RP: Open (Some NSFW smuttiness later on)

[wardenalistair]

Alistair awoke in what appeared to be a stable, one that still smelled faintly of Mabari. And horse, of course, but that was more expected. He was also being poked in the bare back by itchy prickly straw. He jumped to his feet.

"Well, this is...horrifyingly familiar. Next I'll be swarmed by a large group of hounds, just you wait."

He did. Wait, that is. Nothing happened.

"O-okay then, maybe not. I haven't regressed to ten years old, have I?" He poked his own cheek, which was still fairly bristly, and glanced down at himself, half-clothed as he was in just the trousers he'd worn to sleep in. "Nope, never mind, still myself. How peculiar. I haven't dreamt of Redcliffe in years, but then this doesn't look much like Redcliffe, does it? It smells like Redcliffe. Hrm."

He wrinkled his nose and headed out of the stable, into what sort of looked like daylight, accidentally kicking some kind of book halfway across the stable floor as he did so. He muttered an apology to the thing and scooped it up, for lack of anything better to do with it.

Comments

[heromiyuu]

Neria was disturbingly tired.
Hunting the Envy Demon and running around Skyhold in high heels for the past Creators know how many hours had left her with a sore sensation. Sigrun had assured her she would find Dagna and comfortable beds in the Mage Tower, plus Jager (and the place was apparently secured with wards and runes), so the elven woman made her way.

The stormy sky seemed even darker under her weariness as she circled the battlements, when a glimpse of movement was caught in the corner of her eye. Could it be... the Envy Demon again? Going downstairs, she gripped her staff and her heart skipped a beat for a moment. Alistair, her Alistair, coming out from the stables.

The Envy Demon might be fulfilling his promisse of hunting me using his face, or could be a Desire Demon. Perhaps another Alistair, strayed from his world too... Creators, this is hard.

She halted a few feet from that Alistair and waited until she had his attention.
"Are you a demon or not?"

[wardenalistair]

Alistair raked his fingers through his disheveled bedhair and hummed to himself, inspecting the courtyard of the giant castle thing he'd found himself in, and the roiling, unhappy sky above him.

"Feels like the Fade," he murmured to himself. "Ish. Probably a dream, then."

It was very vivid for a dream, though. The cold mountain air made his skin pebble and he found himself wishing he was not quite so undressed or so defenseless. The place felt...not entirely safe. Perhaps a bit hostile? He wasn't sure why. It seemed rather empty, eerily so, and that by itself shouldn't have been quite enough to give him pause. But it did. He hugged the strange book to his chest and then slipped it in the waistband of his trousers.

When he looked back in front of him, Neria had appeared. He brightened instantly, giving a small wave.

"I knew this had to be a dream," he said, stepping towards her, "but I rather thought it was going to be one of those creepy dreams, you know where you're alone and you can't move or scream while you just know something's coming for you? But you're here, so that's all right then. It can be a pleasant dream. Maker knows I never get enough of those, especially that involve you, my dear."

Alistair stopped babbling and she was in arm's reach and he almost had her in his arms (finally) when the accusation pulled him up short.

"Me? A demon?" He looked down at himself. "Not last time I checked, though I do look a sight right now, I'm sure. But aren't I the one who's supposed to say things like that?" He squinted at her suspiciously. "This is my dream. How do I know you're not a demon? Please don't be a demon."

He looked, abruptly, very dejected. "Because then it would be all 'rawr' and 'away from me, demon' and it would all get very ugly and distressing and I really don't want to have to kill you when you're wearing her face because then I'm really going to have nightmares for days."

[heromiyuu]

Neria's chin trembled as she resisted de urge to giggle. Not even the smartest Desire Demon would be able to impersonate Alistair that well, right? And he did have a journal with him, so... the real deal. Several feelings crossed her at once; happiness, worry, longing, fear from being disappointed again by some not-quite-her-Alistair again. But no... he was her Alistair for sure, just as sure as the day would come after the night (outside the Fade and dreams, usually).

Her knees were just about to give up.

For three terribly long years she imagined how their reunion would be. Tears and jokes were certainly involved, but not the Fade. And another realization crashed over her: now they were strayed on that odd place together. Fiding comfort over the thought he was out there, somewhere safe wasn't an option anymore.

She couldn't keep her feelings away anymore.

"No... I am not a demon... and this is not a dream, vhenan..."

Cracked voice, her knees finally crashed against the ground and tears fell, rolling down her cheeks. She muffled her sobs with her hands, shoulders and back trembling.

Strayed in the Fade together.
Not the best way to see him again.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair felt increasingly confused by the flood of emotions surging across Neria's face. And panicky. This was almost certainly not going well. If this was a good dream, she should have fallen into his arms immediately so he could carry her off in high dramatic fashion to make love to her by the light of the moon, before he could wake up and be torn away. And if this was a nightmare, she most certainly would have taunted him or said something cruel and then revealed herself to be a demon. And what was happening right now was...exactly neither of those things.

It was a puzzle his brain wasn't quite able to tease out, and the fact that this woman - his, his wife was standing here in front of him on the verge of breaking down made it all the harder, because all he really wanted to do was hold her until her face stopped crumpling like that, dream or nightmare or no.

And then she called him vhenan, and any resolve he might have had disappeared.

Alistair reached for Neria just as her knees gave out. He sank to the ground with her, hands grasping at her upper arms gently. "Ohh, hey, love, don't cry. Please don't cry? I'm right here. You're here. It's all right." When she simply cried into her hands, his face twisted and his heart ached, fiercely. He gathered her into his arms and settled her in his lap, one large calloused hand smoothing over her hair.

"Shh, my dear," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her brow. He held her for a few moments, rocking slightly, and then,

"Not my...finest moment, holding the woman I love again after all this time and it makes her break into tears. Is there something on my face? Please say I didn't turn into a scary ogre while you were away, my love."

[heromiyuu]

Neria couldn't help but to laugh in the middle of tears at his words. Definitely him. His scent, his warmth, his gentle touch. Creators... she missed all of it.

"No... I'm afraid your face is still the same I remember when I left Vigil's Keep. Perhaps a new scar, or two but..." she caressed his cheek with featherly fingers, full of fondness "Still the same man I fell in love with."

She took a moment to gaze at him, thumbs brushing over new scars on his face, fingers lingering through his hair; she smiled, expression softening as she kept rediscovering him briefly and she finally pressed her forehead against his, tip of their noses brushing lightly. "I missed you. I missed you so, so much."

[wardenalistair]

Alistair's lips curved when he made her laugh, the look he gave her impossibly tender. He closed his eyes when she touched his cheek, leaning into the touch. He sighed.

"Mmm. Makes me rather more dashing, don't you think? I thought you might approve of the roguish look."

He opened his eyes. "Did I weigh everything that happened in the last three years against how you might feel about it? Nooo, I've no idea what gave you that idea." He smirked.

His head followed the motion of her fingertips, bobbing slightly, chasing as much contact as he could. When she pressed her forehead to his, he inhaled sharply. Neria smelled the same as ever, forest and fire and mountain air, and Alistair tightened his arms around her with a groan.

"Maker's breath," he whispered huskily, "I missed you too."

[heromiyuu]

Neria sighed, melting on his arms and resting her head against the curve of his neck, one hand caressing his back slowly, the other firmly locked around his waist.

"I spent most of my nights thinking about all the things I wished to tell you in person, and now that you're here I feel stupidly speechless." she sighed again "Why you're here? What is the meaning of this? Creators... you shouldn't be here..."

There was pain in her voice, but also fondness and worry.

[wardenalistair]

"Don't be absurd, my dear. I should be wherever you are, and you're here, aren't you?"

He tilted his head so he could press his lips to her jaw and gave a contented hum, still dragging the tips of his fingers through her hair gently.

[heromiyuu]

"What I know of this place can barely fill a thimble." she looked at him, definitely worried now "There is so much to explain..."

Her hand cupped his jaw and she planted a soft kiss to his lips.

"Come... duty calls. We must dress you and find a suitable armor, sword and shield. Look at you... you're cold!"

[wardenalistair]

Alistair closed his eyes at the kiss, his fingers tightening in her hair.

"Hm," he murmured, leaning forward to press his lips to hers again, more lingeringly this time.

He pulled back and smiled, just this side of coy. "You know, I'd quite forgot."

[heromiyuu]

"Oh, did you? I didn't even notice."

She giggled against his lips and kissed him again, this time pulling back before her priorities suffered a change.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair licked his lips and tried not to pout (rather unsuccessfully, all things considered) when she pulled back.

"I admit I would like to have a sword in my hand. And a shirt," he said, not making a single effort to let her go or move. "This place feels..." he frowned. "I don't know, exactly. Not quite safe?"

[heromiyuu]

"Just few hours ago we were dealing with an Envy Demon. This probably gives you a hint or two about this place."

Neria frowned, recalling the demon's words about 'wearing Alistair's face' to kill her and shivered. "But there are friends here too. Sigrun came almost at the same time as me. And Anders is here too. And... two other... you."

[wardenalistair]

Alistair tilted his head and ran the backs of his fingers against her cheek almost absent-mindedly as he thought.

"An envy demon? Maker, I haven't heard of one of those since...back in my Chantry days. Brief unit on obscure demons." He shuddered. "Those ones were particularly nasty as I recall. Weird...twisty body...things. I may have had nightmares about it." He shuddered.

"Two...other me? What, you mean two copies of me?" he laughed awkwardly. "That is...that would be...oh my."

[heromiyuu]

She leaned at his touch and closed her eyes, humming her approval.

"No vhenan, not copies, but what you could've been if I was not a Grey Warden, if I hadn't fought the Blight by your side." she shrugged "No one understands how this place does it, but there is people here from realities entirely different from ours."

[wardenalistair]

"Okay, so that's...different," Alistair said, looking a little baffled. His fingers drifted down to skim over her lips, and he leaned in close, his breath ghosting over her skin.

"Would you think entirely less of me if I were to say I have a hard time caring what madness this place contains, since it brought me you?" He kissed her, and then kissed her throat, her clavicle, and dropped his forehead to her shoulder.

"I'm a bad man," he murmured against the skin just below her collarbones.

[heromiyuu]

She caressed his hair, fingers running through his scalp and shivered with his kisses.

"Think less of you? No, never." she planted a kiss atop his head "And if this makes you a bad man, then I'm a very bad woman. No... we're just a pair of uncontrollably romantic fools, reunited after more time than romantic fools should be allowed to be appart."

[wardenalistair]

Alistair hmmed, pressing his lips to her collarbone and then straightening.

"You're not allowed to go gallivanting off on life-altering missions without me anymore," he said, more of a whine than a command.

[heromiyuu]

"Perhaps I should point out none of this was planned." and then her eyes widened at a realization "Speaking off life-changing missions... I'm very close to a breakthrough regarding the cure." she smiled, triumphant "Only one missing piece of the puzzle, but I know exactly where to look."

Neria bit her lower lip, genuinely excited about the news.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair grinned broadly and kissed her again, more enthusiastically this time, his hands going between her shoulder blades as he tipped her back slightly.

"You mean I may get to hold you and keep you regardless of strange Fade dream magics dragging us together from across Thedas? Why didn't you say so!"

[heromiyuu]

Neria giggled "Well, I'm telling you now."

Her fingertips ran over his arms and she held his hands, lightly pulling him towards the stairs to the kitchen.

"Now, come on! We have to dress you."

[wardenalistair]

Alistair shivered, and realized he couldn't tell if it was from the touch of her fingers on his arms or just how cold he was in general. Both? He preferred to think it was because she was touching him. She was touching him again! He felt giddy.

It only took a couple of strides to catch her up, and he turned his palm over to interlace his fingers with hers.

"By all means, my dear, have your way with me."

[heromiyuu]

"Have my way, hm...?" she smiled with a hint of mischief "Perhaps later."

She cut through the kitchens and was quick to find her way to the great hall. Alistair's warm fingers intertwined with hers made the still air more bearable and she felt capable of dealing with an Envy Demon entirely by herself (but didn't really wished to see that theory tested).

Neria made her way to the guest rooms, hoping to find a change of clothes his size. Feeling safer now, her body complained about the lack of sleep and she was unable to suppress a long yawn.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair chuckled, content to be tugged along wherever she wanted.

In the guest rooms, he watched her rummage through a wardrobe quietly and drank in the sight of her. She moved with the same grace she always had, and Maker, how he had missed it.

When she yawned, he moved to wrap his arms around her from behind and rest his chin on her shoulder.

"You sound exhausted, my love," he murmured.

[heromiyuu]

"It is hard to keep track of time here so all I know is that I haven't had any sleep since I arrived, and it seems I was one of the first ones." and she finally dug up something for him, holding the shir in front of her so he could see it too "I guess it fits you. Try it."

Neria handed him the shirt, sitting on the edge of the bed behind her, patiently waiting.

Another yawn, this time she covered her mouth with her hand.