“Hey Frankie,” Alistair said, appearing side her as she sharpened her axe. “Frankie.”
“Mmh?” she said, not looking up from her work. He’d let her know if he needed her full attention.
“Are you Dalish?” he asked. Frankie frowned, looking up at him in confusion. Had he lost his mind?
“Have you been drinking?” she asked, trying to work out what was going on, why Alistair was asking such ridiculous questions, why he seemed so full of energy beside her. Alistair just shook his head, a gleeful grin on his face and she sighed, trying not to smile at his obvious enthusiasm. “No, I’m not. Why?”
“Because you look like a keeper,” Alistair continued and Frankie rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh at the awful joke. Beside her, Alistair laughed, both at himself and at her reaction.
“Are you a mage?” he asked and she raised an eyebrow, axe still resting carefully in her lap, waiting for the followup to his question. “Because I think I can feel a spark.”
This time, Frankie wasn’t as successful in containing her laugh. Alistair was still laughing beside her, clearly absolutely delighted at himself.
“Are you a witch? Because you’re making me wild.”
“That’s awful,” Frankie groaned, laughing along with him despite herself. “Have you been talking to Zevran? Or Oghren maybe?”
“Both.” Alistair grinned. “I think I’m still blushing from some of the things they came out with.”
“Let me guess. Deep Roads?” Frankie had heard some of the jokes before, the pair of them cackling in delight at themselves. She was amused too, even if her entertainment came from their enjoyment more than the jokes.
“I think that was one of them, yes,” Alistair said, the tips of his ears pink and Frankie wondered what else they’d come up with to embarrass him just to think about.
“You know you don’t need the awful lines, don’t you?” she said. “If you want a kiss, you can just ask for one.”
“I know,” Alistair answered. “But where’s the fun in that? If you don’t take the chance to make the worst possible jokes you can think of, then what’s the point in anything, really.”
“Is that why all your jokes are so bad?”
Alistair’s hands clutched as his heart.
“You wound me,” he said and she laughed at him, the noise cut short abruptly as he scooped her off her feet. “You’re lucky you’re so beautiful or I’d have no choice but to duel you for my honor.”
“Oh really?” Frankie said, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks as he clutched her in his arms. Alistair seemed to enjoy making a habit of calling her beautiful and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it.
“Really,” he said, bending his head for a kiss, one she gratefully returned.
“I have to ask though,” he added as he broke away, straightening his back, arms still around her. “Are you an archdemon? Because I see you in my dreams.”
And Frankie was just grateful that he didn’t drop her as she elbowed him in the stomach.
