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I rubbed my eyes, fatigue setting in. Words on the documents swam before my eyes. I hated being bombarded with paperwork as soon as I returned, and Josie knew it. She tried to keep it to a minimum, but somehow I always ended up with a pile on my desk anyway. I pushed it away with a groan, laying my head down on my arms.
A throat cleared. I looked up to see Dorian, holding a bottle and two wine glasses. As soon as he met my tired gaze, he smiled brightly.
"Lashanna!" I just stared at him, too tired and sore from the journey to be able to respond with much enthusiasm. He didn't let it dim his attitude. "I wanted to thank you, for sticking up for me. I'm still not used to it."
I shrugged, sitting up with a wince. "The Mother was being an ass. It's no ones business who you decide to sleep with except for you. Though," I smiled slyly, "if you decide to share details with your bestest best friend, I'm sure they wouldn't object." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively.
He laughed. "Join me with this fine Tevinter Red, and you may get all the details you can take- so long as you give some of your own."
I looked longingly at the bottle, then shook my head. "What I need most right now is a bath to relax," I said. "I'm still in my 'adventurers gear' and believe me, its not easy to keep anything clean on the road even with magic."
"How about two birds with one stone, then? I've heard delicious rumors that you have a bath to rival the one in Haven, but all for yourself." His eyes gleamed, and he leaned over the desk. "You wouldn't hold out on such luxuries with your- how did you put it? 'Bestest best friend,' I believe it was?"
I giggled. "All right," I conceded. "You can make sure I don't fall asleep and drown, then. Imagine how embarrassing that would be for the Inquisition."
Twenty minutes later, we were both neck deep in the steaming hot water, sipping the delicious red wine, and gossiping. I sighed, rolling my head back a little, and enjoyed the moment. It was almost like having Tia back again.
"And then he grew a second head." I heard Dorian say it, and cracked my eyes open, staring at him in confusion. "Ah good, you are still awake."
"Not for much longer, I think," I murmured. Between the exhaustion from traveling, the heat from the bath, and the alcohol, I was beyond punch-drunk. I sighed. "I should get out, before I spill all my sordid secrets."
"Ooo, secrets? I love secrets." Dorian filled my wine glass with the last bit in the bottle. "Come on, share just one little secret?" He tried giving me the big puppy eyes, but he was far too mischievous to pull it off effectively.
I should resist the temptation, but alcohol had always had a way of lowering my self control at the worst moments. "Tell me one first," I countered.
He wrinkled his nose. "You already know my biggest secret."
"Being gay doesn't count. You're not exactly subtle, you know."
"Subtlety is boring, for one," he said, waving his hand in negation. "And I wasn't talking about that."
"Oh? Then I've somehow stumbled on a sordid secret and didn't even know it?"
"Well, perhaps 'secret' is the wrong word then. Maybe 'shame' would be better." Dorian was quiet, staring at the wine in his glass. "The fact that my father, the one man in the entire Magesterium that I believed above reproach, was as ready to use blood magic as the worst of them."
I sat forward. "Sorry," I muttered.
He took a deep drink from his glass, finishing it off. "Make it up to me by giving me one in return. Secret or shame, your choice. Just make it juicy."
I pondered for a minute, considering and immediately rejecting telling him about the world hop I'd done; I was buzzed but nowhere near drunk enough for that to seem like a good idea. As I thought, I swirled the last of my wine, and just like that I had one.
"My best friend Tia and I met when we were eight," I started. "One night, about a month after my ninth birthday, my parents dropped me off to sleep over at her house, so that they could go to some conference or something for my mom. Instead of going in, Tia met me outside, then once they'd left we walked back to my house."
"Riveting. Will this be a secret or a shame?"
"Both, now hush while I tell it." I cleared my throat and continued. "We got into my parents liquor cabinet." Dorian started to smirk, sensing the inevitable outcome. "Between us we drank about six shots of brandy. Not a lot, but to nine year olds it's more than enough." I smiled wistfully at the memory. "We got so sick, we couldn't even make it back to her house. We thought we were dying. Puked all over my dad's desk."
Dorian was chuckling at my tale. "Did you get caught?"
"Nah. My parents were gone for three days, enough time to figure out we weren't dead, clean everything up, and pretend we'd been at Tia's the whole time."
"And your parents never found out?"
"Actually..."
Dorian raised an eyebrow expectantly. "We didn't clean up as well as we thought. My dad found some puke on one of his desk drawers. Found the brandy bottle askew, and put two and two together." It hurt, a little, to remember, but a good hurt. "He told me he'd never tell Mom as long as I promised to never do it again."
"Ahh the old bribe. But I've seen you drink," he motioned to the empty wine glass in my hand. "I've even, on occasion, seen you drunk. So what changed?"
I stood, making my way out of the tub, and grabbed a towel. Without looking at him, I answered. "After they... died, I was not in a good place mentally. I didn't go crazy with alcohol, but I think some part of me was hoping that, if I did, my parents would have to come back, if only so that my Dad could give me his disapproving look and tell Mom everything." I could feel the prick of tears at the corner of my eyes. I took a deep breath, and held it while tucking the towel around myself with fingers that shook.
"Lashanna." Dorian's voice was quiet. "I'm sorry ." He turned me around and I found myself in a tight hug.
After a moment I let my forehead drop to his shoulder and hugged him back. "Thanks," I said, voice muffled against him. "I needed that. And you need a towel, you're getting water everywhere." I pulled away, wiping my eyes.
"Anytime you need me, just let me know," he said as he toweled off.