Swooper Fic!
Title: The Thaw
A Gift For: crisium_rising
Rating: G
Summary: Some friendships take longer to start
Thanks: to vehlr for the beta, the title and the sneaky detective work ;)
It’s more than she ever dreamed.
The warden had warned her things were in disrepair, had told her of the fragility of the tower’s current state... Every word spoken in a strange mix of support and discouragement but as she stands there amidst more books than she ever imagined, she can’t imagine anything better. True, everyone seems exhausted down to their bones and even though everything is shiny and new for her, she can tell that something is... less than it once was.
Still, it doesn’t matter because this is all she’s ever wanted and Dagna isn’t about to let something like the Circle Tower’s recovery from a disaster bring her down.
**
She’s still here.
For the most part, he supposes it shouldn’t surprise him. It really has only been a handful of days since the eager dwarf had shown up with a letter from the Warden and all Greagoir had done was wearily point her towards the library. But that doesn’t change the fact that the library is his domain and while, certainly, others can even frequent the space he is entirely unaccustomed to another who spends as much time there as he does.
He certainly doesn’t know what to do if that someone is a dwarf and therefore entirely unable to use magic and, although he is loathe to admit it, the fact the interloper is also female does not help his steadily mounting annoyance at having no idea what he is supposed to say. “Go away, I’m trying to read” seems rude and “Please go away, I’m trying to read.” Seems prissy and it had never been this hard to get rid of the other mages...
The other mages had just left him alone when he learned to stop crying every time they called him “Flora”. The fact this had happened at age sixteen aside, Florian Phineas Horatio Aldebrant, Esquire doesn’t like it when people are in his space.
**
Dagna needs help.
It’s so different from the Shaperate and after the initial excitement wears off, she knows she needs to focus and start her research. Two weeks of reading any book that seemed interesting was all well and good but she’s made this journey to learn something and prove something and she knows she won’t accomplish that if she doesn’t take a better approach.
She just doesn’t know where to start.
She could ask him, she knows... He’s always in the library and she has witnessed some of the younger apprentices asking for his help in locating a section... but even with the children he seems vaguely annoyed at the interruption and while Dagna is positively desperate to know what he’s studying she doesn’t really want to face that level of disdain.
She’s too happy here to open herself up to that.
**
A month later, she still hasn’t left.
In his lesser moments Finn wonders if she’s some sort of demon there to taunt his patience. How is he supposed to get anything done when he’s forced to share his space? The library may not be his by definition but it’s been an unspoken rule since... well, since he had all but cloistered himself inside rather than spend time taunting templars or gossiping with the other apprentices. He’s happier with books and that’s just the way it’s always been. He never signed on for books and bizarrely cheerful dwarf girl who lights up while she’s reading about basic fade theory and laughs excitedly at something on the page, subsequently ruining his precious concentration.
Yet the Warden has called for the templars and the Tower is even emptier than before and Finn can’t help but look at her across the library and wonder if a little laughter is actually so bad?
**
She’s learned so much.
It’s all theory, of course, and while she’s well aware of her dwarven limitations she can’t help but wish there were some way to really understand some of it, to wrap her mind around the descriptions of magic and the fade and what it feels like. The Tower feels so empty with so many templars gone, and those who remain are particularly watchful of everyone. They never seem quite sure what to do with or think about Dagna, but she does her best to stay out of their way.
They never really worry about Finn either, she notices.
She’s still never spoken to him but she doubts he’d be one to try and flee the tower even if an opportunity presented itself. She doesn’t pretend to know what it’s like to be stuck there (because, really, she can go whenever she wants... not back to Orzammar, but she can still go) but how bad can it be if there’s at least one mage who isn’t miserable?
Well, he is pretty malcontent most of the time but Dagna gets the impression that isn’t as deep-seated as Finn wants people to believe and sometimes she catches him watching her when she looks for a book and there’s more curiosity there than annoyance.
She’ll talk to him one day, but first there’s too much to learn.
**
The templars come home.
Finn never would’ve imagined he’d be so happy to see their return, but news is already spreading that the Blight has ended and Ferelden is saved and, really, while there’s certainly some faces missing it almost shocks him to see how many return. It shocks him even more to realize he’s glad about it but he tells himself he’s just happy to have things back to normal.
The Blight is over and Greagoir is back and they still lack a Senior Enchanter but Finn is happy to think that maybe, just maybe, things will start to get back on track.
Dagna smiles at him across the library and his second thought is that normal is relative given that there’s still an academically keen dwarf taking up his space. (His first thought is that she’d probably be a decent conversationalist given how well read she is, if he ever decided to get up from his spot and go and talk to her.)
Finn just gives her a blank stare and goes back to his book.
**
Dagna has seen snow before, on the mountains outside of Orzammar as she made her trek towards the Tower but she’s never seen it falling from the sky. It looks so fresh and pretty and strange out there that she has to put down her book and go to the window.
On tiptoes, with her nose pressed against the glass, Dagna watches the snowflakes with wonder and curiosity and she doesn’t even think when she calls out to Finn. “Look at this!”
**
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see when he joined her at the window. A sea monster rising from the depths of Lake Calenhad, perhaps? But no, it’s only snow and it’s cold and wet and will be dirty as soon as the ground thaws and mud mixes in and Finn really isn’t a fan of things that are dirty...
For a moment, he thinks of telling her that frozen water falling from the sky due to the cold temperature isn’t really anything to get excited over but she seems so... impressed and eager and for the first time he can remember Finn doesn’t actually want to shoot down someone else’s dreams with his superior intelligence.
Instead, he just says the obvious: “It’s snowing.”
Dagna nods and continues to stare outside for several moments and Finn awkwardly starts to wonder if he’s allowed to go back to his books now... but then she turns and smiles at him and says: “I want to talk to you about Lyrium and The Fade and so many things that I’ve learned, come on.”
And she’s off towards her books babbling excitedly about all the things he can explain and help her with and all the discoveries they can make together and...
Maybe it’s just her excitement about the snowfall catching on, but for the first time in years Finn thinks there might be someone at the Circle Tower worth befriending.
Fancy that.
A Gift For: crisium_rising
Rating: G
Summary: Some friendships take longer to start
Thanks: to vehlr for the beta, the title and the sneaky detective work ;)
It’s more than she ever dreamed.
The warden had warned her things were in disrepair, had told her of the fragility of the tower’s current state... Every word spoken in a strange mix of support and discouragement but as she stands there amidst more books than she ever imagined, she can’t imagine anything better. True, everyone seems exhausted down to their bones and even though everything is shiny and new for her, she can tell that something is... less than it once was.
Still, it doesn’t matter because this is all she’s ever wanted and Dagna isn’t about to let something like the Circle Tower’s recovery from a disaster bring her down.
**
She’s still here.
For the most part, he supposes it shouldn’t surprise him. It really has only been a handful of days since the eager dwarf had shown up with a letter from the Warden and all Greagoir had done was wearily point her towards the library. But that doesn’t change the fact that the library is his domain and while, certainly, others can even frequent the space he is entirely unaccustomed to another who spends as much time there as he does.
He certainly doesn’t know what to do if that someone is a dwarf and therefore entirely unable to use magic and, although he is loathe to admit it, the fact the interloper is also female does not help his steadily mounting annoyance at having no idea what he is supposed to say. “Go away, I’m trying to read” seems rude and “Please go away, I’m trying to read.” Seems prissy and it had never been this hard to get rid of the other mages...
The other mages had just left him alone when he learned to stop crying every time they called him “Flora”. The fact this had happened at age sixteen aside, Florian Phineas Horatio Aldebrant, Esquire doesn’t like it when people are in his space.
**
Dagna needs help.
It’s so different from the Shaperate and after the initial excitement wears off, she knows she needs to focus and start her research. Two weeks of reading any book that seemed interesting was all well and good but she’s made this journey to learn something and prove something and she knows she won’t accomplish that if she doesn’t take a better approach.
She just doesn’t know where to start.
She could ask him, she knows... He’s always in the library and she has witnessed some of the younger apprentices asking for his help in locating a section... but even with the children he seems vaguely annoyed at the interruption and while Dagna is positively desperate to know what he’s studying she doesn’t really want to face that level of disdain.
She’s too happy here to open herself up to that.
**
A month later, she still hasn’t left.
In his lesser moments Finn wonders if she’s some sort of demon there to taunt his patience. How is he supposed to get anything done when he’s forced to share his space? The library may not be his by definition but it’s been an unspoken rule since... well, since he had all but cloistered himself inside rather than spend time taunting templars or gossiping with the other apprentices. He’s happier with books and that’s just the way it’s always been. He never signed on for books and bizarrely cheerful dwarf girl who lights up while she’s reading about basic fade theory and laughs excitedly at something on the page, subsequently ruining his precious concentration.
Yet the Warden has called for the templars and the Tower is even emptier than before and Finn can’t help but look at her across the library and wonder if a little laughter is actually so bad?
**
She’s learned so much.
It’s all theory, of course, and while she’s well aware of her dwarven limitations she can’t help but wish there were some way to really understand some of it, to wrap her mind around the descriptions of magic and the fade and what it feels like. The Tower feels so empty with so many templars gone, and those who remain are particularly watchful of everyone. They never seem quite sure what to do with or think about Dagna, but she does her best to stay out of their way.
They never really worry about Finn either, she notices.
She’s still never spoken to him but she doubts he’d be one to try and flee the tower even if an opportunity presented itself. She doesn’t pretend to know what it’s like to be stuck there (because, really, she can go whenever she wants... not back to Orzammar, but she can still go) but how bad can it be if there’s at least one mage who isn’t miserable?
Well, he is pretty malcontent most of the time but Dagna gets the impression that isn’t as deep-seated as Finn wants people to believe and sometimes she catches him watching her when she looks for a book and there’s more curiosity there than annoyance.
She’ll talk to him one day, but first there’s too much to learn.
**
The templars come home.
Finn never would’ve imagined he’d be so happy to see their return, but news is already spreading that the Blight has ended and Ferelden is saved and, really, while there’s certainly some faces missing it almost shocks him to see how many return. It shocks him even more to realize he’s glad about it but he tells himself he’s just happy to have things back to normal.
The Blight is over and Greagoir is back and they still lack a Senior Enchanter but Finn is happy to think that maybe, just maybe, things will start to get back on track.
Dagna smiles at him across the library and his second thought is that normal is relative given that there’s still an academically keen dwarf taking up his space. (His first thought is that she’d probably be a decent conversationalist given how well read she is, if he ever decided to get up from his spot and go and talk to her.)
Finn just gives her a blank stare and goes back to his book.
**
Dagna has seen snow before, on the mountains outside of Orzammar as she made her trek towards the Tower but she’s never seen it falling from the sky. It looks so fresh and pretty and strange out there that she has to put down her book and go to the window.
On tiptoes, with her nose pressed against the glass, Dagna watches the snowflakes with wonder and curiosity and she doesn’t even think when she calls out to Finn. “Look at this!”
**
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see when he joined her at the window. A sea monster rising from the depths of Lake Calenhad, perhaps? But no, it’s only snow and it’s cold and wet and will be dirty as soon as the ground thaws and mud mixes in and Finn really isn’t a fan of things that are dirty...
For a moment, he thinks of telling her that frozen water falling from the sky due to the cold temperature isn’t really anything to get excited over but she seems so... impressed and eager and for the first time he can remember Finn doesn’t actually want to shoot down someone else’s dreams with his superior intelligence.
Instead, he just says the obvious: “It’s snowing.”
Dagna nods and continues to stare outside for several moments and Finn awkwardly starts to wonder if he’s allowed to go back to his books now... but then she turns and smiles at him and says: “I want to talk to you about Lyrium and The Fade and so many things that I’ve learned, come on.”
And she’s off towards her books babbling excitedly about all the things he can explain and help her with and all the discoveries they can make together and...
Maybe it’s just her excitement about the snowfall catching on, but for the first time in years Finn thinks there might be someone at the Circle Tower worth befriending.
Fancy that.