[Ficbit] Dragon Age: Origins

[spindizzy]

I am never going to do one of those proper "Here is me novelising my playthrough" fic, because I don't have the brain for that, but I am not above snippeting bits. Set during the first mission out of Ostagar, f!Cousland so spoilers for the human noble backstory.

Whenever they find a body, Cousland stops to check it. Rolls them over to look at their faces, searches out insignias on their armour or packs if there isn't a face – she even wades into a pond to fish out a body. If she were taking their jewellery Daveth'd understand it, but she isn't. She takes letters, sometimes, and things that would identify the bodies, but nothing of value.

Alistair pretends he hasn't noticed anything at all, but Daveth can see him watching them; he wants to know how they'll handle it. And Daveth doesn't mind once he realises she's fine with covering for him while he strips them of anything they can sell.

It makes Jory jumpy though. He keeps tracking the sun, like he's trying to see how much of his time she's wasting, and he keeps looking at Alistair and huffing, as though begging him to step in. So it doesn't surprise Daveth when Jory's the one who breaks, the one who finally demands "What in the Maker's name do you think you're doing?" Not like he's offended. More like she's making them late to a party.

Cousland looks right through Jory and says "My brother was in a scouting party that went into the Wilds," in the flattest voice Daveth's ever heard. "As you said, the scouts were careful, but it can't have saved them all."

Jory gapes at her, and Cousland smiles at him, winter-thin. "If you're ready, Serrah?"

And the next time Cousland and Daveth rolled a body, he didn't say a damn thing.