"Oh sweet Maker, I need a drink."
Alex, Cole and Varric headed towards the tavern in Val Royeaux, watching Solas make his way back to the gates to return to Skyhold, and Leliana as she headed off towards the shops again to look for shoes, which was her way of stress relief, she surmised. Alex had headed out with her to Valence after she received a posthumous letter from Divine Justinia V, only to find out that the Divine had released her from her service, and that she was no longer Justinia's Left Hand. It troubled her, and Alex, in an effort to cheer her up, brought her with them to the city for some shoe retail therapy after she had helped Cole regain his humanity.
They stood in front of the café just as one of them approached, "Inquisitor, you honor us with your presence." The man said, bowing at her, "May I bring a sample of fine cheeses for you and your two guests?"
The man looked at Cole, and Alex smiled at herself, as the man could already see Cole, which was unusual, as most people never saw him or remember him at all. She looked down at Varric to see him smile triumphantly at her, but Cole merely said, "I don't eat."
"Well then, just a bottle of Ghislain white to start."
The man led them to a table, and they sat down just as Alex raised her hand, "Actually, if you would, please bring us a plate of those cheeses you mentioned. Oh, and some of those Orlesian frilly cheesecakes you have."
"Of course. Please enjoy your meal this evening, Inquisitor." The man said, bowing again before heading off, and Varric laughed a little, "Cheesecakes?"
"It's never too early or too late for cakes, Varric. I believe you have the same opinion with ales." Alex said, leaning towards their table just as the man brought the bottle of wine at their table.
"True enough, Rosy." Varric said as he poured the wine into their glasses, and Alex looked at Cole, "Are you alright, Cole?"
"He can see me." The boy said in wonder, hiding his face under his hat, "They all see me."
Alex smiled at him, "Next you'll be eating and drinking and… everything else."
Cole looked up at her, confused, "What else is there?"
She laughed a little, "Have you used the privy yet? That should be enlightening." And Varric laughed as he drank his wine.
"I find people when their pain leaves them open." Cole told her, staring at the glass of wine on the table, "I ease the pain. I leave, they forget. That was enough for me. Now they remember and I'm not sure I… ah…ha ha ha…"
Alex and Varric looked up, surprised at the sound Cole made, only to realize the boy was chuckling, which he had never, ever done during all those times he had stayed with them. The two of them looked at each other before Alex spoke again, "Cole?"
"I told you about Rhys." Cole said, looking at her, " The mage who could see me. My friend. My only friend for a long time. Evangeline showed me the templars could be kind, but even she…"
Her eyes softened as she reached over to him, touching his hand and making him look down at her fingers, "Cole, if this is troubling, we don't have to talk about it."
The boy continued to look down at her fingers, as if he was marveling at the sight of them on his own skin, "Gentle… you watch me walk into darkness over and over, and you always worry. Thank you. But this isn't about them. It's about… When I found out I wasn't human… when I grew, I lost Rhys. I lost my only friend. That's why I was scared of letting all these people see me. That's why I laughed."
"You're laughing at yourself?" Alex asked him as his hand moved, twitching a little under her palm.
"Yes." He told her, "This world taught me that changing means losing your friends. But now I know that doesn't have to be true. I have enough self to know that what I felt was foolish." He looked up at her, and for a moment, he smiled widely at her, his eyes wrinkling and shining with mirth, "Isn't it wonderful?"
Alex's heart melted at the sight of Cole's joy, and even though she knew she would have to face Solas' ire once they're returned to Skyhold, it felt like seeing the boy more human than a spirit was good for him. She smiled widely at him again as his hands wrapped around her palm and gripped it tightly in affection, "Most people aren't quite so happy to learn that they're wrong about something."
"I hear that." Varric said in assent, but even he was smiling at Cole's realization.
Cole smiled up at her again, and it lighted up the boy's face, making Alex giddy with happiness, "I might like being human. What do you think I'll learn next?"
Alex grinned at Varric, and he returned her smile, just as a waiter brought the platter of cheeses and cakes in front of them. She squeezed Cole's hand and let it go, grasping the fork near her. "I think you should learn to eat first. Here, try this one. It's cheese cake. You'll love it as much as I do."
Cole looked down at his plate, where Alex had placed a slice of what looked like soft cake, drizzled with blueberries. His head inclined a little to the left, curious at the little thing, before his hand moved to grasp the fork. Alex and Varric stared at him, waiting with baited breath, as he lifted a piece of the cheesecake and put it in his mouth. Their eyes widened as he chewed slowly, as if the very act was unknown to him, and his throat moved, swallowing down the confection. Their breaths stilled as Cole turned towards them.
"It's really good."
Alex and Varric whooped in triumph as Cole smiled at them, amused at their expression and the taste of the cheesecake. The boy looked down at his food before once again stabbing a piece and putting it in his mouth, delighting the sensation, as his two companions clinked their glasses of wine together at Cole's successful attempt of becoming human.