#maxkennedy24

[comparativetarot]

Nine of Swords. Art by maxkennedy24.

[davidorian]

Tender Thursday

Thedas is beautiful

Birds in the most breathtaking colours twittered in the branches of mighty trees or fluttered as if weightless through the clear sky. It was glorious and the delicate scent of radiantly beautiful blossoms was in the air. 

They had been travelling for a long time, setting up camp to regain their energy. The place they had chosen this time was well hidden in a small forest area. Surrounded by tall trees and rocks, the camp lay in safety. 

The Inquisitor offered his tent for their free use. It was so nice and pleasant out here, he just wanted to lie outside on his bedroll and look up at the starry sky. It reminded him of his childhood in Ostwick, the many trips to visit relatives in his youth and the rambles through the countryside in the years before the days of the Inquisition. 

Very early in the morning Trevelyan awoke, stretching with relish - he had slept splendidly. He heard a couple of scouts chatting cheerfully. These brave and kind souls were always on their toes, the Inquisitor felt deeply in their debt for risking and offering their own lifes, protecting the travellers. 

David felt like bathing, he loved water and refreshment. Nearby was a pond with a waterfall, he wanted to sneak there before someone would miss him. 

Before he could leave, he saw a figure appear next to one of the tents.

It was Dorian.

"Good morning, Lord Pavus, what brings you out of bed so early?" David said with a cheeky smile.

"Ah ah, if only it were some sort of bed! I feel as if I have been sleeping on stones. Come to think of it, there was probably a stone or two under my mat. I'm tense and tired..." Pavus huffed.

David winked and beckoned Dorian to him, grabbed his hand and then, without another word, they scurried through dense bushes. 

So they walked briskly hand in hand for quite a while. Trevelyan seemed to know the way and the man from Tevinter followed him without hesitation or asking a single question.

Sparkling like countless diamonds, the lake lay before them. The small waterfall in the background made the picture perfect - nature was pure beauty!

(David Trevelyan was a true outdoorsman. He grew up as the youngest scion of an impoverished aristocratic family. Always outdoors, no water was too deep, no tree too high. He had learned to be part of nature. David knew which plants to eat, which were useful to treat wounds, he knew how to survive for days alone in the woods and fields. Not everything was safe out here, but still he felt no fear. 

Dorian Pavus liked pretty clothes and soft beds. He was brought up to be heir of a big name and owner of a large estate, to master difficult situations with calculation and resourcefulness, and to pay attention to nobility and quality. As a toddler he was treated like a raw egg by his father, with excessive caution he allowed the boy to have few first experiences. Dorian was ignored by his mother and pampered by his father. He became a spoiled ruffian who believed he could do anything, for a long time he did not know where his limits lay. When he left his home, his homeland, he was completely on his own for the first time and almost broke in the face of the raw beauty of nature. Long walks in rain or heat. No bed, no fireplace, no decent food, no person to look after him. On his journey or let's call it escape, the smart, middle aged and handsome lord became a man and a fighter).

"Beautiful! David, look! A rainbow..." Marvelled Dorian. 

Trevelyan was silent and smiled gently.

So they stood for a while, hand in hand, silently and reverently in front of the body of water. 

"Come, let us go into the water." The Inquisitor broke the silence. 

"Nonsense! It must be deep and the water is dirty!" Dorian retorted to him. 

"Dirty? Look, you can see the pebbles on the bottom. This water is extremely clear. And I'll save you from the shallows. You'll like it, I promise you, even over there we can still stand without being under water." 

Trevelyan's smile was so genuine and inviting and Dorian really didn't feel clean and a small bath would definitely be restorative for his aching back, so they decided to take off their clothes and go into the water. 

"Kaffas, it's extremely cold!" Scolded Pavus as he took his first step into the sparkling lake.

"It's early in the morning, what did you expect... hahaha" Laughed the Inquisitor, who meanwhile had already splashed two metres further.

"Literally everything is turning small in here, if you know what I mean, fasta vass!" Dorian rumbled on but still waded towards Trevelyan.

"It's just the opposite with me. The cool water, the atmosphere and especially the sight of you make a lot of things swell with joy in me!" 

David straightened up, brushed his hair, which seemed even longer when wet, behind his ears and had a mischievous grin on his face.

The mage slowly approached.

"Almost there, Dori, almost there!" Encouraged the Herald in his deep voice. 

Pebbles, yes, beautiful, smooth pebbles....

Dorian Pavus slipped and sank into waist-deep water.

It splashed around the spot and David jumped to him in a flash.

In a few seconds Dorian was back on his feet, coughing his lungs out. 

"It's all right, darling, it's alright. It's fresh water, no harm done." David stroked his beloved's back. 

Pavus held onto his lover and it shook him, but he remained silent. 

Soon, Dorian was breathing normally again. 

"You would fish me out of the sea if I went overboard, wouldn't you?" Dorian asked, quietly and with his eyes closed. 

"Nothing in the world would stop me, Dori!" Was Trevelyan's reply. 

And the mage clung even tighter to the wet and hairy body of the Inquisitor. 

"I'm sorry I ruined the beautiful atmosphere." Dorian blinked and looked into David's purple-eyes. 

"You know what, darling, you've only made everything here more enchanting. Believe me, the most beautiful thing here in our beloved Thedas is still you!" And David hugged his Dori and closed his eyes contentedly and happily.

Life is wonderful.

Glorious things surround us everywhere.

Nature is a gift from the Maker.

Thedas is a jewel worth saving. 

But without love, everything would be half as beautiful! 

Am I right or am I right?

(Art by: @maxkennedy24 )

[officialjuicsmp]

[tessa1972]

Original version

Art by @maxkennedy24

[agentkaz]

got this killer commission from @maxkennedy24 (who you should definitely commission if you get the chance)!

it’s based on the deus ex mankind divided fic me and @remember-panchaea are writing, hi0ctane run! (archiveofourown dot org/works/18289364) (i forgot tumblr likes to hide things with links)

i’m just like aaaaaa it’s so perfect LOOK AT IT also ow my heart BUT ALSO LOOK AT IT

[casie-mod]

Asked @maxkennedy24 to come up with something flirty for this Koller/Pritchard commission. Thank you!

[comparativetarot]

Eight of Swords. Art by maxkennedy24.

[tessa1972]