A/N: Hello! Since last October the thought of "vampire Solas" never left my mind, so here we are!
Also, please imagine Ellana however you like. :D
And if you're inclined, any feedback (constructive or not), is always welcome :)
Ellana lazily swiped to snooze on her phone as it vibrated and beeped on her nightstand. It had been a mistake to stay up so late binge-watching, a cheesy Orlesian reality show at that. She buried her face in her pillow for several minutes before propping up on her elbows and grabbing her cellphone before another alarm went off, the early autumn chill of her room seeping into the blanket when she moved. The lock screen was a jumble of notifications, mainly from apps installed on her phone. After adjusting the screen's brightness, she replied to a few texts in a group chat she missed.
Dorian Pavus – 7:46AM
We still meeting today?
Varric Tethras – 7:53AM
What? We never decided when.
Varric Tethras – 7:55AM
Anyway, can't. It's a Saturday, gonna be busy.
Dorian Pavus – 8:00AM
With what? That ancient typewriter of yours?
8:51AM
Sorry for the late-ish reply. I can't either! Have fun, let us know what you get up to!
She chuckled, feeling more alert. A reply was instantly received from Dorian.
Dorian Pavus – 8:51AM
(multimedia message)
See! We all agreed that we would meet today.
Dorian had actually scrolled through their group chat and attached a screenshot of when they made plans last month. She felt a momentary rush of guilt before laughing.
8:52AM
Sorry! But wow that you actually took a screenshot. Nice.
Dorian Pavus – 8:52AM
Ugh, fine. I guess I'll work too.
8:53AM
It's not much, but I'll try to stop by after I close, okay?
Dorian Pavus – 8:54AM
With food?
8:54AM
Yes, I'll bring food.
Varric Tethras – 8:54AM
Human food, thanks!
She rolled her eyes at Varric's text, having a mind to only bring a variety of food meant for elves. After locking the screen, she sat up and stretched her arms and back. It was time to get ready for the day, people would probably be ready to enter her shop within the hour. Ellana lingered a few more moments staring at her wall before going to the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face, and fix her hair. She picked some comfortable, clean clothing and headed downstairs.
Ellana was renting a small space for her shop but despite its size, it allowed her a sense of freedom. It definitely didn't meet the sprawling city of Val Royeaux's high standards, though. Especially compared to the high-end fashion boutiques a few blocks over.
In a city like Val Royeaux, an antique shop was odd. An elven owned one? Extremely odd. In truth, her reason for setting up the store was to explore the catacombs beneath the city and make her own mapping of them. Deshanna approved of her ventures, as long as any findings were reported back to her. The catacombs were reported to be very closely connected to the Fade and sometimes had strange occurrences. Orlais being the heavily Andrastian country that it was, authorities blocked off a majority of the underground maze due to its supposed volatility.
Within the myths that pervaded each culture of Thedas, magic was central in them. Mages, templars, Blights – all of this was told through each country's own fables and history. And then one day, all magic suddenly vanished. In Dalish tales, this was also the around the time elves began to need a regular consumption of blood.
If it were not for places like the catacombs in Orlais and other locations scattered around Thedas where mana lingered, the idea of even fantasizing about magic would be ridiculous and would only be seen in fantasy.
At the bottom of the stairs, she smoothed her clothing and walked to the front of the store. With a deep breath, she turned the sign from closed to open. Ellana checked to make sure her wares still looked presentable and settled behind the register. She took an enriched sports drink and a granola bar out of the private mini fridge underneath the register's counter. As she struggled to open the bottle, a bell rang from the front door of the store.
"Hi, what do you need today?" Ellana asked the elven woman who entered.
"Just one of those drinks, please."
"No problem," she replied as she reached into a large fridge behind her and grabbed what the woman wanted.
"Oh! Do you happen to have those enriched waters as well?"
"Yes, how many?"
"One as well, please."
Ellana turned again and grabbed the waters before ringing up the woman. "It'll be 6.46."
The woman swiped her card and swiftly left, eager to get back to her own day. Ellana sighed and took Varric's newest unpublished novel from a drawer to the left and picked up where she stopped. She had promised him that she would read it and give an unbiased opinion. He didn't trust his publisher to be honest with him, apparently.
"You rescued me, Aveline. Again. I…I don't know what to say."
"Say that you'll be with me, Donnic."
"Be with you?"
"It's all I would want, only if you do so also, of course."
Aveline looked up and met Donnic's eyes. She was being so obviously earnest with him; her eyes and expression were unwavering. She stepped closer, stopping just short of him. As the woman was already tall herself, she simply raised her heels off the ground just slightly to meet his lips with hers.
"I'll be with you Aveline. It's all I've wanted since I met you. Ever since you killed that darkspawn to save me."
A flush graced her cheeks, making her bashfulness physical. Donnic leaned forward and swept her in another kiss, this one more furious and passionate than the last. His hands fiddled with the latches of her breastplate during the breaks of their kissing. Eventually he managed to undo them. Aveline swiftly took it off and threw the armor over her head. Donnic did the same with his own. Their kissing heatedly resumed.
The two slowly made their way to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Donnic's right hand slowly slid underneath her tunic and made its way upwards, tracing contours of the muscles on her abdomen. Aveline shivered and threaded her hands through his hair, encouraging him to continue. His hand lingered just beneath the swell of her breast, not touching anywhere else.
"Donnic!"
"I'm sorry, it's just when else would I have the opportunity to tease a warrior like yourself?" Donnic chuckled. He rested his left hand along the curve of her spine and allowed his right hand to explore further upwards. He gingerly caressed the soft skin of–
"Fenedhis, Varric!" Ellana cursed as she slammed the book away from her, embarrassed. "What do you have me reading?"
She stared at the book, it felt like it was burning a hole in the countertop. A slight rustling took her away from her provocative thoughts and she frantically looked up. There seemed to be a man at the front of the store, looking at some Dalish knickknacks. She must've been so involved in the book that she didn't hear the door's bell.
"Hi, I'm sorry I wasn't available to help you earlier. Is there something you need or are looking for?" Despite the fact that her store was one that sold baubles and random things, her shop survived on the fact that it was one of the only places in Val Royeaux with a permit to sell real blood and related prepackaged foods. Because of this, Ellana had steady regulars who visited and usually recognized or was familiar with the people who bought from her. This man was someone she'd hadn't seen before.
When he didn't answer her, she rephrased her question and asked, "Is there a specific blood type you prefer, or would you like something else?"
Silence sat between them for a few moments before he turned to her and replied with a question of his own, "What is the purpose of these?" He was holding a small golden halla in his hand.
"They're…just figures representing various members of the Elvhen pantheon."
"I didn't ask what they were, I asked the purpose of selling them."
"You could say the same for everything else in here, you know." Ellana unconsciously brushed a hand across her vallaslin.
The man placed the halla next to a miniature figure of a sitting wolf. "That is a good point."
"So, did you need anything? Or did you just want to browse around?"
"I'd like to take a look around."
"That's no issue. Let me know if you need anything, I'll be at the register." She slowly made her way to the register, occasionally looking behind her. As she settled back in her chair, she worriedly noticed the book on the table. Did he hear her curse earlier? Ellana inwardly groaned and watched as the man walked around, surveying much of the stuff that was placed out.
He was definitely taller than the usual male elf, had broader shoulders than one, too. Although unlike most elves, he didn't have hair. At all. Usually in many communities, Dalish or other, elves liked to style their hair in intricate styles. According to the tales she heard as a kid, this was another tradition from the Elvhen.
The strangest thing was the fact that the man didn't shave down his canine teeth. He didn't part his lips very much when he spoke to her, but Ellana was pretty certain his weren't flattened. She hadn't seen elves with their natural canines since she was a small child. Elves already scared people with their pointed ears, there was no need to scare them with pointed teeth.
He then turned and looked upwards toward the displayed items in cases hanging on the wall.
"Ah, those aren't for sale."
"I didn't ask if they were."
Ellana held back a retort. "Was just letting you know just in case."
"I'll keep that in mind." The bald elf continued to peruse.
She fidgeted in her seat, berating herself for leaving her laptop upstairs. All she could do was just watch him as he meticulously criticized everything in silence.
He spoke again then, meeting her eyes from where he was standing. "I'm surprised that an elven owned shop is selling so much relating to humans."
"This is Orlais."
"I'm sure you've visited the other elven shops. They don't cater so heavily to humans."
"You did see the sign on the window, right? And hear what I asked you earlier? Humans don't really want to enter a shop that sells blood."
The man didn't respond immediately and picked up a red iridescent dragon scale before stating, "I'll take this." He walked to her.
Ellana ignored the want to ask why he was buying something so random, but she thought in the end that it didn't matter.
"Was there anything else you want?" She gestured to the fridges and shelves with snacks. It was momentary, but Ellana swore she saw a hint of discomfort cross his face.
"I'll take a protein shake."
She wordlessly grabbed the shake and rang him up. "It comes out to 21.26. Do you want a bag?"
"No, I won't need one." He met her gaze again while he paid and gathered the items in his left hand. "Ma serannas."
Ellana just gave a blank stare as he quickly left. She hadn't met many city elves who spoke in elven to her, even small phrases. Although she supposed it was more due the fact she was Dalish than anything else. Ellana shook the thought from her mind and ran upstairs to grab her laptop. It wasn't even noon yet. It was going to be a long day.
It was finally nearing closing, and Ellana stared at the clock on her computer. Only a few more minutes till seven. Dorian's closed up at around eight and Varric would probably excuse himself to join them. This gave her enough time to place an order at a local Fereldan restaurant, get ready, and go pick it up. And if all went well, they'd finish eating and socializing at around eleven, which gave her a few hours of free time.
It was seven! She shut her laptop and ran to the front of store to flip the sign. Ellana locked the door and shut off the lights before she walked back to go upstairs. As she went to her studio above, she called the restaurant and placed the order.
Ellana changed to something more appropriate for a visit with friends. At least she hoped black tights, a hoodie, and boots were appropriate. She spent a bit of time in the bathroom putting on some form of acceptable makeup for the rush she was in. Afterwards, she stuffed her phone and wallet in her purse and left the building through the store's entrance.
Walking along the busy sidewalks of Val Royeaux was never an issue for her, most humans tended to avoid her as she walked, creating a path for her. Ellana made it to the restaurant twenty minutes later and picked up the order. From there, it would only be a five minute walk to where Dorian and Varric would be.
Ellana rushed with the food, but luckily it was never difficult to miss Dorian's bookstore. It was one of the largest businesses on this side of the district. It was also one of the most popular places. The bookstore had three stories and connected to a popular coffee shop that sold a variety of baked goods and other food. Its popularity was boosted by the fact that Varric kicked off his book releases there, always creating quite the wave of overly eager fans.
She entered through the side entrance, which was thankfully unlocked this time. Dorian had a habit of forgetting she would come over and leave it locked. It was probably because she had food tonight. Figured.
"Ah, Ellana! Welcome! We'd thought you'd never arrive." Dorian exclaimed as he stood from an empty table where him and Varric were sitting in the adjacent café. There was beer already placed on the table.
"Correction, you thought the food would never arrive."
"Semantics, is it not?" Dorian reached out, gently grasped the bag and began to empty its contents on the table.
Varric chuckled, "Burgers? I could have brought that from one of my places, you know."
"You wrote to bring human food, and this is the most human thing I could think of." She shrugged and took a seat in the chair across from them both.
"I don't know whether to find that insulting or not," Dorian remarked as he bit in his burger. Varric picked at the group-sized seasoned fries.
The three of them tried to meet up at least once a month to share their frustrations about customers and the such of their establishments. Varric always had the most entertaining stories, whether it was only due to his storytelling abilities, Ellana wasn't sure. His family owned several famous franchises across various countries in Thedas, and he himself invested in or owned some of the shops in Val Royeaux. It also eluded Ellana how he could even find time to meet up with her and Dorian as often as he did.
"Varric…" Ellana put her food down and faced him as she continued, "Please tell me the book you're having me read is a joke."
"Got you flustered, huh?"
"What – ugh, no!"
"How you're avoiding to look me in the eyes is telling me a different story."
Dorian interjected, "Wait, what book? Why am I not reading it?"
Varric was fully laughing at Ellana now, she refused to look at him. "Because of that, Sparkler! Look at her."
"She seems mad. You've done it now."
With a huff Ellana replied, "Okay, enough. What made you write such a different genre, Varric?"
The smile then slid off the dwarf's face. "I was just…thinking of someone. That's all."
Ellana and Dorian went silent, they knew Varric had a woman in his life, but he always refused to give the details on it. They assumed it must be something really messy.
She turned to Dorian with a small smile. "I'm assuming he didn't tell you that he would be writing smut for his next book."
His eyes went wide. "Smut?"
"Yes."
"Your expression earlier makes a lot more sense now. You were right, Varric. It was worth it."
Varric smirked at Dorian. "Told you."
"You guys! Anyway, I'm changing the subject."
The dwarf replied, "You brought up this subject to begin with."
"Anyway. An elf visited today that didn't have his canines shaved."
Dorian leaned closer. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, it shocked me too. He could get fined if the wrong person sees him."
"I haven't seen any elves like that today here, what about you, Varric?"
"Nope, I haven't either."
Ellana explained the odd behavior the man exhibited and how awkward the whole situation was. A worrying thought occurred to her, "You…you don't think he was surveying the place, right? To break in or something."
Dorian leaned in and patted her on the back. "I mean this in the most polite way. There is nothing worth stealing from your vast array of what you call antiques."
"Hey!"
"Sparkler is right. I wouldn't worry about it," Varric added.
"Well…if the two of you seem so confident, I trust you."
The three of them talked for a while longer. When Ellana realized that it was nearing eleven, she drank the rest of her beer and said her goodbyes. Varric stopped her at the door.
"I know this area's pretty safe but…just watch yourself, okay? Don't hesitate to call Dorian or me if anything."
"Thanks, Varric. Absolutely." Ellana waved at him as she began to briskly return back.
Once she reached her building, she undid the alarm and went upstairs. Ellana grabbed a backpack from her closet, transferred her phone to it, and put it on. She made sure to click the plastic buckle across her chest for extra support. The map she was creating of the catacombs beneath the city was in the left mesh outside pocket of the backpack. Inside she had a flashlight, water, a compass, and extra clothing. There was also a knife inside of the backpack. Not the best location in case of an emergency, but she was against having it on her.
Ellana stopped at the bottom of the stairs before turning around and going back up them. She hadn't had any actual blood all day, and figured it'd be best to drink some now before leaving. If not, she'd be in terrible condition the next morning.
There was a reason why most elves preferred to drink blood away from others, especially strangers or those they weren't close with. It was because of the slight head rush that almost always happened a few moments after. The sensation wasn't painful, but it wasn't entirely pleasant either.
Ellana sat on the edge of her bed for a few minutes as she waited for it to pass. When it did, she set off. If she took the manhole entrance in Divine Square, it would lead to the south entrance of the catacombs. It also had the least amount of street cameras. From there, she was going to explore right instead of left. Ellana had already mapped a significant portion of the other side, and it didn't seem like much magic remained there anyway. Not that she could accurately tell, as she had no experience with magic.
Elven curses were muttered as she lowered herself down the manhole in complete darkness. She should have taken the flashlight out before heading down the metal ladder. It would have to wait until her feet were on ground again.
When she had her feet firmly set against the floor of the tunnel, she began her way forward.
Ellana reached the fork sooner than expected, it also seemed eerily different than the last time she ventured here. The air was thick and pungent, she felt it in her head and could taste it in her mouth. She moved her flashlight around slowly, expecting something to jump out at her. A nervous laugh escaped her as she thought about herself, a person who needed blood to survive, being scared of the dark.
Cautiously taking the right path in the fork before her, the atmosphere became tangible. Lines and swirls of green and silver wisped before her. Ellana twirled her fingers and moved her hand around, observing how it reacted. It twisted and contorted to the pressure of her movements.
A clang up ahead startled her. She pointed her flashlight to where the sound came from. Nothing. Everything looked fine. Ellana continued on.
She came to sudden stop when the toe of her boot kicked something hard and it skidded along the floor. Ellana took a deep breath and debated whether she should look down.
It was a skull that she had kicked. A skull that had fallen from the wall. But how? Why? She pushed these thoughts away with the common explanation that it was age and gravity.
A surge of green energy pulsed further ahead. She gazed in awe. This was magic. In all her discussions with Dorian, someone who prided himself on being somewhat knowledgeable in this area, he'd confessed that he had never seen anything. He could only feel it at times, especially if the Veil was thin in an area.
Ellana foolishly ran to where she saw the pulses. She stopped when she heard a sort of chanting from a low, deep voice. She ducked down and got close to the bones scattered on the wall, hoping she was out of sight.
More energy surged, this time a deep purple. It was bright enough that she could see the person casting. It was the man from before, the male elf from that morning. Ellana knew something was off with him.
As her mind swarmed with questions, she didn't realize the stirring of clicks and clacks near her. It was a light and delicate graze on the nape of her neck that brought Ellana to turn around and acknowledge what was happening behind her.
Several of the remains had become skeletons. They just stared at her; eye sockets pointed in her direction.
"Aneth ara, da'len, " one spoke to her; she didn't know which it was as none of their jaws moved. A skeleton offered their hand to her in a series of jagged movements.
Ellana scrambled and blindly rushed away. She soon slammed into a tall mass and tripped, landing on something hard, knocking it over.
There was the loud crash of something breaking, and the entire area then exploded in a sea of green.
Did you know that Paris actually has catacombs? I only learned this about two years ago. This served as the inspiration for Val Royeaux's :)