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

[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.

[wardenalistair]

Alistair wrinkled his nose at the mention of the lack of sleep, but he took the shirt willingly and made no comment. He was, however, distracted from pulling it over his head by how adorable Neria was when she yawned and tried to hide it. He bit his lip, ducking his head to hide his smile, and shrugged the shirt on as a distraction. Not to hide the evidence of the blush in his cheeks...and his chest if past experience was anything to go by. Certainly not. Nope.

It was a little tight in the biceps and across his chest, but loose in the stomach. Not enough to be uncomfortable though, really. He gave a shrug.

"It'll do. What do you think?" He turned to her.

[heromiyuu]

Neria smiled at his question "What can I say? Doesn't match the color of your eyes, but it certainly has a way of bringing out some of your best features." and then she stood up "Now, let's go to the war room. Cullen stockpiled everything he could there in case of a siege. I bet we can find you everything else you need there."

On her way out, she suddenly halted, squeezing her eyes "I know I haven't seen you changing clothes in a long time now but... are you blushing, ser Alistair?"

[wardenalistair]

Alistair smirked at the compliment, smoothing a hand down over the front of the shirt. When Neria stood, he moved to take her hand again.

"Cullen, eh? I suppose that fits. This is Skyhold, isn't it? Or something like Skyhold. Took me a bit to recognize the place - I think I was distracted." He smiled, rubbing his thumb over hers.

Then: "What? Nooo. Not blushing." He looked away without letting go her hand, definitely blushing now. "It's not the changing," he mumbled. "I just - you're-" he waved his free hand vaguely at her, "And I - I'm trying really hard not to spend all my time just staring at you. Because that would be awkward. But you're here, and you're adorable, and I want..." he cut himself off before he could say exactly what he wanted, but the word was too full of yearning to be much misunderstood.

[heromiyuu]

She smiled, and then bursted into laughter throwing her head backwards, her free hand placed over her mouth.

"My... Creators, vhenan, now I'm the one blushing." Neria kissed his hand and then wrapped her arm around his, head leaned against his shoulder as they walked down the corridor "You always know how to make me feel that silly, green mage leaving the circle for the first time, don't you?"

[wardenalistair]

Alistair smiled down at her fondly.

"Well, it's only fair, since you seem to have a most peculiar effect on my stomach. It does this weird fluttery thing whenever you're around. I bet you could even hear it if you tried, it's that insistent."

[heromiyuu]

"Is it?" her eyes widened, shocked "Mine always does the same, but until today I thought I was always hungry due the Grey Warden hunger and all." Neria turned her head to glance at him, the most incredibly straight face someone could make, then nodding in some sort of deep realization "Now everything makes a whole new sense. It's not hunger, it's affection!"

She pressed her body closer to his, finally giggling, cheek caressing his shoulder like a cat.

[wardenalistair]

"Mm. Well yes, there is that too," Alistair said, trying to answer her mock-seriousness with seriousness of his own, though the grin tugging at his lips made that rather ineffectual.

He chuckled and bent to press a kiss to the top of her head.

"You're very silly, my dear. Have I told you that I missed you? Yes? Welll I'd better mention it again. You know the First Warden has quite the intimidating frown. He doesn't approve of my - how did he put it - general air of frivolity - or my jokes, not at all. I don't believe I've managed to make him smile yet. It's immensely disappointing." He sighed, as if to prove the point.

[heromiyuu]

"The First Warden..." her tone was thoughtful now "Tell me, is he drowning you in questions about the Cure? About my whereabouts? I didn't know you were already at Weisshaupt... must have missed a letter or two."

Neria's giddiness vanished at once. Their steps echoing through the stone walls seemed much louder now. The Cure, the threaten of scission in the order, the battle in Adamant. The Vints really had a special way of spoiling everything.

But the worst part of it: she was actually agreeing with the Wardens making up for their mistakes by helping the common folk. Better not to think of it...

[wardenalistair]

"Oh, no, he's given that up, more or less. I can be very stubborn when I want to be, you know. But he does go on about how it's important that the Order keep a semblance of tradition in these trying times, and that he doesn't really shut up about. It's all a plot to keep me from angling for his title, you know, since quite a few of the Wardens at Weisshaupt think I should, after Adamant. Oh! But if you haven't gotten my latest letters, then you haven't heard."

He grinned down at her. "You're looking at the new High Constable of the Grey Wardens, my dear."

[heromiyuu]

Neria halted, mouth agape. Her eyes widened at the news and when she finally left the the initial stupor at the revelation, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging the man on the tip of her toes.

"Alistair, this is amazing! Congratulations!!" she kissed him, tender "After Adamant you deserve it, undoubtedly."

[wardenalistair]

"I don't know about deserve," Alistair murmured, his arms tightening around her. "We left a good woman to die in the Fade so that I could go back and marshal the Order into something that wouldn't just resort to blood magic when things turned south, Neria. It was the Wardens who got us into that mess, Neria. It should not have been Hawke who paid for it. But still...it does present us with an opportunity, that I won't disagree with."

[heromiyuu]

"But if anyone has the heart to change the order, to make it stronger to not fall pray to lies like the false Calling, to put it back on the right path helping whoever is in need and not just linger in the shadows waiting for the new Archdemon to raise, this one is you."

Neria caressed his back, voice dropping.

"Besides, I should've been there, to oppose Clarel by your side. To stop her from collecting our brothers and sisters for her sick blood magic circus. I failed as a Grey Warden... as a mage and even as a person. I just allowed my personal feelings to get in the way, to blind and damp me to what was wrong. I'm not worthy of any of my titles, and I'm certainly not worthy of you."

[wardenalistair]

"You've always had such faith in me," Alistair murmured, "no matter my doubts or fears, or childishness. Maker only knows what I did to deserve you."

At her quieter words, he frowned, sharp and swift.

"Hey." He took her face in both his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her cheekbones. "You could not have known what would happen. We agreed - both of us - that the work you are doing, this search for the Cure, was too important to ignore. You could change the very foundation of the Order - make it a vocation, not a death sentence - even find some new way to combat the Blights. What Clarel let fear drive her to, that was no doing of yours. You are - you have always been a light in the darkness, my love, no matter what madness we face."