twoforsurprise | One Short Day In Antiva City

One Short Day In Antiva City

Davrin might have forgotten Lucanis' offer about the tailor, but he had not. Not all of their excursions were for fighting demons or cultists or darkspawn, and eventually Rook was going treasure hunting on the Rivani coast with Taash and Harding. And just them. Quite adamant that only Taash and Harding were needed, in fact.

Andraste preserve them, Rook was apparently becoming interested in matchmaking.

It worked out, though. The timing. Lucanis ever so casually mentions that Davrin promised to assist him in some errands in Antiva and Rook is just so happy they're not at each other's throats that they're told to not take however long they need. Lucanis makes a mental note to pick up something nice for Rook when they're in Antiva City.

Ah, Antiva City. A less beautiful Treviso, Lucanis used to say. That was before the Ossuary, before the occupation, before the blight. Now it's hard to not see everything that's been lost. He doesn't insult Davrin by assuming the man can't keep up with the Crow routes along the rooftops and across ziplines, so much faster than the weaving crowded streets up the hill the city is built on overlooking the harbor the few times they need to duck down to street level.

"Should be right around - ah, there it is," Lucanis declares once they're half way up the hill, the financial district of the city settled between the Palace at the top and the harbor and all the wealth the shipping industry brings. This time when he drops down to the street level it is where they'll stay for the time being, heading to an understated store front with a simple hanging sign that looks like an embroidered rose carved into the wood of it.

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That was somehow even worse, and it makes Lucanis sigh and huff against Davrin's shoulder, shoulders shaking lightly with his own repressed laughter. This was so terribly absurd. He had known some of it was coming as soon as Davrin asked - he had come up a lot in their conversations as they laid the groundwork for where to go from here, how to work together. And Lucanis had realized that while the demon didn't exactly work like a person in terms of attraction and desires, much like Bellara had tried to explain ... near as Lucanis could tell? Spite was interested in Davrin too. Something Lucanis had no desire to explain, given how tenuous this peace was, but it turned out he had no reason to worry about how Davrin would take it.

At least, not while he was high on mushrooms. Maybe later he would be more concerned.

"Big bear," Lucanis recited. "Handsome. Hunter."

He felt the heat on his neck for admitting that last one, especially.

"Handsome hunter, hm?"

He shouldn't gloat. He shouldn't bask. He was a Grey Warden, the definition of duty and sacrifice. But it turned something in him liquid and warm to feel the honesty and embarrassment. He could see and hear Spite, for now, but just maybe the spirit was a better wingman than Lucanis- or all of history- gave the entities credit for.

He slanted his shoulder, trying to slide Lucanis' head off his arm, to catch his chin with his fingers and tilt it up to look the man in the face again.

"You must know how gorgeous you are."

Handsome hunter, yes. Who for some reason had chosen Lucanis as his prey. And even after seeing Lucanis' messed up mind, he hadn't changed his mind. It was not something Lucanis expected. Not at his worst, broken heart laid bare. Nothing there worth loving.

And yet, as soon as they were out, Davrin had given him the sweetest kiss of his life.

He tilts his head up when Davrin directs him to, how could he pass up a chance to look into that stunning face?

"A few months out of being held in prison for a year? I've looked better."

Said with a slightly wry smile. He was still working on shedding those signs. Slowly but surely, one day at a time. He knew he was decently attractive for a human man of his age, but gorgeous? That was pushing it.

"That's not what I meant."

He was still half expecting Spite to swoop back in and involve himself in the conversation, but he was warm and calm and looking directly at the target of his hunt- except he was more than that. When a hunt was done, it was over. Move on. He may have caught Lucanis, or Lucanis him, but he was far, far from done. He could admit that to himself. He frowned slightly, trying to find the words, and leaned in for a brief kiss to keep the moment from turning against them as he struggled.

"All of you. Body and..." he glanced over at Spite briefly, "souls. Nothing could hide that."

Spite was letting them talk... though he was very much watching it happen, a wide grin on his face. Lucanis knew he should be suspicious, like when an animal suddenly goes quiet, but Davrin's sweetness was terribly distracting.

"Men like you are why the Wardens have the reputation they do. Brave, honorable, everything a hero should be," he said, reaching up to touch Davrin's wrist. "... I am sorry you felt out of place in your family, and what made you leave, but... the world is a better place for having you out in it, helping people."

Treviso alone had felt the benefit of Davrin's help in countless lives.

Lucanis had felt the benefit of Davrin's attention. For all that they'd started off at odds, without Davrin and Rook, Lucanis isn't sure where he'd be right now.

No, he knows. Dead at the bottom of Rialto Bay. Maybe face down in one of the canals choked with blight and bodies already, one more casualty.

{{ HE THOUGHT YOU WERE ATTRACTIVE RIGHT AWAY. }}

Aaand there was the moment killer.

"Not helping, Spite."

Moment very much killed, but Davrin could only find it in himself to grin. Maybe the first date was going to be a bust for grand romantic moments, but this was good, too. A day out with Lucanis and the kids- and he bit down a laugh with that thought. Spite wouldn't appreciate the comparison. Neither would Lucanis, likely.

What was there to do but carefully but the tea down and embrace the moment? He slid his arm around Lucanis' shoulders, shifting to lean a bit against the Crow's side, grin just growing as Assan shifted and stretched to use the pair of them as somewhat bumpy bed.

"I thought you were dangerous and going to get as all killed." Something he had truly excelled at keeping to himself. "But also very nice to look at. And listen to."

This time when Lucanis moved to hide his face it was to try to hold back a laugh, but the chuckle still escaped. Andraste this was so absurd. There was also no place he'd rather be.

"Indeed? Clearly you were a self-righteous dullard who was going to good intentions your way into disaster while refusing to admit it as soon as you opened your mouth," Lucanis teased, pulling back to look up at Davrin, eyes sparkling with amusement. "But those shoulders. At least if Rook was going to drag someone like you around they picked someone nice to look at. Especially when you got annoyed."

"No wonder I'm so attractive," he drawled, "seeing how you're constantly annoying."

Note the present tense. Just because he now found the man irresistible didn't mean they'd stopped intentionally poking at each other. It just came with the territory.

He scratched behind Assan's ears and looked over at Spite- yup. Still there. That was not going to stop being weird. It was one thing to know the spirit was always there. This? Davrin couldn't help wonder how Lucanis adapted to having running commentary on every aspect of his life. How that might impact other potential activities...

Nope. He was just going to wait for the drug to wear off and not think along those lines again.

Oh, yes. For that matter, being called annoying? Gets a grin from Lucanis.

{{ IS THIS WHAT ILLARIO MEANT BY 'PULLING PIGTAILS'? }}

And that was Lucanis groaning again, covering his face with a hand. He, too, could not wait for Davrin to stop seeing (and hearing) Spite. Not that this stopped them from interacting entirely, given Davrin's... baby sitting of the demon when Lucanis needed to sleep. But at least he wasn't awake for that conversation. He could tell himself all that happened was just Spite trying to eat weird things.

"Assan - never learn to speak. It is too troublesome," Lucanis told the griffon, very serious, as he reached out to stroke the feathers at the base of his wings.

"That's exactly what he meant."

He just tightened his hold on Lucanis' shoulders for a moment in a non-apology for filling Spite in. If any creature in the Lighthouse would understand the idea that sometimes attention was attention, good or bad, it would be Spite.

Assan looked Lucanis in the eye, tilting his head slightly, then looked over at Davrin with an inquisitive squawk.

"He says you're too late. Just a matter of time before you understand him, too."

Assan nodded, fluffing his wings happily, before resting his head back on Lucanis' lap.

Awful, Davrin! Just awful! Spite laughed, delighted at finding out this new information. Because yes, it completely made sense to him now.

"I know when he wants more f-o-o-d," Lucanis pointed out, petting him. He wasn't sure if the griffon knew how to spell, but he didn't want Assan to get too happy to hear the magic word when Lucanis could not provide.

Alas, Assan perks up at the magical word- though it's hard for Davrin to tell if he actually can spell, or just now associates anything spelled out with food and treats. He slides off their laps, happily turning in excited circles and chirping for the expected reward, before sitting and looking Lucanis in the eye. Hopefully. Lovingly.

Where. Are. His. Treats.

"Well, he understands you."

There were more truffles in the bag he'd brought, Davrin wasn't insane enough to try making a tea out of the stuff without some just for Assan. But he'll hold off offering for a moment. Watching someone else get harassed for a change brought a grin to his face. No wonder Rook enjoyed hyping Assan up then walking away for Davrin to deal with.

"Mierda-" Lucanis swore as the griffon did, apparently, know how to spell. Or just broadly assumed any spelled word meant 'food'. Too clever, really, even if Lucanis was also holding back a laugh as best he could. "No, no, if I had any you could have them all, I was not saying I had anything for you -- don't you just grin about this, Davrin. Help me out here."

"I can't believe you're going to break his heart like this."

He was going to break into full blown, breath stealing laughter in a moment. But for now he calls on all his training, years of discipline and sacrifice, to keep his face almost straight, lips twitching uncontrollably back up into a grin.

Assan, for his part, looked back and forth between the two of them like he was following the conversation, waiting for someone, anyone, to help this poor, starving griffon.

"Don't you dare give me that-"

{{ HE HAS MORE TRUFFLES IN THE PACK. }}

Spite's words were actually to Assan, like he was hopeful that maybe this time the griffon would be able to hear him, but Lucanis still acted on that information now that he had it.

"I take back what I said about you, Spite, you are a treasure," Lucanis said, looking right at Davrin as he did before leaning over so he could snag the pack with his fingertips. It wasn't like they were going to have more tea anyway. Lucanis did not want to risk an upset stomach at the very least for having more of it.

"Betrayed by a demon. Talk about predictable."

He glanced at Spite, trying to decide if he should clarify he didn't actually mean that, but held his tongue. He wasn't going to clarify every time he couldn't see the demon, no point confusing him by doing it only now.

"Go on, Assan. Lucanis found the stash. Just don't give them to him all at once."

For as much as Spite was very touchy about such things at the beginning, he merely cackled at Davrin's accusation, leaning in to the elf's personal space even if he couldn't touch him.

{{ SIDING WITH ASSAN, }} he clarified, {{ STILL MY FAVORITE PERSON WHO IS NOT A GRIFFON. }}

"Don't suck up to Davrin now," Lucanis said, rolling his eyes. Griffons were clearly made of stronger stuff - well, obviously, given what Assan got in his beak without having any problems. But knowing what the truffle tea could do to them did a very good job of having Lucanis be extremely careful of how many of them he gave over to Assan at once, selecting two smaller ones from the bag. "Here we go, treats for the good boy."

He left Lucanis to dealing with the needy spirit and griffon, shifting enough so that he could rest his chin on the man's shoulder and watch as he did what he must. When they'd met, he'd never have put gold on the Crow being able to patiently deal with what were, essentially, very deadly children. But he'd overlooked a good deal when they first met.

"It's not sucking up if it's just the truth."

"You are going to get a big head, then how will you fit into your armor?" Lucanis teased, tossing the truffles gently towards Assan to catch and eat, waiting for him to finish with one before the other. Spite hissed with pleasure, flitting about. Once the truffles were passed out, he made sure the bag was securely closed and set it aside, bringing a hand up to run his fingers through Davrin's hair.

"Well. My lap is free if it's too heavy to hold your head up on its own."

Since Assan was no longer taking up lap space and all.

Who was he to refuse such an invitation? He slid off the log, repositioning himself to sit in front of Lucanis, back facing the other man, and tilted his head back to rest against one thigh. Truly baring his neck to the other man.

He watched with a faint smile as Assan tried to earn another treat with a variety of poses and inquiring noises, but didn't move towards the bag or suggest he'd earned some more. They didn't need him getting used to endless treats.

"Thanks. For coming here with me. I don't usually know what to do with downtime."

Even his main hobby of whittling served a purpose, making models of creatures to help preserve their memory and knowledge of how to fight them.

Ah. It felt like such an unexpected gift, that show of trust. Lucanis adjusted how he sat to make room for Davrin between his legs (oh again) as he gently began to stroke his hands through Davrin's hair again, fingers against scalp. He smiled at Assan's antics too, glad he wasn't the one who had to make the call of how many treats that griffon got. It was becoming startlingly clear to Lucanis that he would be an all too permissive parent. Probably better a snake could not be spoiled.

"This may shock you to hear, but neither do I," Lucanis replied, a smile in his voice. "I was not raised to accept time to just be. Maintain weapons, train, study, every minute could be accounted for and should. So ... thank you for inviting me."

"The Crows and the Wardens could trade notes on all the menial tasks they'll dole out before letting a man sit."

Maintaining equipment, sparring, working out, researching monsters, cleaning, the list went on and on for him, too. The Dalish were about as bad, what with nearly always being on the edge of survival, but the tasks of his youth had more of a playful tinge to them than the wardens and, he suspected, the Crows.

He tilted his head back a little further, chasing the petting fingers a bit. Assan might be rubbing off on him when it came to seeking out attention.

"If anyone else asks, we killed a rage demon."

People tended to see the house Lucanis grew up in and made assumptions as to how permissive his upbringing was, not considering that he was not spared any of the harsh realities of Crow training. If anything, he got them worse in some ways. Caterina's grandchildren would not be bested by anyone else.

Lucanis smiled as Davrin leaned in to the way he was stroking his hair, letting a finger trail down to trace an ear.

"Mmmm. Came out of one of those tears in the fade, yes? Practically right on top of us."

"We were both very brave and dashing."

The reply is slightly delayed, a small shiver running down his spine at the tracing of his ear. It wasn't some secret key to elf seduction he'd heard some humans claim, but it was still sensitive skin and felt nice.

"And definitely didn't spend the afternoon drinking tea and cuddling."

Luckily Lucanis had mainly heard that rumor from Teia complaining about it, so he was under no illusions as to how effective it was - at least no more so than it would be to anyone with ears. That alone though could make it nice, couldn't it? Davrin seemed to enjoy it, if Lucanis was right in feeling that shiver, sitting as they were. He wanted to make Davrin do it again.

"Certainly not."

{{ ARE YOU GOING TO KISS HIM? }}

Mierde!

"-- Not with you hovering like that. At least not while he is aware of it."

And hopefully knowing Spite was so likely to be hovering would not put Davrin off of it in the future after this tea faded.

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