Leelou and Zevran
The campfire crackled and spat into the chilled night air.
Leelou the Grey Warden was sitting upon the grass next to the fire watching it glow and listening to the murmurs of sleeping bodies, her thumb absently tracing the new flame rune on her staff Bodahn had just put there this morning. Her back was leaning against a large fallen oak, one of the reasons she had chosen this place to camp.
Fluke, her mabari slept near her feet dreaming happy doggy dreams.
The ground crunched behind the solitary mage. Leelou stood and whirled in one motion, her skirts flying about her in the momentum. The spell for a flame blast died on her lips as a cheeky elvan face with mirth in his eyes stood there with his hands up.
"I can never sneak up on you can I? My lovely grey warden."
A smile twitched a the corner of Leelou's mouth and she pointed at the ground with her staff, the flame glow of the wood already dimming around her hands.
Zevran nodded once and sat beside her.
Earlier that week he had asked about his freedom and Leelou had answered,
"Is that after I ravish you in celebration?"
The shock on his face had been plain to see, Leelou had obviously kept her feelings guarded well, unsure of whether she could trust her newly acquired assassin.
Zevran laid back, wrapping his hands under his head casually using the oak as a pillow as he stretched out his lean body upon the ground, practically posing. The firelight dimly reflected a soft glow in the leather of his breeches, his top seemingly forgotten back at his tent.
Leelou couldn't help herself but look, her eyes tracing out the lines of his sinewy chest and travelling up to meet his amber eyes glittering with the satisfaction of a small victory won. Leelou felt her cheeks flush red. That cheeky crow had been at this game ever since he heard those words out of her mouth.
"So ive been thinking Zevran.." Leelou ventured.
"hmmm?" he purred, the smug expression as evident as ever.
"Its truly official isn't it?…You've left the crows."
"Hence the following around of a beautiful grey warden, yes." he sat up and lent forward a worried frown appearing on his face. "What is this about?"
"Nothing really, just silliness… I was wondering….." Leelou trailed off her face going redder, staring avidly at the fire.
For some reason she had been wanting to call him this for a while, but without explaining it she felt like she would be corrected. My raven… she'd been calling Zevran that for a while now in her head and had almost said it aloud. Oh well there was no going back now. She stood.
"I was wondering what do you call a crow that isn't a crow? Well I thought a raven…"
Zevran bit back a laugh. "A raven?"
Leelou nodded. "They're from the same family you see, but a raven is larger, faster and a better predator…. Um… they're also rare in comparison to the crow, their population is only half the size of the crows….." Leelou fiddled with the sash on her robe speaking faster and faster.
"So you wish to call me a raven?" Zevran's shoulders shook silently.
"Um… if you don't mind?… I ….. I think it suits you." she said through a bitten lip.
Zevran got up in once graceful movement and took the two paces towards her a dark look his eyes, a look that spoke a thousand rosy coloured hazed promises of hot rooms and very little in the way of clothes.
Giving his most smouldering smile he said "The beautiful warden can call me whatever she wishes."
Face to face Zevran was just a couple of inches shorter than the mage which left her lips almost at the exact kissing height for Zevran's brow.
Leelou's face burned and she was filled with an overwhelming urge. She lent forward and kissed it gently.
"Thank you raven." she whispered.
Zevran was stunned, frozen to the silently to the spot and before he could recover his usual witty self she backed off hastily heading to her tent.
"Um.. Your turn for the night watch. Good night. Fluke is here if you need him."
And with that she disappeared inside the folds of her tent.