#lucanis and rook finally do it

[possessiveandobsessive]

The Spirit of Determination

Nyra "Rook" Thorne is somehow responsible for the fate of all of Thedas. If she's going to pull it off, she's going to need a hell of a lot of determination. Lucky for her, she knows a guy and his demon who can help her out with that.

It's finally here, the moment my fellow Lucanis x Rook lovers have been waiting for! This is full of spice and mature content so minors DNI! If you're not interested in sexual content, stop at the first asterisk break and pick back up at the next one! I hope you all enjoy! ;)

Part 9: Now and Always (NSFW 18+)

“You’re here.” The words had tumbled from Lucanis’s lips before he could stop them. As soon as his eyes had met hers, it was like he needed to reassure himself that it was real, that-

“I’m here” Rook said softly in response, meeting his gaze steadily with those glowing eyes he couldn’t help but fall into. Lucanis wanted to run across the room and hold her tightly to his chest until he was absolutely certain that she wasn’t going to disappear at any moment. He restrained himself however, and instead moved towards her slowly. She was seated on the end of that offensively green couch that sat in the center of her room, and she watched him without saying anything else as he crept towards her. Move, faster! Spite hissed in his mind, She is. Anxious already. Just go! Lucanis could feel Spite’s intense frustration and was about to scold the noisy spirit when he noticed Rook’s hands clenching and unclenching in her lap, a sure sign of discomfort he had seen in her time and time again. Stupid human… He faintly heard Spite mutter before he moved quickly to crouch in front of Rook where she sat. Taking her nervous hands in his (and delighting in the way her smaller ones fit perfectly in his own) Lucanis took a deep breath before he began.

“Rook,” His voice nearly cracked on the single word, “I- I thought I knew what I was going to say when I came to you tonight. I have so much I want to say, but I don’t think I know how, and-” Lucanis’s rambling came to an abrupt end when he felt one of Rook’s hands move from his own to cup the side of his face. His eyes closed as she gently rubbed her thumb along his cheekbone. He instinctively leaned into her touch, and let out a deep sigh against her wrist. Rook let out a small laugh, “Lucanis, just talk to me. I don’t need some fancy, eloquent speech, I just want to hear your feelings in your voice. That’s all that matters to me.”

Lucanis put one of his hands over the one she had placed on his cheek and looked up at her face. She was smiling, and it was his favorite smile too. It was the one she gave him, and only him, when he was doing something she thought was “endearing”. “How is a man supposed to uphold his ‘broody’ title when you look at me like that and tell me to speak from the heart?” Rook just smiled wider and responded, “I do like the brooding, but I’d rather just hear what it is you want to tell me so badly that you’re stalling.” Ah, she has me there, he thought ruefully, Alright Spite, I’m working on it! Lucanis nearly shook his head, he could feel Spite bristling in the back of his mind, impatient as always.

“Rook-” This time it was Rook herself who interrupted him. “Nyra.” she said quietly, when she saw his brow raised in a silent question, she clarified, “My name, my real name I mean, it’s Nyra. Nyra Thorne.” 

Lucanis felt like his chest was on fire. She trusted him enough to share her given name, the name she had before Varric had recruited her and all of this began. He’d spent many nights around the others where he’d listened to them speculate and throw around ideas about what their leader’s “real” name was. Even Neve hadn’t figured it out (or she hadn’t shared if she had) but she blamed “Grey Warden secrecy”. Davrin hadn’t known either, he said because he and Rook hadn’t met before all of this. Now, Rook herself was telling him her name. It took all of his restraint to not surge forward and kiss her right then. He had things he had to say first, and then…

Closing his jaw that he realized had been hanging open a bit since Rook, Nyra, had interrupted him moments ago, Lucanis did his best to continue as if unfazed. “Nyra.” He tested the name to see how it sounded and felt in his mouth. Lucanis fought a small smirk as he felt her shudder at the use of her given name, and brought the hand she had placed on his cheek back into his own. “Nyra, I love you.” Lucanis said, the words feeling more right than any he had spoken before.

“I love you so much it feels like it’s hard to breathe sometimes when I look at you. The way my whole world shifts when you walk into a room is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The Crows teach us when we are you fledglings that love is a weakness. ‘Loving someone is just creating new ways others can hurt you’, that’s what my grandmother told me over and over as a child. But now,” Lucanis squeezed her hands and brought them to his lips and kissed them gently before continuing, “I know she was wrong. Loving you has made me a stronger man, a better man, than I ever was before.” 

He could see tears beginning to gather in her eyes when he looked up at her face again. “Mi vida, my life, that’s what you have become to me after these months we spent fighting together. You taught me how to be alive again after you rescued me from hell, you showed me that I wasn’t a monster, even when I and everyone around me was convinced that I was. You trusted me, saw me for who I am, when I could not tell what was real. You had my back when I needed you, without me even having to ask. You saved my home, and the only family I had ever known. There are no words to describe my gratitude, but I will continue to search for the ones that describe just how much I need you.”

Rook sniffled as a few tears escaped her eyes. Lucanis brushed them away with his thumb, reassuring Spite that she was fine and that he wasn’t hurting her with his words. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to get the more difficult words out. “Thinking I lost you, without ever getting, no, taking, the chance to tell you how much I loved you and how important you were, was the most painful experience of my life. The Ossuary and the torture I endured there felt small compared to the feeling in my chest after watching you disappear before my eyes, while you screamed my name. I-” Lucanis’s voice broke then, and he had to take a breath to compose himself before speaking again, “I lost it. We lost it. The others had to knock me out just to keep Spite and I from leveling the island. I’ve never lost myself the way I did then. And then you were gone. For three weeks, you were gone. I never gave up hope, but every day the idea that I’d get to see you again, to hold you in my arms, seemed further and further away. When Spite said he could find you, that he knew where you were, it was like I could breathe again. And when I felt your hands finally touch mine from the other side of the Veil, I swore to myself then and there, that nothing would ever keep you from me again. Gods, spirits, demons, blood mages, Antaam, it doesn’t matter, I’d kill them all alone if that’s what it took to get you back to me.”

Rook was fully crying now, tears ran down her face and fell onto their laps. Spite paced and twisted inside him like a caged beast, he did not like Rook crying. Don’t understand. Why Lucanis makes Rook cry. Should not hurt Rook. The restless spirit growled, but did not try to wrestle control from Lucanis. He knew based on Lucanis’s feelings that Lucanis would not intentionally hurt Rook, but he didn’t understand why she was crying then. I’ll explain later, Spite, Lucanis promised, she’s not hurting, I promise. Human emotions are complicated. Spite seemed willing to accept this for now and slinked back to the corner of Lucanis’s mind he retreated to when he left Lucanis alone.

Lucanis brought his focus back to Rook, Nyra, after calming Spite. “I don’t mean to make you cry love, I only wanted to make you understand how I truly feel. I have been awful to you these past months. You have always been there for me, always reaching out, letting me know you care, and I have done nothing but push you away.”

“And yet,” Rook whispered, drying her tears on her sleeve, “Here I am still.”

“Here you are.” Lucanis agreed, “Though I don’t understand why, I will be forever grateful for any time you give me. You are the most important person in my life, Nyra, and you’ll have me at your side, until the day I die or you send me away.”

“Never” Rook said firmly, “I’ll never send you away. Stay with me Lucanis, now and always. Promise me.” Please say you won’t go.

“I promise. Now and Always.” I’ll never leave you.

“Good.” Rook said. She was smiling now, beautiful and genuine with no trace of her previous tears to be found. Lucanis grinned back at her for a moment, before finally giving both of them what they had been craving for so long. He surged forward, taking her face in his hands and kissed her. She let out a small noise of appreciation that he took as permission to push her down until she was lying on her back with him on top of her. He felt a sense of dizzying rightness wash over him and was surprised when Spite’s wings burst forth from his back. Keep safe. Lucanis loves, Spite protects. 

*                                                           *                                                           *

Rook compared the feeling of finally having Lucanis’s lips on her own to a woman dying in the desert getting her first drink of water in days. The moment he kissed her, she could think of nothing beyond the sensation of his mouth moving in tandem with her own and the growing heat between them. Lucanis tasted like coffee with a hint of something spiced. A first kiss actually tastes like coffee and cinnamon Rook thought idly in the back of her mind as the two briefly parted for air. She felt drunk on him, so much so that she almost didn’t hear it when he spoke.

“Is this alright?” Lucanis asked her gently, leaning back some in order to study her face. Rook looked at him seriously before replying in a mildly threatening tone, “Lucanis if you stop now, I’m going to kill you before Elgar’nan even has an opportunity.”

Lucanis’s eyes widened before he broke out in a wide grin and captured her lips with his own again. There was no hesitation or holding back this time, Lucanis explored her mouth with his tongue, and she found herself groaning as he began to trail wet, open-mouthed kisses down the side of her neck. Rook’s body was on fire. She needed him everywhere, and they were wearing far too many clothes for her liking. Lucanis must’ve had the same thought, because he pulled himself off of her with a growl and began tugging his tie off. Sitting up, Rook helped him out of his dress shirt and vest. She could see he was getting frustrated with the many buttons and clasps, and couldn’t help but laugh when he muttered something about using his knives next time.

Once Lucanis was free of his shirt, Rook stopped briefly and marveled at the sight before her. He was beautiful. Warm, tan skin covered the expanse of his sculpted chest and shoulders. Scars littered his abdomen and arms, but they were beautiful too. They were a part of him. Rook ran her hands down his chest from his shoulders until they landed on his belt. Lucanis was breathing heavily as he dropped his head down onto her shoulder to mouth at her neck and collarbone while she worked to get his pants undone. No sooner had she started to pull his slacks down when Lucanis was suddenly moving. He stood next to the couch now, dressed only in his shorts, staring at her with a hunger in his eyes that made her pulse speed up and her mouth go dry. He looks like he wants to devour me. The thought had heat rushing to her core and she could feel just how wet she had gotten. 

Moving with precision befitting his profession, Lucanis began undressing her quickly. He was efficient, but not forceful. In fact, he seemed to remove each piece of her clothing with a sort of reverence, as if he couldn’t believe he was allowed to touch her. Once her breasts were free, he was on them like he couldn’t help himself. Taking her right nipple into his mouth, he tongued at the bud and she gasped. Rook tangled her fingers into his hair and held him tighter to her chest as she panted heavily. He was moving to her other breast before she could ground herself and when his mouth landed on her she let out a breathy whine. Lucanis nipped at her lightly in response, causing her to fist his hair even tighter until she was tugging at the roots. Groaning at her tightening grasp on his head, Lucanis moved for her pants now with a sense of urgency.

Rook had barely registered the Crow taking his mouth off of her when her pants and smallclothes were ripped from her and tossed into a corner of the room. She let out a small gasp as the cool air in the room hit her dripping core. On instinct, she started to press her thighs together but Lucanis was having none of it. He immediately dropped to his knees in front of her and pushed her legs apart, settling on the floor between them. His eyes met and searched her own for a moment, looking for any sign of discomfort or hesitation. In response, Rook sunk her hand back into his soft, dark locks and tugged him towards her. Lucanis needed no further invitation as he set upon her like a man starved.

Pleasure exploded inside her and shot through every nerve ending in her body as his clever tongue worked through her folds and immediately found her sweet spot. Rook let out a choked moan and threw her head back. Her hips shot forward on their own to rock against him as he devoured her. After a minute of pure, unabashed tasting, she felt him find a rhythm and begin working a finger into her. Rook could barely keep up with every new sensation, knowing only an overwhelming sense of pleasure, at least until Lucanis had two fingers inside her and curled them up just right. She came hard and fast on his fingers and into his mouth with a shout. Rook’s vision nearly left her and her legs went weak at the force of her orgasm. Her grip in Lucanis’s hair went slack as she struggled to catch her breath and come to her senses for several moments.

Lucanis rose to his feet and sat beside her before pulling her into his lap. Rook could feel how hard he was, but he simply stroked her hair and murmured to her in his mother tongue as her breathing slowed to normal and her mind reset itself. Once she could think straight again, Rook pressed her lips to Lucanis’s throat. She could feel the groan work its way up his throat as she sucked a mark into his pulse point. He shifted them so that she was underneath him again, and guided her mouth from his neck to his lips. Tasting herself in his mouth, Rook felt her core clench again and she let out a soft moan into the increasingly heated kiss. Moving her hand down, Rook stroked Lucanis through his shorts. He shuddered and snagged her bottom lip between his teeth as he lightly rocked into her touch. Rook tugged on the offending cloth barrier still between them and Lucanis broke the kiss for a moment to practically tear his remaining clothing off. He was back on her immediately, the feeling of him hard and hot against her stomach making her release a needy whimper.

The sound seemed to drive Lucanis into a state of near frenzy and she felt his teeth dig into her neck where it met her shoulder. Rook felt her body arch into him and a rush of heat shoot down between her legs at the bite. Throbbing with need now, she reached down and wrapped a hand firmly around him. She paused when she finally felt just how big he was, but her hesitation lasted only a second as she felt Lucanis take the tip of her pointed ear into his mouth. Gasping into his neck Rook gave him a few strokes and felt him tense above her. He cursed and panted as he quickly repositioned himself so that he was lined up at her entrance, before slowly pressing into her.

Rook could feel every muscle in Lucanis’s back as he struggled to let her adjust to his size before pushing in further. She clawed what she was sure were deep scratches into his back, but he didn’t seem bothered. If anything, he seemed to relish the burn of her nails down his back since his only response was to let out a choked moan and push another inch deeper into her wet heat. Once he was fully within her, their hips flush, he began to move. First in small, shallow thrusts and then settling into a faster pace. Rook shifted and canted her hips up to meet him, and as if sensing what she needed, Lucanis pulled out and hitched her left leg over his shoulder before pressing back into her. Rook’s mouth fell open and she tilted her head back as far as it could go at the sensation the new angle created. Taking advantage of her exposed throat, Lucanis ravished the pale skin of her neck. Between the now constant, delicious friction against the raised spot within her walls and the alternating sensations of teeth and tongue on her throat, Rook was coming unraveled again in no time. Her second orgasm slammed into her like a freight train and stars danced in and out of her vision for a few seconds. Lucanis’s hips stuttered. He felt her clench tightly around him as she came, and then felt her muscles flutter and spasm in the aftershocks. It was too much for him, and he too was coming within moments. 

Breathing hard, Lucanis released Rook’s leg and gently pulled out from her, rolling them both onto their sides. He held her tightly, her back against his chest, and buried his face into the nape of her neck and sighing contentedly. Rook smiled and ran her fingers up and down his arm that was wrapped around her stomach. Purple wings came into being and wrapped themselves around the two once again. Safe within her love’s embrace and Spite’s cocoon, Rook closed her eyes and let herself relax. This is what home feels like.         

* * *

Lucanis was still trying to wrap his head around the night’s events as he lay across the hideous couch with his head in the lap of the woman he loved. Rook looked down at him, her green eyes seeming almost to glow in the warm light cast by the fireplace. Her expression was full of nothing but love as she smiled and played gently with the hair around his face. Never would he have expected to get so lucky, in this lifetime or the next. She loved him too. She had told him with her words and shown him with her body. Now, they sat in peaceful, contented silence after he had cleaned them up and gotten her some water. Lucanis could feel his eyelids growing heavy, and caught himself nearly drifting off to sleep. Blinking rapidly a few times, he tried to force the drowsiness from his body. His actions did not go unnoticed by the woman above him, however.

“Falling asleep?” Rook asked him with a laugh. “No!” Lucanis answered too quickly, and blushed lightly as Rook raised an eyebrow at him. 

“You know, you can go to sleep, Lucanis.” Rook told him, grinning, “I’m not going anywhere. Spite and I can… play cards or something.” Lucanis groaned, propping himself up on an elbow. “Don’t tell him that, I haven’t taught him Wicked Grace yet.” He gave her a crooked smile before adding, “Plus, I’m not ready for this night to be over so soon.”

He watched as a deep blush spread across her face at his comment. Rook swatted his shoulder, shaking her head at him. Lucanis grabbed her hand and kissed her palm before bringing it up to hold against the side of his face gently. “I hope you enjoyed yourself,” he started, looking somewhat nervous as he cut his eyes to the side, “I’ve never done that before, so I’m not sure how it was for you…” Lucanis trailed off and snuck a glance at Rook’s face. She was wearing a blank expression. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything, he groaned inwardly, she’s going to think I’m odd, never having lain with a woman before. Before he could fall deeper into his anxiety and regret, Rook responded to his admission in a shocked and somewhat breathless voice.

“You’ve… you’ve never done that before?” Her eyebrows were nearly at her hairline and she now stared at him with wide eyes. “I’m- You- What?” Rook shook her head, appearing completely dumbfounded at Lucanis’s words. He now felt his own face developing what he was certain was a dark blush. Not sure how to respond to her startled questions, Lucanis settled for a shrug and said simply, “There was never anyone I was particularly interested in, at least not anyone who was also interested in me.” His mind flashed briefly to the disaster that was his attempt to woo Viago. Never again, never gifting a dagger, or any weapon to a crush ever again he thought sullenly before turning his attention back to the still shocked woman in front of him. “Plus it wasn’t as if I had much free time to do things I wanted to. I was pretty much always on some kind of job. Caterina made sure I kept up my reputation, ‘Crows don’t take vacations Lucanis, our life is our contracts.’” His imitation of his grandmother’s voice made Rook snort before she shook her head. 

Sobering quickly, she looked at him with a serious expression. “Lucanis, I am in no way disappointed with the sex or your lack of experience. I never would have guessed that I was your first, and honestly now I feel a little bad for not focusing more on your feelings and pleasure.” Rook used her free hand to trace the pale, thin scars on his shoulders and seemed to avoid his gaze as she continued, “Saying I enjoyed myself would be an understatement, you’re a quick study. I already knew you had a clever tongue, but I never realized the extent of just how talented you are with your mouth.” Rook met his eyes again with a smirk as she spoke the last part, and Lucanis felt a swell of pride at the comment. He may be the exception in most common male stereotypes, but he couldn’t think of a single man, woman, or person in general that wouldn’t get a massive ego boost at that statement.

“I aim to please.” Lucanis said, grinning broadly. “And I always hit my target in the end.”  Sitting up further, he captured her lips once again. The fact that he could do so without hesitation or second guessing himself made Lucanis the happiest man alive, he decided. Rook responded eagerly, immediately granting him access to her mouth again as he brushed his tongue along the seam of her lips. They separated a minute or two later, both breathing hard again. Lucanis was nearly overwhelmed by how intense his love for her was. He was certain he had never been so happy with another person before, ever.

  Sitting up completely, he repositioned Rook so that she was in his lap again. She laid her head on his chest and enjoyed listening to the strong beating of his heart. His chest rumbled softly beneath her when he used his voice, “I never want to go another night without you in my arms.” Lucanis spoke quietly into the almost silent room as he held her close to his chest. “I wasted so much time, convinced I could never be worthy of you.” He shook his head, “Never again. I am with you, at your side; in battle, in life, and in love. As long as you’ll have me. Now and always.” Rook turned her head up to look him in the face and was about to respond when Lucanis’s eyes went purple. They glowed brightly at her as he, Spite, opened Lucanis’s mouth to speak. 

“Nyra is our favorite. Stay with her. Fight the ones who would hurt her. Lucanis and Spite. Lucanis loves, Spite protects.” 

*******

Spite frowned to himself, trying to find the right human words to explain what she did to him, for him. She had fundamentally changed him, and he wanted her to know that. But the human language was stupid and limiting. He reached for Lucanis in their shared mind, Want to make her understand, Spite is… changed. You help. With the words. Spite felt Lucanis think, before he told the spirit, Words are humans’ way to convey thought and feelings, but you’re a spirit. You think and experience the world in pure emotion. Let her FEEL what you want to tell her.

Spite suddenly reached out, grabbing Nyra’s face in his hands. “Spite can, show Nyra. Show her what she does. Can Spite show her?” 

Rook looked at Spite with a shocked expression. Not only was he wanting to tell her, now show her, how he felt, but he was asking her permission to do so. She knew better than most how much the spirit had grown in recent weeks, but it was still surprising just how much he had come to understand. Blinking, Rook nodded at him, “Yes Spite, you can show me.” A wave of pure emotion washed over her. She felt swept up in it, so deeply that she could almost hear words and see images within the tidal wave of swirling emotion.

Standing in the dark, he is in a cage. Angry. Angry. Angry. Spite feels only the cold, the dark, and the rage. The humans brought him here and locked him away. He was something different before, but now all he knows is Spite. Rage and Spite. Hurt those who hurt. Spite them all. 

Then there is an anchor. Another being. Tied together, they are both Spite, but one is not. The human fights it, but Spite often wins out. The desire to hurt in return of being hurt. This one is odd. He hurts and wants to hurt, but he doesn’t. There is something new. Guilt? Sadness? 

Now there is more. A new light in the dark. More new. Happiness? Freedom? What is this? Love? There is too much new. Anger is back. Anger is safe. …But she doesn’t use it. She uses something else. He is drawn in, fascinated by her. Driven by love. By hope. Never backs down. Protects those who are important. She is…

Determination.

New understanding, old truths. New being. Spite is new.

*******

When Rook can feel her physical surroundings again and is left with the quiet of only her own voice in her mind, she opens her eyes. They feel wet, and a single tear trails down her cheek as she refocuses her gaze onto Spite in Lucanis’s body. He is looking at her with an uneasy expression, as if he is worried he upset her. Rook smiles at him and takes his hand, “You didn’t hurt me, Spite. Humans cry sometimes for reasons other than sadness. Any emotion that is strong enough sometimes makes us cry.” Spite seems relieved (though still confused), and Rook continues, “Thank you for showing me that Spite. Thank you for helping me understand. I’m really happy. I’m happy that I could make you happy.” She paused again before adding, “And I’m glad you’ll be around. It’s good to know you always have my back.”

Spite gave her a wide, toothy grin. “Like Lucanis. Now and always.”

Warm, familiar brown eyes returned as the purple light seemed to fade back into Lucanis’s pupils. He pressed his forehead to Rook’s and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would decide their future. The outcome of the final confrontation would decide Thedas’s future. The thoughts were troubling, but he felt some of the rising stress leave his form as Rook moved her head down and began kissing his neck. Tomorrow will come soon and it will change our lives forever, but tonight is not over. Tonight, we get to love each other like the world doesn’t exist. 

Part 10

Part 8

Part 7

Part 6

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

DATV MasterList

[nematode7]

[taps mic] hello? Is this thing on

(closeup under the cut)

[vaguely-concerned]

on the one hand I think inner demons could stand to have a bit more romanced rook specific content, but on the other hand the underlying in-built implication that 'yours is the one true voice of comfort and safety in my inner world' is a sentiment and intimacy so way beyond the romantic or the platonic or any secret third thing you could care to name that it makes me lose my entire poor little mind a bit. it's so big and fundamental — near-existential — that in that exact moment at least the distinctions kind of seem irrelevant.

all the people lucanis' mind conjures up along the way are relationships he has that are unavoidably mixed and fraught in some ways even when they're also full of love (they are fraught BECAUSE they're full of love) — the good in them inseparable from things that hurt him at the same time. (it's about: the basic disorganized attachment patterns this poor guy is dragging around with him. careful with those, they're dellamorte heirlooms. what you love also inevitably hurts you and you won't be allowed to have one without the other, you have to surrender parts of your soul to hold on to what little you have left: this is the story up until now.) and the idea that rook isn't that to him — that beneath the fear of wanting them when romanced (which is more its own separate thing because within this psychology, actively wanting something and not just clinging on for dear life to even a meager status quo lest you lose it is in itself dangerous bordering on catastrophic), this is a relationship where there isn't resentment, or guilt, or shame, or dread, or rage, or self-hate, or any of the other emotions that keep him paralyzed, unable to move this way or that. no debts, nothing owed of yourself and your soul's substance except what you can freely and safely and happily give. love and freedom don't coexist — but, I mean, you're almost starting to make me think........... unless...👀👀👀. the unconditional and undramatic 'you are here and I am here with you, you can be exactly how you are right now with me and it's safe for us both even though you're afraid it won't be, I'm not going anywhere' acceptance rook shows him here that he returns to them in the big romance scene, when it's rook who needs it. the way he's just. standing there in the center of it all, like a child desperately helplessly waiting to be found, hiding in the place he hopes you'll know to look first. (rook does know. it's one of the first things they say in there.)

in short the most important room in his little mind palace for the romance is the very first room — the one where rook isn't. where, in fact, rook cannot be, because they disprove the entire structure of the place with their existence and presence in his life. with everyone else he's putting words in their mouths about what they think of him, and rook is the one who actually gets to come in to speak their own words to him — and have him listen. ('he'll listen to you, he always listens to you', 'your voice is a comfort'.) of course rook isn't present anywhere else in there — at the risk of stating the obvious to a tedious degree, they aren't one of the locks, they're bringing the key. in the very finest 'the messenger and the message' sort of way.

[qaanngi]

When you and your fellow birb are the only close range fighters at the start of your contract and haven’t had another person to spar with in a while

[soupandsorcery]

Emmrich: I hope you were able to get some sleep last night, Lucanis.

Lucanis: A little. Spite finally tired himself out.

Emmrich: I promise you, I will do everything I can to figure out a way to reach Rook. It just might take some time...

Lucanis: We might not have much time left.

Emmrich: I know things are dire with Elgar'nan taking over Minrathous, but I don't think we are in immediate danger as long as we remain here.

Lucanis: I'm not talking about Elgar'nan.

Emmrich: Then who...

Lucanis: I have to go tell Viago that we lost his brother.

Emmrich: Ah.

[marsalta]

KISS UR CROW

[pinkwarden]

[beetlethebug]

i am thinking about spite and emmrich (romantically) todayyyyyyy. i am just! i feel like spite would be so gentle with emmrich. he isn't fragile, but spite has picked up on the fact that lucanis tends to handle "older" things with care and emmrich has made off-handed comments on being and "old man," so obviously he's something spite has to handle with care!

and i'm am so obsessed with spite adoring the parts of emmrich that show his age. because age as a concept is foreign to spirits/demons, right? spite who is constantly singing praises emmrich's laugh lines and his crow's feet and loves the feeling of the texture of his skin underneath his fingers when lucanis lets him take over. the closest thing spite can compare them to is a scar; it's a sign that you survived. that you lived. and what's more attractive than that.

spite who gets drunk on the simplest of touches. who kisses emmrich like they have all the time in the world. slow and sweet as he sits in his lap, letting his hands trace all the planes of emmrich's face. spite who will be wholly content to just let his face rest in the palm of emmrich's hand, pressing kisses to his palm as emmrich reads aloud. spite who loves feelings and sensations because emmrich can give them conversation even if they aren't in control of lucanis, but he cannot give him touch. spite who will twist emmrich's rings around and bat at his bangles and tug on his chains just to see how they move (and how emmrich moves with them).

[rookedcrow]

knowing that emilia doesn't sleep all that much in general when she gets to the lighthouse b/c she's never needed all that much sleep. she's always been a night owl ( haha ) + she's just accustomed to not getting much sleep while on contracts that require multiple days worth of preparation ( the motivation not to sleep only made worse by being annoyed about having solas in her head / having to talk to him in there because it's necessary ) vs. her being terrified to close her eyes for more than a few minutes after spending that time in the regret prison / knowing that solas had used more that just that lil' bit of blood magic he admitted to in their first conversation to manipulate her reality, and not knowing if now that he's out, what else can he do to her?

[andragoras-in-vanity]

i know veilgaurd is absolutely incredible for gender reasons, and that it doesnt just let me have top scars but actually lets me acknowledge im trans in conversation like with taash and then when flirting with davrin (still dont know if im gonna romance him or lucanis yes, but asaan did cockblock me?????) but i do wish i could have gotten healing spells....although thinking about it now, because i wish i could have also given my rook my chronic pain/cfs, it makes sense i wouldnt be able to take healing spells, this is my new canon....(like either i get healing spells bevause i know pain and want to limit it for myself and others OR disability is disabling and im incapable of using healing spells since just like real life nothing eases this) anyway..

I like to headcanon that my rook DOES have chronic fatigue or minor pain because im an elf, but im also a mourn watcher, and it feels weird and wrong and unnatural to me for an elf to be living in the nevarra necropolis. i really love that being a mourn watcher has made me weird in conversation and just absolutely ready to let emmerich know how i want to be treated after i die, but nevarra is so dark and dusty, i have to wonder if as an elf being so close to spirits and so far from nature would effect me? so yeah, rook is screaming at all times and loves his home in the necropolis, myrna and vorgoth, the dead and the spirits, but leaving after the war of the banners helped him feel whole once he saw the forests for the first time, connected to his elven lineage (lmfao sorry bro), then he met varric who helped him get his top surgery. but it was the spirits and their lack of genders that helped him realize he also needed to do away with gender tho. i just really love my rook and this is the first time ive played a da game and not felt like i needed to run through it a few times to get everything out of it because i had to choose between male or female. also hes freaking adorable as hell.

[gnawednoble]

briefly saw a world in which the way lucanis leaves the crows was that vitale - who is not overly invested in staying or leaving - winds up with a little house dellamorte fledgling (like 4-6 years old) following them around everywhere around a year post-canon. they go "aww i used to do that with viago" and let the kid do what they want, which paints a target on the kid's back but like. do you want to piss off the god-killer that hangs around your house and your boss, who is also a god-killer? so there's a few months where no one does anything to the kid. during this time, vitale and the kid actually start bonding, which leads to vitale taking the kid with them while they bother lucanis, to the lighthouse to meet the others, and also to take care of business with their actual house.

vitale doesn't teach any of the fledglings in house de riva so they don't immediately think of this. the second lucanis figures out that vitale has psuedo-adopted this kid, therefore making the kid his as well, the kid has a place in the main family of the house as far as he's concerned. and that means the kid is In Danger. so he goes, 'alright. we have to train this kid to be able to handle that, like my grandmother trained illario and i.' he's unable to see vitale being able to handle doing that, so he would have to do it himself, and he's realizing that he can't do it either.

well. catarina is still alive, so that's an option. but he's suddenly very anxious and also angry (which is only partly spite) at the idea of any of that happening to his kid. so, no, catarina doing it is not an option. but there's not a lot of other ways to keep the kid safe from opportunists. except...

the way he brings this up to vitale is not graceful, nor is it subtle. but once it is pointed out to them that the kid is not safe (and, perhaps, that they've adopted the kid), they're ready to go. i think they join up with bellara down in arlathan forest first, bc that's the most isolated area, but they might just move into the lighthouse itself for awhile.

[antivanlights]

After their fight against the gods is done, after the Veil is once again secured, I imagine Rook wanting to do something for Lucanis - something special. Especially since they finally can. After much deliberation (approximately 15 seconds and a side glance at the wyvern-tooth dagger sitting carefully on Lucanis' night stand), Rook has a wyvern-spotting adventure planned. A bag sits ready with camping gear, food rations, a wyvern species encyclopedia, a journal and all the art supplies they could find within a few hours.

Convincing Lucanis takes less than a minute, and the next thing they know, they’re hiking across the Orlesian wilderness.

The first wyvern they spot will be permanently engraved into Rook’s memory – whether that’s from the beast’s presence or from Lucanis’ reaction is up for debate (is it really, though?). Regardless, Rook will inevitably become an expert on that particular species of wyvern.

“Rook!” “Rook.” RookRookRook, look!” “ROOK.” They swear that last one was Spite, but Lucanis calls out them every few minutes during their adventure, each time a wyvern so much as blinks funny. There, Rook is witness to one of the biggest (and longest-lasting) grins Lucanis has ever displayed. Eyes bright, body practically buzzing with excitement as they crouch behind cover. Rook doesn’t know if anything can beat the feeling pounding at their chest.

Rook reaches an important conclusion, they fucking love wyverns.

[kabsey]

i really do love the idea of a crow rook and viago having an emotional moment after the final battle because they are both just too damn exhausted to keep up their usual pretense of not caring about each other

but once the moment passes, i imagine viago clears his throat, gently pushes rook toward lucanis, and says, “take rook home, dellamorte”

and lucanis, who has barely been holding himself and spite back because they both so desperately need rook to be in their arms, to feel for themselves that rook is alive and whole, jumps forward to hold them and start to steer them away from the crowd

it’s not until they are halfway to the eluvian that he realizes viago just gave them his blessing

[vaguely-concerned]

even at this point in the story and with the romance well and truly confirmed it's very possible that lucanis has never seen even a sliver of rye's naked skin below the throat. very likely no one on the team has yet except possibly emmrich if rye got hurt in battle and needed help patching it up. high-necked watcher garb with gloves and all stay ON at all times. thank god for rye's sake that lucanis' history of romantic interest indicates that surprise bitch he could be kind of into that fhsdkjfas

[ammyramblings]

Ok but why are more people not talking about Rook and Viago’s banter during the final fight of Lucanis’s quest. I replayed that fight like ten times in a row just to hear it all.

V: Stop getting hit!

R: I’m not doing it on purpose!

V: Stop letting that fool win!

R: he’s never letting me live this down.

V: Don’t embarrass our house!

R: Sorry Viago!

Meanwhile Teia is all “Yes Rook hit him harder!” And Lucanis (as far as I know but I did romance him) as soon as the boss gets a big hit on Rook is all “I’ll kill you for that!”

This little crow family has ruined my aspirations of playing all the factions any time soon because I need to run through this again and slower and appreciate it more.

[pupkinpumpkin]

Rook being a very physically touchy person and Lucanis avoiding touch at all costs from built up trauma from childhood, his work as a Crow, and the Ossuary. Them always asking for Lucanis' permission to touch him, and before Tearstone Island, they hug him and he still flinches but he holds them tight

As Rook is taken into the Regret prison and they see a vision of Lucanis' body on the ground, they scream his name out of concern and fear but all Lucanis hears is them screaming for him to help, and then they're gone. They're gone. He thinks they were screaming his name, begging him to save them and now they're gone.

Weeks into Rook being taken into the Regret prison and now a man who couldn't be touched without reflexively drawing a blade is craving the warmth of his partner who he thinks he'll never see again

Lucanis pulling Rook out of the prison, knowing it's them right away because of their hands. He missed their hands, he missed their touch, he missed their warmth, he missed them.

When Rook gets back, Lucanis' touch is slow and soft, almost unbelieving. Weeks of stress and torture and pain and guilt and regret, and now they're here. Once they're finally together, he feels as though the world is in their arms and if killing a god is the only way to stay there, he will do what a Crow does best and fulfill this contract