Falon'Din. Guide of souls into the fade. Soothsayer. God of dreams. Possibly experimented with time manipulation. Conqueror of the deep layers of fade. The Dalish god of the dead.
I think Falon'Din was a dreamer. If we look at the text of his mask and the ancient Elven song about him, we can see that it speaks of deep journeys in dreams. And apparently, the song lyrics speak of those who have passed into uthenera.
Mask lyrics
"In narrative, he's the unfamiliar that precedes change. The willing sleep that calms or changes desire. Endings were different in the time of immortals.
Notes
"He would become Death, but used to be more."
Song lyrics:
"Lethanavir, master-scryer, be our guide, through shapeless worlds and airless skies." "
I think Solas, Dirthamen, Falon'Din, and most likely Sylaise there were Dreamer.
Solas says that Falon'Din drenched the land in the blood of his servants because he wanted greater worship. And his hunger and desire for more united the evanuris, and they attacked Falon'Din. Even Elgarnan hated Falon'Din. Cole says of the nightmare demon that he was once compassion and wanted to help, and took away fears, but then he was not enough, he wanted more and changed. He became a nightmare. Isn't this what happened to Falon'Din? Wasn't he compassion before he took a body? Dirthamen and Falon'Din were kindred spirits before they took bodies (that's why the Dalish remember them as twins). Apparently, the spirit split into two halves. Or they were born as a pair, splitting from a greater spirit. Why shouldn't knowledge and compassion exist, as kindred spirits ? Knowledge without compassion is dangerous. As is justice without wisdom.
I think Falon'Din got bogged down in blood magic and stopped being a dreamer. Blood magic interferes with the connection with the shadow. And a blood mage doesn't have lucid dreams.
I think blood magic wasn't popular among both the ancient elves and the Dalish. I also think Andruil practiced blood magic.
A final post to celebrate the @evanurisweek with a mural of every mosaics I've done this week!
Individual Evanuris:
✦ Elgar'nan — God of Vengeance☀️
✦ Mythal — The Great Protector🛡️
✦ Falon'Din — Friend of the Dead💀
✦ Dirthamen — Keeper of Secrets🤫
✦ Andruil — Goddess of the Hunt🏹
✦ Sylaise — The Hearthkeeper🔥
✦ June — God of the Craft🛠️
✦ Ghilan'nain — Mother of Halla🦌
✦ Fen'Harel — The Dread Wolf🐺
Timelapse, references, brush used & WIPs:⤵
Clip Studio Paint Mosaic Brush (Free)
That's the brush I used (I didn't make it!)! I made different versions with premade colours I picked so I didn't have to change it manually everytime.
It uses the two colours in your palette by default!
Just take the brush in your materials and edit the colour there if you'd like to do like me <3 It saves time if you work with a limited palette like I did!
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Andruil & Solas (Dragon Age)
Characters: Solas (Dragon Age), Andruil (Dragon Age), Anaris (Dragon Age), Felassan (Dragon Age)
Additional Tags: Non-Consensual Bondage, Verbal Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Blood and Violence, Whump, Humiliation, implied trans Solas if you squint, Emetophobia, Aftermath of Violence, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat
Summary:
The blade remained still, the pressure carefully controlled so as to not puncture his skin: that was not mercy so much as power play. She was telling him that she was in control of her anger, and, therefore, was in the position to make this far slower and more painful than a fast, impulsive kill. The entire mosaic of her reaction led him to believe that whatever grudge she was holding against him was personal rather than political, and he had a guess as to what it may be. However, despite the huntress’ threat, playing the fool remained the less dangerous approach, for the appearance of knowledge at that time would look like an admission of culpability.
“I’m not feigning ignorance: I truly don’t know what I could’ve done to you that deserves such an elaborate punishment.”
“Fuck you.” Solas felt a sting of pain and a thread of warm blood running down his face. “Everyone in court knows you’ve been hounding my halla, you horny mutt.”
Dalish legend tells that the goddess Andruil once trapped the Dread Wolf and demanded that he serve in her bed for a year and a day. This is my take on the real events behind the legend. Mostly written for Evanuris Week 2026, Day 9: Fen'Harel.
Day 9: Fen'Harel - The Dread Wolf | Loyalty | Deception
@evanurisweek
The trap is set and sprung. Only it didn't go exactly as they planned, but that doesn't mean the mission is over. The team is composed of different people now, and one enemy has been switched for another. Now Lace is going to reach out to their newest target, wanting to get the answers he should have shared years ago.
AO3
The trap the Veilguard set with the five resurrected gods had worked, forcing the gods to show themselves in person as they had hoped. Isa had the five new gods converge on an island in the Rialto Bay between Antiva and Rivain, and she managed to only have her team on the island at the time.
She believed that was the best option at the time. However, it seemed that Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain had created a trap of their own as well.
Bellara had been the first to vanish. Tendrils had exploded through a nearby broken mirror, pulling her into the aether. Within seconds, she was gone as her screams echoed off the walls.
Neve didn’t take it well, trying to figure out how to follow the Veil Jumper through the mirror, but it was no use. The portal was gone, and Isa was shocked to hear June apologize profusely for his creations.
Taash and Davrin were separated from the group, and Isa wasn’t sure what happened to them. She worried for her friends as Lucanis gripped her shoulder. The new gods were still with them, and they needed to get to their destination.
Isa had planned to reach an ancient elvhen temple before challenging her enemies, but it seemed that the two gods were already there. She would have been a fool to say that she was still a step ahead of them.
Harding kept close to Isa while Neve worried about Bellara. She kept close as well while Emmrich and Lucanis did their best to watch the shadows around them. The new gods were concerned, unsure what Elgar’nan or Ghilan’nain had planned. If the two were just here to retrieve them, they wouldn’t have gone through the effort of kidnapping the Dalish woman.
Ghilan’nain appeared soon after, taunting Isa with sneers and snarls. It was clear the goddess was not pleased with the comparisons with the Crow, just as Isa hadn’t been. Now the goddess went out of her way to prove that she was different from her enemy. She was going to show how merciless and cruel she could be so no one would compare her again to a sentimental creature. She had given up such weaknesses.
Ghilan’nain had called the five gods to join her at her side before she prepared to destroy the mortal beings. There had been hesitation, and Isa clenched her jaw.
June was the first to decline, drawing his weapon to point it at the tendrilled goddess. He would no longer watch by the sidelines as people suffered around him.
It had caught Isa off guard, and June turned to the Crow. She realized that he had been honest when he spoke about Bellara’s disappearance.
Dirthamen was the second to dissent against the goddess, deciding that he wanted to experience life with how things were now instead of changing them back to how they were. Ghilan’nain snarled angrily, realizing that she was losing the support that she was counting on.
Falon’din followed in his brother’s footsteps, intrigued by the idea. He also found wisdom in letting the past rest, and he looked to Sylaise and Andruil.
Andruil had said nothing, but she could only stare at Ghilan’nain in shock and horror. She had seen her love grow into what she was, but now that she saw her with fresh eyes with a mortal body, that love turned to something darker. It was despair and disbelief. She couldn’t believe that this was the woman that she had fallen for and given eternal life to.
Guilt ate at her for the first time in centuries, and she made no move to go towards the goddess. Ghilan’nain called to Andruil, but the goddess of the hunt did not move toward the goddess of monsters. Andruil only shook her head, taking a step back instead.
Sylaise never enjoyed the company of her fellow gods, but she wasn’t going to side with Ghilan’nain after the display that was given. She, too, had seen what the blight had done to the world, and she could see that it wasn’t this wonderous tool that Ghilan’nain always professed it to be. It was pure destruction and distortion.
Nothing was ever the same after it was touched by the blight. That irony was not lost of Sylaise, either.
Ghilan’nain shouted and growled at them, declaring that she would kill them all along with Rook’s team. Isa was relieved to find herself with unlikely allies, even if they wouldn’t be allies later. Even if they didn’t want to join forces with the blighted gods, it didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be cruel or power hungry down the line.
Still, Isa was grateful as she commanded them to move forward.
The battle was shorter than they expected, and Elgar’nan made an appearance just as Lucanis managed to shove the lyrium dagger through Ghilan’nain’s chest. The god of power cried out in shock and anger while he watched his sister die like the others before her. He didn’t have enough red lyrium to bring her back, either. She had been the one to source it, as well. He wouldn’t know where to start.
He moved to retaliate against all of them, the whirlwind caused by the dagger entering the goddess was too strong for him to fight in. He retreated, conjuring a portal to teleport him elsewhere.
However, it left the rest of the team to deal with the aftermath. Isa crawled toward the goddess’s corpse, knowing that once she separated the dagger from the corpse, then the magic storm would stop. She could hear the commotion behind her, and as soon as the dagger was removed, the storm went silent and stopped.
The others watched in horror as someone else stood where Isa had been. Even the resurrected gods were speechless when they saw the familiar face that stood in the Crow’s spot. Isa had vanished for the Dread Wolf, Fen’Harel, to take her spot in this world, holding the blue dagger in his hands.
Solas surveyed the area, genuinely surprised to see so many familiar faces from centuries ago. However, instead of engaging in either conversation or a fight, Solas simply took his leave, causing Lucanis to lose his internal battle with Spite. The demon tried to go after the Wolf, but Emmrich quickly subdued them both, knowing that it was better that they didn’t try to kill Solas under the circumstances.
The team carried on for a little while, waiting for the eclipse that Solas had told Isa about. They worked hard to try to foil the blighted god’s plans while also searching for Bellara. Davrin and Taash had reappeared an hour after the fight, saying that they had gotten lost somewhere along the island. They guessed it was Ghilan’nain’s doing, but they didn’t know how she did it.
Lucanis worked with the Crows, solidifying his space in the Talons after fighting his cousin. He needed to make sure that when Isa came home, she came home to a safe place instead of a place filled with Venatori along with the Antaam. Illario had been spared, and Viago was more than happy to watch over him, using the disgraced Crow as a distraction from his missing one.
Neve managed to find Aelia and give her to the Threads before confronting Anaris with the help of Davrin and Taash. She knew that Cyrian needed to be saved for Bellara’s sake, and he actively fought against the Forgotten One when he learned that his sister was taken by the gods.
Davrin and Taash were also able to finish their unfinished business while Emmrich defeated Johanna before bringing Manfred back.
Isa had helped Harding work through her Titan past and powers before they sprung their trap, but she had also learned more about how the elves originally got their bodies. It also explained how the red lyrium worked for the resurrected gods’ new bodies.
Each of those five had come to live in the lighthouse as part of the agreement, and every one of them apologized for their part in the blight’s creation and the sundering of the titans’ dreams. She thanked them, appreciative that they had the courage to apologize after everything.
However, there was one thing on the scout’s mind though. She wanted to know how Solas knew everything, and he still managed to look her in the eye the entire time they worked together. He knew everything that had happened, and he never breathed a word. He was partly responsible for why she could never dream before this entire adventure started and why the Fade was always out of reach for her and her people.
She wasn’t even angry. She just wanted to talk and learn what was going through his head. She never thought he was cruel, but now she wondered if he had been this entire time.
Now, Harding had been learning a new trick from her former Inquisition ally, and she wondered if she could pull it off.
Solas found himself in a dream, not that it was particularly odd for him to dream. However, this dream felt different. He usually found himself in forests or in the cities of his ancient home.
Now, he was in a hollowed-out cave that was clearly dwarven craft. It was a city he didn’t recognize, and he wondered if he would have if he was still in Isa’s mind. However, she was now going to spend the rest of eternity in that prison while he walked free. She didn’t deserve that, but it was his only chance of escape.
He wandered around before he saw a familiar flame of red hair on a ledge above him. He grimaced, recognizing Scout Harding anywhere. She had hunted him along with the Crow and Varric for nearly a year, and he had been so annoyed with all three of them for so long.
Now, he was just relieved that she was safe. Solas wasn’t sure how long he would feel that way, but he would appreciate the idea for now. He had cast her friends to death and prison, so he likely wasn’t her favorite. He was lucky she couldn’t dream or touch the Fade.
“Ah, Solas. There you are,” she commented, turning towards him.
He faltered. He hadn’t expected her to speak to him. She kept one hand on the wall in front of her that overlooked the city, but she faced him.
Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and Solas faltered. He didn’t think he would conjure an image of a heartbroken Harding. Even given recent events, that seemed a little much even for him.
“I was afraid I did it wrong,” she mentioned.
“What wrong?”
“Stepping into your dream.”
Solas fully frowned at that before he remembered that Isa had mentioned that Harding had been touched by the Lyrium dagger, which had done strange things to her somehow. He didn’t realize that would include giving her access to the Fade. Especially in this capacity.
“How?” he whispered.
“Your dagger healed what you severed. Poetic, isn’t it? It didn’t heal all the titans, but it resurrected one in me well enough that I can touch the Fade and dream. I can also move rocks with something akin to magic,” she explained, running her hand over the smooth stone of the wall.
“I… I see.”
“I thought you might.”
A silence fell between them before she stepped towards him.
“It’s crazy to see you like this, though. You seem almost normal,” Lace whispered, folding her arms. It certainly was not fair. “You are standing there, freely sleeping away your sins while my friend is trapped in a prison of your making.”
“It wasn’t anything personal, but I needed to get out,” Solas insisted.
“Save it for someone who cares, Solas,” she sighed, holding up her hand. “What I would like to know is how you could look me in the eye while you knew that you were the reason why the dwarves couldn’t dream or conjure magic. You severed our minds from the Fade, and you don’t even have a smidgeon of remorse about it.”
“I didn’t realize you thought so little of me.”
“I didn’t until Varric. Until Isa. It’s like all you touch shrivels,” Lace answered bitterly. She had no obligation to be nice or cordial. Not when she was in control here. “Why? Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Sever the titans’ dreams.”
There was a brief silence as Solas stared at her, realizing that she either found his memories scattered around the Crossroads that he had hoped to forget, or something in her magic told her that it was him that was responsible.
Solas could have lied and said that he wasn’t at fault. That he had nothing to do with it, or that he was forced to do it. However, he knew that she would see through him. She knew too much already for him to try to weasel his way around this.
“It was to end the war the elves started,” Solas answered with a sigh. “It was wrong, but we didn’t know what else to do. We took their anger and their connection to the Fade to give us a chance to win.”
“Creating the blight,” Lace whispered, shaking her head.
Solas said nothing, understanding that she knew nearly everything if not all of it. He exhaled, turning away.
“So, you made something worse by taking a shortcut. Again and again, it seems like a repeating pattern with you gods,” Lace complained, folding her arms. “How do we get Isa out?”
“There is no way out of that prison without damaging the Veil. Unless you beat the prison itself, which no one has been able to do. It held seven gods for thousands of years. Your leader is safe within the prison at least,” he offered.
The glare she leveled at him was lethal, and a part of him wondered if he was safe at all in the dream. She thought about hitting him, but it wouldn’t make her feel any better. Well, not well enough where she would risk his ire.
“Isa has always been full of surprises,” Lace commented. “If anyone can, she will. I know it. Especially with how many are already looking for her.”
“You should focus on taking out the gods.”
“The gods are helping us focus on Elgar’nan. Well, with the exception with Falon’din and Dirthamen. They are helping search for Isa and your prison.”
“They are just as dangerous,” Solas warned.
“They are, but they are willing to work against Elgar’nan. Isa believed in them enough to make sure that they got their second chance,” Lace argued. “Without their immortality, their sympathy and sentiment have started to come back. It’s like they have become people once again, and they are able to live out normal lives.”
“It will not be enough for them.”
“And what does that say about you, Dread Wolf?”
Silence fell on them again. Solas placed his hands behind his back, understanding her point.
“I am sorry for the hurt I caused your people,” he murmured.
“You can keep your apology. I know you would do the same thing again if you had the choice to do it again,” she exhaled.
“I would search for another solution,” Solas countered.
“But is that because of the people who were affected or is it to keep the world you live in intact?” she challenged.
He frowned, not liking the question she posed. Lace exhaled, shaking her head before walking past him. He watched her as she walked down the steps.
“You have held your godly power for too long, Dread Wolf. You have lost touch with reality and the people,” she warned, twisting her torso so she could see him. “I saw the spirits of disruption you sacrificed, Solas. The ones that won you that beautiful blue dagger. If you are not careful, that dagger will lead to your death, as well.”
“I never expected you to become prophetic, Scout Harding.”
“I never expected you to become a soulless bastard, Solas, yet here we are.”
Solas took a deep breath as she walked away.
“I will try to argue your case for when we see you in person next, Solas, but Lucanis has grown distant and angry during Isa’s imprisonment. You took her before he could tell her how he truly felt. I am not sure there is anything I can do to save you from the fate he has planned,” she warned darkly.
“So, what? You would let the assassin kill me?” he asked in near disbelief.
“You plan to tear down the Veil still, don’t you? I am not sure I can reason with you. If you aren’t able to retrieve Isa, then I don’t know if there’s a reason I can give that would be enough other than no one deserves to die,” Lace replied before scoffing. “And Lucanis already finds that to be a poor excuse. He already is aware that no one deserves to die.”
“Then why come here? To warn me?”
“Oh, Maker, no. That just happened to be where the conversation led. I wanted answers that you owed me about the titans and the blight. I got what I could from you.”
Solas stared at Lace in surprise before she lifted her shoulders. He could see that she looked tired and burnt out. He wondered if chasing after the gods had caused that or if it had been something else.
“Enjoy your time outside the Fade, Solas. You are likely the next target once Elgar’nan is dead,” Lace warned before smirking. “After all, she was the one who decided to spare every other Evanuris. You were the one who trapped them in that prison for thousands of years.”
“Do you really think that a half dozen gods-turned-mortals scare me?” Solas chuckled.
Lace grinned at him before humming, lifting her shoulders carelessly. He paused, concerned again. He wondered what kind of allies he could gather if he needed to defend himself. He thought of Isa’s enemies, but all of them were allied with Elgar’nan at the moment. The moment he died, they weren’t going to flock under Solas’s flag. Especially if it was the same team that Isa managed to put together.
Lace walked closer to him, patting his arm comfortingly. He looked down at her in confusion.
“It should, Dread Wolf. Crows don’t forget, and they tend to swarm,” Lace reminded with a smirk.
Solas frowned before the dream started to fade away. Lace waved kindly with a sweet smile, making the nausea in his stomach worse as he woke.
For this "nine-days-long-week", I will be sharing my mosaics based on the games, mixing them with the pantomime theatre masks (Dragon Age The Veilguard), their respective vallaslin, and other symbolism <3
Day 8: Ghilan'nain - Mother of the Halla | distortion | beasts
@evanurisweek
In the aftermath of decimating the Venatori who had kidnapped the Dalish, Isa and Strife get into an argument about how Isa killed the enemies. She had used a new, devastating poison that no one had seen before, creating horrifying deaths to witness and experience. Strife slips that the only thing that separates her from Ghilan'nain is that she uses poison instead of blight, and Isa decides that she should head back to the lighthouse before she says something she'll regret as well.
AO3
“I don’t understand what the issue is,” Isa hissed, rubbing the heels of her gloved palms into her eye sockets.
Strife and her had been arguing for the past twenty minutes about the state of several Venatori mages scattered around the former Venatori camp. She had used a new poison given to her by Viago which had rendered the Venatori’s blood black and tarlike. They had discovered what the Venatori had planned for the kidnapped Dalish and where they were going to be.
However, the Veil Jumper leader was now concerned about the corpses that littered the area. Isa had been nothing but honest, wanting to be transparent with her allies. The poison was the same on that had been used on the two dragons in Hossberg, and Viago had asked her to test them in the field when she had a chance to see how it would react with people.
“Do you just test any poison on any target your brother asks you to?” Strife asked harshly.
“If it’s a part of a contract, yes. That’s my entire job, Strife! I am an assassin, and my specialty is poison,” Isa explained, shaking her head.
“So, this was a part of a contract?”
“The entire hunt against the Evanuris is a contract.”
“Strife, I’m not sure this is productive,” Irelin warned, but both he and Isa ignored her.
“So, if this wasn’t a contract, would you even be here?” Strife challenged.
“I was the one who started the damn job,” Isa argued, throwing her arms up.
“Was it because your brother told you to?”
“It was because I disobeyed my brother that I’m here!”
“So, what? This will get you in your brother’s good graces or something?” Strife scoffed.
“What is your problem? I’m starting to think it’s not about the damn poison,” Isa accused.
“I’m just starting to wonder what sets you apart from Ghilan’nain. She follows her brother’s lead, only she works with the blight instead of poison,” Strife answered bitterly.
The silence that set in was suffocating as Isa could only stare in disbelief. She didn’t even blink at Strife, who slowly realized what came out of his mouth. Before he could say anything else, Isa shook her head and turned on her heel to return to the eluvian.
She heard Bellara and Davrin continue the argument in her stead, defending her, but she was done. Isa couldn’t hear that a second time in one day, not when the memory burned in her mind from a few hours before.
Isa was marching with Bellara, Davrin, and Lucanis towards where the Venatori were stationed, and the cultists had ambushed them. They rushed to the fight, but one cultist grabbed her hood when she went into stab him.
“Look at this! More Dalish?” one of the mages shouted as he grabbed her hood, sliding it down to reveal her ears.
“Close enough!” another Venatori laughed, sparring with Lucanis. “Grab the knife-ears and kill the assassin.”
“What do you want with the Dalish?” Davrin shouted, swinging his sword down.
“That’s between the elves and our Risen God!” the mage replied angrily, feeling the sting of the blade. “Their sacrifice is necessary.”
“Over my dead body!” Isa answered, swinging again. She missed barely as the mage got the upper hand, sending her behind him.
“We’ll see,” the Venatori taunted, aiming for her.
“Can’t hurt. Bella!” Spite screamed through Lucanis.
The assassin leaped into the Venatori, sending his daggers into the mage’s back. The mage cried out in pain as Isa recovered, slicing the mage’s throat cleanly before winking at Lucanis and Spite.
“Grab the Crow elf!” another Venatori yelled, calling attention to the other cultists further inside. “Ghilan’nain said she wanted the one that Elgar’nan said reminded him of her.”
Isa frowned, not liking that she had been singled out, especially for that reason. She didn’t want to waste a single moment one the idea that she was anything like the damn goddess that nearly destroyed her home.
With a sneer, she switched her daggers for her poisoned ones, deciding that quick slices would be better for her than quick deaths. Lucanis smirked before he moved to the next enemy.
“Shall we learn why you shouldn’t grab a Crow?” Isa wondered, pointing her dagger at the one who called her out.
“Is that all you have to offer, little lady?” the cultists chuckled, welcoming the challenge.
She smirked before she dashed at him, raising her knife’s blade ever so slightly to cut his hand, effectively signing his death warrant.
Isa didn’t stop when she reached the lighthouse, heading straight for her room. She heard Lucanis close behind her, but she didn’t mind him. He would either speak with her, or he would leave her be, and she couldn’t care less about what he decided to do. As long as she didn’t do anything drastic, that would be preferable for her.
She had wanted to really give Strife a piece of her mind, but the last thing she wanted was to prove that he was right. That the Venatori cultists were right.
She stopped in the hallway to her room, realizing that Lucanis wouldn’t directly follow her in there, and she found that she wanted him to.
It had been a week since their rooftop chat, and a few days since Bellara had told her about June. She had also told Strife that he would get to decide that god’s fate. She was already in charge of too much, and she had trusted the leader at the time. She wasn’t sure where she stood now, but she still didn’t want the responsibility.
“Isa?” Lucanis whispered, bringing her back to reality.
She turned to face him, realizing that there were tears falling down her cheeks. She swallowed, wiping them away as she looked at him. He swallowed, always uneasy when she was upset like this.
“I... I don’t think I can handle being alone right now,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to be around the team right now, either.”
“What do you need?” he asked.
“Would it be alright if I said you?”
His surprise turned into a gentle smile before he nodded, slowly walking towards her. Isa practically fell into his arms, glad to be in his embrace.
“What else do you need?” he whispered.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, letting him take her back into her room.
They sat on the chaise, and she rested her head on his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat and his breathing. Isa was thankful that he was content to sit silently while she relaxed and calmed down. She took a shaky breath before she looked at him.
“Am I really like Ghilan’nain but with poison?” Isa asked in small voice.
“No,” Lucanis answered gently. “You have similar circumstances, but she gave up her sympathy and caring nature for power and access. You have had a chance to grab power, but you have turned it down and actively worked to make sure that you aren’t grabbing at that power. Ghilan’nain would gladly kill the halla if she thought it would benefit her. If you were the Mother of the Halla, you would never want to see a single hair harmed on them.”
“The elves depend on the halla. I would make exceptions,” Isa murmured.
“Do you think Ghilan’nain would take the elves into consideration?” Lucanis wondered, resting his head on hers. “Strife had no reason to compare the two of you. There are some similarities, but she has sold her soul to become a goddess. You would sooner cut off your foot instead of destroying who you are and what you love.”
“Even if I use poison like she uses the blight?”
“Oh, you use poison to create horrid armies to conquer and destroy entire countries? I thought you made them to defend yourself and to complete your contracts while you’re on the job.”
Isa chuckled, relaxing again.
“I know that Strife was making a lot of connections that make some sense, but he’s under an immense amount of stress. Now he has to let an assassin help him find his people, and from an outsider’s perspective, that makes everything worse,” Lucanis reasoned. “It doesn’t make what he said right or accurate, but it gives some insight. I could tell that he regretted what he said the moment he let it sink in. I’m sure he will apologize.”
“I’d rather just forget the whole thing, if I’m honest. I don’t want to be reminded that he said that I remind him of the goddess of monsters,” she sighed, leaning into him a little more.
“I don’t blame you,” he replied with a nod. “I think Davrin and Bellara will likely tell him off for you, though.”
“I appreciate them, too,” she whispered.
“What would make you feel better, querida?” he wondered.
“I don’t know. Removing all the gods from my responsibilities would be a good start,” she sighed. “They’ve been here, what, two weeks? I don’t know what to do with them, and I’m sure that Elgar’nan is just waiting for all five of them to be together so he can swoop in and take them away.”
“That wouldn’t be ideal,” Lucanis groaned. He wasn’t sure what would be right, though. “Have you figured out what you want to do with them yet?”
“I know that I don’t want to put them in the same room,” she answered. “I think what I will end up doing is just giving the gods over to the leaders of each region. Let the kings, emperors, or what have you deal with them.”
“And if they end up with Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain anyway?”
“Then we deal with it.”
There was a moment of quiet as Isa closed her eyes, resting against him. It might have been a little much, but she felt safe and comfortable. After a few minutes, though, Lucanis had a thought.
“What if we drew the gods out using the resurrected ones?” he wondered.
Isa opened her eyes before she leaned back to face him. He lifted his shoulders a little, thinking that he was onto something.
“Think about it. If we could draw them out, then we could meet them on our terms,” he replied.
She grimaced, realizing that he wasn’t completely wrong with that idea. She wasn’t sure it would work in their favor, especially if the other five joined with the two they were fighting. It was risky.
“We should ask one of the gods and see if it would work,” Isa suggested.
“I suppose we could, but which one would you ask? How do you know they would give you a straight answer?” Lucanis wondered.
“Well,” Isa started with a grimace. “I may have… impressed one of the gods that I met.”
“What?”
“The one in Treviso was impressed by ruthlessness and beauty, I suppose. Dirthamen might be willing to talk.”
“I really don’t like that a god has taken a liking to you,” Lucanis informed. “Just from a safety standpoint.”
“Trust me, it’s not my favorite thing, but we might be able to use it in our favor,” Isa remarked, starting to stand from her seat. “So, let’s go chat with him, and then we can put together a plan.”
“I can’t go to Treviso, remember?”
“I’m sure we can sneak you into the Diamond.”
Isa winked at him, pulling him to his feet before dragging him to the eluvian room. Lucanis smiled, glad that he was at least back on her good side again.
Isa glanced around the attic to make sure that Illario wasn’t wandering around the area before she brought Lucanis through. It was a little risky to bring him back to the Diamond, but she knew that Viago and Teia were on his side.
She started to look around for her brother at that point, hoping that he was milling around. Luckily, he found her first, suddenly at her side. However, he started to push her back to the eluvian.
“You have to leave,” Viago informed.
“What? Is Illario here?” Isa asked, panicked.
“Worse,” her brother answered while Lucanis followed up behind. “The Venatori made contact with me. From Elgar’nan.”
“What?” Isa hissed, stopping once they were on the balcony that housed the eluvian. “What does that mean? I am not in the mood for riddles today, fratello!”
“Nothing good,” Viago replied through his teeth. “And hush.”
He glanced around as Lucanis stepped closer to the eluvian, seeing as both de Rivas were distracted. He watched them, making sure that neither of them was going to be put in danger. Once the coast was clear, Viago produced a letter and handed it to Isa.
She swallowed, staring at her brother with a frown before looking at the parchment in her hand. It was written in elegant, golden ink, and she hated it immediately. Just knowing that it was from one of the gods angered her.
Fifth Talon,
It has come to my attention that your lineage is more gilded than most would ever guess, and I am more than generous. I would be happy to give you the power of the Crown of Antiva that you surely crave.
All I require is your Crow. You know the one I need.
Think it over. I will be watching.
E
“That arrogant…” Isa hissed angrily, shoving the paper back at Viago.
“You have to go,” he repeated, trying to push her towards the eluvian.
“I need to speak with Dirthamen,” she argued, fighting against him to hold her ground.
“Did you not read the same letter I just did? Elgar’nan thinks that he can get to you through me. This will be the only time he will ask. If I don’t give you to him, do you think he will stop there? You cannot be here,” Viago insisted, crushing the paper in his hand.
“Fratello, I appreciate the concern, but I need to speak with Dirthamen now. We might be able to lure Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain in with the gods we have to take them on our own terms,” Isa hissed, knowing that there was a chance the gods could be listening. “I’m not worried about Elgar’nan’s threats right now.”
“I am,” Viago said sternly. “Until Elgar’nan turns his gaze elsewhere, I don’t want you unaccompanied here, alright?”
“I’m right here,” Lucanis pointed out.
“You don’t count right now, Dellamorte. You have your own problems to deal with here,” Viago replied, pointing a finger at him.
Lucanis rolled his eyes. Viago ignored him as he turned back to his sister. Isa glowered at him before taking a deep breath.
“Fine, but I need to see him now,” she insisted, referring to the god they had in custody.
“I’ll take you to see him, but I don’t like it,” Viago relented with a sigh. “I’m only agreeing because I don’t know what to do with the damn bastard either.”
“As long as he’s breathing,” she retorted.
Viago raised a brow at her before he guided them towards the holding area they put together for the new god. Lucanis kept close, keeping an eye on the shadows. He hadn’t read the letter, but he could piece together the conversation just fine to know that the de Rivas were being watched. He just wished he knew how.
The three Crows went to the Diamond’s basement where Viago sighed. Teia didn’t have a prison or dungeon area, so they had to lock the god in a wine cellar after emptying it out. It was the only place that had a wooden door as well as an iron bar door behind it.
Viago unlocked the wooden door, keeping the iron door locked as they peered inside. Isa stood at the iron door, seeing the god sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of the room. There were a few candles in the stone room, but they were all snuffed out.
“How considerate of you to visit me, asa’ma’lin,” Dirthamen whispered as Isa clenched her jaw. “I’tel’lanaste i ina’lan’ehn.”
“I need to know if Elgar’nan would come to get you if I were to set you free,” Isa asked.
Dirthamen slowly turned to her with a bright smile. He slowly shook his head.
“That is not what you want to know, ‘ma’haurasha,” the god answered with a wicked look.
Isa ground her teeth, not liking the tone he was using with her. She didn’t understand the elvish words he was using with her, but she knew he shouldn’t be using them with her.
“You want to know if you can trap him with me and my siblings as the bait,” Dirthamen continued, standing so he could walk closer to the bars. He still kept his distance, remembering how quickly she had beaten him last time. “It is possible, but it’s been a long time since I last spoke with my leader. Although he was the one who brought us back, so there must be a reason for that.”
“Would the plan work?” she hissed.
“I don’t know,” the god answered with a light chuckle. “But I think it would be interesting. What would you do when Ghilan’nain came to claim us? You know that Elgar’nan wouldn’t show up himself.”
“I think you know what our goal is,” Lucanis added.
Dirthamen flicked his gaze to the Dellamorte Crow in disinterest, but the god knew what they aimed to do.
“If you manage to kill the Mother of the Halla, would you turn your dagger on me as well? Will my purpose have been served?” the god wondered darkly. “Or will you keep me around like a caged pet like you have been?”
“It entirely depends on your actions,” Viago answered, folding his arms.
Dirthamen sized up the Talon before smirking, leaning against the wall near the door.
“I suppose I could be good,” the god replied cooly.
Viago exhaled, wondering if they could find another god to deal with instead. Isa took a deep breath before Dirthamen chuckled.
“Too easy,” he teased, turning to Isa. “You know, Elgar’nan thought you were very similar to Ghilan’nain. I can see it some light, but you are so much more interesting than she ever was.”
“Do not compare me to Ghilan’nain,” Isa hissed, turning her head away.
“How the hell would you even know that?” Viago demanded.
“Elgar’nan’s thoughts seeped into the magic when our bodies were made. We don’t have a piece of him, but we were able to glimpse into his thoughts before we were sent into the world,” Dirthamen explained. “Most of the thoughts were vague, but the comparison was one of the things on his mind at the time.”
“I am not like her,” Isa growled, clenching her fists.
“No, you actually have control over your emotions and reactions,” the god replied before leaning against the iron bars.
He was feeling comfortable enough to get closer, and Isa had half a mind to sedate him again. Instead, she just controlled her breathing, hoping to prove him right.
“Elgar’nan has no idea what he’s dealing with, but I do think he would send her to retrieve the five of us,” Dirthamen continued. “Another interesting difference between the two pairs of you. Elgar’nan has no issue sending her into dangerous situations instead of himself. However, your brother keeps glancing around as if I have figured out how to pounce on your like a tiger.”
“Then I will see what I can do to get your reunited with the other four. Ghilan’nain won’t likely find you, though,” Isa informed.
Dirthamen grinned brightly, shaking his hair out.
“Well, it certainly doesn’t sound like a bad time to me, fenorain,” he laughed.
Isa frowned, dipping her head before Viago closed the wooden door to lock it. The god waved with a wide smile, hardly phased that he was being locked back in the darkness again. However, Isa knew that the god chose to remain in the dark rather than lighting the candles.
Ghilan'nain. Mother of halla. Creator of animals and monsters.
Beloved of Andruil.
According to the frescoes of Solas, she, along with Andruil and Elgarnan, was an active proponent of the use of Blight. She was also one of the participants in the conspiracy against Mithol.
Her connection with Dirthamen is interesting. In his temple, we can see frescoes dedicated to Ghilan'nain. For example, an image of a winged stag. I painted exactly that deer. . Also in Redcliffe, you can see an image of a bear protectively embracing a girl with antlers and long hair. The girl is also embracing the bear. Fire comes from the bear's mouth. In Dragon Age, you can repeatedly see how humans borrow elven imagery, songs, and ornaments and transform them into their own culture. And this painting clearly has elven roots. Was Dirthamen in love with Ghilan'nain? It seems Ghilan'nain was always Andruil's handmaiden. And of course, Ghilan'nain became Andruil's lover.
Solas also has mixed feelings about Ghilan'nain. Despite her experiences with the plague, he tries to whitewash her. Solas tells her that she commits evil for love, and that Ghilan'nain is not like that. Solas clearly has some positive feelings toward Ghilan'nain. Knowledge and Wisdom Clearly they treated this with great reverence Ghilan'nain . After all, Ghilan'nain She was a scientist and inventer.
I also like to think that Ghilan'nain wasn't just one of the people, but that she was born into the world.
And she was clearly very ambitious.
I wanted to make it in time for Evanuris Week ( @evanurisweek ) . But it looks like I'll only finish part of the series.
For this "nine-days-long-week", I will be sharing my mosaics based on the games, mixing them with the pantomime theatre masks (Dragon Age The Veilguard), their respective vallaslin, and other symbolism <3
Day 7: June - God of the Craft | puzzles | creation
@evanurisweek
Bellara tries to distract herself with misbehaving artifacts in Arlathan while her brother conspires with Anaris. She just wants to work on something she knows for a while before she deals with Cyrian. However, after one artifact starts to act up, she says a common prayer as a curse under breath, and she may have brought something in that she wasn't expecting.
AO3
“June, sathan ghi’la em ladana mar tuathe,” Bellara cursed under breath as the artifact in front of her sparked. At least the damn thing didn’t catch fire.
Strife had given her a few different artifacts to check on around Arlathan so she could distract herself from the news that her brother was alive and working with Anaris. It was sort of working. She wasn’t getting distracted by her thoughts as much as she was getting annoyed or angry with them.
Once the shock of him being alive wore off, she realized she had expected better from him. For him to join Anaris was horrid and shocking all on its own, and she wasn’t sure where to start.
Isa had told her to take it slow, and she had offered whatever services she needed. Bellara knew that included assassination, which made the Veil Jumper sick to think about. Lucanis had encouraged that line of thinking as well, up until recently, but Bellara hadn’t asked what had happened to cause him to change his mind.
“That’s a fascinating reaction,” a person mentioned behind her.
“It’s the wild magic. It causes the artifact to go crazy, but there’s no cause for concern. I’ll have it calmed in a few minutes,” Bellara reassured without looking behind her, waving her hand above her head.
There was a moment of silence, and she had assumed that the person had left. Then she felt someone kneeling next to her.
“I think if you turned the bolt a little to the right and applied the magic there instead, you would get a better result,” the man explained, pointing towards the artifact.
Bellara took a deep breath, wondering who this was. She didn’t recognize the voice, but she knew she didn’t know ever Veil Jumper in Arlathan.
“What makes you say that?” she asked, trying to keep her voice upbeat. She wasn’t sure she achieved it.
“Because when I designed it, I tried to make the item easy to fix. However, I think the manual was lost to time,” the man answered.
Bellara paused for a moment, carefully doing as he instructed. To her surprise, the artifact stopped sparking and sputtering. Instead, it started to purr and hum properly.
She exhaled before carefully turning towards him. The man gave her a kind smile then turned back to the artifact.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen my children work on my creations. I always assumed that they were left to rot. That was what I was always told, at least,” he mentioned with a sigh.
“The knowledge was lost for a while, and it was too dangerous to venture this deep. But with the way the wild magic is these days, it’s more dangerous to leave them where they were,” Bellara replied, realizing that this was likely the god June himself.
She hadn’t been keeping up with Isa’s count of the gods, but she knew that the Crow was searching for five of the dead Evanuris. She had received the letter at the Veil Jumper camp a while ago, and she had skimmed it before she handed it off to Strife to let him take care of it. She figured that he would be better at dealing with it.
However, it seemed that she had accidentally summoned the god somehow. He was gentler than she expected, and it frightened her a little. She was worried he was going to lunge at her or possibly drag her deeper into the forest to hold her hostage.
“You can breathe, ma’falon. I am not going to take you or harm you. You may be a part of Elgar’nan’s targets, but that does not mean that I mean to do the same,” June mentioned.
Bellara jumped slightly at that before tilting her head.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because unlike my siblings, I have no interest in such things. Elgar’nan always had an interest in power and ruling. I simply want to create and solve,” he explained. “While Elgar’nan gave me the space to do that, it seems that he is no longer in charge.”
“So, you aren’t interested in blighting the world?”
There was a strange silence as June furrowed his brow.
“I do not believe so. There is nothing that benefits me there, but I do know that my siblings which to do so. That was always Ghilan’nain’s domain,” he answered. “Her creation laid in blight and life. Mine was in puzzles and magical items. I always preferred inanimate objects and magic to messing with living things.”
“I think most would agree with you there,” Bellara admitted.
“I am glad to hear it,” he whispered. “I must say, I did not expect to hear my name in prayer outside of the Fade prison. We would hear them as people called to the Veil, but you were aware that we were dead. Did you know that I had come back?”
“Sort of, but I didn’t think you would answer.”
“So, prayer out of frustration?”
“I guess you could say that,” she said, shrugging. “It’s a comfort thing, I guess? No one knew that you were truly real for centuries, but it was a faith-based religion. However, many are realizing that the Evanuris aren’t worth worshiping.”
“A valid view,” he hummed. “I’m sure you’re surprised to hear me say that, but I often believed that my siblings went too far. However, I was complacent and content to let them do as they pleased as I did what I pleased. I am as much to blame for the suffering as they are.”
“I’m surprised you think that way,” Bellara remarked, facing him as she sat down on the ground.
A smile tugged at his lips before he shrugged.
“Spending centuries in the same space as your siblings alone as they plotted and schemed to take over the world again will make you understand how you went wrong, I suppose. They were much crueler than I understood them to be, and I had let it happen. I even let what happened to Mythal occur because I thought that we were in the right,” June informed.
Bellara gave a confused look at that before he shook his head.
“Mythal tried to stop Elgar’nan from unleashing the blight, but he stopped her first. It caused Fen’Harel to create the Veil, but I have a feeling that you will understand in time. Solas was never one to keep secrets for long. Not when it benefited him,” June reassured.
“That doesn’t sound good,” she remarked.
“It is what it will be,” he replied. “But still, I should be on my way. Unless you mean to imprison me as you have the rest of my family.”
“I don’t have the means to,” Bellara replied before shaking her head. “Wait, what do you mean? I haven’t seen anyone else.”
“Apologies, I meant as in your team. Your leader has managed to collect the other four of the resurrected gods. I assumed you knew. The spirits have kept me rather informed,” June explained.
“Oh. I’ve been keeping my distance. I’ve been... processing,” she admitted.
June nodded, standing up. As he got to his feet, he dusted off his hands.
“Understandable. Well, if you do intend to imprison me, speak to the spirits of the forest. They will guide you to me. I will accept what the people want, which is what I should have done centuries ago,” June mentioned before sighing. “But I would see what this world looks like before then. Experience the peace and quiet before listening to the bickering of my siblings for another thousand years.”
“I... I will take to Rook,” Bellara replied.
“Until next time, Bellara,” June grinned, walking away.
Bellara stared at the god, pretty sure she hadn’t given her name, watching him disappear out of the area and into the forest. She waited for a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she decided to return to the lighthouse. It had been a while since she had last been there, but she figured it was time.
Bellara went through the eluvian and up to the lighthouse library, surprised by how quiet the place was. She looked around, wondering where everyone was. Continuing on, she went into the courtyard, seeing that Isa was laying on the dining room roof. It was strange, but not out of the ordinary for the Crow.
She went to wave and catch her attention when she was intercepted by a brick wall. Surprised, she turned to see that Davrin had put her hand down and maneuvered her, so she was now walking back towards the library with him.
“Davrin? What’s going on?” she asked, keeping her voice down.
“You have no idea,” he groaned, taking a deep breath. “Isa has been fighting with Luca for the past two weeks, and Taash finally got them to talk about it last night. Now is the only chance he has to patch things up since everyone was supposed to be out of the lighthouse for the rest of the day.”
“Well, something changed,” Bellara mentioned.
“Something always does,” he nodded, opening the door for her back into the library. “I’m guessing it’s either related to the Evanuris or your brother?”
“The first one,” she sighed. “June is in Arlathan.”
“The last one.”
“Yeah, he said the same.”
“Can’t be a good sign.”
“He was worried about that. He said that if we didn’t mean to catch him, that would be fine, but he could be reach by asking the forest spirits about where he was,” Bellara mentioned.
“That sounds like Arlathan,” he remarked, folding his arms. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to go to Minrathous and ask for Neve. She’ll be able to help you.”
“What? Why Neve? Isn’t she busy?”
“Not right now. She’s been searching for Aelia, sure, but everyone else has their own stuff and the gods reappearing. None of the gods reappeared in Tevinter, so she has an extra hand or two,” Davrin reasoned.
Bellara raised a brow, a little confused by the pushiness of the Warden. She sighed, figuring that it would be better to have Neve’s help than a grumpy Crow. Not that Isa really let herself show how grumpy she really was.
“Alright, I’ll go see if I can go find Neve in Tevinter to see if she has some time. I’m not even sure if we want to find June. If he’s fine by himself in Arlathan, do we need to detain him?” Bellara wondered as Davrin placed a hand on her shoulder with a relieved smile.
“I don’t know. See what Neve thinks, and I’ll mention it to Isa once she either forgives or kills Lucanis.”
“You’re not going to let her kill him, right?”
“Do you think she’ll really kill him?”
Bellara shook her head, thinking that she would sooner hang Lucanis upside down over the Diamond’s railing than killing him.
“I will make sure that both Crows are alive by the time you get back,” Davrin reassured, guiding her back towards the eluvian.
Isa stared up at the Fade, hearing Davrin intercept Bellara below her. She had expected to take care of something else, but it seemed that the Warden had something planned. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She just hoped that the scheming had something to do with relaxation.
She heard some soft footfalls on the roof nearby, and Isa knew that Lucanis was walking towards her. He was the only other one at the lighthouse as Davrin told her that everyone else was out. It seemed that Davrin was helping Lucanis... do whatever this was going to be.
She didn’t open her eyes as she felt him sit next to her. She was glad that he was comfortable in silence like she was, even when it grew uncomfortable.
After a few moments, she decided to give him some relief.
“Davrin cleared out the lighthouse,” Isa mentioned.
“Yes, he wanted to make sure we had space to talk,” Lucanis answered.
She hummed, slightly nodding. At least she wasn’t wrong in her assumption.
“I’m sorry that we had our first talk in front of Lace and Taash. I usually don’t like having an audience for those sorts of discussions,” she informed, starting to sit up so she could turn and look at him.
Lucanis lifted his shoulders, feeling similar. It wasn’t like she had planned the situation.
“Lace and Taash are going to do what they are going to do,” he replied.
“So, you wanted to talk. What did you want to talk about?” she asked.
She had a feeling about what they were going to talk about, but she wanted to give him the floor regardless. She had cut off the conversation last night, pivoting it towards what was going on in Rivain instead, so it didn’t end with the two of them shouting at each other in front of their two friends.
“I should start off with I should have followed through that day in the pantry,” Lucanis informed as he let his arms fall into his lap.
Isa stared at him, afraid to add anything in case he backpedaled. He inhaled, glancing to the side for a moment.
“I know that you don’t want me to use Spite as an excuse, and this isn’t an excuse. I was worried that he would jeopardize your safety,” he continued before turning back to her. “I don’t have much aside from an empty villa that only has the ghosts of what it used to be. My cousin has tried to kill me and now has exiled me. My grandmother barely has a kind word, even if I’m the favorite.”
“I’m not interested in what you have, stronzo. I’m interested in you,” she sighed, bringing up her knees so she could rest her arms and cheek on them. “I’m an orphan, Luca, and my only family is a bastard son of the king, who happened to acknowledge that he sees me as a sister, and his on-again-off-again lover. I don’t expect anything because I can’t offer anything.”
“I’m starting to understand why you were so upset with me last night,” he groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Because it sounds insane, right?” she chuckled. “I’m not Viago or Teia, and I am more than what I have. I know that I am clever and funny. I know I’m a good Crow, but that’s not the reason why you like me.”
“Oh, it isn’t?”
“Nope. You like me because I’m different from most Crows. I’m sentimental and care about innocent lives.”
“One of the few things,” he admitted.
“It’s the reason why you caught my interest, caro mio. You care about our friends, and you take care of them the best you can through cooking and your bladework.”
“Was it the grocery shopping that got you?” he teased.
Isa pushed his shoulder gently with a smile before laughing under her breath.
“It was, actually. I would have assumed that the First Talon’s grandson was going to be high and mighty. He was going to be someone who was too proud or arrogant to help with the chores or basic tasks,” she mentioned before sighing. “Instead, I have to fight with you to get you to take a break. Seeing you grocery shop for the people you barely knew to make sure they ate right and were comfortable made my heart warmer than it ever was before.”
“You never mentioned that.”
“Never was relevant, I guess. It felt silly when I realized what was going on. For a while, I didn’t think you were interested. When you started to show interest, I was so excited.”
“Then I pulled away,” he hissed, pulling a hand down his face.
“It’s okay that you weren’t ready or whatever happened. I could handle the rejection,” Isa replied before exhaling, looking down. “I just didn’t understand why you wouldn’t leave it alone. At first I thought you were embarrassed, so I left you alone. Then you kept following me, so I didn’t know what to think. I thought that you needed space maybe, but you didn’t want that. Honestly, I still don’t know what you want.”
“I’m not what I can do,” he answered.
She stared at him for a moment before sitting up a little with narrowed eyes. Lucanis swallowed, weathering her stare.
“If you could do anything, what would you do? If I said I would agree to whatever you wanted, what would you say?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ignore assumptions, thoughts, feelings, whatever. What do you want to do if nothing was stopping you right now?” she asked plainly, leaning towards him.
Lucanis stared at her for a moment. He glanced at her lips before he swallowed, and her face softened a little, her lips upturned slightly.
“Oh?” she whispered.
“You tease me too much,” he complained.
“I’m glad you feel the same way I do about you,” she remarked with a laugh. “So many subtle signs, and I don’t even think you know you’re giving them away.”
“Am I giving you signs?”
“So many. Makes me wonder how many others you’ve been leading on.”
Lucanis flinched at that, and Isa guessed that Spite was scolding him now. She chuckled before she stood. He watched her before he scrambled to his feet as well.
“My question still stands, Luca, but it doesn’t need to be answered right now,” Isa informed with a smirk. “But I do need to know what you want from me. I can’t spend my life wondering what’s going on in your head. I don’t want to wait, wondering if you want the same things I do.”
“But what do you want, Isa?” he countered.
She tilted her head for a moment before grinning. She took a few steps back towards the edge of the roof, careful of where the end was so she didn’t step off just yet.
“What I want is for you to claim my lips as yours, Dellamorte. Show me what you wanted to do in that pantry before your head got in the way,” Isa answered before chuckling.
Lucanis found himself walking towards her, wanting to make good on that request, only for her to leap backwards off of the roof. He rushed forward to watch her carefully land in the courtyard before wandering back towards the lighthouse library. He exhaled, shaking his head, thinking that she was going to be the death of him.
