WHO: GwenaΓ«lle Vauquelin + assorted. WHAT: Sad elfblooded in snow. WHEN: Early Harvestmere. WHERE: Skyhold. NOTES: References to death; likely also to infidelity, substance abuse, general mental instability. Starters in the comments.
Cassandra's gaze drops briefly down to Gwen's hand when she mentions the shard; strange, how very common the sight had become. She had noticed it, of course, but barely thought anything of it; this was clearly not one of the more dangerous, unknown rifters.
"I see," she says quietly. "I am sorry. It must have been very frightening." It has been some time since she gave much thought to the shards, beyond the risks they posed and their potential uses. Evelyn's had pained her in the beginning, that she knows...but what must it be like, to find one's hand suddenly a weapon - or a potential death sentence?
She tries her best to look reassuring, not to let her darker thoughts show in her expression. "I am glad that you have thrived here, despite your bad beginning."
There's some frustrating irony in the fact that her shard now produces a shield; it's hard to be grateful for something to protect her coming from the thing that's put her in danger in the first place. (And it didn't work, it wasn't enough - it didn't save Guenievre, and so what's the point of it? Nothing, she thinks.)
"I'm very proud," she says, after a moment, "of what I've done here."
It's oddly abstract; she can't quite connect words to feelings, but it is, nevertheless, indefinably something true. Just - something true that's very far away from her, now, when other feelings are so much closer and heavier. Eventually, it will be true in a way she can touch, again, and she shouldn't forget in the meantime, probably.
Maybe Guenievre was proud of her, too. Maybe Annegret would have been. Look, she wants to be able to say - look at all the things I've done, Mother. Maybe not the way she should have, but would the girl who'd done everything the way Annegret had wanted her to be sitting here making conversation about her courtship with the Cassandra Pentaghast?
She doesn't see any of those she fell short of sitting here. So, no.
(Another time, she'd probably linger in her smugness for a little bit-- but those bigger, heavier feelings are tiring, and we're all spared that for today.)
"One of your Seekers is my cousin, actually," after a slight pause. "Aleron Darton. Well; his wife was my cousin, Mirielle, but we decided to keep him. I haven't seen him much, I assume he's very busy, but he's always been very kind to me."
"You should be," Cassandra says loyally. Not that she still has a very clear idea of what it is, exactly, that Gwen does - apart from write about the Inquisition occasionally - but she's not about to discourage pride in one's good work, and any contribution to the Inquisition should be celebrated.
She brightens at the mention of Aleron, smiling fondly. "Of course! Aleron is a dear friend. He is very busy, as are we all, but he is a very gentle man. I was...very sorry to hear of his wife, of course. Your cousin. I understand she made him very happy."
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"I see," she says quietly. "I am sorry. It must have been very frightening." It has been some time since she gave much thought to the shards, beyond the risks they posed and their potential uses. Evelyn's had pained her in the beginning, that she knows...but what must it be like, to find one's hand suddenly a weapon - or a potential death sentence?
She tries her best to look reassuring, not to let her darker thoughts show in her expression. "I am glad that you have thrived here, despite your bad beginning."
no subject
"I'm very proud," she says, after a moment, "of what I've done here."
It's oddly abstract; she can't quite connect words to feelings, but it is, nevertheless, indefinably something true. Just - something true that's very far away from her, now, when other feelings are so much closer and heavier. Eventually, it will be true in a way she can touch, again, and she shouldn't forget in the meantime, probably.
Maybe Guenievre was proud of her, too. Maybe Annegret would have been. Look, she wants to be able to say - look at all the things I've done, Mother. Maybe not the way she should have, but would the girl who'd done everything the way Annegret had wanted her to be sitting here making conversation about her courtship with the Cassandra Pentaghast?
She doesn't see any of those she fell short of sitting here. So, no.
(Another time, she'd probably linger in her smugness for a little bit-- but those bigger, heavier feelings are tiring, and we're all spared that for today.)
"One of your Seekers is my cousin, actually," after a slight pause. "Aleron Darton. Well; his wife was my cousin, Mirielle, but we decided to keep him. I haven't seen him much, I assume he's very busy, but he's always been very kind to me."
no subject
She brightens at the mention of Aleron, smiling fondly. "Of course! Aleron is a dear friend. He is very busy, as are we all, but he is a very gentle man. I was...very sorry to hear of his wife, of course. Your cousin. I understand she made him very happy."