that strange? I regularly tell Varric which of his chapters get me off.”

Varric tugged his ear while the others scoffed and chuckled, and Fenris shook his head. “Hawke…”

She blithely went on. “My favourites are the ones where there’s fingertip action.”

“Fingertip action?” Sera exclaimed.

“Yes!” Hawke said. “You know, ‘he traced his fingertips slowly over her petal-soft shoulder…’” She sighed wistfully. “So titillating. And he does it in every smut chapter.”

Sera cackled. “What? That’s tame! That gets you going?”

“Yes, because I know where he’s going with it next,” she said with a lascivious wink. “What about you, Cassandra? What are your favourite smutty bits?”

“I have no opinion on the matter,” Cassandra said haughtily, but she was smiling very slightly now.

Bull smirked at Hawke. “That’s definitely not what I thought of when you said fingertip action.” He looked at Dorian. “Did you?”

Dorian casually brushed off of his sleeve. “I have no opinion on the matter.”

Then Rainier piped up. “I think the biggest question is why Varric writes that titillating fingertip action in the first place.”

Hawke snapped her fingers. “An excellent point!” she said. She batted her eyelashes at Varric. “Are you looking for someone to trail their fingertips over that manly chest of yours?”

Varric tucked his hands in his pockets. “I have no opinion on the matter.”

Despite the growing pain in his arm, Fenris chuckled. Hawke grinned at him, then she started to laugh. Then Varric was laughing, and Rainier and Bull as well, and…

And all of a sudden, all of them were laughing. All of them except for Cole, who was blinking in a clueless sort of way while he patted Toby’s head, and for some unfathomable reason, that just made the situation even funnier.

Hawke wrapped her arm around Fenris’s waist as she laughed, and for a bittersweet moment, he admired the brilliance of her grin and the sounds of his friends’ unrestrained mirth. But the bitterness soon overtook the sweet when a lightning-sharp pulse of pain began to stab through his palm.

He abruptly stepped away from Hawke and left the storeroom. When he was a safe ten paces away, he allowed the accumulated magic in his hand to burst.

The accompanying agony shot through his arm to up his shoulder, and he clenched his jaw so as not to cry out. When the pain and magic had waned and the blood was no longer pulsing in his ears, he turned back to face the storeroom.

They were all staring at him with varying degrees of worry and sadness and sympathy. All except for Hawke, whose face was white with fear.

She exited the storeroom and looked at Bull. “Come on, then. Mechanical clanking noises, you said?”

“Uh, yeah,” Bull said. He gave Fenris a guarded glance as he stepped past them, and they followed him down the hallway in a somber silence.

Read the rest on AO3.

#fenris #fenris fic #Lovers in a Dangerous Time #fenris the inquisitor #fenquisition #fenhawke #fenris/hawke #fenris x hawke #fenris/femhawke #fenris x femhawke #fenris/f!hawke #fenris x f!hawke #fenrynne #pikapeppa writes #trespasser dlc

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