That Bellara was already a huge fan of Neve's detective work, as well as already liking to cook her favourite food before knowing a single personal thing about her
Neve takes a trip to Docktown just to get every single newspaper she can find so Bellara can finish her serials
Bellara desperately wants to join the Shadow Dragons
It's Neve who shows up to Cyrian's funeral - not Emmrich the funeral expert who would probably jump at the chance to see a Dalish death ritual, but Neve
And you mean to tell me that they're NOT one of the pairings???
This is one of the most intense pieces of writing I think I've ever completed. I do promise a happy ending, though!
Two weeks after Tearstone, Neve is having night terrors about the events that transpired. She has regrets of her own, and the others help her work through what happened with Bellara. However, it seems that Emmrich might have a solution…
AO3
“The patterns are familiar,” Bellara stated as Neve’s heart pounded in her chest at the familiar words.
She was standing in the middle of the temple area of Tearstone Island again near the mirror and blight as Bellara was looking around. Everything was like it was. Isabella was cursing in Antivan as she was doing more often those days while Lucanis tried to ease her through the stress.
Neve found her mouth moving on its own as she warned them that they couldn’t touch the door as it was warded with blood magic.
It was happening again.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she shook her head, trying to break out of the cycle.
“If I can fracture the harmonics, we could get through,” Bellara mentioned before looking a little uncertain. Neve’s eyes widened. “Maybe.”
“No!” Neve shouted, her mouth moving. “You can’t! Please!”
“It’s okay, Neve. I don’t want to risk losing you,” Bellara replied with a smile, turning to the mage. Neve shook her head as Bellara started to go towards the wards.
Neve went to move forward as blight sprang forth to hold her back as she cried out for Bellara to stop. Isabella looked uncertain as well, but she told Bellara she trusted her. She just needed to go slow and to be safe.
But there was no way to be safe. The gods were watching! They were always watching! They were lying in wait until this moment to strike!
Neve shouted, but her voice produced nothing as she writhed in the tendrils on the blight. She was forced to watch as Bellara fiddled with the wards. Isabella went to the other side of the room to remind everyone what they were fighting for. It was a good speech, and it kept everyone going. She wanted everyone to make it.
But nearly half their team didn’t make it off that island, and Neve wanted to stop the madness there. They should have turned back at this point. There would have been another way around or something. There could have been something else.
Then there was the familiar sound of the wards being released, and Neve cried out as if she was in pain. Bellara beamed as Neve begged her to get away. To get far away from there. For everyone to turn back. For everyone to take several steps back so they could regroup. This was going to end in folly, as it always did.
“And there!” Bellara grinned as she bounced on her toes. How Neve missed the way that she bounced from place to place.
A sob sounded from Neve as the blight released her to the floor. No one noticed the mage crying on the floor in the middle of the room. Isabella cheered in Antivan as Davrin asked her to speak in Trade again, which earned a playful glare and a roll of her eyes.
Neve swallowed, missing her Crow as well, but nothing matched the regret of losing the woman she loved. Neve never even had a chance to tell Bellara how she felt before she was just gone.
The mage collapsed on the ground as she looked up to see that her voice had been taken over by someone else. Maybe it was Lace, maybe Isabella. Someone told Bellara to be careful. The gods were watching. They were waiting. They were ready to pounce on the proud, stupid mortals who thought they had the upper hand for once.
“The gods might know we’re in here now,” the voice sounded, and Neve screamed for Bel to move anywhere else. It was like she was a ghost, screaming at nothing.
Then the horrid god’s voice echoed, and Neve felt her heart break her spirit even more. She couldn’t keep doing this. She could keep watching this.
“Oh, that is a certainty,” Elgar’nan’s voice growled before a dark shadow appeared in the mirror behind Bellara.
Bellara turned towards Neve as she always did now as a blight tendril swirled around her waist and yanked her like a ragdoll through the mirror as she screamed for Neve’s help. Neve cried out in pain.
The mage watched as Isabella reached for Bellara only for the Veil Jumper to steal one of her gloves. Foreshadowing into their vulnerabilities soon to come, but they were here.
This was where everything changed. The gods met them here now to take what they came for.
Davrin pulled Isabella back from running after Bellara as Ghilan’nain appeared behind Harding to spear her through the chest. Taash let out a blood curdling scream at that as Neve sobbed on the floor, watching from there. She couldn’t do anything to help them. Isabella rushed towards Harding only for Solas to appear.
Solas stole the dagger from Isa and the pushed her into the Fade tear, and she vanished from sight.
Three gods. Three casualties. Three loved ones.
Neve screamed more as she tried to move from her spot on the floor before she realized that blight had started to crawl over her. She watched as Lucanis and Spite tried to fight against Davrin as Emmrich tried to get Taash back to the boat. They had failed, and they needed to get out now. They needed to survive. People needed to know.
Neve wailed as Davrin cut her out of the blight before shaking her violently, shouting at her. She cried, shaking her head. This was all her fault.
A part of her didn’t want to be saved. She should have stayed there since she couldn’t have taken Bellara’s spot like she was supposed to. She was supposed to remove the blood magic, and she should have been the one who was killed by Elgar’nan.
Bellara was the one who was quick on her feet and good with ideas. Neve got stuck on problems for weeks on end. Bellara should have been the one alive, being saved by Davrin, not her.
Tears streamed down her face as she felt a light tapping on her cheek.
“This is a bad one,” Lucanis whispered as he and Davrin crowded around Neve’s bed. The mage had been having a night terror, and her shrieking had woken up those who were left at the lighthouse. Even Emmrich was outside with Taash, waiting to hear if they needed help.
“They’re just getting worse,” Davrin muttered, tapping Neve’s tear-streaked cheek as she sobbed, doing his best to wake her up. He had tried to shake her, but that hadn’t worked. “We might need to take her to a doctor or a healer. Something.”
“Where? Everywhere has seen the permanent eclipse and everywhere is in a panic. I doubt even the Crows are really functioning right now,” Lucanis murmured, shaking his head. “I’m going to try and make some tea and see if that helps her when she wakes up.”
“Alright,” Davrin replied, shaking his head.
The Warden stopped tapping her cheek with his hand before propping her limp body upright in her bed. Davrin knew that she was struggling with some of the most intense survivor’s guilt he had ever seen. They all were, but Neve had been hit the hardest due to the circumstances. She had been there since the beginning, and she knew what the gods were capable of.
Eventually, Neve’s sobs died down a little and she started to wake up a little. She tried to push him away, but he was afraid she would tumble out of bed like she had before and hurt herself. He stayed just close enough to make sure that he could support her if she needed it.
“Dav?” she whispered as her eyes opened in the darkness, and he smiled gently at her.
“Hey there,” he murmured, holding a hand out towards her. They had learned that physical touch had been the quickest way to ground her after an episode. Neve grabbed his hand and squeezed it, shutting her eyes as she took a shaky breath. “Are you alright?”
“I had the dream again,” Neve replied.
“We know. We could hear you,” Davrin admitted. Neve sighed, hanging her head. She was embarrassed that she had woken up nearly the entire Fade.
“How’s everyone else doing?” she asked softly.
“Luc’s getting you some tea to help you sleep. Taash and Emmrich are waiting outside if you want to see them,” Davrin offered as Neve grimaced, but she nodded. She needed to see that they were still here too. She needed to know that they had made it out as well.
Davrin patted her hand gently before standing up to open the door. Neve turned to look out the window into the dimmed, red light of the Fade. Her throat hurt from screaming and from the lump in it from her emotions. The other four had repeatedly told her what happened was not her fault. The gods were to blame, and one was already dead. Harding had been avenged, which was a small comfort to Taash at least.
Lucanis barely slept anymore either, but it wasn’t due to Spite. Spite wanted to find Isabella, but neither Crow nor demon knew where to start. However, Lucanis also experienced recent night terrors as well. He was just better at staying up than she was.
Neve and Lucanis would talk about them once in a while, and they were usually similar. They both had repeating dreams. He would watch as a bright light and a turbulent wind took Isa and replaced her with the Dread Wolf, who taunted him endlessly with horrible things. Things that sounded like Zara talking. Like how he would turn Isa into an Envy demon and so forth.
Neve also spoke with him about her feelings about Bellara, and he worked with her on that as well. He knew that they were flirting and kind of taking it slow, and Lucanis knew that was what they both needed. Neve had done nothing wrong in that department either as she followed Bellara’s lead on that, even if there hadn’t been a true confession. Lucanis was sure that Bellara knew before the end.
Bellara always went to see Neve first about everything before bringing it up to Isabella. She wanted Neve to be there if she could, and Neve always tried to make time for Bellara regardless of what it was. It was a difficult balance before Tearstone, but it was one that Neve was glad that she had taken the time in figuring out. She didn’t know that there was so little time left.
“How are you feeling, my dear?” Emmrich asked as he walked in with Taash and Davrin. Neve looked over with tired eyes and tilted her head to the side.
“As well as you can be after a night terror,” Neve answered truthfully. Emmrich pursed his lips and nodded, wishing there was something he could do about it.
“Can’t Spite eat nightmares?” Taash mentioned with a hopeful tone. Neve smiled at them and lifted her shoulders.
“I don’t know. Luca’s been having trouble too, so I’m not sure,” the mage replied as Taash frowned. “I’ll make do.”
“It’s been two weeks,” Taash mentioned as Neve nodded, turning away to look at her hands in her lap. “Is there anything I can do?”
“I don’t think so, but I appreciate the offer,” Neve answered. The only thing that would help would be if she could have Bellara back in her arms again. Just one more hug. One more ramble. One more tangent. Something.
“We need to figure something out. We can’t just stay here at the lighthouse forever,” Taash sighed as Davrin folded his arms. They were right.
“I have been communing with the spirits in the Fade,” Emmrich mentioned as he glanced around the room. Neve turned to him with a furrowed brow. “I hesitated to mention it because we couldn’t confirm it until about an hour ago, but I believe I do have some good news.”
“Oh, good news? That would be a nice change,” Lucanis huffed as he squeezed by with a cup of warm tea with honey for Neve. The mage quietly thanked the Crow as she accepted the mug.
“Yes, I hope it is at least,” Emmrich mentioned as he exhaled. “There are three changes affecting our world and in the Fade. There’s only one that we can deal with right now, but if we are successful, I think we can achieve the other two.”
“It would be nice to know what you’re talking about,” Davrin sighed, rubbing the side of his face to stay awake. Emmrich nodded.
“The Fade Prison that Solas occupied is not empty,” Emmrich informed as Lucanis stepped towards him. “That is the most pressing one. The second being is that with Ghilan’nain gone, there shouldn’t be anything controlling the blight. However, there is a magic signature still controlling it.”
“What does that mean?” Davrin wondered as Emmrich turned to Neve, who went wide eyed in realization. She nearly dropped her tea on the bed covers as she realized what Elgar’nan had done with Bellara.
“And the third thing?” Taash pressed as Emmrich started to talk about something about a red lyrium similarity, but Neve couldn’t focus on that.
There was a good chance that Bellara was alive and well. Bellara was alive, and she was in the clutches of the fucking god this entire time. Neve shook her head, and she started to chug down the hot tea. It burned her throat, but it made her feel more alive than ever. Lucanis protested when he saw that, but she brushed him off.
“We need to get Isa out of there,” Neve informed with a newfound determination. Not only was the woman she loved alive, but her best friend, too. Now Emmrich was saying that her best friend was the key to saving Bellara, so that meant that there was only one thing left to do.
“Yes, well, it’s a lot easier said than done,” Emmrich reminded, glad for enthusiasm, but he needed to temper her expectations. She waved her hand at him as she moved out of bed to start looking through her mage books.
“Then we need to get started. We’re not getting any younger, and I don’t want to waste a single moment than we need to,” Neve insisted, grabbing a few tomes before turning towards them. Lucanis was the only one wearing a positive expression. The other three looked a little shell-shocked by her sudden turn around.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get some rest first?” Davrin wondered before Neve rolled her eyes.
“I don’t need rest! I need to find Bellara before Elgar’nan accidentally kills her!” the mage practically shouted as Lucanis nodded. The Crow understood the feeling, and he was more than willing to help since it meant getting his lover out of the Fade prison as well.
“I will be preparing what I need in my office. We will meet in Isa’s room when we’re ready,” Emmrich suggested before taking his leave.
Taash floundered for a moment before leaving, unsure what they could to do to help. Davrin sighed, thinking that he would get a few extra hours of sleep before asking what he could do. Lucanis stayed for a moment before turning to her.
“Do you need anything from me for at the moment?” Lucanis wondered as Neve gave him a weak smile.
“Spite doesn’t happen to eat night terrors, does he?” she wondered, earning a laugh from the Crow.
Weeks passed and Neve’s plans progressed as they made their way to Minrathous. Isabella was back with them, and Neve was able to convince Isabella to take her with her group to search for Bellara. Isabella just needed Neve to take out the Venatori mage first, and then they could work together on finding Bellara once they were in.
The Venatori mage was a handful, but Neve and Teia were able to take the bitch down without too much trouble. Isabella thanked her colleague before Neve ushered her, Lucanis, and Davrin along.
Neve had been waiting too long for this already. It had been nearly two months since Tearstone now, and she needed to find Bellara. She needed to find the Veil Jumper, and she needed to save her.
Isabella dealt with Solas’s bullshit as Neve focused on the blight mass that she was there for. It was clear that was her target, and she just needed to reach it. However, Elgar’nan’s archdemon came out of thin air, and while the others were dealing with that, Neve ran forward to get to Bellara.
Neve ripped at the blight tendrils covering Bellara, and Neve had to clear her mind unless she wanted to be reminded of her night terrors.
“Bellara? Can you hear me?” Neve pleaded as the others came in fighting, protecting Neve and the Veil Jumper. Darkspawn and constructs had moved in to protect the new intelligence that controlled the blight.
Neve hissed as she pulled and tore, using her ice magic to freeze the tendrils where they were most vulnerable. It wasn’t long before the blight weakened enough for Bellara to slip out of its grip, and she started to wake up. Neve cradled her in her arms as Bellara started to stand on her own.
“You are not my god! Get out of my head!” Bellara screamed to the sky, hoping Elgar’nan could hear her defiance. The blight started to grow stiff and dry as Bellara glanced around, getting her bearings on where she was. “Neve? Neve, is that you?”
“Oh, Bels, yes, it’s me,” Neve answered with tears in her eyes before she embraced the Veil Jumper.
Bellara had been infected with the blight as her skin was paler than she had ever seen with blackened blood and crimson eyes, but it was still Bellara. Bellara was alive, or at least she was for now. Neve would see her saved if she could manage it. She couldn’t lose Bellara again. She wouldn’t.
“He was…” Bellara whispered, turning to Neve. She had to focus as she stared at the mage. “He was all I could hear. It was my mind, but he made me want to help him.”
“It’s alright, you’re free now. You’re safe,” Neve reassured with a smile, stepping closer to her. Bellara had a pained expression as she shook her head. “We’ll get you somewhere safe.”
“None of us are safe,” Bellara stressed. Neve clenched her jaw, unsure what she meant, but they weren’t done yet.
“Once Elgar’nan is dead-” the mage continued before Bellara shook her head, cutting her off suddenly.
“No! You can’t kill Elgar’nan. Not yet. If you do-” Bellara started to warn before the archdemon roared above them. Neve grimaced as Isabella, Davrin, and Lucanis went to investigate it.
Neve cupped Bellara’s face with her hands, getting her to look at her. Bellara stared at Neve as the mage gave a relieved smile.
“Let us get you safe, alright? And then you can tell us everything. And then I am going to tell you everything I should have told you weeks ago,” Neve whispered with misty eyes. Bellara blinked at her in confusion.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Bellara replied, thinking back to something she might have missed. Neve brushed back a piece of Bellara’s hair before exhaling.
“Bellara, I should have told you so long ago that I love you. Before everything went to shit, I should have told you,” Neve informed as Bellara’s eyes lit up.
“You... love me?” Bellara whispered as Neve nodded firmly.
“I’ve loved you for a while now, but I thought we had more time. I was wrong, and I thought I lost you forever. I might not have tomorrow, but we have today. I wanted you to know,” Neve explained as she started to drop her hands in case Bellara didn’t feel the same way. They had never talked about it, after all.
Bellara immediately grabbed Neve’s hands in surprise and grinned. Neve blinked, getting her hopes up.
“I thought it might have been just me,” Bellara replied as Neve chuckled, a sob getting stuck in her chest. “I love you, too, Neve Gallus.”
“Then we better survive through the night because I think we should celebrate our confession once this is all over,” Neve suggested as another crash sounded. Bellara glanced around the buildings surrounding them and nodded.
“It’s a date,” Bellara smirked, grabbing one of Neve’s hands before dashing towards an alcove into the nearest building. There was a door, and they might just make it before the Dread Wolf and the archdemon came crashing down on them.
I went a little crazy with the photos, but I think Valentine's are for friends, too ;) So below the cut is the Veilguard (to the best of my ability) and a few of the Crows!
Anyway, this was way fun, and you should indulge yourself, too!
Day 7 - Free Day - Artifact Induced Retrograde Amnesia
After a somewhat successful contract, Isa ends up at Bellara and Neve's apartment with a partial memory. She remembers very little from the last ten years, and her grasp on the Trade language isn't great. Bellara takes her to the market to help her work through it, hoping to bridge the gap again with her friend to rebuild that relationship.
And that's going to do it for me for Bellara Week 2026! Hope you had fun!
I sure did ❤️
AO3
Neve walked into Bellara’s office as she went through some of her own notes. Bellara wanted to get some research done on an old elven artifact that originated in ancient Tevinter, and Neve believed that the Shadow Dragons might have some information on it.
As she walked in, the detective glanced up to see their Crow friend sitting across from Bellara, her brows furrowed as she read over Bellara’s notes. Neve glanced around, confused why Isa would be here in Minrathous unannounced. She usually sent word beforehand to at least warn them before dropping by.
A little taken aback, Neve knocked on the doorway to catch their attention. Isa immediately stood and bowed too formally for Neve’s comfort as Bellara grimaced. The Crow started to apologize in Antivan, but Neve was only catching every other word.
“Bels,” Neve whispered, glancing at her girlfriend. Bellara exhaled as she motioned for Isa to sit down with a kind smile. The Crow nodded and sat down before looking over the notes again. “What’s wrong with Isa?”
“Lucanis came by while you were gone. They were working a contract here in Minrathous when their target tripped a device. It hit Isa head on before Lucanis could, well, you know, kill him, but she’s alive,” Bellara reminded as Isa glanced up, knowing that they were talking about her. “But the device did something to her memory.”
“It did what?” Neve murmured as Bellara shook her head.
“She doesn’t remember much. She remembers Viago and Teia, but she’s only heard of Illario. She had no idea who Lucanis is, and it’s practically eating him alive,” the artificer explained with a sigh. “It’s like the last ten years have been completely wiped from her mind along with a few other things. She doesn’t speak much Trade. She understands enough, but she has a hard time communicating.”
“And Lucanis left her here?”
“Momentarily. He’s coming back. He went through the eluvian to talk to Viago about it. In the meantime, I said that I would do some research and find out what might have happened.”
“But he left her here without an interpreter?” Neve repeated as Isabella rolled her eyes. “Hey, you’re the one who understands bits and pieces, Tribulatia. Don’t start with me.”
“Se qualcuno potesse spiegarmi cosa sta succedendo, forse potrei aiutarti in modo più efficace,” Isabella complained. Neve exhaled, wishing that she knew more Antivan than the basics. The languages were similar phonetically, but she could only really catch bits and pieces. The best Neve could come up with was that Isa was wishing that someone could do something so she could do something else more effectively. The mage was about to go drag a random Crow here just so Isa would feel less frustrated.
“He’ll be back soon,” Bellara reminded with a trying smile. Neve exhaled, knowing that Lucanis likely needed a moment to calm himself so he could come to terms with that his fiancée didn’t even recognize him.
“What sort of research are you doing?” Neve asked, knowing that they were pouring through books and notes. Bellara pulled out a tome before flipping it to a page. Isa nodded, pointing at a certain picture on it.
“Lucanis and Isa both pointed this one out when we tried to narrow down the artifacts that could have messed with her mind,” the archivist explained as Isa stared at Neve with hope in her eyes. The mage exhaled as she took the tome. She had seen the picture before, but that didn’t mean she knew anything about it. “We’ve been trying to figure out how we can possibly get her memories back.”
“And you’re for this?” Neve asked Isa, who nodded.
“Non voglio mai più rivedere quel tipo di dolore nei suoi occhi,” the Crow whispered before she turned back to her notes. Bellara looked at Neve who frowned.
While she still didn’t catch every word, she understood what Isa meant to say there.
Isa never wanted to see pain in Lucanis’s eyes like that again.
Neve pursed her lips and nodded once, deciding not to translate that for Bellara in front of the Crow. The meaning was clear to her, at least. Bellara could see that Isa was upset by whatever she had said herself.
“I have an idea,” Neve offered as Bellara looked up. Isa glanced up before looking over the diagrams laid out on the papers. “Why don’t you show Isa around Minrathous? I know that she hadn’t been outside Antiva since before the Dread Wolf contract. It might help jog her memory if nothing else.”
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Bellara hummed. “But you’re the expert. You should go.”
“No, I’m the expert on magic. As soon as I figure out what kind of magic we’re dealing with, you can get the artifact working again, right?” Neve reminded as Bellara hesitantly nodded. Neve grinned widely. “Splendid! Then you two have some fun out on the town, and I will stay here for when the Crows return.”
“I think it’s just Lucanis coming back.”
“If you think her brother is going to stay in Antiva after news like that reaches him, you don’t know Viago.”
“Viago mi ucciderà,” Isa lamented, covering her face with her hands. Neve smirked.
“Even I know that phrase. You’ll be fine, Isa. Your brother isn’t going to kill you,” the mage teased before helping Bellara to her feet. “But I will come find you if I need to. I know Dock Town like the back of my hand, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Just a few Crows that will come looking,” Bellara reminded. Neve gave Bellara’s forehead a comforting kiss as she cupped her cheeks.
“I promise, I’ll handle it. Viago knows that I’m a serious person like him and Lucanis,” she teased with a smirk. “But while you’re out, you should bring me back some fried fish for dinner from Hal’s. I think that would be lovely.”
“Should I pick up enough for guests?” Bellara chuckled as Neve shrugged.
“If you want to invite them to stay for dinner,” the mage suggested before guiding them both to the door. “But at least get moving before the sun starts to set. Lucanis won’t want to leave Isa alone overnight, even if she doesn’t know who he is.”
“Ora so chi è,” Isa complained as she huffed. Neve raised an eyebrow before chuckling.
“We’ll be back for dinner,” Bellara suggested, hoping that she would be able to entertain the Antivan without being able to speak the language.
Neve gave her a proper kiss at the door as Isa waited a few paces away politely. Bellara smiled at Neve before the mage kissed her hand next then closed the door. The archivist sighed, turning to the Crow, who grinned at Bellara with a kindness that she wouldn’t expect from a stranger.
“Siete davvero una coppia adorabile,” Isa said while they started down the road.
“Um, adorable?” Bellara tried. Isa hummed, trying to think back to her studies, but it was hard with the new mental fog in her head.
“Sì, ehm, come dire...” Isa replied, scrunching her brows together as she held her chin in thought. “You make adorabile coupile?”
“Oh, me and Neve?” Bellara asked, gesturing towards herself and then back at the apartment. Isa brightened immediately before nodding emphatically as if she had just won the lottery or something.
“Sì, sì! Davvero adorabile!” Isa answered excitably, making Bellara laugh and turn a bright red as well. “Ehm... Neve and... you?”
“Bellara,” she informed, realizing that she never reintroduced herself. Isa nodded in understanding.
“Neve. Research?”
“Yes, she’s going to research the thing that hurt your head.”
Bellara gestured towards Isa’s forehead, careful not to touch her skin. She remembered how the Crow was when they first met, and Isa very rarely let anyone touch her, especially skin to skin contact of any kind. It was one of the reasons why she constantly wore gloves all the time.
“Ah, good?” Isa guessed the word as Bellara nodded.
“Very good,” the archivist replied.
“Very good,” Isa repeated with a nod.
“She’s also going to talk with the Crows when they get there,” Bellara mentioned as Isa sighed, hanging her head.
“Non so cosa farà Lucanis, ma Viago farà una scenata. Mi darà di nuovo della sconsiderata e della stupida. Non so nemmeno se sia stata colpa mia. Lucanis non me l’ha voluto dire," the Crow complained as she huffed before hanging her head, forcing her way through her mental block again. “Aye, ehm, sorry, Bel.”
“It sounds like Viago has always been hard on you.”
“Story not for now.”
“Right,” Bellara replied before Isa turned to her.
“How you and Neve... meet?” the Crow wondered with curious eyes. Bellara laughed under her breath, wondering what to tell the Crow.
“You were there,” Bellara remarked with a smirk. Isa went wide eyed with interest. “You came to find me in the forest after the Veil Jumpers said that I could help you. You helped me find the artifact I was looking for, and I fixed your eluvian. You and Neve came to find me. You stood side by side as you introduced yourselves to me out in the forest.”
“Oh,” Isabella whispered in astonishment.
“We met through you, really. You hired her first, then you hired me. Well, sort of. You hired me, but the person who hired you hired her,” Bellara rambled as she tried to get it right in her head. Then she shook her thoughts away. “Sorry, I ramble.”
“Ramble is good. Get thoughts out.”
“You were the first person to tell me that.”
“Smart,” Isa chuckled with a wink. Bellara laughed at that, nodding.
“You’re Trade tongue is getting better,” Bellara remarked as Isa shrugged.
“Grammar is... bad. Don’t have all the, ehm, bits?”
“Words?”
“Sì, words. Is hard,” Isa sighed, shaking her head. She held her hand out in front of her forehead as they reached the market that Neve had mentioned. “A fog... here?”
“Like a brain fog? Are you having a hard time thinking?” Bellara wondered as Isa frowned. That didn’t sound right, so she shook her head.
“Searching. Takes... time. To find bits. Words,” Isa tried again. Bellara nodded as she thought about it. “Antivan comes. Not Trade.”
“It sounds like that your brain has taken the non-survival mode off for the most part,” Bellara mentioned as Isa took that in. It was strange that she still understood what Bellara was saying, more or less. “What is the last thing you remember? I don’t think I asked that.”
“Hard to know,” Isa answered. “Foggy. Distant. Remember Viago. Teia. Treviso. Crow Training. Places. People. No one memory.”
“You can’t remember a specific memory?” Bellara asked as Isa shook her head. “It’s all a blur?”
“Sì, blur,” she confirmed. Bellara thought about it a little more, thinking about what that could mean. “Remember Lucanis and demon there today. You and Neve. Nothing before is clear.”
“You can only remember today clearly?”
“Sì, sì.”
“That doesn’t sound like regular memory loss.”
“Sì.”
“You tried to tell Luca that, too, didn’t you?” Bellara guessed as Isa raised her shoulders.
“Little bit. He was... upset. Hard to... talk to. Hard to... know what... happened?” Isa tried, straining almost for words. Bellara kept nodding, hoping to encourage her friend. Isa bit her lip as she tried to search for more words that she knew.
If she had been the one to introduce Neve and Bellara, then she knew the language well enough to communicate fluently. This was beyond frustration, and Isa tried to focus as she searched for the knowledge that seemed to be buried in her brain.
“Well, let’s get something at the market to take your mind off it, yeah? If you see something you like or remind you of something, get it, alright? We can settle up later,” Bellara suggested as Isa nodded once, looking away. The archivist clenched her jaw, watching the Crow start to peruse the booths.
Bellara kept a close eye on her, making sure that she wasn’t growing frustrated or getting swindled by the few shopkeepers that would try to pull a fast one over those who couldn’t speak the language very well. Isa didn’t seem to find much of anything until she found a nice leather shop that sold gloves and other nice garments.
The archivist hung back a little as Isa examined the different styles and colors they offered, judging the craftsmanship and quality. Bellara couldn’t help but smile before she saw a familiar face appear at her side. She would have jumped if she hadn’t expected him to show up.
“Hey Lucanis,” Bellara smiled as the Crow tried to smile back. It was a forced smile at best, and Bellara could tell that he was feeling ragged already. “Viago with you?”
“He’s still speaking with Neve. She mentioned that you two were at the markets,” Lucanis answered, looking over at his fiancée at the leather booth. “How is she?”
“Her Trade is difficult, but it’s not impossible to understand. I think the more she uses it the more will come to her,” Bellara mentioned before she put her hands behind her back. Lucanis exhaled and hung his head. “She’s resilient. She’ll bounce back from this.”
“I know she’ll be fine. She’s stronger than this to let it set her back. I’m just worried that she won’t remember her friends and the adventures we had.”
“And you’re worried that she won’t remember you,” Bellara reminded calmly. Lucanis clenched his jaw before exhaling. “But I don’t think her memory was wiped.”
“We don’t know anything yet.”
“You haven’t talked to her other than to make sure she was alright.”
“I know that she doesn’t remember anything much in the last ten to fifteen years. Practically half of her life, almost,” Lucanis reminded softly. His eyes shined with tears as Bellara sighed.
“She said that she feels like her memories are a blur, kinda like a mental fog, you idiot,” Bellara whispered. Lucanis furrowed his brow and turned to Bellara. “Ten minutes of conversation.”
“You’ve been spending too much time with Neve,” Lucanis countered teasingly as he stared back at her. “But a mental fog? So, you think this is temporary?”
“Neve’s researching the magic back at the apartment so I can take a closer look at the artifact, and I think that Isa should see a doctor as well. I do think this is a temporary thing, though,” Bellara replied with a smile. “And Isa thinks Neve and I are adorable, thank you.”
“She said that?”
“She said something like sete davro coppra adorabile.”
Lucanis held back a laugh at the butchered western Antivan attempt, but he nodded. Isa had always been rooting for Neve and Bellara, and she had been so excited when they had taken the next step in the end. For her to tell Bellara that she thought they were a cute couple likely meant that her memories were buried in there somewhere. Hopefully, at least.
“And even if she doesn’t get her memories back, do you really think it would be that hard to woo her again?” Bellara wondered, surprising him. “You already know what she likes and doesn’t like, and you know where her boundaries are. Starting over isn’t exactly fun, but it isn’t the end of the world.”
“I didn’t tell her that we were engaged,” Lucanis muttered as Bellara sighed, shaking her head.
“You’re going to have to tell her because I’ll tell her otherwise,” the archivist informed, surprising Lucanis. “She has a right to know what happened in her past as well. Besides, she already said something about not wanting to see the pain in your eyes again. I’m not very good at Antivan, but Neve’s been teaching me Tevene in her spare time. It's not the same language, but the words can be similar sometimes. I think Neve said it had the same root language or something.”
“Isa said that?” Lucanis wondered as he brightened.
“So, stop being your own worst enemy, and go flirt with my friend,” Bellara suggested, nearly pushing him through the crowd.
Lucanis resisted a moment before wandering over to Isa, who was pleasantly surprised to see him. She fell right into Antivan again, feeling relieved to be finally understood. Bellara smiled from the back as she saw Neve come up the road.
The archivist waved to her girlfriend, surprised to see her as well. Neve wandered over, kissing Bellara’s cheek in greeting.
“I thought you weren’t going to come along,” Bellara mentioned as Neve shrugged.
“Viago showed up on our doorstep with a dozen Crow mages asking for more information on what happened. I gave him what you found, and he offered for me to join him in the study of the artifact itself, but I said that we would join him later if they still needed two extra pairs of eyes,” Neve answered. Bellara grinned and wrapped her arm around Neve’s. “I figured we could go out to dinner rather than bringing it back home. I think our friends could use the outing, if they aren’t too busy.”
“We’ll see. I think Isa might just be suffering from mental fog rather than true memory loss. Her Trade is coming back quicker than I expected,” Bellara mentioned as Neve smiled.
“Now that is good news indeed!” the mage grinned. “Hopefully Viago and his army of Crows can discern what the artifact does. Then we can give Isa a rundown on what happened to her. At least the contract is complete, right?”
“Is that what we should be taking away from this?” Bellara sighed, leading Neve down the market. The mage sighed with a shrug.
“Who’s to say? It’s their job, and there are dire consequences if they don’t finish the contract. I’m just glad that Viago didn’t come in with an actual army with ballistas this time,” Neve chuckled as Bellara shrugged.
“While I’m glad we don’t spend our time hunting down blighted dragons and archdemons anymore, I kind of miss the adventure it gave,” Bellara admitted with a sigh. Neve patted her arm as they walked down the market, glancing at the different shop fronts to look at.
“Well, who knows what the future might hold? Thedas usually finds its share of trouble, and I doubt we’ve seen the last time it needs saving,” Neve remarked. Bellara shook her head.
“As long as we’re done with the blights, I’m willing to take just about anything else,” the archivist admitted, making Neve laugh.
“I think you and the rest of Thedas agrees with you,” she replied as Bellara smirked.
Although, in truth, Bellara didn’t care if there were more blights or gods to take on. As long as she had Neve and her friends at her side, there wasn’t she couldn’t face. They could take on anything, and they had proved that again and again.
Bellara leaned against Neve’s shoulder as they wandered down towards the docks after Neve motioned to the Crows that they were moving on. Bellara didn’t even look up to see if they were following, perfectly content with an impromptu date night with her girlfriend.
Several months after the Evanuris are dead and the blight is gone, Bellara throws herself into her work and travels instead of relaxing in Arlathan with her brother. In this AU, Cyrian survived the botched ritual with Anaris, and it's causing some awkward sibling issues due to his actions during the fight against the gods.
AO3
Bellara had been throwing herself into her work every time she returned to Arlathan Forest. Every time she had to return from Minrathous or Treviso, Bellara would try to find anything that would take her away from her studio that she now shared with her brother.
Cyrian had suffered greatly after banishing Anaris, but he hadn't died like they had expected him to. With some quick thinking, they were able Cyrian back for medical treatment. He was almost back to his regular self when Bellara had been taken by Elgar'nan, which had been a healing process of its own.
Now that they were both fully healed, the atmosphere grew strange. Both were relieved to be in each other's lives again, but Bellara knew that Cyrian had done something completely unforgivable. He had turned their people into demons.
Cyrian had yet to fully explain himself without Anaris breathing down his neck, and Bellara wasn't sure she wanted to hear that conversation. The last time they had what started out as a calm conversation turned into a verbal fight in the middle of the forest with a Crow as a mediator. Bellara was glad it had been Isa instead of Lucanis at least. Otherwise, she wasn't sure Cyrian would still be around.
Still, the fight still rang in her head, even after months and months.
"Anaris is making you build an army of demons out of our people, Cyrian. Our people! The ritual worked exactly how he wanted it to."
"No, he would never do that. He wants what's best for our people, and it was my failure. My failure alone."
"Anaris is a warlord, just as he was thousands of years ago."
"So said the Evanuris, but the victors write the histories. You know that. He fought them to make our people great while the Evanuris kept them in fetters."
"And at what cost? How many people does he have to kill to get this perfect world that he wants? Anaris will kill and turn hundreds more into demons before he is done."
"He showed me. The world as it once was, and how it could be again."
"He's influencing you through the mask, Cyrian! He's poisoning your thoughts!"
"My thoughts remain my own, Bellara. Why can you not accept that I chose this willingly? One day, you will thank me for all that I have done."
"No, Cyrian. One day, I will walk out the door and never speak to you again."
She did walk away after that as Isabella continued to speak with Cyrian about Anaris for a moment more before catching up. Isa had been the one to support her through it, even asking if there were any Crow duties she wanted done. A dark joke, but one that Bellara shook her head at.
The next time she saw Cyrian was at the botched ritual that nearly took his life and her brother away forever. There was no time for apologies or explanations, but there she couldn't just return as if he had never died in the first place. As if his life hadn't been destroyed by an artifact that she had checked only to return as a god's minion to create a demon army from elves. It was too much.
So, she threw herself into her work, cataloguing and tinkering wherever she could. She took assignments that would take her across the forest, especially if they said that she could be gone weeks at a time. Bellara would notify Neve ahead of time in case she wanted to tag along, but those opportunities were rare. Although, it was through one of those expeditions that caused Neve to hire Isa through a contract to find Bellara after a few days of no scheduled contact. Bellara learned not to throw herself into her work too much after that.
It also prompted more visits and travel suggestions, which helped Bellara in a way. It didn't help with the Cyrian issue, but it helped with distracting her from him. Which was how she found herself in Treviso with a cup of tea at a cafe across from the Crow who helped her mediate all those months ago.
"You need to talk to him," Isa informed before taking a sip of her tea. Bellara nearly squeaked as her attention was focused on Isa again. The Crow brought her coffee to her lips as her eyes focused on the Veil Jumper.
"To- to who?" Bellara deflected. The archivist knew it was pointless, but she wanted to try anyway.
"Cyrian," Isa replied plainly, relaxing against the back of her chair.
Bellara exhaled, wondering if she should have seen this coming. Lucanis was usually the one who invited her out for coffee like this, not Isa. Isa preferred to spend time moving around in the markets or the parks. She only liked to sit if there was a conversation to be had.
"I know you've been avoiding your brother," the Crow informed carefully.
"Are you spying on me now?" Bellara grumbled without any irritation. She knew that Isa wasn't. Bellara had been bouncing between Arlathan, Minrathous, and Treviso too much for the Crow to spend her time following her. Isa's supervisors would have had a fit.
"No, of course not," Isa reassured anyway with a kind smile. Bellara exhaled, turning to the side to look out across the canal for a moment. "I just know what avoiding family looks like. Cyrian is just unfortunate enough not to have a choke point like Viago did at the Diamond."
"You avoided Viago?"
"I did. We had a very different situation, but I did. It was awkward to be back home after he banished me, and I didn't know how to handle it. So, I tried not to. I tried to sneak around him."
"What happened?" Bellara wondered before Isa smirked.
"He caught me," the Crow laughed softly. "Like I said, he had a choke point at the Diamond. Not much I could do if he wanted to talk to me if I wanted to get back to the lighthouse."
"Did you talk about your banishment?" Bellara wondered as Isa nodded.
"We spoke about it many times. We talked about what we did or did not regret about it. We talked about the letters, the circumstances, whose fault it was. We both carried it with us for a long time," Isa answered before exhaling. "I think we still do carry it with us, in a way. I am not afraid of him doing it again, and he has told me that he was wrong to do it in the first place. Even still, it has left its scars and memories that we will remember."
"Would you forgive Viago if he did what Cyrian did?" Bellara asked after a moment. Isa took a deep breath as she set her coffee down on the table gently.
"That is a question I often asked myself while you were going through this in the first place, Bels," Isa mentioned with a grimace. "And I can't say I ever came up with a good answer there. My mind and training told me that I would need to put him down, but my heart and memory would remind me of who he was to me. In the end, I think the latter would win out against the rest."
"So, you would forgive him?"
"If the circumstances matched. If Viago successfully made a demon army, then it would be a different conversation. That doesn't mean I could fight against him, but I wouldn't be able to forgive him."
"Do you think I should forgive Cyrian?" Bellara wondered. Isa thinned her lips and reached for her friend's hand, holding it gently.
"That is not for me to say, mia amica. I cannot tell you who you should and should not forgive. You need to listen to your heart and talk with that person. What would work for me and Viago wouldn't work for you and Cyrian, just like it wouldn't work for Lucanis and Illario," the Crow explained plainly. Bellara frowned, wishing that the Crow would tell her what the right answer was. "What do you want to do?"
"I want things to go back to the way they were."
"I know. While I'm not sure they can, you might be able to get somewhere close to that."
"You think so?" Bellara whispered, blinking at Isa. The Crow gave a half-smile and nodded gently.
"I do, but you will only know if you talk to your brother, Bels," Isa reminded as the archivist deflated a little. "And there's a good chance that he's worried about your reaction as well. It's going to be awkward, and there's nothing to be done there. Sweeping it under the rug isn't going to help, colibrìa."
"You're right," Bellara sighed, shaking her head. "It's a lot easier said than done."
"Oh, I know, and I know that my time was easier because Viago and I are known among the Crows to have mighty arguments," Isa chuckled as she smiled. "Have you talked to Neve about this?"
"Not in so many words," Bellara sighed. Isa exhaled, shaking her head. "It's not Neve's fault. She drops it when I change the subject."
"Neve is nicer than I am, is that it?" Isa asked with a wide, amused grin. "I suppose I deserved that. You do get to do this at your own pace, but something tells me that you aren't taking any pace with this."
"You know, it's hard to be friends with you sometimes," Bellara complained behind her cup of tea. Isa laughed with a good nature, grabbing her coffee again.
"Luca says stuff like that when he knows I'm right, too," Isa remarked with a triumphant expression. Bellara rolled her eyes but laughed. "He says I've must have left my filter in the Fade."
"That's not very nice."
"He's not wrong. I'm not keeping my thoughts to myself anymore. Well, most of them anyway. As much as he doesn't think so, I do have somewhat of a filter."
"I suppose you need one if you're living under the same roof as his cousin," Bellara teased.
"Precisely. I can't tell Illario off all the time. I don't want to be that kind of person," Isa smirked. "But the point stands. My words come from a place of love, colibrìa. I just want to make sure that you are thriving, wherever you are at. And if you need help with anything, you let me know. Especially with your brother."
"Are you offering to fulfill a contract or offering to mediate?"
"Either or. I'm also open for other things, too. Your brother, astuto come una volpe rossa, has caused you a lot of grief, and I would like you to have more peace of mind if I'm able to help."
"I would like to be able to spend more time at home, and I would like to invite you all over, too. Everyone has had me as a guest, it would be nice to invite everyone over to Arlathan without worrying about my brother," Bellara mentioned as Isa nodded with a smile.
"You will likely still need to worry about how the others will react, but I agree. I would like to come visit you at your place! I've been about everywhere else," Isa replied as Bellara sighed. She forgot that her other friends likely wouldn't be so quick to forgive Cyrian as Isa would. "Don't worry about it, Bels. I'll sort out whoever has any issues, alright? Just worry about your brother and let me know what comes of it. I'll handle the rest. Well, outside of Neve. You get to talk to your ragazza."
"You know, half the Antivan you say I don't understand, right?" Bellara chuckled, turning a little red. Isa leaned forward a little with a wink.
"By the blush on your cheeks, mia amica, I'd say you know exactly what I'm saying," the Crow teased before leaning back again.
Bellara laughed before Isa took pity on her, asking about her artifact work instead. Bellara brightened a bit at the subject change, excited to talk about the newest piece she had been working on for the Veil Jumpers. The Crow leaned back in her seat to listen, happy to see the excitement wash over the archivist as she let her talk the rest of the time.
Bellara gathered her courage as she stood in front of her family home. It had stood practically abandoned after Cyrian had died. Bellara had gone to join the Veil Jumpers nearly full time after that, and it sat alone to gather dust during that time.
When Cyrian needed to recover, Strife had suggested that he would heal there under armed guard, and when Bellara needed to heal from the blight after Elgar'nan, she healed in the house as well. Now both of them lived there technically. It wasn't too far from the Veil Jumpers for Bellara to continue her work, and Strife could continue to keep an eye on Cyrian while Bellara was away most of the time.
Bellara had planned to move the eluvian into the house for a while now since Cyrian had slowly started to gain Strife's trust back. It was clear that Anaris had tricked him, and Cyrian had talked more to the older man that he had to Bellara. Strife had also encouraged her to talk to her brother, but it had been Isa's words who had bolstered her now.
With a deep breath, she opened the door and walked inside. Cyrian was reading a book in the living area, and he immediately looked up at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be home. She rarely ever came home, especially while he was awake. He had only seen her a handful of times after she had fully healed from the blight.
"Bellara," he commented before recovering from his surprise. "Welcome back. I didn't expect you to be home."
"Uh, thanks. I made good time," Bellara mentioned, closing the door and placing her travel bag next to the door.
"Where did you go to this time?" Cyrian wondered, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Treviso," Bellara mentioned before Cyrian blanched. He remembered her Crow friends well, and he remembered that neither of them liked him at all.
"Well, did you at least ask them to make my death painless?" Cyrian asked before Bellara jolted with an affronted expression.
"What? No. No, Isa wouldn't- Luca isn't going to- What? That's not why I- Do you think I would hire them to kill you?" Bellara stammered in shock. Cyrian thinned his lips before sighing.
"It's been a weird time between us, and I wasn't sure if you had decided that I wasn't worthy of forgiveness," Cyrian replied with a shrug. Bellara furrowed her brows before biting her lip, looking away. "I wouldn't have blamed you. I did what I did, and I can't take back what I did."
"Do you at least regret what you did?" Bellara asked as Cyrian nodded.
"I regret blindly following a god without asking questions. He seemed so interested in fixing the world and making us strong, I didn't think to see what was happening. I believe my heart was in the right place, but I wasn't thinking clearly," he answered, holding the book in his lap. "It means nothing to the lives I took or the lives I ruined. I can't restore what I've done to them. I can only take solace in that Anaris is banished and can't return within our lifetimes."
"It means something to me," Bellara offered before exhaling. "You are my brother, Cyrian, and I wanted to believe that you weren't completely gone. To have you back only for you to nearly be taken away again was awful. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you."
"Like I said, I can't blame you. What I did was horrible," Cyrian replied, shaking his head. "But I want to atone for it. I've already talked to Strife about it, and he's willing to help me through it. He's not sure if I'll ever truly be fully forgiven or fully atone, but he's willing to work with me."
"Really?" Bellara asked as Cyrian nodded.
"It's a fresh start, and it's more than I deserve," he answered, leaning back. "I'm surprised he hasn't talked to you about it."
"I've been dodging the topic," she admitted. Cyrian laughed at that.
"Fair enough," he replied before sighing. "Look, I know if it's too much to forgive me. I haven't given you much to go on since I came back."
"That's true," Bellara mentioned before shaking her head. "But that was one of the things I talked with Isa about while I was in Treviso."
"I don't remember which one Isa is. I remember Neve, she was the one you asked most about when you were healing, so I could at least put a name to a face there," he admitted. Bellara thinned her lips and nodded.
"The Crow," Bellara reminded, hoping that it would get him back on track.
"Ah, right," Cyrian replied with a nod.
"But I just wanted to talk to you about what happened back then with Anaris but hearing that you regret not doing more to learn what he was doing helps," she started as he listened. She took in a breath. "And to hear that you want to atone for it makes me feel better about wanting to forgive you."
"Wait, you want to forgive me?"
"I wanted my brother back more than anything in the world, and I got that. It just wasn't in the way I had hoped or expected."
"But what I did..." Cyrian whispered as Bellara walked over to sit in the chair next to his. She swallowed, putting her hands in her lap.
"You admit that you didn't want to turn those people into demons, and you helped banish Anaris. I think that should count for something," she replied before sighing. "It's not going to be a straight road, but I want to have my brother back."
"I would like to have my sister back, too," he admitted as she smiled.
"I'll do my best to be more present as well. I know that hiding isn't going to be very helpful," she added. "Isa had to call me out on that."
"And you're sure that the Crows won't come after me?"
"Isa will make sure that they don't. Lucanis won't be as easy to convince, but he listens to her."
"I suppose that's good news," he exhaled, relaxing slightly. "The rest of your friends will likely call you insane."
"Maybe, but that's the burden I'm willing to bear," she replied firmly. "I think I might have questions from time to time, though. About your time with Anaris."
"I would be surprised if you didn't," he chuckled dryly. "But thank you for giving me a second chance. Is it still alright if I call you Vora'shivan?"
"I would be sad if you didn't," Bellara answered with a smirk. Then she perked up. "Oh, and I brought home some things this time. I brought home some tea and coffee from Antiva, and Isa's brother's... girlfriend?... recommended a good place for chocolate, so thought it might be nice to share."
"Sharing gifts with me, too?" he wondered with a light tone. She shrugged as she pulled her bag over.
"I thought it would help smooth things over and help me apologize for avoiding you. While everything has been so much, we should have talked sooner," Bellara replied, pulling out the box of sweets. Cyrian smiled and chuckled, taking one as she offered them. "I was also wondering how willing you would be if I hosted a few friends over."
"I think that would be nice," Cyrian answered before frowning. "How likely are they to attack me on sight?"
"I'll talk to them before they get here," Bellara reassured with a beaming smile. Her brother nodded, biting into the rich piece of chocolate.
Neve and Bellara pay Isabella and Lucanis a surprise visit, wanting to spend more time with them. However, they want to do so casually without too many trips or tours. The Crows aren't sure what the couple is expecting, but they are willing to play along to see what these two are up to.
AO3
Bellara stared at Isa with bright eyes as Neve smiled while she leaned back in her chair. It wasn’t an unusual request, but it wasn’t exactly what the Crow had anticipated. While Isa knew that these two were her friends, something seemed off about the request they were making.
“You want to spend a week in Treviso just to spend time with me and Luca?” Isa repeated as they sat in Café Pietra.
Neve and Bellara had arrived about an hour before at the Diamond, and Isa had been there by lucky happenstance at the time. Teia or Viago would have likely summoned her or Luca to come address the non-Crows in the Diamond if she hadn’t been, though.
Bellara nodded her head excitedly while Isa thinned her lips, making Neve laugh.
“What makes this ask so ridiculous?” Neve asked with a smile. Isa glanced between them.
“It’s the fact that you are asking together while you are already in Treviso that makes me wonder what’s going on. You aren’t giving much of a choice,” Isa replied with a strained smile.
“Are you otherwise busy?” Neve wondered before Bellara frowned.
“Did we come while you were on a contract again?” the archivist wondered before Isa shook her head.
“No, nothing like that. It’s more like it’s very short notice, and I’m not sure if you’re looking to stay at the Dellamortes’ or at the de Riva estate,” Isa explained before Neve shrugged.
“I’ve already booked us a hotel in the city that is about equal distance from both the villa and estate,” Neve replied. That seemed to relax the Crow enough for her to be more susceptible to their plans.
“Alright,” Isa nodded once, looking into her coffee. “So, you just want to spend time with me and Luca for the week? Do you want us to give you the tour of Treviso? Show you the sites?”
“If you’d like. We just haven’t seen either of you in a while, and we thought that it might be nice to come see you,” Neve answered.
“We were in Minrathous two weeks ago,” Isa reminded.
“We haven’t been to Treviso in a while, though,” Bellara chimed in. Isa didn’t have an argument for that. “Are we putting you out? We could come back a different-”
“No,” Isa replied, holding up a hand. Her Crow tendencies were showing again, and they didn’t need to be extended to her friends within the Veilguard. “I’m sorry, you’re not putting me out or anything. I’ve been back in the Crows for a while, and I forget that people do things spontaneously just because they want to rather than to scheme.”
“You don’t think we’re scheming?” Neve teased. Isa chuckled as she held the coffee in front of her.
“Oh, I do, but if your scheming, it isn’t to kill me or another Crow,” Isa answered with a sigh. “And I will indulge that any day.”
“Glad to know that you don’t see us as threats,” Neve chuckled as Isa smiled.
“Not to me, at least. I know better than to underestimate either of you. I’ve seen both of you in battle,” the Crow amended as Neve smirked. “But it would be nice to take a break for a little bit. You really didn’t have anything else in mind?”
“Getting the city tour seemed like a great idea,” Neve offered. The Crow hummed in interest as Bellara smiled.
“What would you have done if we weren’t here?” Bellara wondered. Isa tapped the table with her forefinger in thought.
“Well, when I’m not on a job, I will go here with Luca, or sometimes we go to the market. Most of the time we spend our days at the villa,” Isa shrugged, not exactly sure what they were looking for. Isa didn’t get much time to herself or with Lucanis since she was back with the Crows. The contracts were coming in steadily, so she was usually working. “I have to warn you, our day-to-days are not very exciting.”
“Well, you two have exciting jobs, so that’s good to hear that’s not crazy all the time,” Neve smiled as Isa shrugged.
“I agree,” the Crow smiled. “So, where in Treviso were you hoping to go?”
“Well, so far you’ve only taken us to one coffee shop,” Bellara mentioned. “Aren’t there other restaurants and taverns?”
“We’ve been to the Diamond,” Isa argued as Neve raised a brow. The Crow sighed, understanding the archivist’s point. “Alright, alright. These places are just run by the Crows that I know, so going out elsewhere can get...”
“Dicey?” Neve guessed. Isa lifted her shoulders.
“Depending on where we go, but I can ask Illario for some recommendations. He tends to wander the city more than I do in that respect,” Isa mentioned before Neve frowned. “I know, but he’ll have more insight than I do.”
“I think it’ll be fine,” Bellara offered. “Lucanis decided to trust him, and he helped us against Elgar’nan, right? I thought I saw him there when I was pulled out of the blight.”
“He was there,” Isa confirmed with a firm nod.
“I still don’t trust him,” Neve muttered, folding her arms.
“Do you trust him enough to recommend a good restaurant, or do you think he’s going to tell us to go to a shitty one?” Isa wondered as Bellara bit her lip to keep from laughing. Neve grimaced before exhaling.
“I suppose if he’s just suggesting where to eat, that’s fine. I don’t want him to tag along,” Neve informed. Isa shrugged, taking a drink of her coffee.
“Fine by me. I’m sure Luca would like the break,” Isa replied with smile. Bellara grinned as they started to make soft plans for the week, so Isa knew what to expect.
Lucanis sat in his office, going through contracts and reports, before he saw a note flutter down onto his desk not too far from the edge. He exhaled, glancing up even though he knew that she was gone. Isa used to bother him while he was working, but after a few things slipped through the cracks, it was decided that she couldn’t distract him while he was working.
However, distracting him required both her presence and the knowledge of her presence. That meant that if Isa needed something, she would simply slip in, drop in a note, and slip out without him really noticing.
It didn’t help that Spite was fascinated by her either, letting her get away with the sneaking about. Lucanis wouldn’t mind the minor distraction now and again.
So, he opened up the note and read it over, surprised that she had made plans for him.
Bels and Neve are in town for the week, and they would like to spend time with us. They want to know what it’s like to live in Treviso, I suppose. Specifically, what it’s like for us living in Treviso. I met up with them for coffee earlier, but they wanted to visit other restaurants and places. Illario mentioned that there was a nice restaurant called El Viñedo Verde that might be good to try. Apparently, they have good wine.
I told Bels and Neve that we would meet at your villa around six. They said that they have a hotel nearby, so it shouldn’t be a hassle for them to get there.
Lucanis folded the letter and placed it in his vest pocket, unsure what to think about those two suddenly having an interest in seeing Treviso and him and his fiancée in it. Of course, neither Bellara nor Neve were nefarious in any way, but this felt strange. Neve rarely made her way out to Antiva unless she was invited, and Bellara usually followed Neve when she was out of the forest. Lucanis wasn’t even aware that they were coming to town. He doubted Isa knew before today either.
With a sigh, he finished his work, knowing that he was going to be more interested in this than the reports which could wait a day or two. Spite stopped his usual pacing and buzzed with excitement, always thrilled when Lucanis decided to finish work early.
Isa waited outside the villa in her more casual leathers. Something still sturdy, but she didn’t look like she was ready for combat either. Bellara and Neve waved to her, and the Crow smiled, seeing that they were early. It seemed that they were eager for dinner, and Isa couldn’t wait to figure out what was going on between them.
“So, did you figure out where we were going to eat?” Neve asked as Isa nodded.
“I know you had your reservations about asking him, but Illario suggested that we should eat at a place called El Viñedo Verde. He said it had good wine,” Isa replied as Neve frowned.
“Wine is nice,” Bellara replied with a grin.
“See, it’s not all for naught, and he’s trying. He gave a few different options, and that one was the one that I remember him mentioning the most,” Isa informed.
“Why did he mention it the most, though?” the detective wondered as Isa raised her shoulders.
“Couldn’t say. I tuned him out when he would chat with me like that. Maybe it really was the wine,” Isa replied before holding up her hands. “But I asked around as well, and it has a good reputation. It has good food and it is in good standing with the Crows.”
“Is that... is that important?” Neve wondered. Isa exhaled as she tilted her head back and forth, realizing that they might have forgotten something important about their friend.
“Yes, I would think so,” she admitted with a nod. “While I don’t care where we eat, if we bring Lucanis, we have to make sure that they at least either like the Crows or approve of them. We don’t want to bring the First Talon into a dangerous situation.”
“A Auctor,” Neve hissed, completely forgetting about that part of their lives. Isa thinned her lips before lifting her shoulders.
“Like I said, I had to go to Illario for recommendations,” Isa sighed as Neve nodded. The Crow had tried to be tactful while she was out in the open at the café. Neither of them had caught on.
“We haven’t put either of you in danger or anything right?” Neve asked as Bellara paled. Isa smiled and shook her head.
“Not at all. I just didn’t know how to bring it up while we were having coffee. No harm done, I promise,” Isa reassured with a laugh. “Although, I’m sure we’ve confused the hell out of Luca. I left him a note since I’m not allowed to see him when he’s working anymore.”
“Why not?” Bellara wondered, tilting her head in interest.
“I distract him too much. He let a few things fall through the cracks, and there were a few embarrassing... mistakes, I suppose. Nothing detrimental, but nothing ideal. So, I’m not allowed to distract him while he’s working,” Isa answered with a smile. Neve laughed lightly, realizing that likely didn’t stop her from driving the Talon crazy in other ways.
“Are you telling my embarrassing stories again?” Lucanis sighed as he walked up behind her. Isa turned and smiled.
“Maybe, but I gave no details. I just told them I’m not allowed to distract you at work,” Isa replied. Lucanis walked up and kissed her temple before sighing.
“I should have been clearer and said you can’t enter my office while I’m working,” the Talon remarked as Neve smiled, guessing correctly. Then Lucanis turned to the other two and smiled. “I hear that we’re going out to dinner? El Viñedo Verde?”
“If that works for you,” Bellara replied quickly as Lucanis nodded.
“I think that should be fine. I haven’t been out to eat in ages,” he informed as he offered to lead them to the restaurant down the road.
El Viñedo Verde was only a few minutes from the villa, and Neve and Bellara understood why Illario recommended it. It was filled with grape vines with mainly patio seating. It was incredibly private and almost seemed like they were dining out in the countryside rather than in Treviso.
Once their orders were taken care of, they spoke idly for a little while. Lucanis asked how their hotel was and their trip to Antiva as a whole was. It sounded mostly uneventful, which was good. Isa kept quiet as Lucanis kept the conversation going as she listened for possible fallacies or discrepancies in their story. She wanted to know why they were there so badly. This felt like more than just a social call, especially if they wanted to spend time together the entire time for several days.
However, both Bellara and Neve were completely relaxed and just excited to be traveling. Isa wondered if maybe this had been their first vacation together, and neither of them knew where else to go. Not that Isa would know where to go on vacation, either. She would like to spend more time in Rivain, but she never really understood how to relax.
“What have you two been up to, anyway?” Bellara wondered as Isa perked up, realizing that the question was directed at her as well. She blinked, glancing at Lucanis.
“Working contracts for the most part,” Isa answered, furrowing her brow. “We finished removing the Antaam from Antiva, so that’s been a project.”
“A good one,” Lucanis clarified as Isa smirked.
“I’m starting to wonder if you do anything else,” Neve pointed out. Isa nearly rolled her eyes out of her head.
“You’re one to talk, signora detective,” Isa retorted before sighing. “And I’ve been trying to be better about hobbies that don’t involve poison making.”
“That was what you were doing in your spare time?” Bellara asked before the Crow shrugged.
“Viago and I used to spend a lot of our spare time in the lab to figure out better poisons. It was like new puzzles and problems to solve. We enjoyed it, but we haven’t had a chance to do that lately, and Luca doesn’t know the first thing about poisons,” Isa explained. Bellara slowly nodded learning a little bit more about how the Crow spent her time.
“Why are you so interested in what we do in our spare time?” Lucanis wondered, finding this strange. Neve lifted her shoulders.
“Curiosity. You two were constantly running around Thedas during the war while we were able to take breaks. It seems like that stayed the same, more or less,” Neve pointed out.
“I’m not very good at relaxing, but I think I am better at it than you two,” Bellara added, making Isa laugh.
“You have me there, Bels. I get more restless than fixated, I suppose, though,” the Crow admitted. “What do you do to relax, then? It seems that you two are doing an awful lot of lecturing.”
“Probably the same things that you do,” Neve replied with a sigh. “Walk around the markets, read when new books are available, go out to eat, that sort of thing. The Treviso markets are different from Minrathous’s, though.”
“The Night Market is designed for Crows who need to get things on the go,” Lucanis explained with a smile. “We can stop by them, if you’d like. I’ve been meaning to pick up some things for dinners this week.”
“I didn’t realize you did your own grocery shopping,” Bellara commented before she could bite her tongue. Lucanis just laughed.
“It gives me a chance to stretch my legs and see the streets for myself. I don’t like staying within my home all the time,” the Talon reminded as the archivist nodded. “And it gives Isa a chance to practice her stalking.”
“You make me sound like a predator animal, Luca,” Isa complained, shaking her head.
“When you stop acting like it, I’ll stop comparing you to one,” Lucanis replied with a smirk. “She prowls along the rooftops and waits for a good time to try to surprise me.”
“How have you not stabbed her yet?” Neve wondered, remembering how jumpy Lucanis was during their time at the lighthouse. She didn’t think that behavior was something that just went away.
“There was one close call,” Isa admitted with a sigh as Lucanis exhaled. “But I was fine. I just needed new leathers, and Luca shouted at me about it for a week or so. I miscalculated my jump by an inch and landed too close to him. He was able to scrape my skin along my torso.”
“Since then, Spite gives me a heads up to not grab my blade when she’s about to pounce.”
“Again, I’m not a panther.”
“Stop acting like one, and I’ll stop describing you like one,” Lucanis repeated. Bellara chuckled as Neve hummed.
“Lucanis has a point there, Isa. Maybe we should have called you Lynx or something instead of Rook,” Neve teased as Isa groaned.
“Oh, so funny,” Isa sighed, unable to hide her smile or laugh. “I suppose I do like to try and surprise you in my free time, Luca. I like to see if I can surprise the First Talon. So far I have not. At least, not really. You’re too quick on your feet. If you were my target, it would have been a fight every time.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear I’m not losing my edge,” Lucanis chuckled as Bellara grimaced.
“I understand why Lace always says she doesn’t understand Crow culture,” the archivist mentioned before Isa cackled briefly.
“You get used to it,” Neve reassured, shaking her head. “Tevinter’s culture isn’t all that different, I guess.”
“Let’s not get into that here,” Lucanis suggested as he saw the food start to arrive. Isa’s face lit up, and Bellara turned to see the Antivan food come out. She was excited to try something new as well.
After dinner, the Crows showed the other two around the markets before walking them back to the hotel. Isa checked the hotel for weak points and possible issues, but she found nothing wrong with the security of the room. The Crow praised Neve’s choice of hotel, thinking that she would just invite both of them either to the de Riva estate or the Dellamorte villa next time instead. It would be overall safer and more enjoyable for all of them.
They made plans to meet up the next day at Pietra’s before the Crows took their leave, and Bellara collapsed on the bed as soon as the door was shut. Neve had warned her that this investigative research was difficult, but she wasn’t fully prepared for this.
“So, how goes your research?” Neve asked as she walked over to her lover. Bellara sat up a little and sighed, grabbing her notebook to jot down a few notes.
“Well, it’s a start, at least,” Bellara smiled. She had wanted to start a new serial, and she needed some oblivious Antivan inspiration. She just hoped that she could fool her friends for a few days before coming clean about the reason. They could see something was going on, and it wouldn’t be long before they started leaning harder on both of them.
“Good to hear,” Neve smiled. “Better start brainstorming ideas, so you know what to ask them over the next few days. And arm me with questions, too. It’ll make it look a little less suspicious.”
A while after the events of Veilguard, Bellara starts experimenting on her gauntlet with more modern magic components while she stays at Neve's apartment.
AO3
Bellara worked at her desk as she fiddled with her gauntlet artifact. She believed that she could add more modern magic components to the ancient artifact, making the gauntlet more efficient. It could even produce more arrows than it did before while also being more accurate when she tinkered. That is, if she could get the modern magic to work with the wild magic.
A part of her wondered if she should reach out to Emmrich in Nevarra about a few pointers, but she guessed that he would be busy with his newest students. She would start experimenting, and if things didn’t work, then she would reach out to the necromancer.
“Bells?” Neve called out as she walked into Bellara’s office in Neve’s apartment. Bellara glanced up at the doorway and smiled. “What are you working on?”
“I had an idea to improve the gauntlet,” Bellara answered, realizing that she could ask Neve for advice as well. She wasn’t as well versed in artifacts, but Neve knew magic just as much as Emmrich did. “I’m adding modern magic components to it to increase the output so it’s more accurate and efficient. I think it’s really going to improve it.”
“Are you sure that’s safe? I know that those ancient artifacts tend to be a little finicky at times,” Neve reminded as Bellara nodded.
“True, but I am being careful, I promise. I’ve worked with this gauntlet for years at this point,” Bellara reminded with a smirk. Neve grimaced as she walked in, sitting close to Bellara as she worked.
Bellara usually brought her work with her to Minrathous when she stayed with Neve. It was never anything that was dangerous or potentially explosive. Most of the time it was research based or something mechanical that needed fixing. To see her working on something magic based was more concerning.
Neve had hoped that Bellara would treat the time in Minrathous like a vacation away from her work, or at least use it as a chance to work on her serials that she loved. Bellara did most of the time, but sometimes she would get focused on certain things back in Arlathan that she would need to bring with her. Otherwise, her mind would just get stuck on the idea endlessly until she got back to the Veil Jumpers. This had been the solution.
“So, any headway?” Neve wondered, deciding to go the supportive route instead of the worried one. She had tried the worried one before, and that just led to more explanations and ramblings about things that Neve couldn’t follow. It also didn’t stop Bellara from doing what she was going to do, anyway.
“A little bit. I think if I can get this part into this circuit, this will amplify the magic tenfold,” Bellara answered as she placed the piece where she theorized where it needed to go. As the gauntlet stabilized, she grinned and turned to Neve, who smirked. “So, what brings you in here?”
“I figured that you would forget, so I came in here with a reminder,” Neve teased, reaching for her girlfriend’s hand. Bellara let Neve squeeze her fingers as she wracked her brain for what she was talking about. She had been doing a lot better about remembering things, but she wasn’t sure what Neve was reminding her about. With a chuckle, Neve relented. “We made plans a few months ago with our friends, if you remember. Isabella and Lucanis were going to come into town while you were here, and we were going to show them around. If you’re still up for it, of course. I know that you tend to get in your head about your work.”
“That’s today?” Bellara asked, remembering that they had made that plan. She just hadn’t remembered when they were meeting up with the two Crows. Neve chuckled and nodded.
“And their bringing Davrin and Assan with them. Sounds like that they bumped into him a week ago and invited him along,” Neve informed as Bellara smiled. It had been a while since she had seen her friends. “Isa sent a crow a little while ago saying that they were arriving by eluvian since it was going to be faster. They should be here in an hour.”
“An hour?” Bellara repeated, realizing that it didn’t give her a lot of time to finish her gauntlet project.
“If you need more time with your work, I’m sure they would understand. They’re going to be here for a few days, after all,” Neve reminded with a smile. Bellara grimaced, knowing that sounded nice, but it wasn’t what they had agreed on.
She was always working on something with her head in the clouds. Neve often had to pull her back down to the ground so that she could eat or sleep while she was in Minrathous. Strife took that job while she worked in Arlathan.
Neve knew better than most what it was like to get stuck on a problem or a puzzle. It was similar to her detective work, which was why Bellara knew that she was understood. They both would get lost in their work, and the other would pull each other away for a little while for something else more enjoyable.
“No, my gauntlet can wait for a little bit,” Bellara replied with a smile. “I can focus on spending time with you and our friends for a while, and I can work on my project later.”
“Are you sure?” Neve asked, giving her an out still.
“I’m sure. I know the others would understand, too, but I want to see them. I haven’t heard about what they’ve been up to in months,” Bellara reminded, laughing lightly. Neve nodded once before she pulled Bellara away from the table and out of the room.
“That’s good news because I have a surprise for you,” the detective informed with a cunning smirk. Bellara blinked curiously, following her into the next room.
“A surprise?”
“You’ll see.”
Neve opened the door to their shared room and guided Bellara to sit on the bed. The archivist watched as Neve walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a new set of robes for her. Bellara’s eyes widened as her mouth opened, but she found that she couldn’t say anything.
The robes were a mixture of earthy tones and touches of turquoise that seemed to blend both Dalish and Tevinter styles. Neve held it up for her to admire before handing it to the archivist, who glanced between her girlfriend and the gift.
“I thought it would be fun to wear something new when we went out to dinner tonight. I bought something new for myself as well, so we both will look rather dashing,” Neve informed as Bellara beamed in delight. It felt so romantic to go to dinner with coordinated outfits, even if they were meeting up with friends. Neve gave a gentle smile as Bellara looked over the fabric, completely over the moon with excitement. “I’m glad that I picked out something you like.”
“I think I’d love anything you picked, but you really did wonderfully,” Bellara commented with a smitten expression. Then her brows furrowed. “What would you have done if I had said that I was going to stay and work on my project instead tonight?”
“I would have saved this for another night,” Neve replied before sitting next to her. “Maybe tomorrow night, or the night after that. Whenever you were ready to go have a fun night out on the town.”
“This really is sweet,” Bellara whispered, feeling the fabric as she looked over the new outfit. Neve smiled, resting her head on Bellara’s shoulder, looking at her new robes as well.
“You should go put them on in case those other three are early,” Neve remarked before she sighed. “And knowing Isa, I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to break in to startle us.”
“Break in?”
“She’s done it a few times to show the weaknesses of my apartment. I nearly froze her face off when she appeared in the kitchen behind me, talking about my weak locks on the doors.”
“I... didn’t realize that Isa would break into our apartment like that,” Bellara muttered, glancing out the window. Neve’s expression softened at Bellara’s admission of ownership over the apartment as well. “Did you change the locks?”
“I did, mostly so she’d have a harder time getting in. The second time she came in through the windows. Apparently, I don’t lock my windows enough, she said,” Neve sighed, shaking her head. “I tried to smack her with my staff, then. She dodged it while laughing, of course. Poor Lucanis had been left in the street because he didn’t want to break in as well.”
“Does she do this to anyone else?” Bellara asked, a little puzzled.
“Oh, according to Lucanis, she breaks into the villa all the time just to prove that she can. Spite lets her get away with it, too,” Neve answered, making Bellara laugh under her breath. “Get dressed, and I’ll keep an eye out for our Crow friend.”
“Alright, sounds good,” Bellara smiled with a nod.
She watched as the detective walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Bellara had no qualms with changing with Neve in the room, but she guessed that Neve had something to do before the others arrived.
Bellara finished adjusting the robes as she looked in the mirror, appreciating the colors and how they complimented her coloring. She felt gorgeous and at home, not to mentioned loved. With her heart full, Bellara went to go thank Neve again as she opened the door.
She heard something in the office, so Bellara headed there, thinking that Neve was in there. Bellara confidently opened the door before nearly screaming as it was not Neve in the room. She calmed down when she saw it was a familiar Crow, looking over her gauntlet artifact with interest.
Isa looked up as the door opened, and she smiled when Bellara came into view. Her smile widened when she saw that she had startled the poor archivist as well.
“Bell!” Isa greeted as she walked around the desk to embrace her friend. Bellara smiled, feeling conflicted with seeing the Crow in the apartment uninvited with closed windows. “It’s so good to see you, amica, especially in Minrathous. Neve has talked about spending time with you here all the time, I’m so happy you’re staying here for a little while.”
“Right,” Bellara replied with a forced grin. “Um, how did you get inside?”
“Hm? Oh, right,” Isa replied before gesturing towards the window. “Neve doesn’t lock her windows very well. I told her that it leaves her very vulnerable, but she hasn’t listened to me yet. I’m just glad she listened to me about the locks on her doors.”
“But that window was locked?” Bellara commented in confusion. Isa smirked with a laugh.
“Ha! That lock was so easy to pick, a child could have broken in. Honestly, amica mia, if she would let me talk to her about locks, I could have this place more secure than the Archon’s palace,” the Crow informed firmly. Bellara shook her head, realizing that this wasn’t her argument to have with Isa.
“Where’s Lucanis and Davrin? I thought they were coming too?”
“Oh, Luca never wants to play the game with me. He thinks that he’ll get smacked by Neve or something. He’s better at dodging than he thinks. Dav is down with him along with Assan. Dav didn’t think that this was a good idea either, so he’s likely arguing with Luca by now.”
“Bellara?” Neve’s voice carried from down the hallway as Isa beamed. Bellara turned as the office door opened again. Neve smiled at the archivist before seeing the elven Crow again in her apartment without her knowing.
“Neve!” Isa smiled as the detective exhaled. “Oh, are you truly that irritated to see me? I’m sure you expected it by now.”
“Expectation doesn’t mean you’re immune from my irritation, Isa,” the detective informed as Isa chuckled. “How did you get in this time?”
“The window,” the Crow answered before Neve looked at Bellara.
“It was locked,” Bellara answered honestly.
“The lock was on, but that lock was no good, amica. I pushed the lock easily and could slip in without either of you noticing. I’ve been here for nearly twenty minutes,” Isabella mentioned as Bellara glanced at Neve.
“Twenty minutes?” Neve asked as Isa shrugged.
“By the time I was able to unlock the window, I thought to surprise Bellara, but then you came in the room. I didn’t want to ruin your conversation, and then you two left. So, I’ve been trying to figure out what’s been going on with the gauntlet,” Isa explained, gesturing towards the table.
Bellara paused, suddenly very concerned. There was nothing happening with the artifact in that moment, but she needed to know what the Crow saw that had her fascinated with it. Isa was a poisoner and rogue by trade, not a mage. She usually had little to no interest in magic.
“What was going on with it?” Bellara asked, gaining Isa’s attention.
“It was sparking for a moment. I thought it was going to do something else, and I nearly called for you, but then it stopped. I’ve been watching to see if it sparked or anything, but then you came back through the door,” Isabella explained with a shrug. “It sparked maybe twice to three times. Nothing incredibly exciting, but noteworthy I thought,” the Crow answered, glancing at Neve.
Bellara frowned, staring at the gauntlet. Isa glanced between the two of them before turning to Neve.
“If it would be alright with you, I can retrieve the other two. They’re waiting where Luca usually waits while I annoy you like this,” Isa mentioned. Neve nodded, glad that Isa at least admitted that part of her scheme was to get under her skin. Isa dipped her head once before rushing out the front door to retrieve Lucanis and Davrin.
Neve walked up next to Bellara, who was now studying the artifact. She wasn’t sure what would cause it to spark, but if it was the modern component in the ancient circuit, then it wasn’t going to make the thing more efficient. If anything, it was going to likely take off her arm. She would need to do more research and more experimenting before she could truly and safely test the gauntlet with the modern magic. She frowned, hoping to see the sparks for herself.
“Bels,” Neve whispered, touching her arm. Bellara sighed, opening her mouth to say something when she saw the small spark that Isa mentioned. Bellara cursed under her breath and shook her head.
“The modern component isn’t compatible with the circuit. I’m going to have to figure out a different way to get it to work. Either a new circuit or a new component,” Bellara answered as she sat down at the desk. Neve thinned her lips, wondering if she had lost Bellara to her obsession again.
Bellara grabbed her tools and carefully removed the modern component out of the gauntlet’s circuit. She placed it carefully on the table as the gauntlet’s magic dimmed. She could fix it up later, and she would figure out the rest of it at a different time as well.
Neve was surprised with the archivist stood back with a smile. Bellara smoothed out her robes, turning to put her tools away again.
“You aren’t going to figure out what went wrong?” Neve asked as Bellara nodded.
“I am, but not tonight. I’m going to enjoy our friends’ company with food and drinks. I’m going to have a fun time with you as we talk about what we’ve all been up to,” Bellara replied with a sigh. “And when things are calmer and I have some more time to think, I will work on it. This isn’t going to be fixed over an evening or even a few days. I’m going to need more research into what makes the component so incompatible with this circuit. I don’t want to bury my nose in research while we’re supposed to be having fun.”
“I’m really glad to hear it,” Neve grinned, walking up to her girlfriend. Neve put her hand on Bellara’s cheek before kissing her deeply. Bellara melted into Neve’s touch, feeling like she was floating for a moment before the detective pulled away.
Bellara noticed then that Neve had changed into her new clothes as well. She wore something similar to Bellara with a fascinator to finish the look. They looked like a couple one would see in a play or read about in a romance novel. Bellara leaned in and kissed Neve again before the detective pulled away gently after a while.
“We need to get back to the others. Isa went to bring them up,” Neve reminded as Bellara nodded, knowing that it would be better not to kiss in front of their friends. “But when we get back, you are all mine.”
“The other three aren’t staying with us, are they?” Bellara wondered, not remembering that being a part of the plan. Neve shook her head.
“They have rooms down at the Cobbled Swan of their own. The apartment is ours, as it always is,” Neve answered with a smile.
“And our breaking-and-entering friend?”
“She only does it once a trip. Then she spends the rest of her time trying to convince me to spend coin on replacing my windows and doors.”
“Well, if that’s as bad as it gets, I’ll take it,” Bellara chuckled, figuring that if Isa was the only one breaking into the apartment, it could be a lot worse. Neve laughed at that before agreeing.
“Isa isn’t exactly harmless, but you’re right. The worst she’ll do is lecture us on how unsecure the apartment is,” Neve laughed before grabbing Bellara’s hands and leading her out of the room. “Let’s go get the others and head to dinner. I’m starved.”
“Sounds good to me,” Bellara hummed, walking next to the detective. She held onto Neve’s hand tightly, glad to have her close by.
