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“Why do you want to date my sister?”
What a loaded question, Davrin thought to himself as he rifled through his drawers looking for his sword. They were supposed to be sparring right now, but he had come back from dinner to find his blade gone off the wall entirely.
“That's…why are you asking me that now?”
Davrin glanced in the direction of the eluvian room. Bishop and Knight had just gotten back a while ago from shopping in Treviso, and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of either of them since. Which was a good and bad thing.
It was good because with Bishop consuming his thoughts as of late, he didn't trust himself to spar in her company. A flash of skin might earn him some new scars when his blade slips on its course. But it was bad because she'd been acting off around him as of late. Not really avoiding him so much as ignoring his presence when he was not required, which he had to admit stung his pride a little with all the effort he'd put into chasing her.
She was worth the effort though, every snippet he learned of the Crow made him more fascinated, which is why it was so frustrating she was pulling away.
“Rook?” He prompted, and Rook looked back up at him. “I said ‘why are you asking me that now’?”
“Are you serious about her, is what I should have asked, I guess.” He tilted his head. “I just wanna know what it is that you like about her?”
Rook couldn't be serious, could he? Or was a little late to be asking that question when he'd been pursuing Bishop for months now. Then again, it was probably a fair question at its heart. He didn't even know her name . Kinda hard to get to know someone who closes themselves off outside of flirting.
“She's…” Davrin paused, the mere mental image of Bishop causing him to falter. Her eyes, the way that they burned when she talked, and even wren she shrunk their light didn't fade. The way her hair graced her cheeks and accented her already rosy complexion. Her hands, petite but not ridiculously small, telling of a tough life, similar to his own.
Before Bishop, he'd thought all Crows were pampered nobles with nothing better to do than murder. Boy that had been cleared up right quick. She was everything Davrin had been taught a Crow was not . Emotional, compassionate, loyal, and friendly. Though perhaps that was a De Riva thing, because most of the Crows in Treviso seemed to fit the bill of what he had known.
He only even knew her surname thanks to her relation to their Crow contact, Viago De Riva. He was basically her foster parent. And seeing him with Teia just made Davrin realize why Bishop was the way she was.
“She has a beautiful soul.” Davrin tried to say, but Rook didn't look convinced.
“ That's why?”
“I'm not a poet, Rook, I'm a Warden. You'll get no flowery words from me describing how her hair smells like fresh fallen leaves and lavender, how she ‘shines like a burning sun in the light of day’, or how she makes my heart fold Itself in half when she walks into a room.”
Rook's face split into a grin. “I dunno, Davrin. That was pretty good. A burning sun…that's a good one.”
Davrin felt himself flush a little. In trying to deny the expectation, he had fulfilled It. What could he say, Bishop was very inspiring. “Look, Rook. Are you gonna help me look for my sword or are you gonna interrogate me about ‘my intentions’ with your sister like you're her father?”
“I can do both!” Rook laughed. “I saw someone leaving your room with your sword earlier.” He hopped to his feet and walked towards the door, as Davrin stared at him, exasperated.
That little! He had just watched Davrin tear his room apart looking for the damn thing and then talked about Bishop. The whole damn lot of De Riva's were confusing to him.
Davrin marched out of his room after putting everything back and looked around. He could hear voices coming from the library. He'd start there.
But as he got closer, he noticed that one of the voices was hers. Was she still gonna avoid him? Whatever, he needed to find his sword, and she was a suspect.
He burst through the doors, and took stock. Harding and Emmrich were sitting on the couch, chatting, while Neve and Bishop were in their usual seats. Bishop was embroidering a handkerchief and Neve was reading notes.
Bishop jumped when he entered, the point of her needle barely missing the crux of her hand.
“Someone…has taken my sword.” He started, as Emmrich and Neve glared at him for intruding on what he assumed was a quiet moment.
He saw Bishop out of the corner of his eye light up for a moment before her expression filled with dread. She knew something.
Harding hopped up and dusted herself off. “Where did you last leave it?”
Unimpressed, Davrin rested his weight against the doorway. He wasn't even looking at Harding, he was looking dead at Bishop, who looked nervous. “Well, it was hanging on the wall. I went to sharpen it, and it was gone.”
“Bishop.” Emmrich, ever the peacekeeper, seemed to have noticed the tension between him and Bishop. “Don't you have missives to send?”
Grateful, Bishop stood up, but then paused. A glimmer of something was in her eyes. She looked at him, and he found himself captivated all over again. Her steely gaze was so…
“I think Kal….Knight took it.” Her voice was quiet, barely there and slightly ashamed.
Neve chuckled. “Knight took it? Sorry Davrin, it's long gone by now.”
Damn, he had really liked that sword. It wasn't important or anything. Just a really dependable blade he had every intention of getting fixed. He pressed a hand to his temple and rubbed it, frustrated. Knight had no reason to take his blade, but Knight never needed a reason to do anything. Knight did what he wanted.
“I guess I need a new blade..I'll have to go shopping soon, won't be able to fight without one.” He paused, looking at Bishop again, who was deep in thought. “Unless I want to just shield-bash everyone.”
A loud clicking sound drew his attention down to her hands. She was tapping her nails against the rim of her embroidery hoop. Then she abruptly turned. “I think I will send those missives.” She sent him a glance before quickly vanishing up the staircase and into the room she and her siblings shared.
Davrin watched as she left, unable to take his eyes off her as usual.
He only stopped when Neve chuckled again. “Rook said you were head over heels, but I guess I wasn't quite sure I believed him until this moment.”
Davrin frowned. “Rook needs to learn to keep our talks more quiet.” He took that chance to make his own swift exit.
He was distracted all through dinner, especially since Bishop didn't show up. She never missed Bellara's Dalish seafood dishes.
When he got back to his room after his weekly training session with Taash that evening, he immediately noticed that someone had been in there. He had left it disheveled when he left, and now everything was back where it was supposed to be.
Then he saw the silverite blade leaning against The fireplace. It had a blue twisting handle and gold accouterments adorning It. When he picked it up and looked at the bottom, he found a crow embossed on the handle.
His mind raced. Rook wasn't even aware he needed a new blade yet was he? He just knew it was missing. And Knight or Queen wouldn't buy him gifts. That left…Bishop.
A small grin split across his face. “Oh Bishop…” She was so…was it a Crow thing to give crushes blades? Either way, it was a sign she wasn't entirely closing off their mutual chase.
He would need to do something soon to thank her.