And then he has to go be weird again

[killedwithlove]

Who: Cole + Anyone willing to come find him on the Pathstone
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Cole's bunk on the Pathstone
When: Now ish?

[Usually, Cole manages a fairly good impression of amicably odd. And, normally, he's a fairly stable person, at the least he's out and about and piloting and generally sticking his nose into people's hurts to help them.

But he's retreated into his heretofore unused bunk for the last day or so. He talks to himself a lot in a whisper and worse, he seems to have wrangled up paint from somewhere, because on the floor outside his bunk, there's painted writing.]

A gold sonnet

[The handwriting is sharp and rushed and unpracticed.]

Comments

[killedwithlove]

[He doesn't know how to be family. As a son, he killed his father. As a brother, he killed his sister. As his mother's child, he hadn't saved her.]

Cole killed his family. And spirits don't have family, not really.

[Did a sleeping wolf ever watch over him? He doesn't know. He'll never get a chance to ask.]

I want... better. For you. I think.

[He starts picking at the paint drying on his hands.]

[princessia]

He... what?

[ She says in a whisper, then shakes her head. She knew they died, but hearing that Cole killed his family comes to her as a brief shock. Yet she has grown far too attached to this Cole, she quickly brushes the unnerving thoughts aside. She doesn't want to dwell on it. ]

No. This... this is good. I want you with me.

[ The only way she thinks it can be better, is if she can have Cullen back in her life. His disappearance is still far too recent and she hasn't been able to stop thinking about how much she wants her father back. ]

[killedwithlove]

He killed them. He didn't mean to kill Bunny. He did mean to kill his father.

[The baby sister he mistook Elize for.

He looks at her, a spark of hope in his gaze.]

You... do?

[princessia]

[ A quiet nod in response. She does.

The other Cole killed his family, in the past. This one once called her Bunny by mistake, but she doesn't think it was intentional. This one is different. She firmly believes he wouldn't hurt her, so she isn't scared.

This Cole spent time with her, drew with her, and made sure she stayed out of trouble. She was upset being unable to accompany him on the desert planet, but he protected her. He told her about spirits of virtue, the animals, the Inquisition, Rhys, Evangeline, Wynne... a lot about Thedas. It's true some of his words were difficult to understand at times, but the bits and pieces that she can understand and remember, she loved hearing about it. Sometimes she would parrot the information to Cullen and other people to show off what she learned.

She would hate for him to leave her too.

Elize crawls a short ways across the bunk to sit closer to him, with the hood she made from the blanket slipping off her head to let out her fluffy hair. She doesn't mind the paint. ]

[killedwithlove]

[If Cole knows what goes through her head, he doesn't show it. He sits and waits while she thinks and sorts out how she feels, especially about what he's just said.

And then she's crawling over to him. He blinks but shuffles back to give her space to crawl into his lap, blanket and all. He even helps by half pulling her there, but she can always draw away, Cole is never rough.]

[princessia]

[ Elize doesn't draw away. She allows him to help her sit in his lap, all bundled up in her blanket. Sitting here makes her feel like an even younger child, but she honestly feels comfort sitting close to him like this.

She would hate for him to leave her, but she knows in this place, he'll go away someday too. Or maybe it will be her first. ]

...I'll never forget you, Cole.

[killedwithlove]

[She will. Everyone forgets him, eventually, if not because of his innate ability, because time will soften the memory and another Cole, Jove's Cole, will be the one she knows.

But he hugs her anyway, firmly. Leans his chin on her head.]

I won't forget you, either.

[princessia]

[ Elize doesn't say anything else, trying to relax and doze off in the comfort of his hug. From under her blanket, she slips a hand out to place it on one of the arms around her. She's quiet now, but still thinking.

I'll miss you. ]

[killedwithlove]

[Cole starts up a slow rocking motion and hums a soft tune under his breath, like he has with her before.

He'll sit there all night if she needs him to. There's nothing else more important than Elize.]