#return fire

one. haven, sometime after officially recruiting the mages.

a small note left with a single sea glass pebble holding it down. it's blue but appears more green under direct sunlight.

solas, i saw you were still awake when i couldn't sleep last night (don't worry about it, but do you ever rest? …… don't answer that, actually), would you mind company next time?

i wouldn't want to intrude.

lanaya.

two. skyhold, days after solas' quest.

found with (another) sea glass pebble (it's her signature ... which could mean anything, this one is golden under sunlight). the handwriting isn't messy, but it's semi-informal, there's a familiarity in the way she writes to him; less pristine and perfect in comparison to official inquisition missives.

solas,

i'm sorry about your friend. i'm glad i was able to help in some way, even if it was small. thank you for asking for my help, if you need anything else you only need to ask.

(some empty space before she starts writing again, there's a few ink blots from her thinking about what to say)

when i was much, much younger, my sister became possessed. (not like that, it's not what you think ... or what i assume your mind may go to, based on recent events. what i do know is that neither of them were themselves in the end.) to make a sad, complicated story short: in the end, she died. i believe she found peace in the end. i hoped she did -- both of them, at least.

your friend seemed to have found peace as well, from what i could see.

it is … not the same at all … i'm not entirely sure why i mention it now.

i'm not always the best with words of comfort. what i mean to say is: i understand, and you're not alone. not anymore. and especially not here.

your friend,

inqu lanaya.

three. skyhold. found with (yes, another) sea glass pebble and may look strikingly similar to someone's eye color. it's a coincidence.

solas,

where did you say you learned that braiding technique? it's nothing like anything i saw in the alienage in val royeaux or with the clan. it's beautiful. i do see similarities in the way the main braid wraps around, but different. as a child, my mother would give me small, intricate braids that were also interwoven into larger braids. i don't remember the technique she used, (extra space here, some internal hesitation) but perhaps you have seen something like it? i do wonder if braiding was always as important as it is now. my parents always emphasized it, both in the city and with the clan, said it was important to our cultures. though, of course it's changed. dalish is more simplified, easier to take care of in the forests … comforting to see some things remain, at least from what i have personally seen, even minimally.

i would also like to see more, if you know of any.

i did try to replicate what you did, i must be out of practice -- too used to the simple ones i can do with my eyes closed. can you show me again sometime? so i don't need to keep going to you when i want them. unless you don't mind.

thank you, by the way.

and for the conversations, as usual.

your (there's a too-big-of-a-gap here, as if something left unsaid) friend, inquisitor lanaya.

I. a return note is folded neatly, accompanied by a small, rough sketch of the storm coast. A small smudge of graphite lingers on the corner.

Herald,

You open yourself to the same question, if we are keeping the same late hours. Though I am sure yours are far more productive than mine.

It is no intrusion. You are free to come and go as you please; if it does not take precious time for your schedule, I wouldn't mind the company.

Solas

II. This letter is rolled loosely and bound with twine. Inside, there is an extra sheet of parchment with yet another sketch, this time with two indistinct figures roaming a dreamy aspect of what looks like the Fade. A memory, perhaps. There is an ink blot just before the Inquisitor's title, as if there had been some deliberation on how to start.

-- Inquisitor,

You are very kind. I apologize for leaving so abruptly, if it caused any hardship. Your help was invaluable, yes, but the space you allowed me to reflect was perhaps more so.

Thank you for sharing this. Pain does not have to be similar to have merit upon those left to bear it. Of all things, hope is the most difficult medium to fill the absence of something most dear. That you have been able to maintain it is admirable, and your words are better than you think.

Should you need further reminding, I am at your disposal.

Solas

III. There is no sketch. Instead, there is a small fox carved from citron-colored stone, expertly decorated and accented with soft green swirls of paint.

Lanaya,

I am not surprised you haven't seen its like before. I only learned of it whilst traversing the Fade. There are murals much older than you and I that, unfortunately, have lost any vividness to time. But through the Fade, they appear as clear as the day they were painted. Some of them are detailed enough to show the intricate styles of our ancestors, in their prime. Most Dalish clans still implement these techniques, if nothing else (the words here are scribbled through) but have added their own unique touches, as you say. The braids your mother passed on to you remind me of (there is a small, yet notable mark for the beginning of a letter, but incomplete) a spirit I once met. It was difficult deciphering where and when she came from; her speech was rather confused, but her plait looked remarkably similar. I am glad to see the tradition hasn't strayed too far.

I do not mind showing you. (It is the only line left, a certain boldness to its isolation - or a hesitance to say anything more)

Solas