Or Ian Walters?

Liz was in the midst of checking over a young woman who had gotten stabbed by a demon's claw. The wound had been gaping. The healers here had already stitched her together, though it was obvious they'd been in a hurry. Haphazard stitching, at best. The girl would have been marred, the scar much larger and likely would have itched and caused issues in the fiture. So she'd been left with restitching and cleaning it out. Re-wrapping it.

"I won't need ta get it cut off, will I?" The pale brunette warrior spoke quietly as Liz finished wrapping it. Her little hands were gentle as she did so, the bandaging not too tight around her forearm. Loose enough to allow a bit of movement and to allow breathability.

"No."

"Are, ya sure? Because my friend was attacked by the same one and had to get his leg removed." The woman seemed nervous and her anxiety only seemed to make her appear even sicker. As though the thought of losing her right, and likely dominant, arm was a sickening thought.

And it was. It would be terrifying for anyone. Liz paid no heed to the large shadow that loomed behind the two from the makeshift medical tent. Too focused on her task at hand to really care. She sighed and tried to give the woman a reassuring look.

She idly wondered why the poor brunette had a horrified look on her face as she looked passed Liz at something, or someone, behind her.

"You'll be fine. It looks healthy, still. Just keep it clea—" She was cut off as she felt a rather large and meaty hand rest on her shoulder. She spun around in surprise, only to come face to face with a very tall man with horns. "H-Holy shi-"

She scrambled back, her heart hammering in her chest for a second. The small mage almost bumped into her patient. Before she registered that the man was another one of those grey skinned horned people, like the Iron Bull.

"You're Liz, right?" He asked, his voice a deep rumble and his purple eyes focused very intently on her noticeably very tiny form in comparison to his. She couldn't help but notice how wide and muscular his shoulders were, even visible through his thick full plate armor.

"Yes. I mean, no. But uh… yes. It's a nickname." She stuttered, her face heating up from embarrassment, "Did you need something? Who are you?"

Liz figured that he must have needed her for a medical issue. Or a question about her brother. She seemed to calm even further when she noticed Cole peeking around from behind the large muscular man. He wasn't making any hostile movements or looking at him angrily. Which meant he was likely safe.

"I need to talk to you." The man continued.

"Sure… what did you need?"

"Privately." He insisted, his gaze serious. Almost steely.

She huffed and turned to her patient, "Keep your wound clean and it should be fine. If there is discoloration or loss of feeling come back immediately. No hesitation."

The woman nodded, quiet as she now stared at the large grey skinned man.

Liz stood up and brushed off her furs, coughing nervously, "….right. Come with me, then." She turned and began to walk to the edge of camp. She turned, seeing the towering man following behind her, "What's your name?"

"Kaaras Adaar." He said in a clipped tone. She could feel the irritation roiling off of him, permeating the air.

What's with this guy? Why was he so irritated?

Something about the situation didn't sit right in her stomach. But she felt Cole's presence nearby, so she was safe. In theory…

She sent a nudge to Cole through the little link they had, getting a small nudge in return. She felt his reassurance. 'It'll be okay. I'm here.'

It helped.

The trio got to the outskirts of the Inquisition camp, the voices of the scouts and people milling about fading into the background as they went through the bushes for some relative privacy. They were still visible, but it should make it harder for eavesdroppers.

"I don't know why you're glaring a hole in the back of my head, but what did you need to speak to me privately about? Do you have a burning itch that needs tending to, maybe? Or did you need a contraceptive? These are all very normal things, Mr Adaar." She spoke plainly as she turned around to meet his gaze with her flat expression. Adaar's irritated expression morphed into confusion. Then embarrassment as his cheeks tinted a darker color.

"N-No! That's not—no! I-I just-"

"You what? If you need a favor, you don't glare at the healer that could give you what you need. It's rather rude." She crossed her arms and stared up at the man.

This only seemed to piss him off. His eye twitched and he leaned down and spoke quietly through clenched teeth, "I know what you are, Liz. You're not supposed to even be here."

His words caused a pit to form in her stomach.

How did he know? Was he going to take her away to a Tower? Was he going to tell Maxwell?

She turned to Cole, who didn't really look at all worried. Though he was staring at Adaar almost like a wolf did to it's prey. Watching for … something. The horned man was noticeably bigger than the both of them. By leaps and bounds. Made only worse by the fact that he was wearing that heavy looking armor of his.

'Does he know I'm not a human?'

She was internally freaking out. If word got out that she wasn't human, she could end up killed for it.

"I-I don't know what you mean..."

"You're from Earth, too. Aren't you? Ring a bell, perhaps? Dragon Age? Inquisition?" Adaar hissed, eyes narrowing. Liz's tension lessened.

Oh.

"I am, yes. And it is the Dragon Age. What does that have to do with anything?" She wrinkled her nose at his tone, "I really don't appreciate your attitude."

Liz thought that she would probably have been excited, meeting another person like herself. Intrigued, even. Questions popped into her head. How long has he been here? Where is he from? What did he do for a living? How old was he? How did he get here? Was it like her?

But none of that seemed to matter.

Especially after Adaar grabbed the front of Liz's shirt and pulled her up to his face. Fear gripped her insides as she realized how easily he could tear her apart with his huge hands. Her feet dangled off the ground and she felt her chest go cold with fear. He spoke in a low and dangerous tone, "I bet it's a fangirl's biggest dream, huh? But this isn't a fucking game, little girl. You've gone and fucked up the Timeline, now. You've gotten people killed."

'I did what, now?'

"What are you talking about? Put me down, you psychopath!" She wriggled in his grip, her hairs standing on end as she focused and tried to calm herself. She tried to breathe slowly and focus on the fact that she was near other people. She couldn't afford to lose control. Not again.

But he held her up and pinned her to the tree, his eyes wild with anger. Her vision wavered and instead of seeing Adaar in front of her, holding her in his crushing grip and sneering in her face. She saw that Templar man from back at the Spire. Threatening to take her to the Pit again.

Flashes of those bodies burnt to a crisp because she lost control filter through her mind. She didn't want that again. 'Not again, please.'

"Playing dumb won't work on me. Typical fangirl. I bet you just really wanted to meet your precious Solas-"

The pit in her stomach got heavier and she felt a buzz underneath her skin, threatening to crack free. Light everything on fire. Burn burnburnbur-

"Let me go. Let me go." Liz's voice sounded frantic, now. Her eyes wide with a terror, not aimed at the man in front of her. No. Herself. She was more afraid of herself, than anything. This did cause him to pause. Confusion and a hint of worry cutting through the anger and irritation he was feeling.

Before things could get out of hand, she felt Adaar's arm get ripped away. Sending her sliding against the trunk of the tree and onto the ground. She barely caught herself and stood upright, her legs wobbly and her vision still blurred as she hyperventilated. Trying to pull herself together. Liz looked up at Adaar, wheezing with her hands on her chest, expecting to see him about to attack her. Or glaring down at her.

But instead she bore witness to Cole. Gripping onto Adaar's metal bracer with one of his hands, preventing the hulking man from holding onto Liz any longer. The metal groaned and bent under the pressure of the once-spirit's grip.

"Ah! T-That hurts, hey!" Adaar tried to pull back, but Cole fixed the man with a searing glare. One Liz has never witnessed before. Much to her surprise, he continued and grabbed the man by the front of his armor and hoisted him and slammed him against the tree, instead. With an amount of strength she didn't ever think he had in him.

"You will not touch her." He growled dangerously, eyes flashing a brighter color. Nearly glowing from underneath his mop of wavy blonde hair. Gone, was his soft and lilting tone. Replaced by a tone, hardened like steel. Meant to tear and cut, "Ian Walters. It was cold, when you died. It was fast. Metal moving—then mourning. Loss. You didn't die on impact. It hurt, a lot. I can make you hurt a lot, too."

Though his tone was flat and monotone, like what it was like when he was Despair. There was a dark undertone to his statement. Like he would, without a shadow of a doubt, make good on his words. Cole tightened his grip on the metal breastplate, leaving indentations in the shape of his fingers behind. The air felt almost … colder.

Ian was silent, mouth open like a fish out of water, eyes wide with alarm.. Cole was still holding him up with one arm. Adaar stuttered, "L-Look man, I'm sorry. Holy shit don't fucking kill me."

Liz stared, baffled, 'He has remarkable strength for a guy as lanky as him…. How?'

Cole dropped him and stepped back calmly. The large man fell onto his butt with a loud 'clunk!' and stared up at the scraggly rogue like he'd just seen a ghost. Cole tilted his head to the side and frowned, the icy blue glow fading slightly and the temperature dropping back to normal. Especially after hearing 'Ian' apologize.

"I won't, though. Because I want to help. Not hurt. You won't hurt her, though. I see that, now." Cole's voice returned to its normal tone. The hard edge gone.

Liz was ashamed to admit that seeing him stand up for her like that sort of made her feel almost… excited, in a way. She knew what sort of 'excitement' it was, and it made her slightly uncomfortable that those feelings pushed themselves to the forefront. At a time like this. It made her a little weak in the knees, 'Stop thinking about it. Stop….'

She fidgeted and her gaze darted to the ground, especially as Cole turned to look at her curiously. She cleared her throat and looked away, cheeks turning pink.

'Not now. Not now, hormones. Seriously? Now?' She very much wanted to tear her hair out. It was not something she intended to think about, let alone let happen. 'Definitely not now.'

"Thanks, Cole. It was unnecessary to scare the poor man….however. I could have just zapped him if he overstepped." She informed as she flicked her gaze back to peek at him, coughing into her hand and trying to hide the blush. Cole gave her a look that told her he was going to be asking questions, later.

Adaar—no, Ian looked up at the two of them with a very alarmed expression.

"Y-You're dating him?" He almost sounded disturbed. For what reason, she couldn't be entirely sure. Though it was pretty clear that Liz did not like the tone he had when he asked that particular question. What was wrong with that?

"You assaulted me. I don't think you have any right to be asking me questions." Liz glared at the man, who was still seated on the ground next to the tree. Even though he was sitting and she was standing, she was eye level with him. The fact that her body was so tiny still grated on her nerves, in times like this.

"B-But… Dating?"

"Shut up. That's none of your business. You're lucky I'm still talking to you. We have common ground and something to solve, here. Otherwise I wouldn't even give you the time of day." Liz's tone goes cold, her eyes narrowing, "We can talk later when you don't feel the need to grab me with your oversized meaty hands."

Before he could say something snarky in response, she straightened her stance and stormed off. Leaving Cole and Ian alone in the bushes. Neither of them made way to follow. She assumed probably because the two of them were going to talk. She wasn't entirely sure.

She needed to get away, because she felt the rage licking at her stomach. Of which she still wasn't sure if it was her own or Cole's.

This was seriously going to pose a problem, if they didn't work something out…

She spent the rest of the next week putting together some healing tonics and potions for the Inquisition camp. As well as tending to the more injured people within the medical tents. In return for rations and supplies for the road.

They were even kind enough to send a raven to the Inquisitor, wherever he might have been, to let him know where they were and how they were doing. The small town they were camped by, Adachester, sat at the east of Lake Celestine. Closer to a slightly larger town/city called Montsimmard.

In the meantime, when she wasn't busy in the apothecary's tent, she was avoiding Adaar—Ian's gaze at all cost. Looping around camp to avoid where he was holed up for watch. Anything to keep off of his radar. She needed time to think. To mull things over. He knew about Earth. About things. And seemed to be angry about some… timeline? And mentioned the Dragon Age, like it was something important.

Liz had absolutely no idea why he might have said the things he did. Because any of those that came to mind, seemed absolutely ridiculous.

"A fan's biggest dream…" She muttered as she got herself ready for the day that morning, at the end of the week. As most mornings were, since she got here, Cole was missing when she awoke. She huffed and looked over at her bag, making sure everything was in place.

A part of her was a little pained that he was sort of giving her the cold shoulder. Sometimes she even noticed that he slipped away into the bushes when she looked at him. They talked a lot less, as well. Their bond seemed almost … dampened. Like he was trying to keep her at arm's length.

Liz tried not to let that get to her. He had every right to be angry. Just as Sera did. Speaking of Sera, she was also giving her the same treatment. She wasn't even making snarky remarks or trying to antagonize Liz. And part of her believed that was even worse, in a way. It showed just how pissed the elven archer was at the little mage.

Then again. It was her right to be angry. Liz had, afterall, tried to kill her.

It still bothered her that she'd gotten to that point. She gripped the medikit that she made, looking down at her bag as she slowly placed it within. Finishing her packing. Then there was her issue with Ian.

Everything felt like too much.

'A fan… does he think that this place had a fandom? That would imply it had some sort of media, back on Earth. Was it a book? A movie I never saw?' It hurt Liz's brain to even think about, but it was better than lamenting on her tense relationship with her friend. She stood up and walked out of the tent with her bag slung around her shoulder, 'That sounds stupid…'

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She heard Ian cussing under his breath as he angrily packed his things outside of one of the larger, shared, tents. This gave Liz some pause as she stood there and tilted her head at him, "All this work. All this time… and all she had to do was open her stupid fucking mouth…"

She knew he was talking about her. Considering she had put in a request with the person in charge of assigning teams, in the camp. Under the guise of 'needing protection' as she traveled back to meet up with her brother, the Inquisitor. There wasn't much of a fuss, after she said that. So now 'Kaaras Adaar' was going to be coming with them to keep them safe. Which, in all honesty, the group needed.

At current, as they were, they were 'Team Glass Cannon' with two rogues and a mage. At least with him, they would be able to have a chance in Hell. Oddly, it's due to her request that her brother got back to her so fast. She wasn't sure how he knew (probably the person in charge here), but he was sending a small team back to meet her in Montsimmard. So Ian would have to do, for now.

"My what, now?" Liz tilted her head, irritation clearly showing on her face as she stood behind him. Responding to his muttered comment as he shoved some of his belongings into his worn looking backpack. She saw his eye twitch at the sound of her voice, his gaze flicking to her from his crouched position.

Even when he was crouched… he was as tall as she.

'Annoying...'

"Your mouth." He said, turning to look at her with a frown, "I have spent a very long time, going out of my way to stay out of events. Do you even realize what you're doing? Of course you don't..."

"No. I don't. Because all you seem to be able to do is cry and whine, instead of having constructive conversation. We will head out within the next twenty minutes. Be ready." She spoke in a clipped tone, one that showed that she was used to commanding with authority in her brother's place at times.

This seemed only to irritate Ian even more, she saw. But he grit his teeth and looked away, refusing to snap at her. For now.

With that, she turned and walked away. Sera and Cole were already ready to leave, their things packed as they stood at the edge of camp. Oddly, Sera was speaking to the spirit animatedly. Her hands moving as she then pointed out in the direction they were going.

When she saw this, she didn't feel like butting in and ruining the moment. Because it wasn't very often that the rogues got along. If at all. It was… surprising. But a good surprise. Liz stood by a tree and idly checked her inventory and even picked through her backpack to double check that she had everything. As the two nearby chatted. Sera seemed to be telling Cole about something that she and someone else had done in a nearby town. One of the nobles, evidently, needed to get checked. So Sera struck during a very important party…

"Mrs Pisspants was what some would call 'lactose intolerant' or somethin', righ? So a little bit o' strings pulled 'ere and some there… and she was in a very shitty situation, yeah?" She cackled as she spoke of this, her eyes currently on a large manor over atop a hill. Evidently said noble's estate. Cole turned to her and amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Lady Pennington did not treat her servants kindly. They were happy to see her 'knocked down a peg'. Did you know she was also at Skyhold? 'I'm prettier than that Seeker. He'll be mine. Just have to get him alone...' She wanted to steal him from Cassandra. How can you steal someone from someone? People aren't things." Cole shakes his head at the thought, still having a hard time grasping that concept.

"Ew! She was there?"

"Yes. She accidentally got locked in the closet. Rats chewing on her dress. They couldn't hear her scream down there." Cole sounded almost wistful, as though remembering a fond memory as he looks off into the sky. "She didn't return, after that."

'Did he seriously...' This must have been when he was falling into Despair. Liz closed her eyes and huffed.

Sera cackled again, "Serves 'er right! She's gone through five husbands and they 'disappeared' under mysterious circumstance. It ain't right!"

As though hearing her slight disapproval, Cole glanced back at Liz and smirked slightly. As though on command, she was reminded of her statement to him back then. That those with malicious intent were 'fair game'. Liz pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Of course…" She muttered as the two rogues continue to just stood there quietly. The faint sound of footsteps were heard behind her, before the looming presence of Ian overtook the right side of her peripheral. He, too, seemed to be staring at Sera and Cole.

Though as Liz turned to look up at him, she saw the confusion clearly on his face. As though the sight of the two talking so openly was disturbing, almost.

"Is something the matter?" Liz asked in her usual dull tone.

"….They get along, now?" He muttered, his brows furrowing, "Sera fucking hates Cole." She hears a whisper in the air that sounds oddly like Ian, 'Don't blame her.'

She tried to brush off the comment and not let it irritate her. Maybe she was hearing things, again…

"Hate is a bit of a strong word, I think. She hates me, for sure. Cole just creeps her out. But it's gotten better." Liz was testing him. The words seemed to also have an impact on the man and he turned to look down at the tiny mage, almost flabbergasted.

"So you've also somehow gotten Sera and Cole to be on amicable terms?"

"Also a strong word. Sera tolerates Cole, at best. Though I believe in time that might change." Liz didn't blink, watching his face shift closely. Ian appeared to be unable to hide all of the minute changes on his features. Reading him is as easy as reading a book, she realized. There was more confusion. Then alarm. Then obvious irritation, directed at her. Then it shifted again to contemplation, as he thinks on some things.

The two stood there in silence, a good distance from the Inquisition Camp. Though, in her paranoia, her hand twitched and came up as she casted a 'muffling' spell that she'd learned from Solas. The act caused Ian to flinch and back up a little. His brows furrowed once more.

"If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead Ian. It's just a spell to allow some privacy from eavesdroppers." She explained, though with a minor hint of irritation.

"Right. Then, straight to the point." He clapped his hands together and then pointed at her with his hands near his face, "With all due respect, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"You're going to need to be more specific. My arrival here has been nothing but 'what the fuck am I doing.'" Liz said in a deadpan, "Forgive me for not knowing which instance you speak of."

"The Nightmare Demon wasn't supposed to come through the tears. In fact, it was supposed to have been stopped at Adamant. So yes. What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm assuming that this universe was in some form of media back on Earth and that's how you know what you know. Sorry to break it to you, Ian. But this isn't a book or a game or a movie. It's real. There is no set timeline. And secondly, I have never seen said media that references this world." Liz explained as she clasped her hands together in front of her body, her shoulders tense as she ensured she was ready to cast or flee if needed. She wasn't sure. This … Ian was an oddity. An unknown.

"...You've never played Dragon Age..."

"No."

"Never played a game made by Bioware? Read any of the books?"

"Nope. Never heard of them. My sister, however, was an avid gamer."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me..." He groaned, his hands going to his horns as he now had a panicked look on his face, "This is fucked. Fucking fucked of all fucked! Corypheus is supposed to be the big bad guy. Stupid luke warm bad guy who keeps fucking up and gets shitstomped. The Nightmare Demon? He was supposed to become irrelevant! But now? Oh…. Now!?"

"I'm not sure if you heard me, before. But you are aware this isn't a game, right?"

"Well NO SHIT SHERLOCK. Of course I know it's not a god damned game! But knowing what I know, it gave me an advantage. If key events weren't messed with, things would be okay. The world wouldn't get fucked and I could lay low. Survive. Well… until the Dread Wolf decides to destroy the world. But that's beside the point."

"….what?"

"Ah, spoilers."

"You're telling me that an Ancient Elven God of Betrayal is supposedly still alive and wants to destroy the world. Right now?" Liz sounded incredulous, remembering some of the teachings Athras had given her all that time ago.

"So you're aware of the teachings, then. Or, probably the Dalish teachings. Which, might I add, aren't even close to true. Did you know their 'Gods' weren't actually gods? Just really powerful ancient elves. Overpowered slavers, really." He said and got a sneer on his face as he looked down at Liz, especially as she blinked and her eyes widened. Almost as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. It seemed preposterous. "Oh yeah. Those markings on their faces aren't even sacred. They're just slave brands. Hahahaha!"

"You're joking..." She almost didn't want to believe it. It was… almost sad to think about. But Ian appeared to be telling the truth, she could see. Or, at least, he believed what he was saying.

"Why would I joke around about this?" Ian frowned and crossed his arms, standing up straight, "At this point I'm not even sure if the Dread Wolf is going to be the one to end this world or the Nightmare Demon, to be honest."

"Joy…" Liz looked away and toward Cole and Sera as they stood near the road. At that point, it seemed as though a few scouts had brought over three horses for the group. Cole sat atop a white steed while Sera was atop a brown one. The stray one at the side was a thicker built type of horse, clearly specifically given to them to carry Ian's huge body. "We should head out."

'I need to think...'

"What, no questions? Not even freaking out about any of this? You're lame."

Liz just frowned and glanced back at him, feeling irritation in her chest at his commentary. Almost like he wasn't even really taking any of this seriously. But she said nothing, simply walking away like he didn't matter. The sound of his heavy footsteps followed, crunching against the gravel as they approached the oversized horse. She could have sworn she heard him whisper 'bitch' under his breath.

Cole turned and looked down at Liz, his relaxed expression fading a little. He still seemed… tense around her. Though his eyes still held the softness that they usually did, it was evident that what had happened not long ago still echoed within. The small mage faltered a little, her mouth open as though she were about to say something.

"Are you two going to just fucking stare at eachother or what?" Ian spoke as he grunted and got onto the large horse. The animal swayed a little under the new weight, but seemed to hold just fine as he now sat there. Then looked around with a raised eyebrow, "Where's your horse? No offense, but I don't wanna share with you."

"That won't be needed… we are to meet some people in Montsimmard. We should get word from the Inquisitor there about what to do next. I'll keep an eye above for hostiles." Liz spoke in a clipped tone, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling Cole was giving her as he just sat there… quiet.

"Above…?" Ian was about to ask, before Liz hopped up and transformed into a crow. She took to the skies and out of earshot of the trio. For the most part, Sera and Cole were used to her transformations. But Ian obviously was not expecting it. He'd even yelped at the sight, causing his horse to shift uneasily before righting itself.

And so… the group traveled in the direction of Montsimmard. An endeavor which would take them almost two days on horseback. They were rather uneventful days, overall. Filled with hunting for fresh food in the evenings and pitching camp at night. Ian seemed, blessedly, quiet. Liz wasn't going to argue with some silence from the loud man.

Though it was quite obvious he was disturbed about something. Especially after seeing Liz enter and share a tent with Cole that first night. After that, he kept giving her a very grossed out look whenever they made eye contact. Where before, the otherworlder had a look of curiosity and irritation in his eyes. Now he was almost ignoring Liz to the best of his abilities. Luckily they hadn't run into anyone along the roads to cause any issues.

Part of her wished to ask. But also a part of her couldn't really find it in her to care. She just wanted to get to the next destination so she could pick up the people Maxwell was sending over to aid her.

Finally the second day came and they arrived at the city midday. The sky was overcast, the sun unable to reach the group as they wandered up toward the walled in city. There appeared to be many people in a line, getting searched and checked before entering the city. Merchants, travelers, even refugees. Many appeared haggard and weak, as though they hadn't got much sleep or even much to eat. Some were incredibly injured, even. Though, from the looks of things, the camp nearby was taking in patients to treat.

It's in that moment that Liz spotted a familiar shock of long white hair. She was helping an elderly woman out of the tent and talking to her in a low tone that she couldn't quite hear. Though with her warm smile, it was likely reassurances of some kind.

Liz flew around overhead and circled the camp in her bird form, her eyes scanning the area.

Even now, it was clearly evident how elves were viewed in this world. Serana Lavellan was clearly offering her services for free and appeared to know what she was doing, yet people refused to approach. Very few did, in fact.

Some were dying on the carts going into the city and would likely not make it to the next day. Yet they refused help, simply because the person was elven.

Irritation washed over her, 'Idiots, the lot of them.'

'The people in the carts?' She hears from Cole through their link. He turns up to her as she circles in the skies. She glances down at him.

'Are you going to offer me words of wisdom and tell me that they aren't as bad as I think they are?' Liz responds flatly.

'No, they are assholes.' He agrees and her wings stop flapping for a second, in surprise, and she falls lower. Before she rights herself in the air and continues to fly, though now notably lower than before.

'That's…. that's the first time I've heard you call someone an asshole, Cole.'

'No. I said Erimond is an asshole, too.' She can practically hear the cheekiness in his tone. Though with her good vision, she can tell his facial expression barely shifted.

'….Cole, you never cease to surprise me.'

'Thank you! I am very sad that the little girl will die, though. Can we help?'

'…. yes, Cole… we can help.' Liz concedes, fluttering down toward him as they begin getting closer and closer to the wall.

Today was going to be a long day…