#lucanis x f!rook

[itsrainingpandas]

Me making sure I never have Lucanis and Neve on the same team because I want all the Lucanis banter for myself

[freedomatsea]

la petite mort (Lucanis x Rook)

Following the events of Dragon Age: The Veilguard Lucanis and Rook return home to Treviso to enjoy their happily ever after. Except it's not so happily ever after.

Rating: E Ship: Lucanis x f!Rook (de Riva)

Chapter 6 is officially live on AO3!

[dracoangel]

Somebody save me, me from myself I've spent so long livin' in hell They say my lifestyle is bad for my health It's the only thing that seems to help - I'm a lost cause Baby, don't waste your time on me I'm so damaged beyond repair Life has shattered my hopes and my dreams

- Somebody Save Me by Eminem ft. Jelly Roll

[esta-elavaris]

A/N: This was originally drafted before the news clarifying Lucanis’ sexuality came out – and also without my having finished the game yet. I do want to write a full fic of him one day with these new things in mind, especially as someone on the ace spectrum who loves to see representation in media because it so often goes unexplored or even written oddly robotically.

I do think when the news hit it ended up fitting into the original idea really nicely, and it presented my first opportunity to explore this as a personal concept in a fic, but I just wanted to get my disclaimers out of the way first! As of writing this, I’m not far beyond the Weisshaupt boss battle, and I’m trying to have this story reflect what Rook knows as of this point, but please keep that in mind if there’s something that happens later that I haven’t been able to take into account. I’ve more or less been able to avoid spoilers so far and I don’t want to seek them out!

Also as a final warning – there are vague themes of sexual assault in this chapter – nothing happens to Rook or any other character featured, nothing is depicted, it’s solely surrounding the fact that she and Lucanis will be on a job hunting down a man who likes to assault women, but it is a component here so if that’s going to make you feel shitty, please give this one a miss!

Rook had never been well-versed in matters of the heart. Or even just plain old ‘versed’ at all, really. Not because of a line of tragic failures, and not even really to her own great remorse, it had just never been particularly relevant. Nor pressing, nor all that interesting to her. Sure, every now and then she’d indulge in a trashy romance novel or two – much in the same way she’d grab a cake or a bottle of wine after a bad day – but beyond that, and a few semi-interesting diversions that served little other than to pass the time – matters of romance just never had a way of sticking out much in her mind.

And then came Lucanis Dellamorte.

Most people would probably be wiser if they were beginners when it came to romance. A handsome but bumbling market seller, a pretty serving girl who laughed at all of their jokes, that sort of thing. But Rook had always stood by the concept ‘go big or go home’, and she was quickly being forced to come to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t be able to get Lucanis out of her head even if she wanted to. The fact that she didn’t want to was becoming more difficult to grapple with as time stretched on. Mostly because the feelings were turning out to be anything but mutual.

It was understandable, wasn’t it? There were no two ways about that. He’d been through a lot, and they were all still going through a lot – only Lucanis had the added burden of a spirit spitting poison in his ear at every possibly opportunity, too. Love, relationships, even lust, were all likely (and painstakingly understandably) the last things on his mind.

She’d just...thought she’d caught hints. Early on, in the beginning. Otherwise she’d never have been so daft as to hope. Surely? He’d remembered how she liked her coffee, ever since that time in Treviso when she’d stupidly rambled on about how long it had been since her last first kiss, but...in hindsight...that was just how he was, wasn’t it? After all, that came after she’d trailed along by his side, watching as he carefully picked up wares from the market that would suit all of the others. Unless he also had a secret thing for Bellara, Harding, Neve, and Varric, it seemed that it was more just his way than a display of secret feelings.

No, the only stone-solid indication that she’d clung to regarding any sort of affections he had for her wasn’t even all that sturdy at all. When he’d admonished Teia, and asked her not to flirt with his...colleague. That pause. It was upon that pause that Rook had placed all of her early hopes. And that had just been incredibly stupid, hadn’t it? Perhaps not in the moment, when there’d been enough recent kinda-sorta hints to bolster her hopes, and there seemed to be this tangible...trajectory between the two of them. But then that died off, and she clung to that denial, and those little moments, blaming the situation they were stuck in, the fact that everybody here viewed her as their boss, and what all that he had gone through. As well as the fact that none of it was over.

Until he started flirting with Neve.

And then she had her answer. It hurt – because of course it hurt, but she did what she could to convince herself it was for the best. Logically, that was the truth. Emotionally, it took a bit of doing. More useful than the hurt, however, was the answer. Now she knew that his lack of response to her flirting long after – probably too long after – he stopped initiating it wasn’t shyness, not a desire to draw things out. It was merely a lack of interest. A polite lack of interest, at that, which was gentlemanly of him, she supposed. Though she still cringed whenever her mind flung the memory of the final time she’d tried at her. And yet I’m still here. He’d said nothing. Gods, he’d probably felt awkward as anything, all while she’d thought she was making an emotional statement that he could trust her. Trust this thing growing between them, that turned out to only exist in her own mind.

But, after a little private moping, she endeavoured not only to forget all about it, but to forgive herself. These were extraordinary times, but she was only a woman. Who wouldn’t swoon a little upon meeting Lucanis Dellamorte? Maybe the times even contributed, her mind trying to cling onto any sort of pleasant distraction it could amidst the bloodshed, the blight, and the vengeful evil gods. Yeah, a crush would’ve been a welcome distraction. Maybe he’d even understood that. Maybe that was why he’d been so polite in his quiet rejections.

So she acted accordingly. Though she remained polite to him, friendly even – because she would never be the type to punish someone for not being attracted to her – he no longer became a de facto member of her party when she ventured forth from the Lighthouse, which she at least hope he met with relief. Of course, she still journeyed out with him here and there, but now it was just about as much as she did any other. Sometimes she even took Neve along, too, braving the woman’s disapproval over her choice to go to Treviso first, and when she did that she always tried to give the two of them their space

Third wheeling was no fun in general, but third wheeling while trying to shove down unwelcome feelings towards one of the latter two wheels was torturous. It was a good thing she was a mage, and could seldom justify having two of three in her party be ranged combatants, if they didn’t want to leave their scraps bloodied and sore.  

Lucanis just...didn’t make it easy. Not on purpose, but through sheer virtue of existence. Every time she managed to dull the sadness down to a dull, numb sort of detached disappointment, he would do something. He’d prepare a meal that he recalled she’d particularly liked a week or two before. He’d appear at her side with coffee when she’d been too mired in work to justify sleeping. He’d make one of those dry, deadpan jokes in that voice of his. And it didn’t mean anything, not beyond anything platonic which was meaningful enough in and of itself. He noticed things, he was a Crow, it was part of the territory. And he was funny. He couldn’t help that. But none of it just made things particularly easier, and the sooner she got over this ridiculous crush, the sooner she could stop worrying that she was being too obvious and continuing to make him uncomfortable.

And then he approached her with the job.

��Rook.”

She had no idea whether he’d purposely approached silently, or whether she’d been too engrossed in the work before her to notice him. Ordinarily she worked in solitude, taking what she referred to as busywork to the Lighthouse’s central meeting hall only when she knew she had to make an effort to be available to the others living here, should they have need of her. At that moment, she was strategizing – going over everything they had to do, and working out the best order to go about it all in, depending on what was most pressing, who she would have need of, and where she’d have to be. From there, she could work out a plan of action that would make the most sense, a task at a time, until the impossible and overwhelming felt at all tackle-able.

“What can I do for you?” she greeted with a little smile, straightening up from where she’d leaned over the table.

“Is it so obvious I’ve come for a favour?” he asked, a certain reluctance taking hold of his entire body language.

“More business, I’d say, than a favour. I’ve developed an eye for these things – with everybody here, I mean. It’s not personal. You just look all business and-“ she was growing dangerously close to rambling and stopped herself short, sighing and forcing what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “I’m all ears.”

Lucanis did not laugh when she punctuated her final statement with a gesture towards the pointed ears that protruded from her long crimson tresses.

“I’d…call this a favour. Given what she’s asking,”

Seeing that this was no time to insist on making jokes, Rook shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“I think we should probably sit down, then.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But not here. Somewhere more private?”

As he spoke, his dark eyes flitted about the hall, pausing briefly upon any and every entrypoint that might find them interrupted by one of the others.

“My…quarters?” she suggested slowly, hoping he wouldn’t misread the suggestion.

But he didn’t hesitate. If anything, he seemed relieved, his shoulers loosening a little as he motioned for her to lead the way. They walked in silence, right up until the door to her quarters was shut behind them, and they sat upon the couch that faced the window.

“This is where you meditate, then? To go and meet with Solas?”

“Only when he’s very lucky.”

If he needed time to build up to asking for this favour, she could grant him that.

“He has a type, then,” Lucanis quipped half-heartedly.

He referred to the Inquisitor – a fellow redheaded elf, with missing vallaslin.

“Look at how that ended for her,” Rook muttered.

Surely that wasn’t what he wanted to discuss? Non-existent flirtations between herself and Solas? Fen’Harel would sooner stab her than kiss her – thankfully.

“...and he’s not the only one,” Lucanis sighed, “with a type, I mean.”

“I’m...not sure what you mean, Lucanis,” she said slowly, staring at him.

“Teia has written with a contract. Not the usual sort. It’s more personal than that, I think, from what I can glean between the lines.”

Did he need time away, to go and handle this personally? No, that couldn’t be it, surely he wouldn’t be so nervous just to ask her for that – she wasn’t a slave driver. She would’ve made a piss-poor Shadow Dragon, had that been the case. But she got the sense he was building up to something, and that to interrupt would quash his momentum, so she only waited, quietly and patiently, for him to make his request.

“Someone in Treviso, someone with wealth, is...having young elven women kidnapped. For reasons it doesn’t take much imagination to piece together. A group of those who live in the alienage have banded together to have a contract put out on him.”

“That doesn’t sound so different from usual Crow business,” she replied, quashing the sense of nausea and outrage that threatened to rise within her.

“How many alienage elves do you think can afford a contract with the Crows?” he asked drily, and then faltered. “I mean no offense, Rook.”

“None taken, you’re right,” she mused quietly. “But I never thought your organisation was so scrupulous about where the gold came from, so long as it was there. And this is a good deed, is it not?”

“The best deed,” he said quickly, “And the Crows don’t have scruples, but I have suspicions. Teia wants us to handle it, with as little fanfare as possible. Either she’s given them a steep discount...or she’s covering part of the cost herself. Either way, it’s not our way, but she knows we won’t ask the same questions the others in Treviso might, if it’s assigned to them.”

“I’m in. Of course I’m in.”

“Rook,” he sighed. “He works...cleverly. We’ll need to lay a trap, tempt him, and then kill him once he walks into it.”

“I don’t feel right about asking Bellara to be part of this,” she admitted quickly.

“Bellara would be no good to us here. He doesn’t like the tattoos – think it makes them look less pure,” his lip curled.

...Oh. Of course. Lucanis’ eyes were trained keenly on her face, and he hardly seemed pleased or even all that relieved when she finally understood what he was asking. She’d spent so long in Arlathan Forest these last couple of weeks, among elves that were far more elf-y than she, that it had impacted her logic, forgetting that to many humans, one elf was the same as another for all intents and purposes. The worst intents and purposes, as far as this particular bastard was concerned. But now her logic was in full working order.

“I’ll do it.”

“Rook.”

“I’ll do it!” she repeated firmly. “Of course I’ll do it. Did you think I wouldn’t?”

He breathed a tired, humourless laugh. “I didn’t doubt for a second that you would – but I don’t like it.”

“I might be a little offended if you were too enthusiastic about it,” she said, and when he didn’t laugh she sighed. “It’s just another job, right? We face worse every day.”

“That’s different,” he said doggedly, shaking his head. “We run into battle, with daggers and swords and we handle it. That’s more straightforward. You won’t be able to carry weapons – they’ll smell a rat from a mile away.”

“I’m a mage, I don’t need weapons.”     

They helped, sure, but they weren’t vital. She could get by.

“It’ll just be the two of us, or else the risk of going detected is too great. You staging the trap, me following along in the shadows.”

“...Oh.”

“If that changes things, I can-”

He watched her closely – so closely, in fact, that she couldn’t even take a chance to try and discern how he felt about the two of them working alone together without it falling under his scrutiny.

“No,” she interrupted. “I was only surprised because I assumed I was going it alone.”

“You’d have...alone? You’ll be the death of me, Rook,” he sighed, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.  

It felt dangerously like a return to their old ways, before things had gotten strange between them. That, in and of itself, was probably dangerous.

“I take that as high praise,” she smiled a little. “We should leave soon, right? Before he gets it in his head to take another?”

“Probably, yes,” he sighed.

“Tonight then,” she said, slapping her thighs as she rose. “I’ll go and prepare.”

A/N: More parts of this pairing to come -- and then I'll post 'em all on AO3 when this is done!

Dividers by cafekitsune.

[hyperbali]

Someone asked who Deja is romancing

And I decided I’m going to make it clear she has an Older Man Fetish

But here’s the Lucanis piece for when I was planning on doodling each one separately

[mageofquandrix]

Hey, if any of you are m/m DATV shippers and make posts/fic/art about them, can you let me know so I can follow you?

Similarly, if you know of someone, can you direct me to them?

Many thanks!

[rin-hanarin]

When every wall is down.

[viennacherries]

Your Voice is a Comfort

Lucanis/f!Rook | 541 Words | SFW

Read on AO3

Lucanis often wonders how Rook manages to keep up with herself.

It seems like she’s always going at mach-speed. Like anything less than constantly vomiting words out of her mouth is a catastrophic failure on her part.

~~~

~~~

Lucanis often wonders how Rook manages to keep up with herself.

It seems like she’s always going at mach-speed. Like anything less than constantly vomiting words out of her mouth is a catastrophic failure on her part.

There's rarely a moment of quiet if she’s in the room. If she’s not excitedly discussing things with the rest of the Veilguard, then she’s narrating everything she does to Assan or Manfred. If she’s not doing either of those, she’s muttering under her breath to herself. Lucanis would think she was the one possessed by a demon if he didn't know better.

She's no different on the battlefield. She’s constantly moving, bobbing and weaving and slashing. He’ll think he’s finally locked onto her position so he can cover her, and then suddenly she’s 40ft away again, screaming a battle cry and diving into the fray before anyone can even think to stop her.

He thinks she’s probably never done anything quietly in her life.

He sees it too, in the way she cares for everyone around her. The way she’ll help every wayward vagabond that looks at her with slightly wet eyes, or the way she’ll rush to be a shoulder to cry on for any of her friends. The way she stoops to put a coin in every panhandlers tray, and the way she coos at every flea-ridden feline in all of Thedas that comes within arms reach. Of all the things Rook does loudly, she loves the loudest.

He found it overwhelming when he met her. A year of near constant isolation, and the first friendly face when he found his freedom was this bundle of energy and noise. Some days he would escape to the pantry purely so that he could find silence. It’s safe to say, between her and Spite, he never found any.

But things are different now. Spite is quieter, and Rook… Well, Rook isn't. And yet Lucanis finds he’s glad for it.

She’s taken to keeping him company while he cooks. He stands over the stove and she leans on the counter next to him, talking. He mostly just listens, making a few affirming noises when it feels right. He never says more than a few words, and she never runs out of things to say. If it was anyone else, maybe he’d find it tiring, but it’s not anyone else. It’s Rook.

While Rook is around to fill every silence, there’s still a chance they can win.

While Rook is keeping him company and talking his ear off, they’re safe.

She’s safe.

He’s not sure when that became important to him, but it is now.

So now he relishes it. Every muttered curse directed at no one in particular, every compliment offered to every mangy cat. Every strange gargled noise she makes at Manfred, and every time he can hear her behind him on the battlefield. All of it means there's still hope that they make it out of this. All of it means she’s okay.

And if he’s starting to say more than a few words? If he’s started making comments about things he knows will send her on a tangent while he peels the vegetables?

Well. Maybe he’s trying to love loudly, too.

[badwolf626]

These two keep me up at night....

Based on this: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60730777/chapters/156078022

[eva-black]

ngl i find Lucanis romance lacking (like in cafe scene when he just stands awkwardly next to you like come on he could at least put his hand on your cheek or smh) but this scene is so nice and i love those first few seconds with Rook alone, exhausted, lying with eyes closed *chef kiss*

[pathfinderslog]

🔸 Morning Ritual

Inner Demons (7/?)

Full chapter on AO3

She picked up the small box containing her morning ritual kit, with lyrium-infused paints, and sat cross-legged in front of the room's large aquarium. She could not leave without reinforcing the seals, so she took all the time she needed to go over the lines on her body one by one.

She grasped the brush firmly in her right hand and began to trace the patterns on the left side of her body, starting at the ankle, moving gently up the leg, lingering on the thigh and torso, then tracing the lines on the arm as well. As she concentrated she began to intone a litany in ancient Tevinter, adjusting her breathing, one breath after another, falling in a sort of trance.

𝐹𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑚, 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎,

𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑚 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑒, 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑜.

𝐻𝑖𝑐 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑚 𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑜.

No one had ever explained the meaning of those words to her, she had simply learnt them by heart since she was a child, assimilating the sound, intoning the dirge in an absorbed voice, just as she had been taught. Her movements were fluid and precise, never detaching the bristles from her skin except to dip in another colour.

𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑚 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑚, 𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑚 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖.

𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑢𝑚 𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑢𝑢𝑠 𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑢𝑠

In the end she went on to trace the marks on her face. This last step was always the most painful. She felt a jolt run through her whole body, through those freshly drawn lines, which when they reached her face seemed almost to tighten into a vice, as if her whole body were being chained by burning coils.

𝑁𝑢𝑛𝑐 𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖, 𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠, 𝑖𝑟𝑎 𝑡𝑢𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑡.

𝐷𝑢𝑚 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑜. 𝑈𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑚 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑒.

When the last syllable was uttered, the lines she had just traced lit up with a soft orange glow, sizzling along their length. She gritted his teeth. They burned terribly, but it was a sensation to which she was accustomed.

[itsrainingpandas]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Video Game), Dragon Age (Video Games) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Summary:

After Lucanis reaches a dangerous point of fatigue in his attempts not to sleep, Rook volunteers to keep watch for Spite if he will finally get some rest.

[freedomatsea]

la petite mort (Lucanis x Rook)

Following the events of Dragon Age: The Veilguard Lucanis and Rook return home to Treviso to enjoy their happily ever after. Except it's not so happily ever after.

Rating: E Ship: Lucanis x f!Rook (de Riva)

Chapter 5 is officially live on AO3!

[dracoangel]

You mean you didn't spend all that time dreaming about having coffee with your inner demon? And with you. But here we are. Whatever this is, I'll take it.

[vaguely-concerned]

the catharsis of rye finally finally letting all defenses down and asking someone to 'please stay, please don't leave me' and have the plea be answered so. so like that. thanks lucanis. when no one's got me I know you've got me

[translucentdragons]

My (current canon) Dragon Age OCs as parents:

Adansser Tabris: Adansser encourages exploration, learning by doing and knowing damn well to refer to Morrigan in anything magic-related. He learns Morrigan's routine until he can predict it, he learns Kieran's routine the same. He tells stories, plays and imagines with Kieran as he grows up. He never thought he'd have a child, so he's grateful. The only time he goes against protocol is when he introduces Kieran to his own father Cyrion, and his cousin Shianni. Luckily, Morrigan wasn't too upset.

Eris Hawke: Eris is scared. She's lived a life on the run and continues to do so. Moreover, the life life she's been leading has been death around every corner - more specifically death of family. If a child would come to be, it would be by accident and she'd have to be encouraged into keeping it. However, when the child is born she would treat them with the utmost care. Worrying that any undue poke or similar would ruin the precious life she's accidentally created. I am not entirely sure that Eris and Fenris would end up with a child, though.

Eth Lavellan: Eth has been supposed to carry on the Lavellan lineage, he is one of the clan's elite hunters. Due to this, he'd likely approach raising a child like he was - training. Since the child is likely adopted too, he would get right into it. Archery-training, hunting, trapping, survival... until Dorian would show him other ways. Show him the type of parents they both deserved growing up and Eth would try his best to be that parent instead.

Dirthera Mercar: Dirthera would be so. Damn. Excited. She'd begin nesting at the first signs of viable pregnancy, she'd get her hands on any existing research. She'd read to her bump, try her hand at piano and anything else. Then, the little bundle would arrive... and all that would likely fall apart. She'd get anxious and stressed while actively trying not to be, she'd second-guess every parenting decision she makes, made and will make. She'd cry at every little milestone and most definitely attempt to let her child live freely (maybe too freely). Luckily, Lucanis can weigh in, help a lot and more than likely calm Dirthera's harried mind when needed.