Hello, all! I apologize for this one shot being short, but I found it simple and sweet.
Solona smiled, walking up the stairs to the third floor of the tavern. She knew the strange boy in leathers would be in the same corner he always was, listening and observing, noticing while he himself remained unnoticed. He was always in the darkest corner, near several crates and a chest, perhaps even a tiny table.
If one were not observant enough-or perhaps, if the young man did not wish to be seen-they would fail to notice his presence, several people oblivious to his mere existence. But Solona was not. She had seen his lithe form in the grasping darkness, clothes merely conjoined leathers and cloths. But more importantly, she could see him because he had wanted her to see him.
"Cole!" Solona greeted, smiling towards her odd friend as Compassion turned towards her, eyes concealed through platinum strands.
"Yes? I am here." The spirit responded, giving the young mage his attention. Or at least as much as the hurts would allow him to.
"I have something for you. They took me a while to make, but I hope you like them. They are...um...well, something I made in my spare time." Solona cleared her throat, cheeks flushed a tinge of red from embarrassment as she fiddled with something housed within a pocket. In time, her hand had pulled out knitted mittens, a dull brown in color with various patterns molded within. It was quite obvious she had taken precious care and time to make the articles of clothing, "Here...mittens."
"Mittens?" Cole questioned, studying the pair within her hand, though had made no move to take them, "I...don't understand."
"They are gifts. I...I noticed your hands were cold a while back, and I just thought...that with the cold...I-I hope I got the size right. I didn't know. I just knew they were bigger than mine. I made ear-mittens for Solas, too. I thought that since elves have such big, pointy ears it's harder to keep them warm. And since Solas has no hair to help keep his ears warm, I...just...thought..." Solona had faltered, voice dying as she realized she was rambling, nerves a wreck and throat dry. Though it appeared Cole did not notice, and was far more interested in the mittens.
"Gifts represent...emotions. Gifts mean you care. But these are real, tangible, not intangible..." The young man spoke, taking them from her hands and gingerly running a thumb over the knitted fabric, "Soft and warm, fingers stiff, wrist cramping, needles foolishly jabbed into flesh, too many sleepless nights, hands too shaky to thread the needle. What should I be doing, should I be doing this? Knitting with foolish hands a talent I don't have?...knitting means you care and cherish."
"I see the looks they give me. Solas seemed confused that someone would waste their time making such a trivial thing for his ears. I guess that is because he is used to his ears being cold, but he still showed kindness. He took them because he didn't want to upset me. The same happened with Iron Bull. I made him socks for his horns. I don't know what it's like to have horns, but they always feel cold. So I thought I could try to make them warm. I made his horn socks pink. I heard Iron Bull liked the color pink. But I know he doesn't bother wearing them. I know people see me as a foolish girl, wasting her time on small things, and maybe I am wasting my time, but I'm trying to help. Small things turn into big things. But the mark on my hand helps with big things, even though it hurts. If I focus too much on the big things, I forget how to help with the small things." The young mage spoke, exhaling deeply as her shoulders heaved.
"You help the little hurts as well as the big hurts. You are the one that can calm the spirits and dull their pain. They like listening to you. You ground them. You soothe the spirits, the whispers. Herah mends the skies." Cole replied, thumb still brushing against a knitted mitt.
Solona smiled sullenly, "Everyone helps in their own ways, I suppose. No matter how large or small. But I hope they fit. I know they aren't much in combat, but-"
"They are fine, Solona." The young man stated, mittens dawned as he found them restricting upon his fingers, limiting their natural movement. Yet, despite their flaws, they were enveloping his hands in soft cotton, "It is nice to know you care. Thank you." Cole replied, attempting to almost clumsily interlock his fingers, though had forgotten about the mittens, and thus could not.
"You're welcome, Cole. I'm glad you like them. If you want, I could patch your hat up sometime."
"What is wrong with my hat?" Cole questioned, concerned over the well being of his favored article of attire.
"I saw a few holes in it. There's a big hole on the side. I can fix those for you, but I can't fix the burnts from dragon fire." Solona commented, the blonde frowning ever so slightly.
"I don't want to ruin my hat."
"Don't worry, Cole, I'll save your hat. I will just need to get my kit...or perhaps I can borrow Krem's?" Solona paused in thought, though had pushed it from her mind, "I will be back, okay?"
"Yes." Cole nodded briefly, returning back to observing and listening from the shadows, the mittens soft against his calloused hands.
I can kind of see these two as a pairing, yet at the same time can't. I apologize if Solona is a flop of a character. I can see her mind being rather simple, so I think that's mainly why they get along so well. Either way, thank you for reading and supporting!