Later that night
Ali was lucky to have her own tent. She knew that it was mainly because the others thought she smelled like the horses' pen but Ali considered herself lucky. She enjoyed the solitude and having her own space. Her bedroll was cold and sometimes the wind pulled at her tent, keeping her awake. But Ali preferred it over nosy tentmates. It wasn't that she didn't get along with the other refugees, it just wasn't in her nature to actively seek out friendships. She also liked being able to sleep soundly without the sounds of snores or sighs or people letting wind during the night. That's why she managed to fall asleep so quickly after a day of dealing with horses, caring for birds and catching nugs; she knew that her sleep would be undisturbed.
That's why she didn't wake up when somebody joined her on her bedroll in the middle of the night. At first the gentle hands that were evading her personal space and creeping under her blanket to grasp at her naked skin became a part of her dream. She moaned and a warm mouth attacked hers, a wicked tongue finding its way inside. Ali might have continued to sleep even as the other person moved on top of her, if it hadn't been for the alcohol on the other person's breath.
Ali woke up to find Leliana on top of her, reeking of alcohol and trying to kiss her sloppily. Ali tried to worm away and put her hands on Leliana's shoulders.
"What are you doing?" She said, breathless.
"I want you," Leliana slurred, "please, just one more time." Her eyes were wide and terrified, she looked sad and in the same time very turned on. Her skin was flushed and her mouth was slightly open.
"I'm not a prostitute anymore," Ali said with her grip firm on Leliana's shoulders. Leliana took a deep breath.
"I know that," she said.
Ali reached out and grabbed a handful of orange-tinged hair.
"I just want you to know that I'm doing this because I want to," Ali said. Then she used her grip on Leliana's hair to pull her down for a kiss. She could have been offended that Leliana had just come to her tent, but more than anything Ali wanted to help the scary woman in any way she could. That Leliana, the powerful woman, could want her was dizzying and it made Ali's heart beat faster. The fire in the nightingale's eyes were threatening to burn her up but Ali didn't care. This she could do, this was something she was good at. And for once she really wanted to. She sat up and reached for Leliana's armor.
"My lady," she breathed, "if you want us to do this you need to take your army off." Leliana's answer was to pull her clothes over her head while Ali helped her with her trousers. Soon she was just as naked as Ali and Ali could finally lift her blanket and let Leliana come underneath it. Leliana groaned at the contact, Ali did as well but not for the same reason. Leliana's skin was frozen.
"I'm sorry," Leliana said, her accent thicker than usual, "I must be freezing."
"It's okay," Ali said, "I'll warm you up." She put her arms around Leliana's shoulders and encouraged her to lay down their bodies completely aligning. Ali moaned when Leliana spread her legs and pressed their cores together. Leliana was wet and it made Ali feel powerful and overwhelmed in the same time. Before she had a chance to react, Leliana had started rocking and moving against her. Ali reciprocated as well as she could, cupping Leli's breast with one hand and teasing the nipple into hardness.
"It hurts," Leliana slurred, "please, I need…" she rocked harder but simultaneosly made a whimpering sound as if her frantic movement against Ali's mound was nowhere near enough to push her over the edge.
Ali shushed her gently and gripped her hips, stopping her movement.
"I'll help you," she said and pressed a quick kiss to Leliana's forehead. Then she moved so that Leliana was on her back and Ali was towering over her. Ali wanted to do what she had dreamed off for weeks and truly discover and worship Leliana's body in all its glory but Leliana's chest was heaving with strained breathing and the look in her eyes was more than urgent. She looked like she was in pain and Ali wanted to help her.
Leliana thrashed a bit as Ali kissed her way down Leliana's body, but she stopped when Ali reached her destination and gently placed a kiss on top of red curls.
"Don't forget to breathe," Ali whispered, then she leaned down and licked in earnest. Leliana didn't move now, as if Ali would stop if she did. But when Ali wrapped her lips around her, Ali noticed to her pleasure that even though Leliana was laying still, her toes were curling deliciously.
"Make me come, make me come, make me come, make me come," Ali heard above her and doubled her effort. She brought one of her hands up and entered Leliana with two fingers, eager to feel her warmth and her wetness while she was licking her lips.
"Please," Leliana gasped, then she pulsed in Ali's mouth and made an almost heart wrenching cry. Ali was incredly turned on herself and she felt her hips rock against the bedroll, missing something to grind herself against. She knew she couldn't possibly come from nothing touching her and she moaned against Leliana's lips in her own desperation.
Leliana went limp underneath her, breathing deeply. Ali couldn't help but place one last kiss on the tempting lips just under her mouth, but then she moved her body next to Leliana's and pulled the blanket over both of them. After such an explosive orgasm, Ali would have thought that Leliana would be fast asleep but Sister Nightingale was staring into the celing of the tent, looking at nothing.
"Are you okay?" Ali whispered after a while, it was weird how none of them had said anything.
"What is your real name?" Leliana asked, ignoring Ali's question, "even though Magpie suits you, I hardly think that's what your mother and father called you."
Ali thought for a moment. She licked her lips, still slick.
"I've never had a father," she said eventually, "but my name is Ali."
"Short for anything?" Leliana asked.
"Short for nothing," Ali answered, "my name is just Ali. No last name."
"And you're from Kirkwall?"
"Yes," Ali said.
"High town or Low town?"
Ali smiled.
"I didn't know you had been to Kirkwall," she said approvingly, "well, I'm sort of from High town."
"Sort of?" Leliana was still not looking at her.
"I don't know how well you know Kirkwall or High town," Ali said, "but I was born at the Blooming Rose."
Leliana looked at her then with one eyebrow raised.
"My mother worked there." Ali didn't want to say anything more, she didn't want to think about her mother, or her "aunts" or the Blooming Rose. Or even Kirkwall now that she thought about it.
"My mother was a chamber maid," Leliana said, "where you come from is not as important as where you are going."
Ali snorted.
"I went from one whore house to another," she said, "now I'm a refugee."
Leliana smiled, simultaneously teasing and soothing.
"You're a nug hunter for the Inquisition," she said, "surely that's a step up."
"Perhaps," Ali agreed, smiling again.
"Tell me the story," Leliana said and laid on her side, resting her head on her elbow, looking at Ali.
"About what?"
"Start with your mother, and father."
Ali sighed.
"My mother…" she said, "she wasn't very nice. My father… well, he must have been human."
Leliana opened her mouth, but Ali didn't let her say anything.
"My mother is elven," Ali said, "but I look human so I suppose that the customer who knocked my mother up must have been human."
"Maybe it wasn't a customer," Leliana said, "why would she have kept you if it was?"
"Sure," Ali said bitterly, "my mother loved me. Too bad I can't remember any of that love. All I remember is bottles of wine and ale, alcohol on her breath. I remember bruises and I remember this," she pointed to the start of the white hair, "she pulled a chunk of my hair out once. It grew out white after. That's the memories I have of my mother."
"I'm sorry," Leliana said.
Ali calmed herself down.
"When the war broke out in Kirkwall," Ali continued, "I did the one thing everyone else was doing, I fled but I took it as an opportunity. I fled Kirkwall altogether, letting my mother believe that I died. I've been on the moves ever since. Changing my name, faking accents. I've been everywhere."
"How did you wind up where I found you?" Leliana asked.
"I ran out of money," Ali said, her face reddening, "I didn't know what to do. I had stolen every piece of gold and silver they had a the Blooming Rose. It lasted me for a long time but eventually reality caught up with me. It was only supposed to be a temporary thing but it was hard to leave. I got used to it. And on some level I suppose I felt like I deserved it too."
"And now you're here." Leliana said, sleepiness seeping into her voice.
"And now I'm here," Ali said.
"Can you do an Orlesian accent?" Leliana asked all of a sudden.
Ali chuckled.
"Why of course, madame," she said, forcing a Val Royeaux accent into her voice, "bien sur." Leliana chuckled.
"That's funny," she said, "I might have played many roles, but one thing I cannot do is change my accent."
"You're from Orlais?" Ali asked.
"No," Leliana said, "I was born in Ferelden." She offered no explanation however and Ali didn't feel like it was her place to ask.
An owl cried somewhere in the night.
"I should go," Leliana said, "thank you for…" she made a gesture between them, "the lovely chat."
"Anytime," Ali said and then looked on as Leliana awkwardly gathered her clothes, got dressed and then left. It was only when Ali had secured the tent flap behind Leliana that she realised that Leliana had barely touched her. Feeling slightly cheated and fully aware of the moisture between her legs, Ali closed her eyes, pulled the blanket over her head and forced herself to sleep.
