Work Text:
"Shroud's Kiss. I've always loved the legend around this flower," Emmrich said, reaching out to pick one, handing it to her as he continued speaking. "They say it grows on lover's graves, and that one moves closer to the Fade simply by inhaling it's fragrance."
She took the flower and slowly breathed in. The fragrance was indeed enchanting, delicate and floral and sweet. Almost intoxicating.
"Is that true?" Lila asked softly.
"It is when I will it, my dear," he said, waving a hand and changing the flower into a bunch of sparkling butterflies. She watched them until they faded away.
"What else?" she asked, breathless. Her heart was racing. She was hopelessly smitten with this man, despite the age difference. And this right here? Smooth as silk, holy Maker she was a gonner. He turned and cast the butterflies over the flowers next to them, growing on a grave marked by embracing skeletons. In a sudden spark of boldness, she took his hand and stepped between him and the grave marker, turning so her back was to it. That was all the prompting he apparently needed. His other hand found her hip, and his lips met hers.
"What a day of unexpected splendor," he said softly, smiling softly. He leaned in again, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her again. But he surprised her by going past her lips, and she tilted her head to one side to allow access. He lightly kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and she automatically wrapped her arms around him. He kissed her there repeatedly, and his hands started to wander. Her breathing came heavier, and the cold stone felt surprisingly nice against the warmth that began to spread through her body. One of his hands began to lightly caress her breasts through her clothes, and she gasped softly.
"Emmrich, it's a little public here," she said breathlessly. He moved his hands to hers and lightly kissed her lips again.
"Forgive me, my dear," he responded. "I was..." He averted his gaze, seeming to have remembered where they were.
"Passion is fun, but I'm not very interested in sharing that with..." Lila vaguely gestured to the rest of the gardens. The dim light hid the blush on her already dark skin. "But maybe... Back home?" she offered.
"Only if you are sure," he said.
"Of you? Always." This time she moved to kiss him, though she had to stand on her toes to reach. "I just tend to prefer privacy for anything more... Intimate." He chuckled softly, and their lips met again.
"I would regret moving too quickly," he admitted.
"You are so sweet." She turned so she could rest her head on his shoulder. She really did love the way the gardens made her feel. But eventually they had to return home.
Unfortunately, the Necropolis had shuffled some rooms around again. The door that was supposed to lead to a staircase led to an old store room. Before either of them had a chance to react, a blast of fire caught Lila from behind. She shrieked in pain and collapsed, and Emmrich frantically looked for the source. It wasn't a spirit or a venatori, but some sort of magical trap someone had set on the door for some reason. He cast a barrier to give himself enough time to disable the magical trap.
"THE NOVICES WILL FACE CONSEQUENCES," Vorgoth said, suddenly appearing a few feet off to the left.
"That won't help her right this moment," he said quickly, kneeling down to examine the full extent of the damage. "Darling?"
Her breathing was ragged, but her eyes slowly opened. "Emmrich..." she stuttered slowly, dark eyes unfocused. "What...?"
"One of the novices thought it would be funny to set a magical trap on the door," he said simply. "Now, let me see..." He worked quickly, hands glowing pale green and hovering just above her mangled skin. She hissed in pain as the magic began to work, then relaxed as the pain eased. "That should do for now... Rook?"
"Wow, those novices need some serious punishment for that," she said slowly, getting her limbs back under her. Every movement was cautious as she forced herself into a seated position. "At least I can still move. Thanks for that, Emmrich." She looked over at where Vorgoth had been, but they apparently disappeared to elsewhere once they had seen that she was in good hands. "Hopefully Vogoth's gone to take this to whoever was stupid enough to try this."
"The severity of this wound will take several healing sessions to fully repair," Emmrich admitted, standing and offering a hand to help her to her feet. "Unfortunately I am not as adept at repairing damaged clothing, but... Here." He removed his overcoat and draped it over her shoulders to protect her exposed, blistered skin. The pain had eased enough that she could walk on her own, but she still hissed when the fabric touched it. "I will treat it properly when we return to the Lighthouse."
And that was exactly where they went, straight back to the Lighthouse. After assuring Myrna that the magical trap had been successfully disarmed and dismantled so it wouldn't hurt anyone else. He made her remove the ruined shirt and lay on her stomach so he could better access the burn, while he collected the necessary supplies from his room. First, he used water and a clean sponge to make sure the burn itself, and the area around it, were free of contaminants.
"This will be cold," he warned, opening a jar, "but it will help draw out any remaining heat, help soothe the pain, and reduce the risk of this getting infected." He spread the poultice carefully across her back. She flinched at first from the cold, then relaxed as it started to work.
"Oh, that's much better," she sighed gratefully. "Sorry Emmrich. I should've double checked the door first."
"Do not apologize darling," he said sternly. "This was done to you, not because of you." He placed a clean cloth bandage over the wound, then a more absorbant layer, and finally reached for the roll. Only to realize that this would end up needing more hands than he had. "Manfred!" he called, and Lila realized the skeleton actually was in the room, by the door. He hissed a greeting. "Rook, darling, I'm going to need you to sit up for this next part," he told her, offering his hands to help her. Once she had maneuvered to the edge of the lounger, he had Manfred hold the dressing in place while he wrapped it up. His fingers brushed the bare skin of her stomach and sides repeatedly as he worked, and there was no way to hide the blush here. His touch made her feel things that she didn't fully understand yet. "Thank you, Manfred. Why don't you go back to our room and prepare the teapot." The skeleton hissed and wandered out of the room.
"Darling, are you certain you're alright?" he asked her once Manfred was out of earshot. She looked up at him and nodded.
"You're taking such good care of me, how can I not be?" she countered with a small smile. She put a hand on his chest and lightly kissed him. "Thank you."
"Of course, Rook." He placed one hand over hers, then sat next to her.
"Lila," she said suddenly.
"I'm sorry?" he asked, confused.
"Rook was a nickname Varric gave me. My real name is Lila," she told him.
"A lovely name, quite befitting for a lovely young woman," he said smoothly, making her heart flutter. "And lilac happens to be my favorite color." She blushed at that, as he tucked a strand of her dark, curly hair behind her ear and softly pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, inviting him closer. With surprising strength, he lifted her onto his lap, drawing a soft laugh out of her. The kiss depend when she felt his tongue on her lips, and she opened hers as an invitation. One of his hands rested on her hip, the other began to caress her breasts over her breastband, which thankfully hadn't been damaged. She moaned softly when he began to tease her nipples with his fingers, arching her back slightly. She could feel his growing arousal just as she could feel her own.
She stood for just long enough to straddle his lap before crashing her lips against his again in another heated kiss, her hands on his shoulders. His hands started at her hips before sliding down to grip her ass. She rocked her hips into his, drawing a moan from him that only served to feed the fire building inside her.
And then the world began to spin and she broke the kiss to rest her head against his shoulder with a groan that was very much not the type to mean she was enjoying herself.
"Lila, darling?"
"Dizzy..." she said softly.
"The fireball must have taken more out of you than I realized, I'm so sorry my dear," he said quickly, helping her lay back down on her side. She slowly shook her head, smiling up at him.
"Not your fault, I was the one who got careless," she muttered.
"You shouldn't have needed to be on alert for traps inside the Necropolis," he reminded her, brushing her hair back from her face. "Get some rest, darling. I'll be by to check on you again soon." He lightly kissed her forehead, and she blinked up at him with a soft smile, then closed her eyes to try to sleep.
He waited there for just a minute longer before quietly leaving her room. Rather than join the others for their evening meal, he slipped into his own room. He had something that needed tending to before he could face the others.