Strange Relationship
A collection of Meredith and Orsino drabbles.
I: Scrabble
Summary: *Written for a Kink Meme* Orsino is bored with his late night paperwork and Meredith can't sleep. What is intended as a quick game of Scrabble leads to conflict.
It was just another night in the Gallows.
First Enchanter Orsino reached for his teacup, his mouth set in a frown as he poured over the various piles of paper laid out upon his desk. There were reports from the senior mage from every department, bills, requisitions for more supplies and stock, timetables for scheduled Harrowings and his personal favourite - an endless stream of complaints from both templars and mages alike. The elf released a heavy sigh and took a sip from the chipped cup, trying to make sense of the endless amounts of work that sat piled up on his desk. The Kirkwall Circle was truly fond of its paperwork. It was in such times that Orsino wished he had taken an assistant on after all like Meredith had recommended. The First enchanter had dismissed the idea (simply because it was hers) with a scoff, claiming that he would not pull an apprentice from their studies just to fill forms for him because he couldn't manage his time better . Now, as Orsino cast a weary glance at the endless flow of paper, he was somewhat regretful of the decision.
Orsino set the cup back down onto the ground dipped his quill into the bottle of black ink on his desk and carried on with the task at hand. His present state of mind did not help matters. He was exhausted. His hands hurt. His back was sore from sitting in a chair all day. His half-eaten dinner lay near his trinket box, long since gone cold. So frustrated was the First Enchanter that he was suddenly claimed by the desire to throw all his paperwork into a pile then set in on fire. The elf looked to up from his work. His staff lay in the corner of the room next to his coat rack – tempting him more than any fade demon. It was only through sheer willpower alone that prevented Orsino from curling his fingers around his staff and setting his work ablaze.
Though Orsino was engrossed in his work, he still picked up the sound of sound footsteps walking towards his office. Orsino narrowed his eyes in suspicion and tensed wearily. It was late in the Gallows, at least past midnight. He was fairly certain that very few people should have been wandering through the corridors except for the templars on nightshift duty.
The footsteps stopped outside his door then a small knock resounded against the oak wood.
Orsino straightened up in his chair. He could take comfort in the fact that a demon did not usually knock before entering.
Usually.
"Yes, come in."
The heavy door swung open to reveal the very last person that Orsino expected to see – Knight Commander Meredith Stannard, dressing in her evening wear and sporting a mug of something hot. Her blonde hair – usually covered by that scarlet hood – was free; the blonde curls were brushed out and made her look years younger. Olive green eyes widened at the sight of her. To see the Knight commander without her usual armour was about as surprising as seeing a Mabari hound walk about on its hind legs. She looked normal, softer and more human without her imposing angular armour.
He was fairly certain that she would have hit him for such thought.
Realising that he was staring, Orsino snapped his open jaw shut with an audible click and cleared his throat. He opted to be polite and not give her any reason to snarl and jump down his throat. He had enough of a headache already. "Good evening Meredith. I wasn't aware you were still up. Come in."
The blonde gave him a curt nod as she stepped into his office, looking frightfully out of place without her steel suit. "The same could be said for you."
Orsino gestured to the work on his desk with a distasteful scowl. "I'm trying to get this all squared away but as you can see, I am not having much success."
Meredith cradled her steaming hot mug in her pale hands. His sensitive elven sense of smell picked up the scent of milk and chocolate. His stomach growled in hunger and jealously. "How long have you been at this for First Enchanter?"
"Since sundown. I should not have left it all so late but with that Blight in Ferelden, everything just seemed pile up."
"You should have made a start on this sooner mage," the female scolded in her typical blunt fashion that was just so Meredith.
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he knew it would likely provoke the female templar. It usually did. Provoking Meredith was about as safe as prodding a sleeping High Dragon in the eye. "No one knows that more than I do," Orsino replied as he ran a palm across his face, feeling the dents in his skin that aged prematurely due to his stressful job. For five years he had held down the position of First Enchanter and it seemed to age him more with each passing day. The mage leaned back in his chair and rested his cramped fingers upon his belly. "And why pray tell are you up so late?"
The woman took a sip before answering. "I simply cannot sleep. I have much on my mind." She looked distant for a moment as she cradled her mug
"Would you like to do my paperwork then. I feel as if I could sleep until the next blight," Orsino replied.
Meredith gave a snort. "Certainly not mage. This is your own doing," she replied with slight twinge of teasing in her voice. Had he not become so accustomed to reading the Knight Commander's tone, he would have missed it entirely. He gave a smiled. Some part of the mage could not believe that he and Meredith were having a fairly civil conversation. Perhaps he had fallen asleep at his desk and was merely dreaming.
"Well I grow tired of this. I need a rest," Orsino announced and straightened up in his chair. He was still in his robes, being too lazy to go up to his quarters to change, only to travel back down again to his office. He had grown to loath stairs almost as much as he loathed paperwork.
"You are a terrible slacker First Enchanter," remarked Meredith, swirling the remainder of her hot chocolate around in the mug.
The mage waggled his sore fingers at her. "Tell that to the cramp in my fingers Meredith. You may enjoy paperwork but I do not," he fired back, allowing himself a rare moment to be childish.
Sea blue eyes clashed with Olive green. "I enjoy paperwork no more than you do mage," she replied, the bite returning to her voice.
Orsino knitted his fingers together. Some part of his mind warned that he was prodding a hornet's nest and that he had to tread carefully when dealing the fractious Knight Commander but for once, he did not heed the warnings. "Indulge me a moment then. What do you enjoy then Meredith?"
The blonde narrowed her eyes. "I enjoy reading mage...and sparring. Word games where appropriate."
Orsino blinked in surprise. "Word games? Like Scrabble?"
Meredith shifted in her chair but held his gaze. For a moment, he was almost certain that he could see a light dusting of pink upon her cheeks. "Yes."
"Why?" Meredith and Scrabble was an image he had trouble conceiving. And the First Enchanter prided himself on his rather active imagination. He had to bite the inside of his mouth to prevent himself from laughing in her face.
The blonde threw him a filthy glare indeed. "Do I question you about your hobbies mage?"
"No no. I'm just...surprised." A smile swept across the First Enchanter's face. To say that he was pleasantly surprised was an understatement. Perhaps they had some common ground after all. "You know Meredith, I'm certain that I have a Scrabble board somewhere. Would you care for a game?"
The templar's brow furrowed for a moment as if he had just asked her to dance naked for him. Orsino felt a prickle of annoyance. Did she always have to look at him such suspicion? Then, the guarded look in her eyes dulled and Meredith relaxed properly in the opposite chair. It was one of those fleeting, rare moments when the could be a fairly reasonable person. They were few and far between but they were known to happen.
"Very well mage. Just one game."
Orsino managed a weak smile and rose gracefully from his desk to dig around in the cabinet next to him. From amongst musty tomes and empty potion bottles, the First Enchanter withdrew a rather battered old box. He could see a guilty line of dust covering the surface of the case, a clear indication that he had not played Scrabble for quite some time. Orsino then reached for the Cumberland Dictionary and slapped in top of the Scrabble case. He was fairly certain that Meredith would accuse of cheating at least once so he wanted a dictionary close at hand to prove her wrong.
Or to throw at her face.
The elven mage settled back down in his chair and dipped his hand into the box for the Scrabble board. It was a bit old and battered – much like its owner – but was still in a useable condition. He shifted some paperwork aside and laid the board flat out on his desk. He then fished into the box for the little velvet green bag of letters and two letter racks. Orsino slid one to Meredith then held the bag up to the woman.
"Ladies first." He gave the bag of marble tiles a shake. They rattled in a friendly, inviting manner.
Meredith snorted (just as he expected she would) and fished out a handful of little marble tiles from the velvet sack, enough to fill up her tile rack. Olive green eyes watched her intently as she lined up the letters on her rack, searching for face for any indication that she had gotten a good hand of letters. When she looked up and caught his eye, Orsino reached into the bag and withdrew his own lot. He frowned at his letters. O, N, P, S, I, R. It was not a brilliant lot but it could have been worse. Carefully he placed the marble tiles upon the rack, mentally re-arranging the words. The mage looked to the templar. She had sat back in the chair opposite, arms folded and small smirk upon her face.
"Once again, ladies first."
"I dislike the saying. It is ridiculous."
Orsino gave a grin, eyes gleaming. "Are you suggesting you are not a woman Meredith?"
"Certainly not. It was simply invented for hesitant men to worm their way out of doing anything new first. Thus, 'ladies first' was invented," she fired back before reaching over and placing seven tiles neatly upon the board. She looked to him and smirked. Orsino often marvelled at just how smooth Meredith's skin was. The only age lines upon her face seemed to be dented near the corner of her eyes. He found it oddly suited. Meredith usually always had her eyes narrowed at someone in disgust – and it was usually him.
"Your move mage."
He glanced down at the board.
G-I-L-D
Orsino placed his own tiles down beneath Meredith's own word then steeped his fingers together.
P-R-I-S-O-N.
Take that Meredith.
The blonde looked him, looking unimpressed. "Are you implying something mage?"
He gave a wolfish grin – the one he knew she hated. "Oh certainly not Meredith. Maker knows I would never dream of such a thing."
"That insolent tongue of yours will get you into trouble yet Orsino. Keep this up and I shall have you made tranquil," the woman replied though her eyes danced with amusement.
Orsino kicked the ball straight back into her court. "Do you feel it necessary to be such a cold blooded zealot Meredith?"
"Do you prefer your zealots warm blooded then mage?" The Knight Commander did not miss a beat.
"I would prefer them to not be zealots where possible," he remarked, his tone arched.
The blonde's face darkened considerably and for a crazed moment, Orsino thought she would reach across the desk and haul him out of his chair for a good beating. The mage could never be certain where Meredith's mood swings would take her. Her emotions lurched from one extreme to another like a human kaleidoscope. "I would have any other mage thrown in the brig for such disrespect," she snapped back.
The mage did not back down. "Then it is a blessing that I am not 'any other mage' then."
Meredith's formed a thin line of suppressed ire and she started rearranging her scrabble tiles upon the board. With his rage simmering, Orsino watched wordlessly as the female opposite arranged the marble squares carefully upon the board then sat back with smug smile upon her face.
B-A-L-D-I-N-G.
Had the First Enchanter been a bird, his feathers would have been ruffled beyond repair. As if to add insult to injury, it was a triple word score as well.
Cow.
Orsino felt the mental bars around his temper strain. "That is low Meredith. You truly are some piece of work."
Meredith gave a snort. "So says the mage."
The mage ground his teeth together to prevent himself from lashing out again. Silence enveloped the pair. It was always silence after a verbal skirmish, as if they needed to take time out to refuel for the next battle. The First Enchanter almost laughed at his own metaphor. It really was not far from the truth.
The templar broke the silence first. She usually always did. Orsino had a theory that the female was uncomfortable with the concept of silence. "Word across the sea is that the Blight was ended a few days ago."
"Thank the Maker for that. I'm not entirely sure that Kirkwall could have handled any more refugees."
O-B-E-Y.
"I know a great many managed passage into the city. I am still investigating how they slipped past the nets."
Orsino winced. She got a double word score with that one. The mage reached into the bag and retrieved a few more tiles. "You should not be surprised Meredith. Desperate times called for desperate measures."
Ocean blue eyes scanned the board. "I am still looking into our Ferelden...guests and doing a head count."
"I imagine that many may return home now that the Blight is gone and a new king and queen have been crowned," Orsino remarked as he placed two tiles onto his previous word to create a new one.
I-M-P-R-I-S-O-N-E-D.
Meredith looked up at him, her mouth set in a hard frown; the one that sent shivers down his spine. "Would you return to your home had it been cursed with the Blight?" the blonde enquired as she reached into the Scrabble bag.
An eyebrow arched up Orsino's forehead. "Perhaps not."
O-B-E-Y-I-N-G.
"Then there is your answer mage. I cannot foresee these refugees returning to a Blighted land. No, we must keep a close eye on them."
"Surely your time would be better spent elsewhere. That is a matter for the City Guard," Orsino remarked, placing his letters down on the board.
U-N-R-U-L-Y.
"Not when some of these refugees are Apostates."
Orsino tensed and looked up sharply. "I thought you had rounded them all up Meredith?" he said, his tone questioning. He had seen if first hand - after all, the First Enchanter had been the one to find beds for every Ferelden Apostate brought to the Gallows.
D-E-F-Y.
"Not all of them. There is at least two in the city. One of the Hawke sisters is a mage I'm certain."
The First Enchanter looked down at the Scrabble board, chewing on his thoughts. So the young woman he had seen in Hightown had been a mage after all, the younger of the two Hawke girls. Orsino knew he had felt a pulse in his magic responding to another magical aura but it had disappeared so quickly that he thought he had imagined it. He had wanted to go back and get a closer look at her but the older Hawke sister had hurried the girl away and threw glance in his direction – her eyes screaming a warning.
A warning that he had heeded.
Orsino did not need another angry female warrior trying to take his door down with a blade. One was more than enough.
"How can you be so sure?"
Meredith looked at the mage as if he had grown two extra arms before her very eyes. "I have been a templar for many years Orsino. That family is hiding something. I am more than certain of it. "
The mage swallowed the lump in his throat. "I am sure your suspicion is misplaced Meredith," he said, giving his tiles a shuffle around.
Meredith looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "You would say that," she fired back, her tone as icy as the Frostback mountains as she snapped down her scrabble tiles with loud, angry little clicks.
I-N-S-O-L-E-N-T.
Orsino bristled. She always seemed to be able to see straight through into his head and pluck out any secrets he was hiding. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" he enquired, trying his level best to keep his tone neutral. He knew exactly what she was implying and she knew he knew. That was the worst part of it. Meredith knew exactly what to press, what would get his blood boiling in a fit of rage. If he did not know any better, Orsino could have sworn on the maker's name that she provoked him on purpose just because she enjoyed seeing him mad. It was a possibility to consider for certain.
"You know very well what it means mage."
The mage, despite the best efforts of his psyche, could not stop himself from snarling back at her. There was no way he would let such a comment slide on by. "I am not hiding the location of any Apostates. If I knew of any, I would tell you Meredith. I would not want them to cause trouble or harm. To themselves or to the people of Kirkwall" he stated firmly. He had forgotten all about the game and focused purely on the woman opposite him.
Meredith's ocean blue flashed with something that he could not quite place, looking as if she enjoyed getting him work up into a frenzy. It was not hard to do either. The mage himself knew he had wicked temper but it had served him well in a world in where he was the most hated combination of all – an elf and a mage.
"I find that hard to believe mage."
"Hmm, yes because I am a mage so therefore I must be lying," the First Enchanter snapped back, his tone sharp and stinging. Maker be damned if she could not get him raging so easily. Oddly enough it was a different kind of rage. Orsino felt no flare from his magic – no threatening pulse or tinge of blue along his pale elven skin even as he got more and more worked up at her. It was as if a part of him did not view her as a threat, despite all evidence to the contrary.
"Watch your tone Orsino."
"And what will you do Meredith? Hmm? Slap me in irons? Make me tranquil?" Orsino retorted. He could barely believe how quickly Meredith had morphed from semi-reasonable human being to ogre in less than twenty minutes. Actually he could, he just didn't want to.
Meredith's brow crinkled. "There's a thought. Yes, let us put another useless mage that I do not need on the chair of the First Enchanter."
"You have as much chance of that happening Meredith as flying in the air. No one else wanted this job."
"That explains how you managed to worm your way into the position then."
Orsino's rage boiled over. Her words stung. And stung hard. The mage snatched up the remainder of his scrabble tiles and slapped them down on the board. The rest of the pieces jumped and jumbled around as if trying to escape his fury. "Well here is my final word for you Meredith. B-I-T-C-H. Bitch. Maker, how appropriate a word for you."
All hell promptly broke loose.
Letting out a feral snarl, the blonde woman took the closest corner of the scrabble board and proceeded to flip the board right off the table. A hurricane of little white marble squares and paperwork went flying out in every direction.
"That's it! Get out Meredith! I've had enough of you!" Orsino shouted.
"Likewise mage!" Meredith roared back. Then in a stunning display of childish anger and fury, the blonde turned on her heel and marched right out of his office. She slammed the door with a resounding bang that shook the very rafters of his office and was certain to wake every mage and templar within the Gallows.
The First Enchanter slumped back onto his chair, heart racing beneath his chest. All his rage and anger seemed to have disappeared with her – as it usually always did. In the place of his anger was dull frustration and even a tinge of regret. Orsino gave himself a mental shake and cast an olive eyed glance around his ruined office. The aftermath of the destruction was considerably less than it had been previously. Meredith had broken cutlery and furniture in the past (admittedly he had done the same) He leaned over the side of his chair, picking up the pieces of parchment abandoned in Meredith's wake. Typical. The woman never did anything small. Even storming from his office. Orsino had to admit that she was rather good at it.
Meredith made it look good.
The old mage snorted at the very thought, wondering where on Thedas it had come from. He shuffled the pieces of paper together, reaching for his quill once more from amongst the scattered marble tiles.
It was just another night in the Gallows.
Yes. Meredith and Orsino playing Scrabble. Get your head around that. Written for a Dragon Age Kink meme. The OP requested some Orsino/Meredith fic that was "basically, anything between them that counts as rivalmance ". Needless to say, I had quite a bit of fun here. Difficult but fun. I wanted this one to be kinda humorous since I'm going to continue with this series. I love Orsino and Meredith is an interesting characters. There is a lot to them that we didn't get to see. I too am of the opinion that there was something more going on between those two.
Thanks for reading