Holli burst into the armoury where Master Harritt worked. He shared the space with other smiths, apprentices, she thought, and the leatherworker. Dagna too. It was a massive space, plenty enough to accommodate them all and everything they needed to work.
She practically skipped over to Master Harritt, grinning as she came to stand before him.
"Ah, there you are, girl," he greeted, gesturing for her to follow him.
He led her to where a sheet was draped over what she assumed was the bike. He pulled it off dramatically to reveal it, and she applauded.
It definitely wasn't what she was accustomed to in her world; it didn't have the paint job, and they'd had to go with back brakes over front ones. The wheels obviously weren't as advanced as home either, but there was an attempt at tread. Master Harritt did have some experience working rubber, but that was a new challenge for him. He'd never thought to use it for wheels before.
"You're awesome, Master Harritt; thank you so much for this."
She took hold of it, pulling it away from the wall and walking it about to get a feel for it.
"The plans for this," he said. "Do you think I could keep them or make a copy?"
"You can keep them," she said. "Think you might make more?"
"Possibly. I might alter it a bit so it could have a wagon attached."
"Ah, they have special wagons for bikes where I come from. Might need to make front brakes, though. And we should definitely talk about vulcanising the rubber."
She had a vague idea of it, but Master Harritt might be able to figure out the rest with his expertise.
"I'll draw up the schematics for the front brakes if you want," she offered. "And how the wagons are made and attached."
"I don't know if I'll ever use them, but if you don't mind sparing the time..."
"Don't mind at all," she said.
He had made this for her; the least she could do was that. She climbed on the bike; she had drawn its sizing in mind for Solas's taller frame, so she couldn't really sit on it comfortably and reach the pedals. But she could stand. She gave it a little go, riding about the smithy. It was bumpier than she'd expected, but it worked well. She hopped off, still grinning as she looked at him.
"Thanks again, Master Harritt," she said. "I need to go show Solas."
She pushed the bike up the stairs carefully, not sure how fragile the wheels might be. Once she knew she was in a place with no more stairs between her and the rotunda, she climbed back on, riding it towards Solas's place. When she rode in there, he was slowly pacing back and forth as he read the book in his hand.
"Solas!" She called, riding in a circle around him.
He watched her, amused. She put on the brakes and came to a stop in front of him, climbing off and leaning it towards him.
"Your turn."
"I'm not sure this is the best place for it."
She looked around. It was a bit cramped; not really enough space for a learner.
"I guess. We need somewhere flat, preferably smooth, and open."
"There is a place not far out of Skyhold," Solas suggested.
Holli's grin widened. "Don't want an audience, eh?"
"Not particularly, but there are too many people and not enough areas you described to learn to do this."
"Let's go then," she said.
They still had a few hours of daylight. Solas pushed the bike as they made their way to the gates. They drew a few curious gazes, the bike mostly. As they passed through the gates, Cole appeared.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"Somewhere to ride this. Wanna come?"
He nodded, walking with them. The place Solas knew wasn't too far out of Skyhold, sheltered enough that they couldn't be seen from Skyhold, and the ground was mostly hard earth rather than snow.
"It's not as smooth as a normal bike, but it's pretty decent," she said. "Just turn the pedals to make it move and the handlebars to make it turn. Turn the pedals backwards to make it stop."
Solas climbed on, then he pushed off and started riding. He was wobbly but surprisingly good at it. She had expected more falling over, or almost falling over at least. But he just rode. She watched him with a smile, clapping for him as he turned. Cole joined in as well.
"If you go faster, you should be less wobbly," she called. "But you're weirdly good at this."
"You should know by now I do well in most things, Holli," Solas replied, speeding up a bit.
It did help with the wobbles.
"Do a wheelie!"
He shot her a questioning look but then returned his eyes forward. He was by no means as confident on it as she was, but it wouldn't take him long to get there. She wasn't exactly a pro either.
It seemed so strange watching him on a bicycle. He was from here; bikes were from her world; it was a surreal intersect. When he pulled to a stop in front of them, he took a moment to really examine it.
"Could I try?" Cole asked.
"Of course," Solas said, climbing off and giving it to him.
When Cole picked it up quite quickly, Holli's brow furrowed. She had taken a while to learn how to ride a bike. Granted, she'd been a kid, and it had been Curtis teaching her on his own bike. After he'd already had his training wheels removed.
Watching Cole on it though, she couldn't help but laugh as well. He had his jacket on, his wide-brimmed hat, and his daggers on his back. And he was riding a bike. Another weird kind of fit. She clapped for him as she had Solas when he made his first turn and again when he started going quite fast.
"Told you I'd get you a bike," she smiled up at Solas.
"And I shall treasure it," he replied drily.
"Not much use for it out here, or maybe anywhere really; I don't know. But at least you can say you're the only person in the world with one."
"Lucky me. Of course you and Cole are allowed to borrow it any time you need."
"I'm not much for bikes," she replied. "Cole might be, though."
He was getting a little daring, going up the little hills.
"I'm gonna tell him how to do a wheelie," she said, jogging towards him.
Solas watched the pair of them as she tried to show him. When she said she would do it, he had thought it a joke initially. Even when he'd seen the diagrams she was sketching up. He had no idea what he was going to do with it, besides treasure it, obviously. It was a gift given.
He couldn't help the smile that grew from him as he watched his little wards. Truly, he'd grown quite fond of them.
Leaving them would be... difficult.
-
Roughly two hours later saw her back in the infirmary with Vivienne, Dorian, and Solas. Mr Loewe was sitting on the bed, practically buzzing with excitement. Despite the pain that came with this kind of healing, he was still eager. But then, being able to walk again, to be whole again – who wouldn't endure immeasurable pain for it?
"Ready, my dear?" Vivienne asked, offering her hand.
Holli took her hand. They all took turns being on the inside of her barrier, though the last time she had done this, she'd been mindful enough not to even create one. But they couldn't rely on her to be consistent with it. She was sure she was getting better at maintaining her presence of mind, even with as deep as she delved to heal. Before it had been all-consuming, but not anymore. She had a handle on it.
Still, she gripped Vivienne's hand tightly and placed her other hand on Mr Loewe's back once he turned over. It was getting easier to fall into that place where she could set her magic loose, where she was in tune with the human body on such a level even her world with all its technology and advancements couldn't manage.
Although Loewe had been given something to help with the pain, it didn't numb it entirely, and Holli felt him starting to squirm as the pain increased. She pushed onwards, burning away the damage and restoring him to what he should have been. It wasn't long before he passed out. There was always a bit of relief when that happened. It went smoother once they were out.
Holli worked on him for hours; it was by far the longest time she had healed him. But she was in much better control of her magic than she had been the first time, and she was better able to use it effectively without risking tapping into her own life force.
And then she was done. There was still damage, atrophy to the muscles, parts that no matter how she tried she couldn't fix, but the most important connections had been reforged. Would he ever get to a point he could walk without crutches or a cane? Maybe, maybe not. Only time would tell.
She let go of Vivienne's hand, letting out a breath and dropping into the nearest seat. It had been draining; she felt like she was recovering from a flu, all weak and fatigued.
"It's done," she said, offering a tremulous smile. "He should be capable of walking."
He wouldn't be up and about any time soon; it would take time and exercise, but he was closer than he'd ever been.
"Well done, Holli," Solas said. "How are you feeling?"
"Drained."
"Come, let's get you back to your room, and you can rest. It's late."
Holli nodded, letting him pull her up and escort her back. She couldn't wait until tomorrow to see how it had all turned out.