Damon returned to the common room, sighing and trying to keep his doubts off his expression as he shut the door behind him. Malon and Lilian were sitting at the table, making small talk in that safe way that people who don’t know each other well tend to. They both looked relieved to see him, and he did his best to smile and step into carrying the conversation.
“I see you brought a bag with you, aesta,” he said.
She nodded. “I did. Food and wine and a few other supplies. I, ah, bought you a new shirt.”
“You shouldn’t have,” he said.
“I wanted to,” said Malon. “If I’d known seta was going to be here, I… well, I would have also gotten her something.”
“You mentioned food,” he said, not wanting to linger on that subject. “Did you have a plan for dinner tonight?”
“In fact, I did.” Malon took an apron down from the wall next to the kitchen and tied it on. “I have a whole pork roast, along with some vegetables that I thought I’d cook in a sauce.”
“That sounds wonderful,” said Lilian.
“I should get started on the roast, as it’s going to take some time to cook through,” said Malon. “Solas, could you try the shirt on before I get started?”
Damon did just that. He didn’t bother to leave the room to disrobe, given that both Malon and Lilian had seen him naked more times than he could count. He noticed the way they glanced at him once he was shirtless, and then toward each other, and then back toward him.
“It’s a little tight,” he said, pushing the last button through the eye.
“It’s meant to be,” said Malon. “The fabric is made to stretch with your movements. It should serve you well in the summer.”
“It looks good on you,” said Lilian. “That color of blue suits your personality.”
Lilian stood up and helped adjust the sleeves for him. Damon was just about to change out of it when the door to Vel’s room opened, and she stepped out.
The earlier tension came back in full force. It suddenly felt to Damon as though all of them were waiting for something terrible to happen, a dramatic argument or a tragic teardown. Vel’s eyes were still puffy, though it was clear she’d gone to great lengths to try to erase the evidence of her earlier tears.
She slowly strode across the room, coming to stand a few strides from Malon, who if anything, looked even more emotionally vulnerable. The two women stared at one another, perhaps not knowing where to begin, perhaps simply not wanting to be the one to have to begin.
“Seta…” whispered Malon, after an endless moment. “I’ve missed you. So very, very much.”
“Well, I haven’t missed you at all!” Vel’s voice was petulant, but it was her only defense. “If you expect me to just forgive you and, and…”
“I don’t,” said Malon softly.
“Why?” hissed Vel. “Aesta… Just tell me why? I don’t understand.”
To Malon’s credit, she seemed to give her answer serious thought, glancing toward nothing in particular and weighing her answer. She’d always been a woman aware of the power held within words.
“Because I made a shortsighted decision when I was younger,” she said. “Because there was a time when all I cared about was helping people like you, and solas… and Seffi. Because I didn’t realize early enough that I’m not perfect.”
Vel shook her head, glaring at her, though the expression was undercut by her puffy eyes. Damon walked over to where the two of them stood, drawing near Vel to set a hand on her shoulder.
“She doesn’t bear all of the blame, Vel, as hard as it is to accept,” he said. “You remember Austine, and how it was between him and me, right? It’s not as though she can refuse Lascivious’s will, and from what she’s told me, she has done her part in calming Seffi down in the time since.”
“That’s not good enough for me!” snapped Vel. “What was it you used to say about responsibility, aesta? Intention is meaningless in the face of results. So, even if you didn’t mean for any of this to happen… it still happened. You still broke everything and left us alone.”
“I did.” Malon lowered her gaze and folded her hands demurely. “I have to live with what I’ve done, just as you do. I am truly sorry, for what it’s worth. If there was a way to undo it all, or to bring change to the future, if not the past, I would commit myself to it in full.”
Damon’s ears perked up at those words, but it was far from the right time to present her with his and Myr’s idea. Vel was still silently fuming, probably more annoyed at not getting the argument she’d no doubt practiced in her head than by Malon’s words. Lilian sat at the table, a thoughtful look on her face as she gazed edgewise at the setting sun through the window.
“How about we all sit down, have a glass of wine, and ready ourselves for dinner?” Damon suggested. “Weren’t you about to put the roast onto the fire, aesta?”
He felt like a negotiator presenting a compromise to the generals of two hostile armies. Vel turned around and took a seat at the table. Malon gave Damon a nod and a forced smile and headed for the kitchen.
He took one of the new bottles of wine Malon had brought and filled a glass for everyone. He told Lilian about his earlier experiment with his ice magic, more to fill the air with words than for meaningful conversation or feedback. Vel drank her wine quicker than anyone else, pouring herself a second glass that Damon hoped wouldn’t prove to be unwise.
“You don’t mind if I bathe before we eat, do you?” asked Lilian. “I have to time cleaning myself up around the rising and setting of the sun. The water is at its warmest right at the start of night.”
“Of course,” said Damon. “The roast has to cook for a while, anyway. It’s the perfect time.”
“I’ll go along with you,” said Vel.
“I brought some soap.” Malon poked her head out from the kitchen, brow furrowed with uncertainty. “If the two of you felt as though you wanted to use it.”
Lilian smiled. “I would love to have some—”
“What kind of soap?” snapped Vel.
“Rosehip,” said Malon. “Your favorite. Or… it was, last time I checked. I also have lavender and crimmor, though the scent of the latter is a tad overpowering.”
Damon couldn’t have thought of a better peace offering to win Vel over if he’d tried nonstop for a week.
“Ooh,” said Lilian. “I would gladly take some soap. You have no idea how much I appreciate being clean after living in the wild for as long as I did.”
Vel gave a sulky shrug. “I… suppose my hair could use some added fragrance.”
“Use as much as you’d like,” said Malon, setting it out on the table. “I can always get more.”
Damon waited for them to take the soap and start off toward the lake before turning and grinning at Malon. “You’re a genius, aesta.”
“In truth, I brought those for you, solas,” she said. “I didn’t expect you to appreciate them all that much, but soap isn’t always just a gift to the one using it.”
Damon blinked. “Did you just imply that I smell bad?”
She chuckled and came around to stand behind where he sat, setting her hands on his shoulders. “Not bad. Like a man. It’s a powerful scent… distracting even, at times.”
She leaned her face in and inhaled with her nose near the curve between his neck and shoulder, letting out an appreciative sigh. Damon turned to face her, letting the moment linger for a pulsing instant before going for a kiss. She grinned and pulled back evasively, fluffing his hair as she turned away.
“I should get that roast onto the fire,” she said. “Someone around here has to do the cooking, after all.”