Ran out of time and was unable to edit or proofread, but this idea has been in my mind since seeing the concept art of Lucanis’ romance that we were sadly robbed of. It will eventually be a little more spicy once it is published in my VG fic.
For the first time since they’d started being intimate, Mae slept alone while Lucanis took care of some business in Treviso. It felt silly to miss him after sleeping alone for thirty years, but she found herself lying awake on her chaise. She missed his warmth and the way they would alternate spooning against one another. She got up to make some tea to help her sleep, doodling in her notebook with anatomical hearts and elegant scrolls of her and Lucanis’ names. She had never been in love before, so she wasn’t sure how she should feel, but the longing she felt in her heart after even a night apart made her suspect that this was the case.
She wondered if she was just supposed to just say it to Lucanis when the time felt right or if there was some sort of traditional announcement in front of friends of family. Then she began wondering if she was thinking of a wedding by mistake and her stomach started to flutter at the idea. Then she started thinking about how similar weddings were to funerals and whether or not the Necropolis would be a nice venue for exchanging vows. Her mind spiraled often like this, especially when Lucanis wasn’t around. He had a grounding presence that helped her focus on one thing at a time, even if it he was the focus most of the time.
She eventually nodded off, sleeping even later into the morning than she usually did. She awoke to a tickle against her nose, inhaling in a fresh, vibrant scent before she let out a loud sneeze. “Mierda! Sorry! You moved too much and the pistil went right up your nostril,” Lucanis blushed, retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket to dab himself dry. He was holding a Nevarran Corpse Lily in his other hand, the delicate petals midnight black and only grown in the deepest depths of the Necropolis.
“How on Thedas did you manage to get your hands on one of those?” Mae smiled widely, leaning in to give him a kiss once he’d wiped her nasal excretions from his face. “They only send harvesters down once a year and they have to send corpses because it is too dangerous for mortals.”
“I have connections and a hefty bag of gold that can rent me a personal flower-picking skeleton when I need it,” Lucanis smiled in return, laying the flower on the chaise in front of her. “Good morning, by the way. I’m glad I was able to make it back before you woke up.”
“Good morning,” Mae brought the pungent but sweet flower back up to her nose. “Were you able to get everything done that you needed? It was hard to sleep without you here.”
“There’s just one more thing I needed to do and I thought perhaps you’d come with me. I have to meet with someone very important…very formal…and I’d love to have to at my side.”
“Formal? So I’d need to get dressed up?”
“It’s already taken care of,” Lucanis motioned with his head, a clothes box sitting on the table behind her chaise. “My tailor is always eager to make something new for you. She says your measurements are perfect.”
“Oh, you exaggerate!” Mae blushed, sitting up and pulling the box into her lap. “Lucanis! You are spoiling me too much! I’ll rot like a corpse!” She exclaimed when she opened the box, the emerald-green velvet fabric utterly exquisite and likely even more expensive than the flower-picking skeleton.
“Green isn’t a popular color in Antiva, so I got a good price on it,” he fibbed, having had the velvet special ordered and hand-dyed.
“Well…as long as you got a good price for it,” Mae smiled, running her hand over the soft fabric. “So who are we meeting?”
“It’s actually a bit secret,” Lucanis lowered his voice for effect. “You’ll actually need to be blindfolded for the boat ride there…but don’t worry, it will just be through the canals, so the water will be calm. I even bought some of the special sea sickness lozenges for you.”
“Oooo, I’m intrigued. Hopefully Spite behaves.”
“He’s actually going to be staying here and have a slumber party with Emmrich and Manfred.”
“We’re going to do experiments!” Spite enthused, appearing at Mae’s side.
“That sounds like fun, just don’t keep the Professor up too late. He needs his rest.”
“I promise I’ll be good,” Spite promised. “Lucanis said if I was good, I could use his body to take you on a date. I want to go to the dead body museum!”
“It’s the Anatomy Museum and I’d love to take you,” Mae corrected him, using some spirit magic to gently muss his hair.
Mae got cleaned up while Lucanis prepared breakfast and they spent the rest of the day getting a few things done around the Lighthouse. Mae changed into her new dress shortly before they left, Lucanis suggesting that they could eat while they were in Treviso. There was a small gondola waiting for them once they’d gone though the Eluvian and Lucanis carefully helped Mae into it. “See, nothing to worry about,” Lucanis said after they’d both settled into the boat. “Nice and calm.”
“Maybe the blindfold will help,” Mae hoped as Lucanis pulled out a long, silk scarf. “And I won’t be tempted to look down.”
Not only did Mae suffer from sea sickness, she was also phobic about deep water and dark voids, despite working most of her life underground. Most of the Necropolis was lit by spirit lamps, but there were occasions when she’d found herself overwhelmed in dark rooms that seemed to go on forever. Lucanis was slowly trying to help her overcome her fears involving water, as it was everywhere in Treviso. He gently tied the blindfold around her eyes and gave her a soft, reassuring kiss after. “I’ll need my hands to row the gondola, but I’ll be right here,” he put her hand on his knee. “If you start to feel sick, just let me know and we can stop for a little bit.”
“Okay,” she nodded, giving his knee a nervous squeeze. “Have I ever mentioned I can’t swim? I feel like I should have.”
“No, you haven’t mentioned that,” he replied sheepishly, wishing he had known. “I’ll be extra careful, I promise.”
He pushed off from the dock and slowly rowed them through the canals, the sun just beginning to set over the city. They made quiet conversation to keep Mae’s mind off the water, noting the scents in the air from evening markets and restaurants. They had to go a roundabout way to get to their destination, avoiding as much of the Antaam occupiers as they could. The gondola eventually ambled to a stop as Lucanis put the oar away. “We are here,” Lucanis announced, slowly untying her blindfold.
She’d expected to be at another dock somewhere in the city, but found herself surrounded by water, hundreds of floating candles bobbing around them. “Where are we?” She looked around confused. “Are we meeting this very important person in the middle of a lake?”
“I apologize for the bit of dishonesty,” Lucanis took her hands in his. “But we aren’t meeting someone here. The very important person is already here…in front of me. I love you, Mae, and I want to share everything in my life with you…including this lake… and the villa in the distance…and the one in the mountains…and the one by the sea,” he motioned with his head, a sprawling stone building behind her.
She stammered for a second, so surprised by the romantic gesture and confession of love that she found herself tongue-tied. “I…you did this all for me? You love me?” She finally muttered, the sun just set over the lake and bathing them in perfect, amber light.
“I do. You’ve made me happier than I’ve been in my entire life. Everything that is mine is yours…even my soul.”
“Ohhh…gods,” she began to blubber. “I love you too. I thought we were just going to blurt it out at some point or…this is so lovely…it’s perfect. Is this why you were gone all day?”
“I had to make sure everything was in place…get the villa set up with a nine course meal…hire someone to light all these candles before we arrived and security to keep the canals clear as we went. I wanted tonight to be special…I just wish I’d known you couldn’t swim before I planned this on the water.”
“I forgive you,” she smirked, cupping his beard in her hands.
They kissed passionately and carefully made love right there in the boat, the gentle rocking not bothering Mae’s stomach this time. Her joy and climax were a little too exuberant and she ended up shifting their weight too much and capsized the boat. She immediately panicked, the wet velvet of her dress pulling her down. Lucanis grabbed her at once and held her steady as she sputtered and gasped for air. “It’s alright, it’s shallow, you can stand up!” He showed her, his slightly shorter height putting the water just below his lip.
“I’m sorry. I’ve properly ruined things,” she coughed and blushed with embarrassment, the water at her neckline. “I just freaked out. I really need to learn how to swim.”
“Why don’t I teach you right now?” He suggested, the water in the artificial lake magically heated to a pleasant temperature.
“But I feel like I can barely move,” she wobbled, the drenched fabric now feeling twice as heavy.
“Sometimes I don’t put trunks on when I take my morning swim,” he replied, reaching up to the buttons on the back of her dress.
“Ohhh?” Mae giggled. “Naked swimming lessons?”
“We can work up an appetite for that nine course meal,” he grinned, helping her remove her water-logged dress.
A short one today, but it will eventually lead up to a big scene with a confession of feelings for my two nerdy virgins, Mae and Lucanis. Lucanis’ love language is all of them…
Lucanis peeked his head out of the pantry, holding a crate in his arms that had been covered with a flour sack. “You’re sure she’s gone to bed?” Lucanis asked, addressing Harding and Bellara, who were sitting by the dining room fire.
“Yep. Rook took her cup of sleepy tea with her and had been yawning for an hour,” Harding replied. “She’ll be out like a candle in about fifteen minutes.”
“Perfect,” Lucanis brought the crate out and set it on the dining room table. “That will give me enough time to get the oven warmed up. We’ve got the cookie recipe down to three test versions, so I will make a batch of each and then you can confirm which one is the closest.”
Lucanis uncovered the crate full of specially gathered ingredients, many of them acquired directly from Ferelden to achieve the most authentic flavor for Mae’s favorite cookie, South Reach Slivers. Harding had been taste testing cookie recipes for nearly a month while Lucanis tried to perfect the chewy, whole-wheat cookies that had tiny slivers of chocolate in them. Bellara had been assisting with the more scientific aspects of replicating the recipe, her idea to add soda ash from the shores of Lake Calenhad the breakthrough they’d needed to get the texture right.
Mae had acquired a taste for the dessert during her time with the Inquisition, where she’d been known as Scout Rook, alongside Harding. The dwarf was the only one among them that was familiar with the cookie and had happily accepted the duty to taste each test batch for authenticity. They’d gotten very close to getting the recipe exact and by now, the allure of fresh baked cookies was quickly wearing off. “You’re certain you’ve got it right, now?” Harding asked, rubbing her stomach after having already polished off a big dinner. “The last one was too salty and just a little too chewy. I am swearing off cookies for a year after all this.”
“Yes, I think so,” Lucanis began to stoke the oven fire. “We’ve cut back on the salt and soda ash just a bit…and I’m hoping that fresh Antivan cinnamon is the final touch. I know it is not a native ingredient to Ferelden, but a lot of bakers still use it.”
“Here’s hoping,” Harding put her feet up, hoping to digest a little more before sampling more food.
Bellara assisted Lucanis in the kitchen, helping him grind the West Hills wheat fresh and separate the eggs that had been harvested just this morning on a quick trip home to Harding’s mother’s house. Using the Eluvians to acquire specific ingredients during a spreading blight was a minor abuse of their power, but they’d also used the opportunity to check in with their contacts in the South. Denerim had been overrun and young King Duncan had evacuated the populace to Redcliffe for now. His father, the former king, Alistair, was holding the Imperial Highway at New Lothering alongside his wife, Lady Surana. The two heroes had survived one Blight and were desperately trying to hold the country together through a second one.
The doughs were prepared one by one and put in the oven, the first batch not quite salty enough now. The second was nearly perfect, but there was something missing that Harding couldn’t quite put her finger on. She wondered if perhaps she’d gone taste blind, but when she tried the final batch, with an extra pinch of Antivan cinnamon, her eyes went wide. “That’s it! That’s exactly it!” Harding announced. “Thank the Maker I never have to eat one again!”
“Thank you for all your help, Lace,” Lucanis gave her a hug. “I hope Mae likes them. How many do you think I should make?”
“I’m sure she’ll love them…and I once saw her house a full dozen in a single day when we had a very long ride back to Skyhold. She just sort of gnawed on them constantly the whole time.”
“Two dozen it is,” Lucanis smiled, heading back to the kitchen nook to add the final recipe to his cooking book.
Another snippet of my favorite demon and my Mourn Watch Rook. I really latched onto the idea of Spite being creative and artistic, like the little poems you find in some of Lucanis’ codex entries. He starts out scratching stick figures, but eventually gets really skilled at it. There’s a little crude humor and implications of demon masturbation in this, but nothing too spicy.
Mae settled onto her chaise, making herself comfortable and resting one of Spite’s drawings in her lap. She had already lit the incense that helped her enter the Fade as a Dreamer and took in a few deep inhales. It felt strange entering the real Fade, from the hidden pocket that the Lighthouse resided in, the sensation of passing through the Veil from the mortal world absent this time. Normally the area you arrived in the Fade was similar to the one you had entered from the mortal world, but Mae suddenly felt herself being pulled in all directions. She had no anchor to latch her body to and clutched at Spite’s drawing, hoping it would tie her to his domain. Due to the unique nature of his forced possession, Mae had discovered that Spite still kept a part of himself in the Fade. It was where he retreated when he wasn’t around Lucanis.
She finally felt her body grounding, opening her eyes to see she’d touched down atop a large, violet skull. It was exactly what she’d expected to find in Spite’s domain and was confident that she’d found the right place. The path ahead of her wound around the sutures of the skull, taking her down into the eye socket, where she heard the sound of quiet humming. Spite sat at strangely shaped table, arranging bones and feathers into a disturbing effigy that resembled Mae. The song he hummed was one of the hymns she had played for Caterina’s funeral and he occasionally stopped to mutter something to himself as he made changes to his odd sculpture.
There were many more pieces of artwork hanging on the walls or suspended in air, from other sculptures to sketches and paintings done with suspiciously macabre pigments. Mae was the subject in every one of them, whether abstract or incredibly realistic renderings. It was an obsessive body of work and one that made Mae a little apprehensive about coming here. But if she had any hope at a real relationship with Lucanis, Spite needed to be dealt with, one way or another. The demon was so transfixed on his artwork that he was unaware of her presence until she spoke. “So this is where you hide out when you aren’t pestering Lucanis?” Mae asked quietly, startling Spite so much that his entire bone sculpture clattered to the table.
“Mae?!” Spite stared at her wide-eyed, his wings out and his body poised with fear. “You can’t be here!”
“Why not?” Mae smirked, putting her hands on her hips. “Is this your private art gallery?”
“Be…because you are from Lucanis’ dreams…you shouldn’t be able to be here!”
“I’m not a dream, Spite. I am a mortal. I have a body.”
“You can’t be! You are a demon…trying to steal my domain! You want to kill me and take Lucanis for yourself!”
“Spite,” Mae used her most reassuring voice. “I don’t want to kill you…and I want to share Lucanis with you. That’s why I’m here. I know that you care for him…I care for him too.”
“But…but you are perfect. You can’t be real!”
“Does this not feel real?” Mae asked, reaching her hand out to him.
Spite looked at her hesitantly, like a wounded animal that didn’t know if they would be helped or hurt. He stuck out a finger, slowly bringing it towards one of her outstretched digits. “Ahhhh!” He flinched when an arcane spark passed between their fingertips. “What was that?! You tried to hurt me!” Spite cowered.
“It was just a little errant magic,” Mae replied softly. “I’m not just dreaming of being in your domain…I’m physically here with you. Will you let me touch you somewhere else so I can show you?”
He nodded shyly, taking a step closer to her. “But if I don’t like it, I’m going to bite you.”
“Fair enough,” she smiled, reaching up to touch his face.
His beard was an odd texture, the wrongness of the Fade making it feel more rough and prickly. She brushed her thumb across a bare spot on his cheek, watching his eyes widen as he realized she was telling the truth. He began to vocalize excitedly, rubbing his face against her hand like a cat, his wings ruffling with happiness. He nuzzled and nipped his way up her arm, burying his nose in her armpit and taking in deep, hot huffs of her scent. “Okay, okay! That is enough for now!” Mae gently pushed him away, holding him at arm’s length.
“Sorry…I just can’t believe it! You are real!” Spite smiled widely, a purple hue spreading across his gray cheeks.
“So you really thought this whole time I was just a figment of Lucanis’ imagination?” Mae asked, taking a step back from him, as he appeared fully aroused through his pants.
“He thought about the blue-eyed woman a lot when we were first forced together. She came to our cell and brought us food, kissed our wounds better, helped us escape the Ossuary on a wyvern and kill Zara. She didn’t really have a face or voice, but then she did…she was you…so beautiful…so fragrant…so intriguing. But you were just another dream…and we were still stuck in the Ossuary…”
“Oh Spite, I am so sorry. I can’t imagine how confusing this has all been for you. I wish I’d come to you sooner.”
“You do?” Spite looked at her hopefully, sinking to his knees in supplication. “You wanted to see me? You like Spite too?”
“I do like you, Spite,” Mae brushed her fingers through his hair. “And I wanted to see you…the real you.”
“What do you mean?” Spite asked, purring gently as she scratched his scalp, his eyelids fluttering.
“You’re hiding behind Lucanis’ face,” Mae replied, twirling the hair at his temples into little horns. “I want to see the real you…the demon…”
“I don’t think you will like what you see,” Spite turned his eyes down in shame.
“I’m not picky. My last lover was a pile of rags, remember?” she grinned, knowing how jealous Spite had been of Vorgoth. Spite chuckled a little, looking back up at her.
“Promise you won’t throw up when you see me…or at least…do it right in my mouth?”
“Spite!” She pinched his cheeks. “Just let me see.”
He furrowed his brow, the form of Lucanis he appeared as slowly melting into a mass of misshapen and untended flesh, barely reaching above her chest. He was slightly scaly, like a featherless bird, with a sad cluster of torn black feathers along the back of his head. Several of his many eyes were crusted shut and a set of jagged, rotting fangs hung out of blistered lips. He looked like a diseased beast ready to be put out of its misery. “Oh Spite,” she sighed, brushing her hand along his rough cheek. “You look pathetic.”
“I know,” he replied glumly. “But you are all I think about when I am alone. I don’t have time for preening and sulfur baths. I had to make you real…with my…artworks. Make something I could touch and smell and…” he looked down at the floor, his eyes purposely avoiding a large statue of Mae in the corner of the room.
The sculpture was nearly to scale, the stone body of demon Mae standing only a little taller than she actually did. Her wings curved around her back like a cape and she stood triumphant on a pile of skulls. It would have been an impressive work of art, if not for the noticeable and multiple orifices the stature possessed. Each of them was covered in a fine layer of fresh ectoplasm and other parts of the statue had amorous teeth and claw marks in them. “Spite…” Mae sighed, trying to hide equal parts amusement and embarrassment. “Is that all I am to you? A muse for your…urges?”
“I only used it when I was desperate! I promise!” Spite insisted. “Lucanis has some very vivid dreams about you and then I have them too…and when we jerk off together…it feels so good!”
“You do what?” Mae exclaimed.
“Ummm…nothing,” Spite muttered, his scaly cheeks growing rosy. “I’ll get rid of it if it disgusts you…but I’ll need to dispose of it properly, so no other demon gets ahold of it.”
“You think another demon would…interact with it?”
“They will when I tell them you are real. We sometimes converge at a charnel pit to swap stories. I’ve shown them drawings of you…they think you are very beautiful too…but made up!”
“You are not going to brag about me to your demon friends!” Mae put her hands back on her hips.
“But that Jealousy Demon really needs to be taken down a horn. She has the best stories and trophies. Mortals are very jealous!”
“What’s to stop them from trying to find me when I am sleeping? That’s when I am most vulnerable, you know?”
“I would kill them! I would shower in their entrails if they even smelled in your direction!”
“I don’t know if disembowelment would be a deterrent. I’ve been approached on numerous occasions due to my abilities. They might even try to trick me by pretending to be you.”
“Alright…I will keep you to myself…”
“Don’t forget about Lucanis. I like him too, so we need to find a way to work together.”
“Like a…threesome?” Spite grinned, making his bottom lip split and start to bleed.
“Like a trio,” Mae smirked, summoning a warm, damp cloth to clean him up with. “And perhaps a threesome later…if you can behave and control yourself.”
“You really mean it?” Spite asked excitedly, his scraggly wings starting to flutter. “Sex? Kissing? Hair eating?”
“You have a lot of work to do on yourself before we even get close to any of those,” Mae replied, brushing her hair away from her shoulders to hide it behind her back. “Lucanis and I need to know we can trust you. No more incidents like what happened with Illario. No more of…this…” Mae motioned to the room of artwork depicting her.
“But I thought you liked my…art?” Spite looked a little hurt.
“I do…but some of it is…disturbing…” Mae glanced back at the defiled demon statue. “You need to find interests outside of me. They can still be artistic, but I can’t be the only thing you think about. It is unhealthy. You need to take care of yourself,” she added, dabbing his lip clean.
“But you are what inspires me!” Spite insisted. “I feel like a Spirit of Passion again when I draw you.”
“But even mortal artists don’t do the same thing over and over again. Lady Merridah Basselfacht did anatomical drawings, Necropolis landscapes, self portraits…she even had her skeleton covered in gold and posed in front of the Nevarra City Museum of Art after she died!”
“Who is Merridan Bassetfart?” Spite asked.
“An incredibly famous Mourn Watch artist. I could take you to see her work sometime. I think you would really like it. It is very dark and self-reflective.”
“Would it be like…a date?” Spite asked, purring lowly as Mae cleaned the crust from his eyes.
“I suppose it would,” Mae smiled. “If you behave…”
“I can behave,” Spite nodded, his wing flapping obediently.
A little quick snippet while I chug away at all four of my DA fics. For context, this is post dragon attack on Treviso, and Lucanis has finally admitted to having feelings for my Rook (Mae) but is hesitant to get involved due to Spite being obsessed with her. My style of writing Spite is a bit different from how he’s portrayed in the game. He’s still a little dark and prone to occasional violence, but he’s more like an obsessive gremlin that represents the immature/vulgar part of Lucanis that was never allowed to grow up given his upbringing. He’s far more enthusiastic about Mae’s morbid interests and curious to know everything about the human body.
Mae walked into the dining hall expecting breakfast as usual, but found the room completely empty. She was usually the last to eat being a late sleeper, but typically managed to catch everyone else finishing up or find a covered plate of food waiting for her. She didn’t even smell Lucanis’ pungent, brewed coffee in the air, the aroma nearly constant in his kitchen domain. “Lucanis!” Mae called out with a sudden tinge of fear gripping her stomach, worried something was wrong.
“I’m in here, Mae!” Lucanis called from the pantry, alleviating some of her worry. She found him taking inventory with a sheet of paper and pencil in his hand, his smile widening when she peeked her head into the room.
“What’s going on? I didn’t completely sleep through breakfast did I?” Mae asked. “I don’t even smell your morning brew? Did the world end or something?” She added with a little humor.
“It’s unfortunate for you that you sleep so late,” he said, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I’ve already heard that joke twice this morning from Harding and Bellara.”
“Damn,” Mae swore, giving him a kiss in return.
Ever since they’d confessed their feelings for one another, they’d allowed themselves a bit more affection while Lucanis was still trying to deal with Spite and his obsession with Mae. “I am supposed to be meeting Viago at Cafe Pietra this morning, so I decided to send everyone else off to fend for themselves this morning. The others went to have breakfast in Minrathous and Davrin took Assan to do some hunting,” Lucanis explained.
“Hopefully Viago has good news,” Mae replied, fussing with the Crow skull chain on his shirt lapels. It was hard to deny herself touching him, even though they’d both agreed to take things extremely slow until Spite had been safely tamed. “I’ll just have some quick porridge or something,” she suggested, going to pull one of his shirt buttons more secure before thinking better of it.
“I was going to invite you to come with me,” he smiled, taking one of her nervous hands in his. “But I know how coffee makes you feel.”
“I still can’t believe Spite told you about…that,” Mae blushed. “I think if I stick with tea, my digestive system will cooperate. I’d love to try more of those pastries we had.”
“It’s a date then…ahhhh…we’ll go together, I mean,” Lucanis stammered. “I’m just finishing up making a list of what we need to order from the markets while we are there.”
“I’ll go get changed,” Mae glanced down at the dowdy Nevarran dressing gown she was wearing over her chemise. “Since this isn’t a slumber party.”
“I’ll meet you by the Eluvian then,” Lucanis smoothly gave the back of her hand a gentle kiss, which made her giggle and blush as she scampered off.
“Wait, so this isn’t a date?” Spite asked after she had gone, his incorporeal form dressed even more smartly than Lucanis was. “But you are wearing your nice small clothes today?”
“All of my small clothes are nice,” Lucanis feigned offense, finishing up the final counts of his inventory list. “We are meeting with Viago about some new information regarding Zara. Hardly a romantic topic of conversation.”
“But revenge is very romantic!” Spite insisted. “You and Mae can stab her together and then kiss for real!”
“You really don’t know the first thing about romance, do you?” Lucanis shook his head.
“But Mae loves stabbing bodies! She talks about it all the time!”
“She loves doing autopsies…she doesn’t just stab dead bodies for fun!”
“So we aren’t going to stab anyone today?” Spite asked, his long overcoat filled to the brim with knives and daggers.
“You, if you don’t behave while we are there,” Lucanis grumbled. “Things are still very tentative with Mae. You need to prove that you can be in control of yourself. I’m never going to be able to trust you to be alone with her until you do.”
“I am entirely in control!” Spite boasted. “I didn’t even smell her once while she was here…and she hadn’t bathed yet…she smells so good when she hasn’t bathed…” he added wistfully, his breath growing a little more rapid.
“See…you are doing it now!” Lucanis exclaimed. “You are getting all excited thinking about the way she smells.”
“No, I’m not!” Spite lied, trying to quietly sniff any remnants of her scent in the air. He followed the trail through the wall, disappearing from Lucanis’ sight.
“Dear Maker, I am never going to be able to kiss her for real,” Lucanis sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
Mae emerged from her room to meet him looking a little dressier than usual, despite this not being a date. She’d chosen fitted trousers for the occasion, which complimented her long legs and sent Spite into a quiet fit of biting his fist to hold back lewd compliments and a mess in his pants. “You look amazing,” Lucanis beamed as she came down the stairs, the high waist of her pants covered by an ornate gold and green belt that appeared like hands opening the stomach cavity.
“This isn’t too morbid to wear to a coffee date, er…meeting, is it?” Mae blushed, noticing both Lucanis and Spite’s gaze focused on it. “Now that I have access to my apartment again, I grabbed a few things from home that I wear around the Watchers’ Halls.”
“It’s fine - It’s perfect,” Lucanis and Spite said in unison, the mortal trying not to stare at the fine details of the gold intestines. Spite moved in closer, eyeing the anatomically-accurate accessory and using spirit energy to fiddle with the movable guts. “She’s so amazing…so macabre…she’s…Maecabre,” Spite enthused, jiggling one of the metal intestines with his fingers.
“Stop that!” Lucanis swatted at his incorporeal form, giving Mae a look of apology. “Sorry…Spite is fascinated by your belt.”
“That’s okay,” Mae smiled sweetly. “I’m glad we share an interest in anatomy…albeit for different reasons. It isn’t exactly to scale, Spite, but has the approximate length of gold cord intestines that’d you find in the human body.”
“Wow!” Spite exclaimed, managing to hold his tongue about wanting to explore her own guts.
“Is everything in Nevarra so precise?” Lucanis asked as they walked downstairs to the Eluvian.
“Oh yes,” Mae enthused. “We pride ourselves on our attention to detail. That’s why it’s taking so long for Professor Volkarin to move in. There are so many considerations to examine when setting up a remote research laboratory. I can’t wait to have him here so we can talk about it all.”
“Hopefully it will make Spite a little better behaved too, since Emmrich can see and hear him.”
“Hopefully,” Mae tried to hide a nervous blush, still keeping the secret that she could do the same. She didn’t like being dishonest with Lucanis, but she needed to know she could trust Spite under any circumstance.
They made their way through the Crossroads without incident, walking to Cafe Pietra hand in hand. Spite walked on the opposite side of Mae, trying to do the same but lacking the form to actually hold her hand. Viago was seated at a table near the back of the cafe, Teia sitting beside him. “See Viago, I told you this was a double date,” Teia teased when she saw Mae walking in with Lucanis.
“You’re right. I should have gotten us a table by the water,” Viago grinned, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.
“No need to rub it in,” Lucanis smirked as they approached the couple’s table, giving Mae’s hand a squeeze.
“You haven’t even kissed her yet?!” Teia clicked her tongue in disapproval, resting her arm on Viago’s shoulder and threading her fingers through his short curls.
“We’re giving Spite the chance to prove he can behave first.”
“What harm could a little kiss cause?” Viago wondered. “You’re sure you’re just not too nervous to kiss such a beauty?” He grinned widely at Mae, taking her hand to give it a kiss of greeting.
“We both agreed it was for the best…given Spite’s excitably around me,” Mae blushed.
“Not to mention Lucanis’ own,” Viago added. “Has he told you the story of the silver dagger yet? He nearly dropped the blade right on my foot, he was so excited to present it to me.”
“Not this again!” Lucanis sighed, pulling out Mae’s chair for her. “Can we get back to the reason we came…Zara Renata?”
“Yes, of course,” Viago cleared his throat with a smirk. “But don’t to want to order first?”
“And leave you two alone with Mae?”
“Go with him,” Teia gently prodded Viago in the torso. “Give the girls a chance to gossip…and I could use another cup.”
“The usual, mi estrella?” Viago asked, elegantly sliding out of his chair.
“Surprise me,” Teia replied, giving him a seductive look before turning to Mae. “And what will you have, dear?”
“No surprises for me,” Mae looked up at Lucanis with a smile. “Gray tea with two spoons of sugar…and one of those cinnamon cakes that we had here before.”
“Coming right up,” Lucanis replied, giving her a peck on the crown of her head.
The two women watched their partners head towards the counter, Viago giving Lucanis a congratulatory pat on the back. “I can’t recall a time when I’ve seen him happier,” Teia said when Mae turned back to the table. “Even without a demon inside of him.”
Spite let out an irritated noise, having remained at the table and seated next to Mae. “Spite is fairly benign as far as demons go,” Mae replied, pretending like she was unaware of his presence. “But he is still dangerous…and confused about his situation.”
“And there’s no way to make him go away so you and Lucanis can…fully enjoy one another?”
“I don’t think either of us would want that,” Mae answered, as Spite made another angry noise of protest at Teia’s suggestion. “Even if Lucanis can’t admit it right now. Spite is…oddly endearing, in a way. Like a puppy that doesn’t yet know his teeth can rip your arms to shreds. He’s very protective of Lucanis…and myself…he just needs to learn boundaries and emotional control. Spirits are only supposed to embody an emotion, not feel them…so imagine how confusing it was when Spite suddenly felt pain, hunger, fear for the first time when Zara forced him into Lucanis.”
“Oh, Mae! No one will ever understand me like you do!” Spite cooed, cuddling his head against her shoulder and making her shiver.
“It sounds like Lucanis is in the right hands then,” Teia smiled as Lucanis and Viago returned back to the table.
“They were out of cinnamon cake, so I ordered an entire sample tray for you to try,” Lucanis said, sitting down on top of Spite.
“Thank you. That sounds wonderful,” Mae replied, finding his hand under the table and holding it gently.
“So tell me what you’ve learned about Zara’s whereabouts,” Lucanis said, taking a long, grateful sip of coffee.
Anders and Lucanis get better acquainted after a morning of skiing. (continuation of the day A prompt story, the Hawke/Dellamorte Swinging Ski Weekend)
Content and Warnings: oral sex, cum tasting, brief mentions of self sucking/genital swapping.
NSFW Pairing: Anders x Lucanis/Spite
Both Lene and Mae weren’t up for skiing in the morning, Lene complaining she’d pulled a muscle and Mae having the sniffles from swapping bodily fluids with new people. In reality, they mostly just wanted to stay cuddled warm in bed and have access to Lucanis’ enchanted hot cocoa fountain. Anders hadn’t gone skiing since he was a boy, so Lucanis suggested they stick with cross-country and small hills for the day. The two men set off after kissing their partners goodbye, enjoying the sunny but chilly morning outdoors. The area around Lucanis’ villa was pristine, with lakes and vistas they were able to trek around. Lucanis had packed a hearty lunch in his backpack and the pair stopped near noon to eat and take a break. “I am definitely going to need that massage once we are through,” Anders groaned, leaning down to untie his skis as Lucanis unpacked lunch. “I haven’t been this active in years.”
“You don’t get plenty of exercise with Lene?” Lucanis grinned, witness to her incredible sex drive the day before. The two men hadn’t played much together yet aside from some kissing and light touching, still trying to feel one another out.
“She does most of the work,” Anders smirked, sitting down on the fallen log they’d decided to post up on. “I just lay back and enjoy the view.”
“Mae and I switch it up a lot,” Lucanis remarked. “She wants to try every position imaginable and find ways to maximize the pleasure for both of us. She can be a bit overanalytical at times...even in the bedroom.”
“She was so quiet and shy when I first met her. I would’ve never imagined she’d…well…take it up the ass so eagerly.”
“That was quite the display they put on last night….Lene said you two…do that together too?”
“We both really enjoy anal play and are able to come together doing it. At the right angle, she can ride me and fuck our asses at the same time. She loves double penetration.”
“No wonder she and Mae get along,” Lucanis blushed.
“Really?” Anders grinned. “Quiet little Mae? Do you two use a toy or another partner?”
“Just toys. We’ve only ever been with each other before you and uhhh…I guess Spite can…give himself two…appendages when she spends time with him in the Fade.”
“You were both virgins?” Anders’ brow raised a little. “You’d never…?”
“I worked a lot and never emotionally connected with anyone before I met Mae,” Lucanis blushed even deeper. “I had infatuations with other people, I just never felt compelled to have sex with someone I didn’t care for.”
“I understand,” Anders nodded, Lucanis’ shyness with him making much more sense. “But you are attracted to men too? You aren’t just doing this for Mae’s sake, right?”
“The first crush I ever had was on a fellow Crow. Blue eyes and dark curls like Mae, but olive skin and thick, pouting lips. I had no idea how to initiate anything and he had a preference for curvy, domineering women, so nothing ever happened.”
“My first crush was on a man too,” Anders replied, letting out a quiet sigh. “We spent a lot of time together when we were in the Circle…he took my virginity…and I took his life when the templars made him Tranquil years after, trying to capture me.”
“I’m sorry,” Lucanis frowned, putting a comforting hand on Anders’ knee.
“I told myself I’d never allow my heart to be vulnerable again. I pushed Lene away and ached for her for years before finally accepting I couldn’t live without her. I was so afraid of hurting her…and I still did in the end. The spirit I was possessed by before, Justice, he was…difficult. I never knew what would set him off. Solace is the only reason we are still together.”
“I was the same way with Mae when I first met her. Spite was immediately obsessed with her…to the point that I was afraid that he’d hurt her, even unintentionally. I tried to keep distant from her, but she was so kind and unique, I couldn’t help but fall for her right away. She managed to soften Spite a little and get him some hobbies besides obsessing over her and I just couldn’t deny myself any longer.”
“We’re more alike than I thought,” Anders smiled, his knee nudging slightly against Lucanis’.
“Perhaps the girls thought so as well and sent us out here alone to get to know each other better?” Lucanis smiled back.
“Or they just wanted to stay home and fuck,” Anders smirked.
“I suppose we should give them some more alone time then,” Lucanis nudged his knee even closer to Anders’.
Their bodies came together shyly, their mouths soft against one another as they gently explored their growing comfort. Anders let Lucanis take the initiative since he was new to this, opening his mouth and offering his tongue if the Antivan wanted it. Lucanis made a measured exploration with his own tongue, gently slipping it across Anders’. There was a firmness that was much different than when kissing Mae, her tongue dainty and soft. It was much like a handshake that demanded respect and a hunger for more. Lucanis leaned a little closer, his tentative flicks turning to deep, slow circles. Anders moaned softly as he pressed his nose hard against Lucanis’, tracing his hand up his leg.
They made out until they were out of breath, pulling away with a shared gaze of lust. “Can I suck your cock?” Anders asked, rubbing his palm along Lucanis’ thigh.
“Only if you teach me how to do it,” Lucanis groaned, feeling himself growing stiff against his hand.
They kissed again as Anders continued to rub him, eventually sinking to his knees and reaching for Lucanis’ trousers. Anders eased his cock out of his thick snow pants, giving the warm pink tip a hearty nuzzle. “Ahhhh…fuck…Anders!” Lucanis moaned when Anders wrapped his mouth around him, taking him whole and completely without hesitation.
Anders made a teasing noise in his throat, holding himself there for a few moments before pulling his mouth back. “Did Mae know how nice your cock was before you two got together?” Anders asked, kissing and nuzzling along his shaft.
“I don’t think she’d ever seen one that…wasn’t on a corpse. She wouldn’t stop talking about the color and pliability of it.”
“She is endearingly odd,” Anders chuckled, taking Lucanis in his mouth again.
“She’s…uhnnn…got an oral fixation…I wake up most mornings with her mouth around me.”
“So that’s why you were so cheerful this morning?”
“I’m cheerful every morning I get to wake up beside her…but she is very good with her mouth…you are too…”
“Don’t make me blush,” Anders grinned as Lucanis pulled him off his knees for a kiss.
“My turn,” Lucanis purred, reaching for Anders’ trousers.
“Go slow and do what…ahhh…feels comfortable,” Anders gasped as Lucanis slipped a chilled hand down his pants, cupping his shaft in his fingers.
Lucanis’ cold skin warmed as he rubbed along Anders’ hot flesh, heating his lips on his mouth as well. Lucanis sunk shyly to his knees, before realizing he was a little too short to reach Anders’ cock. “Sit back on the log,” Anders suggested, stroking his fingers through Lucanis’ beard. “Maker, I have such a weakness for facial hair.”
“Spite shaved half of it off once and Mae didn’t speak to him until it grew back,” Lucanis laughed.
Mention of the demon’s name awoke him from his boredom at their skiing excursion, sniffing loudly at the air as he appeared next to Lucanis. “Why are you talking about me?…and why is your cock out?” Spite asked. “It smells like pre-cum and sap.”
“We are just getting to know one another better,” Anders answered, pulling himself out of his pants.
“Are you going to suck a cock, Lucanis?” Spite asked excitedly. “Can I suck a cock? I love sucking cock.”
“I doubt Anders trusts you enough not to bite,” Lucanis replied. “And when have you ever sucked a cock?”
“I’ve sucked a lot of cocks,” Spite admitted. “Mostly my own…but sometimes Mae gives herself a cock when we are in the Fade together. I love taking her hot loads all over my face.”
“She does what?” Lucanis exclaimed.
“She’s a Dreamer, right?” Anders raised a curious eyebrow. “She can alter her dreams?”
“She does all kinds of special stuff when we are together,” Spite replied wistfully. “Big cock, third tit for me to suck on, we once did it on top of a unicorn.”
“I’m a little jealous,” Lucanis looked up at Anders as he drew closer, taking a gentle hold of his cock. “I might have to make my own special request of her…once I get some practice.” Lucanis put a tentative mouth against Anders’ glans, giving it a soft lick.
“Oh come on you coward!” Spite goaded. “Swallow it whole, gargle it on the back of your throat!”
“You want to give it a try instead?” Lucanis snapped, glaring at the demon.
“He could…if he wanted to,” Anders bit his lip. “I’ve never been sucked off by a demon before.”
Spite giggled raucously, rubbing his hands together and waggling his tongue out.
“I bear no responsibility in the amount of teeth you feel,” Lucanis smirked, allowing Spite to take control.
Spite’s eyes flared brightly, putting a hand to their cock as he snaked his long tongue along Anders’ tip, curling it down his shaft. “Oh Maker,” Anders whimpered, the slick, hot tongue like nothing he’d felt before.
“Call me Spite,” he grinned, taking Anders completely in his mouth even more smoothly than Anders had done to Lucanis. Anders cried out from the intense suction of his mouth, going weak in the knees.
“Oh Spite…Spite,” Anders whimpered, gripping a handful of Lucanis’ hair as the demon sucked him voraciously. His cock and trousers were a slobbery mess after only a few minutes, feeling a hot pulse arc at the base of his spine quite suddenly. He’d never come so fast or so much from oral, even with Lene. He hunched over Lucanis’ body as the demon swallowed every drop, milking more out by squeezing Anders’ shaft with his powerful tongue. “Blessed Andraste! Fuck! I’d risk becoming an abomination if I could feel that every night,” Anders panted, leaning down onto Lucanis’ shoulder to steady himself.
“Sorry,” Lucanis blinked back into control, tasting the salty and slightly sweet flavor of Anders’ cum on the back of his throat. “I didn’t think he’d…he really went for it…”
“Don’t be. I now understand why Mae was screaming so hard when he went down on her yesterday,” Anders grinned down at Lucanis, caressing his beard. “That tongue is amazing.”
“So I hear. I guess I’ll need to get some more practice in when we get back to the villa,” Lucanis looked a bit disappointed that he’d only gotten a taste.
“Do you want to fuck my ass in the meantime?” Anders asked, pulling Lucanis up and holding him close.
The Hawkes swing with the soon to be Dellamortes and explore their sexuality.
Character/Story Background/Head Canons: My Hawke (Lene) is very sexually experienced and pansexual (Anders is also canonically bi/pan). While both my Mourn Watch Rook (Mae) and Lucanis are both inexperienced but bi-curious (both virgins at the start of Veilguard). Post-Veilguard, when the two couples finally meet at the wake of a dear friend, Spite (who is instantly lustful after Lene’s prominent bust) boldly suggests that they swing together. Both couples are shyly interested in the idea and eventually settle on a spending casual, no-pressure weekend together before Mae and Lucanis’ wedding. Since my other DA ships are more hetero focused, these four will be leading most of my Pride prompt drabbles and this weekend scenario will feature prominently.
At this point in the story timeline, Anders will have been separated from Justice several years in the past and is now merged more suitably with a Spirit of Comfort and Compassion named Solace. Spite, who has a prominent role in Mae and Lucanis’ intimate relationship, is still a bit unhinged and unrepentantly vulgar (I write him like a horny gremlin). He and Lucanis share limited use of his body, and when Spite is not actively in control or speaking through Lucanis, he can project himself out into the incorporeal form we see in Veilguard. This form is essentially ghost/spirit like, unable to be seen and heard by those not trained in Veil magic. With proper concentration, he can manipulate objects or give himself form for very brief moments. His attempts at touching feel like cold whispers. He can produce ectoplasm when excited…which is a lot of the time.
Content and Warnings: swinging, group sex, oral sex, fingering, anal sex, double-dildos, cum/ectoplasm, squirting.
NSFW Pairings: Femme Hawke x Femme MW Rook with some help from their partners, a sip of Anders x Lucanis, Spite watching.
The first evening of the Hawke/Rook casual ski and sex weekend was beginning to wind down. The couples’ first shy explorations of the early afternoon had extended into the evening and become more and more curious as the couples grew more familiar with one another. The foursome lay spread across one of the large beds in Lucanis’ winter villa in the Antivan mountains, naked and nearly spent after an evening of sexual discovery and fine cuisine. Lene and Mae reclined spooned in front of their respective partners, gently teasing and kissing one another as they rested between couplings. “Are we calling it a night?” Lene asked dreamily, tracing her finger around one of Mae’s rosy areola and watching it bloom anew with each pass.
“I’m utterly exhausted,” Anders murmured behind Lene, one of her voluminous breasts cupped in his hand to knead idly. “I’m much older than all of you.”
“You don’t look a day over twenty,” Lene glanced over her shoulder at him, stealing a soft kiss from his mouth.
“The Taint added another twenty,” he sighed, fiddling with the onyx ring that Warden Surana had enchanted for him to stave off his Calling. “I just need a night of rest and a proper massage and I’ll feel good as new.”
“I can call someone up from the village in the morning if you really want one,” Lucanis offered from the other side of Mae, his chin resting atop her shoulder so he could kiss and nuzzle her neck.
“That sounds like an awful lot of trouble just for me.”
“Happy to do it.”
Lucanis had never been the type to flaunt his wealth, but he was incredibly generous with spreading it around to his friends and loved ones. His upcoming wedding was proof of that, with exotic foods being shipped in, an entire arbor of Nevarran flowers being erected for his fiancée’s delight, and a dress made of the finest silk and lace that Mae kept insisting was far too extravagant for something she would only be wearing for a few hours. The Hawkes had been living fairly lean since fleeing Kirkwall and were grateful for the bit of spoiling this weekend. “I’m still a little wired from that dark chocolate flan Lucanis made,” Mae shivered from the continuous stimulation of Lene’s fingertip, biting her lip as she gazed over at the skilled and seductive red head. “I hardly ever have caffeine.”
“Then who is all that coffee in the pantry for?” Anders asked, thinking four bags was a bit excessive for a long weekend.
“He drinks it like water,” Mae nudged her fiancé with a wide grin. “I’m surprised he’s even vertical right now.”
“I’ve been cutting back, for my heart and beloved’s sake,” Lucanis kissed her shoulder, giving it a gentle love bite after. “But I am still training everyday and between that and everything we’ve gotten up to since this afternoon…I’m going to sleep like one of your dead tonight.”
“I’m still awake!” Spite exclaimed from what they’d been playfully calling the ‘yuck chair.’
The reformed demon had been eagerly observing the day’s activities from the chair when he wasn’t participating through Lucanis’ body. The fabric was now covered in a thick layer of ectoplasm from his many excited eruptions and Lucanis already planned to have it thrown out after the weekend was over. “Well, I can’t come every five minutes and then immediately take a nap and return invigorated and still horny,” Lucanis rolled his eyes at the easily-excited spirit.
“I’m still a little miffed that I am the only one that can’t see and hear him,” Lene said, the only person there not possessed or spirit trained.
“It is a benefit, believe me,” Lucanis grumbled. Spite lobbed a handful of ectoplasm towards him, splattering it against the bottom of his feet. “You are disgusting…and working off the cost of that chair somehow.”
“It’s such a strange phenomenon that he can exist outside your body…and interact with the world,” Lene twitched, feeling a cold tickle against her soles as Spite crawled to the bed and began to tease her with his long tongue. “Solace can’t do that.”
“I assume it is due to the manner in which they were forcefully joined through blood magic,” Solace’s aura flared suddenly from inside Anders. “Anders and I were in agreement when Mae guided my spirit into his body.”
“And I will always be grateful for that,” Lene continued to squirm, leaning over to give Mae a kiss.
“Spite, stop tickling her unless she asks you to,” Mae reprimanded the demon, giving Lene another long kiss after.
The necromancer had always had an unfulfilled attraction to women and exploring her sexuality with Lene had made those feelings bloom even more. The two women began to make out again as their partners looked on and Spite wagged his long tongue hungrily, drooling more ectoplasm onto the edge of the bed. The pairs’ feminine curves pressed together, their pale and freckled skin whispering together like silk. “Anders and I brought a few toys along just in case,” Lene purred when their mouths came apart for a moment, brushing some of Mae’s black curls off her face.
“Toys?” Mae’s eyes widened, her back heaving with excited breath. “I like toys.”
“How do you feel about anal play?” Lene asked, gently caressing Mae’s backside.
“I love anal!” Mae exclaimed before shyly biting her lip. “I mean, Lucanis and I have played with it a bit…and it feels really nice.”
“Then I think you will really like what I have in mind…and the boys will really enjoy it as well.”
“Okay!” Mae nodded, looking back at Lucanis, who was throughly content to watch.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Spite jumped up and down as Lene climbed out of bed to retrieve the toy, obsessed with anything even slightly taboo. He was entirely naked in his incorporeal form, his cock bouncing up and down and splashing pre-ectoplasm onto Lene as she passed.
“Calm down and sit in your disgusting throne,” Lucanis ordered, not wanting the demon to ruin the bed in addition to the chair. “You are not participating this time.”
“But what if they ask me to?”
“Then nugs will fly next. Sit.”
“If Lene is grabbing what I think she is, we’ll want a good seat too,” Anders sat up, scooting himself to the top of the headboard.
“Come here, Spitey,” Mae pushed herself off the mattress, reaching her hands out towards the spirit. “You’ve been a very good demon so far…aside from the mess…but you know what happens when you get too excited?”
“I make a big mess and pass out,” he murmured, snuggling his incorporeal form against her like a cat and giving her the chills. “I’m sorry Maecabre. You are just too beautiful…I can’t wait to have you as my louse.”
“It’s ‘spouse’…and she is not marrying you,” Lucanis pinched his brow, joining Anders at the top of the bed. “Do you see what I have to deal with every day?”
“Maybe we can have our own little ceremony in the Fade too?” Mae suggested, having much more of an understanding of Spite than Lucanis did.
“Can I invite all of my demon friends?” Spite asked, purring lowly as Mae stroked his form using her spirit magic.
“Will they try to possess me?”
“Probably…”
“Then no,” Mae shook her head. She gave him form for a moment to plant a kiss on his mouth, pulling away with a twitch. “That’s a little too much tongue, dear,” she swallowed the tickle he’d made against her uvula.
“Sorry,” Spite grinned sheepishly, returning to his sticky chair.
Lene returned shortly after with a double-ended dildo she’d had made in Kirkwall. It had seen many miles and was even more flexible than before, but the sturdy dwarven craftsmanship had stood the test of time. “Oh?” Mae’s eyes widened as Lene sauntered towards her, the long toy wobbling in her hand.
“Is that going inside? Is that going all the way inside?” Spite perched anxiously on the chair, his cock dribbling more pre-ecto.
“That’s not going all the way in, isn’t it?” Mae repeated his query.
“Oh Maker, no!” Lene held up the toy, which was longer than the length of her arm. “We share it. Anders and I like to go ass to ass, but we can also sit and just grind on either end.”
Spite made an ungodly noise in his throat, splashing a large amount of ectoplasm onto the chair and floor before passing out and disappearing. “I knew he was going to do that,” Lucanis shook his head. “I should have put down some towels or something.”
“Spite’s having a nap, I take it?” Lene laughed, glancing over at the slime-covered chair.
“He might never recover from putting that image in his head,” Mae giggled, pulling Lene closer. “I think ass to ass would give the boys quite the view.”
“You should see the load Bull leaves behind when he watches Anders and I,” Lene grinned, teasing her tongue along Mae’s.
They sunk back onto the bed together, putting the dildo aside for the moment as they made out again. “How about a little warm up?” Anders offered, crawling down towards Lene’s ass with a hungry mouth.
“I’d love one,” Lene cooed as Anders spread her cheeks apart, sliding his tongue hard against her asshole.
Lucanis followed suit, burying his beard against Mae’s backside. He was still a novice at eating ass, but his enthusiasm had her wet and whimpering after only a few minutes. Lene added her assistance as Anders reached to oil up the dildo for them. She teased a slick finger against Mae’s asshole, sliding it in gently when she felt the tight knot relax. “Mhhhh,” Mae cried out, rounding her back as Lene’s finger probed deeper.
“She likes at least two,” Lucanis smiled, slicking his finger in Mae’s arousal before sliding it in next to Lene’s.
“I would never have expected it from the shy girl I met more than ten years ago,” Lene remarked, working in concert to loosen Mae up.
Anders handed off the newly lubed toy and returned to his spot at the headboard, giving his balls a gentle massage. He was far too tired to get erect again, but enjoyed the sensation as he watched Lene ease one end of the dildo inside Mae. “Oh…fuck…it’s so big…it feels so good,” Mae moaned, her entire body twitching as Lene slid the toy deeper.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, little dove,” Lucanis leaned over her, brushing back her long fringe and kissing her forehead. “We are supposed to go skiing in the morning.”
“Uhhuh,” Mae whimpered, letting out a heavy sigh as Lucanis retreated to the headboard with Anders.
“I’ll let you roll onto your hands and knees while I keep this in place,” Lene suggested, giving Mae’s thigh a gentle caress.
“Okay,” Mae nodded, grunting quietly as she shifted on the mattress.
Lene carefully navigated herself behind Mae, teasing the other end of the dildo against her own asshole. It slipped in easily, her own hole much more used to anal stimulation. She backed herself up a little more, moaning softly as her ass touched Mae’s. Lene made a slow circle with her hips, the other end swirling inside Mae’s asshole. “Oh gods…I’m going to come to hard from this,” Mae whined, beginning to slowly move her hips back and forth along with Lene.
“It’s…uhhhnn…nice…isn’t it? Feeling the other person at the opposite end?” Lene asked, grinning at both Lucanis and Anders, who were watching rapt and teasing each other with their hands.
“Very nice,” Mae grunted, arching her back as the toy went deep.
The women worked themselves up to a steady rhythm, the wet suck of the toy accompanied by the sharp slap of their asses impacting. Spite woke up around this time, his mouth agape and his cock dripping a long string of pre-ecto onto the floor. “I want it! Now!” His wings flared out with an excited breath. “I want to fuck our asses together.”
“It’s currently in use, Spittlepie,” Mae huffed, arching her back as Lene’s thrust hit deep. “But we’ll see about getting one for ourselves.”
“Soon?” Spite asked, rubbing his hands together.
“As soon as possible,” Mae whimpered. “Mmmm fuck…Lene right there.”
“Yes, right there, Lene. Make my Maecabre come,” Spite encouraged, disappearing into the bed.
“Get out of there,” Lucanis growled, seeing the demon’s head pop up directly underneath them.
“I’m just watching,” Spite opened his mouth wide, lolling his long tongue out.
A thick flow of shared arousal had joined between the women’s legs, the long bead swinging back and forth as they fucked each other. The demon waited for it to drop towards the bed before giving himself form for a moment, swallowing the divine mixture of their sexes. He disappeared back into the bed with a heavy groan, absent for the rest of the night. “I feel like I am…missing out on a lot of stuff by not seeing or hearing him,” Lene laughed, panting loudly as she neared climax.
“He’s getting…mmmmm…better about being appropriate,” Mae huffed, her eyes rolling back as she angled her end of the dildo against her vaginal wall. “But he still needs a lot of work.”
“He’s only going to get worse after seeing this,” Lucanis mused, still teasing and kissing Anders as they watched their partners fuck.
“Maybe Solace can help calm him down a bit…counsel him?” Anders suggested.
“Worth a…oh gods Lene, I am going to come,” Mae cried out, shifting down onto her elbows and reaching a desperate hand down to her clit.
Lene bounced against her ass even harder, driving Mae to a long, ecstatic climax. Her legs kicked wildly and she let out a high pitched squeal, her end of the dildo sliding out as she sunk against the mattress with a heavy pant. Lene grabbed ahold of her end, finishing herself off with a few very deep, very hard pumps, causing her to squirt onto the mattress. “Oh fuck! Fuck!” She screamed, pushing the dildo as far as it would go before collapsing.
The two women panted in silence, curling themselves into tight balls as their climaxes ebbed from their bodies. “That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Lucanis finally spoke, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. Exhaustion was the only thing keeping him from being rock hard and ready to take Mae just as hard.
“That is a memory I will keep forever,” Anders smiled, reaching down to rub Lene’s back. “You were magnificent, love.”
“I’ll be in no shape for skiing tomorrow,” she grinned, rolling on her side. “I can’t feel my legs…thank you, Mae. You were a fantastic partner.”
“You too,” Mae whimpered, her body still trembling.
“Are you alright?” Lucanis crawled to her side, her body still tightly curled.
“I’m coming again,” she squeaked, her face covered by her long curls. She shook and finally went still, letting out a quiet sigh.
“I’ll order one for ourselves right away,” Lucanis murmured, cradling her against him and kissing her gently. “I want to come that hard with you too.”
“For our wedding night?” She asked, breathing hot onto his chest.
“Absolutely,” he grinned. “We’ll be joined in more ways than one that day.”
Let's celebrate the diverse and wonderful characters and OCs from the Dragon Age universe. Six prompts per week (take a day off to relax with the Maker). A mix of SFW and NSFW prompts. Feel free to add your own to the theme. Fan art, writing, poetry, you name it! (NO A/I - be real and authentic!)
Lusts and Losses: Part Two of the Dragon Age Series Mages and Lovers
After returning from Sundermont, the Hawke siblings struggle to find work in Kirkwall. Lene settles in as a bartender and occasional sex worker at the Blooming Rose, where she meets a handsome but repentant prince. She spends a long evening with the heir of Starkhaven before learning about an opportunity that might make her even more coin.
Content and Warnings: sex work, mild religious kink, oral sex, alcohol use, discussions of masturbation/cum-tasting/oral sex/tribbling/penetration with an object, PIV sex, foot fetish/toe sucking, tribbling/fingering, analingus, anal sex, rough sex, implied pegging.
NSFW Pairings: femme Hawke x Sebastian Vael, Hawke x OC femmes & sex worker, Carver Hawke x Isabela
Hey ya’ll I promise I am still writing and posting, but now that I am working full time and always exhausted and still in Dragon Age brain rot, stuff will be coming out slower and jumping around each story. I’ll be getting back to my BG3 writing eventually!
Still chugging away between my many fics and working as much as I can to pay for my cat’s $2000 bladder stone surgery. Powering through a long scene that will eventually be posted in my Dragon Age series fic. If you like my writing or helping weird orange cats pee without pain, feel free to buy me a Ko-fi.
Context: Rook (Mae) has been receiving some mixed messages about Lucanis’ interest in her, the Crow having once again offered to accompany Neve on a trip to Minrathous. To help cheer up Mae’s dejected mood and alleviate some home sickness, Bellara introduces Mae to a fellow Veiljumper who she thinks will hit it off with the odd necromancer. Upon returning from Mintrathous, Lucanis finds Mae petting Veiljumper Oros’ nug and sitting close to him as they talk in the Lighthouse. Both Lucanis and Spite are overwhelmed by regret and jealousy, the demon blaming Lucanis from ‘fumbling’ Mae into the lap of another man with his confusing courtship. Mae heads to her room feeling conflicted, receiving a chaste kiss and an invite to visit anytime for a long walk with Oros, while her feelings for Lucanis still persist. She alleviates some tension with a bit of self pleasure, her intense climax putting her straight to sleep.
Content and Warnings: tasting female ejaculate, scent kink, intense lust, discussions of consent/voyeurism, demonic-assisted masturbation/body sharing, use of a sex toy to masturbate, prostate stimulation.
NSFW Pairing: Lucanis/Spite half-solo?
Both Spite and Lucanis’ ears perked up when they heard a cry echo quietly through the library, neither of them sure what or where it had come from. “Spite!” Lucanis growled, wondering if the demon was up to no good.
“That wasn’t me,” Spite replied, stretched out on the other couch, jealously thinking about tearing Oros’ ears off and feeding them to his nug.
“That sounded like it came from Mae’s room,” Lucanis shut his book, too concerned to save his place.
“You think she is in trouble?” Spite sat up, ready to spring over the couch and dash up the stairs with the aid of his wings.
“I don’t know,” Lucanis furrowed his brow. “Stay here,” he climbed out of his chair, pulling a dagger from his boot.
“I can help!” Spite got to his feet too, flaring his wings out.
“By what, giving her a headache?” Lucanis mocked.
Spite made a rude gesture at him, racing up the stairs in front of him. “Wait,” Lucanis paused as they approached the long hall that led to her room. He listened for any sounds, hearing nothing more.
“Why don’t I just…peek through the door? See if she’s alright?” Spite crept past him.
“No,” Lucanis walked through the demon’s non-corporeal form. “I don’t want you bothering her anymore…and I don’t want to disturb her if it was nothing.”
He approached her door slowly, Spite tiptoeing behind him. “Mae,” Lucanis quietly rapped on the door. “Is everything alright? I heard a noise.” There was only quiet on the other side.
“Mae!” Spite yelled loudly.
“She can’t hear you, you idiot,” Lucanis said, unaware that she now could, if she hadn’t collapsed into an exhausted slumber after her mind-bending orgasm.
Spite harrumphed, disappearing through the door before Lucanis could protest. Lucanis opened the door gently, finding Spite crouched and lapping something off the floor with loud slurps. “What are you doing? Stop that!” Lucanis whispered as Spite nosed the ground like a hungry dog looking for more.
“It was Mae’s,” Spite sat on his heels, looking over her sleeping form with a growing bulge in his pants, his tongue still lolling out. “She spilled herself on the floor…she’s…mmmmmm…she been naughty with herself…”
“Get away from her!” Lucanis swatted at him as he walked around the chaise.
Mae was asleep again, on her stomach this time, one of her long legs stretched out and dangling off the edge of the chaise. She was wearing one of the silk stockings Lucanis had bought for her and he could see she had the purple bodice on as well. Her back rose and fell gently with each slow breath she took in and Lucanis got a glimpse of the tattoo that ran down her back.
“Look at her,” Spite rested his chin on the chaise, smelling more of her musk on the fabric. “She’s perfect…right down to her vertebrae.”
Lucanis couldn’t help but agree, from her dainty, silk-encased toes to the loose curls that strayed from the bun at the top of her head. He didn’t want to linger in her room now that it was clear that she was okay, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. His eyes scanned up her bare back, wondering how far down the tattoo went. He knew the spinal column well, the easiest way to quickly incapacitate someone without outright killing them. Hers was on full display, beautiful and vulnerable. He wanted to kiss up every inch, detailing every notch with grim prose. “Out!” Lucanis ordered as Spite leaned over her, sniffing out more of her amorous musk, her slick toy trapped under her stomach. Spite hissed at him, forced to obey now that Lucanis’ mind was focused.
Lucanis let out a heavy sigh, pulling the blanket carefully over her back, his mind racing with what she might’ve been doing before falling asleep. The heroine in the book he’d started reading had begun caressing herself, recalling her meeting with the hero and the soft kiss they’d parted with. Had Oros kissed her goodbye? Had she put on these delicate underclothes for him instead of Lucanis? Had she been touching herself thinking about him? It made Lucanis sick with jealousy, wishing he didn’t have a perverted demon standing in his way. She was everything he’d ever wanted and he felt her slipping through his trembling fingers. He couldn’t let Spite hurt her, even if it meant she would be with someone else. She let out a soft moan as she shifted slightly on the chaise, her foot brushing against his shoulder. Lucanis didn’t want her to ruin her new stockings falling asleep in them and carefully pinched between the toes, hoping they weren’t snapped into the garters. The stocking thankfully slid off easily, her body shifting again as she mumbled in her sleep. “Mmmm…that’s tickles.”
Lucanis bit his lip, reaching under the blanket to find her other foot. He pulled the other stocking off even slower, holding his breath as it came loose in his hand. He went to fold them up, intending to put them in her armoire, but finding the tops of them curiously damp. He put them hesitantly to his nose, instantly overwhelmed by the heady scent of her arousal. He knew the smell of a woman well, only because his cousin liked to tease his dirty fingers under his nose after another conquest. Lucanis fled her room in a panic of lust, the stockings still held tightly in his hands. “That was quick….but you took a souvenir,” Spite remarked as Lucanis stormed down the stairs, eyeing the stockings hungrily.
“I didn’t do anything to her, you sick freak!” Lucanis snarled, though his heart and mind were racing with ideas of what he’d wanted to do if she’d been awake and interested.
“So you didn’t even steal a grope?” Spite asked as Lucanis sternly pointed for him to follow him out of the library.
“I’m sure consent is a foreign concept to demons, but most mortals have a basic understanding of it.”
“Yeah…I’ve heard of it…you have some very fluid morals for an assassin,” Spite mocked. “But if she wants us, what’s the harm in waking her up with your head between her legs?”
“Consent isn’t a one-time thing,” Lucanis informed the demon, stalking across the courtyard towards the dining hall. “Showing interest is nothing. Even if she’d invited me into her room…into her bed…that wouldn’t give me permission to take her as I pleased.”
“Why not? You’d just be giving her pleasure. Everyone wants pleasure.”
“Because that’s not how things are done when you care for someone. You respect their bodily autonomy…you ask permission to touch them and you don’t…smell them all the time.”
“But she smells so good!”
“I know damn well how good she smells,” Lucanis growled, elbowing open the doors to the dining hall.
He was shaking with both frustration and lust, stomping into the pantry and tossing the stockings across his cot as he took some calming deep breaths. “She smells different when she is around us…her fear moans are stronger,” Spite tried to offer some words of encouragement, standing in the doorway. “Even when she was stroking that bald rat. She wants us to be her first mortal…not that Veilhumper.”
“Jumper…and they are called pheromones,” Lucanis corrected, closing his eyes tightly. “I want her to be my first too…but…I can’t do that with you in here.”
“Why not?” Spite put his arms across his chest, feeling Lucanis’ mood shift. “I would let you have time alone with her…I could just watch…for a while…or I could help…”
“Help?” Lucanis guffawed. “What do you know about pleasing a woman? A mortal woman?”
“I didn’t say it had to be with Mae at first,” Spite replied, wiggling his way into partial control of Lucanis’ body.
“What are you doing?” Lucanis resisted, one of his eyes flaring purple. The hand on that side of his body reached down for his groin, cupping itself around his cock. It felt strange and foreign not being in his control, but he let out a quiet groan as his hand started rubbing against himself.
“I was a Spirit of Passion once, remember?” Spite spoke in Lucanis’ head, slicking their tongue across their lips. “If you’re going to make us wait for Mae…do this boring courtship thing you have planned…we’re going to need to relieve ourselves…properly,” Spite’s hand squeezed tightly around their cock.
“I can do fine on my own,” Lucanis replied, cupping his hand against their balls.
“We’ll see,” Spite challenged, reaching his hand up to unbutton their pants.
They clashed as they undressed themselves, the two halves of their shared body fighting against one another. “Stop that!” Lucanis snorted as Spite repeatedly pinched their nipples after unbuttoning their shirt part way.
“Why?” Spite did it again. “You like it too.”
“Because we have more important things to attend to,” Lucanis looked down at their raging erection, a long dribble of pre-cum leaking from the tip.
“Let me do it,” Spite reached down, fumbling the sticky fluid onto his fingers.
“You’re just making a mess,” Lucanis growled, thumbing the rest over the head of his cock with a sigh.
“Mmmmmm,” Spite moaned loudly, his eye fluttering at the wonderful new sensation. “I couldn’t enjoy this when we were in Mae’s room before. Even asleep, you were fighting me…ruining my first chance at mortal pleasure.”
“Because it was inappropriate,” Lucanis scolded him, removing his hand from himself for a moment.
“Even just looking at her?” Spite bemoaned.
“Without her knowing…and doing…what you were doing…over her while she was alseep? Yes. You can’t just invade people’s privacy…and pleasure yourself watching them.”
“Ughhh…you mortals are so picky. I watched lots of them do really nasty things to each other…and they liked it…they liked me watching. They asked me sometimes, in their dreams.”
“Exactly…they asked you to,” Lucanis replied, kneeling down to pull a small box out from under his cot. “But Mae hasn’t asked you to watch her…to ogle her when she is getting undressed or in the bathroom.”
“What if she did?” Spite watched curiously as Lucanis pulled out a small silk bag.
“Then you’d be able to do whatever she asked, but still check in with her to make sure it was alright to continue doing so. Consent’s not a one time thing, rememenber?”
“Mmmmhmmm,” Spite grumbled, reaching down to touch their cock again before hesitating. “Can I…touch us again?”
“Yes, you can,” Lucanis smiled a little. “Thank you for asking this time.”
“What’s…uhnnnn…in the bag?” Spite groaned, giving their cock a long, slow stroke.
“You’ll see,” Lucanis gently shook the supple sleeve out of the bag. “If you want to do things properly.” Spite growled excitedly, making their cock twitch with anticipation.
Lucanis reached for a small vial in the box, uncorking the lid and dribbling some of the viscous fluid into the opening of the sleeve. “Yes,” Spite huffed, letting his hand off their cock as Lucanis stretched the sleeve around their tip with his fingers. “Mmmm…fuck…yes.”
“Calm down,” Lucanis fought against the excited shiver that Spite forced up their entire body. “Let me…uhnhhh…get it on all the way,” Lucanis moaned, pushing their cock slowly into the sleeve.
Spite gripped the wall with his hand, letting the tight, slick masturbator glide down their shaft. They both groaned as it reached their hilt, squeezing their ass tightly as they were completely engulfed. They each had control of one of their hips and Spite’s started pumping quickly right away, fighting against Lucanis’ slow movement. “If we’re…going to do this together,” Lucanis grunted loudly, gripping the base of their cock tightly to stop all movement. “We’re going to need to be in agreement.”
“Fine…fine,” Spite let out a heavy breath. “Let’s switch off…I get a minute…you get a minute.”
“Original body owner first,” Lucanis insisted, climbing onto the cot, moving Mae’s stockings aside.
“Can I have those?” Spite reached for them, tugging softly on the silky material.
“What do you want them for?” Lucanis asked, settling them comfortably onto the cot.
“I want to…smell her again,” Spite said meekly, still holding on to one end. “Even if we haven’t asked to.”
Lucanis sighed, wanting to smell her musk as much as the demon did and knowing he was still tempted by baser instincts. “Just…a little…and we have to put them back…undamaged,” Lucanis relented, letting Spite take the stockings.
“Yeah…sure,” Spite replied, huffing them immediately. His sense of smell was even more keen than Lucanis’, the musky scent even stronger now in their nose.
“Fuck!” Lucanis groaned, giving their cock a few excited strokes before slowing back down.
“Mmmmm…her fear moans smell so good,” Spite continued to huff the stockings, letting Lucanis have control of their hips for a moment.
Lucanis didn’t bother to correct him again, the personal scent of her body making his head swim. He stroked the sleeve down his cock for a few minutes, Spite reveling in the sensations before asking to take over. “Not too tight!” Lucanis gasped as Spite took a white-knuckled grip around their cock. “Let the sleeve do its job.”
“Mmmmhmm…yeah,” Spite grunted, easing off a little and bucking their hips against the toy. “Will Mae…fuhhhh….feel this good…you think?”
“Better…probably,” Lucanis closed his eye, picturing her riding them. “She’ll be warmer…wetter…tighter…”
“Fuck…” Spite exclaimed, taking another sniff of her stockings. “I’ll come right away,” he began moving his hips faster, working his wrist as well.
“Then it’s a good thing I’ll be in charge,” Lucanis took control again, slowing them down.
“Stop being so…patient,” Spite complained, letting his hand idly play with their balls. “I want us to come.”
“Not yet,” Lucanis insisted, stroking them at a steady but non-urgent pace. “It feels better when you draw it out a little….and you need to give time…for her to finish.”
“I want her to finish…I want her so much,” Spite whimpered, letting a finger slip under their balls. “Do you think she’d ever…in our tight hole?”
“I don’t know,” Lucanis huffed. “I don’t think most women…but if you wanted to…gently,” Lucanis spread his legs wider. “Grab that vial of oil.”
“Okay,” Spite fumbled blinding for the box on the floor, finding the small bottle.
“Just a…little,” Lucanis said before Spite dumped the rest onto their groin.
“Sorry,” Spite replied, slicking the oil around their balls and asshole. “I like it slimy.”
Lucanis bit deeply into their lip as Spite probed their asshole with his finger, relaxing their body enough that he was able to slip one inside easily. “Oh fuck!” Spite groaned loudly, testing the depth of his finger. “I can see why you like this!”
“Just…ahhhh…go easy back there and….haaaa….yeah…right there…that’s how you come hard,” Lucanis grinned, feeling Spite’s finger nudge against their prostate.
“What…here?” Spite asked, wiggling his finger against the rubbery node. “Oh…ohhhhhhhh…”
“Yeah…” Lucanis let out an ecstatic breath.
“Can we come now, please?” Spite begged, stroking their prostate gently, the toes on his foot curling tightly.
“Just a few more minutes…enjoy the sensations,” Lucanis huffed, working the sleeve along their shaft a little faster.
“Can we think about Mae some more?” Spite panted, closing his eye tightly.
“Nothing weird,” Lucanis closed his as well, their thoughts joining as Spite offered Lucanis the briefest glimpse of her naked body.
They grunted and moaned in concert, finally working together to bring themselves to a satisfying finish. Mae was the end goal to both their desires and they imagined her seated on top of them, her beautiful, milky flesh moving with theirs. She was the woman of their dreams, their comfort among the horrors of the Ossurary and the forced joining that had brought them together. Spite’s leg shivered wildly as they came, Lucanis’ held stiffly as he gripped the cot with his toes. “Mae!” They both cried out loudly, their voices echoing across the stone walls of the pantry. They filled the sleeve completely with cum and ectoplasm, fluid squelching out the bottom as they stroked through their climax.
“Gods!” Lucanis sighed happily, feeling completely in sync with Spite for the first time and utterly spent.
“Dead Gods,” Spite panted heavily, the hold on his half of their body waning as he became instantly sleepy. “For Mae…we’ll kill them for Mae.”
“Right,” Lucanis nodded, his half of their body also ready to collapse into an exhausted sleep. “Just…give me some time to…woo her…and…rest…”
They drifted off together, the sleeve still wrapped around their cock and Mae’s stockings draped across their face. Lucanis had his best night of sleep in over a year and Spite retreated deeply into his Fade domain to slumber after his first real taste at mortal pleasure. Lucanis awoke in the morning feeling a little chilly, having fallen asleep in only his socks and a half unbuttoned shirt. It would’ve been quite the scene to come across if anyone had stumbled into the pantry, the slime-filled sleeve rolled between his legs and Mae’s stockings tangling around his neck. “Hmmmmm,” he reached down to give his balls a scratch, finding them still oily from Spite’s excessive pour. They were satisfyingly drained, but his cock still twitched as he removed Mae’s stockings from his neck, catching the faint whiff of her musk. He sat up on his elbows, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. There was a dry crust of cum and ectoplasm between his thighs, where the sleeve had leaked out their shared fluid. “Why is it so much?” He sighed as he picked up the sleeve, more sticky, clear fluid dribbling out.
Summary: The trio attend brunch together, where Astarion expresses his jealousy and Addy feels more of her life spiraling out of control. Addy and Halsin spend the rest of the day together as they prepare for him to return home that evening. Addy caves when Astarion messages her and they reconnect in the only way they know how.
Content and Warnings: marital arguments, alcohol use, brief mention of self harm, pegging, prostate orgasm, fingering, oral sex/rim job, sex toys, multiple orgasms, public sex, rough sex, choking/breath play.
NSFW Pairings: Halsin x named Femme Tav, Tav x Astarion
After Astarion’s set back trying to be physical with Halsin too soon, the druid takes the vampire and Tav to a relaxing place to recharge in the sun and finally confess his love to her.
Content and Warnings: discussions of trauma/regret, oral sex, body worship, sixty-nining, PIV sex, prone bone, biting/marking, cum talk, blood drinking, gentle sex.
NSFW Pairings: Femme Tav x Halsin, Gale x Femme OC tiefling
I haven’t gone missing, I’ve just sunk into Dragon Age brain rot. I decided to break up my ongoing DA story, Mages and Lovers, into a series instead of one huge fic that spans all four games. I wanted to be able to jump around the games and timelines without having to write things in order. I’m hoping things won’t be too confusing with events that are mentioned but not yet written in each series. I’ll be making a guide to each OC’s appearances outside of their main storyline series, but I wanted all their lives to be connected in some small way.
This chapter within the Inquisition series features the first appearance of my DATV OC Maene, who I’ve posted snippets here of that will be part of her own upcoming series, Spirits and Regrets.
Commander Cullen awakens to a terrible cataclysm, finding a mysterious but beautiful woman who may be the cause of it all. Also witnessing the explosion for afar, a young Mourn Watch mage rushes to Haven to offer her expertise. Seeker Cassandra tries to temper her anger at the loss of both her lover and the Divine, hoping to find answers as to how and why the entire conclave was destroyed.
lucanismancers, who's your favorite rook to romance lucanis with?
shadow dragon rook
warden rook
mourn watcher rook
crow rook
veil jumper rook
lord of fortune rook
not a lucanismancer/no preference
see results
Voting ended onJan 2, 2025
i've been curious about this for awhile...i'd love it if you explained your passions (+bonus points for things like class/race/gender/age) in the tags. i'll go first but don't look at mine before you vote ok
Mourn Watch Rook mage, mine is female but I think any gender would be suitable. I like the duality of a man who kills for a living and someone who tends to the dead. They would have more knowledge of the Fade/Spirits/Demons and I think more empathy and patience for Spite. Emmrich can hear Spite, so I HC that Rook can too, even if not at first.
Some sweet Mourn Watch Rook/Lucanis fluff for Xmas! This is my version of the shopping trip/coffee meeting quest, minus Illario. I also wanted to include a cute little mention inspired by this tweet, where Spite will eventually shake his tail feathers. Some of the story beats call back to other scraps from Wanksgiving and Casino Night.
Content and Warnings: Self doubt, mentions of thalassophobia/acrophobia/virginity, social anxiety, panic attacks, digestive woes, demonic peeping.
Pairing: Femme Rook x Lucanis…with input from Spite
The only thing on Lucanis’ mind at the moment was coffee. Not just because he was craving a fresh, steaming cup, but because he was starting to nod off standing up. The last thing he needed was to fall asleep and give Spite the opportunity to take over again. The demon had no concept of boundaries, especially when it came to Maene. Lucanis couldn’t bear another incident like yesterday. He didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if Mae had woken up and found him jerking off over her. Lucanis knew he had to sleep eventually, but he first needed a way to keep Spite from getting access to her. He knew the demon could only stray so far if he was paying attention, so staying in the dining hall as much as possible would be vital. He could bring books over from the library when needed and perhaps rig up some sort of lock on the pantry door.
He finished his grocery list in the late afternoon, according to his time piece, though it was always dusk at this strange Lighthouse. Mae and Harding had just finished up the dirty dishes from lunch, drying their shirtsleeves by the fire and giggling with each other. “I need to head back to Treviso for a few essentials,” Lucanis announced, tucking his list in his waistcoat. “I have no idea what you all have been subsisting on before I got here.”
“Mostly just dried meat and tea,” Harding remarked with a chuckle. “And Neve has some enchanted box of fried fish that she picks at.”
Lucanis made a face, which made Mae giggle. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” she laughed. “It stays fairly fresh…according to her. I think it smells awful regardless. I don’t eat anything that spends all of its time in water.”
“Can I bring you back anything?” He asked, trying not to show how much her laugh sent his heart racing. “That isn’t fish?”
“Would you…actually mind if I came along?” Mae asked shyly. “I have some…personal items I need to replenish.”
“I told you to take a chance on going ‘warden’ style,” Harding remarked, causing Mae to blush deeply. “I don’t think I will ever go back to wearing small clothes.”
“Uhh, yes of course…you’ll want to…pick those out yourself,” Lucanis tried not to stammer thinking about Mae’s underwear. “Shall we?”
“Let me just change my shoes,” Mae nodded, her adorable toes wiggling in her Dalish slippers.
She disappeared to her room for a moment, slipping on some boots before giving herself a quick pep talk in the mirror of her wardrobe. “Don’t talk to him about corpses or death rituals. Don’t rub your neck when he does that little half smile. Just keep your hands in your coat pockets so you don’t overly gesticulate when you talk…” she sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. She pinched her cheeks to make them less pale and reached down her dress to tighten the laces on her bodice a little more so her breasts sat higher. She grabbed her coin purse, which was much heavier with her gambling winnings and which Lucanis had let them all keep if they hadn’t lost it all like Bellara.
Lucanis noticed her rosy cheeks right away when he met her in the library, letting out a quiet exhale of longing. “All set now,” she smiled, swinging a satchel onto her shoulder.
“My city awaits,” he bowed his head slightly, excited at the prospect of spending some alone time with her before Spite deflated it by chiming in. “Do you think she’s going to buy some sexy panties like in our dream? We should tell her to buy some of those.”
“I’ll meet you down at the Eluvian, I need to check one last thing,” Lucanis hid a scowl, dragging Spite out into the courtyard. “What do you mean ‘our’ dream?” Lucanis asked when they could speak in private. “You had it too?”
“There’s something strange about this place,” Spite grinned deviously. “I can dream with you…and influence it a little…”
“So you made me dream about her?” Lucanis accused.
“No, that was all you…I just made things a little…more exciting. Her not having any clothes on was my idea. Your subconscious must’ve been thinking about those weird books you like. ‘Oh you rescued me…please take my maiden hood,’” Spite said with a mocking lilt in his voice.
“They aren’t weird,” Lucanis insisted. “They are quite popular…all across Thedas.”
“Because mortals live sad little lives, tempering their emotions into neat little packages. Spirits and demons hold nothing back. We lust with our entire being. We are unbound by the restrictions of flesh…mmmmm beautiful, pale flesh,” Spite began to recall seeing Mae naked, forgetting his train of thought. “I want to see her again…bare and perfect.”
“See who?” Lucanis put his hands on his hips. “Have you been spying on Mae again?”
“You left me in her room…at the casino…and she just suddenly…dropped her robe…and then me,” Spite said dreamily, passing out again from the memory and retreating from Lucanis for a moment.
“Maker, help me,” he put a hand to his forehead.
Lucanis returned inside, noting to himself to buy the extra strong beans this time that were a little less flavorful, but would keep him more alert. Mae was waiting at the Eluvian for him with Ferdinand on her shoulder, smiling and tucking her long bangs behind her ear as she usually did. Lucanis felt his heart beating like the wings of a hummingbird, wondering how much of Spite’s obsession with her was in part to his own growing infatuation. “I hope you don’t mind that Ferdi tags along too. He enjoys being around all the other birds and he really likes all the Crow decor,” she said scratching the rook under his chin.
“Not at all,” Lucanis smiled, offering his finger to give a scratch as well. “He annoys Spite and that pleases me to no end.”
They stepped through the Eluvian together, heading towards the dock that led to Treviso. Ferdinand flew off to scout ahead, noting the demon was gratefully absent. The possessed bird was as protective of Mae as Lucanis was and also sensed the man’s affection for her. He thought his mistress needed to have more mortal connections and had already given her some encouragement to do so. “So are all Nevarran mages Mortalitasi or do some of them specialize in other magic?” Lucanis asked, hoping to spark up a conversation.
“No, plenty of them train in other things. We have Circles of our own where they study. I suppose it was only natural for me to step into necromancy, being raised by them. Even if I’d never developed magical abilities, I could’ve still served in the Necropolis as a guard…I’m not sure what else I would’ve done,” she replied, reminding herself to ask him questions as well to show her interest in him and not just talk about the dead all day. “What about you? Did you always want to be an assassin?”
“I didn’t really have a choice,” Lucanis straightened his lips. “My parents were Crows and when they were killed, Caterina only accelerated my training. It was brutal,” he replied, unconsciously rubbing the top of his hands that bore small scars from her cane. “But it hardened me into the man I am today.”
“That sounds…awful,” Mae frowned as they approached the dock and waited for the Caretaker and Ferdinand to return. “You should have had a choice in things…especially since you have to kill people. And you shouldn’t have been hurt.”
“You don’t approve of what I do?” Lucanis wondered, though he didn’t hear any judgment in her voice.
Her answer was briefly interrupted by the Caretaker, who arrived with Ferdinand perched on the prow of the boat. “The path to the Eluvian is clear, Mistress,” Ferdinand said, sounding only like caw to Lucanis.
“I’m not sure,” she finally answered, chewing her lip in contemplation as she climbed into the boat. “Common belief is that we either we have total free will to determine our lives and you are robbing people of their proper time of death…or we’re all interwoven by some unknown fate and you are the necessary catalyst of their deaths…that all of this was supposed to happen…and I didn’t doom Thedas by releasing the blighted gods,” she sighed, closing her eyes and gripping the boat tightly as it smoothly pushed off through the air.
Lucanis didn’t know what to say to assuage her guilt, not being a religious person either. He watched as she began taking slow, deep breaths, keeping her eyes tightly closed, her face going even paler again. He hadn’t noticed it on the first ride back from Treviso, as he was trying to keep Spite from stabbing her rook. “Do you get seasick on any boat?” Lucanis asked, glancing over the side to the endless void below.
“Just…anywhere I can’t see the bottom of,” she replied nervously. “Here…it’s not as much the motion, but the fear of the abyss. If I go into the water…will I keep sinking? Will I keep falling here?” A single tear slipped down her cheek and Lucanis knew it was not only from her fear, but from her regret.
“Not if you have someone with wings who can pull you out,” Lucanis said, taking out a silk handkerchief and dabbing her cheek before placing his hand on top of hers.
She opened her eyes briefly to look at him, wondering if her heart might leap out of her chest. She closed them again and squeezed his hand tightly until they arrived at the dock of the converged city. Mae let out a relieved sigh as Lucanis helped her out of the boat, still holding tightly to his hand. “Thank you,” she opened her eyes, offering him a smile that sent his own heart leaping out of his chest. “This is all still difficult to process…but…regardless of why we met…I’m glad that we did.”
“I am too,” he smiled, his heart aching a bit when she finally let go of his hand and used the handkerchief to dab her cheek again. It pained him to see her upset and he desperately wanted to embrace her. She went to give the handkerchief back to him, but he closed her fist around it, guessing she would need it again. “Keep it. It is Sallen silk…the finest in Antiva. And you’ll have my blades…and Spite’s wings…for as long as you need.”
They walked silently beside one another as they continued on towards the Treviso Eluvian, both their hands restless to touch one another’s again. Ferdinand trailed behind them, noticing Spite walking further back as well. “Would you thank your host for his kindness to my mistress?” The bird landed close enough for Spite to hear but not to kick, hopping along with him. “Despite your vulgar intentions with her…I can sense that his are pure.”
“Entirely too pure,” Spite grumbled, staring down at his feet in what might be considered empathy to someone other than a demon. “But I understand that she is a delicate creature. I don’t like seeing her upset.”
“She is,” Ferdinand replied. “She needs his affection even more than his daggers.”
“Shall we call a truce then?” Spite asked. “For her sake?”
“That would be agreeable,” Ferdinand nodded. “But I still don’t like you.” He flew off after their tentative agreement, shitting in Spite’s direction, but not on him this time. He landed on Mae’s shoulder as Spite made a rude gesture at him. The demon retreated again, giving the two mortals some time alone.
They walked through the second Eluvian together, which was now being stored in one of the back rooms of the Cantori Diamond’s upper floor. “Let me just check in with Teia and Viago, see if they have any news,” Lucanis said as they left the store room. Mae nodded, waiting at the elevator so Lucanis could speak to his fellow Crows in private. Viago was the only one in the office, Teia out dealing with something outside the casino. “Couldn’t stay away?” Viago looked up from some paperwork with a smirk “We need time to gather information…or are you here for…other reasons?” He glanced around Lucanis to see Mae lingering in the distance, talking to Ferdinand.
“We’re just doing some shopping,” Lucanis insisted, looking back at Mae and trying to hide a blush. “They barely had any food to eat…and Mae…Maene…needed to get some things of her own.”
“So you are on a first name basis with her now?” Viago teased. “I thought you kept all your contracts formal?”
“This is…different,” Lucanis stammered. “This will be a long job…being casual will be…necessary…”
“I’m just giving you a hard time, Luca,” Viago laughed at Lucanis’ blushed cheeks. “But I think you made the right choice out of the three women…dark curls, blue eyes, firm backside, though she could use some sun,” Viago continued to tease, referring both to himself and Mae, reminding Lucanis of his previous crush.
“Are you done?” Lucanis pouted, putting his hands on his hips.
“Just one more,” Viago grinned, tipping his chair back. “Don’t try to woo her with a dagger…”
Lucanis made a noise in his throat, turning to walk away. “Just let me know when you have news.”
“Of course,” Viago nodded with another smirk. “Enjoy the city, Lady Ingellvar!” He waved at Mae when they made eye contact.
The gloaming light of Treviso made this impromptu outing more romantic than intended, both Lucanis and Mae blushing frequently as they were forced to lean close making their way through the crowded streets. Viago’s teasing hadn’t helped and Lucanis wondered if Mae was aware of his attraction as well. They arrived at the market square as lamps were being lit, the air filled with the scents of food, goods, and a hint of the mossy canals that weaved through the city. “Most of the textile sellers are down that way,” Lucanis motioned, guessing she didn’t want company as she bought new unmentionables. “I’ll meet you back here in a little while?”
“Take this first,” he unfastened one of the Crow-wing lapel pins from his overcoat and affixed it to hers, his fingers brushing across her warm skin for just a second. “This will ensure you get a good deal…and keep most of the pickpockets from bothering you.”
“Yes, that sounds fine,” she nodded, looking a bit overwhelmed by the clamor of buying and selling.
“Oh…right,” Mae shifted her coin purse from her outer pocket to the inner one of her coat. “We don’t have much of a problem with them in Nevarra City…but Spirits of Mischief are known to pinch a few coins if they get the chance.”
“I would love for you to show me around sometime,” Lucanis smiled, desperately wanting to tuck her hair out of her eye before she did it on reflex. “It sounds like an interesting place.”
“I’m hoping we can figure out where the right Eluvian is soon,” Mae smiled back.
They parted ways with both their stomachs fluttering, Ferdinand taking off to socialize with the other city birds and Spite trailing beside Lucanis as he forced him to follow. “Are we going to buy Mae something special?” Spite asked as Lucanis headed towards the grocers’ market. “Her asshole bird wants you to have sex with her too.”
“What?” Lucanis scowled at him. “No he doesn’t. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“He told me so!” Spite insisted. “He said she needs your affection as much as your daggers. He thanked you for being so nice to her.”
“You can understand him?” Lucanis wondered.
“Just when we are in the Fade,” Spite replied. “We’ve formed a truce so you can make love to Mae.”
“Affection is not the same thing as sex,” Lucanis replied. “It’s…holding her hand when she’s upset…noticing the things that she likes…respecting her bodily autonomy by not touching and leering at her.”
“But I can’t help myself,” Spite bemoaned. “She’s so interesting and beautiful. I want to know everything about her. Inside and out…mostly inside.”
“I want to as well, but…there’s a proper way of going about things…it takes time.”
“Is there an improper way that is fast?”
Lucanis just shook his head, going straight to his favored coffee seller, hoping he’d settled his issue with the Antaam at the docks. Lucanis was pleased to see him there and bought several bags of beans, assuring the man that the Crows were working on getting the Qunari out of the city for good. “Back so soon?” The flower seller greeted Lucanis when he walked across the street. “How are the Little Doves fairing?”
“She liked them quite a bit,” Lucanis replied. “Do you have anything else from Nevarra?”
“I’m afraid not,” the woman shook her head. “I’m still struggling to get goods in with the restrictions in place. But I can put in a special request once I can get in contact with my supplier. If it is for a woman…I can arrange an entire bouquet for her…though I could put something together now that is a little more…traditional.”
“She’s…not a traditional sort,” Lucanis laughed. “A special bouquet would be wonderful. When you are able.”
Lucanis gave the woman a hefty deposit and bought a starter of spearmint for Harding’s burgeoning garden. He wanted to bring back something nice for everyone and grabbed some fruit for Neve and a complicated contraption for Bellara to tinker with. He continued on with his shopping, keeping a close eye out for the perfect hairpin for Mae.
Mae had found her way to the textile stalls slowly, too polite to ask people to move aside when the lane was blocked and waiting for them to move on their own. There was a lot of leather and various bits of armor and low-cut gowns to browse, but she continued on until she found a stall that appeared to be selling intimate wear. The shopkeeper was with another customer when Mae approached, so she just looked over the various slips and small clothes folded across the table until she was finished. “How can I help you, dear?” The woman asked when she was done with her previous customer, looking Mae over curiously. “You aren’t from around here?”
“No…I’m not,” Mae replied shyly.
Mae stood out in the crowd of olive-skinned citizens and Qunari refugees, not just because of her pale skin. Everyone was stylishly dressed, even just out at the market. Mae’s clothes looked drab in comparison. Although her solemn black overcoat was finely-made and embroidered like the threads of the circulatory system, but those sort of details were lost on anyone outside of the Mourn Watch. The green linen dress she wore underneath was quite demure, even with her waist cinched tightly with a gold, knucklebone-clasped belt and her bodice tied as tightly as possible.
She was one of the few Watchers that didn’t frequently wear her grave dowries outside of the Necropolis. She was always rushed for time in the mornings and although she enjoyed the ceremony of putting on each gold ring and bracelet, she much preferred to sleep in as late as possible. She usually kept at least a few rings on, however, unless she was bathing. One was an ouroboros, her constant reminder of the eternal cycle of life. The other was her Watchers’ insignia, the helmet symbol of her order etched into the gold disk.
The shopkeeper smiled politely at Mae, recognizing that the woman was clearly anxious, before her eyes noticed the Crow pin on the lapel of her overcoat. “Are you in the market for something special?” The owner asked, assuming that the exotic and pretty thing had caught the eye of one of the many libidinous Crows in the city and was looking to something exciting to wear. She motioned towards the stack of lace and silk undergarments.
“No…I just…need to replenish my supply of small clothes,” Mae said meekly. “I lost them all in Tevinter and have been wearing and washing the same old pair for weeks.”
“I see,” the woman nodded, moving over to the plain muslin panties that were popular with the common folk.
“I offer a discount on pairs of ten,” she held up the plain, un-tailored shorts.
They were perfect for every day use, but Mae’s eyes kept being drawn back to the midnight blue silk shorts that were cut high in the back to accentuate the rear. “Are these…Sallen silk?” Mae asked, brushing her thumb across the smooth fabric. She’d been rubbing the handkerchief in her pocket to soothe her anxiety and she wondered how the fabric would feel whispering across her most sensitive areas.
“They are indeed,” the woman replied, holding up the delicate panties to her. “The finest in Antiva…and worth the price.”
The woman didn’t want to assume Mae’s wealth, despite her dress, especially since she was under the protection of the Crows, but some of the assassins were quite stingy when treating their dalliances. Mae looked over the panties, trying not to blush thinking about Lucanis slowly slipping them off her. She set them down gently, reaching into her coat to retrieve her coin purse. She still wasn’t sure how much each silver coin was worth and dumped out a handful to show the woman. Her eyes widened a bit, seeing that the pale girl’s likely suitor wasn’t one of the stingy ones. “Ah yes, that will get you ten pairs of the muslin shorts, a few plain bodices as well, and the silk set…aside from the matching lace garters,” the woman smiled, scooping up the coins in her hands. It was a fair deal that wouldn’t put her on the wrong side of the girl’s lover.
“That would be wonderful,” Mae nodded approvingly.
The woman retrieved the matching silk bodice and began to wrap everything up in vibrant tissue paper, making small talk to try to glean if Mae’s suitor was known to her. “I think your lover will enjoy these as well,” the owner smiled, putting the silk set on top. “They will look lovely with your complexion. Crows do adore that shade of blue.”
“Oh,” Mae blushed deeply, reaching up to thumb the pin on her lapel. “He’s not my…I want him to be, but…we’ve only just met.”
“Ah,” the woman noted, not acquainted with any chaste Crows. “Let him see you in that set and he soon will be.”
“Do you think he’d…like the lace ones more?” Mae chewed her lip in indecision. They were practically backless, only a thin string connecting to the crotch. “I’ve…never had a lover before.”
“Oh,” the woman cooed, hoping the Crow would be gentle and not break her heart. “I’m sure he’ll like anything you put on, dear…are you…experienced with…pleasing yourself. At least?” She hesitated to ask, hoping to spare the young woman some pain.
“Oh yes,” Mae bit her lip, recalling her desperate writhing against her fingers and then her dream. “I just…want to be ready for anything…what if he’s…large? I know my body will accommodate him eventually but…I don’t want him to be disappointed.”
Mae’s only sexual experiences had been with herself or spirits. She had no idea how spectral sensations would translate to physical ones, even if she was used to being stimulated in all three holes at once on occasion. Her fingers had done an adequate job, but she’d always wanted to try something bigger. She’d never been brave enough to enter one of the wellness shops in Nevarra that offered a variety of realistic and fantastical options for stimulation. She’d been given a gag gift when joining the Mourn Watch, a giant toy that looked like a bone penis, but she’d never dared to even attempt it.
The woman motioned for Mae to wait a moment, ducking under one of her tables to look for something. She pulled out a small case, roughly the size of a large book, and slowly opened it. There were several dildos inside of various shapes and sizes, some more anatomically correct than others. Mae made a quiet noise in her throat, looking around to see if anyone had noticed the variety of cocks. “I get a lot of young brides at my stall…so I started stocking these…I recommend one to all of them,” the woman smiled. “Sex can be painful at first…especially with an overeager partner. And even after, some men…and women can’t be bothered to please their lovers as well.”
“Uhhuh,” Mae nodded, reaching out to touch one of the dildos.
“I call that one the Cat’s Cat,” the woman grinned. “It starts to purr when you touch the enchantment on the bottom.”
She ran her finger over the small jewel at the base and the toy began to vibrate softly. “Oh!” Mae let out an excited squeak. “How..how much?”
“If you have one of the coins with the two-talon crow, it is yours,” the woman smiled, this item being less of a deal since the purchase would likely not be mentioned to her suitor. Mae peeked in her coin purse, looking through the various disks before finding one with the aforementioned bird. “Here you are,” Mae grinned, trying to hide her excitement.
The woman tucked the toy into Mae’s package of small clothes before wrapping it up and securing it with twine, wishing Mae good luck as she wandered away. The market somehow seemed even more crowded now that it was fully dark and the noise and crowd began to make Mae nervous. She was finally forced to excuse herself past people who had stopped to socialize in the middle of the lane, holding her bag tightly against her chest. Vendors barked at her to come over, offering to tan her pallor with creams or straighten her curls with tonics. Someone shoved a whole fish on a stick in front of her, the smell making her nauseous. The constant overwhelm finally got to her, feeling a panic attack coming on. She found a bench tucked down an alley to sit on, pulling her hood up and pressing her hands against her ears to shut out the noise.
Lucanis had finished his shopping, though still unable to find the right hair pin for Mae and went to meet her in the market square, assuming she’d be finished before him. He didn’t see her anywhere around, furrowing his brow in sudden worry. “What are we waiting around for?” Spite asked when Lucanis had been standing in one spot for a few minutes. “Have you bought Mae a gift yet?”
“No, I haven’t found the right thing yet,” Lucanis scanned the crowd again, hoping to see her tall, pale figure. “And we are here waiting for Mae. She should have been back by now.”
“Why isn’t she here then?” Spite asked impatiently, looking around as well.
“I don’t know…maybe she couldn’t find any small clothes…or…” Lucanis frowned, his stomach churning.
“Or what?” Spite asked, looking around more frantically.
“She’s probably fine,” Lucanis put a hand to one of his daggers, suddenly fearing the worst and striding towards the direction he’d pointed her towards.
“Could something have happened to her? What if another demon saw her and wanted her for himself?” Spite began to ramble nervously.
“I doubt there are demons walking the streets…just plain, old-fashioned thieves and deviants,” Lucanis began to pick up his steps, weaving deftly through the crowds.
Mae was beautiful and polite, the perfect target for would-be louts. She also had a pocket full of Antivan silver…and she had been seen with him, the presumptive new First Talon once Caterina had been laid to rest properly. If it wasn’t enemies from within the city, it could be from outside. Venatori or Qunari that had taken a special interest in her. Lucanis was so afraid, so full of fear that he’d left her side only for her to be hurt or kidnapped, that Spite was able to take control. He shoved people out of the way instead of weaving past them, he snarled at those who were needlessly blocking the lanes. He sniffed the air loudly, searching for her unique scent among all the other smells of the market.
He caught a hint, the spicy scent of her incense mixed with a nervous sweat on her skin. This spurred him on further, several Crows starting to tail the disruptive man until they recognized Lucanis and backed off. They’d all been discretely told that he was a different man than they one they might recognize, but not explicitly told that he was possessed by a demon. Spite passed the small alley she sat in once, doubling back when he caught her scent again. He ran to her side, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “Mae!” He sighed heavily as she raised her head, locking eyes with him before Lucanis was able to wrest back control.
“Mae,” Lucanis brushed her long bangs out of her eyes. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“No…I’m alright,” she said quietly, thankful that he was here. “I just got…overwhelmed. It got so loud and crowded and I…”
“It’s alright,” he said softly, trying to reassure her. “Why don’t we take a little break? Get something to eat and drink? One of my favorite places isn’t far, Cafe Pietra,” Lucanis suggested.
“Sure, that’s sounds fine,” she let out a deep exhale. “Sorry…I’m just not…used to being around a lot of people at once…and the Necropolis is dead silent most of the time…not just literally.”
Lucanis smiled, not sure if she was making a joke or just being her usual odd self. He helped her up, offering to carry her bag for her, but she was too paranoid the toy she’d bought might accidentally fall out and embarrass her somehow. She kept a tight hold of it, keeping it held against her chest. He took her other hand and led her back through the crowd, glancing back at her on occasion to check in on her. Her stomach fluttered wildly with each look and she hoped the cafe would have some soothing tea to calm her nerves and loins. “So what kind of coffee do you like?” Lucanis asked as they left the market and began walking down a quieter street.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had it,” Mae replied. “I heard it keeps you awake and that’s pretty much the opposite of what I ever want.”
“You’ve never had coffee?” Lucanis exclaimed.
“No,” Mae blushed slightly. “I like going to sleep. I can do almost anything.”
“Really?” Lucanis wondered. “To what extent?”
“I can shape my dreams to whatever I want…and other people’s too…though I’ve never done that before. There are even Dreamers that were used as assassins. A Crow Dreamer could kill you in your sleep.”
“That’s…incredible…and dangerous…”
“It’s the reason the Mortalitasi suspect I was abandoned as an infant. Demons find us particularly interesting. Most of us get possessed before we can be properly trained to resist them.”
“I told you other demons would want her,” Spite took a long whiff of her hair. “I can keep them away!”
“Why do they find you so appealing?” Lucanis asked, motioning behind his back at Spite to get him to stop sniffing her. “Besides the obvious reasons…”
“We make particularly deadly abominations if we are ever possessed…It’s strange actually…being around demons usually causes me a lot of pain…but Spite…”
“She’s talking about me?” Spite perked up.
“What about Spite?” Lucanis swatted at the demon again.
“He feels…different. He doesn’t hurt to be around. Maybe it has something to do with how he was forced into your body.”
“I would never hurt you, Mae,” Spite promised. “Quite the opposite…I want to fu…” he added before Lucanis cut him off.
“Don’t!” He glared at Spite and then looked back at Mae. “Don’t let your guard down around him,” he added, so she didn’t suspect he was talking to the demon. “He’s dangerous.”
“Don’t speak ill of me to her!” Spite protested. “I want her to like me!”
Lucanis ignored him, putting his arm around her shoulder to guide her down the street, but also to piss off Spite. He was still cursing at Lucanis when they arrived at Cafe Pietra, vowing to embarrass Lucanis as soon as he got the opportunity. “I’ve got the perfect thing for you to try,” Lucanis said as they sat down. “A Tour of Antiva. It’s a coffee flight that will let you sample a whole range of flavors.”
“Alright,” she nodded. “Only if you promise to stay up with me when I am wired by caffeine,” she tried to flirt, her stomach knotting anxiously.
“That’s a promise,” Lucanis smiled, knowing he would already be awake to keep Spite away from her.
Lucanis ordered an extra large, extra strong coffee for himself and the flight for Mae to try, as well as some hearty pastries to eat. “Do you want to sit away from the water?” Lucanis asked, the cafe edged on one side by a canal.
“I think I should be fine,” Mae peeked over the railing. “I can see the bottom…someone threw their cup in there.”
“How about here then?” Lucanis pulled out a chair for her.
“Thank you,” she nodded and sat down, slipping her satchel off her shoulder. She looked around at the sparsely crowded cafe, several other couples at tables by themselves. She felt her stomach tense, wondering if this was technically a date. Did he intend to kiss her at the end? Should she kiss him? The dates in her romance novels usually ended with someone inviting the other in for coffee, so they seemed to be doing the opposite. “Do you…come here a lot?” Mae asked. “I mean, did you…before Spite and the Ossuary?”
“I did, even when I didn’t need to stay up all night. They have coffee without caffeine, so I could still sleep when I wanted to.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Mae smiled, having no clue where to steer the conversation next.
Lucanis didn’t either, wishing he had his drink so he could pause to sip and think of something. “So…do you…choose what you dream about when you go to sleep?” Lucanis finally asked. “Could you…dream about riding a wyvern if you wanted to?”
“No, I can’t just create dreams out of nothing, but say I was dreaming about needing to get somewhere and I started riding a horse, I could change that to a wyvern…though I’ve never ridden a wyvern, so it would be more like riding a horse that looked like a wyvern…sorry…I’m over explaining things,” Mae looked down at the table in embarrassment.
“No…I’m very interested to hear about this,” Lucanis grinned. “I was nearly banned from the natural history museum as a child for trying to ride the display skeleton.”
“Really?” Mae laughed.
“Illario dared me to do it…and I already wanted to anyway…I got halfway up the wing before the docent grabbed me by the shirt collar.”
“If you ever come to Nevarra, the Cumberland Wyrm Museum has a model you can climb on…though…it is supposed to only be for children…but I bet they’d make an exception.”
“I’d love to go,” Lucanis replied as their coffee and pastries arrived. “Just in time,” he took his cup directly from the server and took a slow sip.
She set down Mae’s coffee flight next, a row of five tiny cups, and then the small plate of pastries between them. Both Mae and Lucanis reached for the cinnamon cake, their hands gently colliding. “You go ahead,” Lucanis blushed, pulling his hand back. “You haven’t tried it yet.”
“Why don’t we share?” Mae suggested, splitting the cake in half and handing him the larger piece. “So I can try all of them!”
“That’s fair,” Lucanis took the piece, pairing a bite with a long sip of coffee.
“Which of these should I try first?” Mae asked, looking down at the cups of identical brown liquid.
“This one will pair nicely with the cake…it’s what I’m drinking,” he motioned towards one of the middle cups.
Mae took a large sip, her face immediately shifting as the bitter liquid hit her tongue. “Hmmmm,” she struggled to swallow it, immediately taking a bite of cinnamon cake after. “That’s…bold,” she took another bite of cake, trying to wash away the taste on her tongue.
“You didn’t like it?” Lucanis smirked at her trying to be polite.
“I can see why someone threw their cup in the canal now,” she forced a smile. “I didn’t realize it was so bitter…”
“Some people add cream or sugar to soften it,” Lucanis replied. “I can have them bring you some…but why don’t you try another and see if you can taste a difference.”
“Sure,” Mae nodded, reaching for a cup at the opposite end of her tray. She took a much smaller sip, making the same face as before but trying to hide it behind her cup. “Nope…I just taste bitter,” she swallowed, her throat tensing like she might be sick.
“I’ll go get you some cream and sugar then,” Lucanis suggested, heading back to the counter.
Mae made a quiet noise in her throat, clasping her hands to her stomach. Between her crowd anxiety, being alone with Lucanis, and the now the coffee, her guts were suddenly churning. “Not now, Maker,” she whined to herself, taking in some slow, deep breaths to try to alleviate the cramping.
Her stomach made a loud gurgling noise, announcing its lack of faith and immediate need for a privy. Mae glanced over at Lucanis, who was still at the counter, having a jovial conversation with the barista. “Shit!” Mae whispered scooting her chair out and heading to the restrooms.
With Lucanis occupied catching up with the barista, Spite followed Mae with a devious grin, expecting another peek at her naked body, having little concept of how women went to the bathroom. He only received a brief flash of her bare thighs as she pulled her overcoat and dress up, hurriedly shimmying down her panties and sitting down on the toilet with a violent spray of loose stool. It wasn’t what he’d expected to see and hear, but he giggled childishly until the smell hit him. “Ohhh…Mae…no,” Spite wrinkled his nose, slowly backing out of the bathroom and returned to their table.
“Where’s Mae?” Lucanis asked as he came back with cream, sugar, and tea for Mae if she didn’t want to try any more coffee. “You weren’t bothering her, were you?”
“No,” Spite pressed his lips firmly together, curious to ask Lucanis why she was making such hilarious noises and terrible smells, but not wanting to reveal that he was spying on her again. “I think she went to the bathroom to be sick…your face…made her sick,” Spite leaned into the lie.
“Shut up,” Lucanis sighed, sitting back down, but keeping an eye on the restroom.
Mae emerged a few minutes later, her forehead looking a little dewy from her digestive woes, managing a half smile as she sat back down. “I feel wired already,” she made a wide-eyed expression, seeing the tea and reaching for it immediately. “Oh, thank you.”
“Perhaps starting you off with the intense stuff wasn't the best idea,” Lucanis admitted. “We can try again with something milder.”
“Sure,” Mae nodded, knowing she would likely have the same reaction to all flavors of coffee.
Mae sipped her tea slowly, her stomach still grumbling as they made causal conversation about Treviso and Nevarra City. She had to retreat to the bathroom a second time, pretending to have something stuck in her boot that was digging into her foot. Spite stayed at the table this time, though was proud that his new obsession could make such a stink. “Do you need to get anything else?” Lucanis asked Mae as the barista cleared their table, having asked her for a lead on a shop that sold hair pins.
“I could probably do with some more soaps and things,” Mae replied, feeling a bath was in order after her ordeal in the toilets.
“There’s an apothecary that will have some nice toiletries and it is away from the market, so there will be no crowds either,” Lucanis suggested, getting up and rushing to help her pull out her chair.
“Sounds perfect,” she smiled, his body half-blocking her from moving forward, in the perfect position to kiss her. She thought for a moment he was reaching out to pull her closer, but he just grabbed her satchel off the back of her chair.
“Don’t want to forget this,” he smiled.
“Definitely not,” she hid a disappointed sigh, stopping for one last agonizing trip to the privy.
They headed for the apothecary, the jewelers Lucanis wanted to go to close enough that he could leave Mae again and pop back in before she was finished shopping. Although the streets were less crowded and more quiet, the Qunari soldiers were more numerous, a few of them lustfully grunting at Mae. Spite growled angrily at them in response, despite them not being able to hear it. They passed a toy shop on the way, Mae spotting something she instantly needed to buy.
Lucanis went off to browse hairpins after dropping her at the large apothecary, not noticing her slipping out after hastily buying some soap and bath oils. She doubled back to the toy store, buying the item she’d seen in the window and tucking it into her bag. She returned to the apothecary to continue browsing toiletries and inquired about a tonic that might settle her digestive system. She downed it quickly when she saw Lucanis return to the shop, before the clerk decided to air her business to the world anyway. “Now if the diarrhea persists, be sure to drink plenty of water,” the old man recommended. “We also sell a salve for the backside if it starts to chafe.”
“Thank you,” Mae hissed between gritted teeth, snatching up the small sack of herbalism ingredients she’d also purchased.
Lucanis just smiled awkwardly, pretending not to hear, though was slightly relieved that she hadn’t gone to the privy so many times to avoid talking to him. They walked in silence for a bit, heading back towards the Cantori Diamond. “I have something for you,” Lucanis finally said as they rode the elevator up to the Eluvian, seeing Mae tucking her hair behind her ear again. He pulled out a small box from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Oh?” she looked at the box wide-eyed, her mind insipidly assuming he was proposing for just a moment. She opened it up quickly, seeing that it wasn’t a ring, but a gold hair pin with a delicate opal dove affixed to one end. “Oh…” she let out a little coo, carefully taking it out of the box.
“To go with your flowers,” he smiled, the sweet noise that she’d made worth the price he’d paid for it. “And to keep your hair out of your eyes…it can be a liability in a fight.”
“Right…useful,” she blushed, slipping the pin through her hair, right above her ear. “How does it look?”
“Here,” he adjusted it slightly, tucking more hair in so it didn’t cover the dove. She let out a quiet breath as his fingers brushed against her ear. “It looks perfect,” he gazed at her with a wide smile, his dark eyes making her swoon.
“Iguva,” she uttered a non-existent word as her tongue tied itself in multiple knots. “I…uh…got you something as well,” she fumbled into her bag, reaching for the thing she’d purchased at the toy store. “I was going to save it in case we did get to Nevarra…but…” She handed him a small wooden dagger, shaped like a wyvern tooth. “It’s silly and useless…but…if you ever got the chance to ride on one…I thought you should have the proper weapon,” she stared at her feet, embarrassed by her paltry gift.
“This is amazing,” Lucanis beamed, spinning the lightweight dagger on his hand with a flourish. “I wanted one as a child…but Caterina never let me have one.”
“Really?” Mae finally looked up, seeing the joy on his face before he embraced her.
“This is the most special thing anyone has ever given me…thank you, Mae,” he hugged her tightly, unable to control his emotions at the moment.
Spite was overjoyed as well, assuming this exchange of gifts would immediately lead to sex and joined their hug, making them both shiver against one another. “You’re very welcome,” Mae sunk against him, guessing his childhood was as affection-less as hers was. As much as she wanted to kiss him, this was just as good at the moment. Their embrace was once again interrupted by Illario, who stood waiting at the elevator door as it clattered open.
“There you are,” he sucked his teeth loudly, irritated that his cousin was apparently gaining more ground with Mae than he was. “Viago mentioned you’d slipped away into the city with the lovely Lady Ingellvar. I hope you didn’t spoil all the sights I wanted to show her.”
“We were shopping, not sightseeing,” Lucanis released her immediately, not wanting his cousin to make any more assumptions about their relationship. “We’ve got a whole team to feed.”
“And what’s this?” Illario grabbed the toy dagger out of Lucanis’ hand like a jealous toddler. “You don’t have a child, do you?” He looked at Mae with a note of apprehension.
“Gods, no,” Mae made a face as Illario tried the same knife flourish with the toy, much less elegantly than Lucanis had done it. “Adults deserve some whimsy as well.”
“Well, I prefer the real thing,” Illario tossed the toy ungraciously back at Lucanis. “I’m already pursuing some leads into Caterina’s death.”
“Good,” Lucanis tightened his lips, angry that his cousin was mocking Mae’s thoughtful gift. “Let me know as soon as you get something solid.”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Illario patted Lucanis on the shoulder. “As long as you’re not off on some whimsical adventure with blighted gods and demons…”
Lucanis had the urge to punch Illario for the first time since they were teens, the hormonal boys frequently trying to one up one another. There was no reason for Illario to be mocking Mae, unless he was trying some ill-advised method of flirting by being rude. Lucanis was certain his cousin had no real interest in Mae other than stealing her away. It was something he had always done, even as a child. Mae looked down at her feet again, reaching up to nervously tuck her hair behind her ear even though it was already pinned back. “I should go find Ferdi so we can head back,” she said quietly, her joy now diminished. She walked past Illario staring at the ground and went out onto one of the balconies.
“Do you have a problem with Mae?” Lucanis asked, tucking the toy dagger into his belt. “I think you made her feel bad even though I loved her gift.”
“She’s just a little strange, isn’t she?” Illario shrugged. “The pet bird and odd clothing…and the way she over-explains things…”
“So you don’t like her because she isn’t one of those mindless flamingos who fawn over you?”
“I never said I didn’t like her,” Illario glanced out the window, seeing her bent over the railing calling for her rook. “I bet you could see every spank mark on that lily-white ass.”
“You’re disgusting,” Lucanis spat, pushing past him by bumping his shoulder hard.
He joined Mae on the balcony, putting his hand close to hers on the railing. “Illario always pretended to be older than he actually was,” Lucanis said, hoping to make her feel better. “But he still wet the bed into his teens…he had little imagination…even then.”
“You two grew up together?” Mae asked, letting out a quiet sigh.
“Illario and I were the only ones to survive House Veladro’s war to claim the seat of First Talon. We were like brothers…though we still fought of course.”
“There weren’t many children in the Necropolis…and only a few very unsettling child spirits…but I think I would’ve liked having a sister to grow up with,” Mae mused.
“You and Harding seem close,” Lucanis noted.
“We were roughly the same age when we both joined the Inquisition, both young and eager for adventure. It was a dangerous time back then, but we still managed to have some fun.”
“You’ll have to tell me some stories sometime,” Lucanis smiled, looking out at city beyond. “Ferdinand isn’t back yet?”
“He’s over there,” Mae smiled, tipping her head towards a building across the way. “I think he has a new love interest.”
There was a small group of corvids on the roof, Ferdinand sticking out slightly due to his featherless chin. He was ruffling and flapping his wings in a courtship dance, one of the other birds in particular paying close attention. “So he still has…an instinct to be an ordinary rook, even though he’s inhabited by a spirit?” Lucanis wondered.
“Somewhat,” Mae nodded. “I think he’s gotten lonelier in the past year while we were tracking Solas. We were constantly on the move and he never had the chance to find a flock to settle in with.”
“Would that mean he’d be staying here in Treviso?”
“I don’t know,” Mae replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. “It would be his choice if he wanted to raise a family here.”
“The fucking bird is going to have sex before we do?” Spite grumbled at Lucanis’ side. “Do…you think doing a dance for Mae would help my chances?”
Lucanis tried not to laugh at the idea of Spite attempting a mating dance, knowing Mae’s mood was still somber. “I doubt he would leave your side so easily,” Lucanis said, leaning against the railing a little closer to her. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“I hear that a lot…I’m never sure if it’s a good or bad thing…”
“It’s a very good thing, Mae,” Lucanis nudged her with his hip ever so slightly. “Anyone who doesn’t think so is incredibly boring.”
“I’ve been told I’m incredibly boring too,” she sighed, pushing herself off the railing. “Maybe I just need more coffee…I feel like I could fly off the roof right now.”
“The jitteriness goes away quickly,” Lucanis looked back at her as she rolled her shoulders, trying to un-tense her muscles. “But maybe you should dance too?”
“Ha!” She did a little twirl, spinning on her toes with a graceful kick. “Harding did teach me to dance a little, just in case I ever got invited to one of the fancy Nevarran society parties.”
“Did you?” Lucanis asked, leaning back on the railing to watch her repeating the steps to some unknown dance. Spite was trying and failing to dance in step with her, fluttering his wings and stumbling over his own feet.t
“Oh no,” Mae shook her head, finishing her dance with a slight curtesy. “I accidentally blew up a bunch of noble undead who were trying to take over the city and was permanently banned from any guest list.”
“Now I need to hear this story,” Lucanis marveled at her. “And brush up on my dance skills with Harding.”
“Perhaps over coffee and tea sometime,” Mae motioned with her head as Ferdinand flew over from the roof, finished with his courtship and with another arranged date settled. He landed on the railing in front of her, cawing softly. “It’s alright, I understand that you met someone,” Mae replied. “She has very lovely tail feathers.”
He cawed again in response before flying onto her shoulder. “Yes we can come back whenever you want,” she nodded, looking to Lucanis to see if he was ready to return to the Lighthouse.
I didn’t mean for this to go for nearly 10k words but it’s got a lot of sweetness, Spite being a real freak, Rook’s familiar, and a ladies night at the Cantori Diamond.
I’ve also decided to split my DA fics into parts and not just one large story. They will still all interweave through each game and OCs will pop up in different parts. I wanted to be able to jump back and forth between games and not just chronologically through the timeline of events. They’ll be published on my Ao3 like usual.
Content and Warnings: vomiting, grief, attempted up skirting, obsession, alcohol use. Major DATV Act 3 spoiler alluded to.
Lucanis felt his stomach lurch as the ship crested a particularly large wave. His usual seasickness was only assuaged by the fact that he’d barely eaten in days. He’d found scraps of leftover meals from the Venatori guards he’d killed, but he was running on sheer will right now. He decided to head up to the deck for some fresh air, the bow of the ship feeling a little humid from the midday sun. His new acquaintances were also on the deck, enjoying the warm sea air and working on their tans, aside from Maene. She was leaned over the railing near the back of the ship, her long coat and dress swirling with the breeze. “Come on…just…” Spite grunted, doing something with his arms.
“What are you doing?” Lucanis asked quietly, giving the captain a nod when he spotted him.
“Trying to make the wind blow Mae’s dress up,” Spite continued flailing his arms, making loud blowing noises with his mouth. “I could do it if I was still in the Fade…instead I’m trapped here with you…sexless weirdo…”
“I’m as unhappy about it as you are,” Lucanis grumbled. “Why don’t you lay off her for a while? You’ve barely stopped talking about her since we met.”
“Because I want to lay on her,” Spite replied, scrambling to her side and continued to try to blow her dress up.
Lucanis let out a heavy sigh, heading towards her as well, if only to block her dress from actually flying up if one of Spite’s attempts succeeded. She glanced back at him when she heard the creak on the deck, a smile forced upon her pale face. “Are you alright?” Lucanis asked. “You look paler…than usual. I can make you some soup when we get to shore.”
“Just…a little sea sick,” she replied, wishing she had kept Illario’s ginger lozenge for the boat ride back. “And I’m pretty pale to begin with…I don’t spend a lot of time in the sun back home.”
“You are from Nevarra?” He asked, recognizing her slight accent.
“Mmmmhmmm,” she nodded, turning her face back towards the water and taking in a slow breath to keep from being sick in front of him. “Even outside of the Necropolis, the weather is frequently cloudy.”
“So you are one of those death mages then?” He asked, witnessing some of her unfamiliar magic in the Ossuary. “A necromancer?”
“A Mortalitasi, yes,” she replied, sensing some wariness in his tone. “Have you ever…killed one of those?” She hesitated to ask.
“Possibly,” he replied. “If any of them joined the Venatori.”
“I hope not,” she mused. “We have enough problems with Tevinter at our borders. The last thing we need are traitors within the Order.”
“You said you dealt with Venatori before? With Harding?” Lucanis glanced over at the freckled dwarf, who was adding a few more laying face up on the deck with her eyes closed.
“Yes. I briefly joined the Inquisition down south, when that huge breach in the Fade appeared,” Mae answered. “That’s how this whole damn mess got started.”
“What did happen, exactly? You mentioned blighted elven gods…”
“And one non-blighted asshole god,” Mae grimaced, her stomach lurching even more thinking about the botched ritual. “He has many names, but I knew him as Solas, an elven apostate and a somniari like me.”
“What’s that?” Lucanis asked. He had heard of the term and had in fact, been contracted to kill one once, but he certainly didn’t want to mention it to Mae. He only knew they were incredibly dangerous.
“We are called Dreamers. We can enter the Fade at will, without the use of a ritual or blood magic. I can reshape it to an extent and connect with spirits…and demons on a deeper level.”
“Is that how you were able to…say ‘hello’ to Spite?”
“Yes. I reached into the Fade for a moment to feel the driving emotion of his essence.”
“She touched something alright,” Spite halted his useless blowing for a moment. “She touched my weindus.”
“What’s a ‘weindus’?” Lucanis asked, mostly to Spite, but she obviously heard it as well.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of that,” She knitted her brow. “Is that something the Venatori did to you?”
“It’s like the demonic equivalent to an asshole,” Spite replied dreamily. “It felt like she had her whole fist in there. It was amazing.”
Lucanis let out an audible groan, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Forget I asked,” he sighed. “So this Solas could enter the Fade too and reshape it?”
“That’s what he claimed…come to find out, he was the one who created the Veil in the first place and wanted to take it down.”
“Wouldn’t that let demons into our world?” Lucanis wondered, knowing there were much more dangerous ones than Spite.
“Yes,” Mae nodded, still trying to justify her actions in her head. “That’s why I was helping Harding and Varric track Solas down. That’s why I tried to stop his ritual…the blighted gods getting out was…not what I intended…”
“It sounds like you were trying to do the right thing,” Lucanis softened his tone, hearing the regret in her voice.
“It just always seems to go wrong,” she frowned, feeling her stomach start to heave. “Oh gods!”
She leaned over the railing even more, gripping it tightly in her hands. She gagged loudly, her hair falling into her face before Lucanis gently brushed it back, holding it in place as she gagged again and then spewed her last meal into the bay. “Ewwww…gross…yet so hot!” Spite jeered, greatly amused by mortal bodily functions.
Lucanis cast him a glare so sharp that it made the demon retreat for the moment, leaving Lucanis to soothe her as she vomited again. He rubbed her back softly with his free hand like his mother used to do when he was sick, breathing out of his mouth to avoid any scent of Mae’s vomit which would send him retching too. She let out a quiet moan when she finished, collapsing against the railing with a relieved sigh. “Thank you,” she sniffled, reaching into a pocket to grab a handkerchief to dab her mouth. “I should have asked your cousin for another ginger lozenge. The ride to the Ossuary was much easier.”
“You met Illario?” Lucanis asked.
“He escorted us to the docks. He’s…much different than you,” she said off-handedly, but meant it as a compliment.
“So I’ve been told,” Lucanis smirked, guiding her away from the railing so she could sit down. “Would you feel better below deck? We still have about an hour before we reach the cove that can get us back into the city unseen.”
“It’s too hot down there,” Mae shook her head. “And I’m already sweating through my small clothes.”
Spite reappeared at the mention of her unmentionables, waggling his eyebrows as Lucanis swatted at him. “Let’s try to cool you down then,” Lucanis found her a comfortable spot to lay down on the deck. “I’ll get a wet rag for your forehead.”
He brought a cloth over to her, frowning at Spite as the demon tried soothing her in his own way, by licking her forehead. It ended up having a soothing effect, though Lucanis was displeased by the application. “Hmmm, the cold feels nice,” Mae said, before Lucanis could even put the rag to her brow.
“See, I am helping,” Spite lolled his long, forked tongue out.
Lucanis just shook his head, folding up his overcoat to put under her ear. Mae dozed until the boat reached the hidden cove that they would use to slip back into Treviso without the Antaam navy seeing them. Lucanis gently roused her when it was time to transfer to the small rowboat that would get them through the canals. “Feeling any better?” He asked when she opened her eyes, the deep blue making his heart flutter.
“Now that the boat has stopped moving,” she managed a smile, taking his hand as he helped her up. “Thank you…you’re awfully gentle for an assassin.”
“Killing requires a gentle hand sometimes,” he replied, fighting the urge to brush her hair out of her face.
He’d already allowed himself to feel things he shouldn’t and he needed to keep his focus on this new contract. Still, his resolve didn’t stop him from helping her down into the smaller boat, steadying her waist as she climbed down the ladder. He heard a loud squawk as she got settled onto the bench beside him, wondering why one of the numerous birds from the city would be this far offshore. “Ferdi!” Mae said happily as the bird circled and landed right on her shoulder. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here to meet us.” The bird cawed in response, as if answering her, before it started trying to preen her hair away from her face. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just feeling a little ill on the boat. No need to fuss over me,” she added, scratching it under its featherless chin.
“Are you…talking to the bird?” Lucanis asked, giving her a strange look despite his own one-way conversations with Spite.
“Yes, this is Ferdinand. He’s been my assistant for years,” she introduced him.
“You tamed a rook as your…assistant?” Lucanis couldn’t hide a grin. “What does he do?”
“Lots of things,” Mae replied, reaching into another pocket for a piece of hardtack for the bird to peck on. “He’s…not an ordinary bird. He is inhabited by a wisp. It was a non-traditional vessel, but a lot of Mortalitasi have undead assistants.”
“I see,” Lucanis looked to the other women, who seemed to have no reaction to the possessed avian.
The bird held its treat in his talon, staring curiously at Spite as the demon gaped at the bird. They cawed quietly at one another for a moment, following each other’s heads as if looking at themselves in a mirror. “Birdy want a worm?” Spite finally teased, wiggling his long tongue out towards it. Ferdinand snapped his head down towards it, managing to catch it in his beak through some arcane means. “Ahhh..thuck…stahp…vasstard!” Spite sputtered, trying to bat at the bird but seemingly having no effect despite the rook being able to interact with him him. Lucanis laughed loudly, happy to see Mae had someone to defend her from Spite’s overtures.
“Is the demon bothering you?” Mae asked after Ferdi finally released Spite’s tongue, ruffling his feathers to show the demon he wasn’t to be trifled with. Ferdi cawed in response, taking a nibble of food but keeping his eyes trained on the demon, who was glaring back at the bird. “Yes, but it wasn’t Lucanis’ choice,” Mae continued her silent conversation with the bird. “I’m sure he’d be much happier with someone as nice as you instead.”
“What’s he saying?” Lucanis asked, even more utterly fascinated by Mae now.
“He wanted to know why you chose to be inhabited by a…pardon his language…I certainly didn’t teach him that…dickhead?”
“At least I have a dick…I think?” Spite looked down at his pants.
“I think that I would too,” Lucanis smiled, offering his finger to see if the bird wanted another chin scratch. The bird happily accepted one, cawing at Mae again before returning to his snack. “We’ll talk about it later,” she blushed in response, turning her eyes away from Lucanis.
“Rook, could you put one of the wisps from Neve’s office into a bird?” Harding wondered as they shoved off from the other boat.
“Theoretically yes,” Mae nodded, Ferdi now roosting quietly on her shoulder. “But I’d need to find another dead or dying bird…and the wisp would need the desire to take on a corporeal form.”
“We could have a dead bird soon enough,” Spite grumbled to himself, still upset at being bested by a Spirit of Knowledge.
Ferdi ruffled his feathers again, making what one could assume was a rude gesture with his talons, before settling back on Mae’s shoulder for a nap. The remainder of their boat ride was relatively peaceful, until they neared the city, and Lucanis saw the extent of the Antaam occupation. He swore under his breath, nervously fiddling with his daggers. “I should have been here,” he hissed, shaking his head.
“It happened very fast,” Neve tried to reassure him. “Things might’ve been much worse if the other Crows hadn’t kept a level head.”
Lucanis sighed loudly, trying to rub the exhaustion and frustration from his brow. They navigated the canals in silence, reaching the closest dock to the Cantori Diamond as the sun began to set. Mae turned her head towards Ferdi, who was still perched on her shoulder. “Why don’t you head out and see if any of the birds around the city have news? You can meet us at the casino after you socialize.” The bird cawed in response, flying off after letting loose a squirt of shit that splattered across Spite’s non-corporeal form. “Bastard! How?” Spite shouted, shaking his fist in the air. Lucanis allowed himself a chuckle and then proceeded to navigate them through the busy streets towards the casino.
There seemed to be a commotion out front, which Lucanis pushed through to reach the elevator that led to the Nest. “Lucanis!” Teia exclaimed as the Crows greeted the elevator with raised blades. “You’re back!”
“What’s going on, Teia?” Lucanis skipped through the reunion with a brief hug. “The guards downstairs were all shouting about security.”
“It’s Caterina,” Teia shook her head, biting deeply into her lip to hide her emotions. “The Venatori grabbed her outside…roughly an hour ago.”
“Where is she?” Lucanis asked, hearing Viago coming up the back entrance.
“Lucanis!” Viago hugged him tightly before giving Mae a thankful squeeze on the arm for bringing him back.
“What happened, Viago? Where is my grandmother? Where’s Illario?” Lucanis asked.
“He was about to walk her home to the villa when the Venatori attacked. We’re still trying to figure out details, but…she didn’t make it.”
“What do you mean, didn’t make it?…She’s…dead?”
Viago nodded with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Illario has taken her to the crematorium…for final rites…”
Lucanis stormed off without another word, leaving the Nest in silence. The others looked sadly at one another and then to Mae, who they all knew was an expert when it came to death. “Maybe you should go talk to him?” Teia suggested, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “He doesn’t exactly…cope with death in a healthy way…but he might listen to you…you deal with this sort of thing all the time, right?”
“Yes, I do,” Mae nodded.
She walked quietly into the room Lucanis had retreated into, casting an aura of consolation that would radiate out onto him. His back was turned towards her and his head was bowed.“Lucanis…” she said softly, reaching out for one of his hands, which was trembling with grief. He flinched slightly, not expecting the comforting touch, but allowed her to hold it. “I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye,” he swallowed the lump in his throat, shoving his grief down with it. “I just got my life back…and now she’s gone…”
“May I say a Prayer of Departing for her?” Mae asked.
“Of course,” he nodded, bowing his head even lower and closing his eyes.
“Blessed Maker,” Mae began, her voice resonating at a tone that sent waves of solace down Lucanis’ body.
Mae repeated the words she’d said so many times in the Necropolis, taking a chunk of her ritual incense from one of her pockets. She smudged around Lucanis with a light smoke, filling his nostrils with a rich, spicy scent. It was soothing to him and he took in a long, deep breath. They stood in silence for a moment after she’d finished her prayer, theirs hands joined loosely together. Lucanis finally let out a heavy sigh, giving her hand a tight squeeze before letting go. “Thank you, Mae,” he said, looking at her with upmost sincerity.
He’d never met anyone like her before and he’d never felt the things he was feeling about her. He nearly reached out to embrace her, but stopped himself at the last minute, not sure if he could ever let go. He shrugged it off as if it was a chill and cast his eyes to the floor. “I will need the rest of the day to…get my affairs sorted…and then I can get started on this contract…”
“Take all the time that you need,” she replied, moving her hand up to his shoulder. She knew all too well the posture of someone that was touch-starved and desperate for mortal connection. “We are all here for you,” she added.
He hugged her suddenly, unable to resist the need to feel grounded to something solid, something so beautiful. He let his head sink against her shoulder as he gave in to these new feelings for a moment. “Whatever you need,” she murmured, rubbing her fingers up his back just as he’d soothed her earlier. “Just ask.” They held each other for a long moment, before being interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
“Sorry to interrupt, cousin,” Illario said, his tone sounding more jealous than grief-stricken.
“Illario,” Lucanis released Mae from their shared embrace and gave his cousin a shorter one. “How did this happen? Why the Venatori? Why now?”
“Perhaps it has to do with why you were taken in the first place?…and now that you have escaped…retribution…” Illario replied.
“Zara Renata,” Lucanis growled angrily. “She put me in that prison. She’s behind grandmother’s murder…I just know it.”
“Leave Zara to me,” Illario insisted. “It is Crow business…and you have a new contract with the lovely Maene here.”
“She was my grandmother too,” Lucanis replied, looking back at Mae for a moment.
“It’s no coincidence that Zara was pulling all those demons from the prison right now. The Venatori are working with the gods, so they need to be stopped as well,” Mae noted.
“You’ll be the first to know if I hear anything about her,” Illario patted Lucanis on the shoulder with causal indifference and then took Mae by the arm. “Why don’t we head downstairs and get a drink? You look quite peaked.”
“Why does everyone here think I look sick?” Mae sighed, touching her forehead to see if she appeared feverish.
Teia offered the group rooms at the Diamond for the night, working with Bellara on getting the Eluvian transferred to the casino from the antiques shop where they’d entered from the Crossroads. Lucanis got the women set up with chips to gamble with, using his fortune to fund a brief reprieve from their mission to stop the Blighted Gods.
He was still trying to process the news of his grandmother’s death and sat down next to Illario as they shared a drink on the casino floor. “It is nice to have you back, all things considered,” Illario said, taking a long sip from his drink. “As soon as I heard you were alive...”
“I just wish it was under better circumstances,” Lucanis sighed. “Caterina…the Antaam…these blighted gods…”
“Welcome home,” Illario said sarcastically, finishing his drink and ordering another. “At least you brought home something…interesting…a necromancer,” he glanced over at Mae, who had wandered over to a dice table with Harding.
“She’s just another client,” Lucanis sipped his drink, but glanced over at Mae as well.
“And that’s why I found you with your arms wrapped around her?”
“She was just being kind…consoling me,” Lucanis kept his gaze on her.
There was something so intriguing about the death mage. She was unusually quiet, unless she was talking about something arcane, then her voice would take on an excited lilt and she would barely take a breath. She seemed burdened by this failed ritual, the weight of it making her eyes seem almost sad all the time. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, doe-like and colored as deep-blue as Rialto Bay. Her loose, raven-black curls cascaded down her back like ribbons of silk. Her robes and coat were finely tailored, though slightly dulled, perhaps by a layer of grave dust. The scent that clung to her, that Spite had described as death and magic, made Lucanis’ heart flutter with hope.
That was one of the few things that gave him pause about her. Despite having a demon inside him for the past few months, Lucanis’ knowledge of spirits, demons, and the Fade was like most people’s, wary and suspicious. She spoke so casually about such dangerous things and seemed to have little fear of Spite. The demon was another thing that gave him pause. Spite had been following her around like a lost puppy, even after her feathered companion had embarrassed him. Whatever Spite’s interest in her, it wouldn’t be safe for Lucanis to get close to her.
He kept a curious eye on Mae’s table, seeing her suddenly looking nervous. Harding seemed to be offering her reassuring words as a small crowd gathered around the table. He barely heard what Illario was droning on about as everyone tensed with anticipation when Mae picked up a set of dice from the table. She shook them in her closed palms, Spite at her side trying to blow some demonic luck on her hands. The entire table went silent as she rolled the dice across the table, every person’s gaze transfixed on them. They erupted into loud cheers as she apparently won, several old gamblers shaking their heads with disbelief as she jumped up and down with unbridled excitement. It made Lucanis’ heart swell and he smiled without thinking. “So what do you think, cousin?” Illario asked loudly, noticing that Lucanis was focused elsewhere.
“Ask me again later,” Lucanis tried to play it off like he had any idea what Illario had been saying.
“Whatever you say, Luca,” Illario smirked, casting his gaze at Mae as well.
It was clear his cousin was attracted to the odd, but beautiful woman, which made her attractive to Illario as well. Once Mae had finished with her celebration, Harding guided her away from the table with an armful of chips. “Let’s move you to a table that has betting limits!” Harding said, her freckled cheeks red from stress.
“It looks like you won, Lechita,” Illario purred, helping Mae pick up a few chips that she’d dropped. “Can I get you another drink?”
“Sure!” Mae let out a relieved sigh as Lucanis grabbed a tray for her to put her chips on. “I’ve never gambled before and I apparently put the highest amount on the lowest odds.”
“Cards might be more your game,” Lucanis grinned, trying to nudge past his cousin, who was offering Mae a glass of champagne.
“Oh, I can’t drink bubbly stuff or I will be belching for hours,” she politely refused, getting her chips settled in the tray. “Do they have Neverran Corpse Wine?”
Harding, Lucanis, and Illario all made a face at her request. “It’s not made with corpses!” Mae assured them. “Just made by them! They are actually quite fantastic vintners. They don’t need to rest so their grapes are well attended and so flavorful.”
“I will check,” Illario replied before Lucanis could offer to, much to his annoyance.
“So what do you think of Treviso so far?” Lucanis asked, guiding Mae and Harding towards a card game that had betting limits.
“It’s…loud,” Mae replied, her voice already a little hoarse from having to talk louder than usual and celebrating her winnings. “The Necropolis is always peaceful and even up in Nevarra City it’s relatively quiet.”
“We like it lively here in Antiva…pardon the phrase,” Lucanis grimaced at his unintentional pun.
“I don’t mind it too much. Redcliffe was pretty bustling on market day and I’d been to Denerim a few times,” Harding added her opinion.
Lucanis got them set up at a low stakes card game that was easy to understand. Illario found them again with a glass of wine in hand, setting it down in front of Mae with a slight flourish. “They didn’t have anything from Nevarra, but I brought you the next best thing, a glass of Rialto Virtue. The grapes are crushed between the nubile bodies of virgins,” Illario boasted.
“Are they virgins because they spend all their time making wine?” Mae laughed at her own retort, snorting quietly as she took a sip.
She was already a little tipsy from the drink she’d had before she’d risked all her chips and she hadn’t eaten since getting sick on the boat. She normally teetotaled or nursed a single drink through the night, but these had been handed to her for free and who was she to refuse Treviso hospitality “Mmmmmm…you can really taste the chastity,” she giggled, her nose crinkling as she did. It made Lucanis grin ear to ear, both because it was nice to see she had a sense of humor and it made Illario grumble with annoyance that his expensive drink was being joked about.
“Lemme taste!” Harding asked, taking a sip from Mae’s glass when she handed it over, also slightly drunk. “Hey…you can taste the chastity!” She laughed, sending both women into a fit of giggles as they were dealt new cards.
Illario wandered away from their table, muttering under his breath. They played several hands, Harding losing most of her chips and Mae going up and down a few times as she finished her wine. Her head began to droop at the end of each hand, until Harding would nudge her that she should look at her cards before betting.
Lucanis finally escorted them back up to their room before Mae nodded off at the table. Neve and Bellara were still down gambling and Lucanis checked in on them before he headed home to his city apartment for the night. “Where are we going?” Spite asked as Lucanis pulled his hood up and began heading away from the Cantori Diamond.
“We are going home,” Lucanis answered, keeping his head down.
He knew this was a dangerous time to be out alone, newly resurrected and the likeliest choice to be the new First Talon. It would be the perfect opportunity for another Crow house to seize control by taking him out for good. He was also more vulnerable now that he had Spite to deal with. “Why aren’t we staying with Mae?” Spite asked.
“Why would I?” Lucanis asked. “I have my own place here. I need to get some things before we head back to this refuge she spoke about.”
“What if she gets horny and wants sex?” Spite asked. “She might’ve asked us! You could’ve finally blown your load!”
“I suppose it isn’t surprising that you have no idea how women think,” Lucanis shook his head, continuing down the street as Spite looked mournfully back at the casino.
Little did Lucanis know, Spite’s fantasy was surprisingly accurate. As soon as Mae got up to their room, she started gushing about Lucanis. “I wish Lucanis was here,” she mumbled, starting to strip off her clothes. “He’s…really sexy…” she slurred her ‘S’ heavily. “Do you think that he likes me?”
“What?” Harding asked, her shirt stuck over her head as she tried to take it off.
“Lucanis!” Mae said louder, trying to help her.
“You want to go to the sauna?” Harding asked, finally shaking the shirt off with a drunken laugh.
“There’s a sauna?” Mae asked excitedly.
“Yeah, I saw one just down the hall as we were walking up here.”
“Let’s go then!” Mae replied, heading towards the door in only her small clothes.
“Wait! Put a robe on first, Rook!” Harding urged.
Mae grabbed a robe and threw another one at Harding, both of them stripping completely nude before putting them on. They headed down the hall, meeting Neve and Bellara, who had gotten the same idea. “So…you and Rook have seen each other naked before?” Bellara blushed as Mae and Harding took their robes off without hesitation.
“Oh yeah,” Harding replied, sitting unabashed and nude next to Mae. “We used to share a tent when we went on scouting missions together…and the entire year we were hunting Solas, the three of us shared a room…with Varric,” Harding added with a little sadness in her voice.
“Remember how he’d knock on the door every time he came back, ‘are you two decent?’ He’d ask,” Mae mimicked Varric’s voice. “Did he think we were just hanging out naked in the middle of the day?”
“Yeah, that was pretty funny,” Harding tried to smile.
“Yet he’d be right in here with us, showing off his chest hair,” Mae laughed. “Sorry ladies, this is just how the Maker made me,” Mae mimicked his voice again. “I can’t wait to tell him.”
The three other women exchanged a sad glance at one another. It often seemed like Mae still thought of Varric in the present, alive and well. A few of them had found her in the infirmary, sitting on the bed next to where they’d laid a makeshift memorial of his things. They all just assumed it was some sort of Nevarran tradition to honor the dead, but the longer it went on, the sadder it seemed. “Do…the Mourn Watch…talk to the dead often?” Bellara asked bluntly, though Mae was too tipsy to catch her actual meaning.
“Yes, all the time actually,” Mae replied. “It’s one of our main duties as Watchers.”
“Does it help?”
“Usually,” Mae nodded, wiping some sweat from her brow. “It can close old wounds…offer last words…clear up questions.”
“That would certainly wrap up a lot of my cases much quicker,” Neve tried to move the conversation away from grief. “You might put me out of a job.”
“The dead can’t tell you everything,” Mae smiled. “There’s still plenty of room for good old-fashioned detective work.”
There was a lull in the conversation as everyone sighed and enjoyed the hot, steamy air. “So have you guys seen Rook’s tattoo?” Harding asked, hoping to get the conversation started again and on a lighter note.
“Rook has a tattoo?” Bellara asked excitedly.
Mae stood up and turned around, showing off the subtle, peach-toned tattoo that ran up and depicted her spinal column. It was anatomically correct and positioning exactly over the corresponding bones under her skin. “Nice ink,” Neve leaned in for a closer look. “How long did it take?”
“About twenty hours in total, I think,” Mae sat back down. “I used it as part of my Watcher initiation. I communed with a spirit who could see the exact positioning of my bones, while the skeleton tattooed me. It was a wonderful examination of nerve sensation.”
“Being a Mortalitasi…sounds…interesting,” Bellara laughed nervously.
“It is,” Mae grinned drunkenly.
Despite Bellara’s apprehension, she continued to pester Mae with questions about the Mourn Watch and Mortalitasi, until the four women had sweat all the alcohol out of their systems and were ready for bed. “So what is everyone ordering for breakfast?” Harding asked as they walked back to their rooms.
“Teia said we could order whatever we wanted…I might order the most expensive thing, just to try it,” Bellara replied.
“I like the way you think!” Mae laughed. “What about you Neve? Harding?”
“I think they have something similar to what I usually eat for breakfast…but they call it a Monte Treviso sandwich,” Harding replied.
“Chiffon pancakes, heartwood syrup, nug bacon, and an extra large coffee,” Neve already had her exact order in mind.
They parted ways when they arrived back to their shared rooms, planning to meet up on one of the verandas to eat their aforementioned breakfasts together in the morning. Mae and Harding passed out almost right away, their robes piled on the floor beside their small beds. Neve and Bellara stayed up a little later, both of them with more on their minds than sleep could beckon them from.
Lucanis also fell on the side of sleeplessness, arriving at his apartment to find it basically unattended. Illario had apparently volunteered to care for Lucanis’ pet snake, Buccatini, but she had ‘escaped’ according to his cousin. Lucanis could only hope she was free and spending her days feasting on the many rats of Treviso and not having starved in her enclosure when Illario forgot about her. Lucanis tidied up, changing and washing the sheets that Illario had most certainly brought women home to have sex on. While Lucanis was not often captured by sexual arousal, his cousin had always been a bit of a flirt. He had even been trying to flirt with Mae, much to both Lucanis’ and Spite’s disapproval.
Lucanis drew a bath, contemplating shaving the beard he’d grown in the Ossuray, but saw that Illario had dulled all of his razors. Lucanis sunk into the bath with a heavy sigh, having endured cold splashes of water for a year. It was a relief to his tightly-wound body and he finally felt able to relax, letting his mind drift to thoughts of Mae. She reminded him of the meek, but secretly spirited heroines in the romance novels he frequently read. She had come to his rescue however, but he didn’t mind the role reversal. Spite could be the villain of their story, keeping them apart, but perhaps they could have a happy ending after all?
Lucanis began to draw his fingers down his body, letting them massage his muscles and imagining them on Mae’s body instead. Her hand had been so soft to hold, surely the rest of the that porcelain skin was like silk to touch. He let out a longing sigh, the time without human touch starving him for even longer than a year. His hand began to unconsciously creep up his thigh, anticipating an arrival to his stirring loins. All thoughts of self-pleasure evaporated when Spite reappeared, after spending the last few hours trying to snoop through Lucanis’ things. “I thought you were rich?” Spite looked around the well-appointed, but small bathroom. The apartment was more of a crash pad for Lucanis when he didn’t want to travel all the way out to one of the villas.
“I am rich,” Lucanis replied, moving his hand away from his cock before Spite noticed.
“My domain in the Fade was ten-times this size,” Spite boasted.
“I’m sure it was full of corpses and excrement or whatever else demons like to have around them.”
“I’m not some sloth demon wallowing in my own filth,” Spite protested. “I had a beautiful sulfur bath, a bed made of hair, carved-bone furniture…I was a Spirit of Passion once…I do have taste,” Spite added, trying to summon enough focus to draw something crude into the steamed-up mirror.
“Clearly,” Lucanis said sarcastically as Spite began to draw a penis on the mirror.
The assassin wanted to close his eyes and relax, letting his thoughts drift back to Mae, but with the demon around again, he needed to concentrate on staying awake. He finished his bath and threw on a robe before tying a very complicated knot around the door handle and lock, in the event that he nodded off. He had no idea what a demon could get up to, loose in Treviso, but he didn’t want to find out. “I could just go out the window,” Spite grumbled, eyeing the glass panes that spanned the living room.
“You’d break my legs on the drop,” Lucanis looked through the kitchen cabinets in search of coffee. “You don’t have my reflexes.”
Spite grumbled loudly again, knowing the limitations of his possession. He’d have total control of Lucanis’ body, along with his own spectral wings, but he’d yet to master them in concert with a mortal body. When they fought together using them, it was in mutual partnership to kill whatever was around them. By himself, Spite was likely to plummet like a stone and he was a demon of pleasure, not pain, unless it was the pain of others. He sensed pain in Lucanis, not physical, but something deeper…some sort of emotion. It was conflicted as well, teetering between grief and relief. Spite decided to keep poking Lucanis for fun. “You hated your grandmother? You are glad she is dead?” Spite asked as Lucanis groaned at the empty canister of coffee.
A single bean spilled out and spun on the counter, taunting him. Lucanis didn’t answer the demon right away, letting out a heavy sigh. “You can feel multiple ways about people…love and hate…you wouldn’t understand that as a demon.”
“Demons can manifest from more than one emotion too,” Spite replied. “For instance, I want to make passionate, sweet love to Mae, but I also want to wear her skin.”
“Maker’s Mercy,” Lucanis exclaimed, wondering if perhaps he should secure the windows too. “I will end things before I let you hurt her.”
“I would never hurt her!” Spite insisted. “Not intentionally…unless she wanted me to…but I might not be able to control myself. She’s so beautiful…and powerful.”
“Which is exactly why we need to keep her at a distance,” Lucanis replied.
“But you like her too! She makes your spine tingle. You’d just be punishing yourself!”
“Exactly,” Lucanis snarled, grabbing the coffee bean and chewing it in hopes of a little energy boost.
He busied himself around the apartment, making a list of things to grab from the markets once they opened. He finally sat down to read, with nothing else to do until dawn. He avoided romance for obvious reasons, hoping an adventure story would keep him engaged enough to stay awake. He tried his best, but nodded off long enough that Spite took over and attempted to saw through the knotted rope on the door with one of his daggers. Lucanis woke before he could make an escape, grabbing a whetstone to sharpen the blade the demon had dulled. “If you were smart, you’d know there was a single rope you could’ve cut to make the whole thing fall apart,” Lucanis taunted as he honed his dagger loudly.
He left for the markets as soon as he knew they were open, intending to grab some coffee at Cafe Pietra before he started shopping. Unfortunately, the Antaam was restricting the hours of sit down gathering places and the cafe was currently closed. Undeterred, he began shopping for the things on his list, heading towards his favorite bean seller. He found the seller’s stall also closed, letting out a frustrated sigh at his poor luck. “Where is Antonio?” Lucanis asked the flower seller across the way.
“Down at the shipyard dealing with the new dockmaster,” the older woman bemoaned, trimming some leaves off a long-stemmed rose. “I was down there just last week. What threat are flowers to the Antaam? Someone needs to do something.” She looked at the Crow brooch on his overcoat with impatient hope.
“Perhaps they just hate pretty things?” Lucanis replied, instantly thinking of Mae. “Treviso will be free soon enough, I promise,” he reached for his coin pouch. “Do you happen to have any flowers that grow in Nevarra?”
“These here do, I think,” the woman pulled out a delicate, short-stemmed flower from one of her buckets. “Aquilegia Columbina,” she held it out to him. “Little Dove’s Talon.”
Lucanis smiled, thinking how perfect the flower seemed to fit. It had two sets of petals, one dark blue and curled like a bird’s claws and the others curved into a cupped embrace of white petals. “I’ll take all that you have,” Lucanis handed the woman far too much coin but refused to take it back. He forgot all about coffee for the moment, heading straight to the Cantori Diamond with his tiny bouquet.
Mae and Harding were roused earlier than they expected by a firm knock on their door. Both were hungover and sprawled naked across their beds, groaning loudly when the knock repeated. “Why are they pounding directly into my brain?” Harding mumbled, still face down in her pillow.
“It’s actually the accumulation of toxic chemicals and lack of hydration that’s doing that,” Mae tried to explain the specifics of a hangover with her head cradled in her hands. “But whoever is knocking can absolutely fuck off too.”
“Breakfast!” A voice called cheerfully from the other side of the door.
“Hmmmm tea,” Mae lifted her head. “And toast…just give me a moment!” She called out, rolling out of bed with a groan.
She stumbled to find her robe, rubbing her eyes as she loosely tied the waist. Harding pulled the blanket up over her head both to hide herself and to block the light out. Mae opened the door, expecting to see some anonymous porter with their breakfast. Instead, it was Illario, holding a tray of food in his hands and a single red rose in his teeth. He bowed his head at her with a flirtatious look, his eyes traveling from her tousled hair down to her loosely closed robe. “It looks like you slept well,” he purred, the effect lost a bit because he had to talk through closed teeth.
“Yes, the room was lovely. Thank you,” Mae replied, going to take the tray from him before he pulled it back slightly.
“Take the rose first,” he said, spinning it with his teeth. “It is for you, after all.”
“Oh…right,” she grabbed it out of his mouth, stabbing her thumb on one of the thorns. “Ouch” she hissed, dropping the flower unceremoniously on the tray. “I never liked roses for that reason.”
“I can kiss it better if you like,” he tried to recover from his miscalculated gesture.
“There’s no evidence that saliva helps with wound healing,” Mae replied, weaving a quick spell to heal the pinprick. “Thank you for bringing this up though,” She took the tray from him and set it down on the nearby table.
Mae took a grateful sip of tea, the warmth radiating up to her aching head. She let out a relieved sigh before noticing Illario lingering in the doorway, as if expecting an invitation inside. “Did you need something?” She asked, wondering if he expected a gratuity even though he wasn’t an actual porter.
“No, I suppose not,” Illario frowned, frustrated that none of his moves were working on her. “But let me know if you need anything else.”
“If you see Lucanis…” Mae’s lip twitched into a smile at just the mention of his name.
Illario frowned even more, nodding and making an affirmative noise in his throat before walking away. Mae shut the door, daring a bite of toast in hopes of soothing her roiling stomach. “That was awkward,” Lace peeked her head out of her blanket.
“Was I supposed to tip him?” Mae asked. “His cologne was making my headache worse.”
“He wanted you to invite him in,” Harding laughed quietly, grabbing her robe and climbing out of bed.
“Whatever for?” Mae chewed her lip after taking another sip of tea. “I’m not even dressed.”
“Precisely,” Harding grinned at Mae’s obliviousness. “Hence the rose and cologne. He was trying to make a move on you.”
“Ewww,” Mae cringed slightly. “Why would he do that? I like Lucanis…”
“You like Lucanis?!” Harding exclaimed.
“I mean…yes,” Mae blushed deeply, taking a large bite of toast so she could wait to elaborate. “He seems like a very efficient killer.”
“Yeah…especially if that demon gets control of him,” Harding shivered. “You aren’t…afraid of him? With all of your abilities?”
“I was well trained to protect myself once the Mortalitasi learned I was a Dreamer. I could probably wrap that demon around my finger if I really wanted to.”
Mae was pretty much spot on about Spite, following Lucanis excitedly as they arrived at the Cantori Diamond. “Are we going to see Mae? Are we going to give her the flowers? Why didn’t you get her bigger ones? Are you going to kiss her?” Spite asked, barely taking a breath between words.
“This is just to thank her…for getting me out of the Ossuary. And for saying a prayer for Caterina,” Lucanis adjusted his collar as they took the lift up to the floor of guest rooms. “These aren’t…romantic flowers.”
“Then why is your heart racing?” Spite asked with a smirk.
“It’s not,” Lucanis unconsciously reached up to his pulse. Spite just cackled as they continued down the hall towards Mae and Harding’s room.
The two women were just finishing up breakfast when they heard another knock on the door. “Oh no, you don’t think it is Illario again?” Mae asked, pulling her robe closed a little more. “Mortal men aren’t that persistent are they?”
“Worse, I’m afraid,” Harding shook her head. “Sometimes you have to be painfully direct.”
“Right, I can be direct,” Mae nodded, screwing up her face to look very serious.
She opened the door abruptly, not bothering to see who it was before blurting out, “Illario, I’m sorry but I’m not interested in having se….” She paused just as abruptly, seeing Lucanis staring at her in surprise.
“Mae…” he tried to hide a smile, not expecting to see her in such a state.
She looked even more beautiful in the morning, her hair tousled and pale skin lightly blushed. Her dark eyeliner was smudged seductively and the fruit she’d eaten with breakfast had stained her lips with a hint of burgundy. Her posture instantly changed from resolute to shy. She leaned coquettishly against the door, but held it open wide enough that she could invite him in, which she did. “Sorry…I thought you were…good morning, please, come inside,” she said softly.
“She wants us to come inside her!” Spite cheered. “I knew the flowers would work.”
Lucanis let out a silent growl, telling the demon he needed to back off. “I just wanted to give you these,” Lucanis held out the small bunch of flowers to her. “To thank you for getting my out of the Ossuary...and the prayer for my grandmother. I still need to speak with Teia and Viago before we leave.”
“Oh Lucanis,” Mae gushed, recognizing the blooms immediately. “These are one of my favorites. Mourning Doves…they sometimes grow around the tombs of those who have no one to grieve for them anymore.”
She held the flowers close to her chest for a moment before reaching out to give him a tight embrace. “I’ve been missing home so much lately,” she murmured, holding back tears. “Thank you so much.”
“Ehhhmmm…you are very welcome,” Lucanis tried not to hold her too close, the thin fabric of her robe leaving little to the imagination. He could feel every curve of her body and smell the unwashed scent of her skin.
She pulled away with a wide smile, her beautiful eyes slightly dewy. She held the flowers up to her chest again, turning to show them off to Harding. “Look how lovely they are,” Mae beamed, letting the fluffy yellow pistils tickle her nose. “I haven’t seen something that reminded me so much of home for more than a year.”
“I…should check in upstairs…and then we can be off…once you get dressed,” Lucanis blushed, catching a glimpse of the curve of one of her breasts as she turned in her loosely-tied robe. He could practically hear his heart pounding in his ears and he desperately needed some fresh air.
“Alright. See you in a bit then,” Mae nodded, gently closing the door as he turned down the hall.
Lucanis strode confidently away, crumbling into an excited mess when he reached the elevator. He’d never felt this way about anyone before and his head was swimming. So much so, that he completely forgot about Spite and allowed the demon to linger in the women’s room as he rode the lift up to the Nest to speak with Teia and Viago.
Spite stood poised in place, finding himself alone with Mae for the first time without Lucanis around. He could only stray so far from his host when he was distracted and hoped to gain some intimate knowledge of his new obsession before he was recalled to Lucanis’ side. “That was so kind of him,” Mae continued to gush with the flowers held gently against her. “Does this mean he was making a move on me as well? Or…was he just being kind?”
“I’m not quite sure with Lucanis,” Harding answered. “He gives me…strange vibes…like he’s confused. Maybe it’s just the demon inside him.”
“No, don’t tell her that!” Spite protested. “He was definitely making a move. He wants to tongue kiss you and…” Spite gasped as Mae suddenly slipped off her robe, leaning over the wash basin after pulling her hair into a loose bun.
She was completely naked underneath, her pale skin a creamy canvas of flesh. Before Spite could think of exactly what he wanted to do to it, he promptly passed out from excitement. He awoke on the floor next to Lucanis, a wet spot on his trousers where he’d instantly come. “What are you doing? Why are you on the floor?” Lucanis whispered, Teia and Viago discussing something nearby.
“I saw the Golden City,” Spite said dreamily. “And it was made of milky, soft skin.”
