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Lace has heard through the grapevine that there is another dwarva at Skyhold, but it’s only now that she’s back from the field that she’s given any thought to making acquaintances. She has to admit, she’s a bit nervous. Underground dwarves sometimes have… interesting notions about surfacers. Or they look down their noses at them. (Figuratively. The height difference is minimal to nonexistent.) It’s something she and her family got enough of from the Kalnas, and if she can avoid it here, all the better.
She’s staring into the small mug of ale that came with her lunch at the tavern when somebody slides onto the opposite bench across from her. The new dwarva smiles at her, sweet and brilliant, and Lace’s stomach does a flip that has nothing to do with her lunch.
“I’m Dagna! You must be Scout Harding. Not that I could have missed you, considering everybody told me to be on the lookout for another dwarva.” Her face dimples. "They never said how pretty you are though.”
“Thank you. That’s… that’s very nice of you to say.” Lace can feel herself blushing, and hopes it doesn’t show. It’s not like Dagna’s exactly terrible-looking, how her mouth curves when she smiles (Lace isn’t thinking about how those lips, beautiful and full, would feel against hers, absolutely not), and the way she exudes this irresistible presence, hungry and curious about everything around her. Lace hopes that includes herself.
“We don’t have to be friends, or even acquaintances who nod at each other in passing, but I’d really like it if we were. Friends, I mean.” Dagna’s expression turns wistful, longing. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen another sister of the Stone. They don’t have many of those in Circle towers.”
“I was born topside, actually. Right near Redcliffe.” Lace grits her teeth and waits for Dagna’s face to change, her expression to become disgusted or disdainful.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to presume. That was rude of me.” Dagna looks chagrined, and Lace’s chest unknots. Surprising herself, she reaches out her hands to meet Dagna’s. They are callused from the forge. She is comforted that some things, at least, remain the same.
“I think we’re going to get along really well,” Lace says, and she’s answered with another smile.
--
Dagna’s studies and Lace’s travels don’t always give them much time to spend together, but they make the most of it. They spend time exploring the hidden bits of Skyhold, both the high and the low. One day they find a ladder to a passage that leads up to a broad expanse of roof, high enough that they can see for miles in the clear mountain air. Lace thinks it’s rather magnificent, but Dagna looks around her, awed and truly overwhelmed.
“I always thought people who went topside were always joking when they said they thought they’d fall into the sky, but I understand now. It’s beautiful.”
Dagna moves in, pressing her lips to Lace’s in a gentle, lingering kiss. They are soft and full, more wonderful than Lace imagined. She finally pulls back, a small, pleased smile on her face different from her usual broad grins. It feels precious and secret, just for her, and Lace finds she likes that a great deal.
“I’m glad we got to see this together.” Dagna hooks her arm through Lace’s and presses against her side. Looking out at the Frostbacks with Dagna’s head on her shoulder, Lace is glad too.