It had been a few months since the Inquisition's new base had been established in Skyhold. Staring out over the expanse of mountains that protected the castle Ori and her followers now inhabited, she thought about the responsibilities that now rested on her. Not that responsibility was a foreign concept to her, it was something that plagued her all her life. Pulling her gaze away from the scenery, she returned to her desk and sat down, vivid blue eyes scanning the letter before her for the 100th time.

It had been sent directly to her, her advisors none the wiser to its existence. Carefully, she opened it and examined its contents again. The letter was vague but direct. Whoever sent it was aware of a current resident within the walls of Skyhold and they were threatening the Inquisition and Ori herself. A mistake on their part, truly.

Calmly, Ori folded up the letter and without a moment's hesitation, she ignited it within her palm—dropping the ash into the waste bin beside the desk. If they wanted to threaten her or anyone under her watch they would have to do better than that. She stood, sweeping up the white hair that grazed her shoulders into a bun. As she dusted the remainder of the dust from her hands, Ori made her way out of her room and into the foyer of the still dilapidated castle. Soldiers, nobles, and busybodies alike shuffled about, saying their pleasantries as she passed by on her way to the wing of the castle that held the sleeping quarters.

A quick succession of knocks pulled him away from his writings.

"It's open." He called, begrudgingly flicking his wrist to unlock the door from where he sat. Ori felt the wave of magic rush to the door then dissipate as the lock clicked, indicating she was allowed access.

"Niko?" She peered into the young elf's room cautiously. As soon as she crossed the threshold the door shut behind her. Unnerving, but Niko was private, not stupid. He wouldn't attempt anything and more importantly, he frequently was too isolated for anyone to even remember he was there. Ori stepped further into his room, gingerly stepping around the stacks of books and miscellaneous phylacteries that littered the floor.

"Can I help you, Inquisitor?" He didn't look up from his work, his left-hand scribbling notes in a large tome while his right flipped through several loose documents. Ori stood on the outside of his personal space, partially amazed by the decoration of his room. Rugs of various color and material lay strewn over the cobblestone, providing a plush landing for one's feet, tapestries of deep maroons and greens were strung up—draping elegantly across the ceilings and walls—some even used as makeshift curtains. The color and vibrancy of his domain was in direct contrast to his personality and demeanor. His control and focus over his magic was impressive as well, several candles were floating about the room and no doubt were kept flickering by magic. Ori felt like there was something new every time she came in here, or maybe she just couldn't see it all because there was only candlelight illuminating the space.

"It's about the letter, isn't it?" He inquired on her behalf. His soft, Antivan accented voice pulled her from her gawking.

"Yes."

Niko sighed, placing the quill down in the tome as a bookmark. He scooted the desk chair back, minding the rug that was beneath him, and turned to give her his full undivided attention. She looked down at him, fully examining him and taking note on how dramatically different his stature was from hers. Standing, she was about a full 9 inches taller than him, and although he was an elf and she was not, he still was tinier than most elves she had come across. His complexion was darker than hers and spotted with freckles while she bore olive-toned skin and a noticeable scar across her forehead from a traumatic fight before she was the Inquisitor.

"So," he began once more, once again remedying the silence, "Who is after your favorite heretic now?"

"I don't know, but it's becoming concerning. From Haven to here..." She trailed off, her eyes catching movement in the back of the room. Niko adjusted himself to follow her gaze, curious about what she was staring at.

"Bean, what are you doing?" From underneath a blanket that was splayed on the floor popped a small, pink, hairless animal. Ori pursed her lips, stifling a small laugh as the nug trotted out from its blanket fort and hopped into Niko's lap. This was one of the few moments where Niko's stoicism broke. He smiled softly at the creature in his lap and scratched him behind his long, bunny-like ears.

"I'll find out who is sending the letters, Orianna." The smile now gone from his face, he was looking directly at her. She nodded.

"If you need anything, just ask."

Niko stood as Bean jumped off his lap.

"Of course." He folded his hands behind his back, holding his gaze at Ori as she broke away to watch Bean skitter off into a corner of the room, chittering in annoyance. She smiled to herself before returning her attention to the mage standing before her.

"I don't need to tell you about my distaste for blood magic, but you have been a useful ally to the Inquisition so far so I have no issue extending protections to you."

"Good to know I'm only worth protecting if I'm useful." He droned sarcastically as he wandered off into the back end of his room where his bed sat. Ori signed in annoyance, he knew what she meant, but he was, unfortunately... like this. Niko had now taken up lounging on his bed, clearly finished with the conversation, several candles around Ori extinguished as ones in the back of the room ignited. The only way one could tell Niko was in the room was the now occasional glimmer of candlelight reflecting off his green and blue eyes. She could take a hint, silently she made her way back out the door and like before it swung shut and the lock clicked in almost a condescending tone. She was now standing outside, filled with annoyance and apprehension. This type of situation as not one to be taken lightly, but she knew it unwise to further pester Niko. Setting her shoulders, she walked off towards the courtyard.

Once Ori had left, Niko got back out of bed and tossed the parchment he had been looking at onto the pile of other documents on his desk. Despite not particularly liking contact with others, he knew he needed to leave his room.

"C'mon Bean." The nug ran from his hiding spot and sat at Niko's feet as he fixed his messy red hair and patchwork clothing. Well, attempted to anyway. No matter what, he always looked sleep-deprived and horribly disheveled. Giving up, Niko opened the door and exited, Bean following close behind. Out of the room and out into the courtyard, Bean scooted off towards the stables to see the other nugs. Niko had a habit of rescuing injured animals on their missions and bringing them back to rehabilitate them and subsequently release them. Blackwall had taken a liking to this and helped build a smaller stable where Niko could treat the animals and keep the ones that couldn't be released safely. Going their separate ways, Niko walked out and onto the battlements. He needed the fresh air, needed to stretch his legs and fully assess the situation he was now embroiled in. A sharp twinge in his right leg kept him from fully focusing on that, however. He, like many others, had been injured in the assault on Haven, though he counted himself lucky because he still could draw breath. His leg, however; was permanently damaged, his mobility was now hindered, and he carried a small limp. Lost in his thoughts, Niko failed to notice the man coming up beside him.

"Enjoying the view?"

Startled and practically jumping out of his skin he spun on the origin of the voice, a small dagger drawn.

"Whhoooaaaa, calm down there, Spitfire." The blonde held up one arm in a halting motion.

"Lucio." Niko glared at him, sheathing the dagger.

"Me." Lucio smiled smugly, sidling back up beside the redhead. Lucio was, by all accounts, handsome. Though Niko would rather die than admit that to his face. He stood, through no surprise, taller than Niko with a sharp jawline and piercing silver eyes that had a way of making a person feel like he knew exactly what they were thinking. He was a mercenary-turned-noble-turned-mercenary-again and was now helping the Inquisition with his connections to both the court of Orlais as well as his more unsavory connections in the mercenary world. Like Niko, he had also been injured at Haven, having lost his left forearm arm while rescuing Niko. A twinge of guilt twisted his gut as his eyes scanned over the half-empty sleeve of Lucio's shirt.

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore."

"That's probably because you've been binge-drinking." Niko shifted his weight to his left side, arms folded in front of his stomach.

"Have you been watching me?" Lucio teased, batting his eyelashes at Niko dramatically. Niko rolled his eyes.

"Only because I've called dibs on your corpse for experimentation later."

Lucio winced at the comeback and his expression soured. Not the response he had hoped for, but this was Niko he was dealing with. Lucio ran a hand through his light blonde hair and stared out into the distance, Niko followed his gaze. They stood in silence as snow slowly began to drift down over the mountains before them.

"Beautiful, huh..." Lucio commented softly. Niko nodded, seeing Lucio's line of sight was directed at him. Clearing his throat, he felt the flush of embarrassment rise in his cheeks. He felt vulnerable now and he didn't like it, his wall of stoicism had been broken by Lucio's flirting and he felt exposed and out of control of the interaction. A beat of panic rushed through him and he abruptly turned and began to walk away from him. Lucio called out to him as he walked away, but he ignored him until he felt the grip of a hand on his arm. The panic he felt now amplified and he felt something inside him slip as a razor-sharp sliver of ice pierced through Lucio's hand and the temperature dropped significantly. Lucio immediately released him, cursing quietly as the ice disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, a trail of blood now oozing from the top of his hand and dripping along the battlements from the bottom. Niko turned his expression one of fear at what he had just done accidentally.

"Lucio, I..." He began, stepping forward as a small wave of energy hit him from behind. He gasped, stumbling forward suddenly looking breathless and very weak. Another man could be seen walking towards them, Lucio's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward to steady Niko who was looking more and more unwell by the second. He slumped against Lucio's chest, seemingly ready to pass out. Or throw up. Maybe both.

"What happened?" Lucio asked, his concern growing.

"I temporarily nullified his magic," Cullen responded, "By the looks of it, too late." He eyed the bleeding wound on Lucio's hand with disgust. Niko's groan was muffled by Lucio's shirt as he commented on his hatred for Templars. Normally, the proximity would be enough to send Niko back into a panicked state, but the growing lack of spatial awareness from Cullen's spell is what kept him close. Wavering side to side, it was clear he was still stunned by whatever Cullen had done to him. That didn't sit too well with Lucio.

"You went overboard, commander."

"He was losing control, he could have killed you." Cullen retorted, his eyes locking with Lucio's as he remained stalwart in his conviction. Lucio's glare turned deadly, his ever-short fuse reaching its peak. His body was rigid, and Niko felt has his heartbeat spiked.

"Don't." Niko shook his head and slowly distanced himself, finally able to stand on his own. Removing himself from this was now his priority, he wasn't going to be involved in any ulterior motives Cullen might have had. With a deep exhale, he stepped around Lucio and descended the stairs of the battlements albeit shakily, stumbling a bit at the bottom step.

"Don't ever do that to him again," Lucio warned, practically spitting venom at Cullen. Cullen shook his head, scoffing quietly as he went back to his office without another word. Looking back to the bottom of the stairs, Lucio noticed Niko was now gone—regret pooled in his chest, he knew he shouldn't have behaved like that. With a heavy sigh of defeat, Lucio also walked down the stairs, making a direct line to the tavern as soon as he reached the ground.

"You alright?" Ori took a seat across from Lucio in the tavern. It was quiet now that it was deep into the evening. Mostly everyone had filtered out except for a few patrons, Ori and Lucio included.

"Your commander is on thin ice."

Ori perked up at this, eyebrows knitting together in confusion and mild alarm. It wasn't often that any infighting occurred except for the occasional tavern scuffle, so hearing this, especially about one of her advisors and commander of her army was enough to get her attention. She trusted Lucio, to an extent.

"He did something to Niko... Used some weird Templar bullshit."

"What?" Her voice was flat, anger vaguely present in the tone.

"Stop talking, Lucio."

Lucio and Ori's heads both swiveled to look at the speaker. Niko stood at the side of the table, a hood draped over his face. Lucio looked back to his drink in silence while Ori examined his garb closely. He was dressed in dark colors, suitable and expected of him, but also good for traveling in the cover of darkness. It fit snugly against his thin frame, long sleeves and leggings were covered in light armor and sturdy boots were strapped to his feet. He looked fit to travel, though he did not look like he wanted to travel. A bag was slung across his body, bits of paper poking out of it as well as the abnormally large grimoire-esque book he always carried with him.

"Going somewhere?" She inquired knowingly.

"To find the source of those letters."

Ori nodded, noting the array of weaponry he had carefully hidden away. A smart move, it was foolish to rely 100% on magic out in the wilderness. The weapons he carried were light, but dangerous if used correctly. And Ori had seen firsthand that he knew how to use them correctly. Lucio blinked as if he were trying to sober himself up and process the words Niko said. Blurry silver eyes met with Niko's droopy mismatched ones and there was distinct concern in them.

"I'm going with you."

Niko seemed completely affronted by this, he shook his head defiantly.

"Yes." Lucio stood up and stumbled a bit, Niko steadied him by catching his arm.

"You're drunk," Niko sighed, "And I'm not waiting for you."

Lucio cleared his throat and straightened his stance.

"I'm good, I'm fine."

Rolling his eyes, Niko released his grip on Lucio's arm and looked at him pointedly.

"You have five minutes."

Lucio hurried away to gather his effects, once he returned, he miraculously had sobered up completely and seemed ready to travel. Somewhat begrudgingly, Niko gestured for Lucio to lead the way. Which he did with unabashed confidence.

"Be careful," Ori called after them as they made their way into the stables, then out the gates and into the night.