Small puffs of air swirled around Elyssa as she walked briskly away from her house. The temperature was dropping now that fall was well underway. She wished she had grabbed a jacket before she had run out of the house, but it was too late to turn back for one now. She needed time, a moment to think away from everything there. She walked with no sense of direction, no care for where she was going as long as it was away. With a hard thud, her walk came to an abrupt halt. In her lack of awareness of her surroundings, she had run into someone. "I'm so sorr… " she began apologizing before she saw who it was she had run into. The pale blue eyes with hidden grey specks could belong to none other than her art teacher. "H-hi Solas," she stammered with a shuffle of her feet.

"Elyssa, how are you?" His tone was heavy with worry. Her chest ached at the sound of it. No one had sounded so concerned for her before.

"You mean after that fiasco at lunch today?" she chuckled, though even she could tell it sounded forced.

"You weren't in class after that," his tone wasn't angry, but filled with concern. As her teacher, he should have been angry that she missed his class. Yet he wasn't. His blue eyes bore kindly into hers, the corners of his mouth were turned into a small welcoming smile. He looked like someone who wanted to help her. Could she trust him to help her?

"Yeah… my mom… she needed me home," she answered vaguely, "I had forgotten before she called,"

"That was your mother that called you?" Solas sounded surprised. Elyssa had hoped he hadn't been able to hear her. It seemed that was not the case.

"Yeah," she nodded, "As I said, I had forgotten she needed me at home," She avoided meeting his gorgeous blue eyes. She couldn't see the gentle kindness there and not break down. She wanted so badly to tell someone, to let someone help her shoulder the burden, but she couldn't do that to Solas. He deserved better.

A cold breeze caused her to shiver, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Solas. "Elyssa, would you like to come inside for a moment? You seem rather cold," Elyssa looked at the small house he pointed at. She never realized Solas lived so close to her. That explained why she had run into him on her street. She began to reject his offer when another shiver ran through her. She pressed her arms harder against her sides, hoping to retain some amount of heat.

"Just for a moment," Solas insisted, "At least let me get you a jacket."

"Okay," Elyssa agreed quietly. Solas gave her a smile of approval and led her inside. The door led to a cozy living room complete with a small fireplace. The warm beige walls were offset by a dark brown sectional couch and coffee table. It was warm and inviting, something Elyssa wasn't used to.

"Have a seat," Solas instructed, "I'll make you some tea," Elyssa did as she was told and sat on the edge of the couch. Solas left through a small entryway to rummage through the kitchen for the supplies he needed.

"Why do you have tea if you hate it so much?" she called to the elven man opening and closing various cupboards loudly.

"How do you know I detest the stuff?" he called back in surprised amusement.

"You always give me your tea packets at lunch," she answered, "plus, you make a weird face when I'm drinking it that you think I don't notice." The memory of how kind he had been in giving her a place other than the girl's bathroom to spend her lunch hour in, as well as always bringing her food, brought a smile to her face. This kind, gentle man treated her with so much compassion when he didn't have to. He could have easily forced her to go into the cafeteria but he didn't. He could have saved his lunch for himself, yet he continued to bring her at least a sandwich to eat day after day. She wondered, would he still be as kind to her if he knew the truth? Or would he treat her like everyone else did?

Solas entered with a warmed mug of tea for her. "I have tea because Josephine insisted that I would like it if I only gave it a decent chance. I am simply too polite to deny her." She held out her arm to accept the cup from him, not thinking that she was wearing a tank top. She heard the gasp from him and knew it was too late to regret not wearing long sleeves. She had been getting ready for bed. She hadn't intended to go for a walk. At the time, all she was thinking was that she needed to get out of there. It's why she had just put her blue jeans back on and left. Now he was seeing her arms for the first time. Seeing the marks, scars, and blood that was still there from before she had left the house.

"Elyssa… your arms," he said with his mouth agape, "why?" It was such a small question, just one word. But it held so much tension. He knew what the perfectly straight, horizontal lines up and down her forearms were from. He was intelligent after all, of course, he would know. She hesitantly looked up at him, expecting to see the hardened gaze of disgust. It was what she was used to when people saw her arms, saw what she did to herself. Instead, they shone with nothing but concern, worry, and care for her.

She turned her head away in shame. She couldn't bear such a caring gaze. Here she was, the one with the disgusting scars on her arms. Yet there he stood, concerned for her like she didn't deserve them. How could she explain it to him? How could she make him see what went on inside her head? How could she make him see that they were there for a reason? That she deserved the pain? That she needed it?

"I don't know how to explain it," she answered honestly.

He set the cup of tea on the coffee table beside her. Kneeling in front of her, he tentatively took her hands in his. "Please try?" he begged quietly.

"It's like, I have all this pain inside, you know?" she began with a soft sigh, "and all that pain has to come out somehow, right?" She felt the comforting circular motion of Solas's thumbs rubbing her palms. "I've seen so much, been through so much. And sometimes, it doesn't feel like I'm really here. Like all of those things can happen to one person? It's like I can't feel anything except the pain,"

"The pain reminds you that you're real?" Solas' voice was barely above a whisper, yet his words rang through her loudly. She couldn't help the tears that began spilling from her eyes. Someone finally got it. Someone finally seemed to understand just a little bit of what was going through her head. No one had ever even tried to understand before. Her parents just yelled at her, telling her how shameful it was. Her boyfriend either acted like he couldn't see the marks or as if they depreciated the value of her. Both made her feel more alone.

She nodded her head as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Solas pulled her down into his lap on the floor. Normally, she wouldn't let someone get so close to her. But Solas made her feel safe. He made her feel cared for. She didn't want this feeling to go away, but she knew it would. There was no way someone like Solas could care for her once he learned the truth about her past. For now, though, she would enjoy these feelings. She buried her head in the soft material of his sweater and let herself cry and be held in the arms of another for the first time.

Solas held Elyssa tightly as she sobbed out her anger and pain. He'd never seen self-inflicted cuts on someone before. The inside of her forearms had been covered in semi-deep gashes, some new and some old. He couldn't imagine the horrors she had been through that had driven her to such lengths. How could a woman so young have been through so much already? Deep down, something growled at him to protect her. To keep her from having to go through this ever again.

When her sobs finally quieted, he turned her to look at him. "Elyssa, will you please try not to do this again?" He took her slender face in his hands, gently forcing her to look at him. "You don't deserve this, despite what you might think," He could see on her face that no one had told her that before. Why had no one told her that? In the time he had gotten to know her, he had seen that she possessed a rare and marvelous spirit. She was smart, witty, funny, dedicated and full of such strength. She had been shouldering this burden alone, but no longer. He would do what he had to and make sure she would never have to suffer alone again.

He gently slid Elyssa from his lap and stood up. He removed the sweater he had been wearing over a muscle shirt. Kneeling once more beside the troubled elf, he offered the sweater to her. "So you won't be so cold going home," he gave her half a smile.

"Thank you, Solas," she said as she put the sweater on. Standing up, the sweater fell to mid-thigh on her and the sleeves extended far past her fingertips. Once she got the sweater situated, he offered her a piece of folded up paper from a nearby notepad. "what's this?"

"It's my number," he answered seriously, "call or text me if you ever need anything. If you need someone to talk to, a ride, whatever, you let me know," Elyssa avoided his gaze like she wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. His eyes bore deeply into her. "You don't have to do this alone."

With a soft sigh, Elyssa threw her arms around him in a warm embrace. "Thank you." Solas hugged her close to him, taking comfort in her embrace as much as she was in his. This girl, so full of light, of passion, and determination, awoke so many feelings inside him. Feelings he had long believed were buried past the point of resurfacing. He understood, finally, why he hadn't been able to get Elyssa Lavellan out of his mind since he had begun getting to know her. He understood with painstaking clarity that everything he was looking for was right here, in this young girl full of wisdom and strength beyond her age. Full of laughter despite the sorrow she held within her. Full of beauty and compassion. Everything he wanted, but nothing he could have. He knew he could never act on those feelings. Nothing could happen between him and Elyssa, but he could help her; he would help her.