"So, Sera, how'd you get your nose broken?"
"What makes you think I did anything to get it broken?" she says, pointing her half full tankard at Krem, leaning forward.
"Alright, alright. But, have you met you?" he smirks over the top of his own drink.
Sera responded by making a rude gesture with her free hand before draining her tankard and belching loudly, much to Krem's amusement.
"So, Sera, how did you break your nose?"
Sera looks up from her drink. S'Krem? Shite. Why am I with the Chargers? Dragged across or did I invite myself? Fuck, well in her cups. My cups. Bollocks. Third person sort've drunk. She blew out her cheeks and shook her head, trying to bring her surroundings into sharper focus.
"Sssshhhhite," she slurs, instead. There's a snort of laughter beside her. Turning carefully, Sera sees Dalish sitting next to her, clapping her hands. Friggin' elfy elves. So sneaky. How long's she been there? What'd he ask again? Sera sighed, her eyes narrowing. Dalish stopped clapping and cleared her throat.
"Ser, I do not think Sera is in any fit shape to be telling stories right now." Dalish looked at Sera who was starting to slump back into the bench.
"Ssssshuttit, elfy," she tries to raise her mug but doesn't quite manage, she's sitting too far from the table now. "I can too tell a tale."
Dalish raises her eyebrows and grins, "Alright then, elfy. How did you get your nose broken?"
Sera throws her hands up in the air, "Why does everyone think I did something t'dserve it?" Krem and Dalish just laughed. Sera hadn't let go of her mug when she threw her hands up and a distinctly sodden looking Grim turned, grunted at the elf and went back to nursing his cider. All of this completely passed Sera by. She crossed her arms, her hands clenched up under them.
"Fine, fine, s'fine. Okay. Back in Denerim, right? After Emmald. Not the alienage, just streets and back alleys." Sera closes her eyes. Swallowing, she can still smell the piss and shit and rot. Still see the tiny pile of rags. Not even a person. She opens them again. Fuck. She slammed her hands to the table, gripping onto the edge. The room was spinning and she felt herself falling to the side as the tavern made a dangerously sharp lurch to the right. Dalish managed to catch her by her shoulders.
"Another time, then. Let us get you to bed, hmm?" she said, gently lifting the smaller woman who curled into her chest as she swept up her legs and carried her towards the stairs. Krem followed, brow furrowed. He'd seen the tiny archer sink more than him in a night and still be able to shoot arrows between her legs at the makeshift targets they set up around the tavern. He noticed Dalish trying to shield Sera's face from the crowd, noticed her chest heaving with quiet tears.
"...and then after the damned thing had been killed, as it was rolling over to breath its last, momentum carried its big, scaly tail right into my face. I've never seen Cassandra look so conflicted."
A huge roar of laughter pealed around the tavern, where the elven Inquisitor was sitting with Cassandra, Sera, Iron Bull, Dorian and several of the Chargers. They'd reorganised the tables to form a cluster in the centre of the room, much to Cabot's annoyance.
"I was not conflicted, Inquisitor," the Seeker protested, "I was concerned for your well-being. Taking a dragon tail to the face cannot have been pleasant. Especially for someone as...breakable as yourself."
"You were trying too hard not to laugh, Cassandra. Anyway, Krem, that's how I broke my nose. My first dragon slaying. After we'd killed it."
"Can't you just, I dunno', magic it not-broken? Like, you fixed my knee yeah?" Sera pitched in. It didn't escape her notice that both the Inquisitor and Dorian looked uncomfortable when she asked. Dalish, sitting nearby, drew in a sharp hiss of a breath.
"Mending cuts and bruises is one thing, Sera. Broken bones, cuts that go to the bone...not so simple." She looked down at her feet as she said it. It also didn't escape Sera's notice that all Mages present were suddenly avoiding eye contact with each other and had all seemed to find something fascinating at their feet.
"Complicated how? Surely it's just the same? Bippety boppety boop, nose fixed. Weird flash of whatever. I mean, fuck magic, but if you can," she shrugged, draining her mug and signalling to Cabot for a new one.
"It's blood magic, Sera, mending broken bones or anything that goes that deep. Can't be done any other way." Dalish was nearly whispering, but the words 'blood magic' cut through any noise.
Sera's nose wrinkled. The Inquisitor bowed her head deft fingers worrying a ring on her finger. The archer was edgy enough around magic and any talk of it, but blood magic, especially in Orlais and Ferelden, was as taboo as it got. Iron Bull spat on the floor. Dorian sighed.
"So, nose stays broken, yeah?" she looked at Ellana, brow furrowed.
"Yes Sera, nose stays broken," she risked a smile and, gingerly, reached out and tweaked Sera's nose, "yours too." Sera blushed, and, Ellana noticed, it reached the tips of her ears. "You're adorable," she murmured. The tables fell silent. Sera's blush was slowly replaced by a massive, toothy grin.
"You WHAT!"
Ellana could almost feel the colour drain from her as she realised she'd said that Sera was adorable out loud.
"Oh, oh bollocks." With all the grace she could muster she got up and walked to the bar as the tables behind her erupted with laughter again. Just make it to the bar Ellana, just get there and you can prop it up all night. It will prop you up too. Don't look back, just keep walking. Here we are. Nice stool, ah, good Cabot, an ale already poured. Just drink it. Stay here. Here is safe. She was startled by the sudden appearance of a hand on her shoulder. "That, was not very...well...Inquisitorial," said Cassandra as she hoisted herself onto the stool next to Ellana.
"Did she say anything?" she murmured into her cup.
Cassandra looked over her shoulder.
"She's not at the table any more. I think perhaps she went to her room. Upstairs, at any rate."
"Fen'Harel's stinking breath, what have I done?" Ellana let her head drop to the bar, her forehead resting on the cool, slightly sticky wooden surface.
"Do not be too hard on yourself. The back and forth between Sera and yourself has not gone unnoticed. It is said that love makes fools of us I do not think your declaration of her adorableness is why Sera left. Once they were done laughing about your outburst, one of the Chargers asked Sera how she broke her nose. She went quiet and slipped away. I find I am concerned for her."
Ellana nearly choked on her drink, processing what the Seeker had said as she felt her thumping her back. Is it love? Creators, it is, isn't it? It makes sense. I take her everywhere. I seek her out time and time again. Wait, how did she break her nose? She was broken from her reveries again by Cassandra snapping her fingers under her nose.
"Inquisitor? Would you like me to leave you to your thoughts?" Cassandra asked, the hint of a smirk in her question.
"It's okay, Cass, thanks. Really, I mean it. I should probably go before I make a complete ass of myself," she sighed, hopping from her stool and making for the exit. On her way, however, she turned to see that not too many of the assembled party were watching and, as inconspicuously as a drunken elf can manage, made her way up the stairs as well.
Back at the tables, Iron Bull decided to keep it to himself, but when Cassandra made eye-contact she smiled and raised her tankard. He raised his back.
"Sera?" she whispered as she knocked on the door to Sera's small corner of Skyhold. The door was ajar, but she didn't just want to burst in. What if Sera was undressing? She felt heat in her cheeks (and other places, Gods) at the thought and was, unfortunately, still thinking about it when the door swung open to reveal Sera standing in her small clothes.
"You coming in or what?" she said, standing aside, allowing Ellana to drift in. Her gait unsteady, she reached out to grab one of the curtains and used it to guide herself to one of the wide window seats. Sitting. Sitting is good she thought to herself as she eased down onto one of the more cushioned areas.
"That's my bed you daft git," Sera protested. Ellana didn't seem to be moving. "Urgh, never mind, scooch over," she said, pushing herself against Ellana's side. She grinned when she noticed how flustered the red haired elf got when she did this. Serves her right, sitting down smack bang in the middle of my bed. Flaming eejit. Cute when she's flustered though. Sera was going to get comfy.
"Um, so, Cassandra said you left."
"Really? I left? I hadn't noticed," she grinned wickedly, lying down so her head was in the Inquisitor's lap, looking up at her.
"I mean to say, that, well, she said you seemed upset? About your nose?" Ellana reached down and brushed a finger down Sera's nose. "I don't know why, it's a nice nose."
Ellana's visible wince did not escape Sera's notice. She raised her arm and gently swiped the Inquisitor's nose.
"Ah! Bastards! Sera! I only broke it two days ago!" Ellana's hand swatted away Sera's and covered her nose. Sera sat up quickly and turned, kneeling now, placing her hands on Ellana's shoulders.
"Aw, shite, I'm sorry Ell. Yours isn't so bad either, is what I meant, y'know, now we've both got broken elf noses. Shit and piss, it's not all busted up again, right?" she said, cupping Ellana's cheek in her hand, gently bringing her to face her so she could check.
"I don't think so, it's not bleeding is it?" Ellana asked as she lowered her hands slowly, savouring the sensation of Sera's hands brushing hers.
Sera leaned in, peering at the cut that ran across the bridge of the woman's nose. It was a little red, but not bleeding. Without thinking, Sera closed the gap between them and gave the small cut a gentle kiss.
"Nah," she whispered, not moving away, "you're fine."
Ellana knew she was not fine. Sera's face was entirely too close, her eyes blackened with desire and those lips parted just ever so slightly. Ellana didn't know what she looked like, but she felt like a Halla caught in the path of an arrow. Her heart was hammering so loud, how could Sera not hear that? Her breath was shallow and before she had time to worry about anything else her lips and Sera's lips had met and Gods, yes.