#this went so deep i broke out the glass cleaner and wiped down my mirrors. it's so serious

[yrbutchgf]

idk if anyone else does this when they're starting to kick an illness but i started feeling better just now so i spent like two hours cleaning my entire apartment and reorganizing the fridge and like refolding all my laundry. my vision is i wake up tomorrow completely healthy to an apartment that looks like i have Never in my Life gotten sick and made a mess of my shit about it

[selenelavellan]

Mamma Mia! AU

Dirthamen, Deceit, Fear, Venavismi, Nona and Gran-Gran(mentioned) belong to @feynites​

Serahlin, Miriel, and Katra belong to @scurvgirl​

Cirimeni belongs to @justanartsysideblog​

Ana belongs to @lycheemilkart​

“I have a secret,” Darevas grins to his brother as they stare out at the ocean, half breathless from the end of their morning run around the island.

Felasel glances up from the rim of his glasses as he wipes the sweat from his brow. “Should I be worried?”

“No,” Darevas says.

Pauses.

“...No?” he repeats as he tilts his head and looks to the sky, less sure of his answer the second time around.

Felasel frowns as he steps closer to his twin. “I swear to the Gods, Darevas, if this is another last minute change to your wedding-”

“It's not!” He pleads, hands up in innocence. “It's a.....gift? It's a gift, yes.”

“For Miriel?”

“For you! And for mom. And...also for me.”

“So, mostly for you,” Felasel says flatly.

“Mostly for us,” Darevas assures him. “Do you remember that notebook we found in those old chests in the storehouse?”

Felasel nods slowly, arms crossing over his chest.

“I managed to pick the lock-”

“You picked a lock?”

“Picked a lock, broke a lock-semantics aren't the important part of this!”

“So what is?”

Darevas takes a deep breath and announces “I invited our dad to my wedding!”

Two teal eyes close in frustration as Felasel runs his hand through his hair. “Our dad left before we were born; he didn't even know mom was pregnant, Darevas. He left because he was engaged to someone else-”

“Well yeah, ok, so that's what mom told us when we asked. Buuuuut...”

Felasel peeks one eye open, heart giving a heavy thump in his chest. “...'But'?”

Darevas clears his throat, pulling an old worn down journal with the image of a raven decorating the cover from the back pocket of his pants, opening up to an earmarked page with a flourish.

“July 17th...” he recites “ 'What a night!'”

“Oh I so don't want to hear this-”

“Well you need to, so hush,” Darevas clears his throat as he continues reading aloud.“'Dirthamen rented a boat and rowed me over to the little island' -that's here, that's Llomerryn- 'We danced along the beach, we kissed beneath the stars and...'dot, dot, dot!”

“Please do not go into the details of our mothers 'dotting'.”

“No problem, bro. Anyways, she goes on with 'Dirthamen's the one! I've never felt like this before, the way he thrills me, it nearly kills me...oh, it makes me dizzy! I practically feel like singing when he does his...thing!'”

Felasel nods slowly as he listens, running his hands through his hair and tying it into a low ponytail.

“So this Dirthamen is our father, then?”

Darevas shrugs, scrunching up his nose. “He leaves soon after to go get married and mom realizes she's never going to see him again, which fits with her story.”

“What an asshole,” Felasel sighs. “Well, we knew that much already, but thanks for the TMI on mom's old sex life-”

“No it's not done!” Darevas declares “August 4th : 'What a night! Deceit rented a motorboat, and we went over to the little island. Though my heart still stings for Dirthamen, Deceit is so spontaneous and romantic. He's such a talented, funny guy, and Fear is so sweet and caring. One thing lead to another and....' dot dot dot!”

Felasel groans, and settles his head into his hands. “Ok. So...Ok.”

“August 11th,” Darevas continues without pausing. “ 'Des turned up out of the blue, so I said I'd show him the island. He's so easy to relax and unwind around and so understanding, I just couldn't help it and...' dot, dot, dot!” Darevas finishes, arms wide open as he grins in triumph at his twin brother.

Felasel looks more concerned than impressed with his discovery.

“Ok...so there are at least three people that could be our father, time wise, depending on our mothers sexual practices” Felasel reasons aloud. “Which one did you invite?”

Darevas grins wider and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Oh no. Darevas, what have you done?”

“Invited our dads!”

“With what, 'hey there I might be your son, please come to my wedding?'”

“Well...no,” Darevas admits sheepishly. “They uh...think mom sent the invites.”

“No.”

“And given what we know,” Darevas says shaking the journal between them pointedly “Unsurprisingly, they all said yes!”

Felasel takes a deep breath. Pinches the bridge of his nose, and walks until he is knee deep in the ocean water, before letting out a loud, frustrated scream.

...Well.

Maybe mom will react more favorably, Darevas hopes.

~

It has been a very long time since Dirthamen was in Rivain, he thinks.

Longer still since he visited Llomerryn in particular.

Selenes letter is tucked safely away in the pocket of his coat, after he had practically raced out of his office to come visit at her request. There are many people in his life he never expected to receive personal correspondence from. Fewer still are those he had hoped to hear from. After the death of his mother, followed by the swift divorce from his wife, there had been little time for anything other than memories and responsibilities.

He had never dared to hope that...after everything, she might possibly want to see him again.

Is this what giddiness is?

It is...very freeing.  He feels very light, even in his cotton suit and the barely present air conditioning of his cab.

The air here, so far away from Denerim, feels so much cleaner even in the humidity that fills it.

He steps out of the cab as it parks, retrieving his luggage from the trunk as he pays the driver.

Just in time to see the boat pulling out of the dock.

There is another elven man, with shoulder length black hair and very fashionable sunglasses shouting after the boat, calling for it to come back as another, smaller elf retrieves their luggage from their own cab.

There is an older qunari man standing on the back of the boat, waving to them in a friendly, though unhelpful, manner.

“Dammit,” The elf mutters.

Dirthamen sighs as he watches the ferry drift ever father away. “My sentiments exactly.”

“ExCUSE ME!” Yells another elf as he practically rolls out of a third cab. “Somebody stop that ferry!”

“Sure, no problem,” Drawls the shorter elf from earlier. “We were just standing here for our health, after all.”

The man with the long hair huffs, tucking a long loose strand of hair behind his ear and revealing a small golden hoop earring. “I have to get to Llomerryn. When's the next one?”

“Lunes,” Says the elf from earlier, lifting his sunglasses to rest on top of his head. “Monday.”

“Well that's no good, I need to get to a wedding.”

“Bride or groom?” the smaller elf asks, scrolling through the screen of their phone without looking up.

“Groom,” Hums the long haired elf as he takes a familiar looking wedding invitation out of his bag to inspect it. “Though I've never actually met the man.”

Dirthamen feels his brows furrow.

Curious.

That is the same situation he is currently in.

“I'm Deceit,” Introduces the one with the sunglasses as he holds out his hand. “And this is Fear; no worries, they don't really bite so long as you keep your hands away.”

“Noted,” Drawls the one with the longer hair and freckles that are poking up the longer they are in the sun. “I'm Des; I only bite if you ask nicely.”

Dirthamen is about to introduce himself as well, when a shadow passes over their makeshift group, and yet another dark haired elf calls to them, this one seated atop the spreaders of a sailboat loaded with several crates of produce.

“Hey!” He calls down with a grin. “You all need a ride to the island?”

Yes, Dirthamen thinks.

They certainly do.

~

Serahlin is exceedingly grateful that she and Ana were able to catch the last ferry of the day. Though it might've been a bit more considerate for them to hold it until sometime past the early morning so that she could have gotten her full eight hours in, but at least she managed her full facial routine.

Goodness knows how terrible this much direct sun exposure can be for your skin.

It's been quite a bit since she last saw her dear friend after all, and she's eager to show off just how amazingly well she's been doing since she cut Darris out of her life.

So she strides behind Ana as the red headed elven woman pushes past people with quiet apologies, seeking out a seat for the two of them on what is, she thinks, a dangerously overcrowded boat.

A qunari woman with a potent smelling basket finally scoots aside enough to clear a space on the bench by the rail for the two of them and Serahlin quickly takes the opening, relieved to be off of her feet for a moment. She looks fantastic in heels, but they're still absolute murder to walk in on uneven ground.

An older elven gentlemen offers Serahlin an unlabeled green bottle and she turns him down as politely as she can manage, even as Ana eagerly takes the bottle, popping the cap off with her teeth.

The man grins, and pulls a familiar book out of his wives bag; Ana is smiling politely on the cover, surrounded by a wealth of plants and vegetables.

“He's got your book,” She teases, nudging Ana as she blushes and agrees to autograph inside the cover.

“Even all the way out here,” Ana smiles to herself. “It's really gotten so much bigger than I expected, I can hardly believe it.”

“You've turned the whole world green,” Serahlin compliments. Happy for her friends success, even if she's not one to get her own hands dirty with gardening. “Everyone's growing and planting and composting now. “

“I know. Isn't it wonderful?” Ana beams, handing the book and pen back to the man.

~

Getting ready for a wedding is no easy task; Miriel knows this, as she pricks her finger on a pin.

“These look amazing, Mir!” Katra croons, spinning in her soon-to-be bridesmaid dress in the mirror, while Miriel tries to stay focused on getting Cirimeni's modifications right.

Cirimeni signs in return about how excited she is about the wedding, and how nice they're all going to look tomorrow.

Miriel smiles softly. “Yeah. If I had my way, it would've just been a quick vow on the mainland, or maybe even back in Antiva, but Darevas really wants this whole...” She sighs, and laughs a little. “production. Could've saved our money for traveling instead of flowers and food for the whole island. But it's nice. I'm actually starting to get excited for it, now that you both are here.”

He's a romantic, Cirimeni signs into the mirror.

“And I love him,” Miriel finishes, stepping back after finally getting the shoulder of the dress to lay where she wants it.

The door swings open, and Darevas and Felasel step into the room, still damp from their usual dip into the ocean after their morning jog.

“You two look great!” Darevas compliments, lifting the two girls off the ground together and swinging them in a circle.

They've been together for so long already, and she still feels stunned by his strength sometimes.

“Alright, be careful, vhenan!” She calls, tapping his shoulder. “There are pins in the dresses still, and you’re still all wet.” Darevas puts them down and steps back, hands on his hips as he nudges his brother approvingly. “Don't they look great, Felly?”

But Felasel seems momentarily stricken by something, his eyes stuck on Cirimeni.

Miriel resists the urge to laugh; she's never seen him knocked off his rhythm like this, but she supposes Cirimeni is a beautiful woman after all, and it's the first time he's actually seen her.

“Felasel?” Darevas repeats.

Felasel clears his throat and nods.

“You look...luminous,” He manages, voice cracking slightly as his eyes still never leave Cirimenis face.

“Do you need something?” Miriel asks, hoping to take some of the pressure off and alleviate the awkwardness in the room.

“Just grabbing a clean shirt,” Darevas says, reaching past her to snatch one from their dresser, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he does.

Miriel feels her own face heat up at the affection, and tries to keep her heartbeat from increasing too greatly. They're getting married tomorrow, surely her body can withstand its urges until then.

“Ok, ok, you got what you needed, now shoo,” She says with a small giggle. “We're very busy right now.”

Darevas grins and gives her one last deeply passionate kiss before stepping back out the door. Felasel hesitates for a moment, before giving a deep bow to Cirimeni and placing a more polite kiss to the back of her hand.

Miriel shakes her head and shoos him out behind his brother.

Honestly.

It's almost enough to make her put stock in that old legend about love and the island.

Almost.

~

“You realize you'll have to tell her,” Felasel informs Darevas once they've moved into his own room.

“It's fine,” Darevas dismisses, slipping into his new shirt and throwing his old one into Felasels hamper.

“Why haven't you told her already?”

“Because Miriel would say that I should tell mom.”

“You should tell mom. She's going to kill you already, you could at least get honesty on your side here.”

“By the time mom finds out, it'll be too late.”

Felasel sighs as he buttons up his own shirt and shakes his head.

Really, she has enough to deal with around here. This could send her into a full breakdown if it's not handled well, he worries.

“Aren't you even a little curious?” Darevas pushes. “Don't you feel like there's a part of you that's missing?”

“No,” Felasel answers flatly.

“Well, I do,” his brother argues. “And when I see our dad, I'll know who he is, and who I am, and everything will fall into place. You'll see, and you'll thank me for it later.”

Felasel crosses his arms in disapproval, but doesn't say anything more about it.

No matter what, Darevas is right about one thing; It's too late now, anyways.

~

Des isn't quite sure how he managed to luck into being on a boat in the middle of the ocean with such a devastatingly attractive set of elves.

If he weren't already on his way to get back into Selenes good graces, he thinks he might be trying quite a bit harder to turn this short boat ride into a much longer, much more luxurious sort of rendezvous.

Their unofficial captain, Venavismi is focused on keeping them afloat, while Fear seems relatively preoccupied with sitting in the dead center of the sailboat and trying very hard to convince themselves they aren't exactly where they are. Deceit beside them is running their hand in soothing circles over their back and humming a song that sounds strangely familiar.

In a flash, Des realizes he's seen Deceits face before; on a magazine cover. Several magazine covers actually, the man is essentially a rock star back in Fereldan.

What could they possibly be doing coming out to a little Rivaini island like this one?

“I know who you are,” Pipes up the quiet one, Dirthamen as he sits down beside Des. He's removed his coat in the heat, and Des is mildly tempted to loosen the poor dears tie as he gives him back a curious smile. “You're Des, aren't you?”

“I am,” Des grins, turning to make eye contact.

Dirthamen practically lights up. “I read your books; Fab in a Cab on my way to Nowhere. They are quite exciting reads, and very nice to have on long business trips. Although I have been told I am very stoic on the outside, it is very thrilling to be off on some grand spontaneous adventure in my own mind for several hours.”

“You should try it for real some time, then.” Des winks.

“Oh,” Dirthamen says, deflating slightly. “No. I am not the spontaneous type.”

“You're a...close friend of Selenes?” Deceit asks, apparently listening in to their conversation.

“I've barely spoken to her in twenty years,” Des admits. “But then she sent me this invite, so I think she's finally forgiven me.”

“An invite out of the blue?” Deceit asks warily.

Des nods, and Dirthamen begins to look slightly puzzled beside him.

“You know that is strange,” he says. “It was the same for me-”

“Going about!” Vena calls from overhead as the boat begins to turn, several of the cords tightening in response. 

One of the ties beside Dirthamen unravels from where it had been loose, and Des has to stifle a laugh as the man, still in his tie and vest and button down, goes chasing after it and ends up pulled a good two feet before he gets a solid grip and stance on it.

“Got it!” Dirthamen calls as his voice cracks slightly, and Des can't resist getting up to help.

It's a good excuse to put his arms around someone, at least.

~

Selene has been on the island of Llomerryn for a very long time.

Long enough that she knows every nook and cranny, every shortcut, every trail. Every crumbling structure on the island, including her own.

It causes her no shortage of stress, and with her sons wedding coming up tomorrow (Tomorrow, she can hardly believe how quickly everything has happened), it's a very, very large relief to know that two of her very best friends are coming to the island for the event.

She practically skips out of her jeep, running all the way down to the dock to greet them on the last ferry of the day. Her outfit is hardly glamorous, a pair of old overalls and a loose blouse, but it doesn't matter as her chest swells with joy and she sees a familiar pair of elves stepping off the boat.

Serahlin, as stunningly beautiful as ever and dressed as though her way of life absolutely agrees with her in her pink skirt and coat, perfectly tailored with matching heels, and long dark hair cascading down from a lovely sunhat. Ana follows beside her, carrying a large bag filled no doubt with many of her home-grown lotions and salves, freckles scattered over her face bright in the sunlight and wearing a very cute banana patterned sundress.

“Well well well, what have we here?” Selene calls loudly to her approaching friends, who quickly strike into their old poses. Selene takes on her own as well, pretending to hold a microphone with one hand up-stretched towards the sky and fidgeting with energy and excitement she's barely felt since her youth.

“For one night!” Ana yells, tilting her head up to the sky

“And one night only!” Serahlin continues

“Selene and the Superstars!” They all yell and laugh in unison before running towards each other in joy.

There's a blur of old choreography and hip checking as they laugh and greet each other, Selene lifting Ana up off the ground slightly before putting the smaller woman back down and bringing Serahlin in for a very tight, very overdue, hug.

“Oh, I missed you two,” She hums, leading them back to her jeep.

“Well that’s what happens when you go and isolate yourself on an island in the middle of nowhere,” Serahlin jokes. “Not like I could hop a plane to get here, there's no airport!”

“So sorry Serahlin, I'll be sure to add an airport to the island for you next time,” Selene teases back with a laugh “Just as soon as I marry some disgustingly rich person, and right after I finish making all the necessary repairs to the parts of the hotel that are still standing. Let me know if you find someone looking to burn a couple million bucks, yeah?”

“It's a rich mans world,” Ana muses aloud.

“You think there are going to be any eligible men at this wedding?”

“Ready to remarry already?” Selene smirks.

“No, not for me!” Serahlin laughs, pointing at Ana on her other side. “For her! Now that her book is a best seller and she's tripled the species of plants most people can name off the tops of their heads. It's time to find someone to share that success with!”

“Oh, not for me,” Ana laughs. “I'm not looking for anything like that-I'm just fine where I'm at, I'd much rather travel and focus on my plants than worry about something like that.”

Ana quickly changes the subject before anyone can push it any farther. “Are the lovebirds going to be moving out after the wedding?”

“Oh,” Selene sighs as she parks the car in front of the hotel. “Who even knows? I have no idea what's going on in Darevas's head anymore, he's been so strange all month. He's going and getting married so young and he wants this big huge wedding, and I don't understand any of it, but I'm doing my best. I just want what's best for him you know?”

“Do you want him to move out though?”

“Of course not!” Selene snorts, turning off the car and popping out the side.

Miriel greets up, waving as she runs towards the group Selene smiles and returns the wave.

“Here comes the bride!” She declares, gesturing to her future daughter in law. “Serahlin, Ana, this is Miriel. She's going to be my daughter starting tomorrow.”

“It's nice to meet you!” She greets politely, moving to help carry the baggage.

“Oh, you don't have to do that-” Serahlin interrupts, but Miriel just raises an eyebrow.

“There's a lot of stairs...” She warns ominously, and Selene nods in agreement behind her.

Serahlin relents, as they follow Selene through the old stone archway at the front of the hotel and up a truly astounding number of stone steps. By the time they reach the top, Serahlin and Ana both are nearly out of breath, taking a seat on a bench as quickly as they can.

“It can be a lot if you're not used to it,” Selene says as an apology. “I appreciate you making the trek.”

“Auntie Serahlin, Auntie Ana! You're here!” Darevas calls, leaning over one of the railings of the hotel windows.

“Oh goodness, they've grown so much!” Serahlin gasps as Felasel and Darevas both come out from the open door before them, each taking one of the women in their arms in a tight hug.

“You two are so tall,” Ana laughs as Felasel places her back on the ground. “And so handsome!”

“Yeah, that’s them. A couple of heart breakers these two,” Selene teases, giving each of her friends a glass full of water, to help cool them down in the thick heat of the island.

Her sons exchange a look that gives her pause, but with so much going on already, she decides not to push it at the moment, instead pulling laundry down that she meant to get put away before they arrived in the first place.

Darevas's attentions leave Serahlin as Miriel comes back from dropping the luggage off in their room, brushing her hands.

“How was the trip in?” Felasel asks, helping Selene to take down some of the sheets and linens.

“A bit crowded,” Ana admits. “But a lovely view. The flora here is really beautiful!”

“Isn't it?” Miriel grins. “I wish we could pull in more people to show it off to, but no one even knows we're here.”

“Felasel and I are going to start a website,” Darevas adds “We're just trying to figure out how to market it to really let people know who and where we are. This place has so much potential, but it's practically a secret.”

“It could be one of the ultimate romantic vacation spots,” Miriel sighs “It's rumored to be the site for the All Mother's Fountain you know, the goddess of love? The legends say that if you drink from the fountain, you’re supposed to find true love and happiness.”

“I'll take some of that,” Serahlin says, raising her cup up in a mock toast.

Miriel smiles, and Darevas distracts her again with a deep kiss before dragging her off to discuss details for the next day.

Selene shakes her head in fondness as Felasel mentions leaving to check on the bridesmaids, leading her own friends into the rooms she's set aside for them.

“Do you really want tourists?” Ana says as she follows.

“Well, maybe not an abundance,” Selene admits “But a few would be nice, to help with costs at least.” She sighs to herself as she looks at the walls of the room; a beautiful shade of blue, but worn down by time and sand and desperately in need of a new coat or two. She leans forward to open one of the windows, for a cross-breeze and lets out a soft cry as one of the doors falls off and lands below them with a loud crash. With an uneasy grin and an apology to the people working below, she quickly darts out and down to retrieve the panel, Serahlin and Ana following behind her.

“Do you need help with money, darling?” Serahlin asks in a worried tone.

Selene laughs it off, “Oh, honey, no. I've got it under control, I'm just whining, you know how it is.”

The ground beneath her feet shakes violently suddenly, and she nearly loses her balance as she tightly grips the wooden piece of her window, a large crack appearing over the mosaic crescent moon in the middle of the hotel courtyard.

“What was that?” Ana asks, clutching at the edges of her dress.

“Oh, it's just the world moving. Par for the course around here,” Selene laughs, shaking her head at her abysmal luck. At this rate, she's not sure if the hotel will even survive the wedding. “C'mon, I'll go fix your window and then we can go have some fun.”

~

Deceit lets out a quiet breath as he steps onto the docks of Llomerryn.

It has been quite a long time since he came to visit. A quiet pang of guilt fills him; he meant to visit Nona and Gran-gran more often, even after everything that happened with Selene, but then his singing career had taken off and they'd passed on together, and he'd just never managed to find the time to come and check on things.

They had taken such good care of him, of his mother, back before...

He sighs, readjusting his sunglasses.

Well, he's here now.

Fear looks over the invitation one last time, as they follow the GPS on their phone all the way up to the hotel. Vena gives them his own directions on top of that, and they thank him, as he gets started unloading his produce and they move on with their own trip in mind.

The invitation had been unexpected, when they had gotten it. Fear was worried something was wrong, hearing from her so suddenly after twenty years of silence, though even they could admit that it would be nice to see her again.

Their romance had only lasted a week, but it had been a very good week.

About halfway through the walk, Deceit recognizes the trail, as a familiar looking hotel comes into view when they crest over one of the hills.

They end up stopping, all four of them, at the top of a set of a staircase he hated climbing even in his youth that's only become crueler to his aging knees. The view from the top is astounding though, the ocean and mainland both in view in the afternoon sunlight.

“Hi,” Comes a voice from behind, and all four of them turn at once. There’s a very tall young elf with dark hair and tan skin and bright eyes staring at them all. “Can I help you?”

“Hello,” Dirthamen speaks up “We are here for the wedding? I am Dirthamen Evanuris.”

“Desire, but please call me Des.”

“Fear.”

“I'm Deceit,” He finally finishes, capping off the introductions and taking off his sunglasses.

The young elven man stares at them all for a moment, eyes glancing to each of them in turn as his breath seems to speed up. Deceit worries that perhaps something might be wrong, judging by the way he’s staring at them all.

“You're expecting us, right?” Deceit says after an uncomfortable minute of silence.

“Yes!” The man says, suddenly breaking out into a large grin. “Yes, of course!”

“You're not...” Des says, taking a step forward, eyes squinting slightly. “Are you Selene's son?”

“I am, one of them. I have a twin brother as well. I'm Darevas, I'm the one getting married tomorrow. It's so...” He lets out a breath with a laugh. “It's so good to meet you all!”

Deceit thinks for a moment that the name sounds familiar; Nona or Gran-gran knew someone with a name similar to Darevas, he's fairly certain. Certainly not this one though, he's far too young to have known them before their passing.

Another strange coincidence. Not an uncommon occurrence on this island.

“Would you mind if we saw our rooms before we meet up with your mother?” Dirthamen requests, shifting from one foot to the other uncertainly. “I would like to freshen up beforehand.”

“Same,” Des chimes in, raising his hand slightly.

“Sure,” Darevas nods eagerly, “Follow me.”

Des leads the way, then Dirthamen, then Deceit, and finally Fear bringing up the rear.

Curious, Deceit thinks. This isn't the normal way to the hotel, this is a back route that was usually only used by the workers or operators. It's hardly the scenic route, most of it back ways and narrow passages through old storage rooms that are clearly starting to wear down in their old age.

Deceit's practically amused by the situation as they're lead down an old set of wooden stairs, past the bleating sheeps and goats and into what he is almost certain used to be the goat house. Darevas directs them up a wooden ladder, and Deceit resists the urge to snort at the site of their 'room'.

Something is definitely up.

Dirthamen looks notably confused and concerned at the air mattresses lying on the floor, one of them already deflated, while Des purses his lips beside him.

“Well, this was a great tour,” Des hums, tugging slightly on his earring. “But it'd be great if you could show me my actual room now.”

“Pretty sure this is your room, Des,” Deceit finally grins.

The colorfully adorned man deflates slightly, while Dirthamens shoulders fall in a dejected manner.

“Can we see Selene now?” Dirthamen attempts, one hand still on his suitcase.

Darevas swallows, barely able to contain his grin as he bounces slightly on the balls of his feet. “I sent the invitations, actually. My mom has no idea about any of this.”

Des lets out a long groan, hip jutting out as he rubs a hand down his face, while Dirthamen's face falls at the news and Fear lets out a disappointed tutting sound beside him.

“She's done so much for me, and my brother, and she's told us so many stories about you all and the good old days,” A lie, Deceit knows without having to say anything about it. “And I thought she'd be so happy to finally see you all again! It could be such a wonderful surprise for her, to find out you're all going to be at my wedding.”

Des takes a few steps forward, closing the gap between himself and Darevas. “Hold on, hold on. I can't be here; Selene said she never wanted to see me again the last time we were together. Are you telling me she doesn't even know that I'm here?”

“That was years ago,” Darevas tries to assure him. “I'm sure she's moved past whatever upset her back then! She's going to be so happy to see you all!”

Dirthamen shakes his head, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly, while Deceit trails a hand over his head and through his hair.

No, that doesn't sound like Selene at all.

“Please,” Darevas pleads, putting on surprisingly effective puppy dog eyes despite the fact that he's easily the tallest person in the room. “It would mean a lot to me.”

“Why?” Fear asks.

“I can tell you went to a lot of trouble to arrange all of...this,” Dirthamen deters. “But I think perhaps it would be for the best if we all went back to the docks and tried to find a boat home.”

“Yep,” Des agrees, popping the p as he turns to reach for his suitcase.

“Nope,” Deceit argues, reclining out on the biggest of the mattresses. “There's probably not any boats leaving right now. Besides, Dirthamen, you said you wanted to be more spontaneous; this is an adventure. It could be good for you.”

“Oh,” Dirthamen ponders, looking up at the wood on the ceiling. “That is true.”

“Ok, look,” Darevas finally says, dropping the pleading tones. “It was a long shot any of you would even reply when I sent the invites. But you all said yes, you've all made the trip, and you're all here. Surely you thought there was something worth coming back for, something other than the wedding of someone you've never met before. Something special, like....some sort of siren call, maybe?”

All four of them let out a unanimous groan, and Des plops down on the edge of Deceits mattress with a laugh.

“Oh, you're definitely Selene's son alright,” he gripes. “A troublesome little minx, just like she was. I hope your brother's not this bad.”

Darevas grins, hands on his hips. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Deceit shakes his head and gives a laugh of his own.

The sound of a door opening and someone humming rises up from below them, and it's been twenty years, but Deceit has never forgotten that voice.

All of them stand back up, moving almost mindlessly towards the ladder while Dirthamen quietly mumbles “That's Selene,” and Deceit feels slightly embarrassed.

A siren call may not have been quite so far off, all things considered.

“No no no no no nonono,” Darevas whispers, moving between all of them while Dirthamen tucks the bottom of his shirt in. “Listen, she can't know about this, she can't. I have to go, but I need you all to promise me that you'll stay, and not tell anybody that I invited you. Ok? Promise?”

Deceit hesitates, but one by one they all promise not to tell or to leave the island until after the wedding. Darevas pulls a board covered in sheet music away from a window and sneaks out with a large smile, one finger pressed to his lips as Des puts the makeshift window cover back in its place.

“Wouldn't happen to know where I could at least get a shower, would you?” He mutters softly to the open air.

Well, Deceit thinks. This might just be an even more eventful weekend than he planned on.

~

There's something wonderfully grounding about the familiarity of flora, Ana thinks. 

Even with the thousands upon thousands of different species, and the variations between those here on Llomerryn and those back in Fereldan, it's easy for her to tell what she can take clippings of back home, and which she can't.

Selene had wandered off after a few drinks to finally fix the new crack in her courtyard, and Serahlin had decided it was a good time to take a shower so Ana thought it would be as good a time as any to explore the island on her own.

Though, she realizes now that she's wandered all the way back down the hills, and ended up back near the docks.

Damn.

She's dreading the walk back up all those stairs, when she hears a small clatter from one of the boats still tied up, rocking slightly in the roll of the waves. There's a tall, long haired elven man loading empty crates onto what she assumes is his sailboat. Her feet take her towards it, curiosity overriding her better thoughts along with a need to make sure he's alright.

Her feet are silent on the wooden dock, but somehow he sees her coming all the same.

He lets out a long laugh.

“Sorry, I'm all out!” He calls.

Ana blinks.

“Um,” She says. “Sorry?”

He gestures to the pattern on her dress. “Bananas? I'm all out, I just finished dropping off today's shipment to the kitchens already. You'll have to ask Selene or Miriel about getting some, I think they're supposed to be for the wedding tomorrow.”

Ana blushes, clutching onto the edges of her dress. “I wasn't- I'm just visiting the island, I'm a friend of Selenes.”

“She's got a lot of friends here today it seems,” Vena muses aloud.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he says with a shake of his head as he wipes his hand clean on the bottom of his shirt before holding it out for her. “Well, any friend of Selenes is a friend of mine. Venavismi, at your service.”

“Elanna,” She introduces. “But I go by Ana.”

Venavismi grins. “Ana-banana.”

Ana laughs into her fist, feeling her face heat up at the name as a strange sort of warmth spreads through her.

“Here for the wedding then, Ana-banana?”

“Mm-hm,” She grins. “Are you going to be attending?”

“Sure am. I've watched those boys grow up too long not to. Used to help Miriel get onto the island when the ferry wasn't running too.”

“How mischievous,” Ana teases. “You sneak her in a lot?”

“Depends; how much are you into bad boys?” He says with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Ana laughs again. “Not so bad, really,” She admits. “I spend most of my time with my plants, back in Fereldan.”

“Oh, do you have an orchard too?”

“No, most of my plants are potted,” She admits. “You have an orchard?”

“Back on the mainland, yeah,” He preens. “I supply quite a lot of the fruit around here.”

“But you're all out of bananas,” She tsks teasingly. “What a shame.”

“Hold on,” He says, darting back onto his boat and digging through a crate. 

He pops back out a minute later with a small yellow fruit, and tosses it to her with a wink. “It may not be a banana, but babe you put the stars in my sky.”

Ana blinks, and looks down at the starfruit in her hands.

She can feel her face turning an even deeper shade of red as she clutches it with an awkward laugh.

“Right! Well that's-I mean,” She stammers, very much out of her element very suddenly. “I should-I should get back to Selene,”

“Sure,” He nods with a self-satisfied smile. “See you at the wedding, then?”

Ana nods quickly, before disappearing back into the forest, starfruit clutched tightly to her chest.

What a terrible pick up line really.

...But she can't really deny the effectiveness of it, either.

~

There are a lot of things Selene expected to happen this weekend, and prepared herself for.

A giant crack in the middle of her courtyard was not one of them.

She's sighing at the caulking gun she keeps in the goat house that the animals don't even go into anymore, wondering if it's got enough left in it that she can just seal the crack and move on to other things.

It's the best she can think of right now, at least.

Absently humming an old tune aloud, Selene hears something shift around overhead.

Ah, damn. What kind of vermin could have gotten into the goat house? There's no rats or squirrels on the island, or is there an infestation problem now too? 

Maybe she'll get lucky, and its just the sound of the wood and stone settling in their old age.

...Still.

She should probably check, to make sure there's no unexpected vermin running across the aisle tomorrow at the wedding.

She climbs up the stairs, popping the hatch up only to find it covered by something heavy that’s been moved on top of it. One of the chairs she thinks, peeking through the opening she could manage.

She nearly freezes, as she sees a pair of legs in tight black jeans in front of her.

Her eyes slowly graze up the legs, legs she knows, legs she remembers, until they settle on a too familiar face.

Deceit? She thinks, momentarily stunned. What on earth are they doing here?

Fear is behind them, browsing absently on their phone and donning a much more professional haircut than the half-buzz they had had twenty years ago.

There's more people though.

A pair of bare knees with a familiar freckle pattern stare back at her, a long magenta skirt resting between them and attached to another elf with familiar long dark hair and golden eyes that still have that same spark they did back before...before.

Des, she realizes, heartbeat racing as she finds one more elf in the top floor of the old goat house.

Dark cotton slacks with a purple button down, and two slate blue eyes that she used to dream about for so long, eyes she hasn't seen since they told her he was leaving her behind, and going back to his life in Fereldan.

Dirthamen, she swallows, letting go of the hatch and dropping down from the ladder.

Her heart is racing, as she fans her face and tries to keep from overheating.

What are they doing here?! All of them, together?

How could this even happen?!

They weren't even supposed to-Des and Dirthamen swore they'd never come back, and Deceit had practically abandoned them for his music, and she had been left behind, forgotten really by all of them, caring for Nona and Gran-gran in their last few years and eventually purchasing and renovating the hotel while they were all....were all...

She sighs, and covers her mouth with her hand.

Damn it all.

She moves her hand down to her chest, feeling flames beginning to lick up beneath her skin just from the sight of them.

Damn it all, they're all still outrageously attractive. 

How dare they show up here, now, and pull all of these old emotions she's spent twenty years ignoring back up? There's so many other things to do, to worry about-

Gods, what if Darevas or Felasel see them?!

If she had wanted to see them again, she would have invited them years ago. Not now, certainly not in her...current state, she thinks picking a stray thread off of the sleeve of her blouse.

No. 

No, she's done well, just fine without them! She's raised two wonderful sons, and cared for the island and she's done it all on her own.

Their faces flash through her mind. Moments long buried of nights in the beach, in rooms of this very hotel, on blankets and next to guitars and books and...

She lets out a sigh.

Mamma mia, she's just gotta get one more look. One more, and she can center herself, and move on with her life.

She's not sure when, specifically, she climbed to the roof, only knows that she's here now, staring down at the access hatch and saying a silent prayer for strength as she bends over for one last look at her past lovers.

It’s really a disastrous moment, when the wind catches her off guard, and she falls straight through the opening.

She lets out a loud groan, her legs straight up and apart from the shock of the fall, thankful for the half-inflated air mattress she landed on. Staring up at four familiar faces, grinning back down at her.

“You've always had the best entrances,” Des teases, stepping towards her.

She can't help it; she laughs.

Selene quickly crosses her legs and tucks them beneath her as she struggles to sit up, glancing from one pair of eyes to another, surrounded, somehow, by all the people she loved so fiercely nearly twenty years ago.

“I better be dreaming,” She finally says, tucking her hair behind her ear and once again cursing her abysmally terrible luck. “You all had better not really be here.”