#lahalaan and solas

[crackinglamb]

OTP Tag! Again!

This time for Lahalaan and Solas.  Theirs is a post canon story, so some of these will definitely not apply, or only applied in the past.  @bitterotter​, here ya go.  My dysfunctional couple.  Get a load of these two idiots during the Inquisition era.

DISAGREEMENTS.

Who is more likely to raise their voice? Probably Solas.  His self control is not endless.  Laani is just Tired(tm).

Who threatens to leave but never actually does?  There are no idle threats in this affair.

Who actually keeps their word and leaves?  Solas did.  He broke her heart, took her arm and her only connection to her roots and disappeared into the ether for a couple years. 

Who trashes the house?  Neither.

Do either of them get physical?  Laani.  Her helpless frustration at loving a literal god shows itself by slapping him in the face.  And regardless of the fact that he’s more likely to holler, she’s got the hotter temper.  Her reaction to confirming he was Fen’Harel was to hit him (altho that was also a tantrum about where all the gear was that she gave him), and there is another occasion where they fight about the Din’anshiral that ends up with him slapped by her prosthetic hand.  At this point, they both know she can’t actually, physically hurt him.  Well...unless she throws knives at him, but that’s different.

How often do they argue/disagree?  Not as often as one might think for such a dynamic.  It’s more accurate to say they quibble more than argue.

Who is the first to apologize?  Solas.  He knows what he did to her.  He will forever be apologetic for it.

This is super long, so the rest is under the cut.

SEX.

Who is on top? Who is on bottom? In the past it was usually Solas on top.  They were pretty vanilla back when he was hiding his true self.  Now?  TBD.

Any kinks?  Nothing outlandish.

Who has the strangest desires? She’d never admit to it, but Laani is curious what Solas is like in a more ‘natural’ form, shall we say.  She harbors no illusion that he’s actually a wolf.  That would be weird and squicky.

Who’s dominant in bed?  Even split.  Solas always knew, even if she didn’t, that he was hiding things from her.  Informed consent is sacred to him and he let her see as much as he could.  That continues when they’re reunited and he’s no longer hiding anything.  That being said, he pursues her post canon, rather than her pursuing him during the Inquisition.

Is head ever in the equation? Yes.

If so, who is better at performing it? They would both say the other.

Ever had sex in public?  No.  Er...not yet, anyway.  Never say never.

Who moans the most?  Depends on who’s doing what to whom.

Who leaves the most marks?  Neither.

Who is the more experienced of the two?  Solas for sure has eons of experience in terms of sheer numbers and years, but Laani isn’t shy.  She was raised Dalish, has few inhibitions and ample opportunity to have casual relationships...that is until she met him.

Do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’?  Yes.

How long do they usually last?  During the Inquisition, it was rare for them to go more than half an hour.  There simply wasn’t the time or energy.  Now?  Let’s say Solas is looking forward to taking his time until she’s completely wrung out.  Assuming she ever lets him.

Rough or soft?  The softer side of rough, although they’ve had their moments of vigor.

Is protection used?  In the form of Dalish contraceptive tea, yes.

Does it ever get boring?  It ended before it had the chance to.  I doubt it would ever, however.  Solas is inventive.

Where is the strangest place they’d have sex? The store room for Laani’s bottles of Thedas.

FAMILY.

Do they plan on having children/or have children?  They’ve never discussed it.  I think Solas would love to, but Laani isn’t sure she wants that kind of commitment.  It’s bad enough that he’s immortal and is looked at as a deity.

If so, how many children do they want/have?  N/A

AFFECTION.

Who likes to cuddle?  Laani did, back in the day.  He was the one person she could let down her guard with.  He knows it and knows he broke that trust too.  There will be penance in the form of touch in the future, I’m sure.

Who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places?  Both of them once had a tendency.  Nothing ever came of it, there’s always something in Thedas that takes precedence over personal enjoyment.

Who struggles to keep their hands to themself?  Solas, now.  Good thing he’s a mage, I guess.  He doesn’t have to use his hands anymore.

How long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable?  They’ve never really had a chance to find out.  There’s always interruptions.

What is their favourite non-sexual activity? Reading together.  Or to each other.

Where is their favourite place to cuddle?  Anywhere they can be alone.

SLEEPING.

Who snores?  Laani started after she took a fist to the face during the Inquisition.  Deviated septum is a bitch.

If both do, who snores the loudest? Laani.

Do they share a bed or sleep separately?  They usually slept apart, even during the Inquisition, unless they were sharing a tent on the road during missions.  Their relationship post canon has yet to reach a point where that’s been determined.

If they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart?  N/A

What do they wear to bed? Solas prefers being in the nude, Laani usually wears a shirt, simply because readiness is half a battle already won.  She’s never lost her Dalish practicalities.

Are either of them insomniacs? No.

Can sleeping pills be found by the bedside?  N/A

Do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side?  Side by side while traveling.  On the rare occasions they would sleep for a while before he snuck out of her chamber in the past, they would be curled up together.

Who wakes up with bed hair?  Laani.

Who wakes up first?  Laani.

Who prepares breakfast in bed for the other?  Neither.

What is their favourite sleeping position?  Laani curls into a ball to make herself small.  Too many years sharing cramped aravels with her clan.  If Solas is with her, for however long, he wraps around her.  Cocoon more than spoon.  Touch starved idiots for the win.

Do they set an alarm each night?  No.

Who has nightmares?  Laani.  Even without the Anchor, things in the Fade find her.  Solas is the nightmare, if you believe the legends.

Can a television be found in their bedroom? N/A

Who has ridiculous dreams?  Laani.

Who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed?  Solas.  He’s spent too long on his own, sharing is not in his nature.

Who makes the bed?  The Skyhold staff during the Inquisition.  They both take care of their own beds post canon.

What time is bed time?  Before the last bell of the day.

Any routines/rituals before bed?  Nothing special.  Usual prep.

Who’s the grumpiest when they wake up?  Solas.  He still hates being taken from the Fade.

WORK.

Who is the busiest?  During the Inquisition, it was Laani.  Now it’s Solas.

Who rakes in the highest income?  This...doesn’t really apply.  Laani is an accomplished rogue, and will pickpocket and loot without compunction.  Solas is above such worldly things.

Are any of them unemployed?  Laani is now.  Being the ex-lover of Fen’Harel isn’t something you put on a resume.

Who takes the most sick days?  N/A

What are their jobs?  He is the Dread Wolf, she is an agent of his.  Although it takes time for her to get there.  He’s reluctant to put her in that position.  He feels like he’s endangered her life enough.

Who sucks up to their boss?  I’m not sure either of them would recognize this as a thing.  Currying favor from each other during their various interactions over the years is less about the job at hand and more about navigating a difficult relationship.

Who is more likely to turn up late to work?  Solas.  He is also Tired(tm) and would love to just take a nap.

Who stresses the most?  That’s a pretty even split.

Do they enjoy or despise their careers/occupations?  Laani was disillusioned as Inquisitor pretty early on.  The people surrounding her during the Inquisition wanted to change her, make her conform to human ideals more.  She hated that and is very glad that she no longer has to abide by it.  Solas detests the choices he’s had to make and cannot wait for this to be over, one way or the other.

Are they financially stable?  Remarkably so for a pair of elves in modern Thedas.

HOME.

Who does the washing?  Laani does her own now, as she did when she was still with her clan.  Solas doesn’t have the time and there is staff for that.

Who takes out the trash?  Neither.

Who does the ironing?  Neither.

Who does the cooking?  Laani does her own cooking while on the road.  Solas can keep himself alive, but is rarely in a position where he needs to do the cooking himself.

Who is more likely to burn the house down just trying?  Neither.

Who is messier?  Solas, probably.  An early life of privilege left its marks, no matter how much he’s changed.

Who leaves the toilet roll empty?  Neither.

Who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor?  Neither.

Who forgets to flush the toilet?  Do we even know what kind of plumbing Thedas has?  Not sure this applies.

Who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere?  Change that to who forgets the saddlebags and it would still be neither.

Who answers the telephone?  N/A

Who mows the lawn? N/A

Who does the vacuuming? N/A

Who does the groceries?  Laani does her own.  And by her own I mean she hunts and scavenges while on the run.  Solas has agents for that.

Who takes the longest to shower?  Laani.  Access to hot water is something she got used to being in the Inquisition.

Who spends the most time in the bathroom? Laani, but only when she can get away with it.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Is money a problem?  No.

How many cars do they own?  Change that to horses.  Laani owns none now that she’s no longer Inquisitor.  She mostly relies upon the stable Solas keeps these days.  And his is quite full.  Running a full time secretive operation means many mounts for his agents.  As well as his own hart, a gift from the Avvar back in the Inquisition days.

What’s their song?  Hurricane, Fleurie.

Do they live in the city or in the country?  Post canon saw Laani living in Val Royeaux for a while.  Solas is living in [redacted].

Do they own their home or do they rent?  Solas owns his land, he dares anyone to try and take it.  Laani drifts, neither owning or renting.  She’s Dalish.

Do they enjoy their surroundings?  Laani hates Val Royeaux.  She’s much happier once she leaves there.  Solas enjoys his surroundings much more once she’s back in his life.  Home isn’t always a place.

What do they do when they’re away from each other?  What they’ve always done.  Survive.

Where did they first meet?  The first rift.  Those were chaotic days and their initial meeting was not pleasant.

Who spends the most money when out shopping?  Solas, but only because Laani has a tendency to loot more than purchase.

Who’s more likely to flash their assets?  Solas.  Laani hides her wealth to the point that most people don’t know she has it.  (Technically, Varric has it, safely hidden away in a vault in Kirkwall.)  Solas, on the other hand, funds and outfits his entire rebellion.

Any mental issues?  Not particularly.  Trust issues, though...

Who finds it amusing when the other trips over?  Laani.  For the sheer enjoyment of seeing someone so otherwise graceful and agile be a dumbass.

Who’s terrified of bugs?  Neither. 

Who kills the spiders around the house?  Both.

Do they have any fears for their future?  Oh yes.  Laani knows his plan.  She’s the only one who does.  Parts of it she’s on board for, others not so much.  Solas has his typical fear, dying alone.

Their favourite place?  Being on the road, away from prying eyes and whispering voices.

Who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner?  Solas.  After years apart, he wants to spoil her as long as she’ll take it.

Who pays the bills?  Solas.  He’s the one in charge these days.

Who’s the tallest?  Solas.  Laani is tall for a Dalish woman, but it still doesn’t compare.

Who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other?  Neither.  They aren’t there yet.

Who wanders around in their underwear?  Neither.  If it ever happened, though, it would be Laani.  Modesty whomst?

Who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? N/A

What do they tease each other about? Laani teases Solas for underestimating her in the past.  She’s a clever woman who lives up to her name (Lahalaan means Like the Foxes).  She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself, even hampered by her missing arm.  And now that there are fewer secrets between them, she’s not afraid to let him know it.  Solas loves to turn her into a puddle and takes great enjoyment in the fact that he can do so with relatively little effort.

Who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times?  Neither  It’s not on their radar generally speaking.  If anything, Laani is amused at how widespread the ‘Skyhold uniform’ is among Solas’s followers.  The one she used to wear with the fitted vest and knee high boots and stylish accent scarf.  She’s forced to admit, he looks good in it.

Who crushed first?  Oddly enough, Solas.  He admired her from the start, even with her unfortunate upbringing.  To his eyes, anyway.  He did nothing to stop her from chasing him, to his everlasting chagrin.  Or good fortune.  Depends on your perspective, I suppose.

Any alcohol or substance related problems? Laani probably drinks too much, but honestly...can you blame her?

Who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am?  Laani.  She’s more likely to stumble around and make herself everyone else’s problem than to sneak home, though.

Who swears the most?  It’s pretty even, I’d say.  Life in Thedas is often shitty, and neither of them shy away from saying so.

[crackinglamb]

WIP Wednesday

I wasn’t actually tagged by anyone (unless you count @pikapeppa‘s open invite) but after struggling for weeks to get back into the groove, I’ve written three chapters over two fics in the course of 24 hours.  So I’m gonna share.

From Twist:

He kissed her hard, pressing her further up the wall until her spine was flush against it.  He plundered her, tongue sweeping along her bottom lip before filling her mouth.  She couldn't breathe for a moment, but found she didn't care in the slightest.  She turned her head to change the angle and her neck gave off a horrendously loud but satisfying crunch.

“Ooh,” she gasped out.  He broke away, startled.  She turned her head the other way to see if it would crack again and realized his eyes were slightly horrified on her.  “What?”

“Your neck...”

“Yes?”

“Did that not hurt?”

“No, it felt good.  I've been waiting for it to do that.”  She grinned at him. “Guess you relax me in all the right ways.”

He let go of her, letting her slide back to her own two feet.  His expression turned crafty and sly, but so lovingly warm her breath caught.  “Hmm.  I believe I can improve upon that.”

“Oh?”

He smirked and took her hand, leading her out of the library and up the stairs to their chamber.

And from The Fox Runs:

“No bow?”

“I can't shoot well anymore.”  She followed him and rolled up the belts to fit neatly into the top of the pack.  

“Forgive me,” he murmured.

She drew one of her freshly sharpened throwing knives and flung it expertly towards the fireplace, skimming the top of the sofa to land in the wood piled next to the hearth.  He followed the trajectory with his eyes and she watched them widen slightly as she hit her mark.  “It's not a huge loss.”

“Were you always so capable with a blade?”

“Yes.”  She shrugged.  “You only saw me using a bow in the Inquisition because it was better for fighting from a distance.  Or for hunting.  Knives have always been my weapon of choice as an assassin.”

“You were not an assassin when we met.”

She smirked at him. “That you knew of, anyway.  Why do you think I was chosen to go to the Conclave in the first place?  I was always a hunter.  Trained to observe, report and kill on command without my prey seeing me. Assassin is just a different branch of that tree.”

“Falon'Din's marks and not Andruil's,” he mused.

“That's right,” she smiled at him.  “Took you this long to put it together?  I thought Fen'Harel was clever.”

[crackinglamb]

Happy Dragon Age Day

I hear tell @unofficialdragonageday​ wants to see our Inquisitors and such.  I have...a bunch.  Most of them have fics too.  I also seem to have a type, since they are all elf rogues who believe in mage rights and care deeply one way or the other for a certain shifty, bald apostate, but we won’t get into that...

Carly Mayers, AKA Da’Fen Lavellan - MGIT, age 28, romanced Solas and by the Void got a happy ending out of it.  Archer, specialized as Assassin.  Her story is told in Twist.  She was my first Inquisitor.

Eshali’nan Arla’athdhea Lavellan - ancient Elvhen Sentinel, adopted into Clan Lavellan after millennia in uthenera, took up the Anchor knowing full well what it would do to her.  Age [redacted], beloved of Fen’Harel.  An archer with a twist, since she makes use of her remaining magic in careful, subtle ways in this era where mages are feared and persecuted.  Her story is currently being used for a modern AU, A Wolf Named Vengeance.

Lahalaan Lavellan - Tired(tm).  Age 30, got her heart broken by Solas, but she still wants to help him.  Another archer, also an Assassin.  Don’t piss her off, she’ll cut you.  She took Falon’Din’s vallaslin for a reason, ya know.  Her story will be told in The Fox Runs, still undergoing major rewriting before it gets posted.

La’vise Lavellan - has no idea what she’s doing.  Age 23, my ‘canon’ playthrough.  Is halfway through romancing Solas, knows there’s something fishy about him but hasn’t put it all together.  Cut her some slack, she’s a busy girl dealing with saving the world.  Her story is Just Like Fire.

Sa’vir Lavellan - another archer, of course, no specialization yet.  Age 32, romancing Iron Bull.  A helper who can’t sit still, suffers from stress and anxiety and just needs a nap.  She rounds out the redheads, and so far she only has a oneshot, No Strings.

Bonus Round:

Marian Hawke - Age 36 at the time of Inquisition, a walk-on into Twist (because I haven’t actually played DA2), romanced Varric because canon can bite me.  Dual wield daggers, very purple, lost Bethany to the Grey Wardens, sided with the mages, spared Anders.

[crackinglamb]

For the WIP Title Meme: What is "The Fox Runs" about? :)

Thank you for the ask!

The Fox Runs is a post-Trespasser Solavellen, featuring Lahalaan Lavellan (whereby the fic gets its title, her name means Like the Foxes), a very Tired and Done(tm) rogue class Inquisitor who just wants to get to a decent headspace about her ex-boyfriend who turned out to be a god and hunt a dragon.  Various shenanigans ensue.  Featuring made up Elvhen traditions and culture, speculation on how horrible Mythal really is, a cat in the garden, a friendship I didn’t see coming at all and of course, a reuniting of hearts, because I write happy endings.

It’s likely to be another epic, because I can’t seem to tell a quick story to save my life.  (Hear that?  That’s my beta laughing in the distance because she called it.)  I started writing it ages ago, it feels like, although I know it was within the last six months.  I got about halfway through it and realized it wasn’t telling the story I wanted, so I started over.  That being said, I have enough put together in the new draft to share some.

“I do not want you to die, vhenan.”

“So don't kill me.”  It was his turn to favor her with an impatient look, as if such a request was unreasonable, and she shrugged her arm out of his grasp.  “It's that simple, Solas.”

“What would you have me do instead?  Admit that the last four thousand years of elven existence are gone, unmended and forgotten?  And do nothing about it when it is my own doing?”

“Do you seek to undo the passage of time itself?  Would you compensate all those lives that have been lived with the slim promise of something better that would come with the knowledge of the full destruction of everything else?  Have you even spoken to anyone else about your plans, or found out if the elves even wish for you to upend the world on their behalf?  There are other ways to return glory to our people. You simply have to look for them.”

“It is not about glory,” he snarled, temper fraying at the edges.  She held her ground, mostly certain he wouldn't harm her.  “It is about freedom and livelihood.”

“Freedom,” she echoed, incredulous at his audacity to say such a thing.  “Dictated by a god who wishes to rewrite everything they know rather than fix what exists.  What happened to the man I loved?  The one who argued so vehemently that freedom of choice is the right of all thinking beings?”  She searched his face, looking for answers she didn't truly expect to find.  “Where did he go?  Was he even real?”

“I'm sorry.”

“I'll believe that when you actually mean it.”

[crackinglamb]

OC Stats

Tagged by @pip-n-flinx, thank you!

I’ll tag @ir0n-angel​, @fasterpuddytat​, @autodiscothings​, @mrscullensrutherford​, @bitterotter​ and @cyndercrys​.  No pressure!

I’ll do this for Lahalaan Lavellan, since I’ve done a bunch of stuff for Carly already.  I’ll do both canon and post canon answers, since her story will begin well after the events of the Exalted Council.

Face claim: I don’t generally do face claims, I just play around with the character creation until I hit upon something that I like, but anyone following me for more than a minute knows I like to take screenshots, so here, have one.  That isn’t makeup, her face is just perpetually sunburned and freckled.  She wore Falon’Din’s vallaslin in a pale pink.  She allowed Solas to remove it before they...parted ways.

Age: 29-30 during the Inquisition, 34 at the beginning of The Fox Runs.

Birthday: 2nd of Justinian, born in 9:12 Dragon.

Height: 5′6″ or 167 cm

Species: Elf

Gender: Female

Residence: Frostback Mountains during the Inquisition, Val Royeaux at the start of The Fox Runs.

Marital Status: Not married, but...well...it’s complicated.  I mean, she fell for a god, after all.

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Food: Anything she can get her hands on.  She was a hunter for her clan so she wasn’t inclined to be picky, and then was introduced to much more sophisticated fare as Inquisitor.  She discovered she has quite the sweet tooth.  There’s an apocryphal tale of her raiding the dessert table at the Winter Palace, but no one can confirm if that was her or Solas.  Iron Bull won’t say, he’s usually laughing too hard to get words out.

Drink: She can be found in any tavern with a hearty ale.  She tries to keep her head about it though.  On occasion she fails.

Day or Night: As an adult hunter of the Dalish, it would be more accurate to say she was crepuscular before the Inquisition.  Now...?  She got used to keeping to more daylight hours.  She wouldn’t say she has a preference.

Snacks: What are snacks?  If you’re hungry and have food, you eat.  If you don’t, you aren’t.

Pets: She helped Cole raise a litter of kittens in the loft of the Herald’s Rest if that counts for anything.

Colour: Earth-tones, the better to blend in.  Or black, the better to stay hidden in shadows.

Flower: Crystal grace.

Sexuality: Straight

Body Type: Wiry and muscular.  She’s an assassin specialized rogue.  She is one armed now, but wears a functional prosthetic.  Losing her arm means she’s not as good of an archer as she used to be and she switched to daggers.

Eye Color: Blue ringed in bright purple.

Hair Color: Auburn

[crackinglamb]

WIP Whenever

Tagged by @blueboxness, thank you dear.

Tagging @natsora, @heavenlyeros, @lurea, @pip-n-flinx, @dirthenera and anyone else who has something to share.  No pressure.

A bit of the new WIP, now new and improved with a title: The Fox Runs to the Wolf.

---

It didn't occur to her to wonder until they set off the next day.  He was silent in the forest, as silent as she was even though he still wore the same armor he'd had in the Temple of Mythal.  He carried a bow, as she did, simple and undecorated.  Although, unless she missed her guess entirely, his was ironwood, worth more than all of her collective belongings.  He carried no staff, but did not seem to need it anyway.

Solas hadn't either, at the end before he left her bleeding sparks and ashes from her arm.

And that was the genesis of her thought.

Bound to a goddess that no longer exists, if she ever did, Morrigan had asked, sneering at Laani.  It was the moment that decided it for her, that she would drink of the Well and the Witch would not.  It was her heritage, her history, and she held respect for it regardless of the fact that she was no mage herself.  But it was Abelas's answer that solidified the thought currently swirling around the confines of her mind.

Bound, as we all are.

He had stopped when she did, the look on his face patient.  She scowled at him.  “Did Solas send you?”

She wasn't sure what reaction she was expecting, but seeing him laugh probably wasn't it.  “He warned me that you were far more clever than you let on.”

“That's a yes,” she said, her voice dropping to a more commanding register.

Abelas inclined his head.  “Yes, Lahalaan, that is a yes.”