faderift | But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more!

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But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more!

WHO: Zevran and any on the road!
WHAT: Walking, drinking, dancing, dirty songs and poetry while hiking to Skyhold. Perhaps a stop in a tavern or two along the way.
WHEN: The course of several days on the road.
WHERE: The Road to Skyhold, Skyhold itself
NOTES: ~~Zev is a walking content warning~~ coarse language, innuendo, drinking

Strange how after a solid year of hiking over hill and dale, through Imperial Highways and muddy side tracks he'd sworn to never do so again no matter the company or the cause. And yet here was Zevran yet again on foot (an elf with a horse attracted too much attention in the area) walking the long way to Skyhold with the odd thumb out for any passing caravan- provided they were not bandits. Company he did not mind. Burglary? Less so. From what little he'd heard of the events at Haven and his concern for a country that had been, for all to brief a time, a home of sorts, Zevran made his merry way along the road to this fortress rumored to be the best option for a strategic regroup. Perhaps he would meet someone familiar, perhaps he might offer his services.

The options were many. As were the songs that he would use to amuse himself, strumming a worn, well sanded lute while he walked. Now and then snatches of Antivan would curl through the air, lilting and easy and- to anyone that understood? Absolutely filthy.

"Le mie gambe sono avvolte intorno a voi collo,
Il tuo cazzo nella mia strada, spinte e agitare!
Ero a letto , ma ora sono in questo petto .
Cosa stai mi dà grande piacere!"

So on and so forth from one tavern to the next on the long trek, if coaxed and if it would see him fed or paid, he would play a few of the softer, more romantic tunes he knew. But for the most part? Smut. Quite a bit of smut. It wasn't as though anyone truly understood him all that often.

His actual arrival was a little less Merry, he had to give one thing to wandering bandits. When they coordinate well enough for a solid ambush and attack en masse? It wasn't the simplest fight to handle alone. Escaping unscathed wasn't entirely possible but he had managed to find a group of either merchants or refugees or a mix of both, he wasn't all that certain, to walk with for the last streatch. One even deigned to allow him to ride the last leg in- provided he rode on the back of the cart and entertained them. As such Zevran's arrival was marked with his voice crackling out past laughter.

"'But yes, she asks, what is the difference?' and I tell her-

'The difference is in where you put the cucumber.'"

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"There are quite a few- more than I could teach you in one sitting- but for now I shall show you three and that should be enough for a simple song, yes?" Baby steps. Walking before crawling and all that.

"Oh, yes, I should think so." Keeping her fingers on the chord, she strummed the strings once to get a feel for it and how it sounded.

"And if you wish for individual notes, you pick- thusly." He reaches around with his other arm to cradle the hand of hers on the belly of the lute, picking three notes slowly with his nails. "You see?"

Well, wasn't this a cozy position to be in? Ellana was quite all right with having such a charming fellow so close to her.

"Mmm," she hummed, copying his movements. "So this is a note, and this up here is a chord."

Incredibly cozy, in fact. "Yes, you've got the gist of it. The second chord is here-"

Deft and delicate he slid his hand along with hers to the next fret, pressing the appropriate fingers in place. "And you have the next."

"All right," she said, moving to strum her hand against the strings. She smiled and turned her head to look back at him.

"This is easier than I pictured. Or perhaps you're just a very good teacher."

"I am an excellent teacher- and you a quick study." He grinned, eyes catching hers. So clear, so green, so openly bright, add a layer of sultry intent behind and it made something in his chest twist. Not the same at all, Ellana kinder, more curious, less cautious but the little things- the curve of her jaw, the sweetness of her smile-

He tamped it all down and leaned in just a little bit closer. Half embracing her as he was, it wouldn't take much to close the distance- but that he left to her discretion.

She really shouldn't, because this wasn't why she was here. She wanted to do something to put the world back to right. But, she reasoned, what was a person to do in their down time while they waited for the call to arms? Especially her, who had longed for the chance to go out into the world and finally had done it.

As casually as she could, she leaned back into him, humming at his words.

"Confident and kind. I do believe you're the perfect teacher. Now, let me see if I remember the first chord." Ellana moved her fingers back and strummed, then repositioned to the second chord and strummed again. She heard the difference in the notes and smiled. "I like this."

"Ahh, you see? You will master this soon enough. Now you can change chords on the same fret, the further up you are? The lower the tone. The closer to the belly? The higher." He picked a thin line down one string, a sliding scale higher and higher as he trailed his their hands from the neck to the belly of the lute. It was a simple trick, but one that put their hands together, that let him rest his chin over her shoulder to see.

Also it offered a lovely view of her bosom, but for once he was rather taken by the curve where her jaw met her throat.

Oh, she knew what he was doing. Her lips curled up in a smile, but she kept her eyes focused on the music.

"This seems simple enough. To play a tune, I just have to memorize the positions in order."

"If I teach you one more chord, we will have the backbone of a simple Antivan melody." He slides their hands into the right position on the neck and gives the lute another strum. "Right here. Strum twice, back to the first on the top fret and then to the second chord."

"Strum twice," she repeated, doing as instructed. Then she moved her hand back, but fumbled for a moment to get her fingers into the right spot. Biting her lip, she continued once she thought she had it and when she was done, tilted her head towards him for his thoughts.

"Very good! You remembered." This close it'd be but a trifle to brush his lips against her cheek. The simplest thing in the world. And yet he held his reservations- that closeness would be hers to choose. "We repeat that pattern and you have learned the beginning of an old Antivan love song."

"Oh, a love song. I like that it's one of those." Her attention returned to the instrument and she repeated the chords before she started to hum them on the third go round.

"Hmm, hmm, mmm. Hmm, hmm, mmm." Satisfied that she had it, she looked back to him. "Will you sing the words while I play?"

"I shall indeed." Low and warm and easy, his voice carved out a private place for the two of them.

"Se vai
si prenderà il mio cuore
e io senza di te
Non so dove andare

Se vai
il dolore mi mangerà
un giorno
non posso vivere senza di te,"

It was all she could do to concentrate with his beautiful voice in her ear. She was sure she was on the wrong chord a time or too, but she barely heard the music she was making at all, her entire focus on him. Without knowing the words, he could have been singing of anything, but the way he sang it was what mattered.

At the end, she played the chords one more time through, just to make sure there wasn't another verse, then her nails strummed down the strings before she stopped, letting the sound die away on its own. She released a soft sigh.

"How beautiful."

The song wound to a close and he remained content to sit tucked close. It wasn't an intense embrace, this, but it was warm. It was contact. And for all his flirtatious and lovers casual, extended contact given and accepted without expectation was something he did not have enough of in his life. Let alone with someone quite so sweet. He smiles, tipping his head to rest his cheek against hers.

Too easy, Zevran. Too forward should he press. The chase from here would be hers to make. "As much as you, Bella."

Oh, this was nice. So very nice. Ellana had had something like this once, and never since, though she wished she did. It was a wonderful feeling to have.

"You're very charming," she murmured. Almost as charming as... no. She shut down that thought, not even wanting to picture that certain someone in her head. He was a liar, and he was dead and gone anyway. Ellana wanted to focus on the here and now.

"What does Bella mean?"

"So I have been told." He's charming and gorgeous and knew it well, used it to his advantage on many occasions. Here it was...not quite so ulterior a motive. Something simple. Something kind. Something he could steal for himself for a brief moment of time before they needed to part ways.

"It means beautiful woman. And you are, so I call you as such." Compliments and endearments came as easy as breathing to Zevran in the face of someone so lovely.

Ellana's lashes lowered, even though the compliment was no different from those he'd already given her. She was a woman who couldn't help but enjoy being called beautiful.

"And what would you say if I wanted to give you a little thank you for calling me such a thing? Maybe out behind the tavern in a secluded corner?"

"I would say that I am happy to follow wherever you lead." However much or little she intended to give was hers to give- and his to accept as the gift it seemed to be. There would be no complaints whatsoever.

Ellana moved to stand and hand him back his lute. And if she appeared rather excited, well, it had been years since she'd kissed anybody. And she'd never kissed anyone who wasn't Dalish before. Though he was still an elf. Small steps.

"Then I had better get to leading you. Follow me."

The lute was slung along his back and a few coppers left for the table- not that he truly needed to pay much any longer but it felt impolitic to take advantage of the hospitality once given for too long. She stood, he followed. "As you wish, Bella."

Since Ellana had been fascinated with Skyhold, she'd been exploring all the nooks and crannies she could. There was a hidden spot around the back of the tavern past a training dummy, and this was where she led him now, until they entered the shadows that torch light couldn't reach. Then she turned around and pressed her back against the stone.

"So," she started, a little unsure of what to say. 'Thanks' would have sounded silly. 'Here I am' was obvious. She tilted her head, studying him. He was confident, sure of himself. He probably never wondered what was best to say and what would sound ridiculous. Or if he did say something ridiculous, he probably owned to it proudly.

Ellana exhaled. "May I kiss you?" she asked.

It was not s bad a nook- nice and private, easy avenue of escape should anything go wrong- but he intended for nothing to leave her so uncomfortable as to consider fleeing. He followed at a respectful distance, stopping just within arm's reach when they arrived. This was her play, her seduction, he would follow her lead in how she wished this to be done.

So sweetly, so simply? He had not quite expected that and the smile it brought to his face was warm and without guile.

"If I may kiss you back, of course."

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