#viago is a softie on the inside

[lightan117]

I have a problem...

So, I might have gone down my own rabbit hole....with my Rook.

My Rook is a Mourn Watcher Mage who was founded as a baby and taken in. Now, my rabbit hole is that my Rook (once she got older) decided she would help all the other little Mourn Watch foundlings by being the big sister they never got.

She would have started an official Mourn Watch Foundling program for those who are taken in to be official Mourn Watchers once they come of age and can start school. I have a headcannon that Mourn Watchers have their own foundlings groups like the Jedi, but yeah (not as strict). If anyone wants, I can do HC on that if anyone wants it

Anyways! Rook is in charge of this group of rag-tag bunch of munchkins, and they all look up to her because she treats them like family, not like some throw-away piece of trash some people see them as. My Rook, of course, has her shadow that follows her everywhere and is the proclaimed "leader" when Rook is not around. Then, of course, here is where my rabbit hole starts to go into the abyss.

I have this little munchkin in my head that is obsessed with poison. Like poisoning the other little munchkins but not in a bad way, just "They stole my candy, so it's payback." YET! She doesn't know the dosage correctly, so Rook is always stopping near death because this little chaotic minion only does it when Rook is around just to be on the safe side. "Stop poisoning people!" "Why?" "Why?! cuz, it hurts them!" "It doesn't kill them tho, just makes them hurt." "THAT"S A BAD THING MY SMALL CHILD!"

Problem is now is that Rook is with Lucanis...

Lucanis might have brought Teia and Viago for a secret party Emmrich wanted to throw Rook cuz why the fuck not. Emmrich invites Rooks minion children to said party and who does Rook put 2 and 2 together?

That's right, Rook goes to Viago with this little terror in her hands and plops her in front of him like "here ya go, enjoy your new spawn, take it" in the most loving way possible.

Of course Viago and the little terror hit it off right away because both are outcastes with a love for poisoning people who bother them. Teia is off in the corner with Rook already planning on how to gift Viago a child without kidnapping them. Lucanis is warning Viago that they might not survive crow training but Viago is giving Lucanis the side eye like "why the fuck not, the girl is me".

yeeah i need help guys....I'm already writing the fic....

[deputyrook]

In Her Absence: Lucanis/Rook/Spite.

A03 link! Female Crow Rook x Lucanis. Lucanis POV.

Takes place when Rook is in the fade prison, because 1) I love angst and am a big softie; and 2) I wanted to try to work out the logistics of what the team did in Rook's absence, and how they managed to reach her.

---

In the four days that Rook’s been gone, the Veilguard has devolved completely into infighting.

Taash wants to know why they can’t just “break into the fade and pull her out.” And no one really wants to hear Emmrich’s overly technical explanation as to why that’s not feasible, least of all Taash, who’s grieving and angry. Davrin keeps saying that it should have been him instead, which isn’t helping, and no one even wants to think about what’s happening to Bellara right now. 

Harding is dead. Bellara is kidnapped by Elgar’nan and Maker knows where. They’re a mess as a group, angry and hurting. And Rook...

Rook’s gone.

Neve is the only person who remotely has their shit still together, and for that at least, Lucanis is thankful. 

Because he absolutely does not have his shit together. Maybe the others can’t tell, since he’s not arguing or yelling or breaking down, but his thoughts are spiralling so badly that he’s barely said a word in three days. All he can think about is Rook.

He loves her. He loves her. And she’s lost somewhere, trapped and alone, and they have no plan whatsoever on how they’re going to get her back. 

He never told her. It’s tearing him up inside. The thought that he might never hear her voice again. Never hear her make some stupid pun, or hear her teasing, or hear her give them all one of her legendary pep talks. Never hear her laugh again-

“Lucanis,” Neve’s voice is firm, dragging him out of his despondency, “You need to focus.” 

How can he possibly focus? “You’re right,” he says instead, voice tight, because Neve is right. Standing around brooding isn’t getting them any closer to getting Rook back. What he needs to do is act- but how?

Solas is a God, and even he couldn’t break out of that prison. This isn’t the kind of problem Lucanis can solve with a dagger. He can’t stab at the prison walls until they crumble away- but Maker knows if that could work, he would stab until his daggers shattered and his body collapsed. 

What is he supposed to do? What can he do? How can he help them, when all he knows how to do is kill things?

No. Spite says to his left, his voice hard and determined, No! We will find Rook. Won’t leave them there. 

Neve puts a hand on his shoulder, and gives it a squeeze. 

“When has Rook ever been content to sit and wait to be rescued?” Neve says, and he lets out a long, even exhale, because it’s exactly what he needs to hear. “I’m worried too. But Rook would chew off her own leg to escape a trap. If there’s a way to get out, she’ll find it. Have some faith in her. In all of us- and in yourself.”

“Thank you,” he murmurs, voice quiet. After a moment, he adds, “…Someone should let Viago and Teia know.”

That, at least, is a burden he can bear. 

But the days stretch into weeks. Elgar’nan seizes control of an already broken Minrathous, and even Neve has a hard time keeping herself together after that one. 

Lucanis is in no place to offer comfort. Without Rook’s leadership and steadfast optimism, the lighthouse has gone dark, leaving them all ships to smash into a rocky coast. He won’t soon forget the way Viago’s eyes widened when he told him what had happened to Rook, nor the look of horror that flashed across his face before his expression settled into stony devastation. 

Strangely, it’s Spite that keeps him from falling apart completely. He refuses to accept that Rook is gone. Every time that Lucanis’ mind whispers to him that this happened because he wasn’t good enough, and that he’ll never see Rook smile at him again- Spite cuts him off with an angry, defiant hiss of NO. 

Rook is strong. Rook is smart! Rook will not allow herself to die in a prison. She would not let you die in prison, either. We will not let her. We will find her. We will find her!

He repeats the words in his own head, holding onto them like a buoy. Right, yeah. She’s good at prison breaks. It’s enough to make it through the day.

Sometimes- although Lucanis would never admit it to the others- he realizes that Spite is the one who has been moving his body,  keeping him working while he’s been stuck in his mind, ruminating and aching with missing her. It’s been Spite that’s forcing him to eat, to bathe, to sleep. Spite is keeping him alive. 

Will not let you do this to us. Rook needs us.

It’s that thought that ultimately gets Lucanis to snap out of his despair. 

It’s not over yet. He agrees, finally. Rook needs us. 

Finally! Spite snaps back.

---

First, they try to make a copy of the dagger. Something that will be able to slice through the fade prison, so that they can cut Rook out of it. That’s how Solas left, after all- by tricking her, and stealing the dagger to cut himself free. 

But a dagger of pure lyrium isn’t exactly easy to replicate. Brilliant as they are, Emmrich and Neve can only do so much. So after days of meticulous work, they end up with a dagger that looks identical to the real thing, but doesn’t actually work. Great.

Next, Emmrich hypothesizes that in order to get to Rook in the fade, they’ll not only need to figure out how to access the fade prison, but also to figure out where the prison actually is, physically within the fade.

It is, apparently, not as simple as yelling out “ROOK? CAN YOU HEAR US?” from the top of the Lighthouse, which has been Taash’s strategy. Spite, too, is ready to start just travelling through the fade, for as long and as far as he needs to until he finds her. Lucanis is doing what he can to support the group, cooking the meals and making sure Emmrich and Neve are able to stay on their feet.

Word gets to them that Solas is in Minrathous, keeping the rebellion alive. The news poisons Lucanis so thoroughly with hate that he nearly can’t stomach it. Spite has been so determined to save Rook that Lucanis almost forgot how it felt when he was really, truly spiteful. 

Hearing Solas is pretending to be a hero in Tevinter, after consigning Rook to take his place in a prison? Yeah. That’ll do it. The things he’d wanted to do to Illario after his betrayal had left him conflicted. He is not remotely conflicted about what he wants to do about Solas.

What they want to do. Spite agrees with him on this one. He hurt our Rook.

Finally, Emmrich and Neve work out a real plan, with the help of the Veil Jumpers. It’s based largely on luck, but it’s something. It’s a sliver of hope. It’s enough to keep them all going.

First, they need to find a spot where the veil is particularly thin, where the fade peaks through the seams of reality. Then, they need to use an artifact of the Veil Jumper’s to do… magical, fade, location-y… stuff. Emmrich actually uses a bit of Rook’s blood for this part, located on some stained clothes that Assan had dug out in her room. 

Blood magic. Ordinarily, Lucanis would be opposed. But no one says a word against it. They are all desperate for this to work. 

The first day they try it, it doesn’t work. They make some adjustments, and try again.

The second day, it doesn’t work. They make some more adjustments, and they try again.

On the fifth day, Spite says it in his ear, voice sharp with excitement.

I can smell her- I can smell Rook!

Lucanis’ heart feels like it’s about to burst from his chest. He’s yelling, “Rook?” into the rift before he can stop himself, but the team’s caught on already that this isn't like the other times they’ve failed to make their plan work. The rift is spitting and spasming sparks of magic, and they can see through it in a way they’d never been able to before. They can see a light in the rift.

Emmrich seems to throw caution entirely to the wind, rolling up his sleeve and plunging his arm into the rift. The energy is wild, unrestrained, and they’re all calling out to Rook, reaching and trying to get to her.

“I’ve- I’ve got her!” Emmrich yells out, and Lucanis swears he can see Rook’s wavy form on the other side of the rift. Like looking through a fishbowl, or the walls of the Ossuary.

He reaches in too and grabs her hand with Emmrich, and they yank. Rook stumbles out, collapsing onto the ground.

“Varric’s dead,” she says, voice hollow and wobbly.

Neve shoots Lucanis a confused, concerned look, but he’s too relieved to care. He’s grabbing at her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace, and his throat feels like it’s closing up on him. Tears prick at his vision. She’s safe. She’s alive, she’s free, and she’s safe. She’s back with them.

They all want to hug her, and make sure she’s actually, really okay. But Lucanis gets to first.

Told you. Told you, told you! Spite repeats, ecstatic, She’s back!

“Are you okay?” He murmurs, pulling back and looking her over critically, trying to see if she’s been hurt or if anything has changed. But no. It’s just her. Like not a day has passed.

Rook nods slowly, and Lucanis smooths a hand down her hair, before cupping her cheek in his hand. All he wants to do is hold her, but he can’t be that selfish and drag her away from the others. Not yet, anyway. 

Pulling back, the others take the moment to rush in, making similar careful assessments and doting over Rook. The last few weeks have been almost unbearably difficult. There’s been little to celebrate. But this is joy again. Hope. With Rook back, not everything is completely fucked.

Davrin pulls her into a crushing hug, and Taash joins in, and they’re all hugging and crying a little. The trip back to the Lighthouse is a blur, with Rook thanking the Veil Jumpers and swearing to them she’ll get Bellara back.

How she can already be so determined, so ready to act, Lucanis will never know. He is, as he has so often found himself, in awe of her ability to forge forward, the light cutting through the swathes of dark that seem to surround them.

Spite is just about ready to try to crawl out of their skin in impatience, but they have work to do first. They all brief Rook on what has happened in her absence, and learn- horrifically- that she’s somehow been brainwashed into believing Varric has been alive, for months, by Solas.

Not for the first time, Lucanis feels anger and spite bubbling in his veins and vows to himself that he will not let Solas get away with hurting Rook. God or not. He finds it hard to fathom why he would mess with her head like that, if he wanted her to succeed in at least stopping Ghilan’nain. It reminds him too much of the mind games that his captors would play on him when he was in the Ossuary, tormenting and confusing him for no other reason than to break him down. Was that what Solas had tried to do to Rook, too? To break her down mentally, so she’d be easier to manipulate and trick?

It seems to take forever, but finally, Lucanis gets to see her alone. She’s lying down when he enters her quarters, her eyes closed, but the words spill out of him before he can even consider leaving her to rest.

“I cannot believe we found you,” he says, voice soft. All of the fear he’s felt for weeks, the doubt and the despair that Spite had helped him just barely keep at bay… the relief, now, is making him lightheaded. 

“I’m a little surprised too, honestly.” It’s a testament to the gravity of the situation that she’s not trying to make light of things. The words aren’t meant as a joke. 

“I thought I’d never see you again,” he admits.

“And I didn’t think I’d ever get out of there,” Rook tells him in turn. It leaves him cold, to think of her there, alone and believing she might never be found. “How do I know if I really did? This could be... more of the fade.”

Lucanis realizes then, that he’s never seen her vulnerable like this before. Emotional, yes, but lost? Frightened? Rook has always been the solid centre of the group. Unmoving, unyielding, steady. Utterly dependable. 

It’s almost surprising that she’s not actually invincible. She’s so consistently been their guiding light. But more than shock, more than anything else-

He wants to protect her. He wants to hold her until her worries melt away, to chase away the horrible memories of the last several weeks and see her smile at him. He wants her to know that he won’t let anything hurt her. He wants to kiss her until she feels safe and warm again. 

So he does. Kneeling down in front of her, holding her hands in his own, Lucanis reassures her she is real. There’s so much he wants to tell her, that he’s been praying he’ll get the chance to say. But now that Rook’s in front of him again, he can’t seem to find the words for everything he’s been feeling.

So he kisses her. So, so gently. And when he keeps kissing her, pressing her back against the chaise as she wraps her arms around his neck? It seems Spite is right there with him, because the wings unfurl right in that moment, curling around them both protectively, like he wants to help shield them from anyone in the world who might try to hurt them.

[ximmortalis]

Emmrich Volkarin/Rook: Revelation.

Part one.

Summary:

They stare at one another for what feels like an eternity; normally she would have conceded by now but this time she isn’t going to let Viago walk all over her. She’s had enough of that.

‘’You wouldn’t have to, if I could trust your judgement.’’

Just like that the embers of her rage sear once again; Rook stands her body tense and jaw clenched tightly. Viago has the audacity to look relaxed; a smug look on his face knowing that he’s pissed her off and gotten a reaction out of her. He just can’t help himself but twist the knife even more.

‘’Going to stop mid battle so that he can plough you against the nearest surface? Like that night?’’

The burn inside of her turns to ice.

Rook feels like she can’t breathe.

A/N: Mentions of past non-con.

Teia watches as Viago paced back and forth an amused smirk on her face as she takes a sip of wine. She lounged comfortably, listening as Viago rants, from what she can gather he’s talking about Rook – when is he never talking about Rook. Contrary to belief despite his cold exterior, he’s nothing more than a big softie and cares about the young Crow. Teia had been with him when Rook had no choice but to leave and saw how badly it affected him, his mood had been soured for months, and many were at the receiving end of his venomous tongue.

‘’A Mortalitasi!’’

‘’Come now Viago, she is a grown woman.’’

‘’He might as well had snatched her from the cradle!’’

He stops abruptly with his hands on his hips and stands silently, Teia bites back a laugh clearly enjoying being witness to his crazed outburst. Viago lets out a grumble before turning on his heel and walking away.

‘’Where are you going?’’

‘’To see Rook!’’

Teia puts down her wine and follows him. “Idiota!”

Rook and her companions are sharing a rare evening of peace, an assortment of meats, cheeses and wine spread on the table. She’s sat on the floor, back resting against Emmrich’s legs, he never did understand her preference to do so. Taking a hearty sip of her wine, she’s engrossed in one of Davrin’s stories. Assan curled in her lap lets out a purr as she strokes his feathers. Manfred hisses loudly enjoying playing out his role of an angry Hurlock, full of dramatic flair that he’d clearly picked up from Emmrich. Davrin is about to deliver the killing blow, when the thudding of footsteps sound from the stairs.

It’s a very flushed Viago who is closely followed by an apologetic looking Teia.

“Rook, a word.” When she doesn’t move his jaw clenches, “Privately.”

With a roll of her eyes Rook stands and hands her wine to Emmrich, their fingers brushing as he gives her a concerned look. She smiles at him sweetly, hand grazing his shoulder as she walks by. Sauntering over to Viago, her arm sweeps in the direction of the stairs.

“After you.”

On her way up the stairs, she catches Lucanis ‘what’s up with him’ look and she shrugs her shoulders. She hopes that its nothing serious but for him to venture through the crossroads to get to the lighthouse, it’s a cause for concern. However, his frustration is clear, and it’s aimed in her direction. She ushers him inside her room, he strides inside and stands in the middle of her room like he owns it. His silhouette illuminated by the aquarium. Rook stands behind the sofa, arms crossed against her chest; they both stare at one another for a while. Tension building in the air, Rook waits wanting him to show her the cards he holds.

‘’The Mortalitasi.’’

She doesn’t care for his tone; the way he says it with such repugnance. Regardless of her relationship with Emmrich, she will not tolerate it.

‘’Emmrich is a Mourn Watcher, a Senior one at that and an expert of the Fade. I will not stand for disrespect towards any of my team.’’

Viago laughs, ‘’Senior is the correct way I would describe him.’’

And there it is.

Of course, once again Viago comes to judge her for the choices she makes; Rook is sure that he forgets she is a fully grown woman.

‘’Who I choose to be in a relationship with is of no concern to you.’’

‘’He is twice your age!’’

Rook shrugs, ‘’Your point?’’

Her dismissive tone is like a flame to a barrel of gaatlok and the tension between them explodes. It’s a battle between them and Rook isn’t backing down. They stand toe to toe; she can feel the spittle from his words on her face. An inferno blazes between them burning with intense rage and the long-standing feud fuels it.

Outside, her companions sit shocked. They’ve never heard Rook lose her cool like this, even in times of high stress where she’d had spoken in a cold and calculated manner; her voice raising only a few octaves when her frustration gets the better of her. This is a whole different level, it’s a clash of outraged voices, words spat at each other with no care of how they land. The colourful words coming out of Rooks mouth is enough to make even the most stoic of persons’ blush.

‘’Ten gold that Rook kicks his ass,’’ Davrin offers with a smirk on his face. Bellara cringes when Rook uses a particular vulgar swear, much to Taash’s delight.

‘’CROW. HAS. FANGS!’’ Spite cackles.

‘’We should check on them, right?’’ Harding full of concerns asks to which Taash shakes her head, ‘’That’s like fighting a dragon in her den, you’ll just get mangled.’’

‘’Taash is right,’’ Neve speaks, ‘’Wouldn’t want to get in the middle of that.’’

Emmrich would like if the Fade swallowed him up whole right now; he’s actively avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. With the term Mortalitasi being thrown around it doesn’t take much of a detective to work out who they are talking – well screaming, about.

‘’Why does it matter so much to you,’’ A finger jabs into his chest, ‘’Of who I chose to be with?’’

Viago pushes her back while shooting her a look of disbelief, ‘’A man like him couldn’t possibly- ‘’

‘’Love me?’’  

Rook lets out a humourless laugh, ‘’You don’t think I question that myself? How possibly a man such as him, a man who is kind, gentle and patient could even spare a glance my way?’’

Her anger deflates and she lets out a breath as her body sags down onto the couch, Viago stays standing arms crossed against his chest.

‘’If anything, he is more than what I deserve,’’ Rook looks at Viago, ‘’I don’t have to explain my choices to you.’’

They stare at one another for what feels like an eternity; normally she would have conceded by now but this time she isn’t going to let Viago walk all over her. She’s had enough of that.

‘’You wouldn’t have to, if I could trust your judgement.’’

Just like that the embers of her rage sear once again; Rook stands her body tense and jaw clenched tightly. Viago has the audacity to look relaxed; a smug look on his face knowing that he’s pissed her off and gotten a reaction out of her. He just can’t help himself but twist the knife even more.

‘’Going to stop mid battle so that he can plough you against the nearest surface? Like that night?’’

The burn inside of her turns to ice.

Rook feels like she can’t breathe.

All her instincts tell her to move as the panic inside of her builds; her mind screaming at her to run, to find safety, to go to Emmrich. She fights against them, she won’t let Viago take her place of safety away from her. Breathing slow and deep to quell the fear that nips at her heels, just like Emmrich taught her but it’s not working; the more Viago speaks the worse it becomes. She wants to yell at him to shut up, but the words are lodged in her throat. The sound of his voice no longer reaches her ears, replaced by a buzzing.

She wants – no needs Emmrich.

He can make it better.

Make her feel safe.

But she can’t her body won’t move pinned in place by the look of disappointment on Viago’s face. It all feels scarily familiar; she isn’t in the safety of her room anymore; she’s back at the night her life was effectively taken from her. Back with a furious Viago who she just wants to look at her and see the marks that litter her body, the pain she feels. How she wants to just be held and told that everything will be okay.

Look at me. Look at me. Look at me!

Rook opens her mouth to tell him to stop but the words that come out are not by her own choosing.

‘’I was raped.’’

Viago freezes at her words and the air around them becomes stagnant; for a long time, he just stands and stares directly at her, expressionless. He looks at her, sees the dissociated look in her eyes. Rook might be looking directly at him, but she is looking through him.

‘’Rook.’’

‘’That night, on the recon mission. I was watching for the target.’’ She whispers, ‘’He grabbed me from behind.’’

In slow and brutal details, she recounts the events of what happened speaking in a whisper throughout. She looks like a small, traumatized child and it makes Viago’s heart clench painfully in his chest. How could he have missed this? The answer was obvious he had been too furious to hear her out, when she’d hadn’t turned up at the agreed meeting spot with the information, they needed to complete the assignment, he remembers the white-hot rage that churned in his stomach. When she finally showed he released holy hell on her, it was clear that his anger had blinded him.

He calls her name as he slowly approaches her, but she’s too far gone locked away in the prison of her own mind. Breathing sharp and fast, afraid so very afraid. This is new territory for him, Viago has seen her express many emotions but fear; his Crow has always been undeterred and has stared death square in the face and smiled. Now, she stands in front of him adrift in a sea of terror; with silent tears streaming down her face.

Once again, he calls her name and she doesn’t answer, so he tries one last attempt.

‘’ Piccolina.’’

Like a flipped switch the light returns to her eyes, and she looks at him.

‘’You haven’t called me that in years.’’

Rook wipes the tears from her face taking a moment to press the palms of her hands against her eyes, her head pounds with each beat of her heart. Mostly taking a moment to gather herself, she had no intention of telling Viago the truth of what happened that night, despite it not being his intention he’s forced it out of her. She feels utterly exhausted and can’t gather the energy to be angry anymore. A silence has filled the room, but it feels suffocating, uncomfortable even; yet she finds herself unwilling to break it. Viago looks at her with sadness in his eyes, there is a guilt there embedded within.

‘’You,’’ He licks his lips, ‘’You never told me.’’

‘’You never gave me a chance to.’’

It comes out harsher than she intended but she can’t bring herself to care.

‘’I was embarrassed, let someone get the drop on me.’’ Rook looks down a scowl on her face, ‘’Some crow I am.’’

Viago pulls her in for a bone crushing hug which for a moment startles her, his hold on her tight. The aroma of his aftershave assaults her senses, but she finds a familiar comfort in the smell of it. He murmurs in his own language as his hand pets down her hair. His mind reels as it puts together everything, how her behaviour changed so dramatically, he understands now why she was so angry and disobedient and why she held no respect for him. He recalls each violent spat between them; Rook had been showing him that something was wrong for years, but he ignored her, favouring to be blind to it all.

If he had only gone further back in into his investigation of that night.

Rook had given him no reason to not trust her, he should have known that something had gone wrong.

He failed her.

‘’You are my best, a pride to House De Riva. I failed you as your Talon and for that I am sorry.’’

Its words that she’s wanted to hear come from him for years, although it doesn’t take the pain away, doesn’t solve the issues that they have in their relationship. It’s a step in the right direction.

Viago takes a small step back keeping a loose hold on her upper arms and keeps her close.

‘’The Mort- ‘’ She shoots him a point look and he clears his throat, ‘’Emmrich.’’

‘’Yes, he knows, and he’s helped me a lot.’’

Viago nods, ‘’What can I do?’’

‘’You listened Viago, there is not much else you can do.’’

She knows that he isn’t satisfied with her answer, but he accepts it, nonetheless.

‘’Teia will know something is wrong, you can tell her but nobody else.’’

‘’Teia wont –‘’

‘’Please,’’ Rook interrupts, ‘’The woman knows you better than you know yourself.’’

The offended look that he gives her makes her break out into a fit of giggles and he can’t help but smile.

‘’Go home Viago, let me know of any troubles back home.’’

He squeezes her arm as a way to say goodbye before making his way to the door; he pauses for a moment looking over to her once more. ‘’Don’t die out there, Rook.’’

It’s as close to an ‘I love you’ she will ever get from him, a bit to sweet of an ending for her tastes so she can’t help but mess with him just a little.

‘’Don’t worry, I’ve left my corpse to Emmrich.’’

Viago looks at her in utter horror, stumbling over his words before he finally raises his hand waving it at her, ‘’I don’t want to know.’’

He can still hear her laughter as he reaches the top of the stairs.

All eyes are on him as he descends but he pretends not to notice; he keeps his head held high. Like Rook said he can’t hide from the knowing look that Teia gives him, he shakes his head and motions with his hand as if to say ‘later’.

Emmrich keeps his eyes on him, now stood with his shoulders squared; poised with a look of discontent on his face. Despite his age, he looks intimidating – not that he frightens Viago, but it is clear that he isn’t happy. It’s eerily like he knows what transpired upstairs. Just before Viago leaves to go down the stairs to the Eluvian he sends a knowing nod Emmrich’s way; which the Mourn Watcher returns before making his way to Rook.

Emmrich finds her lied on the couch an arm slung over her face; he isn’t quiet on his approach to avoid startling her.

‘’Dearest?’’

Her arm moves from her face, he can see the redness in her eyes and the tightness in her brow. She reaches for him guiding him to where she wants him, he’s sat down with her head in his lap; a hand pressed to her forehead as he lets his magic slowly seep out to ease the pounding inside. Rook relaxes and lets out a satisfied hum as the pain dissipates.

‘’I told him.’’

‘’How do you feel about that?’’

Rook shrugs her shoulders, ‘’I don’t know, better? Kind of.’’

She isn’t lying she does feel better but it’s not the same lightness from when she told Emmrich. More will come from this, and she knows it; as Emmrich sees this as something that happened, Viago will see it as something he needs to fix. However, he can’t fix this, it isn’t a contract that he can finish.

‘’His intentions although misguided, come from a good place my love.’’

Rook smiles, ‘’Reading my mind, are we?’’

‘’Of course not, just an educated deduction.’’

She smiles up at him, one of her hands finding the back of his neck and she gently pulls him closer, meeting him halfway for a soft kiss. Rook sits up so she can better sit in Emmrich’s lap, and they stay like this for a long while; with no words exchanged between them, just intertwined, sharing feather soft touches.

Upon the return to Treviso, it’s evidently clear that something still plagues Viago, he’s pacing, running his hands through his hair and talking to himself. There is a tension in his posture that unease’s Teia; the last time she saw him like this was when Rook had to be sent away.

‘’Whatever is the matter, Viago?’’

He stares out of the window, ‘’Do you remember the contract we had for the commissioner, the one I sent Rook out on for recon?’’

Teia approaches him a look of confusion on her face but nods; of course, she remembers that contract and how badly it had gone due to them not having the information that they needed.

‘’She got hurt,’’ He croaks out, ‘’A man, put his hands on her.’’

Her hand clutches his shoulder, and she shakes him, ‘’What do you mean Viago?’’

Viago doesn’t speak his eyes bore into hers and the longer he stays silent the more frantic that Teia becomes.

‘’He-,’’ Viago takes a deep breath, ‘’He forced himself on her.’’

One moment she’s stood eyes wide looking at him and then the next she is on him like a wild animal. Landing several smacks on his face; fists pounding into his shoulders and chest, throwing insults at him. Her anger isn’t unjustified; Teia had told him that something was wrong, but he had ignored her. He overruled her decision to set out to look for Rook, causing her to leave. They didn’t speak for weeks after. She moves away from him; collapsing on the couch and finds her abandoned glass of wine and chugs the contents in one go. Viago joins her pouring his own glass and refills hers.

‘’She’s kept this to herself for years,’’ Teia speaks emotion in her voice, ‘’Dealt with it alone.’’

Her statement is full of blame, and it’s aimed towards him.

They sit in silence, but Viago’s mind is loud as he thinks of a way to do something about this. He was the one who train Rook, she was perfect, and he wasn’t selling her short when he said she was the best. Rook had always thrown herself into training with enthusiasm.

It couldn’t have been just anyone.   

‘’Teia, who else was on that contract?’’

As sharp as ever Teia is on the same wavelength as him, ‘’I’ll get the names.’’

She leaves him and he goes back to the many unanswered questions; there is a lot that he doesn’t have the answers too.

However, Viago knows one thing.

Only another Crow could be responsible.  

[dragonageandyap]

Expanding on this:

Lucanis is the type of person to put himself in other peoples’ shoes. It’s what makes him both a great person and a great assassin. Lucanis may be Viago’s boss but he is NOT going to mess with Viago about this bc he knows how important Rook De Riva is to Viago. Plus Viago KNOWS Lucanis is a big softy on the inside. Viago may be smug but EVERYONE knows it’s kind of a bit at this point.

But if Rook De Riva is bringing home someone like Taash or even Davrin (who has a GRIFFON, guys I need Viago and Assan interacting fics PLEASE) heads WILL butt 😂😂😂😂

(Aside but we all know Viago’s favorite companion would be Bellara right?)

Everyone is always talking about the Rook De Riva x Lucanis dynamic with Viago MEANWHILE one conversation with romanced Taash would send Viago into a fucking COMA 😭😭😭 THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES 👏👏👏👏👏