nightingale's eyes.

;; – All of this, all because they had not told her the truth or even an inkling of it back then. There was so much pain that could’ve been avoided had Orion known, so much that she, whether or not it was deserving, now felt right to pin it on the trio. Her most trusted friends– people she deigned her family– had been instrumental in some of the greatest misery in her life.

“No.” Orion’s weight came to rest upon her palms, which had pressed down against her desk. At least she has the decency not to throw a childish tantrum in the aviary, to scatter her papers and scream and cry about how she’s unintentionally betrayed her, no matter how much she wanted to. Instead the tears of red hot frustration well gently at her bottom lids but do not spill.

“None of you understand what you’ve done, staying silent. Omitting me from the loop like I was some helpless child. You all should’ve known better than that.” She tilted her head back, the brand on her neck peeking out from her collar. “You were never a fool, Leliana. I could take it from Al, but you?”

    Leliana leaned back away from the desk, wanting nothing more than to soothe the tears that were glimmering in Orion’s eyes. She knew better than to reach forward and indulge in that right now, though. Not when this anger was so explicitly directed towards her. So she was still, just watching as the words are hurled at her. On their own, they’re quite tame. She’s heard worse from Chantry sisters in Lothering. But the fact that they’re coming from Orion makes it all too much worse.

    She tore her gaze away from Orion, glancing to the side, feeling thoroughly chastised for the decision she made a decade prior. independent from Morrigan and Alistair’s plan. “There were a lot of things nobody knew back then,” she started slowly. “And fear for a loved one can turn anyone into fools.”