CHARACTERS: Kaaras, Talan’ash (Kaaras’ half brother)
WARNING: Light profanity
TIMELINE: Before Halamshiral
NOTE: I base the Rivaini language off Spanish.
The Inquisitor was sitting at his desk, scratching away at the parchment with quill and ink in his office. It was nearing the later hours of night now, but he wanted to get a few more things finished before he headed upstairs and joined Bull in the comfort of their bed.
When there was a wrapping of knuckles on the door, he looked up. One of his advisers? This late? It must have been important, if so. He allowed his voice to call out for whoever it was to enter almost nonchalantly, but the door swung open with a force that made his head snap up.
Talan. His half brother. Why wasn’t he surprised with the dramatic entrance. He’d learned that his brother was quite the performer.
“Maker’s breath, must you barge in here like that? You’ll rip the bloody door from its hinges. Be careful.” Kaaras’ voice showed immediate frustration. He wished he could blame it on being tired, but he couldn’t. Talan, unfortunately, had a way of making his blood boil that no one had, not even Corypheus.
Talan tutted his tongue and brushed his long, velvety hair over a shoulder. “Aw, relax, dear brother,” he laughed, making his way over and sitting himself onto the desk. There was that grimace across his bother’s lips and his brow furrowing. Should he start picking his belongings up and moving them to different places? Watch Kaaras get all flustered and pissed off enough that he’d wear that little scowl where his nose scrunched into a cute, angry button?
Definitely.
He went to pick up some of the papers, but a hand stopped him, tight around his wrist. Ah, so Kaaras’ reflexes were getting better–or perhaps he was getting more predictable? How disappointing, if so.
Talan grinned, cool blue eyes catching fiery red. “N’aw, I am not allowed to play with the Inquisitor’s things?”
“No. You are not,” Kaaras stated firmly, moving Talan’s hand away from the pile of papers he’d been working on for hours. Be damned if he was about to allow his brother to muck it all up. He’d already re-written what felt like a hundred of them until he was perfectly happy with them. Perfectionist was putting it lightly when it came to Kaaras Adaar.
“Now, what do you want?” Because Talan clearly wanted something. He always did, even if it was just being annoying--his favourite past time, Kaaras was convinced. Sometimes, he was extremely thankful he’d not grown up with Talan, otherwise he was sure he’d have gone mad.
Taking his hand back, Talan touched something on his wrist. “I, my dear little brother, made you something.” He slipped the hand crafted bracelet over his knuckles and held it up for show. “You clearly have fine taste in jewellery with those pretty rings of yours, so I thought I would add to your collection.”
Looking at the bracelet, Kaaras’ brows raised, his stern expression going a little softer. Talan had… made him something? A bracelet, of all things? He looked between his brother and the bracelet before carefully examining it. It was woven with some kind of wool by the looks of it. No, it was definitely wool–he knew that texture anywhere. And on it was a wooden carving of…
Kaaras expelled a soft laugh from his nostrils. “A ram’s head, hm?” His eyes went back to Talan and he felt his cheeks warm. Why he was blushing was beyond him, but receiving gifts wasn’t something he would ever be used to. A childhood of bullying and being different would do that.
“Carnero. That means ram in Rivaini,” Talan informed, a happy smile on his face. “I have noticed you are rather fond of the creatures.” Well, besides the farm Kaaras had grown up on he’d learned of, he had the skull of one on his staff, and Kaaras’ horns were rather ram-like in nature. If Kaaras thought he didn’t take notice of those small details, he was wrong.
“Did you know that the ram is a symbol of determination and leadership? I thought it suited you well.”
Kaaras leant his elbows onto the desk and looked at the wooden carving. That was sweet… He knew Talan had a softer side, he’d seen it before, but he was also Tal’Vashoth, and freshly so. He didn’t know how to be a brother, or family (not because he didn’t want to know, but because the Qun didn’t have that–not like Kaaras anyway). But here his brother was, giving him something that symbolised his person, but also his title as Inquisitor. Something so personal to Kaaras that not even his inner circle may have known.
He looked back at the older qunari and offered him a touched smile. “Thank you, Talan. That… this is very kind of you.” They were not always on the best of terms, and Maker knew it was because Talan liked to drive him up the wall, but somewhere deep down in there, Talan cared enough to make this for him.
Of course, the moment things got serious, Talan backed out like a bat out of hell, playing it lightly and just giving Kaaras a big, toothy grin. “Did you know, they’re also stubborn asses.”
Kaaras’ eyes halved. “Are you calling me a stubborn arse?” He was right. Kaaras knew he was very stubborn.
“You call yourself a stubborn ass,” Talan laughed. “But between you and me, my dear little brother, I think it is one of your charms.” He tapped his clawed fingertip onto Kaaras’ nose before he withdrew from the table. “That and your real ass, of course. I know you must be wonderful with the ladies. Or men. Whatever you prefer. Maybe both?”
Kaaras’ ears lowered, his cheeks going dark and the scowl returning. “Don’t ruin the moment, Talan.”
“Already did,” the rogue teased. “And with that, I bid you adieu.” He gave an over dramatic bow. “Inquisitor.” He swung open the door as dramatically as he’d entered before he blew Kaaras a kiss over his shoulder. “I love ewe.” Despite his own horns, he tucked his arms beside his head, his fingers mimicking horns.
Kaaras rolled his eyes, scoffing before the door closed behind his brother. With the bracelet still in his hands, he rolled his sleeve up and placed it over the thick of his hand so it could sit comfortably around his wrist, the little carving against the table. He didn’t plan on taking it off any time soon. In fact, he was more than proud to wear it.
Even if Talan was the most annoying and irritating, blood curling brother in the whole of Thedas, he was still his brother--whether that was half or full. He didn’t know what it was like to grow up with a brother, but part of him always had. He supposed... most brothers teased each other anyway. Perhaps this was what he’d been missing the whole time? This was brotherhood.
