Chapter Text
The typical din of ever-busy Trevisan taverns washes over them as they settle into their seats in the corner of the establishment, getting a clear view of the whole tavern and its exits. Something is to be said about crows and their ever present vigilance. Or paranoia, as Varric would probably say. The music notes carry over the merry crowd plucked from the instruments on the small stage at the other end of the tavern to mix and weave between unintelligible conversations. The bard is leaning against the wall to the side of the stage and blowing smoke from her pipe, amusedly watching a passing barmaid stumble as she makes eye contact with her. The hulking barkeep is making conversation with a thin reedy man with a face scar, smiling as he wipes the tankard in his hand while the man chatters on. A group of men thump their fists encouragingly on the table as their timid looking fellow chugs a tankard of ale in one go resulting in a deafening cheer once he raises the empty tankard up triumphantly. The clinks of glasses, the tinkle of coin, and the constant hum of conversation fill the air as the flustered barmaid comes to take their orders.
Taash orders an ale, Viago and Aurelio order honey mead, and Lucanis and Teia opt for wine. The barmaid flutters away and the group turns back to their conversation.
They have decided meet up in the tavern courtesy of Viago nagging Aurelio in his letters incessantly which the latter has interpreted as Viago speak for "I missed you and I want to check up on you".
Their cousin remains obstinate and predictable.
Aurelio mentioned the upcoming trip to Treviso to the others over the dinner table the previous night and asked if anyone wanted to come for moral support. Taash remarked that if they would be catching up in a tavern then they will gladly come along as they are desperately in need of a drink and Lucanis admitted that he does need to catch up with Teia about something. Although, the fellow crow had to state for the record that he is, in fact, dreading a whole night of Viago being a mother hen.
Aurelio had sighed forlornly. The feeling is very much shared.
The others had to regrettably decline the offer; Neve was going to be showing Harding around Dock Town now that they're not actively chasing leads about Solas, Davrin said he would be taking Assan for training lessons in Arlathan, and Bellara said she has a project related to the Fade that she was working on.
Aurelio had turned to Emmrich, eagerly anticipating his answer only to be met with an apologetic smile and the necromancer telling them he would be joining Bellara in her research. Aurelio waves off the apology with a bright smile and wishes the man luck on their research.
Their smile must have wavered a little when Emmrich turned back to his food because Aurelio looked away and was met by pitying looks from Harding and Bellara and a Davrin who was close to laughter.
That bastard.
As if Aurelio hadn't noticed the way he would stare at Lucanis' ass.
They'll get back at him for this treachery that was for sure.
Aurelio is broken out of their reverie when the barmaid returns with their drinks, setting each one on the table with a soft clink. They all thank the young woman who flushes and titters away clutching her tray with one hand and bunching up her skirt nervously with the other.
She must be new, the poor thing.
"So," says Taash after taking a swig of their ale and setting the tankard back down with a bit too much force that causes some of the ale to swish and splatter on the table cloth, darkening it. Not that Taash notices, mind, they're too busy wiggling their eyebrows at Aurelio. "You got the hots for the bone man, huh?"
Aurelio chokes on their honey mead, coughing and spluttering as Lucanis thumps them on the back with a muttered "mierda".
"Taash!" They whisper through gritted teeth once they regain their composure. Lucanis takes measured sips of his wine and looks entirely too focused on the latticework pattern of the tablecloth, tracing it with his index finger.
Teia arches an eyebrow in interest and Viago narrows his eyes at Aurelio suspiciously.
"What?" Continues Taash as if they can't sense the shift in the atmosphere, which in their defense they probably can't. "Everyone can see your pathetic puppy eyes when you look at him! It's gross!" they exclaim with raised hands for emphasis, "And it's painful to watch!"
"Everyone?" mutters Aurelio mournfully at the same time as Viago says "The bone man?"
Dread pools in Aurelio's stomach and turns their insides to stone as they watch Viago's expression flicker from a frown of confusion to a slackening of realization to a pinched look of reproach. Aurelio gulps.
"Emmrich Volkarin?" says Viago with deceptive calm. "The old necromancer?"
"He's not that old." Mumbles Aurelio defiantly.
"He's at least three decades older than you!" hisses Viago angrily.
"Two and a half at most!"
"Do you hear yourself?!"
"How is it your business, anyway?"
"Aurelio Melchiorre de Riva!"
"What?!"
"Who's that?" Interjects Taash with bewilderment painted all over their face, taking another swig of their ale. Aurelio and Viago's heads swivel in unison to give them twin expressions of confusion.
"Who is who, Taash?" asks Teia, the first words she has spoken since Taash has dropped that bomb. She has stayed curiously quiet while Aurelio and Viago were at each other's throats. Then again, she has always let them work it out among themselves.
"Aurelio something something." Taash says with the utmost solemnity.
Speechless and, a little perturbed, the crows point at Aurelio. Taash scoffs and points at Aurelio a tad threateningly.
"Their name is Rook, though." they say, their eyebrows pinch and the corners of their mouth tilt down. Aurelio knows this expression means that Taash doesn't understand something and thinks it is stupid.
"Uh… well… yes and no?" replies Aurelio, scratching at their temple in thought. "Rook is a nickname given to me by Varric."
"Varric?" mumbles Taash.
"My real name is Aurelio de Riva." They barrel on, "Did you really not know that?"
"How was I supposed to know that? Everyone calls you Rook!" says Taash defensively, crossing their arms over their chest. Their mouth twists unhappily in a little pout. Aurelio always finds it endearing how small details like these would break through Taash's tough person exterior to show their age and the vulnerability they otherwise detest showing.
"I call them de Riva often, though." interjects Lucanis with a cock of his head to the side that causes his silky black hair to spill over one shoulder. Aurelio idly wonders what products he uses; their own hair is always a fluffy mess at the best of times.
"I thought that was a crow code or some shit like that." Grumbles Taash.
The corners of Lucanis' mouth twitch minutely and he nods, "fair enough."
"Back to our original subject." Sighs Viago and Aurelio barely suppresses a groan.
"Oh leave them be, Viago." Admonishes Teia, lightly smacking Viago on the arm. "Nothing to say about them hunting down Gods across Thedas but you have a problem with them liking someone older?"
"Significantly older!" He counters with stalwart conviction, throwing his hands up and looking a hairbreadth away from strangling Aurelio with his bare hands. Aurelio leans back in their chair just in case.
"You're acting like they're a child."
"Thank you." Pipes in Aurelio only to be shushed by Lucanis who gives them a look as if to say "don’t get involved"
Aurelio watches as Teia steers the argument away from them and does what she does best, besides killing marks: manage Viago. She counters his arguments with such ease that only comes from years of partnership and points out the flaws in his claims until he can do nothing more than huff in annoyance and concede defeat.
"His intentions better be good towards you." He tells Aurelio at last, glaring at them without any real heat in it. Business as usual then, Aurelio almost dares to smile. Almost.
"Not sure if he even has any intentions towards me." Grumbles Aurelio and falls forward to rest their forehead against the admittedly slightly grimy tablecloth, their honey mead well and truly forgotten
in the face of their woe.
"You look pathetic." Grouses Viago, disgust pulling at his face like he tasted something sour. "It is unbefitting of a de Riva."
"Viago." Teia gives him a pointed look before turning to Aurelio sympathetically and places a hand over theirs. "Don't listen to this oaf." She says, ignoring the offended "hey!" from Viago, before continuing, "Why don't you tell us about him? We'll help you however we can."
"Speak for yourself." mutters Viago with a roll of his eyes.
"Viago."
"Fine! Just don't blame me if your first conquest goes sideways and you end up with a broken heart."
"He's not a conquest!" protests Aurelio with an accusatory finger thrown in Viago's direction. Viago opens his mouth, presumably to spout some nonsense, only to be interrupted by a gasp from Taash.
"YOU'RE A VIRGIN?!" they boom and everything in the tavern screeches to a standstill.
Conversations suddenly halt, instruments wheezing to a stop, one could hear a pin drop.
"A little louder, if you will, Taash." Lucanis snickers, and Aurelio mentally adds him to their shit list with Davrin. "I don't think the ones in the back heard you."
Aurelio slumps back on the table, hiding their face with a groan and Lucanis pats them on the back awkwardly and gestures for another round of drinks.
"This is going to be a long night." Teia sighs.
Aurelio is inclined to agree.
The rest of the evening is spent with Aurelio gradually drinking the barkeep's entire supply of honey mead, much to the large man’s alarm, as the others continue to come up with increasingly convoluted schemes for getting Emmrich to reciprocate. Ranging from a mild suggestion of cooking Nevarran recipes for him from Lucanis to a terrifying suggestion of tying him up and confessing their feelings from Teia, to which Aurelio responded with a vehement “No.”
Viago was reluctant to participate at first but he was soon roped into the discussion by his partner's exuberance and passion for getting Aurelio "Their man" as she so eloquently put it.
The tavern continued to bustle around them. The bard took to the stage well into their discussion and her voice carried over the din to caress Aurelio's ear with sweet melodies. The shy barmaid fluttered from table to table, delivering drinks and taking away empty glasses and tankards. The barkeep and the scarred man were still chatting and the group of men was all slumped in various degrees of unconsciousness on the table. Curiously, their timid friend was the only one still conscious.
They leave the tavern well after midnight, the group diverging to say slurred goodbyes to Teia and Viago at the Cantori Diamond before taking the Eluvian back to the Lighthouse.
Taash and Aurelio lean against each other, swaying this way and that and giggling like children when they knock into something and shushing each other. Lucanis sighs fondly and drags the two of them to the kitchen.
He grabs a pitcher of water and pours them two glasses, forcing the grumbling duo to drink it before ushering them back out and up the stairs to their individual rooms.
Taash disappears into their room's corridor with a wave but Aurelio stands at the top of the stairs swaying and humming to themself. The green lights of the Nevarran décor are mesmerizing to watch.
They remind them of a certain someone and Aurelio feels the urge to go see him. The alcohol in their system does very little to inhibit their impulses.
With as much of a spring in their step as their inebriated body can manage, they make their way towards Emmrich's room.
Surely he wouldn't be asleep yet, right?
Their knuckles rap lightly against the ornate wood of the door before they push inside.
"Emmrich?" Comes their slurred call. The response is an inquisitive hiss from behind the staircase. Aurelio trudges inside and at the same time out emerges the skeletal form of the necromancer's trusty assistant.
"Manfred!" a smile lights up Aurelio's face and they move closer to the skeletal boy, arms thrown wide and eyes curved into crescents "Hellooooo!" They envelop the boy in an embrace that he confusedly returns, patting them on the back and hissing happily.
They pull back and pat him on the skull affectionately before looking around for the man they came to see. A frown pulls at their features.
"Emmrich still with Bellara?" They ask with an unhappy twist of their mouth.
Manfred nods and they groan and their posture falls in a slump, suddenly feeling immensely tired. They trudge to Emmrich's desk and slide down to sit on the floor with their back pressed against the wood of the desk. The candles flicker around them, their flames hazy and dizzying to look at.
Manfred squats down to look at Aurelio with a quizzical hiss. Aurelio shakes their head, suddenly overcome with emotion. A lump forms in their throat and they sniffle.
"I really wanted to see him." They tell the skeletal boy. Their voice breaks at the end of the sentence and they press their lips in a firm line.
This is why they hate getting drunk. They're a crier.
Ugh.
"You know, Manfred," Their voice sounds rough even to their own drunken ears, "You're really lucky to have him."
The boy nods and hisses enthusiastically, his bones making clicking sounds in agreement. Aurelio huffs fondly and pats the space next to them for the boy to take and waits for him to settle in.
No one has been with Emmrich for as long as Manfred has, so Aurelio surmises he's the best person to talk to regarding his feelings for the man. Since they are family, no matter how many times Emmrich reiterates that Manfred is just his assistant.
Once Aurelio starts talking, they don't stop until they are half asleep slumped over the poor skeleton still yammering on about how beautiful Emmrich is and how much they want to hold his hands and kiss his pretty face. How his clothes are always impeccably tailored and the stitching is so detailed.
They hear the jingle of metal clinking against metal and it spurs them on.
"And his bangles! Manfred, they're sooooo pretty." They slur against the boy's shoulder bone, eyes closed and words halfway to sounding like nonsense. "They're always jingling when he walks or fights and it makes him look like a princess!"
A surprised chuckle can be heard to the other side and Aurelio's drunken mind distantly wonders when has Manfred learned to laugh.
"Does it, now?" Questions a familiar voice and Aurelio's eyebrows pinch in hazy befuddlement, brain too inebriated to parse out the familiarity.
"Mhmm." They mumble and nod sleepily, "He's the prettiest princess I've ever seen." They sigh dreamily. "Don't tell him that, though."
Another chuckle, this time fond.
"My lips are sealed." The voice is closer now and it sends a shiver down Aurelio's spine. They want to open their eyes but they can't. They're not sure where and when they are anymore. Is this a dream?
"Come on, little crow." The voice whispers tenderly and hands come to rest on Aurelio's shoulders, thin long fingers adjust the lapels of their vest. "It wouldn't do for you to sleep on the floor."
"Okay." Mumbles Aurelio sleepily, too tired to argue with the gentle voice.
The hands slide down and under their armpits to wrap around their upper back and haul them up. They sway forward and slump against a hard surface. Oh that's someone's chest, their brain belatedly supplies. "Easy, darling." The voice says and Aurelio whimpers softly, rubbing their face against the soft fabric of the person's shirt. They wish Emmrich would call them that.
Tears prickle at their eyes again and they sniffle against the person’s chest.
The hands prop them up properly, one bracing their lower back and one at the nape of their neck, threading through their hair. The body under them tenses when they sniffle and curl on themself in the gentle embrace.
"Are you alright?" they ask, hands twitching as if resisting the urge to hold Aurelio closer.
"M'fine" They mumble.
The voice sighs and the person maneuvers them so they are carried in a bridal style in the person's arms. The change in position causes nausea to surge and Aurelio whimpers and presses their mouth in a firm line; eyes squeezed shut and a few tears spilling down their face. They could hear the voice distantly apologizing, wiping their spilled tears with a thumb, and holding them close until the wave of nausea dissipates before moving again. Aurelio hears the voice talking again but they have the feeling that it's not directed at them so they don't pay close attention. Their brain is turning to mush as is, enveloped in the sweet warmth of this person's arms.
They stop again after a few moments and Aurelio feels themself being lowered down onto a plush surface with a pillow fluffed under their head.The hands start to retreat, the metal jingling away, and Aurelio feels a surge of panic choking them.
Their hand darts out blindly to grab onto a retreating hand and they hold on.
"Manfred?" they ask in a small voice despite knowing deep down that this person is not the skeletal boy.
The person hesitates for a moment.
"Yes?"
"Please don't tell Emmrich."
"Tell him what, dear one?"
"That I like him." Aurelio whispers, tears prickling in their eyes again making the person's tall silhouette hazy. "I don't want him to think I'm pathetic."
"I assure you, he does not think you're pathetic." The voice sounds oddly vehement about it, so much that it slightly soothes Aurelio's fears.
"It's just that…" They trail off, biting their lip anxiously and their blurred vision gives them no measure of comfort.
"Just that…?"
"feels like m'doing so much just to make 'im see me and he doesn't even notice."
"hmm… why don't you try asking him directly tomorrow? Maybe he is just waiting for you to come to him…"
"D'you think so?"
"I know so." The voice huffs fondly and Aurelio feels a soft warm pressure on their forehead before the voice speaks again, close enough to Aurelio's ear that it sends shivers down their spine. "Good night, little crow."
"G'night." Aurelio mumbles and they hear the voice chuckle before pulling away.
Aurelio falls asleep before the jingles of metal can fade away completely.
They dream of soft hands in their hair and warm lips on their skin and pretty green eyes.