Disclaimer: I own no rights to any of the Dragon Age universe. This is purely for fun and no profit etc. Don't sue.
Spoilers: minor Act 2 spoilers, don't think there's anything else specifically referred to.
Cinn: Somehow in the many times I've played DA2, I never clicked on Merrill in Act 2 in the Hanged Man until I played it again a few months back. Since hearing "Isabela said the next time we came here she would teach me to do something called 'body shots'." I got an idea stuck in my head. This is the result.
Set shortly after beginning of Act 3.
"I have the limes!" Rylnea Hawke called as she arrived in Varric's suite at the Hanged Man, far too cheerful, maybe even gleeful.
Varric looked up from the ledger he was scribbling in at the noise, raising an eyebrow at the dark blonde mage as if to ask what she was up to, before Isabela swept a bunch of his stuff off of his table to make room and with a practised twirl and flourish of her wrist had retrieved one of her many knives. "Is that clean?" He asked as the pirate started chopping wedges of sour fruit far too fast and far too precisely.
"Of course, I always clean my favourite toys." Isabela retorted as if it were obvious.
"Uh huh." Varric replied as if he hadn't heard a more blatant lie in his life. Which was saying something considering how often he bullshitted his way out of trouble. Trouble that the two women who had made themselves far too at home in his suite often caused for him. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what are you two up to?"
Isabela waved his question away. "All will be revealed." She explained in a tone that was both enigmatic and alluring, and Rylnea chuckled just as Norah arrived with the order the mage had placed on the way up. Varric looked between the two women, as if to say he knew the drinks were a bribe, before taking the one nearest him.
On the days they hadn't had so many jobs and errands to run that they weren't falling asleep on their feet, it was perfectly normal for them all to convene in the Hanged Man of an evening to unwind - for drinks or cards or any of the trouble they were usually up to during their down time. That particular evening Aveline and Sebastian practically arrived together, with Merrill not far behind. "Kitten!" Isabela exclaimed exuberantly as the tiny mage arrived in the doorway, who beamed at the pirate.
"Even I can smell a scheme." Aveline admitted. "What's going on?" She asked more directly as Isabela got Merrill sat down comfortably next to her, before grabbing one of the containers on the table and plucking out a bottle she'd hidden under the table and firmly placing them both in the centre of the table between them all.
"Body shots." Isabela declared steadily, as if daring anyone to challenge her.
"Ooh, you've been promising to teach me about these for years!" Merrill had assumed that Isabela had forgotten, and was happy and intrigued to finally find out what this was all about.
Varric started chuckling from his place at head of the table. "Are you sure this is a wise idea?" Sebastian asked cautiously.
"Isabela has never had a wise idea." Varric corrected.
"They're inspired!" Isabela corrected happily, before turning back to Sebastian. "If you don't want to admit you don't know what you're doing, just learn as we teach Merrill."
"We?" Aveline asked.
"Me and Hawke." Isabela explained, offering Rylnea the salt. "We'll start simple." The pirate added as Rylnea spread a line of salt across the crook of her closed thumb, Varric poured shots of liquor as Isabela placed a lime wedge between her teeth.
"Salt, shot, lime." Rylnea explained, before licking the salt up from her own hand before knocking the shot back and leaning over the table to retrieve the lime, sucking deeply before tossing the remains into an empty bowl, before pulling a face. "Damn, Isabela, what is that swill?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, Hawke." Varric warned as Isabela looked innocent.
"Now, Kitten, your turn." Isabela encouraged more gently, pushing Merrill's thumb closed against her hand and pouring the salt on before retrieving a new wedge of lime. Merrill followed the instructions admirably, but rather more clumsily than Rylnea had done, but it was a valiant effort and Isabela praised her. "Okay, goody two shoes, your turn." She added pushing two of the many shots Varric had already poured towards Aveline and Sebastian.
Aveline was halfway through a protest when Rylnea picked up a lime wedge. "C'mon, Aveline, I won't bite." She added, and the guard deflated, she couldn't argue against doing this with Hawke. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Isabela before deciding to void with it and reaching for the salt.
They'd gotten through most of the bottle - and Varric had put at least two more on his tab - when Isabela decided even the newbies had gotten the hang of it. "Okay, next level!" She called cheerfully. "Hawke, please?" She asked sweetly, indicating to the table.
Rylnea rolled her eyes before getting up and moving to the end of the table - where it was flat all the way across - and lying down for the pirate. "This is going to be when everyone else arrives, isn't it?" She asked rhetorically.
"And you can thank me for it later." Isabela retorted with a wink.
"He's more likely to put his fist through your chest." Rylnea replied, sticking her tongue out at the pirate, who just wiggled her eyebrows back.
"I don't understand, what's level two?" Merrill asked innocently.
"Involving more bodies!" Isabela replied cheerfully, as Rylnea managed to unfasten the belt holding the top half of her heavy velvet robes down, so she could roll the top up to reveal her stomach, trying not to giggle as Isabela poured a line of salt down one of the groves of her muscles. As a mage Rylnea didn't have that much in the way of brute strength, but the constant running, fighting and general physical activity meant that she - and all of them really - was toned and fit. "Real body shots involve licking the salt off someone else." The pirate explained, handing Rylnea a lime to place in her lips as she reclined further back.
Rylnea was desperately trying not to giggle from a combination of the liquor, salt and Isabela's tongue as the pirate demonstrated just how it was done, with flourish too as she turned to face their friends triumphantly. "I'm not sure this is appropriate for a chantry brother." Sebastian admitted.
"That just means you haven't had enough to drink!" Isabela corrected cheekily.
"So, do we all have to lick salt off Hawke now?" Merrill asked innocently.
"Well this sounds like a party." Anders observed from the doorway as he overheard the last part, causing everyone to turn. "I think I have some catching up to do."
Rylnea narrowed her eyes at him as she pushed herself into more of a sitting position. "There's a select list of people I let do body shots off me, the rest tend to get... burnt." She added with a click of her fingers and a twist of her wrist conjuring a small fireball in the hand she wasn't leaning on.
"Can we please try not to set my suite on fire?" Varric asked.
"Please, I'm a highly experienced mage, I got this."
"You're also highly drunk." Varric retorted.
"Like that's new." Rylnea scoffed. Varric couldn't argue that, but they both knew that he had a point really as she extinguished the flame. Instead she turned back to Merrill. "Body shots always involve the consent of the people involved." She explained firmly, before passing Isabela the salt shaker. "Want to help Anders catch up?"
"Merrill gets a turn first." Isabela called cheerfully. "Want to do the honours?"
"Only because I know you'll pour the salt down your top."
"Why would you do that? It would just be messy and uncomfortable and - oh!" Merrill eventually realised. "Are we doing something sexual?"
There were a couple of awkward looks but they were outnumbered by the amused chuckles and giggles. "Only if you want it to be." Isabela assured the elven mage. "This is just friends messing around for fun." She added, before turning a mischievous look on Rylnea. "Unless -"
"Nope." Rylnea interrupted firmly. "You are not going there."
"Then lie back and let Merrill practise one of life's many essential skills." Isabela ordered.
"How are body shots essential skills?" Aveline asked.
Isabela looked like she couldn't have been asked a stupider question, as she poured another line of salt onto Rylnea's stomach. "Never underestimate the power of drink and flesh to enable you to get what you want." No one could argue with that as Merrill completed the shot, clearly having gained confidence with this, now she was clumsy from drink not nerves.
"Aveline want a turn before Isabela takes my place?" Rylnea teased, and Aveline swiped the salt from Isabela before the pirate could hide it for her own entertainment.
"Only because I know what body parts she will pick." Aveline pretended to grouse.
"Don't worry, lady man-hands, we'll be using your body too." Isabela replied cheekily.
"You will not!"
"You get to choose which bits."
Aveline was about to retort but Rylnea cut in. "Hey, can you get on with this, I can only stay still for so long." She teased as Aveline had poured a line of salt on her belly but had been distracted by Isabela before she could complete the shot.
"I was unaware you could stay still at all."
A strange hush descended over all of them as they heard Fenris speak from the doorway, more than one person aware how awkward this could suddenly get between him and Rylnea. Varric and Isabela both silently working out if they could work this situation to an advantage, Anders wondering if he could make the elf uncomfortable enough to leave almost instantly. Rylnea unable to move for the salt on her, though she did try to stretch enough to roll her head back to look at the door upside down. She failed. "Isabela's teaching us to do body shots!" Merrill explained brightly, as if the quiet was because no one dared to explain things to the other elf.
As Varric and Isabela shared a hopeless look Rylnea suddenly burst out laughing, causing Merrill and Sebastian to join in. "I'm going to wake up with salt in my pants now." Rylnea lamented between giggles.
"And your breastband too!" Isabela teased.
"Is that why you don't wear one, wench?" Aveline attempted to tease, but it came out as more of a demand.
"Why bother? It just gets in my way."
"You're going to question her on that but not the fact she doesn't wear trousers?" Anders questioned.
"Man makes a valid point." Varric agreed as Aveline gave Anders a stern yet questioning look.
"Okay, I'm not even going to be fussy anymore, can someone please complete this shot so I can sit up again." Rylnea interrupted, as Fenris had pointed out she was barely capable of sitting still at the best of times, the fact that most of the salt was still in place on her stomach was in many ways impressive. But only because she didn't want even more of it in her clothes. Isabela effortlessly twisted to lick the salt whilst grabbing a shot as Rylnea replaced the lime between her lips. Naturally the pirate decided it was her turn to feel people's tongues on her body and so offered herself to anyone who wanted to do more shots.
Eventually they were so drunk they ended up taking shots in turn, either volunteering themselves to someone or picking someone to do shots off, even if it was themselves. The point wasn't to make anyone uncomfortable, it was to get drunk together and Isabela to teach Merrill what she considered valuable life skills. So if someone was most comfortable licking the salt off their own hand or even not doing body shots, she - or any of them - weren't about to make them do anything different. Though Isabela might cajole slightly.
"We're going to need another bottle soon!" Isabela lamented as she completed a shot off Anders.
"Is there a level three?" Merrill asked curiously.
Isabela slumped in drunken thought, as Rylnea and Varric shared a look, then her booted feet found the table. "I guess level three would be salt off one person and the lime off another." Isabela finally decided.
"Let me guess, level four is when it turns into sex?" Varric teased.
"Isn't that just Isabela?" Rylnea giggled as the pirate handed the bottle to Sebastian so he could pour his shot. He had taken to doing the salt off his own hand a long time ago, but only because he was becoming worried that Isabela was about to suggest he lick it from her... ample bosom. In his youth he had done more than his fair share of that kind of shot, but that wasn't who he was anymore.
"Prudes, the lot of you!" Isabela joked, making Rylnea giggle as the mage helped herself to some of Varric's pint. The dwarf frowned at her before moving his tankard out of reach. Rylnea giggled and just waved her hand towards it and it slid back within reach.
"Sweet Andraste, Hawke, get your own! Or steal someone else's, Fenris' is nearer!" Varric scolded in frustration.
"I might be drunk, but I'm not stupid." Rylnea retorted with half a giggle. She didn't need to look at Fenris to know his reaction to even the suggestion that she steal sips from his drink.
"You took on the Arishok in single combat, and yet you don't dare steal the drink from our angsty Tevinter porcupine?" Varric chuckled.
Rylnea considered that carefully, or at least as carefully as one could when as intoxicated as she currently was. Fenris had already tried to challenge Varric on the description, the first time the dwarf had used it by winding them up about being "quite the item" despite not being together. The elf knew better than to try challenging it a second time. Whatever coherent argument Rylnea might have come up with was completely sidetracked. "Why did I fight the Arishok? Surely you'd have had a much easier time of it?" She suddenly asked Fenris.
"I was not considered worthy, the Arishok only respected you, therefore would only ever have duelled you no matter who volunteered in your place." He explained tiredly, as if it were obvious. The look on Rylnea's face suggested otherwise, so the elf simply rolled his eyes at her as she took the bottle from Isabela. This time Rylnea completed her shot after licking the salt from the inside of Merrill's palm, the young elf giggling as it tickled. Before Rylnea could pass the bottle on to Aveline - the usual person after her - Fenris intercepted it and poured himself a shot. "Lean back, Hawke." He whispered in her ear, and though she shot him a curious look, Rylnea did as he asked after picking up a lime to place between her teeth, arching back in her chair, her head lolling against the top of the seat, perfectly exposing her neck. He ignored the smirk on Isabela's face as he took the salt from her and drew a trail across Rylnea's collarbone. Fenris ran his eyes over the pliant mage in the chair next to him for a moment, before leaning forward and chasing the salt with his tongue - pleased with her gasp - before throwing back his shot and claiming the lime from her lips, resisting every urge in him to linger there.
"Ooh, me next!" Isabela claimed.
Hawke blushed as she finally managed to drag her eyes away from Fenris', who simply turned to the pirate with an inscrutable look whilst passing Aveline the bottle. "It's not your turn." He explained as if it were obvious. Hawke wasn't sure if she were disappointed or jealous that someone else might get a turn having Fenris licking their skin, before forcing the thought somewhere deep, it was his choice. She just hoped she was also right thinking that he didn't want to do that with anyone else.
A few rounds later and Varric was busy glaring at Isabela as he stroked Bianca reassuringly. "Stop looking at us like that." The dwarf scolded as Isabela batted her eyes at him.
"I already said she could use a woman's touch... just imagine what a woman's tongue could do." Isabela purred as Rylnea laughed.
"You are not pouring salt on her." Varric warned, practically growling. "And you are not licking her."
"You haven't ruled out touching!"
Rylnea decided to defuse the situation by swiping the salt from Isabela and taking up her earlier position across the end of the table, offering her stomach. "Either use me, or your turn is over." The mage declared firmly, and Isabela pouted before acquiescing and poured another line of salt across Rylnea's abdomen before they swapped positions and the mage licked the pirate clean. Rylnea dropped triumphantly back in her seat as she tossed the lime into the used bowl with drunken flourish.
In a flash Fenris had plucked the salt from it's resting place whilst capturing Rylnea's wrist in his other. "Aw, but I'm laid out like a meal!" Isabela lamented. The elf ignored her as he turned Hawke's wrist up and drew the salt over her pulse point. Rylnea swallowed as she found a wedge of lime for her lips, before gasping into it as Fenris' tongue swirled over the inside of her wrist, sure he could feel the way her heart was hammering through her pulse. His eyes were dark as he turned from downing his shot to claim the lime. Rylnea cursed in her head, how did that more innocent touch make her hotter than when he'd been at her neck earlier?
Aveline might be more drunk than she could remember being in a long time, but she was still sober enough to swipe both salt and bottle from Fenris to keep things moving and to save those two having their moment in public. Even if Isabela pouted and grumbled at her for it, but to stop her Aveline just upped her game and ordered the woman to lie back down and licked a line of salt off the pirate's stomach. Isabela was left completely speechless at the way Aveline suddenly let go - and a little bit hot and bothered from the commanding tone -, and Aveline decided she was definitely too drunk.
Aveline and Sebastian bowed out when Merrill started trying to dance on the table - again - and once Aveline had returned the small elf back to her seat, she shook her head to try and clear it to walk home in a reasonably straight line. Sebastian took the opportunity for a welcome escape before Isabela actually just ripped her top open in her flagrant attempts to seduce him via salt and liquor. Isabela pouted at him, but she had other scheming, as fun as attempting to seduce Sebastian was, she had also seen the way Fenris' eyes had darkened with each shot Hawke had joined in, even before he had started teasing the mage with intermittent challenges of his own. It would only take a little push against his control and he might finally set right what he did wrong all those years ago. A glance at Varric told her she wasn't imagining it because she was blissfully drunk; this was so happening.
Rylnea was very drunk, but not so drunk she completely missed the shrewd looks passing between her two roguish friends. They were scheming. She raised an eyebrow at Varric, who just looked innocent and pushed the salt towards Merrill who giggled and gleefully announced that Anders should help her as he hadn't yet. When Isabela's turn came around again she borrowed Hawke again. "Oh, and while you're here, you might as well use me for yours..." Isabela's tone was somewhere between sultry and mischief, and despite her better instincts, Rylnea couldn't deny she was more than a little curious. Isabela could sense as much, and so lifted one booted leg onto the table and drew the salt down her thigh.
Rylnea looked from the salt to the pirate and rolled her eyes before raising an eyebrow, as if to ask if she'd really just done that. Isabela shrugged innocently. They were the only two not taking in the scene with eyes as wide as saucers - for wildly differing reasons. Rylnea reached for a lime. "I know what you're trying to do." She whispered in Isabela's ear as she placed it into the pirates lips, before ducking to lick the salt from Isabela's tanned thigh, knocking her shot back and claiming the lime between her lips.
Rylnea didn't even have time to reclaim her seat, a firm hand on her upper arm and a deep voice whispering in her ear. "Lie back down." Her entire body flared in heat and she didn't dare look Fenris in the eye because if she did, he would know the effect he was having on her. Instead she just submitted, wanting to do nothing else, almost biting through her lip as she tried not to make any inappropriate sounds as the elf rolled her tunic up just enough to trail salt across the dip adjacent to her hip bone as Isabela handed her another lime wedge. Rylnea finally dared chance a look at Fenris as she did, and her breath caught in her throat at the smouldering intensity in his eyes, before he ducked his head and ran his tongue along her hipbone and she tensed and bit down on the lime to stop herself moaning, tasting the juice and focusing on that until he relieved her of it with a confident smirk.
"I thought you said this wasn't sexual..?" Merrill asked innocently, unintentionally but efficiently redirecting everyone's attention.
"Oh, kitten, I need to teach you about respecting the moment." Isabela cooed.
"Why don't I get a turn?" Anders pouted.
"You want Fenris to lick you that bad?" Rylnea teased, catching the snap of Fenris' head as he turned to glare at her for putting that image in his head. Anders also glared at her, but for a totally different reason.
"Hm, if your turn involves that lightening trick, I'm game." Isabela hummed dreamily.
Anders observed the pirate for a moment, Justice stirring in the back of his otherwise happily drunk head to dissuade him. Anders simply argued that this would help distract from Hawke, and that promptly shut the spirit up. "You know what, that sounds like a plan."
Isabela smiled like a cat that had successfully secured it's prey, before swiping the salt and the only bottle with anything remaining in it. "I'll be needing these." She added happily, sauntering out of her chair and giving Anders a sultry look as she passed by his chair with an exaggerated swing of her hips and the mage was following her mere moments later with a half remembered farewell.
"Is that the end of the party?" Merrill asked.
"Thankfully." Fenris agreed.
"As if you weren't enjoying it." Rylnea teased. "Can you walk, Merrill?" She asked turning to the other elf before Fenris had chance to retort.
Merrill jumped to her feet, and managed to stand for a second before wobbling forcefully into the table before anyone was able to catch her, and she started giggling to herself. "Daisy, why don't you stay here tonight?" Varric suggested.
"Oh, I don't want to intrude -"
"It's no bother, now, settle back down, I'll call up some water." Varric corrected.
Merrill happily fell back into her chair as Rylnea turned to Varric. "Are you sure you're okay with her?"
Varric chuckled softly. "She's done this before, she'll curl up in front of the fire on the rug and be out cold in half an hour." He explained quietly. It was Rylnea's turn to giggle quietly. "Now, you might want to chase your elf."
Rylnea turned sharply to see that indeed Fenris had practically disappeared, she really needed to ask him how he could move so silently. Instead she bade her two remaining friends goodbye and grabbed her staff where she had left it against the wall and hurried to try and catch up with Fenris. After the game he'd been playing that evening, there was no way she was letting him off the hook.
As the cool night air hit her, she almost had a heart attack as it turned out she wasn't the only one who had that thought. "We need to talk." Fenris stated as she shut the door of the Hanged Man behind her, her hand halfway to her staff from the shock, and he chuckled as he noticed. "Jumpy, Hawke?"
"For someone who glows, you don't half sneak up on people." She muttered grumpily, but he merely chuckled at her some more, knowing full well that she was only grumpy because he caught her out, again. Especially when he noticed the corners of her lips twitching with the effort of not laughing along with him. "You wanted to talk?" She replied instead, changing the subject.
Fenris glanced away for a moment, piquing her interested as she tried to determine if he was embarrassed or nervous, or possibly both. These kinds of discussion didn't come easily to him, after so many lessons to keep guarded at all times. She waited patiently for him to gather himself, and when his eyes found hers again she almost gasped out loud at the intensity in them, pools of moss green that were somehow both dark with desire and soft with care. "We have never discussed what happened between us three years ago." He finally stated.
Rylnea sighed. "You didn't want to talk about it." She explained with a shrug. What else could she say? She had tried, but he had closed up, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable by pushing.
"I felt like a fool. I thought it better if you hated me - I deserved no less. But it isn't better." He admitted. "That night... I remember your touch as if it were yesterday. I should have asked your forgiveness long ago. I hope you can forgive me now."
Rylnea hadn't needed the reminder of his touch that evening, even now she still felt entirely too warm from the way he'd been teasing her. "I need to understand why you left, Fenris." She replied, trying to keep her voice even. If they were going down this road, she needed to know if she was right, if she had really understood what had happened that night three years ago.
"I've thought about the answer a thousand times. The pain, the memories it brought up... it was too much. I was a coward." He admitted, turning away. "If I could go back, I would stay. Tell you how I felt."
For a moment Rylnea could've sworn her heart stopped in hope, before excitement hiked her pulse up high enough she thought he'd be able to hear it. "What would you have said?"
Fenris turned back to her, holding her gaze steadily, her continued presence giving him confidence, and knowing she needed to see his certainty in his answer. "Nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you." He promised.
"I understand. I always understood."
"If there is a future to be had, I will walk into it gladly at your side." Fenris added firmly, reaching out to delicately trace her jaw - wary of his claws - before his hand slid to the back of her head and she eagerly came forward so he could kiss her. He had intended it to be a gentle thing, but three years of waiting, and a night of drinking turned it into a fiery, intense, passion-fuelled battle for dominance. Rylnea gasped as her back hit the wall of the tavern and Fenris took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth to reacquaint himself with her, and she moaned against him as she stroked his tongue with her own, refusing to give him the upper hand so easily.
They parted to breathe, panting heavily as their eyes met in shared recollection of the night they previously shared, and Rylnea's lit up in mischief as she smirked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.