Welcome to the first of another new fic for me and my first ever AU! I've used my own experiences from uni, and I'm sorry in advance for making Solas appear horrid. This will be a bit of a slow burner with plot etc. I hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear your thoughts!

1. Lyla

I click my fingers anxiously as pull up outside the house. It's a quiet, suburban street, a good few miles from the centre of town, closer to the university campus, and that suits me perfectly. There's plenty of parking and it's a sweet end-of-terrace property that says nothing significant and looks just like the others. A white PVC front door, bay windows and a slate roof. The red brick looks warm and glow in the afternoon sun and I find myself smiling - already this looks better than the murky dorm I used to share in Redcliffe.

I glance at my phone, noting the time and cut the ignition. With a deep, steadying breath, I get out of my little red car, run my hands through my hair and approach the front door. I glance at my phone again - three minutes early. I'm contemplating whether to wait longer but decide against standing outside like an idiot and ring the doorbell, fiddling with my car keys.

The door swings open and I'm greeted by a tall, dark haired woman with a strong jaw. She eyes me up and down, and I think I'm being judged instantly. It's something I'm used to, but still. I clear my throat and hold out my hand.

"Hi, I'm Lyla Lavellan - I'm here to view the spare room…?" I say hopefully.

The woman looks down at my outstretched hand before taking it in a swift but firm grip. "Ah yes, the 4 o'clock viewing," she says in a thick accent I think is Nevaran. "Come in."

She steps aside and I walk past her into a narrow hallway. The door shuts behind me and I glance curiously up the stairs.

"If you head on up, I'll show you the room first, and then the rest of the house," she says dryly. It sounds quite rehearsed and I think she's probably been saying it all afternoon. As I head up the creaky stairs onto the landing, there are two equal sized bedrooms and a good sized bathroom. The bedroom doors are open - the left one is dark, with a deep purple paint, whilst the other is fairly plain, with a few sports clothes hanging to dry on the radiator.

"Keep going up," the woman says from behind me.

I oblige and head up an even narrower staircase into what used to be the attic. The landing is tiny up here and two more doors face me, both of which are closed.

"Hang on a moment," she says, and fumbles for her keys in her jeans. I watch as she fiddles with the lock, before the door swings open to reveal a small but sweet attic room. There's a single bed, desk and wardrobe but I am instantly drawn to the huge skylight in the ceiling.

"May I…?" I say, looking at the woman. She nods sleepily and I step into the room, getting the view of the long and narrow back garden. It's on a slope and behind the end of the garden is the back of another row of houses. But my eye is drawn past them and to the rolling hills and mountains - it almost reminds me of home.

"What an amazing view!" I breathe.

"It's one of the best in the house," the woman says from behind me. "The room next to this one looks over all of Skyton."

I smile at her, and look around the room. It is, admittedly, small, with a thick black beam holding the ceiling up above my head. But it's warm and cosy with everything I need. I already know I want it, but knowing how competitive it is to be a roommate, I casually continue my observations of the room, not wanting to show how eager I am. I have to be liked as a person, I remind myself.

"So you've had lots of viewings today?" I say conversationally.

The dark haired woman leans on the doorframe, her arms crossed. "Indeed. Twelve to be exact. You're number thirteen and the last of the day, thank the Maker."

"Lots of interest then?"

She inclines her head slightly. "You could say that."

A silence falls between us and I use it to open the wardrobe doors and peer inside. "It's so hard finding somewhere to live," I sigh, offering her a small smile.

I think I almost get one in return. She shrugs. "I'm surprised how much interest we've had, considering it's just before Santilia. How come you're looking to move?" she asks curiously.

"I'm starting at Skyhold Uni in the new year," I reply.

"Starting?"

"Yeah, I've just moved from Redcliffe Uni. Didn't get on with my lecturers," I explain.

She nods sagely. "I've dropped out before. Used to go to Denerim Uni but dropped out after a year and ended up here…"

"Oh, my boyfriend goes to Denerim Uni," I say.

"Huh. It's okay, I guess."

"Huge and slightly intimidating," I chuckle, and I'm rewarded with a smile. "You know, I feel awfully rude - looking around the house and I didn't even catch your name." I fiddle with the keys in my hand, and pray to the Creators that I'm

She tilts her head to the side. "Cassandra Pentaghast." There's a pause. "So why are you starting almost half-way through second year…?"

I shrug, and smile. "Couldn't do it. I thought second year would be better, but I was so wrong. Same lecturers, and to be honest, Redcliffe wasn't my first choice, but it was closer and easier to get to from Denerim," I explain.

"So you can see your boyfriend?" she prompts.

"Partly that, yes," I admit reluctantly.

A strange silence falls between us and I glance about the room once more. There's so much more to say, but not here, not now. I think Cassandra is biting her lip to stop asking more so I beam at her and say "I really like the room, by the way. May I see the rest of the house?"

"Yes, of course." We step outside the room and Cassandra locks the door behind. She points to the room next to it. "Sera lives in this room. She's from Denerim and studies Science. Also, she is kind of a loose canon, but works night shifts at the corner shop."

I nod as we head back down. Cassandra shows me the bathroom which is clean, tidy and fresh. She then knocks lightly on the door to the purple room we passed earlier. There is a pause and I hear the floorboards creak as a lean man saunters over. He is dressed in an exquisite tweed jacket and his dark hair looks in better condition than any one I know. He bows extravagantly as Cassandra introduces him.

"This is Dorian Pavus." she states.

"A pleasure!" Dorian says, stepping forward to take my hand. I freeze at the contact, but he just throws his head back and laughs at my reaction. "Oh you shy lamb! I like you already."

"I… nice to meet you Dorian." I say eventually. "I'm Lyla Lavellan."

"So polite! Cassandra, she's the best one yet, surely."

"You have literally just met her," Cassandra crosses her arms.

"And I'm impressed! Tell me, Lyla, what are you studying?"

I smile warmly at this instantly likeable man. "Common Language at Skyhold. Well, I start in the new year," I quickly explain.

"Common Language!" he repeats excitedly, his eyebrows raised. "Same as me: how exciting!"

I grin in response and Cassandra turns away. "Alright Dorian, that's quite enough. We don't want you to scare her away."

He winks at me and I smother a giggle. "Wouldn't dream of it with this one. It was nice to meet you - hopefully we'll see you soon!" he steps backwards into his room and I follow Cassandra down the stairs.

"Dorian is… a character," Cassandra says eventually.

"Seems like an interesting household," I chuckle.

Cassandra smirks. "You could say that. This is the kitchenn - it's not much, but when it's just us four, it's fine."

I peer around her and look at the narrow, kitchen with dated counters - the typical beige of a student house. I try not to get my hopes up too much - out of all of the other student houses I've visited todat, this is clearly the one I prefer. But how to let her know without seeming too eager…?

We step into the largest room in the house which has two, well-worn sofas, a retro fold-out table with different chairs around it, and a small television in the corner, where an Orlesian drama is playing with subtitles. I turn to Cassandra.

"Is this Enchanté?"

The woman sighs. "Yes, it's my guilty pleasure."

"Mine too!" I laugh.

Cassandra sits on one of the sofas and indicates I do the same. We both turn our attention to the drama that's unfolding with a flurry of silk skirts and sweeping shots of Orlesian countryside. I lean back and find myself relaxing, whilst glancing around the room curiously at the magnolia walls with a few film posters stuck on, some of which are my favourite. I glance at Cassandra to see her leaning forward eagerly as a love confession is uttered in passionate Orlesian to a masked lover.

After around twenty minutes, the episode finishes and Cassandra turns to me. "So, do you have any questions?"

"About Enchanté or the house?"

She grins. "I'm so glad you like it. Perhaps we can watch the next episode together when it comes out?"

I fiddle with my keys and try to hide my excitement. "I would like that. Does that mean…?"

Cassandra gets to her feet and stretches. "I think if I didn't give you the room, Dorian would kick me out of the house and still have you move in."

"Alright. Well I think I have two questions."

"Shoot."

I take a breath. "What happened to the previous roommate?"

Cassandra's smile wavers for a flicker of a second and I almost think I'm imagining it. "He's dropped out of uni, so our landlord told him to move out, due to tax reasons, or something. But he's a good friend and lives just down the street in a different shared house. There's no hard feelings," she explains.

"And that's my curiosity sated," I get to my feet. "Will the other girl - Sera - object to me moving in without meeting me?" It's happened before - in the past I've not met all of the housemates and ending up being completely juxtaposed by them. Not an experience I want to happen again anytime soon.

Cassandra shakes her head and we walk towards the front door. "Not at all. She met a few of the others who looked around but Dorian and I didn't like any of them. At least with you, both Dorian and I can finally agree on something. I can't see Sera objecting either."

I stand by the front door, twirling my car keys with my finger. "Well, thank you, Cassandra. How soon can I move in?"

"Well, we're all heading off home over Santilila, except for Dorian, so whenever really."

"Is Dorian staying here for Santllia?" I ask curiously.

She nods. "He's from Tevinter and refuses to pay the extortionate prices for flights home, so ends up staying here."

I chew my bottom lip. "Would it be alright if I moved in at the weekend?"

Cassandra's eyebrows raise. "Yeah, sure! I'll email the paperwork over to you."

I grin. "Thanks so much!" I step outside and rub my hands together as the crisp winter air bites at my finger tips.

"See you on Saturday," Cassandra says, closing the door.

I bid her farewell and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It's dark now, and the yellow streetlamp are illuminating the quiet little road. I dash to my car, turn the keys in the ignition and blast on the heater. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, hesitating for a moment before answering.

"Heya," I say.

"Hi. I thought you said you'd be back by six." It's not a question.

"Ah, well the last viewing went really, really well so we started hanging out. It's perfect and I got the room!"

"Mmm-hmm, are there any guys living there?"

I frown at his question. "Yes there's one, why?"

"What's he like?"

I pause. "Umm, he's really friendly. I only met him briefly, but seems nice. All of them do."

"Yeah, ok. When will you be back?"

"Just heading off now. So a couple of hours, depending on traffic I guess."

" 'kay. Well I'm going to meet some others for drinks - can you pick me up from town on your way back?"

I try to ignore the painful twist in my stomach. "Sure. Give me a text where you are."

"Thanks babe. See you soon."

"Yeah, bye," I reply, but he's already gone. I stare at the home screen on my phone before opening the maps app and tap in the route back to Denerim. I try to forget the conversation, try to ignore the little voice in the back of my mind as I flick on the radio and drive the long road to Denerim. As I pull out of the street, I glance in my rear-view mirror and look at the house again, my anger fading. Yes, that place is going to be perfect.

I turn off the road and head to the motorway, not wanting to leave Skyton. Not wanting to go to Denerim ever again. But I go on my way, speeding down the quiet roads towards the life I'm starting to hate.

Well, what do you think? Please let me know in a review, thank you! :)