#temptationinallthings

[absolutioninflame]

Is it too late to get all the texts? ^_^

Send ✆ for a morning text

Making an herb run outside of the city, thought maybe you'd want to come along and take a few to root down in the apothecarium. Up for a day trip?

Send ✉ for a text that wasn’t sent

BETRAYER. FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY. DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE HE WILL NOT BRAND YOU HIMSELF ONCE THE LINES HAVE BEEN DRAWN. YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO YOUR OWN KIND. WE WERE WRONG TO SAVE YOU.

Send ☎ for a rushed text

Thwo women atfr ontof store. Templar sting. Eb careufl.

Send ☏ for a loving text

When I think of family, I think of you. Memories of my own parents dwindle more and more as time passes. You are all I have left, Neria. I hope that you know how much I value your presence in my life. I don't think I say it enough.

Send ⁇ for a drunk text

Don't cry for me next door neighbor.

Send ø for a late night text

Do you think he felt it? Karl... when I killed him? Do you think he knew it was me? Some nights I can't sleep for the fear that the last thing he saw was the look on my face as I took his life.

Send ✘ for a hateful text

Cullen? Honestly, Neria, I knew you had some sort of sick fascination with the man back in the tower but he's a sodding Templar! He wanted the rite for The Hold after Uldred. That would have been you had you not gone with me! How can you not see that?

[witch-of-the-urban-wilds-blog]

What is your favorite drink? What is the strangest magical incident you've ever encountered?

1. Vodka with energy drink or a smooth whiskey.

2. I am uncertain if it qualifies since I was not present for the actual incident, but hearing about how Justice was pulled into this plane is likely it.  ’Tis… somewhat difficult to surprise me, given who ‘twas that raised me.

[thriveintheashes]

Do you have a phobia that you know is silly but you can't shake it? What is your favorite type of spice?

Bees. I do not like bees. They are small and buzz and sting and I do not like it. 

I like cinnamon. It is especially good in rice puddings. Or when with hot chocolate. It is common, but it was easy to buy and simple to have last a long time— it was a treat when Ashalle allowed me to get some. 

[fereldan-commander]

8, 38

Your muse is dead and haunting mine.

Why?

Duncan held no guilt about the death of the young shopkeeper who had assisted him with his pains.  She had been kind and good to him, and so he mourned her passing when he'd heard...but he'd held no responsibility for what had taken her life.

So why did she haunt his dreams?  Why did he continuously see her face in the crowd as he did with so many of his fallen wardens from Ostagar?

Duncan had assumed that Neria was a grey warden deserter of some variety, though how she had come to be a part of the Circle of Magi he couldn't fathom.  He'd been curious about the circumstances that had brought her to where she'd been, but he'd never asked.  It seemed rude to pry, as though he would have been exercising some right to do so as a warden, obligating her to answer.

But perhaps that was the problem.   He had grown to know her casually after several encounters, known she was a warden with a past that could only be fascinating, yet he had never reached out.

Perhaps she had died wishing he would have.

Duncan spent hours pawing through the patchy records of Ferelden wardens during and after the Blight, and in the box with the most holes in its history of all, he found her name.

Amaranthine.

She had spent months tending his pains, knowing full well who he was.  Yet he'd never bothered to learn how it was a warden mage came to be of the circle.

Had she resented him?

His eyes lifted from the box of musty records, expecting to see her there, watching him, but he was alone. 

She had gone.

"I'm sorry I never asked," he whispered to himself, shutting the box.  Even now, there was so much left unrecorded.  So much he would never get a chance to learn about her.  "Thank you warden, for your service."

[butchers-boy]

Satinalia Gift - [for Neria]

Nathaniel checked the package in his pocket once again, swallowing down his nervousness now that he stood on the doorstep to Neria’s shop. He was not good at giving gifts, particularly gifts that had some level of emotional meaning behind them. He and Elissa had had some phenomenally bad Satinalia’s in their past for precisely that reason, and as he traced his thumb across the expertly wrapped box inside his suit pocket one last time he worried this would be just one more in a long line of his epic holiday failures. 

Before he could knock, she had come to the door, the cut of her dress drawing his eyes to her figure where it was backlit by the light from inside her shop. “Are you going to stand out here all night?”

"You look…" His eyes ran over her again.

She glanced down, blushing lightly and slightly uncomfortable. “I know it’s probably not the type of ball gown you’re used to, but I hope that it’s passable. Its the nicest thing I own.”

"Neria, you.. we can stay here and eat take out in our underwear or I’ll cook you coastal scramble in a tutu if that’s what suits you. It’s your company I wanted this evening, nothing more." He paused, uncertain how sincere he should be. They’d been skirting the edge of possibility since they’d found one another again. But, with a deep breath, he cleared his throat and stepped across it. "Let’s go inside."

Her face fell. “Did you… is it so bad you’ve changed your mind?”

He sighed, head dropping with the realization that he was already screwing this up. “No, Neria. You look beautiful. You’d look beautiful covered in mud and wearing rent armor. I know. I’ve seen it. Just…” He threaded his fingers through his hair and yanked the box out of his pocket before he managed to make things any worse and he didn’t get to give it at all. “Here.”

She blinked at him, but reached out to accept it, stepping back to allow him to enter the shop. “What is this?”

"Open it." He rubbed at his jaw, silver eyes following her movements as he tried not to appear as anxious as he actually was. 

The paper came off quickly, but she paused at the box, black velvet with a distinctive imprint from a Hightown jeweler so well-known no one could miss it. “Nathaniel…”

He shook his head, refusing to take no for an answer. This wasn’t about money, or even a tangible gift. This was about taking a chance and speaking from his heart, before it was too late… if it wasn’t already.

With a deep breath, she opened it, revealing a delicate titanium chain at the end of which a series of four ruby petals had been strung. “Oh, Nathaniel… this is beautiful.” She pressed a hand to her chest and looked up at him. 

"It pales in comparison to you." He admitted, pulling the chain free in lightly shaking fingers and stepping behind her to drop it into place against her skin. "Happy Satinalia, Neria. I know this doesn’t make up for all the times I didn’t tell you how much you mattered to me, but I hope it’s a start."

[absolutioninflame]

Secret Santa - [for Neria]

"Would you just close your eyes and trust me?" The expression on Anders's face mimicked exasperation, but his tone and the twinkle of humor in his eyes betrayed it.

He leaned against the wall with arms folded, watching as Neria looked suspiciously around the delapidated room at the far right corner of his clinic. She'd never been this far inside the structure and looking around she knew why, it had clearly not yet been reclaimed. 

"The last time I heeded that advice you ended up using my passcode to access the First Enchanter's email account so you could pen love letters to Greagoir." She said, eyebrow arching as she continued to inspect the room.

Anders laughed aloud at the memory. "And what a torrid love affair that was." He grinned and shook his head stepping toward her and extending a hand. "I think it's safe to say I won't be using anything gained today to hack Orsino's accounts for similar purposes. Besides, Meredith would know it was me. Takes all the fun right out of it."

"Still, there are any number of things I could live to regret in heeding your advice." She muttered, reaching out to take his hand and allowing her eyes to slowly close.

"Not this time. You have my word." Tucking her hand into the curl of his elbow freed Anders's hands to reveal and access the control panel that opened a secret door previously concealed behind a large piece of ceiling debris. "Ah, ah, ah!" He reached a hand out and dropped it over her eyes when the sound had them flickering open. "If you peek you'll ruin the surprise."

"Fine but if this is some elaborate hoax to lure me into hard labor..." She began, allowing herself to be led down a long, descending tunnel into the sub levels below the clinic proper.

"Yes, Neria. I've lured you out here to help me dig a new emergent care wing with a spork. Surprise!" He snorted, continuing to lead her downward. "Why does everyone automatically assume I'm up to no good?"

Upon reaching their destination, Anders released Neria's hand, trusting her to continue to cover her eyes until he gave word that she should open them. He reached out to a nearby switch, bringing specifically engineered lighting to life within the large space. "Alright, you can look now."

Neria opened her eyes, the suspicious look melting away as she realized where it was he'd taken her. "Oh, Anders... this is..." Her eyes went wide in wonder, passing over the table gardens filled with herbs and vegetables. 

"There are several fruit trees near the back, and I'm still working on the apothecarium that will be built directly off this chamber." Anders said, moving forward toward the center of the room. "I duplicated everything I could remember from your shop garden and added a few extras, including the fruits and vegetables. And these..." He stopped in front of a long box full of hydrangea, glancing over to see what she thought.

Saying nothing Neria stepped forward and wrapped her slender arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his shirt. He hugged her back without question, running long fingers through her hair and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You are my sister, Neria. More family than my blood ever was. If you need a sanctuary, if you ever fear for your safety or simply need an ally or a listening ear I am here for you. I know this doesn't make up for my mistakes, but I hope that like this garden our friendship continues to flourish."

With that he released her, allowing her to move freely about the room and inspect the garden as she wished, happily content in the knowledge that though their friendship had been rocky, this one thing he'd done right.

[sandintheireyes]

Would you ever consider becoming a Warden? How are you with plants?

1)  “Um, well, I’d consider a lot of things, but being a Warden’s definitely not very high on the list.  I want to be a teacher, or maybe a healer, someday… and, well, I think the nightmares are supposed to be a bit of a secret, right?  But of course I know about them, and while it may well be that I could just avoid them…”  He swallows nervously.  “I’m not certain of it, if they came from the Taint within me, rather than someone else.”

2)  “I know how to take care of them without killing them.  Mother had a tiny herb garden, and grew flowers sometimes, too.”  He pauses, then frowns.  “She still does.  I don’t know why I’m using past-tense.  Anyway, I tended them for her, sometimes.  I wouldn’t call myself skilled with them, but I definitely know the basics.”

[spitfireanddiplomacy]

Out of Stock [Marian & Neria]

It had been a string of long nights in the clinic.  With the lack of feasible jobs for her to do, she had volunteered to stay and work shifts with Anders, which lead to her exhaustedly, but happily, sharing his bed at night.  But, even a few of those, he had worked through her own sleep and she had to force him to retire in the morning on threat of death.  There seemed to be an odd break this morning when she woke up; relatively few patients and Anders needed a good deal more rest.  Forcing him back to bed, she took over nursing the patients.

As she reached for one of the potions in the secured cabinet that Anders had long since given her a key for, she came away empty handed with a sigh.  The supply had been emptied due to their rush, so the strain he had been putting on himself had been worse than normal, expending more magical energies than he needed to in order to save the health of the poor.  Even though her head shook in disapproval, her smile brightened; sometimes she loved the little things he did for people.  It was one of the reasons she had grown so attached to him in the first place.

Informing everyone that she needed to retrieve their stock of potions, she left Anders a note on his door, and slipped out into the hazy morning of Darktown.  The morning felt more as though the sun were setting rather than already risen above Sundermount, but that was how it seemed sometimes beneath two plates.  It suited her well enough because she was able to skirt around the entire city in the shadows, not that she needed to but better safe than sorry.  As she maneuvered the streets, she got the weirdest feeling that she should turn around and go back to the clinic, but without knowing where the feeling came from, she let her gut instincts fall to the wayside and continued on her route.

Upon entering Lowtown, the atmosphere was bustling with the early morning shopping of the markets, so she slipped out of the shadows and into the crowds, making her way to the store she’d heard quite a bit about, but never visited previously.  The potions were almost always delivered to the clinic or Anders smuggled them there himself, but with the rush, she had taken it upon herself to restock.  As she managed the crowded streets, she noticed the sign for the store, and whipped out of the mainstream pedestrians to cut for the door.

Pushing the door open, she heard the pleasant tinkling of the bell and a musty, sweet fragrance from the mixing of herbs and books.  For a moment her gaze slipped around the storefront, eyeing the well assorted goods.  A lot of the herbs she recognized from Malcolm instructing them on their properties and teaching them to brew their own potions, but since they’d left Lothering, none of the family were in practice.  All the materials and tools had been lost, and she had never had the knack for brewing.

She knew the proprietress was an elven woman, but there only seemed to be a pleasant dwarven woman minding the frontend of things.  Since she’d never actually been here and only seen Neria at a glance, she was slightly confused as to what she should do.  Suddenly, she felt as if she should have asked Ander’s for a code or something.  Instead of standing around gawking, she walked up to the front counter and asked after Neria.

When asked to wait a moment, she pointed outside, and slipped back out the door to wait next to the window, watching as the people meandered, some with purpose, others without.  People watching always seemed to settle her mind into something more reasonable and less frantic.