Chapter 21

Toothpaste Mouth

"I'm here to set things right. Also? To look dashing. That part's less difficult." -Altus Dorian Pavus

Simple meal of chicken and vegetables that one might find in Skyhold later, Sydney smiled at Leliana's delicate, proper movements from over her own empty plate. Elegant, dainty Leliana. Such a princess. How was it possible that this woman was as comfortable in battle armor and blood as she was in frilly dresses and coquettish smiles? The last chunk of carrot vanished behind lips peeling from sun exposure. Who had let the snowbound spymaster into the Miami oven without protection?

"I am not sure I appreciate this intense stare, Sydney."

"Just wondering whose heart I should cut out for letting you get that badly sunburned."

Sky blue irises fixed on her. "I will not complain that the Maker failed to deliver me without a bonnet or gloves. A small burn in exchange for finding you is more than a fair price."

She dropped her perusal lower. "He could've given you shoes that covered your feet too."

"Lord Grosvenor provided me with a cooling ointment that has helped greatly. I will apply more later when I return to my rooms at the inn."

Not good enough. "They look dry." She stood, aiming for her bathroom. "Be right back."

Naturally, the spy followed her instead of staying put. "Sydney?"

"That ointment isn't here, and I don't want you to leave to go get it. I," she gripped her cane harder, "I don't want to wake up from a nightmare and have to doubt whether you were here at all. Can we try sharing a bed again without one of us running away?"

Pure wonder was staring at Sydney. Leliana swallowed and sucked in air. "Yes."

Relief sagged her shoulders, and she beamed. "Cool."

Eyelashes batted at her. "But right now? It is still early, no?"

Her stomach fluttered at the suggestive tone, but she was suddenly scared to kiss her again. The bottle of aloe gel twisted in her hands. What the hell to do with an agreeable Leliana until they grew tired enough to try and sleep? Take a walk? No. She didn't want to share Leliana's attention with things like traffic and skateboards. Skateboards... her mind thought back to the collision she'd been witness to. "You were there at the beach the other day. Oh my god, that was you."

"So, you did see me."

"I'm so sorry, I-"

Fingers on her mouth stopped her. "Sydney. You had no warning, and I've begun to see that you doubted your own memories. How could you not when our worlds are so very different?"

Another terrible thought occurred to Sydney. "Detective One mentioned something about the station. Shit, did you end up in jail?"

A soft orange eyebrow cocked. "Detective One?"

Sydney's ears burned. "Oh, uh, it's what I call Olson. First time I met him, I'd just woken up and my head was full of cobwebs, couldn't remember his name, and One stuck."

Light, airy giggles followed her announcement. She flushed at the adorableness of Leliana giggling. They faded as Leliana met her eye, yet the lingering smile more than made up for its loss.

Sydney grinned. "I've mentioned that you're adorable, right?"

Sapphires twinkled at her. "I would not mind hearing you say it again."

Shifting closer to Leliana, she hummed. "You're adorable."

"Only for you," breathed over her lips.

The kiss was sweet and light. Short. Leliana drew back. "Could we rest on the couch? If we stay here, I'm afraid that I'll kiss you all night, and I wish to talk with you."

Kissing all night sounded like a good idea. Sydney aimed for that goal.

"Sydney!" Leliana chastised her. "I said that I wished to talk, not kiss all evening."

"Must you always be in control?" It was a teasing question, but Leliana's eyes lowered, and her frame drooped.

"My bardic training and my years as the Lef-"

Sydney stopped the words with a delicate kiss. "Leliana. I know who you are. There isn't any part of you that I'd want to change." Her fingers went to her own throat, searching for a thin, faded scar. The memory of a sharp knife bit at her. That moment when Leliana had withdrawn because she couldn't stomach hurting Sydney was the sharpest. Her fingers curled into Leliana's dress. "Even your shadows."

Shining depths glittered at her.

"But I do like it better when your shadows aren't aimed at me." A wry smile twisted Sydney's mouth.

"Oh, Sydney." Leliana sighed, her head shaking, short hair swishing. "I do not deserve such easy forgiveness."

"Yes." Sydney growled. "You do. Now, come back to the couch with me."

Fiery orange hitting the wall brought Sydney's attention to the setting sun. Her windows faced south, and the sudden dip in light was putting the room into shadows. She glanced at Leliana, rose, went for the candles that she'd been collecting lately, and lit a few. About the time that she'd begun attending meetings for her PTSD, she'd started using candles instead of electric light -had almost exclusively- for several weeks. It had helped ease her sense of displacement. Still did, which was why she kept a good stock though her use of them had been gradually lessening.

"Candles, Sydney? The magic of your lights is incredible. Why not those?"

She would see electricity as magic, Sydney snorted. What was that saying about advanced technology being magic to others? But maybe in Thedas, the people were more evolved to actually be able to tap into magic. She hung on that idea.

"Sydney?"

Returning to the couch, "I thought they'd be nice." She swallowed and sat down, eyes on a flickering mote. A long quiet followed in which Sydney squirmed and tried to come up with a topic that had nothing to do with magic or nightmares. The burning sunset didn't offer any suggestions.

Leliana eventually broke the thick air with a soft question. "You also chose the ingredients for our meal in deference to me, did you not? That is why we did not eat the meal your mother brought?"

She nodded.

Fingers tangled and slid over each other in Leliana's lap. "Thank you."

"It's a pretty harsh difference, our worlds." Sydney offered, turning her gaze to her painted toes and wiggling them.

Leliana sighed. "The discomfort from the jail food lingers. I do not even have words for whatever was served. At the time, I thought it better than stale bread and moldy cheese." A low whine described hours of discomfort. "I was wrong."

"I can't imagine." She chuckled.

A sour face pinched. "And though Lord Grosvenor was kind, the foods he introduced to me did not help. There were dishes he called kim-chee and bim-bop that he was rather excited to share. The vegetables were very," a frown, "Different. And it was extraordinarily spicy." Her face reddened with remembered heat.

Sydney's chuckles became real laughter. Spicy as fuck Korean food wasn't a good choice for a palate and stomach used to the non-fiery flavors Fereldan and Orlesian food. "Simple oatmeal for breakfast it is."

"Oat meal?" Tone hopeful, Leliana repeated.

"Oat porridge. It might actually not be as good as the stuff we got in Skyhold." Sydney thought about it. "But it sure as hell cooks faster."

As the evening progressed from talk of food and cultures to tired yawns, the eventuality of going to bed with Leliana hit Sydney. Only for sleep. But with Leliana.

"Sydney?" Leliana asked softly. "Copper for your thoughts?"

"The last time we sat around talking late into the night and decided to share a bed didn't end so well," came out blunt and hard with her nervousness.

Sweet blue darkened to a stormy grey, and the reflection of flickering candles became lightning. "In my fear, I was terribly cruel to you. I couldn't possibly speak enough words or sing enough songs to properly apologize."

Sydney almost didn't hear what had come from her mouth, too caught up in the vision of Leliana's expressive eyes. She opened her mouth for nothing to come out.

Lashes lowered. "I could stay upon the couch. When you awake, I will be here to prove you've not had another nightmare, but we d-"

"Stop."

Blue looked at her again.

"Please, Leliana. Stop apologizing. I said and did some pretty shitty things too." Sydney argued.

"I won't disagree. Finding horse shit in my boots was not a pleasant thing to begin a day with," was said irritably.

Despite herself, Sydney grinned. "Oh, but it made so many people smile."

Leliana huffed. "It was foul! The smell took weeks to get out!"

"Did that Rivaini potpourri help?" Convincing Josephine to gift the little bag of deodorizer to Leliana without revealing its true source hadn't been easy. The ambassador had been sore about Sydney and Sera's pranks.

"Thank the Maker for Josie and..." Leliana's eyes slotted at her. "How did you know about it?"

"People talk," she shrugged. "I spent a lot of time in the tavern, you know."

Slowly, her expression softened, lips curling up and sparkles appearing in her eyes. "I thought that Josie had been a little strange about that gift."

Dammit. Shouldn't have said anything. It had been a bout of conscious, of guilt, that had propelled her to research, then buy, then deliver to Leliana's close friend the deodorizing bundle.

"That does explain why she didn't hold as much of a grudge against you as I expected of her." Leliana's smile was sweet, lovely, enchanting, adorable.

"Grudge against me?" Sydney whined. "Why? For helping Sera get that bucket of water set up?"

"Josie is nobility, and the two of you embarrassed her in front of extremely wealthy, influential people." She spoke as though to a simple-minded drudge though her expression remained amused. "Antivans are renowned for their ability to hold grudges."

Sydney's vision went back to Josie as a sopping wet bundle of righteous anger. She grinned. "Worth it."

A wide yawn was hidden behind a calloused hand, and Sydney's own yawn made her jaw pop. They looked at each other.

"I'll get you something to change into." Sydney got to her feet, snagged a candle and hobbled to her bedroom. At her dresser, she stared with indecision. "Leliana," she called. "Would you rather a long shirt or pa-"

"That would suffice," came right at her elbow. Leliana was no more than a foot away.

"Shit!" squeaked out of her. "You need to wear a bell or something."

"You should be more aware of your surroundings." Leliana was unapologetic.

Scowling, Sydney dragged the long blue shirt out and held it up to Leliana. Joze had left it at some point, hadn't he? It was huge on Leliana, but not nearly long enough. The thing would probably leave the bottom of Leliana's... bottom exposed. "You get shorts too." Hastily, she yanked out a pink pair.

"Shorts?" Leliana tugged at the stretchy waistband. "What is this made of?"

"Uh." What was elastic made from? Rubber? Rubber trees were a thing, right? "Some kind of plant. I think." She shrugged.

"Incredible," gaped at the shorts.

Sydney smiled at Leliana's incredulity before hobbling to the chair where she'd tossed her own nightclothes. Not that they were much different from the worn sweats she was wearing, but these had cooking stains, and she didn't want that in her bed. She grabbed up the long blue pants with Miami written down one leg and the white tank top. Wait. Thin and white, she never wore it around anyone without a bra, not with the way her nipples were obvious under it.

The tank got tossed at the dirty hamper, and another, darker one was yanked from a drawer. "I'll change in the bathroom." She announced before heading in.

Door closed, Sydney stared at half of her reflection. "How is this my life?" She glanced at the door and back, slowly shifted her angle until she saw her entire face, the vast scars. The scars that she'd gotten in a world that did exist, that Leliana wasn't afraid of or disgusted by. The scars that Leliana celebrated. With harsh motion, she removed her clothes to stand naked and look at herself.

In this world, someone would say, "If you can see past the scars, she's pretty hot."

Muscles toned from fencing and swimming. Skin bronzed from days at the beach. Rounded hips, firm breasts.

Leliana thought her attractive with the scars. A smile stretched Sydney's expression, and she felt the familiar pull of drawn tissue. The smile hesitated. But would she still find her attractive after she'd seen the full extent of the damage?

Light knocking sounded on the door. "Sydney?"

She blinked. How long had she been lost in thoughts? "Just a minute!" She decided to relieve herself, then wiggle into her pajamas, and wash her face. "Sorry," came out as she opened the door. "Hope you didn't need to use the toilet."

Leliana shook her head. "Not overly."

The carpet could use a vacuuming, she noticed. "I needed a minute to myself."

Leliana's feet shifted. Her toes could use a pedicure. Baby-fine hair along Leliana's legs was peered at. The light from the bathroom made Sydney wonder if the hair was really as blonde as it looked. Must be nice. Her own leg hair was dark. At least the scar tissue didn't grow much hair. She didn't bother trying to get a razor around it, simply used an electric trimmer to keep it under control.

"Your stare is quite forward even for a woman with whom I've shared kisses."

Sydney's gaze shot up to a slightly flushed Leliana. "Sorry. I was um," thinking about leg hair. Women in Thedas all had leg hair. Only armpit hair was messed with and that because hair notorioulsy held onto odors. Nobility, and those who could afford small, sharp scissors, trimmed. "Thinking about different social standards."

Amusement twitched. Was there disappointment too? Should she compliment Leliana's extremely nice legs? Beautiful, muscled, much less scarred legs. Jealousy pinged.

"May I get past? It would be nice to relieve myself." Leliana softly cut off her train of thought.

Hastily, Sydney hobbled out of the way and stood in the hallway, wondering whether to crawl into bed or go back to the kitchen for a drink. She frowned at herself. "I drink too much." A giant yawn took a long half-minute and made her see spots. "Shit. Okay. Bed."

The bathroom door opened.

"Sydney, do you have," a thoughtful pause. "I believe Lord Grosvenor called it a toothbrush. It felt much more effective than scrubbing with a cloth and chewing mint leaves. Do you have a spare one that I could borrow?"

Ugh. When was the last time she'd brushed her own teeth? Yesterday? And Leliana hadn't complained about kissing her? "Maybe." She squeezed into the bathroom and pulled at cabinet doors, drawers. In a bag of random toiletries, she found a packaged toothbrush with a green handle, held it up. "You want paste too?" She grabbed her usual tube.

Leliana was turning the package over in her hands. "How does one open it?"

Cardboard and thin plastic had foiled the spymaster. Giggles arrived, multiplied with Leliana's annoyed scowl. Sydney poked her thumb at the perforated back. It sank in. "Like that."

"Strange."

Shoulders twitching with more giggles, Sydney pulled her own red toothbrush from behind the medicine cabinet and slathered paste across the bristles. She did the same for Leliana's brush.

"Andraste's ass! This is foul!" Leliana spat into the sink. "It tastes like a horrid dessert I had once. The man who created it was dismissed immediately, and he could not find work with Val Royeaux's nobility for years."

Tasting the sweet, potently chemical foam, Sydney shrugged and scrubbed away.

"Why would you put this in your mouth?" Leliana used her thumb and water to remove what she could from the bristles. "Sydney, mon amour, if you taste of this afterward, I will have no interest in kissing you."

Sydney stopped scrubbing. No more kissing tonight? Leliana would kiss overnight onion breath but not toothpaste mouth?

"Absolutely foul." Leliana repeated as she returned the brush to her mouth and delicately went to work on her teeth.

Foam was spat out, rinsed from brush and mouth before Sydney finished brushing.

"Ugh," another complaint. "It won't go away."

"Toothpaste actually deadens the taste buds for a while." Sydney offered.

Disbelief glared at her. "Why would you use such a thing?"

Sydney shrugged. "It's what we do?"

Leliana spat again, hacked up a wad of spit and swished more water in her mouth. "It is a ridiculous thing to do something simply because tradition demands it even when its use is detrimental to oneself."

"I suppose so." Sydney mumbled around her brush. She watched Leliana brush for a bit longer before swiping her tongue over teeth, nodding, and twisting the brush in hand. Finished with her own, Sydney rinsed it and opened the cabinet, stored it back in the cup. "You can put yours here too if you want."

The green toothbrush clinked into the cup. She hadn't shared a toothbrush cup with anyone since she'd been a teenager still living with her mother. With roommates on land or sea, she had never considered it, not even with the handful of girlfriends she'd had. But those women hardly counted. She had never had a particularly serious relationship, let alone lived with one. The two she'd slept with regularly had either gotten their own cup or kept a toothbrush in a travel cap.

This was ridiculous. Why was she obsessing over something that held stupid toothbrushes?

"With such a look, you rival Morrigan for intensity." Leliana's voice was quiet and playful, yet her gaze was uncertain.

Sydney opened her mouth, closed it. She shut her eyelids and took a deep breath. "I'm nervous."

"As am I." Leliana yawned. "And I am quite tired. Today has been rather eventful."

That hugely long distance to the hallway and the six feet down the hall reared in front of Sydney.

"Sydney," Leliana spoke delicately. "We do not have to share a bed."

"But I want to," she whined, nearly stamped her foot. Hot and fast, a blush raced up her neck. She bit her lip at her childish impulse.

"Then let us go to bed before one of us explodes like a shaken fire bomb." Leliana stated pragmatically and exited the bathroom.

In her silent footsteps, Sydney followed. She forced herself to act as though this was a normal night, getting to the bed, turning around to sit butt-first, resting her cane against the nightstand, slipping her legs under the sheets, and looking at the dancing flame of the candle she'd brought in. "Dammit. The candles."

"Allow me," came before Sydney could get up. Leliana vanished down the hall, and a moment later, the dim glow ceased. She returned as a dark shadow made strange by her modern clothing. In her hand was the bottle of aloe, and she popped the cap after a minor struggle, squeezed some into her hand, and rubbed it into her lips, feet, hands, arms, chest. "Would you assist with my neck?"

"Yea." Sydney held out a hand for some lotion that she rubbed between her hands to warm it while Leliana sat next to her legs. Hesitantly, then quickly more assuredly, Sydney rubbed the soothing cream along the slim neck. Her fingers brushed over old battle scars. Thick and going nearly halfway around the neck, one looked like someone had tried to chop through, and her touch lingered. Magic must have saved Leliana's life.

"During the Blight, a group of renegades caught our ragged little band tired and off-guard. Only Alistair's sword and Wynne's powerful magic kept me from death that night." Leliana hummed. "As they did on many occasions."

With a snap, the cap was replaced, the bottle set upon the dresser, the final candle was extinguished, and Leliana padded around the bed to her own side. She eased under the blankets and rolled on a side to face Sydney. Her face was barely visible in the city light coming in through the open drapes. Nine stories up, Sydney rarely closed them unless she was napping during the day. The gauzy curtain was enough privacy.

"And here we are once again."

"Here we are," echoed Sydney. She reached out.

Their fingers touched.

"I will be here when you awake." Leliana promised. "And I will not push you away."

Sydney felt like she should offer a similar promise, but all that came out was, "Thank you." Sudden, heavy exhaustion weighed down on her. Everything ached. Her leg, her shoulders, her heart.

Fingers tangled with her own.

"May Andraste guide you through your dreams, my knight." Lips pressed to her knuckles.

Heart full, Sydney smiled into the darkness.

Fun fact:

The quote that Sydney refers to is from renowned sci-fi author Sir Arthur C. Clarke. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

A/N - There. 'Tis not abandoned! These past few months have simply been more ridiculous than Alistair's face.

It's fantastic how many of you are enjoying Leliana's adventure in our world. Her perspective on our normal, everyday things is both a challenge and a lot of fun. Thank you so much for sticking it out with me :D I've got a lot of fun things planned yet, and I hope to get the next couple chapters up within a month. On a random, kind of related note, I started playing DA:O again for the first time in a couple years. OMG. The nostalgia. If only my PS3 controllers weren't wonky. Trying to fight when it randomly switches avatars is SO DIFFICULT.

Happy Autumn.