He laughs a bit and the sound of it is pretty amused. He's glad for the joke, because it distracts him from the emotions in his chest. "I noticed," he admits after a moment. "A real shame."
She leans a little more against him and adjusts the blanket. "And elves have more to prove. I don't want to be married to someone who's trying to out-elf me. Maybe all the men who weren't self-righteous got married off too early for me."
He grins a bit at the look at her face. "You could adopt a whole gaggle. Train them to be your own personal army. I know a rather good Commander I could lend you."
A smile and an unvoiced laugh. "There are orphans in the alienage. I could be mother to one of them, and it wouldn't make a difference whether I fell in love, or with whom. The problem would be choosing only one."
Cyril nods at that. "There is something to be said for wanting to save every single one." He touches his arm again, rubbing at it a bit, and trails off.
"Pel?" he asks, not really giving her a lot of time to respond to his comment. He might act like he doesn't have a care in the world, but the fact that he can't save every one weighs on him more than he'd like to admit.
Right now, though, he really needs to tell her that he can't even save himself.
"This," Cyril says and gestures towards his arm. "This happened because the anchor, the mark that helped me close the Breach. The magic in it was killing me. Solas took my arm to save my life..."
Then, after a moment, he braces himself and adds, "But only for a time. The magic still touched me. It's still going to do it's work."
She was afraid of something like that. Magic that tears things apart doesn't just end when you lop off an arm. But Pel doesn't say that. She doesn't say anything. Because no matter what she feels right now, no matter how hard this is for her, she's not Cyril. Cyril is the one who is dying. She's just going to have to push grief and anger away for later.
She pulls him into her arms like she can raise a fortress around him that way, holding him tight.
Cyril sighs a bit and leans against her. It's strange how such a small sound like a sigh can hold so much emotion. It's shakey and expresses far more of how he feels than he could ever manage in words.
"I don't know how long. He... he didn't go into specifics. I can still feel some pain, and I have the feeling that will grow more intense and spread." Then, he made another small sound, one of bitter amusement. "Perhaps he plans to have the world destroyed by then."
So it's not just that he's dying. He's dying in agony.
"I'll research the magic. See if I can help with the pain, at least."
Not that that option is cheerful. It feels horrible. It feels like she's going to help usher him unto death. But at this moment, it's the only choice she has. Not the only choice she has that will make this better, but the actual only choice she has.
Cyril nods. "I'd appreciate that. The Inquisition has people looking into
it, but I'd feel better knowing it was in hands that..." He trailed for a
moment because he isn't sure how to finish.
Hands that care for him? That know him as a person and not just as a
figure? Hands that he knows are invested in helping?
"I know." She tightens her arms around him. "I know. I'll do everything I can, I promise."
But she is thinking, if she can find the source of the pain, she can find the source of the mark. If she can ease the pain, maybe she can mend the damage, if not banish the magic altogether. She has to try.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2015-09-20 02:57 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2015-09-20 03:02 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2015-09-20 04:13 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2015-09-20 02:51 pm (UTC)From:She stops, as if struck by this idea.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-23 02:58 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2015-09-23 03:24 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2015-09-27 06:29 pm (UTC)From:"Pel?" he asks, not really giving her a lot of time to respond to his comment. He might act like he doesn't have a care in the world, but the fact that he can't save every one weighs on him more than he'd like to admit.
Right now, though, he really needs to tell her that he can't even save himself.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 12:30 pm (UTC)From:"I'm here. What's wrong?"
That's always what her purpose is, to be there for the things that are wrong.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 07:38 pm (UTC)From:Then, after a moment, he braces himself and adds, "But only for a time. The magic still touched me. It's still going to do it's work."
no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 11:41 pm (UTC)From:She pulls him into her arms like she can raise a fortress around him that way, holding him tight.
no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 11:45 pm (UTC)From:"I don't know how long. He... he didn't go into specifics. I can still feel some pain, and I have the feeling that will grow more intense and spread." Then, he made another small sound, one of bitter amusement. "Perhaps he plans to have the world destroyed by then."
no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 11:49 pm (UTC)From:"I'll research the magic. See if I can help with the pain, at least."
Not that that option is cheerful. It feels horrible. It feels like she's going to help usher him unto death. But at this moment, it's the only choice she has. Not the only choice she has that will make this better, but the actual only choice she has.
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Date: 2015-09-30 11:53 pm (UTC)From:Cyril nods. "I'd appreciate that. The Inquisition has people looking into it, but I'd feel better knowing it was in hands that..." He trailed for a moment because he isn't sure how to finish.
Hands that care for him? That know him as a person and not just as a figure? Hands that he knows are invested in helping?
no subject
Date: 2015-09-30 11:59 pm (UTC)From:But she is thinking, if she can find the source of the pain, she can find the source of the mark. If she can ease the pain, maybe she can mend the damage, if not banish the magic altogether. She has to try.
no subject
Date: 2015-10-01 02:05 am (UTC)From: