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Dailisa looked up from the letter she was writing at the dining hall table to see Velanna glaring disapprovingly down at her. "Is something amiss, Velanna?"
"I think what you're doing is disgusting, shem."
Dailisa sighed. "Commander shem, if you please. And I'm sorry that you think my correspondence is disgusting, but I'm not sure what you wan.."
"Not that! You're leaving, right?"
"Velanna, you make my head hurt. I'm going to Denerim for awhile, yes. Why is that disgusti..."
"And so you think you'll just throw him awa.."
Dailisa abruptly pushed her chair back from the table and stood up, giving the elf woman a steady look. "You now have my undivided attention. Mind carefully what you do with it."
As Velanna moved smoothly around the table in her bare feet, Dailisa turned so that she was facing the blonde elf.
Velanna smirked condescendingly. "You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"
Dailisa stepped forward, closing the distance between them to look down into Velanna's face. "Is there a point here, elf?"
"All these weeks you've been trotting around, practically calling him to heel, and ..."
The Warden Commander grabbed the elf by both arms and walked her the short distance to the wall behind her, holding her there. "Watch yourself, Velanna."
The mage laughed humorlessly. "Does the king know about Nathaniel? Or will you just pretend you haven't been fu...ack!"
Dailisa had her right hand around Velanna's slender neck before the elf could finish her sentence. "This isn't about me at all, is it Velanna? It's about you. Let me tell you something, little elf. You don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about." She stopped as she saw something out of the corner of her eye and glanced down to see that the elf's hand was glowing slightly.
She let go Velanna's throat and the elf said, "I know that you're a whore who doesn't deserve hi..." this was cut off by a screech as Dailisa grabbed Velanna's wrist and slammed it against the wall several times in quick succession.
Then the Warden Commander was being dragged away in a headlock while Velanna fell to the floor. Dailisa immediately started swinging, even though she knew it was Nathaniel and as she was unceremoniously hauled out of the dining hall, she heard Anders say, "Andraste's gag reflex, Velanna! You're lucky she didn't break your neck for you. Let me look at it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dailisa found herself pressed face first against the wall in the hallway outside the dining hall. Pressed against her, leaning all his bodyweight into it, was Nathaniel.
"You need to pull yourself together. Now." He spoke menacingly into her ear.
After a few seconds, she stopped struggling.
"If I step back, what's the first thing you're going to do?"
"I'm going to punch you in the balls." She responded through her teeth.
"Well, then." Nate said, "We'll be here awhile."
"Fine."Dailisa spat. "I'm fine. Get off me."
Nathaniel cautiously stepped back, and Dailisa turned around and leaned back against the wall, rubbing her collarbone. She glared pointedly at him then stalked off.
He walked casually behind her and when Dailisa got to her room, she didn't even bother trying to shut the door. She threw herself into the armchair that sat by her fireplace, and Nate stepped just inside the room and leaned against the wall.
"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
Staring out the window, she said dully, "She called me a whore."
Nathaniel crossed the room and sat on her bed. "I heard that part. Not the kind of thing you would normally give a shit about. What started it?"
Still looking at the window she sighed. "She basically said that I treat you like a lapdog, and insinuated that I'm keeping secrets from Alistair." She grew heated as she went on. "I don't care that she thinks I'm a whore, but to act like she knows a damn thing about my marriage...I know that this is because she has feelings for yo..."
"No!" Nate burst out. "She doesn't have feelings for me. She thinks you value me and only wants something that you value because it makes her think she's missing something."
Dailisa slowly looked over at Nathaniel, who was studying her with concern. "Well, she's right. I do value you. Do they all think you and I are...?"
Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. "Having sex? Yes, probably. To say anything either way would be confirmation, so I don't bother."
She narrowed her eyes and went back to looking out the window.
"What is it that's actually bothering you about this?"
She spoke very quietly. "Do I treat you like a lapdog? Like a possession?"
"No, you don't." said Anders firmly, from the doorway. "We all see that you two love each other, and she knows that you're married to the king, and she doesn't understand how that can work without someone being unfaithful or deceitful. A very limited view on life, that one."
"Is she alright?" Dailisa looked at Anders, then away.
"Yes, she's fine. Pissed off, and not a little frightened, but otherwise fine. You didn't even break the wrist. I thought sure you had. "
The Warden Commander looked back at Anders, curiously. "Why was she scared? She was ready to cast on me."
"Well, she thought you might kill her. She thinks you're afraid she'll tell the King about 'Tall, Dark, and Grouchy' here. "
Nathaniel scowled at Anders while Dailisa snorted. "Did you tell her that he knows everything there is to know about Nathaniel and me?"
Anders blinked and looked thoughtful. "No. I didn't know that he did."
Dailisa sat forward in her chair and gave the mage an exasperated look. "Do you people just think that every time we're not in the room with you, we're off in a corner together, getting it on?!"
Nate buried his head in his hands and groaned quietly, as Anders leaned against the doorframe and grinned. "Well, if you looked at me at all like you look at him, that's what I'd be trying to do with you, Commander. Don't doubt that a bit." He looked skeptical. "You can't tell me you're not...sharing some intimate time with him, somehow. That would just be a shame."
Dailisa met his skepticism with a prim look. "I can tell you anything I want. Starting with 'Some things are none of your business, serah.' "
Nathaniel gave Dailisa a pained look before giving the mage a bland one. "Anders. Just go."
Anders waved his hand as he started out the doorway. "A shame, I say. A travesty. Give the man some love, Commander. Especially if the King is alright with it!"