#cara laidir

[lottiesnotebook]

Oh i’d love to hear the story of Rook trying to impress someone.

Thank you for the ask! I hope you enjoy a little story about my Horrible Nepo Baby!

From the Rook Storytime Prompts:

The biggest problem with Skyhold, at least in the eyes of Cara Hawke-Laidir, was that she mostly ended up there because her mother was doing something too scary and interesting to take her along. She understood her mother worried about her, but she was almost thirteen now, and practically a full mage! In a Circle, they might already be talking about Harrowing her, but apparently, that did not make her mature or useful enough to be taken anywhere Actually Interesting.

There were, however, some significant advantages to Skyhold: endless walls to climb, far more people to watch than she'd seen since Kirkwall, and of course, there was Lace. Scout 'Call me Lace!' Harding with her beautiful red hair pinned up in braids, who was only seven years older than her, and not even a mage, but so quick and so clever that even the Herald called her 'invaluable'.

Lace never treated her like a baby. Lace was always ready to talk to her about the problems or dangers of scouting, and if Cara had ideas or suggestions, she listened to her as she might listen to anyone. Lace had even, after much persuasion, shown her how to light campfires without magic and to shoot a bow, which her mother said they might all come to regret, but Cara thought was an excellent and useful skill.

All this to say that Lace was quite possibly the most beautiful and interesting person that Cara had met in her twelve years of life, and the crush she had on the older girl could quite reasonably be described as 'devastating'. Cara certainly felt devastated by it, every time she remembered that she was in fact only nearly thirteen and it would be years before Lace might reasonably return her feelings. Right now, she knew, Lace had her own crush on the Inquisitor, who was in fairness very handsome and charming and could do absolutely insane things like jump off the battlements and walk away unscathed.

"It's a knack," he told Cara, breezily, the one time she got the opportunity to ask. "When you're as old as me, you'll have figured it out too, I'm sure."

The problem was, Cara was getting unbelievably tired of waiting to be old enough for things like going adventuring with her mother, or getting Lace to fall in love with her, and really, jumping off things didn't look that hard.

So, really, it was Inquisitor Trevelyan's fault when she yelled "Lace, look!" and jumped off the Skyhold steps. She broke two ribs and her arm in three places, but to her credit, it did very much get Lace Harding's attention.

[the-font-bandit]

Cara Hawke-Laidir

A Dragon Age OC Cocktail

character by @lottiesnotebook

A sweet cocktail for a spoiled princess, with the smallest bite of cinnamon. And of course, a rum base for a pirate Lord of Fortune.

2oz (60ml) Aged rum (not spiced) (I used Planteray 5-year)

1.5oz (45ml) Honey syrup*

1.5oz (45ml) Fresh lime juice

About 8 dark sweet cherries (fresh or thawed from frozen)

1 cinnamon stick

Optional: edible shimmer dust in gold or red

* To make honey syrup, warm equal parts honey and water until honey dissolves, then let cool. Can be done on the stovetop, but I usually do it in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave, in 15-second bursts and stirring between.

Muddle cherries in a shaker tin with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon

Add everything else into shaker (except shimmer dust if using)

Add ice

Shake until well chilled

Strain into cocktail glass through a fine mesh strainer to catch cherry bits, discard cherries

Optional: Add a sprinkle of shimmer dust and stir

[lottiesnotebook]

Hi! 6 or 32 for the Rook story time prompts!

Thank you for the ask from your brilliant Rook Storytime Prompts! I'm still on my first ever Veilguard playthrough, but I hope this works for my Horrible Nepo Baby Rook!

Maybe she should have been paying closer attention, but the dragon is so big it's hard to see the tail coming when you're focussed on aiming a spell at the soft spot of its belly. At least, that's what Cara would tell anyone who asked why she didn't see the tail coming and ended up smacked into the wall of the half-ruined Treviso market.

There's a loud crack from something in her head, and black and white stars dance across her visions, like the lanterns that used to hang between the awnings and now likely form the broken glass digging into her back. Not that that really matters in this moment. Even the dragon and the Blight seem very far away. It's just her, and the stars, and the ragged scraps of awning fluttering above her, and she's probably going to die here, like this, and is too dazed even to really care.

Then there's a rush of wind - warm, not icy like the dragon's breath had been - and she hears shouts and the sound of boots on cobblestones. She makes an inarticulate groaning noise, and then someone is leaning above her, and in the shadow of the awning, their eyes seem to flare with light for a moment, and their hands are cool on her face.

"Cara? Cara, can you hear me?" A man's voice, low and urgent. Something about it seems a little off, but everyone here calls her Rook, because Varric calls her Rook, and there's only one man with glowing eyes who says her name with such panic and such tenderness.

"Daddy?" she mumbles, and someone else nearby - Bellara, she thinks? Why would Bellara and her father be in the same place? Her father shouldn't even be in Antiva - gives a high, almost frightened laugh.

The mans head snaps around towards the laugh. "The dragon is gone, Treviso is in ruins, Rook does not recognise us, and you are laughing?"

"Look, you have to admit she's going to hate this when she comes round properly."

Bellara's words might as well have been a prophecy. It's the only thing any of them have to laugh about, so naturally it's all around the Lighthouse before Cara's even recovered from the cracked skull.

"It could be worse," Bellara reminds her through the bedroom door, when she buries her head in a pillow and refuses to come out of her room for dinner. "Lucanis is too bashful to read into that. If you'd called Neve Mommy, you'd never be allowed to forget it."

"I wish," Cara says, into the pillow, "that you'd let the dragon eat me."

[alystrin03]

For the Rook Kiss Game: Dealer's Choice for my Horrible Spoilt Princess, Cara Hawke-Laidir, if you would like?

Well, this got REALLY interesting. @lottiesnotebook says her Cara is a horrible and spoilt princess, let's see if they can share an underwater kiss...

[Will add the pics later]

If anyone could get on her nerves, it was Cara Laidnir (she claimed to be Cara Hawke, but Alecto wasn't sure if it was one of her eccentricities or if she was the daughter of the real Champion).

They had met on a ship (if that piece of wood could be called that) in Rivain, while Alecto had been looking for a more or less decent place to settle after her banishment. The Crow had wandered here and there, looking for an occupation that would give her enough income to provide for herself somewhat comfortably, and that was precisely what had led her to seek out the Lords of Fortune who, she supposed, would surely be interested in her skill at sneaking into places: a good marauder can be quite expensive. One who also knows how to defend herself? A small treasure.

But there she was, with her arrogance and her smirk, looking at her as if they were lifelong friends. She wouldn't say "intimate", because the truth is that they had been quite intimate during that hell of a boat trip. 

"If it isn't sweet little De Riva," Cara's mocking voice was as irritating as ever. She was looking her up and down, undisguised. And, despite herself, Alecto was doing exactly the same. "Are you looking for a place where your skills are valued? You're in the right place, I'm sure we can make use of them. All of them."

The last sentence made it clear that she wasn't exactly referring to stealth. Alecto couldn't help but let out a devious chuckle.

" They could always ask you for your opinion. I heard you make it clear last time that there are a few things I'm particularly good at," she narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. Cara might be cheeky, but she was Alecto De Riva and allowing herself to be played with - and not in the fun way - was not in her plans.

The young mage looked amused at her response. She shook her head, laughing, and Alecto couldn't help but let her gaze stray to how that chest was rising, which Cara barely covered completely intentionally. "Too bad for you that Isabela hasn't returned from the last foray yet, but don't worry, pretty eyes," her voice went from teasing to silky, velvety, "you can stay here until she comes back. I'll show you the little wonders the Rivain coast has to offer. I'm sure we'll find something to do.”

She grabbed her by the shoulders, making them both leave the place. Alecto glanced sideways at her friend's hand - if she could even call it that - resting on her deltoid as she stroked it absently. Cara exasperated her, but she certainly knew how to get on her nerves, in a good and bad way. In the Hall of Heroes they must have been used to her dalliances, because seeing the two women like this didn't arouse a single curious glance. 

Cara took her to one of the nearby beaches. The breeze was pleasant, and the seagulls seemed more focused on fishing than on them. Alecto couldn't suppress a smile at the sight.

"I thought you were a homesick crybaby" Cara continued to tease "but I see you appreciate the good things"

She gave her a sidelong glance. Yes, she was homesick, but after all, she no longer had a home. "Fucking Crows and their bullshit plans" she thought angrily.

"We should swim in the bay", oblivious to everything, her companion continued the chatter, with a certain provocative tone "I wonder how a little crow like you behaves underwater"

Alecto had to swallow. She wasn't about to admit that she couldn't swim and water terrified her - not for nothing had it been one of her instructors' favourite punishments - but she wasn't about to go into the sea either, of that she was absolutely certain. 

"You'll just have to keep your doubts to yourself, I hate sand. And salt, for that matter." Scowling, she turned away from the crystal clear water. Cliffs loomed a little further on, and the ruins above them seemed much more interesting, as well as reasonably far from the sea. She was assessing where to climb when that spoilt brat pushed her straight over a small waterfall she hadn't been paying attention to.

"Maker's fucking cock!" she screamed, indignant. She was completely soaked, her clothes weighing her down every time she tried to move.

Not only that, but Cara's bloody laughter added even more rage to the anger she already felt. The young woman jumped up beside her, letting the water run down her body. Alecto didn't want to look, but watching it seep through her clothes, wetting her skin, was something she couldn't help but notice

"Poor little wet bird, are you cold?"

Without any delicacy, Cara pressed her lips to her own, sliding her tongue into her mouth. Okay, she was angry and the water was freezing, but that damn girl knew just how to warm her up.

[genjyoandgojyoandhakkai]

Six Song Soundtrack Game - Xiqaa Laidir

RULES: make a post with links to music and/or lyrics describing six things/events about your OC/story.

Thanks for tagging me @feaches @apothe-cary 💖

There's no real theme to these songs, just songs I listen to about when I think about Her. They are all nominally acoustic songs? Mostly not new either. So the common theme is my own oldness 🫠

Name - Goo Goo Dolls

This one's for Xi, Emmrich, and Lucanis, but it's especially true because not only is she an orphan but she didn't know her own name. All her names are names she chose for herself.

And now we're grown-up orphans That never knew their names We don't belong to no one, that's a shame You could hide beside me Maybe for a while And I won't tell no one your name

2. Better With You - Harrison Storm

The first verse really makes me think of Xi's life as a galley slave before she escaped to join the Lords, and the second makes me think of her nights with Lucanis in the Lighthouse.

My old home, brick and cold / Now I roam where I wanna go / Start to run / Always told do or don't / Watch me run down the open road Sleepless nights, hold you tight / Starry lights and a haze of smoke/ Wings unfold, weight unload / Hold you close under setting sun

3. Body Language - Ron Pope

Yes it's meeee the official Ron Pope apologist 🤣 The entire song really reminds me most of Lucanis but it's definitely their vibe as Emmrookispite as well. Something about understanding someone without using the same vocabulary just works given how different they all are.

You've got an accent different than mine / But I watch your lips and always find / More things in common than could keep us apart / 'Cause I know your heart / You speak my body language, using words I ain't never heard / You speak my body language, you're the only one on Earth

4. Scars to Your Beautiful - (Alessia Cara cover by Carrollton)

Xi has struggled with the way people have viewed her many scars. While she's made peace with her past for the most part, she still doesn't see herself (positively) the way others do. She remembers what Varric told her about looking in the mirror, and his words echo through her mind often.

She don't see her perfect / She don't understand she's worth it / Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface / So to all the girls that's hurting / Let me be your mirror / Help you see a little bit clearer / The light that shines within

5. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

This one is for the Veilguard era; when they first find themselves in charge of this weird expanding group of experts, each with a specific skill that's not just 'finding shit and making trouble for bad people'. See song 4 🙃

I walk a lonely road / The only one that I have ever known / Don't know where it goes / But it's home to me and I walk alone

6. Let Go (Frou Frou cover by Boyce Avenue)

If there's anything Rook knows, it's how to jump in headfirst and deal with the fallout later. It's kindof the only thing she knows how to do instinctively, and how she got her name, of course. Big risk, big reward or big consequences but we don't think about that okay?

So let go, mm, jump in / Oh well, whatcha waiting for? / It's alright / 'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown

[lottiesnotebook]

Waaaay too late coming to this to expect anything, but all the sketches so far are incredible, so I took screenshots of my girl just in case! Cara 'Rook' Hawke-Laidir, Horrible Nepo Princess who should not be allowed to Protagonist and yet nobody has stopped her yet. She is 23 years old and is repressing every bad thing that ever happened to her in order to be the most spoilt drama queen Thedas has ever seen. She's the worst, I love her so much. <3

Still undecided on her final canonical romance, but in my heart it's Lucanis because he doesn't know he could do better and Neve who knows she could do better but thinks that her audacity is cute.

“Neve, meet Rook… thought we could use an expert in trouble.” DAMN but they set that banter up early, don’t they? Really enjoying the near-constant references to trouble in my second playthrough.

Eann “Rook” Aldwir, chaos goblin and spellblade extraordinaire 💕 Expression studies from screenshots, because I love her and I can.

(P.S. Does anyone want a sketch of their Rook in this style? I could use the practice! If you send/link a screenshot I’ll give it a go and post them here.)

[tiravi]

Tira Laidir | OC Vibes

Rules: Show a picture of your Rook then 4 (or more) pictures you think matches their vibe. Original post by @curiouswisp 4 song addition idea by @a-mumbling-nerd

"Delicate in every way but one (the swordplay) God knows we like archaic kinds of fun (the old way) Chance is the only game I play with, baby We let our battles choose us"

Glory And Gore - Lorde

Outlaws - Alessia Cara

The Parting Glass

Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine

[fiadhaisteach]

Being the nerd I am, I have a spreadsheet for my characters. I started creating this too late, sadly, and am missing a couple, but I have most of them recorded.

Total hours played across Dragon Age is 1,751.95, the bulk of which are in DAI (1,016.53) where I have 17 active inquisitors, plus a dozen or so on the cutting room floor.

But DAV has already surpassed DAO & DA2 combined, both for active characters (10 combined, though many more planned, rolled up, & cut) and time (341.41 combined) with all 10 available slots filled (and 4 on the cutting room floor), plus one run completed and archived and 394 hours in as of 2025/01/09.

Though I have no idea how I’d calculate the number of hours spent reading & poring over lore & meta outside of the games. Heh.

Speaking of… does anyone have a PDF of the DAV Codex yet?

DAO: Fenorain "Surana", Ruth Tabris, Aravunlea "Surana", Sereda Aeducan, Blancmange Cousland, Parthren Brosca, Elithnehn Mahariel

DA2: Praxis, Belle, Cara

DAI: Evelyn Trevelyan, Elanor Lavellan, Aviselan Lavellan, Geoff Trevelyan, Aoifa Trevelyan, Beresaad Adaar, Evuniala Lavellan, Alulya Lavellan, Elgadir Lavellan, Elizabeth Trevelyan, 3velen Trevelyan, Kerev Cadash, Elanor2 Lavellan, Ellana Lavellan, The Onyx Auroch, Lace Cadash, Aelinor Lavellan

DAV: Revas, Sofia DeRiva, Sabrina Mercar, Beshak Thorne, Sivu Laidir, Eabha Ingellvar, Ivy Laidir, Lorant Thorne, Recorda Ingellvar, Adrocer Mercar (plus Halais Aldwir who's files are safely saved)

Ask me about any of them!

[seigephoenix]

Do any of your ships have kids in the future? Except the ones you've written about already?

I'm going to assume you are specifying my Dragon Age ships? So I'll just include the ones that are from Dragon Age. If you meant any of my other ships from other fandoms, I'll gladly talk about them too. Aside from the obvious which are the ones who canonically have kids in my universes already.

Elaina Cousland/Nathaniel Howe - Rosalind "Rosie" Howe Max Amell/Morrigan - Kieran Amell Alissa Trevelyan/Garrett Hawke - Zephyr Hawke and Leah Hawke Roisin Lavellan - Finn Aldwir (not with Solas, but she does have a kid so she counts) Odette Ingellvar/Emmrich Volkarin - Isaac Volkarin

Briar Amell/Leliana - that one is a no, they do not have nor adopt any kids Briar Amell/Cullen Rutherford - also a no, Briar doesn't want to have any children given who she is

Salem Hawke/Fenris - they do not have kids at the end of DA2. By Veilguard they have a son.

Genevieve Trevelyan/Cullen Rutherford - yes they have 2 children. McKenna and Gawain (girl and boy) Adelaide Trevelyan/Iron Bull - do the Chargers count as kids? Cause that would be their children. No to biological offspring though. Niyra Cadash/Varric Tethras - the answer is obvious for this one... Moving on Bronwen Lavellan/Josephine Montilyet - no but Bronwen does have a daughter from a previous relationship. His daughter Nadiya and Yvette become close friends.

Finn Aldwir/Bellara Lutare - Absolutely they have kids. Roisin wanted grandbabies. XD In my canon, they have 4 kids total. 3 boys and 1 girl. Ashia Laidir/Taash - oh no, absolutely not. Ashia wouldn't be opposed if Taash wanted to have kids, but she is absolutely not going to be pregnant. She also can't really picture herself as motherly or anything of the like. In the Rookery AU, she is the bestest auntie in the world and spoils the kids rotten. Senna Thorn/Davrin - also of the childless lifestyle. Mostly because they have Assan and Stormwing as their kids. Do I like to imagine they have a kid? Yes, I love the happily ever after family trope. But in my canon storyline for them, they do not have kids. Jacek Thorn/Lace Harding - they adopt later on. An elven girl and a dwarven boy. Vat'Asala/Neve Gallus - maybe way down the line they'll talk about it. I haven't quite decided for these two because I think Asala would make a great parent. They're incredibly patient and warm and has a lot of love to give. Absolutely would be the one to fall for the pleading eyes though. Godspeed Neve if you two adopt. Mariposa de Riva/Lucanis Dellamorte - yes they do have kids. Twin boys later on who inherit Mariposa's magical talent

And last but certainly not least...

Cara Valisti/Illario Dellamorte - no. Cara can't have kids (and if you read Darkside you'll find out why in part 4 that will be posted next week)

Hope that helped you Nonny! All my Dragon Age ships and their stances on kids/if they have kids. Since I do like that family happily ever after trope, a lot of my ships do have kids. But I try to fit it with the character and their personality.

[lottiesnotebook]

Cara Bettina Hawke-Laidir is a Justice/Hawke/Anders nepo baby Rook born approximately 9 months after the Deep Roads expedition. In-universe, there were a lot of people to honour when naming her - Carver, Karl, Bethany, and Anders' mother all got a bit of a namesake in her. She is VERY lucky not to have ended up with a Renesmee situation, lol.

On a meta level, I liked that the name Cara could also mean "beloved", which she very much is, as a bit of a spoilt princess, and it can be lengthened to Carissima, which is a cute nickname and means both "most beloved" and "most Cara it is possible to be", both of which are Accurate.

I'm curious - what's the meaning behind your Rook's real name? Did you agonize over it for hours? Did it come to you in a dream? Did you choose one of the pre-select names in CC?

[dragonagebigbang]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65554285/chapters/168758494 Hi everyone! We're back with our second work of the Dragon Age Big Bang 2025! Let's give it up for author Goldtreesilvertree and artist Roll of Royces; they did incredible work! Go check out their efforts over on Archive of Our Own, and we hope y'all enjoy!

Rating: Mature

Summary: Kirkwall’s Chantry still stands, the mages remain in their Circles, and the Dreadwolf yet sleeps. It feels like the end of the world, but in fact, Cara Hawke-Laidir and Lucanis Dellamorte are getting married. Neither the bride and groom are thrilled about the impending event.

[lottiesnotebook]

Hi!!! For the Rook & partner questions--- 1 & 17?

Hi!! <3 These are fun questions to answer about Cara and Lucanis, so I'm going to stick with them for now despite not being very far into their romance at all.

Does your Rook fall for their partner at first sight? If not, what moment made your Rook realize they're in love with them?

Cara absolutely does not fall in love at first sight in the Ossuary, though she does think the wings are hot - she's got too much on her plate and also too many issues with romance thanks to her parents' city-destroying love. I feel like it hits her pretty late in the game when she has to think about what's going to happen if they stop the gods and she realises that she doesn't want to give up drinking hot chocolate at midnight and seeing him first thing every morning.

(And then she lies face down on her Mage Fainting Couch for 2 hours because she only meant to give him and Spite marriage counselling and this is Not how that was meant to go.)

17. What is your Rook's favorite thing about their partner? What is the partner's favorite thing about Rook?

I think that Cara is her mother's daughter (her mother being an Justice/Anders-romancing Rhiannon Hawke) in that the things she finds most endearing about Lucanis are the things that draw him and Spite the closest together - his determination, his refusal to give up under impossible circumstances, his resilience, even if he sees those things as the reasons he became an abomination. She admires them both because she genuinely thinks that he should appreciate them rather than seeing them as flaws, and because they are strengths she really comes to rely on - as a Horrible Nepo Baby, she doesn't necessarily have a massive inner well of self-motivated determination and resilience, but she does have a lot of spite in her own heart and she is making productive use of it. Also, they are both a little bit inhuman, and she's drawn to that.

As for what Lucanis appreciates about Cara, who is generally Horrible... I think he falls in love first with the fact that she leaves a door open for him as an abomination without even questioning it, even if he finds her blase attitude to Spite a little alarming. She has both hope and experiential evidence that his life can still be worth living, and that gives him enough leeway to keep going long enough to believe in himself.

I also think she was the first person to actually smile at him immediately after the Ossuary, and he can never quite forget that.

[lottiesnotebook]

I've simply got to know 6, 7 and 13 for Cara and Lucanis

Ah, you mean Lucara :p Cannot believe your commitment to inflicting my Horrible Nepo Baby Rook on that poor man, he does not deserve her but I think his self esteem is poor enough that he does not know that.

6. What is their favorite thing to do together? Do they share any hobbies? Does your Rook teach their partner their own hobbies? Does the partner teach Rook theirs?

I think Lucanis definitely teaches her to cook, if only out of worry that if left unsupervised, she will either burn down the Lighthouse or get scurvy. I think she whines about it at first but actually gets very into it because she likes to see him happy and content (and the knife skills are hot too.)

As for Cara... I think she had lute lessons when she was a little girl and still likes to play, but I think she has the most fun teaching him to sail, though it really stresses him out at first:

"Mi amore, you cannot swim!"

"Oh noooo guess you'll have to rescue me if I fall in... :3"

(She has been living on boats for 10ish years, she's not going to fall in)

7. Are they a physically affectionate couple? Are they fine displaying those affections in public or do they prefer to be in private? If they're not, how do they prefer to show their love instead?

I feel like Cara is very physically affectionate both in public and in private, which Lucanis is a little bashful about but really enjoys having someone be unafraid to love him openly given the whole Dellamorte Family Vibe. He is a lot subtler in terms of initiating public displays of affection but he likes to be Close To Her at all times.

13. What song(s) do you associate with them?

I have not gone so far as to make a whole playlist (yet) bc I'm not that far into the game, but the ones that come to mind are:

Because imagine the relief for Lucanis of having someone go "yes, you are fused with a demon and that is frightening and was done to you without your consent, but it has happened to other people before and they've still been happy." I think that boy needs that hope in his life tbh.

[lottiesnotebook]

Reblogging this again bc I am vain and also it's good! I know I have been teasing my Rookanis Arranged Marriage AU for months and here it is!

Love in Idleness

Fandom: Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Veilguard

Relationships: Lucanis Dellamorte/Cara Hawke-Laidir/Illario Dellamorte

Rating: Mature

Summary: Kirkwall’s Chantry still stands, the mages remain in their Circles, and the Dreadwolf yet sleeps. It feels like the end of the world, but in fact, Cara Hawke-Laidir and Lucanis Dellamorte are getting married. Neither the bride or the groom are thrilled about the impending event.

My fic cover / art for goldtreesilvertree in association with the Dragon Age Big Bang 2025 (@dragonagebigbang)!

Check out their fic Love in Idleness !

[lottiesnotebook]

For the rook story time prompts, how about : 15. Rook breaking the law.

Oh this is a fun one for Cara Hawke-Laidir, who may have the mage class but has all the morals one would expect of a Lord of Fortune Rogue, so have some breaking and entering with Uncle Varric

From Rook Storytime Prompts (previously 6, 18) (also anyone reading this, please send me any prompts you like, I'm horribly sick but this is cheering me)

"You know," Varric said, from somewhere much closer to the floor, "I'm starting to worry I'm a bad influence on you, Prince- Rook," he corrected, hastily, as she let the ward she was unpicking slip a few sparks loose to sting his fingers where he was working on the lock.

"You're not," she replied, with a sunniness that belied her mischief. "I'd be a pretty terrible Lord of Fortune if I couldn't get into places nobody wanted me to."

"That always was a habit of yours," he mused, which was probably a punishment for letting the sparks sting him - he knew damn well she was good enough with wards not to make a mistake like that by accident. "The number of times I had to fetch you out of the cellars at the Hanged Man because your parents kept hitting their heads..."

"If I hadn't come by my sneakiness honestly, you'd've taught it to me," she reminded him. "How's the lock coming on, old man? Getting slow?"

"Not on your life." The final pick slid into place and there was a satisfying click as the door cracked open. Cara let the ward settle back around it smugly - nobody would be able to tell that anyone had broken through it. "I've been picking locks before you were even a twinkle in your mama's eye."

"Maybe that's why you've slowed down in your old age," she teased, and he slapped her on the back hard enough to shove her into the room ahead of him.

"For that, Princess, you can do the first trap-check," he informed her, and she groaned. "Aren't your young eyes better than mine for work like this, or has Rivaini been letting you get sloppy?"

"I didn't know working with you would come with homework," she groused, but narrowed her eyes as she scanned the room, looking for anything out of place. "Lump under the rug near the desk," she noted, "and some kind of switch over by the fireplace."

"Good start," he said, and she preened for a moment before he added: "You did miss the ones on the wardrobe, though, so I'll start there."

She left him to it, while she disarmed the pressure-plate under the rug by wrapping it in a quick barrier - nothing too fancy, but enough to prevent it being stepped on. This left the desk to her: she scanned the drawers, disarmed the triggers on them, and began to sift through the papers for anything important enough for Varric to pay attention to.

"These are the ones you want," she informed him, stacking them neatly for him to peruse. "The rest is receipts, personal letters... boring stuff."

"Anything scandalous in the letters?"

"No," she sighed, moving away from the desk to inspect the glass-fronted cabinet over the fireplace. This was where the interesting stuff was. "Mostly advice on which horses to bet on in the races, and sketches for how he wants his gardens laid out. If this magister-"

"Altus."

"If this altus is hiding a secret boyfriend who happens to be the Dreadwolf somewhere out in the borderlands, I can't find his letters."

"Shame." Behind her, she could hear the rustling of paper as Varric skimmed through the stack she'd pulled together for him, but that was nowhere near as interesting as the collection of shiny trinkets and runes stored behind the glass. They weren't here for treasure - they weren't meant to leave any sign they'd been here at all - but it seemed a shame that such pretty, valuable treasures were left to gather dust in a corner of the study that their master probably rarely looked at.

"I'd appreciate you," she murmured, to a set of jewelled chess-pieces that glimmered with enchantment, to a pair of gloves cut from purest shadow, to a little silver bell that gleamed moon-bright in the shadowed corner.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Varric!" she said, quickly, "Just- checking the wards over here!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, but the second they dropped back to the paper, her picks were out and she was cracking the cabinet open like an oyster for a pearl.

She regretted it a moment too late, when the bell let out a low, mournful dong that almost shook the floorboards. Cursing, she swept the chess-set into her bags along with her picks, and scrambled towards Varric.

"Window?" she said, brightly.

"Cara Bettina-" He turned his head sharply at the sound of running feet. "Window," he agreed, and together, they tumbled out into the alley below and fled into the dark.

Later, back at the inn, papers still in hand, he was still glaring at her. "If I told your mother how you endangered the job-"

"She'd have asked you why you didn't help me empty the cabinet," she said, brightly, and he flicked her on the ear as if she were still a little girl who'd crawled into a cubbyhole she shouldn't have.

"And your father would say that anyone who describes people as their property doesn't deserve to keep what they have," he sighed. "You really did get the worst of both your parents, didn't you, Princess?"

"And that," she reminded him, "is why you love me so much."

[lottiesnotebook]

happy thedas weekend!! im sorry but I see Cara Hawke Laidir/Emmrich Volkarin on your list and I just gotta ask 👀 maybe "I want to learn. Teach me." from the sugar and spice prompts?

So this turned out rather more sugar than spice, because it turns out it is actually VERY DIFFICULT to make Cara and Emmrich actually hook up, but I think I have made a Start here, which I hope counts for Something...

Emmrich Volkarin/Cara Hawke-Laidir, age gap, terrible flirting, Cara is a Horrible Brat

@guacamolleee | @thedasweekend

keep a tender distance

“I’ve never seen anyone talk to spirits the way you do.” Cara Laidir’s eyes are wide and guileless as she gazes up from beneath her lashes, which is, to Emmrich, already suspicious. He’s proud of his optimism, his open-hearted faith that there’s good in everyone, mortal and spirit, if only one can reach out to touch it, but something has him unsettled even before she finishes her sentence: “I want to learn. Teach me?”

She finishes with a bat of those shadow-dark lashes, an unnecessary gilding of the lily. Emmrich has never been anything less than a passionate teacher to any student with the slightest interest in spiritcalling or corpse-speaking, but he has, in his day, met plenty of students who’s interest lay in passions more carnal than charnal. From the way Cara flutters her lashes, arches her back so that he cannot miss the shadow between her breasts, darts out her pink tongue to moisten scarlet-painted lip, he suspects she is of that latter kind, and such entanglements have never been to his taste.

For some, he knows, there is allure in that particular kind of forbidden romance, but he’s always found the idea a little sordid, a little tawdry. Pyrite and cheap paste in place of grave gold, a mockery of the art of love, an art he has always held holy.

Still, he does not know his young leader well enough, yet, to know for certain she is being insincere, for all that she seems to flirt more easily than she breathes: leaning close to Neve’s shoulder as she unpicks a ward, clinging to Davrin’s strong arm as they trudge through the filth of the Hossberg Wetlands, flinging herself recklessly through the air to be caught by Lucanis (or, more often, Spite).

They are not, as a rule, a particularly tactile people, in Nevarra, in the Necropolis. Tenderness is reserved for children, lovers, and the dead. He would know — in his youth, he’d recalled hands covering hands in his mother’s kitchen, in his father’s yard, and applied the same technique to helping his classmates with autopsies, with the drawing of runes. Then, he had received only flinches away, only looks of disgust. He has become accustomed, with the wisdom of age, to keeping a careful distance between himself and his students, lest he risk the appearance of impropriety, of lines becoming blurred that he would never consider crossing.

Cara, as a student, is not content with careful distance, with detailed instruction. “I can’t get this gesture right,” she sighs, lips knotting into a thwarted pout. “I think the angle’s wrong. Could you show me again?”

“Of course-” he begins, and raises his arms to demonstrate. She takes it as invitation, or possibly, as an opening he did not mean to leave, and slips herself into the circle of his arms, head tilted up to gaze studiously at the positioning of his fingers. Her hair smells like salt, where it brushes his nose, like the wild, white-capped sea. Like a distant storm, caught on the wind, brushing his skin with the promise of rain.

“Oh,” she breathes, and he can feel her voice reverberate between his own ribs, low and sweet as a beating heart. “It’s like this?”

There is a moment — only a moment — where he forgets what she was meant to be learning, and then she outstretches her hands and positions them an inch or so below. He can tell, from the flex of the tendons in her wrist, that the magic will not flow through her smoothly with the awkward angle of her thumbs. It should be the most natural thing in the world, to cover her hands with his own, to correct the positioning of her fingers and let the magic spark free, untangled from the nerves and sinews of her flesh.

But there is something artificial in the way she gasps and shudders against him, in how she leans into his touch like a tomb-guardian cat demanding her due. Not the desire — in truth, he cannot read her well enough to tell if her attraction is genuine or feigned, a display she thinks he expects of her — but its expression. In her least-guarded moments — in battle, in fear — she is sharp-edged, shattered glass, ruthless in a way he half-recognises.

In her least-guarded moments, she reminds him of Johanna, and perhaps, knowing what he knows of his former love now, that should repulse him. Of course, as it did with Johanna, it fascinates him, the more because even in her most ruthless moments, she does not slide into needless cruelty. She does what she believes is necessary, and then slips back behind her laughing mask of the heartless pirate princess, as if such matters of life and death and apocalypse are far beyond her ken.

For all Emmrich plays the gentleman necromancer, the fastidious, dapper professor, he has always been a spirit-caller, a corpse speaker, a scalpel born to slice through the illusions of this world to the truths hidden at the heart of theFade. And when Cara pouts and bats her lashes and plays the wicked student in need of Teacher’s reprimand, he itches to pull away her illusions, to cut through to the bones of her and reveal whatever her games and her masks and her secrets attempt to conceal from him.

His first attempt is a failure, of course, perhaps because it follows close on the heels of her own mistake. Spite snarls out something that is, in its own way, a joke, and before he can retort, Cara giggles, and Spite preens. That is, in itself, an offence to his pride — that she’d begged him for lessons for a skill that clearly came as naturally to her as breath, and that he’d been blind to her mischief until she herself slipped up.

“You know, my dear,” he murmurs, a note of chastisement creeping into his voice as he hands her over a brook, “if you want something from me, you need not make a game of it. You need only ask.”

She glances over her shoulder at him, expression darkening momentarily to a scowl before she smooths it into a prettier, less-pleasing pout. “Now where would be the fun in that?” she retorts, and dances ahead before he can muster a reply, dark hair flying in the wind, her personal banner of defiance.

That is the puzzle of her, and he admits, reluctantly, the attraction, too — as Johanna hid her softer, more vulnerable heart behind the sharpened edges of her brilliance, Cara conceals her sharpness, yes, but also her heart and its hungers, behind a glittering verneer of fun. A girl who cares for nothing but glittering trinkets and games that mimic love without its pitfalls and heartaches — a girl like that cannot carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Perhaps her games and her tricks and her petty deceptions are less a mask than a hiding place, one she has carved out in her own mind, her own heart.

He should, he knows, allow her her secrets and her games, but sometimes — sometimes, still, he catches a glimpse of the bones behind her pretty lies, and, ever-true to his nature, he itches to uncover them.