Evelyn found herself rolling her eyes as Josephine's voice droned on and on about the proper etiquette that would be expected of her whilst visiting the Winter Palace as well as tips on how to play what the Orlesian's affectionately referred to as "the Game". As much as she could give two shits about the ball, the Orlesian Empire and its games, she knew her duty was to promote the Inquisition any way she could. She let her eyes wander to the sole window in the room and smiled as she caught the familiar sight of her seeker seated on the worn stool with a nose buried in the hastily written update to Swords and Shields. The sight warmed her unexpectedly and the rogue felt the hint of a smile alight her lips. The Inquisitor had seen little of the warrior since the evening of her return from the Hinterlands, but every night her mind replayed words that had been purred against her skin.
"I dream of you…. Do you dream of me?"
And indeed she had every night for the past week. It was maddening to know that all she wanted had lain within her grasp and she had pigheadedly turned it away. Evelyn still could not recognize the woman who made such a decision. It had been so unlike her; so out of character and yet… despite her reservations she would choose again to do the same.
"You are not listening are you?"
Evelyn shook herself from her thoughts and stared down into golden eyes and gave an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. It wasn't as though Josephine was unpleasant to listen to, it was the subject matter that she found so dull. Cutting the ambassador off, Evelyn held up a hand.
"I have every confidence I will be able to charm my way through the evening Josephine. After all… I will have you and Leliana there to assist me if I should happen to lose my way."
The rogue flashed the Antivan woman a cocky grin that grew even more devious as the ambassador's cheeks flushed. In another life they might have become more than leader and subordinate; a union their two families would no doubt have approved of – if only for the sole purpose of political gain. Evelyn let her eyes slowly wander the mocha skin that disappeared into a form fitting display of ruffled silk. She let her gaze trail upwards and winked at the blushing young woman, laughing as the former bard playfully swatted her arm. A low gasp pulled her attention away from her game of agitating the ambassador and Evelyn paled to see the stormy face of Cassandra.
Cassandra glared at the scene laid before her. She took note of the flush that had risen on the Antivan's skin and the playful swat the diplomat had given her Inquisitor. The fierce rush of possessiveness was new and the seeker felt a stab of jealousy at witnessing such a lighthearted display. She had rushed to find the Inquisitor, to tell her that Varric's latest chapter while wholly unexpected in its content – indeed the descriptive scenes had given her pause for several reasons – but that it was by far, his best yet. Her excitement had died though, thoroughly wiped away by what she had walked in on and she fixed the redhead with a cold stare.
"I did not realize you were so… occupied with our Ambassador. I will speak to you another time."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes, puzzled by the clipped venom in the seeker's voice and then it hit her. Cassandra thought… her and Josephine... the Herald let out a bark of laughter at the ludicrous idea before thinking better of it. As soon as the sound burst forth from her lips she wished she could take it back. A flash of hurt tightened across the seeker's features quickly replaced by a cold fury. Evelyn watched as the warrior unceremoniously dropped a thick stack of papers onto the floor of the room before turning heel to walk away. Giving not a second glance to Josephine, Evelyn called out the seeker's name; her feet moving rapidly to chase after the retreating figure.
"Cassandra wait…"
The seeker shook in her ferocity. It had been her most dreaded fear that she was being played a fool by the charming noble but to see it played out before her very eyes... unacceptable. She thanked the Maker she had not given the other woman her body and cursed her foolish heart for believing the pretty words and heated caresses. It sickened her to think of all the time she had wasted thinking of this woman, considering the feelings she awoke inside. The sound of footsteps falling close behind her ignited the anger boiling inside. Cassandra halted her movement; lunging backwards as she swung her mailed fist towards the sound.
Evelyn sensed the motion a second before the seeker exploded in action and ducked past what would have been a stunning blow.
"Hey!"
Cassandra growled and swung again, her voice roaring, "LIAR!"
The Herald dodged the second blow and leapt out of range.
"Cassandra let me explain."
The seeker clenched her fists, trying to fight the hurt squeezing at her chest; a hurt that demanded more be done in retribution. She glared at the woman, this Herald of Andraste, the Inquisitor; the very name tasted sour in her mouth and she spat her disgust to the side. Cassandra stiffly crossed her arms over her chest for fear that if left at her sides she would lose her control and attack Trevelyan again.
"Oh this should be good. Go on, explain."
Evelyn winced again at the rage simmering in the warrior's tone. She felt much as she had the first day she had met the seeker – awed and slightly frightened by the barely checked anger. She paused, unused to dealing with such situations. Jealousy was an emotion she was well acquainted with, having experienced much of it in her past sexual exploits but that was not the vibe she was getting from Cassandra. The hurt buried deep behind the stony hazel gaze lent itself more to betrayal than anything else and betrayal was not something Evelyn was accustomed to handling but she knew she had to try.
"Josephine was instructing me on how best to navigate Halamshiral. She was scolding me for not paying attention."
Cassandra sneered, "And just what had your attention? Were you looking for another notch to go on your bedpost?"
She strode forward, pinning the smaller woman against the wall with her forearm, her face inches away as she growled lowly, teeth grinding together slightly.
"Do not play me for a fool Inquisitor, I saw you looking at her." Cassandra wanted to add the same way you look at mebut the words stuck in her throat. She glared at the leader of the Inquisition expectantly, daring her to answer and at the same time fearing the next words she would utter.
Evelyn silently cursed herself; old habits indeed died hard. She had not even thought to deny herself the fun of flirting with another beautiful woman - especially one who had always shown such a shy interest in her - and she was momentarily at a loss of how to convince the seeker that was all it had been. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the warrior's closeness was not helping matters. The heat that radiated from the spots where their bodies touched, the subtle scent of iron and fire that always accompanied the taller woman and the memories of that taunt hungry frame that had pressed down against the rogue's were a constant presence beneath Evelyn's desire to quench the seeker's anger. She snapped to attention as the forearm against her chest pressed harder and Cassandra's voice hissed.
"Your silence confirms your guilt."
Evelyn felt the warrior begin to let up and curled her arm over the seeker's.
"No."
Cassandra paused, furious at the unwanted jolt of electricity that pulsed through her body at the halting touch. She raised an eyebrow at the Inquisitor and mocked her.
"No?"
Evelyn nodded and leaned forward until her nose almost touched the other woman's.
"No. You are wrong Cassandra. The distraction was you. I saw you; reading outside the window and all I could think of was the night I returned to the keep. Josephine was reprimanding me. She flirted with me and I, foolishly flirted back but there will never be anything more between us. I don't want her."
Cassandra frowned; her mind fighting the relief the Herald's words gave rise to in her chest. Her heart wanted to believe the woman who had slowly captured it, but her mind fought the logic of such quick forgiveness and she sneered.
"You don't want her? So that it all it boils down to then?"
Evelyn did not rise to the fight baited in the seeker's tone. Instead she reached up, her fingertips brushing the smooth skin of the warrior's cheek, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I only want you Cassandra. I haven't been with anyone since our duel nor have I wanted to be. For the first time in my life I am not driven by my own selfish needs. You are all I can think about when I am not fighting or closing rifts and even then I think that you are still in the back of my mind. I care for you I thought I had made that clear but…"
Evelyn let her voice trail off as she looked away sighing at the regret she felt over her previous actions. She stared back into the seeker's eyes, curious as to why the other woman had not moved away from her touch. The dark eyes that stared back at her were swimming with a mixture of emotion that was too fathomless to comprehend in a single given moment. Evelyn continued, her voice barely above a whisper as she offered a silent prayer to a Maker she no longer was sure she believed in.
"It was wrong of me to flirt back with Josephine. It is a habit of mine that is hard to break, one that I shall endeavor to work harder at. I am sorry Cassandra."
Cassandra exhaled slowly, ignoring the warmth that spread from the relief the Inquisitor's apology brought her as well as the light touch against her cheek. She released her hold on the rogue.
"I… will trust that that was not your intent. I should not have reacted this way; such actions should be beneath me. My instructors have forever been telling me that I am too brash..."
Evelyn stilled the self-deprecating tone with a light touch of her finger against the moving lips. She fought the urge to lean forward and capture them with her own; to re-affirm her words with deeds but the sounds of echoing voices and footsteps reminded her that they were not alone so she let her hand drop to her side. Evelyn turned towards the sounds, surprised when her ambassador as well as her spymaster greeted her.
"Oh, good you found her!"
Evelyn raised an eyebrow at the bright tone, impressed by the fixed pleasant expression that stared back at her as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She watched as the ambassador reached her hand out, holding a thick stack of papers towards the scowling seeker - smile never wavering as Cassandra snatched them from her hand. The ambassador looked at the warrior expectantly and even Evelyn could see the intrigue that crept into those bright features when the seeker refused to acknowledge the Antivan.
As if sensing the undercurrent of emotion thickening the tension in the small corridor, Leliana's voice broke the silence, "Seeker found, Inquisitor unscathed and boorish manuscript returned. All in a day's work. Come Josie there are other issues we need to attend to if we are to make a smooth entrance at the Winter Palace."
Evelyn shot the former Left Hand a look of appreciation as she turned to leave and released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She turned towards the seeker, watching as the warrior traced the words on the first page.
"So Varric's book?"
Cassandra looked up at the Trevelyan noble and shrugged; the shame she felt at her earlier actions coming back now that they were alone. She felt exceedingly foolish at the conclusions she had jumped to and she found it hard to believe that she had lashed out in such a manner. Cassandra looked away and then down at the book again before offering it to the Inquisitor.
"I finished it last night. You will have to tell me what you think."
Evelyn felt her lips twitch but remained solemn as she took the pages from the seeker. She thumbed through the loose leafed book and then looked back into the dark hazel eyes that stared at her. She smiled and handed it back to Cassandra.
"Perhaps you can summarize it for me."
Cassandra felt her cheeks warm as her mind recalled the… vivid scenes the story teller had penned. She shook her head and pushed the papers back towards the redhead.
"No, I don't think a summery can do it justice."
Evelyn grinned as she watched the blush spreading over the seeker's high cheekbones, her voice teasing as she asked the question she had been dying to know from the moment the warrior had taken the newly written chapter.
"Did you enjoy it?"
Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the question. There was something about the way the rogue asked that made her wonder if she had read it after all. Cassandra paused and looked down at the pages in the Inquisitor's hand. Had she enjoyed it? She had read and re-read every book in the serial but none had affected her the way this latest chapter had. Perhaps it was because the content so closely resembled the dreams and fantasies she had been experiencing as of late or it could be the fact that Varric had outdone himself in the detail he had used within certain scenes. Cassandra couldn't be sure but enjoyment had not been the word she would have used for how this latest chapter made her feel. The book had enflamed her imagination, frustrated her desires, and made her want to rush past her previous declaration of a desire for romance and in-between the sheets with the woman who was currently waiting so patiently for her answer. The seeker took a deep breath, banishing her memories of the last time they had been alone and shook her head slowly, avoiding the bright green eyes she was sure were still staring at her.
"It was… different from his other books."
Evelyn chuckled lightly, rolling her eyes at the evasive answer as she leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest, "Go on."
Cassandra sighed and gestured to the stack of papers held in the other woman's hand, "Read it for yourself Inquisitor."
Evelyn scowled slightly and looked at the stack of papers and then back and the tall warrior. "I'd much rather hear it from you seeker."
Cassandra pressed her lips together as she formulated how best to answer. She was saved from the task as a messenger hurried between them, breathlessly apologizing for the interruption. She watched the irritation that passed over the Inquisitor's face and hid a small chuckle as she bent her head to check at the straps of her breastplate. Cassandra listened as the messenger informed the Herald that a letter had come from Ostwick and that the Nightingale requested her immediate presence in the war room.
Evelyn felt her shoulders drop as disappointment flooded her. She wanted nothing more than to tease the blush that had already spread over the seeker's cheeks to an even darker stain in an attempt to hear her opinion of the book she had secretly commissioned. She wanted to draw the other woman away privately and taste the smile she knew would curve those soft lips when she told the warrior that she had asked Varric to explore a more sapphic side of the Knight Captain character the warrior so loved to read about. Evelyn tucked the thoughts of such things away for later and informed the messenger that she would seek Leliana out shortly. She watched as the young man scurried off before turning her attention of the one she wanted to lavish it upon.
"Regrettably duty calls but I would like to continue this with you. Would you be agreeable to joining me in my quarters after evening meal?"
Cassandra flushed as she remembered the last time she had been in those rooms; with her thoughts running away from her she did not trust herself to commit to just conversation. She shook her head no, secretly pleased with the small frown of disappointment that turned the normally smirking lips downward. Not wishing to completely crush the rogue, Cassandra offered a solution.
"We could walk the battlements after evening meal if you would like Inquisitor."
Evelyn tilted her head at the request. She found it hard to believe that the warrior would prefer freezing winds to the warmth of her hearth and questioned the suggestion.
"So… you would prefer to walk, talk and freeze than to sit comfortably in my quarters and share this latest chapter with me?
Cassandra nodded, offering the rogue a wry smile, "I think such a location might be safer for all parties involved."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow at the comment, "Safer how?" She slid away from the wall and brought her body within inches of the seeker's as she ran a single finger down from shoulder to wrist. She watched as a shudder reverberated through the seeker and she drew closer still, her voice dropping to a soft whisper.
"With such cold weather it is only natural to want to be close to someone else, to seek the combination of body heat…"
She brushed her lips against the silken skin of the warrior's unscarred cheek, her voice taking on a huskier note. "Of course… even in the heat of summer I would want to feel you against me."
Cassandra stilled the urge to grab the younger woman and align their lips and bodies. Her cheek tingled from the light touch and she could feel the heat in her cheeks from the huskily delivered words. She forced her desire down and turned to look into the teasing green eyes before saying the only thing she could think of to break the hold this woman had on her.
"Then what do you propose your worship?"
Evelyn turned her nose up in distaste at the title; sighing she abandoned the flirtation. She could see the hint of a smile on the seeker's lips and scowled back at the woman, mildly irritated by the Seeker's ability to acutely ruin the playful mood she had been settling into. Evelyn stood silently as she thought of a neutral location that would offer some semblance of privacy and yet not one that would require her to freeze to death. The stables were too open, the two unoccupied towers of the keep were still in need of repair and would offer little shelter from the freezing temperatures and the rooms off the kitchen were filled with too much activity from servants and soldiers going back and forth for the two of them to engage in quiet discussion. There was only one other place that she could think of that would provide the privacy the Inquisitor craved and the "safety" requested by Cassandra, although she was willing to bet that the Seeker was not going to like her suggestion.
"How about that abandoned room off of the gardens? The one with statue of Andraste."
Cassandra raised an eyebrow at the suggestion and pursed her lips as she gave a curt shake of her head.
"And I am sure that the fact that it's an "abandoned" room has factored little into your reason for choosing it."
Evelyn felt her lips curl in a lazy grin as she shrugged. "I won't deny that the thought had not crossed my mind. I am open to further suggestion, but it's the only place that came to mind that wouldn't be swarmed with other people or cold as a mage's balls. I am trusting in your faith to keep us chaste Seeker." She delivered the last line with a wink and delighted in the fleeting warmth of the small smile that graced the warrior's lips.
Cassandra nodded slightly, "Very well. I will meet you there after evening meal has ended." She reached over and lightly plucked the pages of the book they were going to discuss from the Inquisitor's grip.
"Until then I will hold on to this to make sure there is no cheating." She paused as she felt the rogue's hand encircling her wrist and let her body be yanked forward. The seeker tried, unsuccessfully, not to lean into the lithe warmth of her leader as a slimly muscled arm circled around her waist. Cassandra found herself looking down into the very look that haunted her dreams – half closed green eyes darkening with lust held hers as pink lips parted in a knowing smirk; closing the distance between them.
Evelyn closed her eyes as she sampled the seeker for the first time in days. She found herself unable to stop the soft moan that escaped her at the familiar taste and feel of those lips softening beneath her own. I dream of you… do you dream of me. The words pounded in her head as the warrior's lips parted almost immediately and their tongues met, tangling slowly in a familiar dance. Evelyn found herself pulling the seeker closer; melding their bodies together despite the sharp planes of armor they both wore. Strong hands cupped her face and Evelyn felt her head tilted back as Cassandra deepened the kiss. The need for air forced her to pull back sooner than she would have liked, her body shook slightly as reached her hand up to trace over the other's lips. It was getting to be hell to hold back, especially when the seeker reciprocated so sweetly and those dark hazel eyes stared so expectantly at her.
"Maker Cass," Evelyn mumbled, making the seeker smile faintly as she moved away. The Inquisitor fought the urge to reach out and pull the tall warrior back into her arms. The knowledge that they would meet later would have to suffice for now; especially since she had kept Leliana waiting far longer than expected. She did not trust the patience of the spymaster and knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be summoned again. She started to apologize for once again allowing her duty to interrupt what little time they could spend together but the look of understanding in the dark hazel eyes that stared back at her stilled her words.
Cassandra recognized the conflict in the Inquisitor's eyes and nodded. She knew she had delayed the woman enough. "I will see you later." The flash of relief her words brought warmed something in her and Cassandra struggled in vain to name the unfamiliar emotion. Her eyes widened as she felt the brief warm press of the Inquisitor's lips against the corner of her own; warm breath tickling sensitive flesh as the rogue whispered, "Later then." Cassandra watched as the Herald of Andraste walked away and looked down at the manuscript in her hand. It would be hours until they saw each other again; reading would help pass the time.