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The orchestra filled the ballroom with music, swelling and ebbing with the melody, blending with the loud chattering of the party guests and making Lucanis’ head throb in time to the beat.
He groaned and leaned further back against the wall, trying to vanish into the shadows even more, or, better yet, disappear completely into the wall. Usually, when Lucanis attended an event like this one, he was there on a job, sticking to the sidelines, just as quickly in as he was out again. He usually wasn’t an invited guest , one who was expected to mingle and socialize and deal with all the political bullshit that came with entertaining nobility.
In his many years as a Crow he had become familiar with some of the most gruesome methods of torture but this, he decided, had to be the worst.
Rook had dragged them all along to this ball hosted by the esteemed Lady Josephine Montilyet, an old friend of Varric’s and staunch supporter of their little endeavor, under the pretense of forming important connection although Lucanis suspected, as he watched them twirl Bellara across the dance floor, that Rook had just wanted an excuse to dress up, go out and have fun. He couldn’t blame them either, they could all use a little distraction, it was just that when he thought of fun, attending a ball certainly wasn’t at the top of his list. Balls were Illario’s thing, not his, he had always felt more out of place at events like this than anything else.
A pair of young ladies in silly, poofy dresses walked past him, shooting him sly looks and giggling at each other, coquettishly hiding the lower half of their faces behind fans and batting their eyelashes at him, and Lucanis sighed, downing the remainder of his drink - water, he couldn’t afford to have his senses dulled by alcohol at an event like this - in one gulp before he pushed himself off the wall and stalked away, heading for the door, weaving between party guests and servants carrying around trays laden with food and drinks. This was getting too much, too many people, too many eyes on him, the air too stiflingly hot despite the open terrace doors, making it hard to breathe.
It certainly didn’t help that whenever he looked at the throng of people on the dance floor, all moving and twisting together as one hypnotizing mass, his mind flashed back to the last party he had attended, providing him with vivid images of red lyrium infused hair whipping through the air, slicing and tearing at whatever it could reach, and the sounds of possessed husks screaming for vengeance and release. It wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed to revisit. Rook would understand, surely. And they seemed to have the social aspect well under control, Lucanis would likely be more a hindrance than anything else if he stayed.
The second Lucanis stepped out of the room and let the heavy door fall shut behind him, effectively muffling the cacophony of the ballroom, he sagged in relief, feeling like a knot in his chest had loosened and he could finally breathe freely again.
He straightened and looked around, taking a few seconds to orientate himself. He had studied the blueprints of the Montilyets’ estate before coming here, a Crow habit he couldn’t and didn’t want to shake and which now proved to be useful because he knew exactly that not far from where he had come out of the ballroom was a door that led to a private section of the large garden which wouldn’t be open to guests. Perfect for someone who needed to get away from it all. Lady Montilyet would probably forgive him for breaking into her private garden, or at least it was a risk he was more than willing to take for some proper peace and quiet.
Goal determined, he set off with purposeful strides and it didn’t take long for him to reach the door. He turned his head left, then right, carefully making sure that no-one was around before he dropped to his knees in front of the door, taking out the lockpicking kit he always carried on his person and getting to work, silently counting the seconds it took for him to get the door open. Seven seconds. He was getting rusty. Caterina would be disappointed, she’d always impressed on him and Illario how important it was for any Crow worth their salt to be able to quickly and efficiently pick any lock that might get in their way of a potential target, anything over five seconds was not acceptable in her eyes.
But Caterina wasn’t there to rap his knuckles with her cane and make him do it again and again until she was finally satisfied and so he got up, dusted his pants off and simply pushed the door open, slipping into the garden that lay beyond.
Lady Montilyet’s private garden was a peaceful little oasis, the sounds of the party were muffled, distant, almost entirely drowned out by the buzzing of the cicadas and Lucanis exhaled in bliss. The air smelled tantalizingly of flowers and the orange trees that had been planted scattered around the area, heavy with fruit. The center of the garden was dominated by an elegant white marble fountain, the burbling of the water soothing to Lucanis’ frayed nerves. Everywhere he looked, he saw lush greenery and vibrant colors, illuminated by soft light coming from the lamps lining the walkways. He could make out different varieties of rose bushes, interspersed with lilies and orchids in more colors than he could’ve imagined, patches of fragrant lavender, sunflowers facing east, and more flowers that Lucanis couldn’t even begin to identify.
He walked past the fountain, tiny droplets of water settling on his skin, his clothes, his hair, and he let one hand trail over the soft petals of a sunflower. His feet carried him over to the octagonal gazebo, which stood in the far corner of the garden, vines with red flowers twisting around the beams, spots of bright color against the white wood. He took the two steps leading up to it in one and sank down onto the cushioned bench inside the gazebo.
He closed his eyes, letting himself fall into the serenity of his surroundings, so absorbed that he didn’t even hear the footsteps coming closer until he felt a warm presence settle beside him. Caterina would have his hide if she ever found out about him being distracted enough by nature that he hadn’t noticed someone approaching him until it was already too late. He tensed slightly but he knew that if his new companion had wanted him dead, he would have had plenty of time to do it by now.
“Excuse the intrusion.” Lucanis’ eyes snapped open when Emmrich’s voice floated through the air and he turned to look at the older man who had come to sit next to him. “But I saw you make your escape earlier and to be entirely honest with you, I realized I could use a break as well. Lady Montilyet is a wonderful host but it is quite a lot, is it not?”
Well. At least that explained why Lucanis had been caught unawares. Emmrich was a skilled and powerful mage, he knew that. He also knew that Emmrich could be dangerous if he wanted to be and that outside of Nevarra, Emmrich’s dealings with spirits, demons and corpses could strike fear in others. But Lucanis… he had been distrustful of Emmrich when they had first met, too often had he seen the things mages like him could do, necromancy too uncomfortably close to some of the blood magic he had witnessed. And yet, there had never been a moment when he hadn’t felt… safe in Emmrich’s presence. There had always been something about him that had put Lucanis at inexplicable ease and the more time he had spent with Emmrich, the more he had gotten to know him, the less he had continued to consider him a threat of any kind to himself or anyone else who wasn’t out to quite literally destroy the world.
To the point that he now apparently didn’t even trigger the hypervigilance that had been drilled into Lucanis since childhood anymore.
He didn’t say any of that though, instead he let his mouth curve into a smile. “You’re not intruding.”
“No? I was admittedly a bit worried you wouldn’t want any company.”
“I don’t,” Lucanis admitted. “But you don’t count. I always want your company.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself and for a moment, Lucanis wanted nothing more than for the ground to open and swallow him whole. Maker, who just said things like that?
“Oh,” Emmrich sounded extraordinarily pleased. “I am… glad to hear that. And in case you were wondering, I always want your company too.”
Lucanis shifted awkwardly, suddenly all too aware of Emmrich’s presence next to him. The electric hum he always felt around mages, the smell of incense, something earthy, and something so uniquely Emmrich , the warmth radiating from his body and everything inside Lucanis itched to reach out and touch .
“Well,” he coughed, flexing his hand, desperate to say something, anything that wasn’t about how much he wanted- “At least Rook seems to be enjoying themselves. I don’t think I saw them leave the dance floor once. Who knew that they were such a passionate dancer?”
“Quite accomplished too,” Emmrich replied with a low chuckle and it killed Lucanis how unaffected he sounded, as if telling someone that their company was always wanted was a perfectly normal thing to do. “I will have to ask them where they learned to dance like that.”
Lucanis took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. “Don’t tell me you want to join them.”
“I do rather enjoy dancing,” Emmrich admitted quietly and Lucanis couldn’t quite hide his surprise.
“You like to dance?”
Emmrich laughed and nodded, absentmindedly rubbing the metal of one of his many rings. “Don’t sound so surprised. Though I so rarely get the chance to do so these days. A shame, really. I don’t believe I can remember the last time I danced with someone.”
“Shouldn’t you be back inside then? I’m sure Rook would love to take you for a spin on the dance floor.”
“Ah,” Emmrich said. “Therein lies the issue though, doesn’t it? I enjoy dancing but I do not enjoy doing it in front of such a crowd. I prefer a more private setting. Something more like this, in fact.”
He looked around the quiet gazebo with a speculative look on his face and suddenly he was on his feet with a swiftness most people wouldn’t expect from someone his age, standing in front of Lucanis and holding out his hand towards him.
“Would you do me the honor of this dance, Mr Dellamorte?”
Lucanis blinked, staring at the proffered hand in stunned silence. “I… what?” He managed to stammer out.
“Dance with me,” Emmrich repeated.
“Here?” Lucanis let out an incredulous laugh and Emmrich raised one amused eyebrow.
“Why not here?”
“Well, there’s no music for one.”
“We don’t need music to dance as long as at least one of us can count to four. And I may be old but I think I can still manage that.”
“I…” Lucanis started, deflating slightly. He couldn’t see a way out of this that didn’t end with him admitting to what was, according to Illario, one of his greatest, most shameful flaws. “I can’t dance.”
“Oh,” Emmrich’s eyebrows knitted together. “Well, I don’t see how that is an issue, I am a professor after all, I am perfectly capable of teaching you a few basic steps.”
“No,” Lucanis said, a tinge of desperation creeping into his voice. “You don’t understand. It’s not that I don’t know the steps. It’s that I have two left feet when it comes to dancing. Trust me, Illario has been despairing over this since we were young.”
“Surely you can’t be that bad.”
The look Lucanis gave Emmrich was pained and doing its utmost to convey just how inept he truly was at dancing. Emmrich faltered slightly but he quickly straightened back up, new resolve written on his face.
“Well,” he said. “Never let it be said that I don’t enjoy a challenge. What is life without a few risks? Unless you truly do not wish to dance with me, Lucanis.”
And there he went again, using his first name, and Lucanis knew he had lost. With a groan, he finally took Emmrich’s hand, the leather of his glove smooth and the exposed skin of his palm warm against Lucanis’ own skin, and let himself be pulled off the bench by an utterly delighted Emmrich.
“Fine,” he said. “One dance. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
And Lucanis was pretty sure that the smile Emmrich gave him as he tugged him into the middle of the gazebo was worth the inevitable humiliation.
As he stood facing Emmrich, Lucanis faintly recalled the futile dance lessons Illario had attempted to give him years ago and he placed his left hand on Emmrich’s shoulder, automatically assuming the position of the follower. He had never gotten far enough into his lessons for Illario to trust him enough to even attempt teaching him how to lead.
Emmrich didn’t question it either as his right hand came to rest on Lucanis’ lower back, much further down than Illario’s had ever been, much further down than what Lucanis suspected was proper positioning. But Emmrich’s hand was a warm, reassuring weight and Lucanis’ heart fluttered traitorously at the touch so he kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want Emmrich to be proper with him, he wanted-
Lucanis almost missed it when Emmrich led him into the first step of the dance, stumbling slightly and immediately stepping on Emmrich’s foot. Lucanis cursed under his breath but Emmrich only laughed, the sound reverberating through Lucanis’ entire body, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine and Lucanis flushed slightly. Right. They were supposed to be dancing.
Lucanis’ eyes dropped down to his feet and he stared in concentration, trying to keep up with the steps Emmrich was taking so he could react accordingly and hopefully not embarrass himself too much. A vain hope, it turned out, and it only took until the next time Emmrich stepped into his space for Lucanis to misjudge the timing of it and crush Emmrich’s toes under his boot again.
Emmrich winced this time, and let go of Lucanis’ hand. And well, Lucanis thought somewhat sardonically, that hadn’t taken long at all. He really was hopeless at this, he could practically hear Illario laughing at him. But Emmrich’s other hand didn’t move from its position on Lucanis’ lower back and Lucanis startled slightly when he felt the touch of Emmrich’s fingers underneath his chin.
“Lucanis,” Emmrich muttered as he gently tipped up Lucanis’ face. “Look at me. Stop thinking so hard and just follow my lead. It will make it easier, I promise. Just keep looking at me.”
And Lucanis had always known that he was shorter than Emmrich, of course he had, it was hard not to notice, but it wasn’t until now that Emmrich had invaded his personal space so thoroughly, right hand keeping a delicious pressure on his lower back, the other still lingering on his chin, towering over him as he looked down at him, eyes dark and intent, that he really truly understood. Something inside of him twisted sharply, pleasantly, and his lips parted slightly; and he knew he couldn’t have looked away even if he had wanted to.
Emmrich’s hand fell away from his chin and Lucanis didn’t have time to miss the careful touch before the hand slipped back into his, resuming their stance for the dance.
“Focus on me,” Emmrich murmured again and Lucanis barely managed a nod before Emmrich gently but firmly maneuvered him into the first steps of the dance. He had been right, it turned out, now that Lucanis wasn’t so ardently concentrating on his own feet, it was easier to let himself fall into the rhythm of the waltz and he let out a soft breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, eyes still fixed on Emmrich’s and never wavering as Emmrich once more attempted to guide him through their dance.
For a few moments, the only sounds around them were the soft breeze gently rustling the leaves of the orange trees, the cicadas and night birds accompanying their dance with a concert of their own and the occasional jangling of Emmrich’s many bracelets as he moved them across the gazebo.
Lucanis allowed himself to relax and even let his lips turn up into a small, self-satisfied smile, growing more confident with each successfully executed maneuver. Maybe Emmrich could make a dancer out of him yet. If only Illario could see him now, his cousin would probably not believe his eyes.
Lucanis had, however, in all his premature pride forgotten one of Caterina’s most important rules: Don’t get cocky. Cocky leads to mistakes, mistakes lead to death. And while Lucanis didn’t think any mistakes he could make while dancing would lead to death , well, they could lead to more injured toes.
Emmrich let out a small grunt of pain as Lucanis missed a step and in an attempt to correct his mistake walked right onto Emmrich’s foot and he winced in sympathy, the magic broken.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I did tell you I wasn’t good at dancing.”
Emmrich hummed before leading Lucanis into another turn that Lucanis barely managed to keep up with. “It does beg the question,” Emmrich said, his eyes glinting with barely concealed amusement. “How an assassin as skilled and graceful as you usually are is so positively dreadful at dancing.”
Lucanis flushed. “It’s different,” he muttered.
“Yes, it does appear so, doesn’t it.”
Lucanis let out a frustrated huff of breath. He hated not being good at something and he especially hated it when he was not good at something in front of Emmrich . It was new, this desire to impress someone who was not his grandmother. It was also so very different. He wanted to impress Caterina because he had to, letting Caterina Dellamorte down was not and had never been an option. With Emmrich, he did it simply because he wanted to, because he enjoyed seeing Emmrich’s eyes light up as he smiled, he liked having that look directed at him. But impressing Emmrich clearly wasn’t going to happen today, not with this.
“Maybe we should just stop,” he muttered. “You don’t have to keep dancing with me just because you said you would. You should go find a dance partner who’s better at this and doesn’t keep stepping on your toes.”
“Lucanis,” Emmrich said, voice stern, assuming the tone Bellara had dubbed his ‘professor voice’. And as always, it sent a hot shiver down Lucanis’ spine. “I do not want another dance partner. It’s not about the dance, it’s about who you dance with and I am perfectly happy with this arrangement, no matter the detriment to my toes. Although… maybe we should try something else instead. Just so we don’t have to explain to Rook how I injured my toes enough to not be able to join them on their next expedition.”
He slowed down their waltz until they came to a stop, leaving them swaying gently from side to side in one place.
“Better,” Emmrich murmured, closing the last remaining distance between them. Lucanis blinked and his brain went blank, all of his focus shifting to the way the entire length of Emmrich’s body was now pressed against his, warmth seeping through his clothes and into his skin and for a moment, he was sure he had forgotten how to breathe.
“Are you alright?” Emmrich asked softly and Lucanis didn’t dare look him in the eyes as he nodded jerkily, too afraid of what Emmrich would see in them.
“Yes,” he whispered, voice barely audible and he swallowed heavily.
“If this is too much, you must tell me, Lucanis.”
“No!” Lucanis protested quickly, voice louder this time. “It’s not… This is… fine.”
And for a moment, Lucanis wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Fine? Fine ? Who in the world had an attractive man, a man they were undeniably and impossibly drawn to, pressed up against them and said that it was just… fine?
But Emmrich didn’t seem to mind as he let out a low chuckle. “Fine is good,” he said. “I can work with fine.”
Lucanis had always thought that the trashy romance novels Illario liked to read were exaggerating when they talked about time standing still but here, now in Emmrich’s arms, bodies pressed close together, slow dancing to music only they could hear, he understood and Maker , this was bad.
He had done the one thing he had never wanted to do, he had allowed himself to get too close, too attached to someone else, he had let himself fall in love . He couldn’t afford this kind of distraction, not with the life he led, not while the world was maybe, possibly, definitely ending thanks to a bunch of asshole elven gods. Not when he didn’t even know if Emmrich felt the same. This was a stupid, stupid idea.
He pushed himself away from Emmrich abruptly and cleared his throat, eyes darting around, looking everywhere except at Emmrich as he rubbed his neck awkwardly. “We should probably head back inside,” he rushed out, not wanting to give Emmrich the chance to question this sudden shift. “We wouldn’t want Rook to get worried and send out a search party.”
A small part of him that he quickly attempted to stomp down hoped that Emmrich would call his bluff and point out that Rook was probably still too busy taking the dance floor by storm to have noticed that they were gone but after a few seconds of painful silence that seemed to stretch on forever, Emmrich simply said, “No, I guess we wouldn’t want that.”
Lucanis exhaled audibly and nodded to himself in a sad attempt at reassurance before he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Emmrich behind in the gazebo.
Lucanis had almost made it to the door when he heard Emmrich calling his name and for a brief second, Lucanis considered to keep walking, pretend he hadn’t heard anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that to Emmrich who had always been nothing but kind to him.
He stopped and turned towards Emmrich who was standing not far behind him, hands clasped behind his back. “Everything okay?” Lucanis asked and he prayed that Emmrich hadn’t heard the way his voice cracked.
“Oh,” Emmrich said. “Oh, yes, everything is perfectly fine, why would it not. But before you leave, there is something I want to give you.”
He moved his right hand from behind his back and held something out to Lucanis, who instinctively took a few steps closer. He arched an eyebrow when he recognized what Emmrich was holding.
“A flower?” He asked, a bit confused but oddly flattered. He couldn’t remember anyone ever giving him flowers before.
The flower was pretty, vibrant red petals curving upwards and stacking on top of each other in layers, forming a closely packed circle. Lucanis could see a whole cluster of them in a variety of colors a few steps behind Emmrich.
“A flower,” Emmrich confirmed with a smile and walked closer to Lucanis until there was once again barely any space left between them, Lucanis’ breath catching in his throat as Emmrich reached out and slowly, carefully tucked the flower into one of the buttonholes on his vest, letting his fingers linger and briefly trail over the fabric before stepping away.
“A chrysanthemum,” he said as if that explained everything. “It suits you.”
With that, Emmrich brushed past him and vanished back into the building, leaving Lucanis alone in the garden, his hand coming up to touch the delicate petals in silent wonder on its own accord as his heart beat wildly and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something monumental he didn’t quite understand yet had just passed between him and Emmrich.
Lucanis’ mind was still reeling as he reentered the ballroom, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. The dance. The flower. It was too much and yet, not enough.
His eyes swept over the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of Emmrich’s towering figure but instead, they landed on a petite woman in silk and ruffles who was quickly making her way towards him with a friendly but determined smile. Lucanis stiffened, eyes darting around in search for a quick escape but he knew he was trapped.
“Signor Dellamorte!” Their hostess of the evening, Lady Josephine Montilyet, exclaimed. “How wonderful to finally run into you, I don’t believe we have had the pleasure.”
Lucanis forced a smile that he hoped looked at least somewhat convincing. “You’ve been busy,” he said in his best appropriation of a courteous tone. “I wouldn’t expect you to make time for someone like me.”
Lady Montilyet linked her arm with his and smoothly steered him away from his refuge by the walls. “Oh nonsense,” she said. “You and your companions are my honored guests this evening and I always have time for someone from my own country. I was looking for you earlier but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
She looked at him through her eyelashes, giving him an innocent smile but Lucanis got the feeling that Josephine Montilyet was a lot of things but innocent was not one of them. “I, ah,” he stumbled over his words, “I needed some fresh air.”
Lady Montilyet made a soft noise of understanding. “Yes, I imagine that an event like this can be quite a lot for someone not used to it. I remember when the Inquisition went to Halamshiral, poor Commander Rutherford was entirely out of his depth, I’m afraid. Although he did make quite the lasting impression on the other guests, the amount of marriage proposals we received! But look at me, prattling on about the past when it seems like you have caught the eye of a suitor yourself, Signor Dellamorte.”
Lucanis blinked and would have almost collided with some foppish Antivan noble had Lady Montilyet not gently tugged him to the side first. “A suitor?” he echoed. “What… what are you talking about?”
Lady Montilyet stopped and turned to face him. “Your flower,” she said and reached out, fingers stopping just shy of touching the chrysanthemum still tucked into Lucanis’ buttonhole and Lucanis bristled instinctively, oddly protective of the fragile flower Emmrich had given him. “A red chrysanthemum. It was given to you, was it not? Or did you pick it yourself?”
Lucanis hesitated for a brief second, unsure what difference how he had acquired the flower made but he couldn’t find a good reason to not tell Lady Montilyet the truth. “No, you are right. It was given to me. But I don’t understand what that has to do with a… with a suitor .”
Out of the corner of his eyes, Lucanis caught sight of Emmrich’s tall figure and he tried to fight the blush rising to his cheeks but Lady Montilyet was gracious enough not to say anything when he lost that fight.
“Did you know,” she said instead and started walking again, pulling him along, “that there is a language to flowers?”
Lucanis paused. He had known that, distant memories of Illario prattling on about how to properly woo someone through carefully selected flower arrangements resurfacing. He had barely paid attention back then and Illario could never find out that he now wished he had as he looked down at the flower adorning his vest. “What does…” He cleared his throat. “What does a chrysanthemum mean?”
Lady Montilyet’s eyes were sparkling when they met his and she was practically radiating pure and utter delight.
“There are several meanings to chrysanthemums, in fact,” she explained. “Pink chrysanthemums represent cheerfulness. White chrysanthemums symbolize truth. Red chrysanthemums…” She trailed off, giving a pointed glance towards the flower in his buttonhole. “They are a declaration,” she continued, “of love. Whoever gave it to you has certainly made their intentions clear.”
Lucanis’ head whipped around to where Emmrich stood conversing with Neve. There was no way. There was no way that Emmrich knew what the flower he had picked for Lucanis meant, surely it had just been a coincidence that out of all the flowers in Lady Montilyet’s garden he had picked the one that meant love . But Emmrich was smart, one of the smartest people Lucanis knew, he possessed so many random tidbits of knowledge in so many various fields, flower language being one of them wouldn’t really be all that surprising.
And the thing was, Lucanis had never felt the way he felt about Emmrich before. Ever. He’d never felt his heart race like this, had never felt the need to be constantly close to one specific person, had never felt the urge to just reach out and hold , had never imagined himself spending the rest of his life with one person. He’d always assumed that he would end up alone and he had been fine with that, content to watch Illario fall in and out of love, stumble from one ill-advised relationship into the other. He’d not once felt like he was missing out.
And then Emmrich had waltzed into his life, literally. Emmrich with his tea, his books, his many rings and bracelets, the ridiculously high collars, the fucking skeleton assistant . Emmrich, who sought out his company, who looked at him like he was worth something, who didn’t look at him and saw Lucanis Dellamorte, assassin, favorite of Caterina Dellamorte, potential successor of his house, but who looked at him and saw Lucanis , awkward mess, coffee addict, terrible dancer. And just like that, Lucanis wanted . He wanted so much so badly and he felt like he was losing his mind over it.
So he was in love. He was in love and it was new and exciting and scary , so fucking scary and now it seemed like maybe, possibly those feelings were returned and Lucanis had no idea what to do with that.
Luckily for him, he seemed to have made friends of people who were more adept at this than he was.
They were in the courtyard, waiting for everything to be ready for their imminent departure from the Montilyet estate, when the lady of the house sidled up to him.
“I picked this for you this morning,” she said in lieu of a greeting and Lucanis raised an eyebrow when she presented him with a small, white flower. “In case you wanted to return the favor.”
Lucanis’ hand subconsciously went towards the chrysanthemum he still wore on display. It looked a bit worse for wear but he hadn’t even considered not putting it back where it had been when he had gotten dressed in the morning. The way Emmrich’s eyes had lit up and his lips had curved into a pleased smile when they had seen each other earlier had made it absolutely worth it.
He looked at the flower Lady Montilyet was still holding out towards him and hesitantly accepted it, inspecting it critically from all sides.
“What does it mean?” He asked and she smiled at him before leaning in close and whispering something into his ear. Lucanis’ eyes widened and he blushed, eyes darting over to Emmrich.
“I couldn’t…” he started but Lady Montilyet shushed him with a gentle, reassuring hand on his arm.
“Trust me.”
“What if he just picked the flower at random without knowing the meaning behind it?” Lucanis asked, giving voice to the doubts that had plagued him all night as he lay in his too comfortable bed, staring at the ceiling, mulling over the events of the night in one continuous loop.
“Then he will not know what this one means either and he will simply assume you gave him a flower because he gave you one,” Lady Montilyet said resolutely. “But I doubt a man such as Professor Volkarin would be unaware of what he was doing and the significance of such a gift.”
Lucanis opened his mouth to protest instinctively, ready to deny that this was about Emmrich because how could Lady Montilyet possibly know that it had been Emmrich who had given the flower to him, that it was Emmrich Lucanis couldn’t stop thinking about, but Lady Montilyet patted his upper arm with a pitying expression on her face.
“For someone who has been trained as an assassin his whole life, you are not very subtle when it comes to matters of the heart, Signor Dellamorte.”
Emmrich entered his bedroom in the Lighthouse, letting the door fall shut behind him as he undid the top two buttons of his shirt. They had returned from Antiva a couple of hours ago but he had immediately been thrown into preparations for yet another excursion with Rook and Miss Gallus and he hadn’t been able to properly settle back in until now.
He should ask Manfred to bring him a cup of tea, he decided. Yes, that sounded wonderful, a nice cup of tea and a book, maybe the one about the architecture of the Grand Necropolis that Audric had recommended to him ages ago and he hadn’t found the time to read yet.
He strode over to his dresser, on top of which he had last left his reading glasses - the proper ones, not the cheap ones he took with him on his travels where it didn’t matter if they got damaged - but he stopped short when his eyes caught on something lying next to his spectacles, something that he knew hadn’t been there the last time he had been in his room. A flower.
He reached out and ran a gentle finger over the soft petals before he carefully picked it up, admiring it from a closer distance in something akin to reverence. It was a small flower, a disk of bright, yellow florets ringed by layers of long and thin pinkish white petals. A fragile little thing that others would have described as plain, common even, but to Emmrich, in this moment it meant everything .
A slow smile spread on his face as he regarded the flower and his hand lit up with a glowing green light as he wove a quick preservation spell into the daisy to make sure this precious gift wouldn’t die any time soon.
A daisy. Commonly known as a symbol of purity and innocence but Emmrich knew that it could also have another meaning.
A shared sentiment.