For @scharoux ‘s @14daysofdalovers prompts.
Day 9- Bee (Mine)
Pairing - Pre Crestwood Solavellan
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“Is there something I can assist you with in my belongings, Sera?” Solas asked.
Why the dahn’direlan was here, and why— for the love of all things good and reasonable— she felt she needed to throw everything her twitchy little fingers muddled through onto the floor were questions Solas knew would never receive an answer for, and yet, here he was—willingly facing redundancy.
Sera did not seem the least bit bothered by his presence or his displeasure. “My bees’ve gone missing. A big buncha’em I was savin’ for a rainy day an’ now it’s all cats and dogs and no buzzers in sight.”
He was relatively sure he had understood the majority of that. “And what would make you think that I would ever have something to do with any of that?”
“It’s obvious, innit? Yous was the last one I jigged with, what with them climby crawlies in your sleeping bag, and now suddenly my bees are poofed.” She kicked over a small sack that held some of his brushes and tools in it and Solas had to physically restrain himself from knocking Sera on her ass to get her to stop—cringing and sighing would have to suffice, although it was not proving effective at the moment. “Friggin’ shite, I had such a good plan for ‘em too.”
Sera let out an undignified grunt of further unhappiness, as if— somehow— her trashing his personal space was a major inconvenience. “It’s all balls up anyways, I’m out. This room is makin me duller by the minute. Why quizzy has such a hard on for your dusty crap stick I’ll never know.”
“Always a pleasure,” Solas near spat as he held the door open for her, closing it once he was mostly sure she had made it all the way through. ‘And may the door send you sprawling into the nearest very very very painful void on your way out.’
He looked back at the complete mess that was now his room and took in a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose to try and stall the oncoming headache. Cleaning had not exactly been on his itinerary for the day, but when had his plans ever really gone his way? Even on a scale as minute as this it seemed improbable.
Later, with his quarters back in order, Solas took some time to stretch and walk about. Sera had not been wrong, his room was exceedingly depressing. It was intentionally so, but even still…
The rain from that morning had finally passed and the medicinal garden Lavellan had planted was fragrant in its dampness. Solas let it fill his lungs in deep inhales as he made his way through.
Morrigan was blessedly absent, and it was him noticing this that brought him to spotting Lavellan, crouched low in a flowerbed.
He observed her quietly, taking note of the empty jars strewn about her mud slicked boots. What was she up to?
“Vhen’an.” He said and he had to suppress the smug grin at Lavellan practically jumping from her skin. She did fall back onto her heels though, clutching another jar close to her chest, although this one was markedly full and...buzzing?
“Solas!” Lavellan exclaimed, letting out a relieved breath. “It’s just you.”
There was a lot to be said for that.
“Hm, apologies for being ‘just me’,” He quipped, savoring the small eye roll she gave him right before she smiled warmly. “You appear to be otherwise engaged, shall I leave you to it?”
“Please stay,” She said a little too quickly. “I am almost finished.”
“And finished with what, exactly?” Solas bent lower to try and get a better look. An interesting mix of guilt and frustration flashed across the Inquisitor’s face as she showed the contents to him.
“Ah, so you are the culprit.” He let out a chuckle, standing straighter as he took the container of bees and examined it closer. “I feel it is my obligation to warn you that our young Sera is currently on a rampage looking for a notorious Bee Bandit.”
“Yes, well, our Sera can rightly stuff it.” Lavellan griped, gently taking the jar and its precious cargo back as it was handed it to her. “I hate those damn bombs of hers and she knows it too. It’s cruel.”
“Cruel?” Solas asked, all playfulness gone. He was suddenly struck by her. The curve of her brow as she muddled over her anger—it was a rare sight to see over something that, in Solas’ opinion, was a nonissue.
“You don’t think so?” Lavellan turned her eyes to him, determinedly even. “To take jarfulls of these benevolent and purposeful creatures, stuff them into a cramped little space, and then launch them to their death all for the sake of possibly disarming an enemy?”
He shrugged. “I suppose I never gave it much thought, nor had I any idea you felt so strongly on the matter.”
Lavellan gently rendered the cork from the jar’s opening, keeping the bottom of the lid rested against the lip of the glass as she brought it around to the various blooms she sat amongst—slowly allowing a few bees to trickle out and drink from the water and nectar gathered within the petals.
“Strongly on matters of justice? Or strongly on matters of bees?” She asked.
“The latter, obviously, I know you to be steadfast on all things moral,” Solas said.
She hummed. “And what could be more moral than standing up for those who have no say, regardless of how small?”
His chest tightened at the notion. Unbiddenly, the image of her standing beside him during the heat of his rebellion against the Evanuris filled his vision and he found himself wanting it so very badly. For him to find her now, of all things, was cruel in its own way too. What they could have built together—overcome together…
Their world could have been so much more than the sad sum of his mistakes. It could have been righteousness coated in holding her for eternity. It could have been justice and kissing her unendingly.
Solas shook the thought away. “It must be difficult for something so small to show its gratitude.”
He watched as a few of the creatures crawled curiously along her knuckles and palms. She looked at them with the purest proudest delight and he could not stop staring and wondering and wanting.
“They make do.” She smiled, gently guiding them back to their flowers.
Solas placed a soft hand on the top of her head, his fingers deftly pulling a stray leaf from her damp hair. Lavellan laughed as he presented it to her.
For as much as Solas wanted there to have been infinitely more for the two of them, he found himself content with the thought that there was a great deal left that they still could be in the time they had.
They could make do, too.