Cullen-- [ He knows her well and will be able to tell from one word that there's something eating away at her, despite the good-feelings fireflies that have lit up their cavernous home recently. ] I can't reach Dorian, I haven't seen him anywhere, and I think...
[ He knows. Dorian's gone the way of Rainier. Her stomach twists and she ends up only leaving a message, not calling again, all too ready for a glass of wine in honor of both of their lost friends and housemates.
[ cullen shoots her a quick text message in reply (Pup and I will sniff him out.) followed by one of chris and emily's emojis. (♥)
they're out for maybe an hour, and when they come home it's with heavy hearts. no sign of dorian. no scent trail to follow, not even to the door. it's like he just disappeared out of thin air.
cullen's quiet as they make their way through the house. he spots cecily and her wine, holds up one finger to tell her he'll just be a minute, then leads his mabari to dorian's room. he opens the mage's door and lets the dog jump on his bed. pup circles once, twice, and lays down with a soft whine. cullen leaves him to it, then returns to his wife. ]
Nothing. He's gone, just like Rainier. [ and sera, and neria, and hawke. he prays they've gone back home and not somewhere worse. ]
[ She hadn't realized, not even two days ago when one of the mage's friends expressed concerns. Dorian spends time away from their home just as the rest of them do and she didn't allow herself to believe otherwise. ... Until today, that is, when she'd woken to a feeling of sickness likely brought on by the stress she'd been ignoring and had finally conceded to being concerned.
Cullen returns and she isn't on her first glass and she already knows. ]
Gone. [ She repeats, and they have less people from Thedas in Hadriel now than they ever have. Less nearby than she's had since the explosion at the Conclave that began everything. She looks back at him and stands, swiftly crossing the room and drawing him close for an embrace that lasts for over a minute of measured silence. ]
If you go, I'll never forgive you. [ The Inquisitor mutters, trying to fake anger and only coming up with an expression of deep-set exhaustion. She pulls back, returns to her seat, then considers the glass of wine, tracing her index finger along the rim. ]
Do you know that Cole doesn't know who I am? [ She asks suddenly, not looking over toward him. ] Did he tell you that?
[ the embrace is a welcome comfort. it's something cullen probably wouldn't seek out himself, but--it helps. dorian was--is a dear friend, and his disappearance has cullen worried.
he kisses cecily on the forehead as she pulls back, then takes a seat. not on an actual chair like a normal person, but on the floor in front of her, back resting against her legs and head tipped back on her knees. ] The same goes for you, you know. [ he shudders to think of what life here would be like without her by his side.
or, now that she's mentioned it, life back home. ]
No, he didn't. That's... very strange. [ to say the least. ]
[ he thinks it over for a moment, frowning as he does. ]
Maybe the Door did something to his memories. We already know it can steal them from us.
[ which, really, is kind of awful and something he's been trying not to think much about. but it's the only thing he can come up with that would explain this new brand of cole weirdness. ]
... That's true. [ She lays a hand on his shoulder, tracing the lines of his neck with the side of her thumb. She wants to argue, feels the need, because... what if it isn't Cole's memories that are wrong? What if it's theirs and everything she knows and remembers isn't the truth at all? Or, perhaps more disturbingly, what if both are true?
Cecily puffs out her cheeks in a long, drawn-out exhale. ]
I hope you're right, anyhow. [ The Inquisitor sighs. ] And I hope... the others are safe and happy to whatever time in Thedas they've gone back to.
[ he takes her hand in his so he can press a kiss to her palm. ]
As do I.
[ there's not much else he can say. so cullen lets go of her hand and closes his eyes so she can go back to petting him. it would be slightly difficult to get out of him, but he rather likes having his hair stroked. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voice;
[ He knows. Dorian's gone the way of Rainier. Her stomach twists and she ends up only leaving a message, not calling again, all too ready for a glass of wine in honor of both of their lost friends and housemates.
It's far too empty without them. ]
no subject
they're out for maybe an hour, and when they come home it's with heavy hearts. no sign of dorian. no scent trail to follow, not even to the door. it's like he just disappeared out of thin air.
cullen's quiet as they make their way through the house. he spots cecily and her wine, holds up one finger to tell her he'll just be a minute, then leads his mabari to dorian's room. he opens the mage's door and lets the dog jump on his bed. pup circles once, twice, and lays down with a soft whine. cullen leaves him to it, then returns to his wife. ]
Nothing. He's gone, just like Rainier. [ and sera, and neria, and hawke. he prays they've gone back home and not somewhere worse. ]
no subject
Cullen returns and she isn't on her first glass and she already knows. ]
Gone. [ She repeats, and they have less people from Thedas in Hadriel now than they ever have. Less nearby than she's had since the explosion at the Conclave that began everything. She looks back at him and stands, swiftly crossing the room and drawing him close for an embrace that lasts for over a minute of measured silence. ]
If you go, I'll never forgive you. [ The Inquisitor mutters, trying to fake anger and only coming up with an expression of deep-set exhaustion. She pulls back, returns to her seat, then considers the glass of wine, tracing her index finger along the rim. ]
Do you know that Cole doesn't know who I am? [ She asks suddenly, not looking over toward him. ] Did he tell you that?
no subject
he kisses cecily on the forehead as she pulls back, then takes a seat. not on an actual chair like a normal person, but on the floor in front of her, back resting against her legs and head tipped back on her knees. ] The same goes for you, you know. [ he shudders to think of what life here would be like without her by his side.
or, now that she's mentioned it, life back home. ]
No, he didn't. That's... very strange. [ to say the least. ]
no subject
It is. He said the Inquisitor was an elf, and... well, Cole isn't known for his joking or teasing. He was serious. As if we'd never met.
[ And more. "Cullen loved her." Her heart rushes in her chest, though, and she doesn't mention that part of it. She can't, not... not at the moment. ]
I'm not sure what to think. [ She finishes, at a mutter. ]
no subject
Maybe the Door did something to his memories. We already know it can steal them from us.
[ which, really, is kind of awful and something he's been trying not to think much about. but it's the only thing he can come up with that would explain this new brand of cole weirdness. ]
no subject
Cecily puffs out her cheeks in a long, drawn-out exhale. ]
I hope you're right, anyhow. [ The Inquisitor sighs. ] And I hope... the others are safe and happy to whatever time in Thedas they've gone back to.
no subject
As do I.
[ there's not much else he can say. so cullen lets go of her hand and closes his eyes so she can go back to petting him. it would be slightly difficult to get out of him, but he rather likes having his hair stroked. ]