faderift | [OPEN] Kindness is a light in Kirkwall

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[OPEN] Kindness is a light in Kirkwall

WHO: Cole; anyone who needs him
WHAT: Cole's been convinced to come to Kirkwall to help people so he is going to help the hell out of them.
WHEN: Covering the month of Bloomingtide
WHERE: Anywhere BUT the Gallows
NOTES: Will probably end up dealing with lots of the awful from the Gallows. PM this journal or

jemisard for an individual starter

Cole never wanted to come here. He wanted to leave, to go elsewhere, but he was convinced that here he is most needed and thus, here he is.

Kirkwall scares him. Deeply scares him, so much that he barely goes into the city at first, but he slowly starts picking out the individuals among the screaming horror of the city, the people who he can help, who still be touched and brought back.

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Outside the Gallows, there is some evidence of Cole's activities. Children with food they couldn't have got for themselves. A woman who says a ghost returned her mother's stolen jewellery box, an old momento of no worth except to her. Always away from the Gallows. Nearly always women or children helped.

And then, he's just there, watching Anders, cradling small bird in his hands.

By now he shouldn't be surprised that Cole can do that, just... appear like that. And yet he still is, every time, and the smile he gives Cole is as much amused as it is warm.

"I should have simply waited and known you'd show up." Anders comes over and takes a seat next to Cole, leaning over to look at the bird.

"Is it hurt? Or have you simply calmed it?"

"I know when people are looking for me. Need me. Or want me."

He looks down at the bird. "Its wing is broken. I was going to find a healer for it, but if it can't be healed, I'll make it quick and clean, not starving prey on the street." He strokes a finger over the bird's head and it trills softly at him. He smiles gently in return. "But I want to save you if we can."

"Oh." Of course Cole would know. That means it will be easier to check on him in the future, though.

For now, Anders reaches out, hand already glowing with Creation magic.

"Let me see what we can do for it, shall I?" His voice matches Cole's touch in gentleness. Slowly, carefully, Anders touches the bird with magic. Smaller things take so much more care, and it won't just hurt the bird if he messes up. The break is tiny... and thankfully fixable. Anders gives Cole a small smile.

"This will take a little time, but I can heal it. Just keep him calm and still." Anders starts working after he finishes talking - there's no point in waiting.

He is pale, even for Cole, but he's not chilled like Despair, or even cool and reserved as Mercy often was.

Long fingers carefully, so carefully, turn the bird to give Anders the best access he can. He soothes the bird again, whispering and stroking until it settles down once more.

Calm and still is what Anders needs, so it's what Anders is going to get. Cole excels at keeping animals calm.

Thankfully, the bird doesn't twitch or struggle. Anders attributes that to Cole. There's really no other way that the creature would stay still during the warmth and itch of healing. Several minutes pass in silence as he knits the tiny bone back together, and then finally he smiles at Cole and pulls his hand back.

"There we go. As good as new. You can let him fly if you'd like."

Cole is aware of the healing, but he feels no pull, no outpouring of self into it like he thinks maybe helping a Healer would be like.

He lifts up the bird and looks it in the eye. "No more flying into windows. You can't fly into houses, it isn't safe."

And then he lifts his hands and the bird takes off. He watches it with a soft smile, transfixed on the tiny glimmer of kindness it carries in that wing.

"Thank you."

He watches the bird as well. Learning how to shapeshift has always been something he's wanted to do, and the way the bird can fly off and leave the city behind calls to him. Flying on a griffon is rather freeing, as is sailing on a boat, but to fly on his own wings...

Anders takes a slow breath and gives Cole a smile. "You're welcome." It helps to have someone to look after, to know that he's not the only one struggling here and that he can help.

"How are you doing?"

"-to fly on my own wings, the air beneath spread feathers, the ground far below-" Cole shakes his head a little and abruptly hugs himself.

"I don't like Kirkwall. I try to feed the people in the alienage, gifts of food by the tree, for those desperate and starving. Sometimes I manage to not feel the Gallows for whole minutes, when there's other suffering, suffering I can help."

His breath catches to hear his thoughts echoed back, at the longing it stirs in his heart as they're voiced. It's the definition of freedom, really.

"I don't like Kirkwall either. It's hard to see and feel so much need and know that even if you constantly help as much as you possibly can, it won't be enough. It can only do so much. And the Gallows always loom. But we can help some, at least. And the food doesn't go amiss. It will never go amiss, and I'm certain you can feel how they feel when they've food."

"But... it will be enough for each individual people. Having a meal, it means everything to that person." he has to focus on that, on each individual spark of gratitude, the alleviation of a moment's suffering.

He still doesn't want to be here, but he can see that he's slowly making a difference. Not on any city wide level, but if he can stop one child from starving, he's accomplished something.

"It will be. You will change their life." One meal might not seem like much, sometimes, but it can be a massive change.

"Sometimes the world feels overwhelming, and then on top of it if you're hungry too..." Anders shakes his head. "A meal can turn their day, week, month, everything around. I believe you can do this, Cole."

"... do what?"

Change Kirkwall? He can't and he knows it. Change a single life? Maybe. But not if they don't also want to change.

"I believe you can bring Compassion into their lives in a way that makes things better for them." And not fall into Despair, despite how Kirkwall is.

"I want to. I'm not sure I can make that much change, but maybe... if one person I help can help another..."

Maybe. And it's a surprisingly forward thinking bit of calculation from a spirit, realising how to inspire more of itself.

"Then it spreads." His voice is warm and encouraging. It's ridiculously nice to be able to give hope to someone when he's always found it in short supply for himself. Now if he could find a way to give himself hope... but at least his situation is far from as bad as it was last time he was in Kirkwall.

"It spreads," Cole agrees.

He can't give Anders hope, but he's given him a sense of a betterment for Kirkwall in general, in the long term. That's a start. "We keep doing what we do and slowly... it will get better."

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[OPEN] Kindness is a light in Kirkwall

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