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[ombranera]

I will write back as soon as possible.

Regards, Zevran

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[ombranera]

An opportune moment! Much like his father before him when Lucci sees the opening offered? He takes it, chubby hand slipping up to grasp at that hanging braid.

If he were not so certain that he had no place as a father, Zevran would feel more pride.

Well. That is untrue- he feels quite a bit of pride, a strange warmth in his chest that aches, but he cannot quite so easily express it. "It does occur to me that anyone I might send him to is already here. That sending him away would not keep me from wondering if he is well. I simply..."

His hand falls away, eyes dark, uncertain. "I am no father, Leliana. How am I to raise a child? I have my hands full with the dog and Alistair."

[fightingale]

Leliana makes a quiet sound, neither surprise nor pain and possibly amused, as she eyes the child in her arms. "Typical," is all she offers, exhaling it with something almost like a laugh.

"No one is a parent until they find themselves faced with a child, I suspect." She, herself, had been vocally incredulous about Morrigan's ability as a mother, until she saw her with Kieran. "You have your friends, many of them, at the ready to support you. And I think... remember from your own childhood what it was you desired. Love, acceptance, kindness-- you can offer those in abundance."

And she is going to gently extricate her braid from Luciano's deathgrip. "Learning as you go, improvising to suit a situation... those are skills of yours as well, I seem to recall."

[hlif]

I'll take my lot taking my money and drinking it when my back is turned or whatever Carta nonsense I get dragged into. I'll take Amalia's everything over that.

[Not that Asher would know about kids really, he's got his baby sister and she is blessedly wonderfully sane, adoring him and bringing out his soft side, the rest of the Boneflayers his age or older in Melisende's case.]

Nasir's pretty relaxed all things considered. Well, they're keyed up right now but a job went bad - smugglers in Gwaren but they neglected to tell us that they were smuggling an apostate on the verge of going abomination so suffice to say it's been a long journey back here. But I'll try to keep Amalia out of the way since she tends to complicate things. With fire. Settimo doesn't have any lads or lasses after him does he?

[ombranera]

Lucci is loathe to give up the shining prize, large, blue eyes welling up with tears when Leliana finally frees that pretty red hair. Until the shrieking starts, and it would, Zevran means to let her handle it however she thinks best.

"I will...consider it. You know? Alistair joked about my fathering a child some time ago. A jest about 'little zevrans' with their little knives. What I told him then I think holds true now." Ah, there is the hitching burble of breath that is the beginning of a sob. Without thought and without hesitation Zevran tugs the end of his braid over his shoulder, pressing it into Lucci's hand. "We want their lives to be better than our own. I do not know that I can provide that for him."

[ombranera]

No, the Kestrels are not permitted to flirt nor bed anyone in the Inquisition until they have rid themselves of habits the Crows tend to instill into it's members.

[ He is not going to elaborate any time soon. ]

They are all of them unattached, so that is one complication we need not fear.

[hlif]

I'll make very sure Amalia knows that. But she's fairly tall, blonde, blue eyes, Marcher, always wears red leathers instead of mage robes, the staff looks plain enough you'd mistake it for some sort of fighting staff with a red blade at the end, tends to be attached to Nasir at the hip at the moment if you see her around. She'll probably just be curious or moral support.

[Since she might make a point of showing off and well, she's never taken kindly to people taking 'her' things before, and when she likes fire…]

I should've just sent the dwarves. I really should've just sent the dwarves to do this and not cared if they decided to get up to nonsense, bloody Kaisa.

[Action/Bloomingtide 14]

[madame_de_fer]

[Back for but two weeks, Vivienne's already keenly aware that one of her favorites has been remarkably, well... absent. Which is concerning as she's not aware of his having frequented the healing tents.

Ah well, she has a solution for that in the form of a small bribe for a visit: one of the few bottles of brandy she brought back to Skyhold with her. That she's coming to his quarters to seek him out is telling. She's actually fond of the assassin.

A quick, short rap on his door in case he's (ahem) occupé.]

[fightingale]

"That is hardly playing fair," she informs the little bundle, pouting at him a little, exaggerated, before gently tickling his tummy with the pad of her forefinger.

For a moment she just looks at Zevran in silence, expression softening, mouth catching with something that doesn't quite make it to a smile.

"You can. You would never do to him what was done to you. And finding family when you had none... surely that is too great an opportunity to pass up."

crystal, on Honesty Day.

[byblow]

[ There's a briefly discontented pause, during which he first wishes Mia would put out and then recognizes the hypocrisy. Again: very brief. ]

That's sweet, though. Does she get along with Doghren?

[ #priorities ]

crystal, on Honesty Day.

[ombranera]

Quite well, but Doghren still loves you best.

[ombranera]

He made mention of someone like that who gave him odd looks from a distance shortly after his arrival. Then again- most of them did. Skyhold does not often welcome Crows, even former Crows.

[ all the more reason now for them to be kestrels. ]

Dwarven nonsense tends to be...explosive, in one way or another.

[Action/Bloomingtide 14]

[ombranera]

One moment-

[ He shushes and gentles and sooths as best he can before untangling himself from the mass of blankets he'd propped up with pillows over his bed- creating a tent and maze for his crawling child.

Stumbling to the door, too large shirt stained with milk and looking gnawed upon in more than one place (some Doghren, some not) he pokes his head out to peer at- ]

Mia Regina?

[ombranera]

For the moment all seems well and Lucci? Giggles. Burbles with laughter that only hitches as he remembers he is meant to be sad. It passes. There is this warmth, this softness, this incredibly fragile thing in Leliana's eyes and hands.

"...finding that I wish to try and that, perhaps, I might not need to send him away to do it...it is a frightening thought." He'd never planned on children. His bloodline was not meant to pass on. "There'd been a time in the Crows where I had a dream of being free with a woman I loved. I thought, perhaps, we might have children. Then she died and the world spun on and I put such things away."

crystal, on Honesty Day.

[byblow]

For now, maybe. I told her I couldn't look after a dog.

BARGES IN - action

[arachnophobe]

[The loud banging fist on Zevran's door is probably loud enough to wake yet another ancient Tevinter magister from their darkspawn-y rest as Alejandro practically punches the wood.]

Zevran, aprire lo sportello! I will fuckin' remove the hinges if I have to.

BARGES IN - action

[ombranera]

Per l'amore di cazzo- WHAT?!

[ Zevran hauls the door open, glowering at whoever is on the other side. Behind him Lucci- who he'd just gotten down to nap, who JUST started to sleep- is wailing. Shrieking. ]

Cosa vuoi?! If you do not have a good excuse for waking the baby I swear on my good eye I will cut you from navel to nose and fill the cavity with ants!

[arachnophobe]

Do I have a good excuse?! I'll tell you what it is! You just send word that you're not gonna be around, but you're fine, and you're all cooped up your room! Was it that bad when we--

[And then it sinks in. A baby. There's a baby. Why does Zevran have a baby. On the bright side, this has nothing to do with Alejandro. On the down side? Sudden baby.]

Why is there a baby? [He leans his head faintly, suggesting to let him inside.]

[ombranera]

He's for dinner- why do you THINK there is a baby?

[ It occurs, then, that they are screaming at one another in the hall.

Where anyone might hear or see.

Zevran slips a hand out to hook into Alejandro's shirt and hauls him inside closing the door behind him. ]

This is the personal matter I have been handling- [ He scoops up the squirming, shrieking infant, shushing Lucci with soft words in Antivan, patting his back. ]

[arachnophobe]

Okay, but where the hell did he come from?

[Alejandro frowns and approaches, then hesitantly holds out his arm in offering.] Handling him, sure, okay. But I didn't exactly take you to be a babysitter.

[ombranera]

Antiva- shh, Lucci, shh.

[ Zevran rocks him gently, going through the usual check. He's not gnawing on anything, so it is not his teeth, his diaper is empty, he would not fall asleep for anything- Without thought Zevran handed his son over and the infant clung to Alejandro's shoulder while Zev dug around in a crate to find the chilled jug of milk and cream to prepare his bottle. ]

Try parent.

[arachnophobe]

[With some adjustments to his prosthetic, he effectively holds Lucci, gently rubbing the infant's back as he wails.]

Wait-- seriously?

[No, of course seriously. Zevran would never joke about this. No wonder he'd shut himself up into his room.]

Someone didn't want him. [That's the only thing he can think of. How else could he have ended up with the boy?]

[ombranera]

His mother had an opportunity to marry a Merchant Prince. You know how they treat bastards.

[ Liabilities that must be dealt with, usually by a liberal application of Crows.

Bottle prepped he offers the nub to Lucci- and the wailing stops, the boy hiccuping around the nub in his mouth. ]

It was not safe for him.

[arachnophobe]

[Unfortunately, he definitely knows. And he definitely knows what it's like to be an unwanted child as well.

He carefully takes the bottle from Zevran, holding it for Lucci as the infant settles with the bottle.]

Shit, Zevran.

[Alejandro sighs and sits down at the edge of his bed.] I don't know how you feel right now, but you're doing the right thing at this moment.

How many other people know?

[ombranera]

She wanted him. He was not meant to be but...she wanted him. When her position is secure with her new husband she means to write. They may never meet but...

[ He pulls a locket from the shelf, tipping it so Alejandro might see the fair, smiling, lovely woman inside, a curl of dark hair coiled behind glass on the opposing side. ]

Serena Pagani. She sells silks and perfume. He would have lived well with her.

[ And now? Now... ]

Mia, Leliana, a healer. Until I know if I am going to keep him or if I am going to send him somewhere safe, the fewer that know? The better. Otherwise they will become attached and sending him away will be impossible.

[arachnophobe]

[It's almost worse than not wanting the child, to want to keep them but not being able to. In this position, no, he truly does not think that she had any choice. It's brutal, but he knows she took the next best choice.]

Yeah, he would have.

[Alejandro watches Lucci for a moment, thoughtful. He can keep a secret, especially on Zevran's behalf. And it makes sense logically; Zevran is an assassin, and having a son to care for makes for some dangerous business.

But still.]

I get what you mean. [Alejandro wants to immediately tell Zevran he should keep the boy, give him his best shot with his father, but he's already barged in here and forced himself into the situation.]

I won't tell anyone about Lucci. But if you need a hand, I'm here. No pun intended. I'm not unfamiliar with, uh, this kind of thing.

Especially since it looks like you could stand to hibernate for a few days.