sera was never

𝙷𝙴   𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂𝙽'𝚃   𝚆𝙰𝙽𝚃   𝚃𝙾   𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴   𝙰   𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙴   𝙷𝙴   𝙲𝙰𝙽'𝚃   𝙺𝙴𝙴𝙿,   and so he stays silent.    it’s easier said than done to stay out of people’s heads in a place so overcome with anguish.    there are only so many small comforts he can grant skyhold’s inhabitants before their pain spins into a whirlpool and he finds himself at the center of it.    whatever  self  there would be to find at the end of all this.      “  he does seem to frown a  lot,  doesn’t he?    i don’t think he likes me very much.  ”      [  light and pain in equal measure.    a room gone dark, or a mind.    he wishes to be alone, but suffocates on the silence.  ]    there’s a reason.    there’s always a reason.    cole doesn’t move any closer nor further away ;   her lingering discomfort is palpable, and he ponders what sudden movement might do.      “  what are you going to do with him, once it’s done?  ”

sera erupts on her with an explosiveness where she can’t help returning the grin. it’s been a long day of meetings, negotiations and compromises. there’s a slight pulse beating in the back of her head but hana’s able to push past it when sera grabs at her hands. her tone replies in a sing song manner– “ here i am. ”

toying with the metal bolts in her hands she sighs lightly,  though not without a bit of dramatic flare up in her shoulders. “ doesn’t this technically make me an accomplice ? i think i should know whose gonna wake up grumpy so i can avoid them. ”

me:

𝙷𝙴𝚁   𝙷𝙾𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈   𝚂𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚂   𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝙰𝙸𝚁   𝙰𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳   𝙷𝙴𝚁.      sera isn’t the only one who’s made a habit of addressing him with such disdain.    despite the strained loyalty that led the inquisitor’s allies to welcome him to skyhold, cole’s under no illusions about his place here.    his reputation isn’t one a person   (  A DEMON, her subconscious interrupts )   can easily shake.    that won’t stop him from trying, though.      “  elfy..   you’re elfy too, but not.    you avoid the story they tell.    your ears.    solas.    that’s okay.    you don’t have to like where you came from.  ”      he knows a thing or two about what that feels like, though the puzzle pieces flicker in and out of view depending on the day.      “  is that the templar?  ”

ADAMANT WAS A PYRRHIC VICTORY. hundreds of bodies belonging to wardens and inquisition soldiers have yet to be unearthed from the devastation. blackwall is no child in manners of warfare; though experience hardened his heart, it is not made of stone. corypheus’ madness sups from the lives of good people; one of them paces now before him, ranting and raving, all but buzzing out of her skin. “ you can talk to me or not talk to me, “ he said at sera’s door. “ but i’m here. “ blackwall has been in the little room above the herald’s rest for almost an hour. they couldn’t stop clarel. the nightmare of adamant that haunts sera’s eyes as they seek him out will not take her, too. he won’t let it.

blackwall navigates the cramped quarters with mincing steps. the stool she kicked is carefully circumvented for him to come within arm’s reach. “ hush now and listen, “ his instruction ends in his hand on her shoulders. “ do you think i wasn’t afraid in there? maker’s balls, sera, i still bloody am. what happened was … well, not to put too fine of a point on it, a nightmare. but, and listen closely now, it’s okay to have a rough time with this. you don’t need to pretend, least of all with me. “

@neveragreeable » continued from …

         if  it  weren’t  him ,  she’d  throw  all  her  weight  into  shoving  him  away .   instead ,  she  stills  under  his  touch ,  taught  as  her  bowstring .    a  nightmare .   she  wants  to  laugh ,  but  the  sound  doesn’t  come  out  quite  right ,  half-strangled  and  nearly  a  sob .   and  okay  to  have  a  rough  time ?   she’s  had  rough  times  before .   rough  times  are  shite  you  can  stick  an  arrow  in ,  pull  a  prank  on ,  not  fuck-off  big  things  that  eat  memories .   every  time  she  sleeps  now  she  sees  green  skies ,  hears  its  voice  rumbling  through  her  bones .    she’d  stop  sleeping ,  but  she’s  tried  that  before  &  it  never  really  worked  out .  just  makes  her  jumpier .  makes  it  harder  to  understand  people — and  that’s  already  hard  enough ,  thank  you  very  much .

cullen is tired, he hasn’t slept well in what feels like weeks. it might have been the last few days but it was really draining on him. he’d just come from a meeting and he was looking forward to getting back to his office. it was mostly quiet he was going to shut the doors and the shudders to limit noise, get some water or tea from his desk to cut the edge of and try to get some work done in the moment. he might even let himself take a small nap or something before he was called to his next interaction. that was when he opened the door. it slapped a person and he heard then saw sera. 

“really? i feel like i just saw the inquisitor a little while ago.” he asked looking down at his notes before walking a little further in to place his papers on the desk. he also started looking around the room, because he was sure something was off. “did they say why they were looking for me?” 

        ‘  er —  no .   figured  it  was  fancy  important  business .  ’   more  lies .   she  edges  her  way  in  front  of  the  bookcase  a  little ,  leaning  against  it  to  try  and  look  nonchalant .  she  wants  him  to  be  irritated  so  he  looks  human ,  not  so  that  he  yells  at  her .  that’ll  just  make  the  rest  of  the  recruits  more  grumpy-face .   ugh .   ‘  forgot  to  tell  you  something ,  maybe ?  ’   she  just  needs  to  get  him  out  of  the  office  so  she  can  make  a  break  for  it ,  be  secluded  when  he  realizes  his  books  are  all  messed  up .

@standbetween​ said: "you can talk to me, or not talk to me, but i'm here."

      STUPID  FADE .  BLOODY ,  FRIGGIN’  AWFUL ,  pissbag  fade .   she  knows  the  inquisitor  did  it  on  accident ,  knows  that  it  was  probably  better  than  falling  to  her  death  from  adamant — splat ! no  more  sera —  but  her  skin  is  still  crawling  from  the  experience,  and  it’s  been  days .   bloody  stupid  nightmare  demon  monster  thing .   if  you  shoot  an  arrow  at  me ,  i’ll  know  where  you  are .  

      ‘  up  yours ,  ’   she  mumbles  to  the  memory  of  the  monster  in  her  mind ,  then  turns  her  face — twisted  with  anguish — to  her  friend .

      ‘  people  aren’t  supposed  to  do  that ,  ’  she  says  to  blackwall .  ‘  it’s  for  demons  or  weirdies  like  solas  to  dream  in ,  or  whatever ,  not —  UGH !  ’   she  kicks  one  of  her  stools  in  frustration  and  it  clatters  over .   ‘  all  the  warden  shite  was  bad  enough ,  even  if  they  were  just  scared ,  but  that — that  thing —  ’   she  blinks  back  tears  as  her  eyes  sting  suddenly ,  lip  wobbling  even  as  she  thinks  at  it :  stop .  stop  it .  i  swear  to  the  maker ,  stop  it  right  now .   at  least  it’s  him .  way  worse  people  to  cry  in  front  of .   ‘  we  made  it  out ,  right ?  ’

       ‘  there  you  are !  inquisitor  sent  me ,  said  they  were  lookin’  all  over  for  you .  just  figured  i’d  wait  in  your  office  until  you  came  around ,  yeah ?  ’