Chapter Text
Dorian was tired. He sighed as he left the Magisterium floor, rubbing his chin to cover up a yawn. Ugh, his throat hurt. As he approached the salon room where Maevaris and the other Lucerni members were going to meet and discuss the day's events, he was stopped by the sound of his name. "Magister Pavus!"
Suppressing an outward sigh, Dorian turned and smiled. "Yes?"
It was an official messenger, judging by the cloak pin with the Archon's crest on it. A young girl, no older than eight or nine, stood awkwardly behind him. She had skin a few shades lighter than Dorian's own, with dark brown curls that hung just past her shoulders. She was clearly uncomfortable and upset, her posture closed off, her head down.
"Ser," the messenger said, "I regret to inform you that your cousin, the late Gloria Thalrassian, has unexpectedly passed away, along with her husband, Cassius Selixus."
Dorian knitted his brow. He hadn't been especially close to his cousin—the daughter of his mother's younger brother. He'd attended her wedding as a young man of 23, and that was probably the last he'd seen of her. They'd written on the appropriate holidays, of course, at least while Dorian was in the country, but he could hardly remember what color the woman's hair had been, let alone anything important about her. "Oh, that's… too bad. I'm very sorry to hear it. I assume I'm learning of this by messenger instead of letter because she's left me something?"
"In a… manner of speaking, Magister." He gestured to the girl, who lowered her head further, only sneaking glances up at Dorian when she thought he wasn't looking.
Oh Maker, she'd had a child. "Am I really next of kin?" he asked, baffled.
"Well, Lord Selixus had no direct kin young enough to be fit, and Lady Thalrassian refused so… yes, you are next in line. Beyond that is your cousin, Cyrus."
Kaffas, he hadn't seen Cyrus in even more time than Gloria, but Dorian knew he shouldn't be responsible for the well-being of a plant , let alone a little girl. "And beyond that?" he asked.
"The state would take her," the messenger said reluctantly. And there was no money in that, Dorian knew. She'd end up in an overcrowded orphanage. Her blood would keep her out of slavery, so long as her magic manifested, but if it didn't…
He sighed and knelt down to try and meet her eye. "Hello there. What's your name, dulcia?"
She tugged on her hair, looking away. "Theo," she mumbled.
"Theodora Selixus," the messenger said. "She's eight years old."
"Theo," she said again, softer this time.
Dorian nodded at her and smiled. "Theo, I got it. Do you want to stay with me, Theo?"
She shrugged.
The messenger was watching. Dorian stood up. "Would it be possible for me to take her temporarily, let her see if she wants to stay before I become her legal caretaker?"
"That shouldn't be a problem, Magister." He shuffled through his bag, finding the appropriate papers. "There's a grace period of 30 days for her to find a home."
Dorian took the papers and put them in the pouch at his belt. He held out his hand. "Want to come with me to my meeting? I'm sure Maevaris will like you."
Slowly, Theo took the offered hand, curling her fingers around his first two.
"You're late!" Maevaris said, angrily at first but softening when she saw Theo. "Dorian, who is this?"
"This is my cousin, Theo," he said. "Theo, this is Maevaris, Rilienus, Luca, Chloe, and Ampelius." He leaned closer and stage whispered, "Maevaris is the only important one you need to know."
"Hey!" Luca said, crossing his arms in a huff.
"Oh, hush. You know he's right," Chloe said, amused.
Theo only tugged on her hair, staring up at the gathered adults. Dorian brought her to an empty chair, then went through the things hanging from his belt. He didn't really have anything… child-appropriate to read on him. "Do you like to draw?" he asked her.
She nodded a little.
So Dorian gave her some scratch paper and a pen, before turning to face the gathered magisters. "Alright, sorry about that. There's some family issues going on. But, you all heard Adrian in there, right?"
"Kaffas, did I," Luca groaned.
Chloe smacked his shoulder and gestured at Theo. "Language!"
Dorian snorted and shook his head, before he and Maevaris got the meeting underway.
--
Afterward, Dorian and Theo went back to his Minrathous apartment. It was nothing fancy, four rooms, one servant—Melina. (Dorian paid her well to keep the place clean and feed him.)
She was finishing dinner when he entered. "Good evening, Magister. And… who is this?" she said to Theo, giving her a kind smile.
"Theo," she mumbled.
"My cousin. She's recently orphaned, and apparently I'm next in line to care for her."
"Oh dear," Melina said. "Come here, dulcia, let's get you some food. I doubt Magister Pavus even thought to get you fed."
She shook her head, and Dorian winced. He hadn't.
Melina gave him an exasperated stare as she got Theo settled at the table and put a bowl of lamb and rice in front of her. Theo ate ravenously, only making Dorian feel worse.
"You have a son ," Melina said, preparing him a bowl. "How in the world could you forget to feed her?"
"My son is very vocal about wanting food!" Dorian said in his defense. Theo was looking around, probably for this mysterious son. "He doesn't live here," he said in answer. "He lives in Kirkwall with my husband."
Here was where he needed to test the waters. Theo was young, but she was still a Tevinter alta. If she was going to take issue with his family, she couldn't stay—it'd be bad for him and her both.
"Husband?" she asked.
"Husband," Dorian confirmed.
She chewed her food thoughtfully. "Why?"
"Because we love each other very much."
She picked at a single grain of rice. "My mother and father didn't love each other," she said.
Dorian nodded as he sat down beside her. "Neither did mine. I didn't think that seemed like a nice life."
After moment more of pondering, she nodded. "Yeah. Okay. How old is your son?"
"He's ten, just a little older than you. His name is Julian."
"Mm." She picked at her food some more.
"Did you go to school with other children?" Dorian asked. By the time he had been her age, he had come into his magical talent and was just beginning his studies at the Circle at Carastes, but he had been unusually young. Bern meanwhile had insisted Julian attend school in Hightown, to make sure his social circle wasn't just adults he and Dorian knew.
But Theo shook her head. Dorian got the impression she'd been quite isolated and ignored, based on how shy she was.
"You had a tutor then?"
She nodded.
"Did you like him? Do you want me to have him still be your teacher?"
She shrugged.
"Would you rather go to school?"
She shrugged again.
Dorian was getting frustrated, but he simply took a deep breath and focused on his food. She had been through a lot. It wasn't fair of him to expect her to be fine. "Melina, can you set up the guest room for her?"
"Of course, ser. Are you finished eating, dulcia? Do you want to come help me pick out your blankets?"
She looked at the bowl, its contents three-quarters eaten, and nodded, pushing it away to stand and follow Melina down the hall.
Dorian pulled the sending crystal up out of his robes and opened it one-handed. "Amatus, are you free to talk?" he asked.
After a few moments, he got an answer. "Yes. What's wrong, Dorian?"
"So, do you remember how you adopted a child without consulting me?"
A long, uncomfortable silence. "Yes…?"
"How would you feel if I've kind of done the same thing?"
There was another long silence. "You're going to need to start at the beginning, Dorian."
And so he did. By the time he was finished, there was "mysteriously" a glass of wine in his hand, with the open bottle sitting in front of him. "So, she really shouldn't be given to Cyrus. And Maker forbid she become a ward of the state. So…" He trailed off.
"There's just us, " Bern finished. "Honestly, I think Julian would be thrilled to have a sister. But have you told her we're qunari? I don't want to surprise her with something like that."
"Not yet. I wasn't really sure how to broach the subject. It was nerve-wracking enough explaining that I have a husband."
"Dorian, she's eight. You're being silly."
"She's a very serious eight-year-old. When Julian was eight, he was still trying to eat dirt. I don't know how to handle someone this serious."
"She's sad, Dorian. Her parents just died. Give her some time to open up. Maybe you could let us talk a bit before you tell her. Let her know I'm not scary first."
"Good idea."
"Not tonight. Just let her rest, Dorian. Just because you cope by doing everything in your power to ignore what's bothering you doesn't mean everyone does."
"Goodness, between you and Melina, I just cannot escape criticism on my parenting today!" He finished his glass.
"I love you, Dorian. You're a good father. No one is perfect, kadan."
He smiled, resting his chin on his hand, imagining Bern's face. "I suppose when one has perfect good looks he's going to lack in other areas of his life."
Bern laughed. "That's the spirit. Here's my suggestion: tonight, let her sleep. Leave her be. Tomorrow evening, let her and I talk, then tell her Julian and I are qunari. And let her decide from there."
"Yes, that seems like a good plan. I should sleep myself. I've been up since dawn."
"Sleep, kadan. I love you."
"Love you too, amatus." He closed the crystal's housing and stood, setting his empty bowl in the washtub. He peeked into the guest room, where Theo was crying into Melina's lap. He quietly slipped away and readied himself for bed. He found more and more that he wanted to keep her, beyond his initial feelings of "there's really no one better suited than me".
He could only hope that she eventually felt the same.