Disclaimer: All characters belong to Bioware. Meris Lavellan belongs to me.


The halls of the theater were filled with the low murmur of voices as people flooded into the auditorium. In honor of the Inquisition's efforts, there was to be a play performed in Val Royeaux's finest theater, courtesy of Empress Celene herself. Though her royal duties kept her from attending, many of Orlais' highest ranking nobles were invited by Celene for the evening - most likely for appearances, of course. As the Empress's guest of honor, Inquisitor Lavellan was allowed three invitations of her own. It would be rude to expect the Inquisitor to come alone, but bringing the entire Inquisition to such an event would cause too much of a stir among the nobles, so it was agreed upon that three additional guests would be most appropriate.

Finding three individuals to accompany her for a night out in Orlais was all but easy for Meris. She brought two of her advisors, Josephine and Leliana, both for their expertise in Orlesian politics as well as Leliana's... "skills" as spymaster. For the sake of protection, several of Leliana's agents secretly joined them, disguised as a few of the nobles invited to the performance. An attempt on the Inquisitor's life at such an event would be scandalous, but not unlikely. Having eyes and ears in the crowd would be enough to keep things quiet. As for her third guest, Meris brought her "elven serving man," Solas. She still chuckled at the memory of her lover attending the ball in Halamshiral under such a title. It wasn't surprising that he chose to be addressed the same way at the theater, as it rendered him inconspicuous and would keep the gossip among the nobles to a minimum. If that was what it took to have a quiet night out together, then so be it, Meris thought.

While waiting to be seated, Meris admired the interior of the theater hallway, its vibrant and elaborate decor creating a tasteful atmosphere for its guests. Intricate murals laced with silver and gold glittered under the soft glow of the candles that lined the walls - depicting tales of love, bravery, betrayal, and other various themes commonly portrayed in the performing arts. The lush carpet below was a rich tone of wine red with a subtle flowery pattern in cream, complimenting the warm hues of the murals surrounding them. The Orlesians may have been an irritating people to deal with at times, but they were damn fine decorators.

She felt the brush of fabric against her elbow, looking to Solas beside her, who wore a gentle smile and glanced down at her through the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, as her "serving man" it would be considered inappropriate to even do something as simple as link arms with him, but that didn't stop either of them from occasionally bumping into one another by "accident." Meris offered him a tiny grin in return, enjoying the small flush of pink that appeared at the tips of his ears. Even acting as a servant, Solas was dressed rather well. He wore a suit of forest green that brought out the icy tone of his blue-grey eyes, its design subtly modeled after ancient elven fashion he claimed to have seen in dreams. The fitted fabric was laced with gold and an off-white, and the golden sash that hung over his shoulder twisted around itself in a way that resembled the horns of a halla. Over half of his face he wore a silvery mask that was modeled after the face of a wolf, though a bit more stylized, and and was lined with gold similarly to match his suit. Meris especially admired the way his outfit complimented his toned form, and the way it fit around certain... assets.

Her own outfit rivaled those of the Orlesian nobles. Though Josephine had assured her something simple would suffice, Meris enjoyed the way she looked in such expensive finery. Her silk dress was a deep mauve, hugging her curves before draping elegantly around her legs and trailing just a little over a foot behind her. On her left side, the dress featured a slit in the skirt that stopped just above her waist, teasing a view of her long, toned leg and the tattoo of roses that rested on her hip. A trail of black feathers with twisted gold laces in the center connected the top of the slit with the center of her chest where the fabric ended, which hung in a wide "V" shape. The gold and feathers continued up over her skin and curled around her neck like a choker, with a jeweled amulet at the top to feign the appearance of a necklace. From behind, the majority of her back was exposed, displaying the freckles, moles, and scars that decorated her skin. On her feet she wore tall black heels, with tiny golden roses blooming from the backs of them. In her hand she held a lace fan - less because the theater was stuffy and more because she simply found it pretty. Her wavy red hair was braided and tied up into a style that was popular among the dalish, though she left a few loose strands in front of her ears to add her own flare to it. Finally, she completed her look with a half-mask in the shape of a butterfly, glittering elegantly with the same colors as those found on her gown.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Meris and her guests were announced and ushered to their seats. The Empress had been rather generous in her placement for the group, granting them the comfort and viewing pleasure of the VIP booth that rested above the standard seating. The seats themselves featured plush velvet cushions lined with mahogany, with small wooden trays above the lap to place refreshments. It all was certainly very cozy.

Meris sat in the center of the small row of seats, with Josephine on her right and Solas on her left. Leliana sat to the right of Josephine, as it provided the best viewing point to observe her agents.

For a short time, they chatted together about various topics, ranging from recent events to the summary of the play mentioned in the itinerary for the evening. The performance was to portray a story about a forbidden love between a chevalier and a commoner - a scandalous affair in the eyes of the nobles, though Meris didn't see the trouble with it. "It's an Orlesian thing," Leliana had told her.

The soft rumbling of the crowd below them gradually quieted as large curtains separated to expose the stage, signaling that the play was about to begin. A hush quickly fell over the entire auditorium as music filled the air and ridiculously-dressed characters appeared on stage for the first scene.

The second act of the play began as Meris sipped on her glass of wine, her body warm with the slight buzz of alcohol flowing through her body. So far the performance wasn't as bad as she'd expected, in fact the story was rather well-written and quite enjoyable if she ignored the poor choices in costumes. For a country so focused on being fashion forward, it was ironic that they had such awful taste when it came to costume design.

Her guests seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. Josephine and Leliana chattered and giggled over glasses of what appeared to be Antivan champagne, while Solas quietly watched the play, drinking a white wine and occasionally offering Meris a sip.

With a relaxed sigh, she leaned back on her seat, uncrossing her legs as she eased herself against the soft cushions. Only a few moments had passed before she felt something brush against the outside of her thigh. Looking down, she found Solas' hand resting over the slit of her dress, gently tracing his thumb over the lines of her tattoo. Her gaze then shifted to his face, which was still focused on the stage ahead - save for the tiny smirk on his lips beneath the shadows of his mask. He was challenging her.

They both knew this was hardly the place for such frivolous activities... which made the thought of engaging him all the sweeter to Meris. She looked over to her advisors, who weren't paying a bit of attention to the play, and instead were gossiping and giggling like a couple of school girls. Hopefully they stay that way, she prayed to herself.

She then returned her attention to Solas, whose hand still lingered in its place on her thigh. Smiling, she nudged her leg against his hand, quietly accepting his challenge.

His chair creaked as she felt him lean closer to her, his breath warm against her ear. "Are you sure you wish to do this, vhenan?" he whispered.

He didn't think she could keep quiet.

She partially understood his concern - they had never done anything like this in such a public setting before. While she was indeed... vocal in the bedroom, she trusted herself to maintain her composure enough for his little game.

Tilting her face slightly towards his, she whispered low enough for only him to hear, "Try me."

A soft chuckle escaped him as he responded, "Ma nuvenin."

His chair creaked again as he straightened himself in it, and Meris felt his hand slowly move down towards the the inside of her knee, pulling the fabric of her dress with it to expose her leg to him. She sighed as he caressed her skin, alternating between massaging her muscles and feathering his fingers against her as his hand lazily moved closer to its target. She gasped in surprise when he gently pinched her inner thigh - the unexpected contact stirred a pool of heat that began to form between her legs. A few torturously slow moments later, his hand finally found her smalls. He teased her through the thin fabric, tracing the lace designs with the tips of his fingers as his thumb tickled the skin of her inner thigh. Creators damn him, he's good at this.

She tried to clear her throat in an attempt to keep herself from giggling or moaning, though it sounded more like a hiccup than anything else. Thankfully, no one had taken notice.

His fingers then moved to the top of her underwear, rubbing the cloth, but not making an effort to go any further. He was quietly asking for permission to continue, giving her a chance to back out if she wanted to. He was always so considerate and selfless, especially with her.

She spread her legs ever so slightly, encouraging him to continue his efforts, and he took the hint. His fingers slipped past her smalls and gently started to massage the nub above her heat, causing her to grit her teeth and let out a shaky breath. He lingered there a moment, rubbing the sensitive area before sliding his hand lower. He then teased her sex with his middle finger, dragging it over her wetness as her hands squeezed the ends of her arm rests so hard her knuckles turned white. Her breaths became heavier with each stroke of his finger - so close yet so far from where she wanted it to be.

Suddenly, he slid his finger inside her, curling it as he pulled out. She cleared her throat another time, trying to stifle the moan that threatened to escape her. Again, he pushed into her heat, deeper that time, and she bit her lip as she released a deep breath. After several thrusts, he pressed another digit into her, increasing his pace along with it. In response she lightly bucked against his fingers, her own chair creaking beneath the movement. Damn it, she cursed to herself. He continued to move faster, his fingers spreading and curling with each thrust as her walls twitched around them. Her breaths became more ragged as she struggled to remain silent, drawing nearer and nearer to climax with every press of his fingers. Gods, she was so close. She brought a hand up to her mouth as he pushed her closer to the edge, silently begging for release. He continued to thrust into her, hard and fast, until finally, she was undone. She shuddered, biting into her hand as she came around his fingers.

Closing her eyes, she took a few minutes to regain herself, the white haze of pleasure slowly dissipating as her breathing returned to normal.

When she came to her senses, Meris checked the scene around her. The play was still going - she recognized the familiar set on stage as the protagonist continued to fight what appeared to be a dragon. Leliana and Josephine were still engrossed in their own conversation, discussing some noblewoman's "horrific" choice in shoes. On her other side, Solas sat confidently, his gaze fixed on the stage as he sipped on his beverage. Besides the deep blush that spread over his ears, he looked as if nothing had happened between them.

But Meris wasn't done with him just yet. The thrill of being pleasured by him only left her wanting more - she craved to feel him, to see and hear the way he moaned for her as she fucked him. Creators, she needed him now.


Author's Note: Almost finished with part 2, expect an update (hopefully) soon.

Translations:

Vhenan - "Heart"

Ma nuvenin - "Very well" or "As you wish"