faderift | ( closed ) captured this moment inspires us

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( closed ) captured this moment inspires us

WHO: Adelaide & Ruby.
WHAT: first afternoon out of the dungeon.
WHEN: 16th October-ish
WHERE: Adelaide's room
NOTES: possible reference to themes of past abduction, experimentation, torture and then voluntary time in the dungeons during the missing shardbearers plot and her last open log.

Guardsman Thomas was kind of a good guy. A great guy, actually, if you wanted to be accurate. He made sure a healer got down to see Ruby earlier than would have been the case, and was happy to release her a little early. He had a crooked sort of smile, the kind that seems to happen when people are used to trying to keep them understated, though she didn't know if it was because he was meant to be a very serious guard, or because he likes to mix ridiculous statements in with very serious ones and see how long people would keep on believing him.

Point was, she owed him. The extra few hours mean she has time to move through Skyhold slowly, and the dark cloak that she'd need to return to him later meant that she was not so much a spectacle as she might have otherwise been. The time allows her to grab clothes and sink into the hot springs to scrub clean in a way that the water and soap in a bowl she was afforded in the dungeon did not allow, and for a while she is glad to just soak and let the heat pull away a little of the tension that coiled in her muscles.

Eventually she emerges, and she had other plans but they don't seem important any more. Instead she dries, dresses, makes her way through the keep in clothes that feel a little loose after a month in the dungeons - pants of a softer material than might be practical for a mission, and a white shirt that is far too big, and her hair still very damp. It hangs around her shoulders, making the back and shoulders of her shirt get patches from the water .

Ruby waits at the door for a moment, knocks, and when there is confirmation that Adelaide is inside and available she pushes the door open. It is two hours before she was meant to be released, and she doesn't feel right in her own skin, which maybe makes perfect sense when its only been a month, but isn't acceptable because it's been a month and she'd like to feel right again.

"Hey."

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Two hours. Two hours and Adelaide has her time strictly measured out. Five more minutes to finish these papers. One hour to arranging the room- the supplies for which are still folded next to the bed. Sheets and string and tacks and clothespins- something to make one of those absolutely absurd tents and canopies Ruby adores. A basket with treats- macarons, little cakes, tarts, something in flakey crust with a tomato sauce and stuffed with cheese Church called a 'pizza roll' that he'd sworn by- and in this instance she is willing to believe him. Remi curled on a pillow, a bottle of her schnappes- their schnappes, chocolate from Orlais-

Anything she could think of to bring her comfort. Short of adding Merrill to the lot, it's as best as she can manage. Another hour to arrange it and oh, she's only just finished the last line of the paperwork when Ruby knocks. When she calls for her to enter and stares, dumbfounded, at Ruby here and whole and herself in the door. For a horrible moment the only thing in her mind and out of her mouth is "I'm not ready for you yet-"

Then she moves. One of the large knit throws from the bed scooped up and wrapped around Ruby's shoulders. "But I will be. Sit, get comfortable and give me...ten minutes?"

All as she pulls her to the bed. As she kisses her forehead, her hair, as she takes a moment to hold her tight. This has to be perfect- and she will make it perfect. Ruby deserves no less.

Somehow, I'm not ready yet gets more of a smile out of her than almost anything else might of. It might just be by virtue of it being Adelaide saying the first thing that came of mind, and just Adelaide, and seeing Adelaide while not bleeding, injured, in a cell or anything else. It feels like she hasn't gotten to just see Adelaide with it only being to do with Adelaide and not treating injuries or talking to guards for so long.

The blanket is nice, and honestly she is fine with being steered, even if she feels like maybe she should be protesting. Oh no, that's not necessary or please, no, no need to fuss or something, but instead Ruby enjoys the blanket and not having to think and feeling Adelaide presses kisses to her forehead and arms wrapping around her. She moves more slowly than usual, still, one hand pressing to Adelaide's back as she ducks her head to press a kiss to Adelaide's shoulder and then her neck, no less warm or gentle for how brief they are. Her face stays tucked against Adelaide's neck for a moment, and she just inhales the scent of her skin and her room and how much better it is in the right context. The safest place in the world, it seemed like, even as the embrace ends.

"There's no hurry," she replies, with a tired smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good. I have taken tomorrow off from my duties, everyone knows I will be unavailable." Whatever needs to be done? Will be done here, where it is safe. Where it is comfortable. There is nothing more vital to her in this moment than Ruby and her recovery-

In the cells she'd been concerned with the flesh. Here? The heart. The soul. The woman she's come to care so deeply for she can hardly breathe for want of her company some days. To the bed she leads Ruby and for a moment she lingers. For a moment she stands as Ruby sits, hands on her shoulders, eyes warm and fond and full of- she knows the emotion. Knows those four damning letters and swallows them back.

Better to show her through her actions.

It's quickly done. No magic, just hands and planning (She planned this, of course she planned this, every string, every tack, every pin) to the point that she has the sheets draped about the bed in soft slopes, peaked high near the ceiling (it takes some standing on the mattress for a moment and a bit of creative stretching but it is worth it). Blankets are bundled in the middle of the drape and sway of the sheets, the basket of treats tucked close on a tray, the schnappes set in a bucket to chill while she has drinking chocolate (trust me, Church said, and she didn't bat an eye) off to the other side. Remi protests being moved as she tugs the stack of books closer, peeling off her Kirtle, her belt, setting her sending crystal in a box on her desk to be pointedly ignored.

Then into the nest she crawls, tucking Ruby close to her side. Book open, all prepared, she murmurs. "What chapter were we on again, Cha-Cha? I cannot recall."

"Are you sure?" Its the first thing that comes to mind, before she drops her gaze, and a little smile sparks at the corners of her mouth. Not the full burning brightness her smiles can have, but a spark. "Thank you."

For taking the day off, and the time, and for just being here. She's tempted to just lean forward and rest her forehead to Adelaide's abdomen as she stands and wrap her arms around her waist, and she almost lists forward before resisting and letting her get to work. She might look faintly bemused, and ask if Adelaide needs any help, before waiting patiently and just enjoying watching Adelaide be faintly ridiculous and still very Adelaide. The very moment she joins Ruby? She will find herself with Ruby curling up against her side, head resting on her shoulder, before she draws back a little. "Wet hair," she explains, looking up to Adelaide for permission, to see if it'll be a bother.

It takes a second to actually register the question. "Um. Seven, I think? They'd just arrived at the— at the place. Starkhaven?" And she smiles a little more. "I can't believe you didn't keep reading it."

"I have never been more certain." Time off. Time with Ruby. Time being absurd for the sake of whimsy, time being...people. Not a councilor, not a wolf. Being Adelaide and Ruby as Ruby has always done for her. It is only fair that she offer the same.

Settled and comfortable and so content to have her here- wet hair or no. She shrugs, tugging Ruby's head back against her shoulder. Hair will dry, the damp spot is worth the proximity. They are here, they are safe. Nothing else matters but the moment they share here. Chapter seven, she flips to it to find where they'd been. It's a truly absurd story- full of fairy tale romance and tropes- but it's still something she can enjoy. "You like it."

As if that is reason enough for her to keep reading. "It makes you happy."

There is the heart of the matter. It's something she can do, something she can do properly to make Ruby smile. She tugs the basket of snacks close to contribute to the moment. The usual bits of nuts and cubes of cheese have been swapped out for comfort food. "Here- these are...pizza rolls?"

She's content just with Adelaide, really. The cosy fortress of sheets and the book and the food even are bonus extras. Ruby is preoccupied with Adelaide, settling against her and reaching up to carefully brush some of her hair back, letting her fingers linger and map over her cheekbone and jaw and trail towards her neck before she glances to the food.

"Pizza rolls?" Okay, for that she does lift her head, looking a the basket and then back to Adelaide. She moves more gingerly and less freely than before she took to the dungeons, if only because her wounds were still so freshly healed up, and everything still felt so vulnerable. Ruby presses a kiss to Adelaide's cheek that lingers for long seconds before drawing back. "Was it Emma, Cosima or Church? I'm pretty sure even Antiva doesn't have pizza rolls, yet."

Reaching for one of the rolls, she inhales the smell of it happily. "You make me happy. Everything else is just a bonus."

"That is what he called them." Answering the next question before it is even asked, how bright is she? Little pockets of pastry with sauce and cheese and meat- "One with dried Antivan sausage- one with...the works? Supreme."

Peppers and cheese and ground meat well seasoned. Church had been insistent. Wanting nothing more than this particular moment, this smile, this spark of Ruby, her Ruby back? Is well worth the effort it took to explain it to the larger of the Chefs. Burly. Ruby's favorite. All she'd had to do was say who it was for and make sad eyes and he'd taken what she wanted and made it a reality without so much as a word. A thumbs up, of course, but not a word.

What a darling man.

"You deserve all the bonuses I can find." After what happened? She'd give more. So much more if only she knew- this? this is simple enough. Adelaide presses her lips to Ruby's forehead, eyes closed. Again there is a moment where her hand goes tight around her shoulder. That moment of terror that this had nearly been lost. It passes and all there is after was warmth and Ruby and the scent of her hair, the sound of her voice. "I had more planned but- you surprised me."

Church. Of course it was Church. She needed to find a way to communicate how much she appreciate that ridiculous man. They hadn't been close before the dungeon but... somehow that, of all things, seemed to have given them something to stand on. A platform of solidarity. Oh, sure, he was a kind of crass goofball that seemed as likely to laugh at someone tripping over as help them, until he reached out to someone who he didn't know well and wanted to make sure they were okay. Who was prepared to have her back, and that meant everything. Later, she would figure out how to say thank you to Church in a way that was better than just saying it and thinking words were enough. Definitely later though, because now its time to be with Adelaide.

The arm around her shoulders squeezes her closer, and Ruby tilts her head to press a lingering kiss to Adelaide's jaw, and then drops another to her neck in response; a focus point, an anchor. "I'm not going anywhere. You're going to have to throw me out of this bed, honestly." There's more brightness in her tone, even if there's not quite the same boundless energy that she might normally have.

"So there'll be plenty of time for bonuses later, I promise. Right now all I want is you and me, and I have that. You, me, no guards and no creaky cot. Pretty much perfect." She draws away, but only enough to take a bite of her pizza roll without getting crumbs all over Adelaide, her free hand held under her chin to also try and protect the bed. "This is amazing. Have you tried one?"

It's more of a comfort than she can properly articulate. Utterly ridiculous, something of a hyperbole, spoken with the absolute brilliant certainty that Ruby uses when describing ridiculous things. Another slice of who they were and how they were, regained. The knot in her chest eases and it makes it easier to lean forward and steal a bite of Ruby's pizza roll without missing a beat. Just a nibble, just a little bit of crust and sauce and cheese and-

And.

"Maker's breath-" She licks her lips, plucking up one of her own from the basket. "He wasn't kidding. 'Little pockets of awesome' indeed."

A good choice, these. "Burly did very well, considering I only had half an idea of how these were supposed to be made. Church is...enthusiastic but not terribly skilled in thorough description."

The mmhmm sound she makes is one of intense agreement. Just as well it's been a month of foods mostly acceptable to a temporarily sensitive stomach, with the exception of sugary treats snuck in. She finishes it rather quicker than is probably dignified, sucking a bit of cheesy tomato sauce off the inside of her thumb, before realising what she's doing and clearing her throat. "Yeah, they're uh— he did an okay job."

Her understatement is betrayed by her smile. Easier, now, and not so much for the sake of others nearby as they had bene in the dungeon. It's quick and sincere and she rolls her eyes a little. She's tired and she's not 100% super chipper and great, but this is still a really nice way to feel after everything.

"I think you, Church and Burly mad a pretty good team. Ten out of ten. Gold star."

"Perhaps we should include him in the project to make comfort food for Rifters." The rather underground one she's funding out of her pocket as she hasn't...exactly asked for permission on that front. Ah, well. She'll worry about that later, for now? There's smiling, there's Ruby against her side and they are both looking forward. No darkness, no bars, no too kind guardsman Thomas minding the hall to make certain they aren't disturbed.

Just them and this safe haven they've made.

"Burly, I know, would be happy to help if only for the challenge. He enjoyed our test batches very much."

Her smile turns to one of surprise, and satisfied that there are no crumbs to battle or sauce left on her hand, she looks between grabbing another and leaning against Adelaide again. The latter wins without much debate required.

"Comfort food for Rifters, huh?"

Ruby tries to remember if Adelaide's mentioned this to her already. Her memory is still something she's shaking out a little, when it comes to recalling conversations and some little details. "I already dragged him into the brewing project, kinda. He seemed excited about doing it." Reaching across Adelaide, she plays with Adelaide's hair idly, twirling a little around her fingers before brushing it back. "I was, uh. I was actually thinking of focusing on that, for a while. I'll still do missions if they need me, you know, but I think... I think it'd be another way to make myself useful, you know? And if that gets running, some of the money could be used for comfort food stuff."

"Yes." Whatever else they enjoy- well. It is something that could be made for them provided there are ingredients available that are similar enough to what is required- but that falls to someone else to mind. It isn't her project entirely and between Burly, Ruby, and Church? They can sort something out. For now... she focuses on this. This warmth, this softness. This certainty of having Ruby nuzzled against her shoulder, fingers in her hair. Whole and smiling and content.

"I think- time away from the front would be best for you. Time to recover. There's more to it than bruises fading and bones mending and- you do best with people." Even Adelaide can see that. "Doing well with the brewing and distilling would give you more time and space to talk to people. Be charming at them."

From her place at Adelaide's shoulder, Ruby looks up; her fingers continue to follow the line of Adelaide's jaw, the tip of her middle finger tracing light cobwebs of patterns across her neck. She only looks for a few moments before trying to actually reply.

"Being charming isn't the most I can do to help, though," she finally says, quietly - more seriously. It's not the best she can do, not exactly the high standards that Adelaide sets for herself, and that Ruby has admired for as long as she's realised them. Before, really, but without knowing why Adelaide worked so hard. Maybe there's dread, there, or at least some quiet nervousness. The thought of not doing all she can, of being less than what she should be, or what Adelaide—

Ruby cuts off the thought. "I missed this." Not that they had a huge amount of time for just being like this before, but it made the moments more important. Precious, really.

"No- but it is something that is...easier on you for the time being. After what you endured?" The closest she's come to speaking of the wolf, it's rage, all that pain. "You have earned a break. A real break, where the work you do is as far removed from violence and pain and fighting as possible. To assist with morale and stir people into higher spirits. While it is not the most you have done, it is still vital."

To keep their souls from despairing. To keep people calm and well pleased with the Inquisition and one another. "Think of the walls you broke with the Snow War."

That came from an absurd conversation. "There was a greater ease among members of the Inquisition after that. Is it not worth doing? Is that not an accomplishment in it's own right?"

Ruby feels all too content to just listen to Adelaide speak; the cadence and tone and the way her accent shapes the words. That's pretty nice to listen to all on its own without the kindness or the generosity of the words themselves. She's heard Adelaide talk about before about not having the very gentlest of beside manners, but given the past month and this moment? Ruby would kinda sorta have to dramatically disagree.

A little smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, and she eases up from her resting place of leaning against Adelaide. Her fingers are still playing with Adelaide's hair, but still while Ruby just takes a moment to look at her, to see her in this place, this more comfortable context. No dungeons or guardsmen. And with moment taken, she rests her forehead against Adelaide's, eyes closed. "You always know the right things to say to me."

It is one thing to speak. It is another entirely to be heard, to be held and held accountable- to be understood on so base a level as one would feel it in their bones. Ruby- no matter how absurd or serious, no matter how idle or intent, listens. Hears her. Understands in a way that seems to go beyond the words that Adelaide scrapes together for the moment and sinks through to what she means, surpassing even Adelaide's own ability to place that intent.

It's as much a relief as it is a boon to have someone that understands even when she cannot speak well. Her hand slides up to cradle Ruby's jaw, her own smile small and soft and private. For Ruby and Ruby alone. "You do the same for me."

"With the references that make no sense and the bad jokes?"

The joke doesn't have her usual flair and shift in tone, the audible implication of a ridiculous smile. It's quieter and softer, and undermined by her desire to just stay anchored in this moment, for a while. Instead of let's no be crazy, her voice carries a tone of accepting Adelaide's sentiment, absorbing it.

She tilts her head, only enough to catch Adelaide with a brief kiss, light, though fleeting doesn't seem right when they remain so close and when she gently bumps their noses together in the moment after. And... actually, then she smiles, and exhales a laugh. "Probably I should have decided to be all affectionate before I ate the pizza roll with the garlic. Sorry."

Good tactics, Ruby. Nice work.

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