Conquering the Ambassador
"Goodness, these Val Chevin candies will be the death of me." Her ears twitched to the accented voice, but the downed Inquisitor couldn't bring herself to budge. It was foolish to have come here, instead of lying face-down in the grass. She had gotten sick, and on the Antivan ambassador's rug no less.
The door was opened, and suddenly her ears felt far too hot. "Inquisitor Trevelyan?! Are you quite- is that… vomit?"
"I was… struck by a sudden sickness on my way to your office. Please forgive me, I couldn't seem to control myself. I think… I blacked out." How long had she been here? Even she had barely a clue.
"Blacked out?" Josephine seemed absolutely bewildered, kneeling at her side after some thought. At least the vomit was nowhere near her…
"Where did you just come from?" She asked, gently touching along the Inquisitor's sleeve. Lady Trevelyan would definitely need a bath.
"The Western Approach. I had a lot of trouble with a dragon. Why?" She still couldn't move, but the older woman wasn't too bothered by that. Probably just fatigue.
"You might be poisoned!" Josephine scolded, standing from her side. "Of all things, crippled by the filthy saliva of a dragon…" She almost paced, before realizing the direness of this situation. "I-I will get you a healer!"
"I'll be here." The remark was bereft of snideness, rather amusement instead. Even if muffled by a vomit-stained Orlesian rug.
"Maker…" Josephine sighed, exiting to the grand hall of Skyhold. It was quiet, peace that was better suited to another time. Frustrated, she crossed out into the training grounds. "Ah, Seeker Pentaghast, where is the nearest healer?"
Freezing before the steel of her sword could put another slice in the dummy before her, Cassandra turned. "A healer?" Her harsh accent made Josephine second-guess herself, if only for a moment. "What is wrong- Is there an invasion?" She seemed almost excited for such an opportunity.
"No, no, it's the Inquisitor! She is paralyzed, o-or just too weak to move." The Antivan woman would have rambled on, but the seeker was already leading her away.
"Explain." Cassandra sharply spoke, scowling. Josephine fumbled, sighing. "She said you had encountered a dragon in the Western Approach? She may be poisoned-"
The seeker's sword pierced the grass, and Cassandra gave a wicked growl from her chest. "That damned Trevelyan. The dragon was on its last dregs of life; All limbs crippled. Its last defense was to bite. The Inquisitor shoved me out of the way, and got a bad bite to her side."
"The dragon bit her? Surely I only assumed she hadn't washed her hands after cleaning saliva off of her sword…" Lady Trevelyan survived a dragon's bite?
"It wasn't a pretty sight." Cassandra dryly responded, escorting Josephine back inside. "Madame de Fer? Have you a tonic for poison?" The dark woman turned towards her, having been about to enter the library.
"Poison? My dear Seeker, you look far too flush to be poisoned." Vivienne teased her, the warrior giving a disgruntled noise.
"It's for the Inquisitor. She was bitten by a dragon."
"Well… that's a first." Vivienne frowned, tucking a hand into one of the pouches on her belt. "This should do the trick, darling." She passed over a bottle, filled with an iridescent liquid.
Cassandra took it, holding it up to the light. It poured in from the stained glass behind the throne, and she grunted softly after her inspection. "This will do, thank you."
"I will need to throw that rug away." Josephine sighed, following fast after the seeker. "Not that I was particularly close to it…"
"The Inquisitor will pay you back." Cassandra dryly commented, the two happening upon the scene. Ayre was still facedown in the rug, gurgling and grumbling.
"This is a sight." The seeker almost seemed amused; Brows quirking as she surveyed her downed superior.
"...You brought Cassandra, Lady Montilyet?" Ayre sighed, barely able to bring her arms up to her sides. She braced them, attempting to push herself up before she collapsed. "Ugh…"
"Seeker Pentaghast has much more experience than I." Josephine knelt by her side again, touching along her sleeve. "I was unsure whether to bring a mage or Mother Giselle."
"Is that a tease?" Ayre managed a grin before she groaned again, Cassandra kneeling as well.
"You fool." Cassandra bit, showing the younger woman the bottle. "If anyone should be listless on a floor, it should be me. Less vomit and far more privacy, however."
"Next time a dragon comes to bite, I'll make sure to use you as a shield." Ayre quipped, the Seeker giving a rough sigh. The Inquisitor was far too stubborn, but she could always be swayed, or bent forcefully.
"You cannot even roll from your belly." Cassandra rolled her eyes, passing the tonic to Josephine. One hands braced on either side of Ayre, the Seeker gently turned her.
"If the bite was so bad, surely-"
"It was more like a very weak… graze." Ayre spoke again, one hand clutched tight to her lower left abdomen. Bright viridian eyes glanced from Josephine up to Cassandra, as if trying to convey something.
"I will not lie for you." The Seeker scoffed, looking to the Antivan woman with a soft huff. "It was a bite. A weak bite, as she does not lay here in two, but a bite nonetheless."
"Cassandra, you're terrible at collaborating a story." The Inquisitor made sure to speak, weakly pointing a finger up to her. She was draped on the Seeker's lap; Cassandra kneeling fully to at least make it more comfortable.
"If you wanted lies, you should have howled for Leliana. She may have heard you."
Josephine was so utterly baffled. Shouldn't the tonic be halfway down Ayre's throat by now? "My lady-"
"Oh. Right…" The woman chuckled, and Cassandra took the tonic back; pale and scarred cheeks flush with embarrassment. The cork was removed with the Seeker's teeth, and then the iridescent liquid was tipped past pale lips.
Would it really be as easy as that? "Should the wound be more thoroughly looked at?" Josephine spoke up, brows furrowing in concern. She waited for an answer, though of course the other two were otherwise occupied.
Once the bottle had been drained completely, Cassandra moved the mouth of it away before tossing it. It didn't shatter, but she was still given a faintly scolding look from the Antivan.
"...Habit." The Seeker's cheeks flushed deeply once more, and their gazes returned back to Ayre. The Inquisitor's hair fell into her eyes, a furtive breath futile to dislodge the crimson unruly locks.
Josephine moved them for her, cocking a thick brow. The Inquisitor was a rather odd woman, prone to nonsensical whims. She wondered if one of those whims had led them to take on that dragon…
"I feel much better." Ayre softly murmured, finding the strength to raise a hand to her brow. The taste of bile in her mouth, mixed with the tonic, made her grimace. "Lady Montilyet, I apologize deeply for the rug-"
"Oh, do shut up about the rug." Josephine softly snapped, following it with a soft chuckle. "It can be replaced, but you cannot." She went to place a hand on the noble, but thought differently.
"You can, however, be bathed…"
"Well, this is the lowest point of my week." Ayre grumbled softly, covering her face. Just when she had come to confess to Josephine, too.
Well, perhaps it had been a good thing she never crossed that threshold; Ayre was sure the ambassador wouldn't have been so quickly to forgiveness if it had been her that was vomited on.
AN: Thank you for reading my first Dragon Age story! I've been a fan of the series since Origins, but I love Inquisition with a fierceness. Josephine is my favorite love interest as well, and this is only the beginning. Please, review!