[mature] all things change; LELIANA

[leliana]

I waited for something, and something died
so I waited for nothing, and nothing arrived

His presence is a comfort and she finds she is momentarily soothed by it. She lets it wash over her, working out the knots in her spine, letting his roguish smile serve as a balm to an uneasy soul. She can tell that she upset him by her reaction, feeling the anger simmering underneath the surface and the worry. She closes the small distance between them, pressing the velvet of her crimson nose into his neck, letting it sit there for a moment so that she can breathe him in before she takes a step back, her hazel eyes finding his.

“He didn’t hurt me,” she says softly, because he hadn’t—not physically. “He never laid a hand on me.” He was always gentle with her, always kind. She knew of the danger that simmered beneath his surface, the hunger that roiled in his stomach, but she had never feared that he would turn it against her. How many times had she felt the edge of his fang against her flesh, always knowing the venom that could so easily be slipped into her bloodstream? But he had never dared. Never done anything to cause her harm.

Until he broke her.

She is quiet for a second, her lips quirking just slightly in the corners at his compliment at her name, but her face mostly growing concerned at his story. When it grows quiet again, she just looks at him, studying him. “I’m sorry. That’s an awful thing to experience.” Her lips press together in thought before she continues. “I never knew my family—not really. My sister and I were orphaned at a young age. I have no idea where my parents are. We were raised by our uncle.” He wasn’t really her uncle; instead, he was some distant relation who had taken them under his wing, letting them roam wild and free but safe.

She shrugs a little, dismissing it before looking at the ground, a frown creasing her lips.

“Chaol, do you think,” her voice fades off before she finds it again, “do you think someone can love just one soul for their entire life? Do you think someone could ever be enough to earn that kind of loyalty?”

it's our dearest ally, it's our closest friend
it's our darkest blackout, it's our final end