Only Fools Rush In

Let's Go On A Fade Date

Aaiva awoke to soft touches caressing the length of her arm. The sensation was pleasing, and it caused a low hum of approval to escape as she gradually awoke; breaking the silent calm of morning that hung over camp. Even as she wriggled from their attention, however, the fingers never stopped their travels, continuing to peruse her exposed flesh until Aaiva fell asleep once more.

When she opened her eyes again, Aaiva was horrified to see the bright glare of the sun burning through the maroon fabric of Solas' tent—indicating its recent rise to the middle of the sky. She felt a panic begin to claw at her, and she could almost hear Cassandra scolding her for her tardiness. As she reached beside the bedroll her for her crumpled pile of clothing, her hand brushed a knotted ring of flowers that had been carefully laid over the heap. Smiling, she placed the arrangement on her head. It smelled wonderful—like rainwater and earth—and the petals were so soft against her skin.

A momentary burst of bravery pushed Aaiva to walk out into the fiery light of midday—and she girded herself for what would undoubtedly be a barrage of quips meant to embarrass her regarding her overnight stay in Solas' tent. She had her excuse planned before she had finished tying her breeches; she had been afraid of the storm, she would tell them, and she had fallen asleep, accidentally of course, while they were talking about...something. And the flowers? Oh, of course, the flowers are some that she had picked and thought were pretty...Dalish customs and other such nonsense—

A perfect excuse, Aaiva nodded, attempting to instill within herself the same mock bravery she had watched her best friend, Taloain, emulate a thousand times before when she still lived with the Lavellan clan.

Yep, it was foolproof; not even the slightest bit arguable.

As soon as she emerged from tent, ready to face all of her companions' smug faces, Aaiva was astounded to find nothing around; only the remains of an empty camp—creators, where had everyone gone?

The absence of her entire party was curious; they never had left her at camp completely alone before. Were they angry with her? Everyone had seemed normal enough the previous night—happy even, as they all laughed at Varric's jokes and chided Cassandra's sour faces. Wandering along the forest edge that skirted the camp, Aaiva searched for any signs of her missing friends, but found nothing to signal their ever having been there—all that remained were the empty tents that shuffled in the breeze.

"Good morning, Inquisitor."

Aaiva whipped around to meet the speaker and came to face a very smug looking Solas, who stood beneath a particularly shadowy fringe of forest. He shot her a beaming smile, and Aaiva felt as if the entire world grew warmer and brighter as he did until he seemed to glow in the soft light he himself had created.

Coming to stand directly in front of the girl, Solas reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"I see you got my flowers."

Aaiva turned her head as she began to blush; attempting to brush off the warmth that flooded her face at his observation. She quickly decided to change the subject, fixating instead on his greeting.

"Uhm—", she cleared her throat, "—is it morning?" she looked towards the sky, searching for the location of sun but unable find the source of the bright light that bathed them.

Solas smiled. "Does it really matter?"

Well, well. Aaiva gaped at the elf, caught between shock and joy for his teasing and easy confidence. "I suppose not...though isn't it strange to you that the entire camp is gone? Where is everyone?"