Aveline sat hunched over the desk in her office. Stacks of papers filled the desk, and they were only getting higher. Gone for three weeks and this was the mess she came back to. The worst part was not that there were so many, but that the majority seemed to be of the ridiculous nature.
Setting down the page she'd been reading, Aveline rubbed her temples. Faint traces of morning light began to filter through the windows in the office. A stretch and a groan and she was up and pacing over to the window. Folding her arms across her chest, she peered outside. Limited as her view was, she could still see the stirrings of life as Kirkwall began to awaken.
A loud crash gave her a start. One hand dropped, reaching for the pommel of her sword. Turning sharply on one heel, she jogged out of her office to find the source of the sound. Nothing immediately caught her eye until she stepped into the mess hall. Just a few paces from the door, hunched over and trying desperately to pick up the mess, was her husband.
Aveline cleared her throat and he looked up, his cheeks were a rosy pink. "Av-aveline…" he croaked out, cheeks becoming beet red as he tried to resume picking up his mess. "I had hoped to bring you breakfast." He explained sheepishly, finally collecting the last bits of his mess.
Righting himself, he set it on the nearby table and turned back to her. She stared at him, an amused smile threatening to spill across her lips. A small flush of warmth began to rise. And she marveled at how he could still make her feel like a foolish young girl with a crush.
The smile finally broke free, a laugh escaping her lips and a twinkle coming to her eyes. She stepped forward and pulled him into a quick hug, laughter drowning out the clank of her armor bumping up against his.
"Breakfast sounds wonderful," she said. Extracting herself from the embrace, she wrapped her hand around his and tugged him back into the kitchen. If they were going to do breakfast, she was going to help him do it right.