Happy Thwee!! I LOVE a modern au so I couldn't resist for Geldauran × Rhéla
From look of love: "forced glower/glare as they break underneath"
From the western/cowboy prompts:
I have been slow at working on these, so I appreciate the patience. 🤠 This one I've been working on and off for a little while.
Is this early? Yes. But I am posting it anyway.
@thedasweekend
Ostagar Man @ AO3
Her laugh echoed through the Chantry.
Rhéla couldn’t stop herself - not that she had tried particularly hard - and could barely breathe. It was loud, sudden and didn’t stop once it began. Doubled over, she used the back of a pew to keep herself standing like the professional she was, despite the fact that her sides ached, and she had tears streaming down her cheeks.
Geldauran, on the other hand, was probably as unamused as Rhéla had ever seen him. This was a rare treat for her in particular, especially since his actual annoyance was not with her. The man stood in the center of the Chantry building near the altar, hands resting on his hips as he stared down the defiant, and somehow offended looking, druffalo before him.
The tile floor was wet with what Rhéla could only guess was sweet tea - Void, she really hoped that was what it was - due to the half-empty bottle lying nearby, the top only a few feet away.
Bud, according to the license in his wallet, was handcuffed and sitting on the pew near Rhéla. Slurring and swaying slightly as he yelled at the Sheriff, “Don-don’t hurt ‘er!” A comedically timed hiccup, “She just wanted Andraste’s blessin’ like we get!”
Rhéla dug her nails into the wood as another laugh burst out, though she did at least attempt to hide it behind her other hand.
“She asked to be blessed?” Rhéla choked out.
Not much made sense about this call, even from the very beginning, but Rhéla could attest with utmost certainty that this was the funniest thing she had seen in months.
The druffalo snorted. It pawed at the ground. As its head shook, Geldauran’s hat settled better between its horns. Just tilted enough as if the Sheriff had been wearing it himself.
And all Rhéla could do was wheeze again.
“Rhey.” Geldauran’s voice was uncharacteristically gruff, “You gonna actually help me here or just laugh at me?”
He glanced back at her, the toe of his boot tapping rapidly. Normally, Rhéla was the one with the plan for this sort of call. But she had been far too preoccupied with the ridiculousness of the entire scene to actually do anything to help. She knew Geldauran well enough that she wasn’t worried about the glare he gave her in that moment, because at the very edge of his lips was a twitch.
Most people wouldn’t have noticed it, maybe too worked up over the Sheriff’s glare. But Rhéla did.
Another series of taps, filling the relative silence.
“I know.” Rhéla gasped out, wiping the tears from her eyes.
The crackle of the radio drowned out Geldauran’s heavy sigh. Katie Mae’s twang came through loud and clear, “Animal Control unit en route, ETA 15 minutes.”
“The druffalo ain’t going nowhere, Geldy.”
Rhéla watched with lingering amusement until she saw Geldauran unbutton and then begin to roll up his sleeves. Oh, that wasn’t good. His feet shoulder-width apart as he squared up with the increasingly agitated druffalo.
“That’s my favorite hat.”
As if that made whatever he planned on doing better or somehow less stupid. Before Rhéla could react he was moving. She swore under her breath, scrambling to reach the center aisle, leaving Bud to make a distressed sound at witnessing the Sheriff heading toward his beloved druffalo.
By the time Rhéla reached the front of the Chantry, Geldauran had somehow managed to get on top of the druffalo’s back.
Rhéla had never seen a druffalo move that fast before. Usually, they were large, lumbering beasts that decided the concept of time was optional. This one was motivated.
Deep bellows and rough grunts while it attempted to buck the Sheriff off its back.
Pews were knocked over. Columns that decorated around the Andrastean altar broke as they hit the ground. But Geldauran held on through it. It would’ve been impressive if Rhéla wasn’t determined not to see him crack his head open over a damn hat.
“Hey!” Rhéla shouted. She waved her arms to get the druffalo’s attention. Distracting it long enough for Geldauran to grab his hat from its head. The druffalo bellowed louder, a huff through its nose before stampeding toward Rhéla who stood in the center aisle. She stepped out of the way as its path led it toward the Chantry exit.
Before it could hit the doors, Geldauran rolled off of its back.
Bud screamed, “NO! Petunia!” as the druffalo burst through the exit and into the Ostagar afternoon air. A flurry of yells from the deputies and onlookers outside were audible inside of the Chantry.
Rhéla heard as Geldauran hit the ground with a solid thud, grimacing. That couldn’t have felt good.
The Sheriff stilled, rolled onto his back. Slow and stiff. The look on his face filled with some level of regret but was quickly replaced with satisfaction.
Rhéla wandered over toward Geldauran, watching him groan as he clutched the hat to his chest like it were a small child. Precious.
“How’s the tile tastin’, handsome?” She crouched next to him. His head lulled toward her. Green eyes twinkling with something like triumph.
“I see that.” Rhéla’s usual crooked smirk bloomed across her lips, “You okay?” A hint of something softer there, just for a moment. Expression melding both concern and amusement. She felt a dash of worry in her chest as he moved gingerly to sit up.
He nodded, placing his hat back where it belonged. Other than some dust, it looked undamaged. A small tilt to the brim. Geldauran reached for his radio, clearing his throat before the button clicked, “Dispatch, Sheriff. Animal has escaped, westbound on Ishal Boulevard. Advise Animal Control update status and intercept if possible. Out.”
With a huff, he dropped his hand and laid back down on the floor like it held salvation.
She snorted. Yeah, it escaped because he rode the thing.
Rhéla watched as pure, smug satisfaction filtered over his features once more. She patted his cheek. Thumb dragging through the stubble before she pushed herself from the crouch, “Petunia looked pretty good in that hat though.”
Rhéla rolled her eyes, but she didn’t deny that he was right. It would be a lie, and he’d see right through it.
She headed toward where Bud sat, looking increasingly more distressed about Petunia, “Alright, Bud. Let’s get you down to the station.”
Tagging some known Rheldauran fans: @vanillastrange @dayntee @crittadownunder @fadetouchedlurker @ollybeee @magicalmysmalin
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
germansingergirl
romaincrisis
titsay
kianamaiart
andulkaphoto
prguitarman
gamechangershow
