Hermione's silent for a time before remarking, "Sometimes I can't help but wonder if surviving a war is harder than fighting in one. At least with fighting, you have a purpose. After you've survived... there's still a purpose, but sometimes it's harder to see underneath all that guilt." She still sees the faces of people she'd known and cared for, and that hurts more than her own torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange had hurt.
It still surprises her that so many in Thedas consider her young. Hermione has always felt older than her age, but given the events of the past year and change, she feels the years even more heavily. Perhaps she's feeling them for all the people who are no longer around to see the sunrise, but those kinds of thoughts are depressing. She'll leave her depression for when she's alone in the dark. Crying never happened if there's no one around to witness it.
Despite the morbidity of the conversation, Hermione's surprised when Leliana goes to take her leave. She's been insightful, and not simply when it comes to discussing the cruelties towards specific people in her world, but cruelty in general. She's likely seen much more than Hermione has, and while she's far from envious, she's certainly respectful of that.
"I'm sorry you have to go. But I understand. You're always welcome to stop me for a chat. I'm already looking forward to our next one." She wants to make a standing offer, though she's not sure if it's a shoulder to lean on or a fresh perspective on mages, so she stops herself before presuming too much in either direction. "Thank you. My world isn't perfect, but if this one can learn from its mistakes, I'm only all too happy to share whatever I can."
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It still surprises her that so many in Thedas consider her young. Hermione has always felt older than her age, but given the events of the past year and change, she feels the years even more heavily. Perhaps she's feeling them for all the people who are no longer around to see the sunrise, but those kinds of thoughts are depressing. She'll leave her depression for when she's alone in the dark. Crying never happened if there's no one around to witness it.
Despite the morbidity of the conversation, Hermione's surprised when Leliana goes to take her leave. She's been insightful, and not simply when it comes to discussing the cruelties towards specific people in her world, but cruelty in general. She's likely seen much more than Hermione has, and while she's far from envious, she's certainly respectful of that.
"I'm sorry you have to go. But I understand. You're always welcome to stop me for a chat. I'm already looking forward to our next one." She wants to make a standing offer, though she's not sure if it's a shoulder to lean on or a fresh perspective on mages, so she stops herself before presuming too much in either direction. "Thank you. My world isn't perfect, but if this one can learn from its mistakes, I'm only all too happy to share whatever I can."