faderift | (no subject)

WHO: Warden!Felix and OPEN. (Starters for Kaiden, Bruce, Dorian, Ellana, and Adele. If you want your own starter just ask!)
WHAT: Felix returns after his Joining and looks much better. Also he's hungry. (The Kaidan thread is during training, set before they return to Skyhold.)
WHEN: About a week or two after Felix's Joining.
WHERE: His training took place at the remains of Haven, the rest is at Skyhold.
NOTES: None yet!

Less than a month ago, Felix had been a dead man. Now, he's at least upright. Things aren't prefect. He still has the taint and he has the ever present fact of the False Calling to contend with, but he's not wasting away anymore.

People who had seen him before will know that he's doing better. His cheeks are fuller and he isn't stumbling. He's able to move without aid. Despite the less than perfect circumstances, he thinks it's wonderful. If it weren't for the fact that he was trying to put on a good face as the newest Warden, he might have tried to dance around like an idiot.

He's still acting a bit like an idiot, but rather than dancing he's trying to get food from the kitchens. The servants might be a little annoyed that he keeps pestering them, but at least he knows how to apologize and thank them. He pesters politely which is likely a nice change.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ha, well. I'd have hated for anyone to have been party to it, so there is that."

But there's no shrugging away Felix's hand. It would be a hypocritical thing to play at being above such gestures after years of Felix being at the mercy of his own sickness where Dorian could see, and so, his hand rests over the other man's knuckles in acknowledgement, even if he isn't looking.

"It told me well enough where his priorities lay, at any rate. I've only met with him once since then -- somewhat recently, but you were-- I would have told you, but you were ill. I didn't want something like that to be among the last things we spoke about. And I know how you are; you worry."

"I do worry," Felix responds. He squeezes Dorian very lightly, just to make a point of showing that he's there. "You are worth worrying about."

He still can't believe Halward would have done such a thing. It makes him angry and frustrated. Even the best among them fall to the temptations. His father had done it, and now he found that Dorian's had as well. The best they could do was try to be better than their parents.

"It's probably best I wasn't there. I would have tried to hit him. That would have caused me to pass out from the strain and then you would have been the one worrying." A pause. "Please tell me that you didn't go alone. There had to have been someone with you." At least to make sure there was no longer a danger.

It's these little moments where Dorian wonders about whether he ought to have fallen in love with Felix properly, quickly followed by another little moment of berating himself for getting starry eyed over men with nice jaw lines telling him he's worth anything at all. All the same, his posture loses just a touch more tension, and there's a fond glance spilled Felix's way.

"No, no. He took care of that well enough. He contacted an acquaintance of mine here in Skyhold -- a noble girl," she's literally his age, "Lady Thevenet, whom he tried to convince to lie to me about the circumstances of the meeting. She didn't, obviously, but we both went anyway. We expected to meet a retainer, but he came all this way in person."

This is the bit where he relates what happened, but Dorian hesitates over it. Mixed feelings war amongst themselves.

"He said he had only wanted me to be happy," is said, with enough irony and eyeroll to make clear where Dorian's feelings on that lie.

"You can be happy as you are," Felix responds. He relaxes as well as Dorian explains he wasn't alone. If he had had access to his wealth he would have wanted to buy Lady Thevenet a gift of some kind. He was glad that Dorian had friends who would look out for him, though it was hardly surprising. Dorian was charming, as well he knew.

"I know everyone wants you to think otherwise, but you can be. You deserve to be. To the Void with anyone who disagrees." That's probably the strongest language that Felix allows himself, but he feels this so deeply and completely.

"He needs to learn that and leave you to it. Not try to change you."