One Skill Short

Off my Game

(Maven)

Eventually, we all made it back to Skyhold after finding the caches. What Drusilla and I had forgotten was the distinct lack of Blackwall, but we both knew exactly what it meant.

"Maven, you're back..." Cullen sounded nearly breathless and just stared at me for a moment.

"You can't be that shocked to see me uninjured, Commander. That's mean." I teased and he shook his head.

"You were all away for quite some time. I, um, I missed you." He admitted, softly.

Oh. Wow. Cullen uses puppy eyes and it is super effective. My heart...

"I also heard that something happened while you were in the Hinterlands. Something about a kidnapping? What was that about?" He was still clearly assessing me for damages.

"Rogue templars under Corypheus. Nothing worth noting. Drusilla and I made short work of them. When did Blackwall disappear? We should really be going if we don't want him to be hanged." The poor guy could hardly figure out what part to grasp onto.

"Hanged?! You know where he is then?"

"Of course I do. We need to head to Emprise du Lion immediately. He's trying the retribution thing." Without thinking, I grasped his hand to lead him to the war room. When he cleared his throat, I turned back and only then realized what I had done.

"I don't mind the talking if you don't." I quipped with a smirk and almost squee'd when he squeezed my hand. Thank the Maker for self control. Grown women don't squee.

"I doubt I ever minded the chatter." He shot back before I opened the door to enter the main tower. Dorian appraised us with a knowing grin as we momentarily interrupted his perusal of the library.

"Wait, where's Drusilla?" Odessa seemed shocked to not find her next to me and I considered the chances of her being at our house.

"Herald's Rest," Leliana stepped in, not missing a beat." Even though she seems to have fully recovered from what happened during the mission in the Hinterlands. We thought it best for her to take a break from this meeting. Iron Bull promised to keep an eye on her progress. Last I heard, she's taken to arm wrestling anyone who is willing as a way to hone her skills as Knight Enchanter." She looked to me.

"You can also sit this out. I know you had your own reaction to what happened in the Hinterlands. You said Thom Ranier was in Emprise du Lion."

"Cut the crap, Leliana. You already knew most of this stuff about him and just thought it trivial for the time being. However, I think you are right about it being best for my sister and I to sit out traveling for the time being. Just until Bull says she's really gotten it out of her system. I could do with some sparring...I might even ask Varric for some help. His traps are awesome." Shifting to leave, I stopped just before I could open the doors.

"Inquisitor, Commander...if both of you could see me before you head out, I had hoped to talk with you both." Then I was out. I hated how right Leliana was and admitting it to her had only seemed easy. It left a bad taste in my mouth but I knew she still harbored suspicions of us.

[meanwhile...]

(Drusilla)

"This is so stupid..." I grumbled into my sorry excuse for a drink. Blackwall had pissed off to save one of his old dude buds from a public hanging and I couldn't even go and yell at him until he came back to get judged by the Inquisitor.

Also, most of the bar patrons here had resigned to not take me up on my arm wrestling challenge.

"You know, for someone who lost their shit in the woods, you look a lot better now than before we left." Krem plopped down in the seat across from me and I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe because I'm fine. After we helped Solas in the Plains, he fucks off to do whatever, and now I'm stuck at home being babysat by mercenaries. Don't get me wrong, Krem. You guys are great but I get so pissed when things don't turn out the way I think they're supposed to."

"A lot of things piss you off." Krem shrugs and props his arm up onto the table, making me smile. Finally, a distracting proposition from a man that is equal parts appealing and doesn't involve sexy time of any kind.

"Up for the challenge?" He snarks and I slam the rest of my tankard with one hand and bring up my other to grasp his.

"Unless I'm sick or dying, I'm pretty much always up for a challenge." Rocky counted down from three and I got to work on the spell endurance of my drunkenly named "strongy powers" without really using much of my magic. Turns out, that I only needed to focus a little because of alcohol. The other half of my thoughts was on adenosine triphosphate and how it might actively be playing a part in the spell or just making it so I don't pass out hyperventilating to keep up with the physiology.

It started off with Krem almost pinning me in the first three seconds before my spell kicked in. Everything had to be gradual as I tested my limits because I didn't want to accidentally tear off Krem's swordarm. At this point, we are evenly matched and I can up things a little.

"You don't like talking your shit out, do you?" He assessed and I nearly snorted at his rather Bull-like words.

"No. I am a repressor of all things that bug me enough. Why? You offering to help me talk through my problems?" Krem barked out his own short laugh.

"I am definitely the wrong guy for that job. No wonder the Spymaster asked us to stick around and take a break."

"She's a huge pain in the ass sometimes, but she knows her shit." I digress as I upped the ante, now able to see evidence of a strain in the muscle drawing around the warrior's neck. Just a hint more and I'd have him beat.

"Damn." He hissed once the back of his hand hit the wooden table, but he was grinning.

"Hey, Chief. She might just be able to take you on." For the first time that evening, I peek over at Bull. I already knew he'd been watching us. The qunari watched everything and too intently. I had a feeling Leliana may have even tapped into some measure of guilt for allowing one of their living resources to get plucked up by the enemy on his watch. It was my fault but I didn't want to apologize. I had a hard time keeping my eyes on his because part of me felt bad.

It was years since my last real episode and it'd happened around a guy who I liked and even respected...and who feared losing his structured lifestyle despite now being considered Tal-Vashoth. There weren't Templars in my world, so it was very different. This crazy magic nonsense was new too and it fucked with me in those situations...the templars wouldn't have bugged me so much if I wasn't a mage. At least, not in the same way.

"Templars would freak out any mage but this was different, wasn't it?" Bull actually sat down across from me with a fresh tankard that smelled funny.

"Yeah..." I grunted, bringing my arm up onto the table.

"Usually when something weird feels like its getting to me, I find someone to hit me with a stick. Doesn't really seem like your thing, though."

This fucking bastard...I remembered that part and the comical exchange between Odessa and him. I let out a snort before chuckling a little. The Inquisitor even went so far as to try and understand without asking questions. It's the usually thing with Bull during times like that, so she was getting to know him pretty well. When demons frazzle up the Bull and he asks you to hit him with a stick, you don't ask questions. You just do it or give the stick to someone else.

"I don't let people beat things out of me. It's...never worked." Tiptoe. Tiptoe. Gotta be careful what I say to this Sherlock Holmes in a Qunari body.

"Yeah. I picked up on that pretty quick. You and you sister are more likely to get plastered or throw yourself into work until you're too exhausted to stand or remember anything. We can't have a drunk healer on the battlefield."

"Which is exactly why I'm doing this. Now are you going to keep talking or are you going to arm wrestle me?"

"You actually want to do this?" I rolled my eyes.

"Are you afraid I'll hurt you? I've only had one drink. If I pull a muscle of five in your arm or something, I promise to patch you back up." He was quiet for a moment before guwaffing and slapping the table a few times.

"Alright, Dru. Let's see what you can do." His mouth slid into a grin, ready for a challenge, per usual.