So yeah, chapter rated for language and thematic elements. But you knew that already, purposefully choosing an M rated story. Shamelss you! Cheers!

Pain in the Dragon's Ass

Another splinter pierced the sensitive skin of her underarm, but Melusine cursed the pain away as she dropped the load of wood onto the ever-growing pile. An unfortunate woman got between her and the stairs leading back up to the great hall. Melusine shoved past her, not even bothering to apologize for sending the woman onto her ass. She took the stairs two and three at a time, the need for physical activity and pushing the limits all-consuming, and burst back into the great hall as subtle as a tsunami, shoving past the other workers. They had the unlucky fate of being in the same place of Skyhold as herself.

Melusine walked back to the old, rotted wooden beams they'd torn down and were replacing. She already chased-literally-away anyone who'd offered to help her with this task. She wished these people understood the biohazard sign so she could paint it on her back and keep them away for good. There was no fucking way she could stay in her quarters and isolate herself. That would be worse than doing this: being productive through destruction and wearing out her body. Melusine picked up the ax and went back to work. Her muscles were sore, her bare arms and hands riddled with splinters and cuts, her legs and torso bruised from her quite literally using every part of her body to push, pull, toss, drag the old wooden beams out of the great hall, down the steps to the courtyard, and onto the growing pyre of wood for a fire later.

"Mel." Melusine heard Varric's voice but ignored it, just like she'd ignored Vivienne, Cassandra, Josephine, Leliana, Iron Bull, Blackwall, Sera, and everyone else who'd tried to engage her in conversation this morning. "What the hell is going on?" The dwarf took his life into his hands when he grabbed her arm, stopping her from swinging the ax. "You've been acting like an ass all morning, and you look like you're purposefully putting your body through hell."

Melusine closed her eyes, pulled her arm from his warm grip, and tried to count to ten. She got to three. When she opened her eyes, she recognized the concern in her friend's eyes, but the hormones and imbalanced chemicals in her body were preventing her from rationally responding. "Varric, if you value your life, you will go fuck Cassandra already and leave me alone."

"Whoah." Varric held up his hands in front of him and backed away a step. "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean, Mel? Me and the Seeker?" He shook his head, and Melusine heard a sardonic laugh escape her lips.

She slammed the ax into the wood, then turned and grabbed Varric by the lapels of his jacket, "Yes, you and the Seeker, you fucking dumbass. You're perfect for each other, but both of you are too fucking stupid to notice it with your heads up your own asses of insecurity. Bianca's a fucking whore who uses you and treats you like shit. At least Cassandra respects you enough to ridicule you to your face." Melusine shook him a little. "You bring out the best in each other, and what isn't the best is already in need of change. So get your head out of your ass and notice that that woman is probably the best thing that will happen to you in hundreds of years and fucking do something about it." Melusine shoved him away from her and grabbed the ax again. "And leave me the fuck alone right now." She went back to work without bothering to see how the dwarf received her words.

Something in what she said must've worked, as Varric retreated only a few moments later. Melusine hated herself, but there was little else she could do right now. She was like every woman on Earth's PMS combined, and it fucking pissed her off every time. Melusine much preferred the awkward stages of physical transformation over this shit storm of chemical imbalance and hormonal fluctuations.

The wood she'd been hacking at finally surrendered and split asunder. Melusine dropped the ax, picked up the wood she'd normally would, without the surge in adrenaline and other such hormones, not have been able to move on her own, and made for the door. Each time grew easier, the people more aware that she was danger incarnate, and they parted the waters without question now. Her whole body ached, and her sweat, and areas even blood, had soaked through her loose-fitting blouse and trousers. Though her body was completely back to normal, it would still be at least another day before the same could be said of her mental and emotional capacities. Melusine dropped the wood onto the pyre and paused. Even with all the extra chemicals surging in her body, she needed to catch her breath.

"Don't kill me." Dorian's voice came from just behind her, and Melusine looked over her shoulder to see him carrying a vial of liquid and a small box. "This is a potion that may help with the, uh, emotional fluctuations. And, before you shred your arms and hands, I'd like to pull out those bits of wood you have embedded." He stopped just outside of striking range. "Then you can go back to your mayhem."

Melusine tipped her head to the side as she assessed his potential ulterior motives. While he'd seen her earlier and had looked ready to address her, he'd been one of the few to stay back and observe alone without attempts to interfere. Heaving a sigh, Melusine sat on the edge of the woodpile her efforts alone had made and rested her elbows on her knees, baring her arms for his inspection.

"I suggest you be quick about it. I can't promise I won't bite."

Dorian nodded and was indeed quick about coming forward, handing her the liquid, then set right to work on her left arm while Melusine downed the potion. It tasted like cherry cough medicine. Melusine grimaced but resisted the urge to slam the vial against Dorian's head. Dorian's hands were quick with the tweezers, pulling out both large and small slivers all over her arm and hand.

"So, Mel, what's going on?" Dorian didn't make eye contact. "It hasn't gone unnoticed that all day today, you've been more excitable than usual."

Melusine fisted her right hand and tucked it onto the other side of her knee. Some of his work hurt, and Melusine didn't want to reward his care with a punch to the temple.

"This is the fuckiest fuck part of transforming back. Though outwardly I look normal, my emotions and internal reactions are still overdeveloped and producing more," Melusine found it hard trying to describe neurotransmitters and hormones in a culture that didn't even know what a germ was, "influence than most humans."

"Ah." Dorian continued his work, quickly finishing her left arm before shifting on his feet and holding his hand out for her right arm. "Hence the increased anger, volatile nature, tendency towards violence?" Melusine nodded as she sat on her left hand. Her right arm was worse off than her left, and there was a higher chance she'd want to hit him. "How long does this last? So we can prepare ourselves."

Melusine sighed, "If I had a good, lengthy fuck session, probably only today."

"What?" Dorian's eyes were wide, and he nearly dropped the tweezers. "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Dorian, ALL of my emotions and feelings are heightened right now." Her gaze turned predatory, and she watched with twisted satisfaction as Dorian gulped nervously in response. "In my experience, I found that fucking helped me even things out more quickly, and with less collateral damage. Like fucking with my friendships and making an ass of myself." Melusine broke eye contact with the now anxious blood mage and looked around the courtyard as if she were searching for a victim. "And because I can't just fuck it away, it's coming out in other ways. Most likely, it'll take another day or two before I'm back to my usual charming self. Though by that time, I might be tossed from the battlements."

Dorian nodded as he returned his attention to the task he'd taken upon himself, unwittingly putting himself in harm's way. Melusine rationally knew Dorian was not an option for her needs, but physically her body didn't give a fuck about his preferences and was responding to his proximity.

"Have you thought about asking someone for help in that matter?" Dorian increased his speed as if he sensed how close Melusine was to throwing him on the ground and trying to fuck his brains out.

Melusine tipped her head back and laughed, "Who would you suggest for sacrifice, Dorian? I'm not a complete monster. Even when this happened in the past, it was always consensual. I've taken nothing that wasn't freely offered, and I'm not about to start now." Though he wasn't done, Melusine jerked her arm away, "I can't handle you being so close, Dorian. I need to leave." She stood and stared down at him, "Thank you for your help. Now leave me the fuck alone, for your own safety."

She stormed across the courtyard and almost started up the steps to the great hall. But the risk of being interrupted by yet another well-meaning friend had Melusine stopping. She instead headed toward the training ground. At this time of day, with the patrols out and several missions being conducted, the likelihood of anyone else being there was slim. More chance of her being able to get the aggression out without risk of being a bitch to anyone else.

Melusine purposefully picked the heaviest weapon she could find—a Warhammer—and threw herself into faux combat with the training dummies. Even when she tripped, and the war hammer landed on her foot or, once, on her torso, Melusine kept up her training. She would have to do things like this for the rest of the day, probably into the evening, and for a good portion tomorrow, to keep from throwing herself at anyone. It royally sucked having the knowledge of the "cure" for her condition but not being able to have it.

The second training dummy shattered into pieces with her last swing, and Melusine didn't even feel bad at the destruction. She stood over the remnants, feeling a sense of satisfaction before her eyes fell on the next closest dummy. There were still thirteen more in this smaller courtyard. Melusine shifted her grip on the wa rhammer but cursed when her fingers no longer complied, and the weapon dropped from her grasp. Looking down, Melusine cursed again when she saw more blood than skin on her hands. Her training had put more splinters yet into her palms at the same time that it'd flayed open her old wounds, now emptied thanks to Dorian's courageous efforts.

"You need to stop."

Melusine's whole body went rigid at the sound of HIS voice. She sniffed the air and felt her innards flip a dozen times. He always smelled of something spicy, like black pepper and cinnamon, mixed with the something almost like iron, no doubt from the armor he rarely took off. Melusine purposefully did not turn around to face him. She closed her eyes and willed him to run away while he still could.

"Cullen," Melusine nearly choked on his name, "you need to leave me alone. Now."

The sounds of his footsteps told her he was both foolish and ignorant. She hadn't seen him all day and assumed him out in the field on one mission the council had voted to see through the day before. Melusine would've clenched her fists, but her hands were throbbing, and her fingers refused to curl inward.

"I am not in the habit of abandoning those I care about." He was close enough now, Melusine knew it without having to see, that she could turn and grab him. "If we let you, you will destroy yourself in this condition."

Melusine snorted and turned on her heel to face him. Whatever she'd been about to say, however, was lost at the sight of him. For once, Cullen wasn't wearing his fur-lined cloak, or his many layers of armor. He was clad only in a leather vest over a cotton tunic and had form-fitting trousers tucked into his boots. Melusine's mouth watered, and again she felt her whole body irrationally yearn for him.

"Tell me how I can help you, Melusine." Cullen's eyes held innocent warmth and affection, and Melusine cursed herself for her carnal desires and twisted mind. "Let me help you."

Despite the pain it caused, Melusine clenched her fists and pulled her arms behind her back. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "Talk to Dorian. If you still want to help me after that conversation, you'll find me in my quarters."

Melusine ran to her quarters. Tears were pouring down her face, and the myriad emotions rampaging through her brain made her nauseous. She paused in her retreat long enough to ask Josephine if someone could heat some water and fill the tub in her quarters. The woman hadn't questioned and nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy. Perhaps Dorian had already spoken to her about Melusine's issues. She couldn't care. Maybe if everyone in the world knew of this side effect, everyone would leave her alone so she could get through it with minimal reasons to feel ashamed.

It took nearly an hour, perhaps longer, before they filled the tub, and they left Melusine alone. The sun was already disappearing on the other side of the mountains, but the fire gave sufficient light for her to see. Melusine hissed at the pain the hot water caused when she submerged her body in it. She took a deep breath and ducked underwater. Rationally, she knew she shouldn't have had basically any of the conversations today that she had, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Once this passed, she would have to work at repairing the damage.

Melusine came up for air and leaned against the back of the tub. Though it still hurt, and the water had a slight pink tinge from the dried blood rinsing off, the hot water was now helping to ease the tension in her muscles. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Though there was still a lot of imbalance, her efforts today had been successful in taking off some edge.

A knock at her door had Melusine nearly submerging again. Her breath hitched. Was it Cullen? Had he decided "aid" her after all? Melusine wrapped a thin, white robe around her damp body, fully aware that it melded to her flesh and left only a little to the imagination as the water rendered it translucent. Her hands were shaking by the time she reached the door and pulled it open.