"You're quite adorable, yes?" Dorian said, looking up from his book. Lapin raised his gaze from his own, where he was… struggling… to meet Dorian's eyes.
"Sorry?" He wondered, golden eyes falling a little, but inquisitive.
"You've been staring at the same two pages in that book for the past half hour. Is everything alright?" They were sitting in the same little alcove in the library at Skyhold, and despite the evening hour, the place was bustling. Lapin wasn't even sure why he bothered to try and read anymore—he knew he couldn't. It was just nice to sit, and the faces that people made while reading were quite amusing.
"Just… a lot on my mind. Am I disturbing you?" Lapin wondered, closing the unread book and setting it on the table.
"No… not at all," Dorian assured him, closing his own book and looking at him still, contemplating. "I do realize—we have barely spoken. You know about me well enough, but I not about you."
"You know some about me," Lapin reminded him. He was the Inquisitor—the 'Herald of Andraste'… he did have the damned mark on his left hand.
"But that's the sort of rubbish that everyone knows," Dorian said, his voice almost whining. Pleading perhaps? "I don't mean that stuff. I need blackmail-worthy material."
The elf laughed, covering up his mouth quickly to stifle the sound. It sounded unnatural in the tower. "Alright, I suppose I could indulge you. I must admit, before I fell out of the Fade, my life was far from interesting. What do you wish to know?"
"Your clan… Lavellan, yes? What was it like?"
Lapin shrugged a little, leaning back in his chain. He set his foot up on his knee and played with the sole of his boot. "Closeknit, but isolated. We tried to stick to the old ways. Speaking to Solas," he paused, making a slight face, eyes down on his boot. "I don't know. I feel like we were children playing pretend from a folk tale."
Dorian was quiet for a few seconds. "If that was the case, how did you come to the Conclave?"
"Oh. My clan's Keeper sent me to spy on the dealings. She was worried that something might happen; if the mages and Templars destroyed themselves… what hope was there for us?" He sighed a little. "So I came, by myself for most of the way. Quite a bit of a drop from the Marches."
"Most of the way?"
"A few of my friends joined me for a time. It was good company, until things started to get more war and less fun. I made them turn back, for fear of their health. I'm… glad I did now."
"Did they make it back to your clan?" Dorian's voice sounded almost worried.
"I don't know, actually. I know Leliana has sent some people to make contact, but I haven't heard back yet."
There was silence for a moment, and their eyes met briefly before Lapin looked away again.
"Alright, I have another question."
"I might have another answer."
"Did you have a lovely elf to warm your bed at night?"
Lapin snorted in amusement, staying quiet until he realized that Dorian was still staring at him, eyebrows raised, waiting.
"Well, they didn't lack for trying. None succeeded."
"High tastes?"
"Let's put it this way: you watch someone grow up from a baby, all their tantrums, torments, bullying. All of the running away, the rebel phases… the weird hair." He made a face. "I looked at every one of those elves… I just couldn't do it."
Dorian frowned a little. "Don't the clans intermate?"
"Sometimes. We have to, or otherwise things would get weird, fast. I supposed if I stayed, I might have done something like that. I'm not sure. I haven't given it much thought since being here, if I'm being completely honest."
"Well, of course. Seeing Corypheus will hardly get anyone in the mood," Dorian said, waving a hand in the air at the prospect. "So, no romance, no little elf babies, yes? I know you were a hunter—but what else? What did you do?"
Lapin sat back in his chair a little now, looking over at Dorian, a look of semi-disbelief on his face. "We weren't scholars, Dorian."
They stared at each other. "Rabbit, I didn't mean to offend you. I didn't wish to just come out and ask—"
"You could have, though," Lapin said quietly, cutting off the man's words.
"No, you're right. My apologies," he said humbly, waiting a moment before continuing. "I can teach you, though."
Lapin sighed a little, eyes back on the man. "Why would you want to do that?"
Dorian's brow furrowed a little. "I cannot imagine a world in which I couldn't read. To pick up a book and have a wealth of knowledge, or a story… to write letters and receive them. Inquisitor, please. Let me help." When Lapin just crossed his arms, he sighed. "Alright, alright, yes. It is also an excuse to spend more time with you, and you with me. I figure, if you can master reading with this distraction in the room, you will truly be a champion."
"There it is," Lapin said with a small smirk, and he saw Dorian relax, a smile spreading across his lips. "Alright, Dorian, I concede to your tutelage."
"Tutelage? That sure is a fancy word. Do you by chance know how to spell it?"
"You know I don't."
"Mm. I know you don't."
"Are you going to be like this the entire time?"
"Probably. You aren't going to run to Solas instead, are you? Won't be nearly as fun."
"It had crossed my mind," Lapin teased, and Dorian laughed a little, standing with a slight creaking.
"Well, let's find something to start you out on," he said, and started to tour the shelves, making small thinking noises. "I know you can read a bit, yes? How much exactly."
Lapin stood as well, putting back the book he had been looking at with a solemn face. "Enough. Nothing at the level of any of the educated people here. Talking to Cullen honestly makes me feel like I was raised by barbarians."
Dorian laughed again, tugging a book from the shelf and stepping over to the elf. "If the good commander can make you feel like that, I can't imagine what talking to me feels like." Lapin took the book with careful fingers, glancing at the cover.
"Actually, I rather enjoy your company," he answered.
"As I enjoy yours," Dorian replied, and there was a moment of silence between them. "Do I come off as condescending?"
Lapin turned to him, looking slightly confused. "Maybe a little. I quite think it adds to your charm."
"Don't encourage him," said a voice from behind them, and they both looked around to see a dwarf standing there, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. "You'll never hear the end of it."
"Varric, you wound me!" Dorian replied, pouting slightly but moving away from Lapin to sit at the edge of the table. "What in Andraste's knickers are you doing up here?"
"Ever since I learned that Chuckles reads my books, I figured I would check out what other works of mine have slipped in to the library. Maybe add a bit of my own."
"Does he read Swords and Shields like Cassandra?" Lapin wondered with a light grin, and Varric grinned right back.
"You know, it wouldn't surprise me. It would seem, however, that she has confiscated every copy of it that the Inquisition has. You don't think she's getting the Spymaster to procure more copies, do you?"
Dorian snorted. "I wouldn't put it past them, that's for sure." Varric raised his eyebrows at the Tevinter. "Yes… well alright. I've read them too. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about."
"I heard you call them rubbish!" Lapin argued.
"I never said they weren't! He didn't ask if I like them."
"Actually, I never asked you at all," Varric said with a smirk.
"And now you don't have to," Dorian stated with a slight sniffle.
"What are you two doing anyway? Still trying to find out who Corypheus really was?"
"I haven't given up on that," Dorian said. "I was actually just recommending a book for the Inquisitor. He says he's been having trouble getting to sleep."
"And… 'A Child's History of the Tevinter Imperium' is supposed to help him sleep better at night?" Varric wondered, reading the spine of the book that Lapin held (who quickly covered it with his fingers).
"One must start somewhere. He wanted to know history, and I can't very well waste my voice all day, beautiful as it may be."
"Why do we even have that book in here anyway?"
"Our mage friends have young ones with them," another voice said, and they all looked around to see Solas there. "Am I intruding? I could hear you all all the way down the tower."
"Were your ears burning, Chuckles?"
Solas' eyebrows furrowed as he touched his ears softly, as if to check. "I don't—Ah I see. Were you speaking of me?"
"About your preferences of books, only, nothing bad, I assure you," Dorian said.
"Somehow, I doubt that," Solas said, smirking slightly. "In any case, the mages are not all adults, if you had forgotten."
"Are they still running around your study?" Varric wondered, to which Solas frowned.
"I catch them every few days. I don't know how they keep getting past me!"
"Do we need to set a guard? A mabari perhaps?"
"I set wards, Inquisitor. The little ones get through them; why would a person be any different?"
"They might play with the mabari," Lapin said simply, and the two elves stared at each other for a second.
"Perhaps a good dose of discipline, as they should be taught by their caretakers, would do the trick." Lapin smirked at this.
"You don't like children, Solas?"
"Well behaved children I find perfectly amiable. Even young magelings learning to control their gifts, or young warriors who like to run around with wooden swords—all fine. Children should know their place, know what is allowed and what isn't."
"Children are children, no matter how you make it out," Varric said, shifting on his feet and scratching at the stubble on his chin. "Maybe instead of punishing these kids you can offer to teach them."
"I hardly have time for that," Solas defended quickly, tips of his ears turning pink. "Between—"
"I actually don't think that's a bad idea," Lapin broke in, in which everyone else went silent. "They obviously have talent; why not nurture it instead of telling them its wrong to use it?"
Solas considered him for a moment, head tilting slightly. "You are… right, of course. Perhaps I will go and speak with Fiona about them." He started to turn, but paused midstep. "Come, Varric, this was your idea. You can teach them to spin stories to help deceive their superiors."
Varric followed him, saying, "Oh, I think you're good enough at deceiving all on your own."
Their footsteps receded, and then Dorian and Lapin were alone again. They glanced at each other, and Dorian cleared his throat a little. "I think they make a fine couple," he said in a light tone, but it made Lapin laugh.
"Quite the pair, those two," he agreed amiably, now raising the book to begin to read the title. He knew what it said, and after a few seconds of his brain working, he could read it too. "Why did you pick this one?"
"Its interesting," Dorian assured him, stepping to him and opening up the book, still in Lapin's hands. "Look here," he said, pointing at an illustration of some qunari and mages battling, "qunari! No story ever had a qunari in it that wasn't exciting." He was looking at the book, but Lapin was looking at him. He realized after a second and met the gaze. "What?"
"You didn't have to do that."
"I swear, it was just a random page," Dorian said lightly, but Lapin didn't budge. "Of course I did, rabbit," he said in a low voice. "We have your image to protect and preserve after all."
"I don't think anyone cares beyond me getting shit done."
"Or… that you stared down an Archdemon, or walked out of the Fade, or sealed the Breach right?" He snorted a little. "Let's not take any chances, shall we? Let the public keep on believing you're perfect." Lapin tilted his head slightly.
"Those were our friends, Dorian. Both of them have seen me struggle to read evidence while out. Both will read it aloud from over my shoulder. They know, or they just think I'm an idiot. I can't decide which."
"Well, we will have to get them to stop doing that. How will you ever learn that way?" Dorian said, taking it all in stride. His fingers closed the book and withdrew. "And for the record, no one thinks you're an idiot. Well, no one that matters."
"Dorian-" Lapin said, turning to face Dorian as he was turning away. "I am grateful. Thank you. I didn't mean to sound like I was put off by it."
"I honestly don't think I could ever be mad at you," Dorian assured him, turning and walking to sit down again. He patted right beside him in the large chair, and after a moment of hesitation, Lapin joined him. "Alright, nice and cozy. Ready to read?" Dorian's arm went around his shoulders as the elf opened up the book slowly to the title page.
