#shaving wisdom

[dandelion-de-deus]

I’ve been contemplating it and I think we really need to bring back the concept of the holy fool. I’ll go first

[thelucidduchess]

Okay so I was listening to We’ll be Fine for the 10846382th time and I noticed something.

At the end of the song, Athena says, “You’re a good kid.” Which is super cute but it made me start to think.

Telemachus is twenty, so technically, he’s a full grown adult. Odysseus probably wasn’t too much older than him when he left for Troy. Athena is calling someone who could get married and have children and go to war a ‘kid’?

Well… yeah. She’s right.

It reminds me of when you’re reading a book when you’re a child, and you’re like “Wow, these characters are my age! So cool!”

But then as you grow up, you realize that “Oh no, these are children. They have no place in all of this.”

I feel like something similar is going on inside Athena’s mind during that song.

[cringeyvanillamilk]

Consider this: What if the Wizard Kings got a second chance in life?

I like to think that Edward would later become a member of the Black Bulls. He vibes with them so much and is already ready to die for them. They really need a GILF grandpa figure. 👀

[witchydespoina]

Shaved the bush and was fine for a day but now it feels like several red ants bit my vagina. TLDR never shave the bush.

[lordcephalopod]

Trying to wear a respirator mask while also having facial hair makes me wonder...

Mustaches are one of the only respirator safe facial hair styles. Mustaches made a big surge in the 1970s. OSHA was founded in the 1970s.

Is OSHA responsible for the rise of mustaches in the 70s/80s. I'd try to look up when respiratory PPE started being heavily used but trying to google ANYTHING about respirators is impossible ever since A: covid, and B: google broke its own search engine.

Mysteries.

[tortugatime]

"don't be a dick, leo."

good luck to you too!!

@tmnt-iteration-competition because uh. yeah 👍

[zemnarihah]

also we got chinese food the other day and they gave us fortune cookies but the fortunes were all shit like "a tree stands taller when the bushes are trimmed" and had had manscaped.com on the back i think that should be like. illegal im not joking

[cmdrfupa]

Kento took a step forward when he notices that his blonde hair is slowly getting to a pale silver. The roots shining as he intently stares at the first few streaks in the mirror. A slight frown of surprise crosses his face as he runs his fingers through it, almost trying to see if they are real, contemplating the significance of this unexpected change.

“Remember we’ve got 2 potential homebuyers coming today after 3. Did you want to move anything around before then?” You spoke gently as you walked towards the bathroom noticing Kento look at himself. “Ken?”

His strict and rigid lifestyle had shaped his existence for years, but this moment marked a stark contrast to the strict regimen he's lived by. It's as if his hair was reflecting the toll of the pressure and stress he's endured.

It's a jarring sight, a symbol of the transformation he's undergoing.

“Did you notice these? The grays?”

You reached up, catching the close shave of his undercut and smile at his reflection. “We’re on each other practically every 2 seconds. Of course I noticed.”

“And you said nothing?” Eyebrow raised, Kento turned to you and kissed your palm. “Big fan of old man Kento?”

“Pffft, please.” The chuckle you let out was a slice of life to him. “I thought you were hot when you were 26 and I still think you’re hot at 44. You’re becoming a silver fox.”

He laughed but he was completely preoccupied by this new found piece of himself.

He was aging.

“Stop thinking, baby.”

“I’m not, honey.”

You squint. “Let me reiterate. Stop overthinking.”

You wrapped your arms around his waist from the side, resting your head on his chest. “When did we get to this point? I qualify for silver fox status after what feels like we just finished school.”

You bring your fingers up the back of his head and gently graze his scalp. “Years of wisdom and achievement via your roots. I have a few of my own sprouting at the center of my head. You’ve conquered a lot in life. I think it looks great on you.”

These hints of aging didn’t represent a loss of youth, but rather a testament to the years of life he'd lived and survived. Evidence of a journey filled with memories and growth. He starts to see the gray hair not as a symbol of decline, but as a badge of honor, a mark of the wisdom and resilience he's gained along the way. He kissed your cheek and lifted you up.

“A house, putting a kid through college, buying property on the beach,” He helped you onto the bathroom counter and smiled. “The grays are like a trophy.”

“A trophy, exactly, Mr. Nanami. Though I feel like we are missing a big key factor here.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

You leaned in, gently kissing his jawline. “You’re totally a DILF now. I have the hottest dad in this city.”

[thewholeproblem]

To the woman who did my hair,

I hope they burn your hair in hell everyday.

Warm regards,

The person who you assured you could do that elaborate hairstyle you've probably never seen in your life.

[witchydespoina]

Shaving the bush makes me feel so bad it’s like I’m chopping down sacred trees in the Amazon rainforest

[essegigi]

Never thought I'd say this but I'm so tired of soup.

It's been over a week...I just wanna eat all the food 😭

[shotmrmiller]

response to this but it got so long and ig im in my throuple era rn

@xoxunhinged i listened to one (1) song on repeat while writing this on the phone

okay yeah wait or just

it's ghost x price first.

Big burly men taking up too much space in the little coffee shop you work at or something and they're there like clockwork too. Every wednesday and friday, 8 am, usually the first clients of the day and all they order is a regular cup of joe. Plain. You offer alternative sweeteners, powdered creamer, but no dice.

Plain black. Like the occasional smudge of eyeliner(?) around the bigger one's eyes.

They're cute, in their own way. John is a blend of rugged charm and seasoned wisdom. The other, Simon, is mysterious. Guarded. Speaks only to his companion.

The pet names start to get to your head. Of course, you reason that John's just not from around here. His calling you sweetheart from across the room to grab your attention must be English.

But logic cannot stop the heat from licking up your cheeks when he does. or when Simon calls you something different altogether eventually.

"Mornin', pet."

It's even more gut-twisting when you catch glimpses of the occasional PDA: A large hand curling around an even bigger jean-clad thigh. Faces so close they could kiss (Waterboarding couldn't get the fact that you've rubbed your thighs together at the thought of them actually kissing out of you) and the fact that Simon's usually sharp gaze softens around the edges, pale gold whispering against the puckered pink of a barely visible scar beneath his face mask.

A couple. They're a couple. It's bittersweet, that feeling settling in your chest. Like dark chocolate coating your tongue. Honeyed nectar of love, the bitter bite of it not being your own.

Maybe it's time to go out with your friends to the bar.

Things take a nasty turn when Simon, out of the both of them, had come in alone and propositioned you on crisp, saturday morning.

Oh, the acid in your stomach felt like it was corroding the walls of your esophagus as it rose. You don't remember much of what you said but it'd been loud, vitriolic. You'd been so furious. Hurt that they had something so sweet, something they could call their own, and here comes this big dumb oaf looking for a piece of warm meat to stick his cock into on the side.

Your manager sent you home for the day.

And home you were headed, well more like the bus stop, stomping away and across the street but the hand that wraps around your arm to keep you in place is John's. (You'd been actually fighting to get away and he hadn't even tightened his grip enough to hurt. embarrassing.)

He clears things up. Tells you to forgive Simon, he's not the most verbose or eloquent with the words he does choose to speak. "He's good at receivin' orders instead of givin' 'em. isn't tha' righ'?"

The "yes, sir" that comes out of Simon is immediate. Obedient. Submissive. (gagging, i actually slammed the desk with my fist rn) A man who knows his place because it is etched in stone. Your teeth grind like rusted gears to keep from turning into a pool of liquid in broad daylight.

"What he meant," he roughly clarifies, "is that we would like you to share our bed." your face burns hot enough to sting. "If you want," John continues, limpid blue eyes fixed on your own.

He looks rather handsome in his uncertainty.

They don't even let you go home to wash and clean up when you nod. (Or shave. Simon had very audibly scoffed at your complaint about that. Said something crass about eating lollipops off the carpet)

The dynamic had been exactly what you'd expected it to be in the bedroom. When authority spoke, Simon listened. Intently. Without hesitation. When John ordered Simon— who'd sat with his broad chest curling around your spine, cocooning you in warmth and the faint scent of smoke, mahogany, and leather— to hook his hands behind your knees and pull your legs up to your shoulders, he'd done so in an instant.

The subtle burn of your hamstrings stretching pulled a hiss from your kiss-swollen lips.

"Bit o' pain with pleasure never hurt anyone, eh, sweetheart?" The deepened rumble of John's voice vibrated in your chest and made your toes curl.

Simon's steady breaths are drowned out by your shuddering ones when John puts his mouth on you, the prickle of his facial hair tickling your sensitive, heated skin.

The burning stretch of your muscles is nothing compared to the sweet sting of two fingers sinking into your hot sex. Pleasure wells in the corner of your eyes when he curls and scissors them while his slick tongue swirls your clit languidly.

He sends you over the edge with practiced ease, shaky limbs, and unsteady mewls. The kiss he plants on your still pulsing cunt is tender, as are your now unrestrained legs.

And he slants his lips-- still dripping slick, dewy beads collecting on his beard-- over Simon's whose mask is now long gone, his erection coming to sit heavy on the fatty mound of your pussy. You can feel the heat of his cock even through his clothes.

A saliva strand connecting them two snaps as he pulls away, glancing down to look at you, sweaty and unkempt, glassy eyes shamelessly staring back.

"I'd let Simon get his turn but," hands weave up your shirt and inside your sports bra while John's grab your legs and wrap them around his thick waist, "gotta prep ya first."

(?)

That comes back to mind after your limbs feel like cold syrup, warmth dribbling from your puffy lips and falling onto the damp bedsheets beneath your arse cheeks.

The question answers itself when Simon slots himself between your aching legs, uncut cock fat and hefty.

(dis)Respectfully, you feel thoroughly used and even now, that doesn't look like it's going to go in easy.

"Easy, love," John's voice comes from above you, "He won't hurt ya. Isn't tha' righ', Simon?"

Simon, who's dark eyes hadn't moved from where John's spend still steadily flowed, cut to him instantly. "Yes, sir."

He hums, a low, raspy sound. "How 'bout you tell our bird tha'?"

A rough hand wraps around your neck, thumb pressed on your fluttering pulse. "I won't hurt ya." His grip tightens, and the swoosh of blood roaring in your ears is deafening.

Much.

The world around you fades, senses attuned only to what's currently wrenching your swollen walls apart, going in, in, and in, it feels never-ending, it's so much, too much, until--

Your stomach clenches, it feels like it's folding in on itself, and a sharp feeling radiates below your navel.

Lips kiss your sweaty temple. "That's all there is. Did so well, eh, sweetheart? Took 'im real good, like you were meant for it."

His cock drags along your over-sensitive, raw nerves in a way that has fire licking up your spine as he pulls back. "Easy, Simon. You'll get your fun from me," John assures.

Your cunt clenches unbidden at that, vise-like around Simon who quietly groans.

The first roll of his hips pushes the air from your lungs, the second blanks your jumbled mind, the third has your nails sinking into whoever's forearms are beside your head, and the fourth has you confusing John's glittering eyes with stars.

And then he places your feet flat on his chest, his weight folding you in half, pinning you in place. Nowhere to run.

Your teeth clack when he thrusts firmly, tip of his cock sitting firmly against the plug of your womb.

"Easy does it, love. Jus' be good 'n take it," John mutters into your ear.

As if you had any choice.

After, when you're completely spent, they tell you to lay back, head propped up by a mountain of pillows, but to keep your legs open, let them see that pretty pussy, they want to see their cum spill out of you.

You thought the fucking Simon gave you had been rough. What John gives him from behind is attempted murder. He grabs at Simon's hair like it's the scruff of a bellicose dog. Pins him in place with his words, growled, thunderous, then his grip. Simon doesn't bare his crooked teeth once.

When your tired hand slithers down to between your legs, tips of your fingers smearing cum around your swollen flesh, arousal surprisingly panging deep in your core, the sheer force of John's thrusts rocks the bed with enough force to crack the wall and Simon whines like a dog in heat.

[ailoda]

updated: 09.03.25

ᯓ★ fluff

His Sweet Girl (❤): Bucky taking care of his best girl. (@brnesblogposts)

Marshmallow (❤): her bed is too comfy for Bucky. But she has a solution. (@vivwritesfics)

Wallpaper (❤): Bucky finds out how to change the wallpaper on your phone, and takes every opportunity he can to do so. until one day he doesn't have the heart to. (@cosmicbucky)

Clean Shaven (❤): you shave Bucky. (@your-highnessmarvel)

Dog Tags and Drunkenness (❤): you go clubbing with some of the girls from the team to try and find Nat a date, but Bucky has a pretty specific routine in place whenever you leave his side. (@buck-buck-buckaroo)

Sanctuary (❤): we all need a safe place to rest, even when some of us don't believe it. (@eat-limes-bitches)

My Responsibility Is You (❤): Bucky’s girl has to get her wisdom teeth removed, and he would go to all lengths to protect her from that experience—but he has to deal with the aftermath and takes care of her in the best possible ways. (@eviesaurusrex)

Snowfall (❤): you refuse to go outside on a cold day and Bucky is more than happy to keep you warm. - florist!bucky (@navybrat817)

The Marriage Bet (❤): if in three years time both of you were still single, you will marry your best friend, Bucky. That's the bet. (@brunchable)

Loverboy (❤): Bucky, a lovesick, pining super soldier, vows to keep his feelings for you a secret — no matter how obvious his crush may seem. Those plans are ruined between a meddling Sam, an embarrassing fall, and a visit to the medbay with you. (@thevillainswhore)

From Me, To You (❤❅): as Bucky’s secret santa, you’re determined to give him the best christmas present he’s ever received. (@retrosabers)

Hold My Girl (❤): Bucky comes home from a mission and needs time to hold his girl. (@pellucid-constellations)

Magnetic Mishap (❤): you bought magnets for Bucky's arm, forgetting that vibranium is not magnetic. (@rinasauruss)

The Life (❤): Bucky Barnes and the domesticity he deserves. (@hesthermay)

Pluvial Kisses! (❤): Bucky being the absolute fuckin dream of a man. (@mercurial-chuckles)

Yours, Whether You Know It Or Not (❤): you’ve been running missions with Sam and Bucky for a while now, and everything was fine—until John Walker started showing up and taking an interest in you. Bucky isn’t having it. Not because he’s jealous. Definitely not because he’s jealous. He just doesn’t trust Walker. Right? (@magical-reid)

new! Bucky's Quiet Love (❤❅): after a painful breakup, Bucky offers quiet comfort and unconditional care, showing you a love that's patient and gentle. He mends the ache in your chest and reminds you that you deserve so much more. (@mugglebornmarvelite)

new! Five Days, Five Bouquets (❤): "Do I need to remind you that we're not actually married?" (@marvelstoriesepic)

new! Weakness (❤✧): you use Bucky’s only weakness to your advantage until it bites you in the ass. (@marvelstoriesepic)

new! The Soldier and His Mission (❤❅): when a trigger sends Bucky back into the grip of the Winter Soldier, he shadows you with an unyielding protectiveness that leaves the team on edge, though he doesn't harm anyone. After days of tension and careful steps, Bucky finally breaks through the icy barrier, returning to himself in a quiet, tender moment, finding solace in your presence. (@magical-reid)

new! Forever Sounds Good (❤): Bucky Barnes had been called a lot of things in his lifetime—soldier, assassin, hero—but when you called him your husband, everything else ceased to exist. (@billionairebratenergy)

new! Baby, It's Bad Out There (❤❅): your best friend Kate has always been good at attracting trouble and this time, it’s starting to become your problem, too. Then again, what’s Christmas in New York City without meet-cutes and gunfire? (@intrepidacious)

new! Your Girl (❤): you're very vocal about wanting Bucky Barnes. (@navybrat817)

new! All American All-Star (❤): falling for the club’s American striker, Bucky Barnes, was never part of the plan— especially since your father happens to own the club. (@aquaticmercy)

[mylovesstuffs]

m — Mature Content!; also please always check content warnings before proceeding

💖 — personal fav

OT13 reaction to your, “Lets breakup” text prank m

OT13 and their Adaptive (healthy) coping mechanism

OT13 and their Maladaptive (unhealthy) coping mechanism

OT13 reaction to, "When we break up,_______," text prank m 💖

OT13 reaction to their s/o being scared of wisdom tooth removal

OT13 reaction to their s/o falling asleep on their shoulder

OT13 reaction to someone flirting with their s/o at an award show

OT13 reactions to getting drunken, flirty texts from their s/o m

OT13 when their s/o bakes them a cake that turns out as a disaster 💖

OT13 and their s/o—angry sex m

OT13 reaction to coming home feeling horny, only to find their s/o asleep m

How OT13 would handle free-use with their s/o m

OT13 with a low-maintenance s/o

OT13 aftercare after angry sex

OT13 reaction to their s/o who loves smiles but feels insecure about showing their teeth 💖

OT13 reaction to their s/o cutely asking for kiss

OT13 reaction to their s/o using their safe word

OT13 reaction to their s/o hiding their sickness 💖

OT13 types of sex they might be into

OT13 reacting to their s/o falling asleep with assignments scattered on their desk

OT13 reacting to their s/o giving birth 💖

Ot13 and what scares them about love 💖

OT13 approaching intimacy with their pregnant s/o

OT13 reaction to catching you masturbating m

OT13 almost out their relationship because they're just that whipped 💖

OT13 reaction to their s/o suggesting going raw for the first time m

OT13—terms of endearment for their s/o

OT13 reaction to their s/o yelling at the kids out of frustration

OT13 reaction to the idea of a threesome with another member

What OT13 wear when sleeping

OT13 reaction to their s/o stuttering while explaining something

OT13 reaction to their streamer s/o who is always playing horror games

OT13 reaction to their s/o struggling with skin picking

OT13 reaction to their s/o watching true crime before bed

OT13 reaction to having a blue-collar s/o

OT13 reacting to their s/o wearing their hoodie/clothes

OT13 reacting to their pregnant s/o asking them to shave your, "down there"

OT13 reacting to their s/o getting fired & doubting herself

Habits OT13 picked up from being with their s/o

OT13 when your dress won’t come off quickly

How OT13 feel about their s/o being a surgeon

OT13 reacting to their s/o having a period mishap

OT13 reacting to their s/o stealing kisses randomly

OT13 reacting to their s/o being midsize/chubby

OT13 with a short s/o

OT13 finding out their s/o is pregnant

OT13 reacting to their s/o being very artistic

OT13 reacting to their s/o financially struggling behind them

OT13 when their s/o having a nightmare

OT13 when their s/o have a panic attack

OT13 reacting to their s/o having curly hair

OT13 comforting their s/o after a family fight/argument 💖

OT13 reacting to their s/o using drinking as a coping mechanism

OT13 reacting to their s/o calling them saying they feel sick after a fight + if/how the fight gets resolved:

OT13 reaction to their sleepy, clingy best friend who they lowkey have a crush on

[alexlwrites]

𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭

Namjoon x Reader

✿ 𝑨/𝑵: Just a silly little thought

°•. ✿ .•°

“Yourethpretty” the guy with the open mouth and wide crossed eyes said beneath the harsh lights in your office. 

“Thank you” you laughed, watching the anesthesia kick and his consciousness fade. Jungkook, your patient, had been worried about getting his wisdom teeth removed, but you had assured him that the procedure was quick and mostly painless, if a bit uncomfortable.

And quick it was. Soon enough Jungkook was stirring and coming back to his normal self.

Well, almost. 

“Yourethpretty” he repeated in a slurred manner and you thanked him again kindly “You know, my dad isth single.”

“Really?”

“Yesth” his voice was solemn as if discussing a matter of great importance “I think you should take him outh.”

At this point, you were having a hard time holding back your giggles “Based on your age, he might be a bit too old for me.”

“No!” he exclaimed, exasperated, almost knocking your tools “Not my dad, dad. Like, my work dad.”

“Your…Work dad?”

“He actsth like he doesn’t want a girlfriend but now that Hyung isth engaged, I can see…” his eyes went cross again and it didn’t seem like he could actually see anything really “He’s lonely” he whispered at last. “So I’m trying to find him someone and you’re really pretty.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“So… Will you go out with him?”

“Jungkook…”

“He’sth tall” he continued, set on selling you on the idea of becoming his… Work step mother, you supposed “big dude. Big man titties.”

“Jungkook!”

“And he readsth! Poetry! He’sth a feminist!”

“Jungkook…”

“He’sth clumsy because he’sth gangly like one of those gasth station inflatable tube man that goes SWOOSH!” 

At this point, you were actively holding down your patient, but you couldn’t lie and say you weren’t intrigued. Your last few dates had been nothing but a bust, ending with you jumping through the italian place’s window to hide in your bed and rewatch Ocean’s Eight and hold back a sob, so the idea of a tall, muscular man that read poetry caught your ears.

Alas, Jungkook was still flopping around under you and that demanded that immediate attention. “Jungkook!” you called, trying to hold the much stronger man down as he very avidly replicated the contemporary dance moves of a wacky waving tube man. “Jungkook, please stop moving, you’ll hurt yourself… Ok, ok! If you stop moving, I’ll go out with your dad.”

“He’s too old for you!

“Your work dad!”

Jungkook froze. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Jungkook” someone called from outside before the door opened, revealing a tall man with shaved hair on the sides and a shirt stretching dangerously across his pecs. “Sorry, the secretary said I could come in. I’m Namjoon, I’m here to take him home.”

You shared a look with Jungkook, who wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, drool still coming out of his half open mouth. 

“Yeah, you can hold me to that.” you whispered.

[magerightsmagefights]

There’s a lot of good “what ifs” for a Rook. What if Rook is the child of HoF, of Hawke, bonded to this or that spirit, etc, but I'd like to make just one more suggestion for who Rook could be:

Cole.

He’s real now, all the way through, with a beating heart and a face that needs shaving every now and then. Varric never knew much about children, and Cole didn’t know much about parents, but everyone needs help to become a person. Things just fell into place. Cole has Varric’s shaving mirror now. The dwarf said “You should hang onto this,” and it took a few years for Cole to understand that actually meant, “It’s yours now.”

There was a hole in Varric after losing Hawke. Cole didn't need to be a spirit to understand that. "Rook" was a chess piece, but it was also a bird, and Varric loved to tell stories about heroes like that. Even in Thedas, this place of immovable fact and reality, Varric could change the world with his stories. He said that Rook was a hero, and like a spirit answering its own nature, Cole became one. Stories were lies, in their own way, but Varric used them to tell the truth.

Solas was the opposite. Solas preferred using the truth to tell lies.

Solas has never seen "Rook," and they hope it will take him off guard when the time comes. Varric's job is to "stop the Dread Wolf," but it edges close to "save the Dread Wolf." Cole prefers that. Solas was his friend, too, even after so much change. Cole hopes Solas will still recognize him with a human heart.

But that human heart can no longer sense blood magic.

Solas wants to be angry when the ritual fails. He wants to accuse. He wants deride. He wants Rook to be unworthy of his grace, but it all breaks to pieces when Cole stands before him. He used to know that spirit, just as he used to know Mythal. Like her, like Solas, like every broken spirit pulled into mortal flesh and forced to decay, Cole has the weight of years on his body. Cole is older. Cole is aging. Cole will die unless Solas brings down the Veil, but Cole wants to stop him. This world is going to kill him one way or another, and yet Cole fights as if this is something to be protected.

They understood each other once. Neither one is sure how much of that remains.

Cole approaches leadership with gentleness, the way he approaches everything. He cannot hear pain anymore, so he tends to his companions with words and hands like a gardener, with the spiritual tenderness only Compassion could muster. Most spirits are confused when the world refuses to shape itself at their command, but Cole has learned Varric's tricks. He knows that if he treats his companions like heroes, they will eventually become so. It's easy to follow a leader like that. It's easy to love a leader like that.

Solas does not know whether he pities the fallen spirit, or envies him. Cole is Compassion. Cole is damaged beyond repair. Cole is happy. Cole doesn't regret a second of it. All things in this world are temporary, and that only makes Cole love them more. Why does Cole think this is worth saving?

(Is Cole right?)

It nearly ruins Solas to leave Cole in that prison. The entire Lighthouse wouldn't have enough space to paint this regret. But he was once Wisdom, and Cole was merely Compassion, and Compassion is not a spirit built for these wicked choices. Better for Pride to carry the burden, because Solas has so many scars on his soul that one more won't make a difference.

Compassion would never have been able to escape that prison. But a human being? A human being knows how to change.

Solas is relieved, dismayed, astonished to see what the spirit has become. To know that change is the very reason Cole bested him.

(Was Varric right? Lavellan? Felassan? Mythal? Is this all for nothing?)

All those mistakes speak together in the end. Cole opens his mouth, and Varric speaks through him. Mythal beside them, Lavellan with forgiveness already on her tongue. Solas is free. This world can be more than his mistakes. There is space for flowers in between the bones. He cannot undo his wrongs, but he can soften them.

And it begins with, "I'm sorry."

Cole smiles. Of course he does. There was never any doubt that he would redeem Solas in the end. He touches the copper chain around his neck, and one of Bianca's broken arrows in his pocket.

"I know," he says, and there is an echo to it.

Cole is glad Solas turned toward redemption. He is glad Solas believed Varric after all this time. He knows what happened was an accident.

But Varric is gone. The dwarves are tranquil. The number of deaths it took to turn Solas' pride is higher than Cole could count. Compared to the Blight, Cole's friendship should seem like hardly any price at all. But losing this is perhaps the sharpest wound.

Cole understands him, in the way of Compassion spirits. But Cole is no longer Compassion. Cole is no longer Solas' friend. As they part ways, as the Fade-tear closes and Solas looks over his shoulder, they both know: Cole understands. But he will never forgive.