Summary: The arishok asks a question. A question we all want to answer positively.

Characters: Arishok, Kiera (from my Perspective series.)

Not sure if I'm going to write an actual smutty chapter, but it's nice to think about the possibilities. *wink*

A Tempting Question

She had done it as a last resort, and attempted to sweep the arishok's feet with a sidestep and a kick to the ankles. Kiera didn't really expect it to work- these people were like rocks when it came to hand to hand combat, with their being unshakable in the most intense of attacks, she was pretty sure that they'd only fall when defeated.

There was no reason to dodge or prepare for the ensuing madness- the arishok actually appeared to lose his balance, and fell, pinning her heavily to the ground. Kiera was stunned when the back of her head thumped against the dirt courtyard, and she saw constellations, not mere stars which dotted her vision.

The arishok seemed equally astonished to find her caught underneath him, and had tried to get up without hurting her even more. He was perplexed when she barely even moved, and as he judged that she was indeed unable to continue the spar, he slipped his arms under her, lifting Kiera effortlessly.

He found her impossibly light, especially without armor, and carried her up the steps of the compound and into his quarters. He placed her gently on the bed and stood, gazing at her stretched out form before again sweeping out the door.

Kiera had almost recovered by then, and had sat up in a daze, cradling her banged up head when he returned a second time, laying down her blades on the cotton spreads.

"Oh. Um..." She was vaguely embarrassed at her infirmity, but knew enough to not show it to one like the arishok.

"Are you able to stand?"

Kiera nodded, and immediately regretted that she did so, her brains seemed thoroughly scrambled as waves of nausea disoriented her further— and she clutched at her seemingly loosened head, hoping to still the swaying surroundings.

"Do you need a healer?"

She muttered something incomprehensible and waved her hand, indicating the negative. She then casted a spell in a rare moment of lucidity, stabilizing the blood flow to her head.

"Saarebas." This he could not ignore, not again.

Kiera's tone was understandably crabby, "Yes, I am. What of it?"

She realized that she had snapped at the arishok only a moment later, and looked up at him, fearing the worst. They were probably going to chain her up like one of their own. To her surprise all she saw was an indescribable look on the qunari's visage, seemingly considering their circumstances.

"I...am sorry for not revealing this earlier." An awkward moment, to say the least.

"The qun does not tolerate an unchained mage." He was still standing, eyeing her closely.

"Yeah well… the only shackles I've ever considered wearing are ones for bondage." It was after she spoke that she realised that she could have died, having uttered such words to the commander of the military arm of the qun, not thinking straight in her dazed state.

"Bondage? What does that mean?" She looked up at him, and was tempted to lie, but that would make the awkwardness worse, not to mention that she couldn't think of anything suitable to replace the connotation she had in mind.

"Um… A sexual act involving bonds of either leather or steel. One would be restrained to the wall or bed, unable to move, in anticipation of the partner's actions—likely because of the implicit trust among them..." She could hardly believe that she was explaining all of that to the arishok, who did not appear to be embarrassed by her words.

"The Qun does not permit… physical intimacy for its own sake."

Something was in his voice though, Kiera realised, and she looked up at his towering figure. His gaze seemed almost curious, almost heated as he pondered the image she had supplied.

"So... I hope you don't intend to collar me like you have done with your mages."

The arishok broke out of his momentary reverie, shaking his head, silent all the while.

"I apologise for the disturbing mental image." Her face felt hot, as did her ears. She wished she could be as normal as he was about it—she wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and not come out till kingdom come.

It was a relief when the arishok spoke again. "It is nothing."

Kiera tried to get off the bed, but only found herself blocked by the arishok's huge frame, and he watched her movements with another unreadable expression.

"You say that you...practice such… things?"

"What? Um... Well I've only considered it, I haven't actually done it."

"Then why do you bring it up?"

"I was... Being a fool. I babbled."

"Would you consider it then? Now?"

"…now? I… I'm not sure about that." She was losing her mind—that was it.

"The qunari act will be uncomfortable."

"So I've heard. Wait. When you said 'will' you mean..."

"Perhaps I might consider it."

"The… act?" She tried not to think about it, wondering what he had meant. Privately, she thought that she had died and was living out a final fantasy. That was the only way all this was even happening, she surmised.

"Interracial copulation is however, pointless."

Kiera cleared her throat, "Yes, I assume that would be so."

"But… not impossible." It seemed that the arishok seemed to expect something of her; but she couldn't really decide what he truly meant. Her brain was overheating with all this blushing.

P.S.: Hope you liked it!