[open] darkness is a harsh term, don't you think

[onlyhymns]

WHO: Cade and yooou
WHAT: just a catch-all with various Cadely activities
WHEN: Kingsway
WHERE: Kirkwall, mostly the Gallows
NOTES: the Nari thread is probably best left alone if you have delicate sensitivities, also possibly NSFW

I. Myrobalan's Office

During the day, Cade can be found doing his actual Inquisition-paying job, which is reading and writing Myr's correspondence and other related tasks. It keeps him pretty busy, he has a nice enough time there, and will sometimes work late copying records or text from books on loan. He's usually open to company on these evenings, as long as they're respectful of the space.

II. The Chantry Garden

Without fail, Cade is at the sculpture of Andraste every day at dawn, where he prays and meditates for an hour before going about his business. When she's not away on Inquisition business, Nari is usually there as well, but sometimes he can be caught kneeling alone with a candle in the peace of the morning.

III. Eating, Drinking, Walking Around

No matter where he is in public, Cade always looks a little uncomfortable, like he doesn't quite belong there and is afraid of being called out on it. He sits alone in the dining hall, will usually take tea up to the office or the library to hide with it while he reads, and averts his gaze from people on the street. It's nothing unusual for him, though there are plenty who consider him odd and off-putting. Because... he is.

Wren

Unable to get the idea out of his head after he and Six visited the City Guard, Cade has been steeling himself for a conversation with his... former..? supervisor, Ser Coupe. They're friends, he reminds himself, as much as he has any friends. He shouldn't be afraid of her. And yet.
He knocks on the door to her office.

Six

With their first mission such a rousing success (of sorts), Cade invited Six along for the next one, finding she was likely as good a fit as any for a full day of sitting in silence while a man talks their ears off about fishing. He wanted to meet a rifter, so one with an even temperament and quiet bearing will be perfect. Hopefully.

They're on a boat. No fish are biting. It is unseasonably hot, and Cade yearns for death.

Beleth

In keeping with the tradition of he and Beleth making sure the other one is eating enough, Cade is holding a basket of muffins when he knocks on her door. It's been a busy couple of months, but he should probably make sure she's not about to keel over.

Nari

When he knew what day she'd be home, Cade asked Nari not to go to the new room straight away, but to allow him to collect her at the quarters she shares with Myr. He wants to be there to see her reactions, and, of course, to make sure he didn't ruin everything.
Upon arriving, he offers out a little bunch of wildflowers, the blush on his face already spreading to his ears. "Welcome home."

Comments

[onlyhymns]

Cade sits as instructed, glad Beleth drew her own conclusion about today being tomorrow, since he didn't want to be the one to tell her. Once seated, he offers a small, pleasant shrug that glosses over the usual ups and downs of living his very anxious life.
"Fine," he says, easily enough. Perhaps he'll bring up Nari at some point, but that still seems like a secret somehow. Besides, Beleth wanted to say something to him.

[arlathvhen]

Well, at least 'fine' didn't usually include any of the usual pitfalls that plagued Cade. No Seekers attempting to execute him, or getting stuck in the drunk tank, the lyrium in his blood trying to kill him, or whatever else could possibly happen.

It didn't leave much room for small talk--though Beleth supposes that she could prolong it, think of a series of random topics to dwaddle over. It's certainly not like Cade would press her for anything. But that would mean that it would hover over her, while she continued to dwell on it.

"I'm engaged." She drops it with no ceremony or warning, eyes preoccupied with the fascinating muffin in front of her. "My mother set it up, in exchange for the support of my clan and my future bondmate's clan in helping my brother push new policies through for the Dalish." She doesn't get into the details, but the bare bones resembles the politics of the human world closely enough that Cade should understand.

"There's been no dates set, as the clans were understanding in the importance of my work here, and that I not bow out of it at this point, though I suppose if this war is prolonged longer than their patience is pressed, I could complete the ceremony and come back here afterwards." She speaks of it with all the emotional depth of someone discussing a business transaction, still not meeting Cade's eyes. What else it, after all, but business? A transaction that would have occurred sooner or later, and her time in the Inquisition probably only served to prolong it.

[onlyhymns]

This is not at all what Cade was expecting to hear, and he stops with a muffin halfway to his mouth, instantly forgetting about it.
"What?"

Never mind that she already explained, and is continuing to do so. They were just at the elf thing, weren't they? Is this common for elves? Why wouldn't it be, humans do it often enough?

"Are you--" he begins, and has no idea what he wants to ask. There's no tactful way to do it, and having had a few women thrown his way when his brother was running wild, his parents desperate, Cade almost understands. "...do you like him?"

[arlathvhen]

Beleth takes the time to think Cade’s question over, which is probably a bad sign.

"I don’t dislike him, nor do I like him. We met once, and I did not acquire much of an opinion on him either way." She picks her words carefully, almost reluctantly to try forming this opinion at all. "But we've agree to write, and it’s possible that I may visit a few times. It’s...The Dalish don’t force anyone to form bonds, so if we’re completely incompatible, the agreement can be dissolved."

Now, she looks positively uncomfortable, fidgeting and prodding at her muffin. "But, I would have to explain myself to my mother." Which, from her tone and body language, seems like it might be a fate worse than marrying someone you can’t stand.

[onlyhymns]

Well that's not so bad. How strange, though, that the Dalish have such rules as well-- it brings his mind to another unpleasant place, but he decides not to follow it there, at least not right now.
"Your mother's..." Cade begins, with a small wince. He's never met the woman, but he gets the idea. "...hard to talk to?"

[arlathvhen]

"My mother is the Keeper of the Ashara clan, and has managed to run a decently large clan for several decades, and done so admirably and skillfully." There’s little emotion behind Beleth's compliments, more in line with reading facts out of a brochure than praising her mother. "She's managed this with a great deal of willpower, and surety of her decisions. To refuse the match would be to say that I don't think she made the right decision regarding something that is incredibly important to her."

She gives a helpless little shrug. "I would undertake such a thing if I didn’t think I could stand the man she chose, but. He is...alright." If damning with faint praise had been a tourney event, Beleth would’ve been a serious contender.

[onlyhymns]

Beleth is doing that thing that Cade has known her long enough to recognize: she's talking a lot, and not emoting much (which is weird in and of itself), and sounds almost like she's trying to convince herself as much as she is him.
He purses his lips when she makes her conclusion, and is silent for a moment. Then he knits his brow and asks, quietly, "are you all right?"

[arlathvhen]

The question startles her, and she blinks at Cade a few times before actually stopping to think about it. Was she alright? Her knee jerk reaction is to say yes, of course she is, she’s fine, it’s all fine. But Cade has been through enough bullshit with her that he deserves to be told the truth.

"I'm...not sure." The truth, unfortunately, sounds idiotic. "It's something that I've known would probably happen for most of my life. But having it actually happen—I haven't quite processed that, I think. It feels almost like it's happening to someone else." Some distant person with the unfortunate habit of possessing her body. She glances over to Cade, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Does that sound absurd? Not knowing how to feel about something so important?"

[onlyhymns]

Even if she doesn't know, it's better than pretending. Cade nods, his expression sympathetic, but then shakes his head to her question.
"I think it... sounds kind of normal, actually," he says with a little smile, "especially if you don't feel like you can do anything about it."

[arlathvhen]

It is, of course, necessary to take what Cade calls 'normal' with a grain of salt, because. It's Cade. However, it still serves to make Beleth feel better, that at least one person (even if it's Cade) doesn't think that she's being ridiculous with her difficulty trying to come to terms with this.

"Thank you. It's just--Well, you're right. And I keep telling myself that it could be worse. That he could be terrible, or even unpleasant. And, I mean. Even if it's arranged, it's better than spending the rest of my life alone." That sentence is, in a way, the most telling about why she's agreed to this. Because the idea that this is her only chance of being with someone, that if she turns this down, she'll be alone the rest of her life, is terrifying.

[onlyhymns]

If he were better about social situations in general, Cade might correct her: she's not alone and never will be, she has her brother, friends, her whole division, him. But it doesn't occur to him, in part because it wouldn't occur to him to say the same of himself. Still, he shakes his head in disagreement.
"You won't," he simply assures her, "I mean-- either way." With or without a husband. "I... I don't think you'd let that happen." The corner of his mouth twitches up.

[arlathvhen]

For a brief moment, Beleth’s mind is still stuck on suitors and marriage, and she wonders if Cade is suggesting that she would simply locate a suitable choice and take them. The idea of her whisking some poor startled elf away, like the tales of the wild, seductive Dalish, is almost enough to make her laugh. But, she’s pretty sure that isn’t what Cade’s implying, and very sure he wouldn’t appreciate being laughed at.

"Thank you," Is what she says instead. "I'd like to think not. It's just...something that worries me." And worrying about things that might never come to pass is one of Beleth's favorite hobbies. After a moment, she turns to Cade, and reaches out to gently rest her hand on his arm. As with every time she touches him, it’s slow enough he can avoid it if he wishes, soft enough he can pull away. "You're the first person I've told, aside from my brother. Thank you for listening."

[onlyhymns]

Cade would know, because it's a hobby he shares, and they are the coolest worry club.

He looks a little surprised when she touches his arm, but is used enough to Beleth that he doesn't seem distressed by it, or see any reason to pull away. Instead, he smiles faintly and offers a small nod. "I... hope I was helpful," he murmurs.

[arlathvhen]

"You were," Beleth assures him, and gives Cade's arm a little squeeze, before she stands. “Thank you for listening. I'll let you know if...the situation changes, in any way. Hopefully..." She trails off, then. Hopefully, what, exactly? What would improve this entire mess? "...Hopefully, any changes will be positive." Though how that would be, she's not sure.