We have the following friends! Alaric by @quiisquiliae Thilfonir by @thilfonir-lavellan and Oriinthel by @luna-mxth

He'll argue that he wasn't brooding when it comes up next - that the edge of camp is just a great place for quiet meditation instead, not someplace he can take off the face of the day and let go of the burdens that have been dogging him lately. He'll argue that they haven't grown, exponentially even, and that they definitely haven't started to feel like more than he can bare.

That would make him weak, incompetent, and he swore years ago that he would be neither ever again.

But then Vin approaches him and is silent, and the look on their face tells him that they just know, that he hasn't been hiding anything from them in all this time. He expects criticism, a 'cheer up, Alistair.'

"I meaaaaaaaaaaaan...." Kar dragged the syllable out so far it started to turn into a whining sound. "It could. Would prefer it not to, but it always could be worse."

Her eyes set upon the glowing green tear in the fabric of reality. Weaving the threads of spacetime, thankfully, was what they sort of did. Kar through her innate nature, Norrim through training, it should be easy-- shouldn't it?

"Aw it's just a little baby tear." Kar remarked with her usual glibness, tone changing to the sort you use for infants. "Sure it could blow up something awful if we're not careful, but relatively speaking...this shouldn't be an issue for the two of us, yeah?"

"I am afraid that I may pass from old age, dear Warden, before that would ever happen," Zevran smirked. When were they ever safe, after all? There was no battle going on right now, despite the tension that he could feel building in the air around them. So it was as good a time as any for... 'poking', wasn't it?

"This is so dumb." He's been here a good half hour, pitching bits of rubble into the nothingness around them as though he's skipping stones on the surface of the Minanter. "Da's always busy. You're always busy. Mum's off being the Inquistor again, and Ori's a brat. All I hear is no, Manfred, it's too dangerous, you have to stay here."

One would think he's made of spun glass, given the way his father vetoes any notion of him tagging along on anything more exciting than a supervised trip to the Cobbled Swan, but it's fine if Norrim runs off to play hero. He's almost an adult, too, so it seems silly to keep treating him like a child. Or, worse, a naive wisp still knocking about in a cobbled together assemblage of bones.

@luna-mxth sent: the sender wraps their arms around the receiver's shoulders/arms from behind, no words spoken. they simply wanted a peaceful moment with the other. — from sontna :3

~ Solas immediately relaxes into Sontna's touch, reaching to take one of her hands in his as she wraps around his shoulders. ~

~ " How I have missed this, " he whispers as he presses a kiss into her wrist. The year he had spent separated from her and Norrim had been the longest of his immortal life; merely days ago, never again did he think he would feel her embrace once more. And yet, miraculously, they had been reunited in this tiny village hidden in the Frostbacks. ~

( [ admire ] - Continued from X for @luna-mxth)

"Flatterer," she teasingly admonished with a wry little smile. "I'm a tired, weathered old harridan and you know it."

Even after having spent time with Tav, and having slowly gotten used to being around mages in general, it was still Declan's instinct to flinch away as Tav reached for his face. The cut on his eyebrow was likely a horrid sight, he knew - it wasn't the first time he had gotten his face cut open like that. It wasn't even the first time he had gotten punch like that either; though it was the first time the assaulter had still been wearing their gauntlets. The metal had sliced his brow clean open if the blood that had dripped into his eyes was any indication.

For a moment, he just stared at Tav, surprise etched across his face. This was Tav; Declan knew the man would never hurt him. But he also still never expected anyone to... care. Not enough to want to help him. Commander Cullen had cared enough to intervene at least, stopping the man Declan had been fighting from actually killing him. That was as far as the caring had gone, however. Yet now this silly, adorable, wonderful elf that Dec was slowly calling friend was... taking care of him. It left a strange, warm fluttering feeling in his gut.

He swallowed hard, his eyes meeting Tavrayn's. Finally he inched closer to him, letting the man lean in to clean the wound. Dec hissed slightly at the sting but didn't pull away. Tav was close, so close, close enough that Dec could ki...

No. No. He couldn't let himself go down that path now, there was too much at stake. He couldn't risk losing Tav's friendship like that. Still, his cheeks reddened at the closeness of the elf, and Dec couldn't pull his eyes away from Tav's face.