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Chapter 6: Couches

When Ellana had been very young, around eleven, she had gotten completely smashed.

There was a family in the Lavellan clan that exported authentic Elvhen wines. Many countries paid tons of money for quality wines, especially from the reservations where almost all the world's supply of Elfroot and Arbor Blessings grew. Mixed in with various other herbs and fermented, Elvhen wine was a potent luxury.

She didn't really remember exactly why she had done it now. Her memories of that day were blurred between the kids laughing at her and the adults telling her that as First, she couldn't do what others were allowed to.

Either way, she had snuck into their back stocks and gotten completely plastered on one bright, crystalline bottle.

When people had come looking for her, she had ditched the bottle and ran (not the best idea when drunk) all the way home.

Needless to say, her Keeper had found her and confronted her on her missing hours and a broken back door to the Lavellan bottling room.

It had been the very first big lie for her. She had stood hot faced and drowsy, sweating like a maniac and babbling lies to Deshanna.

Predictably, she vomited on the Keeper's shoes and passed out.

Ever since, lying had always gave her woozy sensations that swirled in her stomach and threatened to top her over. As if she were cursed to be drunk anytime she had the notion to fib.

So, sitting there in the department store's dinky fast food restaurant across from Cassandra, she felt like throwing up.

Not that Cassandra's hardened glare wouldn't do that all its own.

"Have you told him where you live?"

"No!"

"Where you go to school?"

"N-no—"

"Does he know your name?"

"Well..."

"Oh, Ellana..." The woman instantly closed her eyes, pressing her forehead into his hands.

"Only my first name..." Not keen (or able) on making excuses, she had told her friend everything. The initial messages, how long they had been speaking, what she knew of him (teacher, old, Elvhen) and that they had been arguing all this morning.

She looked down at the accuser. Her phone had been completely silent since she had left the bathrooms. Not one message.

"I want to see them."

"What?"

"The messages."

"Cass-"

"All of them." Cassandra gave her such a look of unquestionable authority that she felt didn't have any choice but to slide the screen open and scroll through her messages to the beginning. She considered deleting them all, but got sick at the idea. Not just because it would be lying, but the thought at losing them made her throat feel tight.

The device slid across the table and Cassandra caught it easily, lifting it up for her eyes to scan as if reading a police report.

Ellana sighed awkwardly, trying not to remember the more silly texts they had exchanged.

But thinking of those only made her think of the ones he had sent an hour ago.

Don't be ridiculous da'len.

You are being ignorant..

How Dalish of you.

She wasn't even angry anymore. His words had struck her in places that shouldn't have been personal but were. Places that had made her more... uncomfortable than angry now.