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Taliesin has an obvious habit that Lucanis had picked up on after a short time in her company. She has a soft fondness for lost and lonely things. He has noticed that her eyes will linger on children when they pass through a town or village, a wistfulness tempered by deep sadness overcoming her features. She often stops to pet mangy dogs and feed them from her hand. Cats, so prone to indifference, are drawn to her. They come close to rub their slinky bodies against her legs and nuzzle their whiskered faces into her open palm.
He had wondered if she'd even noticed it herself in the early days. It is almost as if she is recruiting other wayward souls into a family that she has imagined up. He has continued to watch on as she does, confused and strangely charmed by her.
It should have come as no surprise to him that their weekly sojourn through the Eluvians and into Treviso now includes ample time for Taliesin to spend tending to the stray and displaced animals of the city. She'd thought herself rather sly, he thinks, sneaking scraps of dinner from the kitchen to bring along with her, hoping to earn trust. It seems to be a personal challenge of sorts, for her to see how many of them she can coax into approaching her.
He watches as she kneels down beside a stone wall just outside the market square, peeking into a crevice that hardly seems large enough for the creatures she tends to seek out. She makes a strange sound, waving around a small strip of purloined chicken.
“Are you luring out strays now, amor?” he cannot help but ask with an amused chuckle. “Is this where all the chicken keeps going?”
Without taking her eyes from her task, Taliesin informs him primly, “We were out of fish, vhenan.”
“Tesoro, you could just ask me for-”
She shushes him, repeating the odd sound from before. “Come on, little one,” she says softly. “I know you're in there. Aren't you hungry?”
A pathetic squeaking sound echoes from the wall. Lucanis slips his hands into his pockets and leans back to watch, curious as to how his love intends to handle this situation. Once she has committed herself to something, there is very little that can sway her from seeing it through to the end. And judging by the sad small sound coming from that crevice, he knows exactly what Taliesin is hoping to coax from the darkness with the promise of food.
The feline is small in every sense of the word. Short and thin with its ribs clearly visible, its white paws dirtied from the streets, its skinny tail held at an odd angle as it slowly takes a tentative step from its hiding place. Its small pink nose leads it closer to the strip of meat that Taliesin dangles before it encouragingly.
“That's it, da’len,” she whispers. “That's it. I won't hurt you.”
Lucanis watches in silence as the scraggly cat takes careful steps toward his Rook. The creature has clearly seen better days. Its dark fur is patchy and filthy, there is a small cut above its left eye that weeps droplets of fresh blood. Likely from a fight with another stray, he assumes, considering the sanctuary it had found for itself.
Taliesin rests on her knees, hand patiently outstretched as the feline draws hesitantly nearer. “Come on,” she repeats with a small smile. “Come take it.”
The tiny creature sniffs delicately at her hand before casting its luminous amber eyes up toward her face. Apparently deeming her safe, it dips down to tear into the offered piece of food, devouring it.
With her free hand, Taliesin gently scratches behind its ears. “Very good, isn't it?” she asks, as if speaking to another person. “Ma vhenan made it.” She continues to stroke the cat's tiny head with gentle fingers until it begins to purr, its meal finished.
“What do you plan to do now?” Lucanis prompts curiously. “It's not like we can come back here everyday to feed it.”
Without answering him, she scoops the cat up, continuing to pet its bedraggled little body until it is boneless in the crook of her arm. Somehow it looks even smaller and more fragile in her hold. “We won't have to come back here to feed him,” she says sweetly, still staring down at the tiny mess of fur lovingly. “He's coming back to the Lighthouse with us.”
“You are serious.” It isn't a question. He isn't even all that surprised. He had wondered when she would suggest such a thing after watching so many of these lost animals with that forlorn look in her eyes.
She places a finger to the cat’s brow, healing the weeping cut with magic. “Of course I'm serious.” She tucks the creature securely into the folds of her coat. “I've been trying to gain his trust for weeks. He's too small to fend for himself out here.”
“Another stray for her little collection,” Spite scoffs. “Did she lure you in the same way? Or did you trap her?”
Pointedly ignoring the demon, Lucanis gives Taliesin an exasperated smile. “As you wish, tesoro . We'll add him to the supply run. But I need coffee first. Something strong.”
She links her arm with his. “I think I know a place that you'll just love,” she tells him conspiratorially.
He decides to play along. “Is that so?”
She bobs her head in a nod. “I got a very personal tour some time back. He took me to a fantastic little café. Not far from here.”
“Getting tours from Antivan men. Should I be jealous, amor?” he asks, leading her through the market.
“That depends,” Taliesin says. “Are you going to help me defend the newest member of the Veilguard?”
Lucanis knows she is referring to the cat that she is intending to smuggle back in her coat. “So long as he does not take up all of your attention.”
She grins knowingly. “You are jealous. Don't worry, my Crow. You'll always be my very favorite,” she promises, sneaking a quick kiss to his bearded cheek.
Feeling a bit hot around the collar, Lucanis clears his throat. “Mierda . I'm going to end up feeding him, aren't I?”
“You feed the rest of us,” she reminds him with a shrug. “Have I told you today how wonderful you are?”
Despite seeing through the flattery, Lucanis cannot help but chuckle. “You have a soft heart, mi amor. It's admirable. If a bit insane.”
“I will take that with the compliments that were surely intended.”
They continue their walk down the cobbled streets, people wandering past to browse the market and get a start on their day. Taliesin adjusts the tiny lump in her coat a few times, careful not to disturb the now-sleeping cat.
He leaves her waiting outside with her hidden companion and steps into the café to order their usual drinks. A wave of sentimentality draws his eyes to the table in the far corner where the two of them had sat together so many weeks before. She'd still been healing from her injury, desperate to leave the Lighthouse and stretch her legs. He could not have thought of a better place to bring her than to the city he cares for so much.
The usual elven serving girl is absent today, leaving Lucanis to pass the order onto a younger human man. He passes over the coins and waits patiently, glancing out the front window to see his Rook peeking into her coat with a soft expression on her face.
She does so love caring for broken things.
“Like you,” Spite offers unhelpfully.
Lucanis doesn’t bother with his unwelcome passenger, returning to Taliesin’s side. He passes over her beverage before taking a fortifying sip of his own. A strong, warm cup of coffee is a daily comfort he has come to rely on, something that reminds him he is human and that he is free. Despite all that's unraveling in the world around them, he has kept to his morning routine of sharing a cup with his amor .
Feeling her stare, he lowers his cup to glance at her. “Yes?”
She smiles again in a way that makes his chest tighten. “It’s just nice seeing the Great Lucanis in his natural environment,” she quips, sneaking another sip of her own drink before taking off toward the market square. “Get a move on, Crow! Or you’ll miss out on the fish vendor again.” She snatches up his free hand, carefully juggling her own coffee and the stowaway snoozing in her coat.
“Let me guess, your new friend is going to need fish?”
“Not just for him,” she says. “I want you to make the paella again. With the prawns.”
He lets her drag him along, unable to keep the small smile from his face as he watches her move about Treviso as if she has been here all her life. The only thing that gives her away, he finds, is the sense of wonder she can never completely keep from exuding. He knows that cities in the south are nothing like what can be found in Nevarra and Antiva and Tevinter. She is enamored with the sights and smells, taken in by the presence of life that moves around them. The colorful awnings, the fragrant spices, the sea air. He knows Antiva is often romanticized, their way of life idolized for being something that it truly isn’t. But that doesn’t mean he loves his city any less and he is glad to see that Taliesin loves it in much the same way. She immerses herself in it, picking up on the language and the flow of their culture.
They move from stall to stall, her chatting with the vendors and attempting to correct her pronunciation while he resupplies the Lighthouse. People are beginning to recognize her as a regular now and they smile happily and make suggestions when she approaches. He has found that she enjoys doing the talking as much as he doesn’t. Things seem to work best when she cheerfully greets the vendors and works to haggle for the things on his list while Lucanis is simply left to check the quality of what they’re spending coin on.
She continues to check on the drowsy feline she has hidden away, her fingers stroking its ears and over its little head as they work their way meticulously through the market square until everything is accounted for. They divide the burden carefully between them and begin making their way back to the Eluvian as inconspicuously as possible.
“It’s still asleep?” he asks when they’ve entered the Crossroads.
“I don’t think he’s eaten recently,” she says. “And it’s probably nice and warm in there. Perfect place for a cat nap.” She grins at him, proud of her pun.
Lucanis huffs a laugh and shakes his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m keeping you young and sharp, Crow-Boy,” she jabs playfully.
“I am only two years older than you,” he argues.
Taliesin snorts. “Not with that attitude, signore.” She throws him a teasing look over her shoulder and steps through the next Eluvian that leads back to the Lighthouse.
He is not sure where she finds the energy she always seems to possess. He wonders if he should begin taking up the strange routine she seems to adhere to where she sleeps in short intervals in the middle of the day. She does keep him sharp and she most definitely runs him ragged on days like today.
Lucanis follows behind her through the Eluvian and steps into the courtyard. From the sound of things, the others are already up and going about their day as well. The clashing of steel not far away alerts him to Taash and Davrin’s morning sparring session.
“You two are back later than usual,” Neve notes as Lucanis and Taliesin beeline for the kitchen. The detective sits at her usual table in the shade with a cup of tea, a book open before her.
“Someone had an extra stop to make today,” Lucanis says with a meaningful look in Taliesin’s direction.
The Veil Jumper narrows her eyes and ducks her head.
“Did she stop to pet every dog in a two mile radius again?” Taash calls from a few yards away. The clanging of weapons has paused at their return, the dragon slayer and Warden watching them shuffle in with their market haul.
Affronted, Taliesin sets down her parcels and turns to glare at their friends. “It was supply day! Maker forbid I take a little time for myself. Please, do go on beating each other over the head with sticks. Don’t let us interrupt.”
Taash snickers. “Touchy today, huh? Put her in a better mood, will ya, Dellamorte?”
He sighs heavily at the same time that a soft meow issues from Taliesin’s coat.
Davrin straightens up. “Was that-?”
Jutting out a hip, Taash levels Taliesin with a look. “ A little time for yourself, huh? Then why did your coat just meow?”
Taliesin shoots a pleading glance at Lucanis who shrugs a shoulder. “This is all you, tesoro,” he deflects. He isn’t sure if she had hoped no one else in the Lighthouse would notice their newest arrival or if she had simply wanted to break the news another time. Knowing Tali, she had planned to patch the little cat up and unleash it on the rest of them without a word, waiting to see what pandemonium would unfold.
“Tali?” Taash says again, caught somewhere between smug and amused.
Taliesin clears her throat and attempts to cross her arms before realizing the very-much-awake feline is in the way. “Uh…enchantment?” she attempts weakly.
Neve chuckles from her seat. “Oh, so you found an enchanted cat in Treviso?”
“Maker’s titties,” she grumbles, pulling the side of her coat open. A small black head emerges, amber eyes blinking sleepily into the light. “It’s a fucking cat. Everyone happy now?”
Davrin approaches to get a closer look at the contraband that had been smuggled in.
“It’s kinda scrawny,” Taash points out, scrunching her nose. “You sure it isn’t sick?”
Davrin uses a single finger to scratch beneath the cat’s chin which sets it purring once more. “Just needs a little rest,” he says, fawning over the animal. “A few good meals. He’ll be right as rain, won’t you, champ?”
Lucanis watches the elves fuss over the animal with a disbelieving laugh.
“I suppose we should be grateful it wasn’t anything a bit more exotic,” Neve intones. “A cat is hardly the most controversial thing we’ve hauled back here.”
“Thank you!” Taliesin says as if this is some great praise. “I’m going to clean him up and make him breakfast.”
“You mean I will be making him breakfast?” Lucanis sighs.
His Rook skillfully bats her lashes at him. “Would you, vhenan?”
Unsure why he even bothers with acting put upon anymore, Lucanis acquiesces. It is impossible to sway her when she sets her mind to something and this little stray seems to fit into her plans of further crafting a group of misfits to care for. How is he going to deny her or the scrawny feline? “As you wish, amor.”
“But such a fine little man needs a name,” Davrin insists before Taliesin can abscond to the kitchen with him. “Any ideas?”
Taliesin grins back at Lucanis and announces, “I’m going to call him Birdie.”
Taash bellows a laugh at the assassin’s expense.
“Welcome to the Veilguard, Birdie!” Davrin coos as Lucanis shakes his head and disappears through the kitchen door. He is going to need something stronger than coffee today.