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Who: Cole to everyone
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Pathstone
When: Now

[Cole is actually looking at the camera, which is a minor miracle for those familiar with his habit of leaving his communicator next to him and pointing at the ceiling.]

How do mortals know what you're feeling? Varric used to tell me what it was, or Jove, or Solas, but they're gone and now I don't know what these feelings are. I can tell how to help other people and how to navigate their hurts but I can't do it with my own.

[He gives a small sigh and looks off somewhere. A fluff slug climbs over the communicator screen.]

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Oh.

[Well. That's... awkward considering how many Carta he's killed. To be fair, they tried to kill him first. And syphon his blood to free Corypheus. Which he was tricked into doing anyway. It's complicated.]

Lucky she wasn't in the part of the Carta that Corypheus influenced. As I understand it they're fairly far reaching.

No. We used to hunt those Carta. Stop their lyrium smuggling.

The Cadash like money, not lyrium or ideals. Nadezhda learned to like ideals.

But a dwarf being the Herald of Andraste, that's got to be hard to swallow. Or... well, I guess no more difficult than an elf.

[Personally he doesn't much care. Andraste is long dead and the Maker is clearly gone from the world. As much as the Chantry's got wrong, they got that right. The evidence is everywhere.]

I'm really not sure that whole thing isn't just a bunch of people trying to hang their hope on something. Still, Andraste's Herald or not, whoever the Inquisitor is, it's still a lot of pressure.

She said she... weren't no stinking herald of anyone, it weren't Andraste, whatever they thought they saw.

[He catches her inflections and tones.]

She's Cadash.

[That does pull a laugh.]

My, she and Varric must have gotten alone swimmingly.

Her heart ached, watching him watching Bianca. Red hands, red heart, burns like lyrium might, but he cares, stay quiet, stay out of it.

She let Bianca go for Varric. She wanted to punish her for him too.

W- Bianca?

[Let go his crossbow? Punish it? That makes no sense, which means...]

The Bianca? The real actual live person one?

Yes. The one who made the crossbow. She came to Skyhold to find the Inquisitor.

She hurt Varric. She only ever hurts Varric. I don't like her much. Varric says she's brilliant, and should be a Paragon for her inventions, but she's not a nice person.

He loves her.

[Adalwolfe spreads his hands helplessly.]

Love is like that sometimes, especially when it's not reciprocated, which... well, it sounds like it isn't otherwise they'd be together, wouldn't they? People can be brilliant and not good people and I think Varric is smart enough to know that, but sometimes love isn't a smart thing.

[He purses his lips for a moment. That was his attempt at the benefit of the doubt, what he always tries to do. The diplomatic thing. But when it comes to Varric...]

If I'd been there, though, I'd have thrown her on her ass for hurting him, I can tell you that.

[No one harms one of his very best friends, physically or emotionally, and gets away with it.]

Edited 2016-10-18 03:12 (UTC)

He loves the idea of their romance. She's married. She married for power, whatever that means.

Corypheus was getting his red lyrium from the thaig. That Thaig. And Bianca told us about it and we went to stop it, close it, seal it and then she was caught lying. She sold the location of the thaig to a warden. She promised to never tell and she sold the secret.

I don't like Bianca. She's not a good person.

She sold the location of th-- How did she even know?!

[No. Wait. Of course. There's only one way she could know. Adalwolfe lowers his head into one hand, resting there for a moment as he groans a lament.]

Varric...

[He drags his hand down his face, then looks at the screen again.]

It seems like there are a lot of not very good people that get love anyway, doesn't it.

She betrayed him. Again.

Cadash was very kind to Varric, because he needed consoling, not anger. Then she went and hit The Iron Bull with a stick for a while and got drunk with the Chargers.

No, he wouldn't need anger. Getting mad at Varric never actually accomplishes anything.

[He's fairly certain Varric might have a lower opinion of himself in general than Anders has.]

Doesn't mean I wouldn't lay out Bianca.

[He snorts in irritation.]

Sounds like your Cadash ended up laying herself out if she was drinking with the Chargers. That would definitely make you forget your troubles at least for awhile.

Not angry at Varric. Getting angry for Varric.

[Cole hums absently.]

She's Carta. She can match most of the Chargers for drinks.

Makes sense. And as for getting angry for him, it's not really something I can help.

[That sounded sort of disapproving, Cole. He feels a little defensive, even if he's trying to be patient with it.]

He won't do it for himself. And yes I know he wouldn't want me to. Or anyone. But it's just.

[He runs out of words, too stuck on how Bianca had hurt Varric, how impossible it was to protect people from themselves, much less terrible former flames.]

Like I said, I can't help it.

She was angry for him, but she didn't show it. Because it would've upset him more. You both want to protect him because you love him.

[Cole hums some more, thoughtful and not able to pick up social cues very well without the person being there.]

I wanted to ask Sera to prank her, but I didn't.

Prank her? Oh that would have been good. Perfect, even. What would you have asked her to do?

[A little bit of vicarious imaginary revenge is fine, right?]

I wouldn't know what to ask. I don't know how to prank someone. But Sera does. Sera understands it.

[Cole literally doesn't understand pranking, but he knows it's a reasonable level of retaliation.]

I'd have put a little bit of rashvine in her boots.

[Cole gasps.]

That would... make her feet itchy!

Yes, that's the point.

[Oh my god Cole you're precious.]

Oh!

[He covers his mouth with his hands, seemingly torn between being a little horrified (he is Compassion) and amusement (she betrayed Varric).]

Oh.

Is that a prank?

Yes, that's a prank. It's something that doesn't ruin the victim's life, but the person doing it gets a laugh at the person who was pranked's expense. A light revenge.

[It's better than Bianca deserves.]

Oooh, I get it.

[He might. He thinks he does, that's the important thing.]

Like putting a snake in Vivienne's sleeping bag.

[Adalwolfe chuckles at that. He wasn't much a fan of the Orlesian woman when they'd met briefly.]

Exactly. So long as it's not a very bitey snake.