"What do you mean she needs a few days? We don't have a few days," Lucanis insisted. He didn't want to go back and try to explain where Rook had gone and why. Nor did he want to explain that she wanted to resign, just in case someone else might agree. Viago crossed his arms as he glared at Lucanis.

"You should have thought about that before berating her after Weisshaupt. You and your teammates are constantly at odds with each other, and none of you seem to care how it affects the other," Viago pointed out, his glower deepening.

"Can I at least talk with her? See what she wants me to say to the team while she takes a break?" Lucanis reasoned as Spite started to argue incoherently in his head. The demon didn't want to be away from Rook for a few days either.

"Out of the question. She needs time to think and process what happened at Weisshaupt, and she needs to do it away from the people who blame her," Viago answered sternly.

"We don't blame her."

"That is not how she saw it. She won't say what was said in the debrief after the disaster, but it was enough that she won't leave her room," the Fifth Talon nearly growled. Lucanis could probably count on one hand he had seen Viago truly angry. This was one of those times. Even Teia seemed to have found something more interesting to do as she left Lucanis to fend for himself.

"We can't do this without her. She's the only one keeping the team together."

"Too bad. Be a better team. If removing one person from the team is all it takes for it to fall apart, then it wasn't much of a team to start with."

"We're expecting an update from what's left of the Wardens about where the gods have gone. Not to mention Harding's magic, and Neve just got back from Minrathous," Lucanis added, hoping to persuade the Talon. However, it only seemed to make him more furious.

"Interesting how she has shown up for each one of you, and yet none have checked on her wellbeing," Viago hissed, his eyes ablaze.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"With concerns for only yourself, Dellamorte! How are you going to fair if you don't come home with your leader on your arm? How are you going to help your team stay together without my Crow? How are you going to deal with the gods withoutmia sorellinasupporting you through it each step of the way?" Viago roared, no longer caring who heard. Lucanis stopped, surprised by his outburst. "And none of the others have even bothered to show up, not that they've probably noticed that she's gone. They'd only notice once she's not there when they have issues. It's fine if you don't want to support her, Lucanis, but don't demand that she give more than she already has when she is barely holding on as it is!"

Lucanis only stared as Spite said nothing. Even if Lucanis would never admit it out loud, Spite had more concern about Rook than he did most of the time. Spite always wanted to know what she was up to and why she was feeling the way she was feeling. Lucanis had thought it was just the demon being curious about his obsession. Now he realized that the demon had caught onto something he had not.

"She will return when she feels like it, but she said that she'll go back. Figure out what that means for your team in the meantime. And make sure that there isn't some miraculous turnaround where there's a huge welcome home party. She'll see through that, and it'll be harder to get through to her," Viago warned, lowering his voice back to its normal tone.

"You know by experience?"

"Illario tried to apologize with extravagance. I don't think she ever really forgave him in the end. I think she just put it past them and went on. If you want her to trust you again, start with an apology. Nothing else but an apology, if you can manage it. Otherwise, continue as normal. Treat it as a contract as you normally would."

"What do you mean trust us again?"

"Her trust is hard to gain in the beginning. She will believe you if you apologize, but if you insist that she isn't to blame, she will think you're lying to get her comfortable with you again."

"Mierda," Lucanis sighed, shaking his head. "You de Rivas and your trust issues."

"Are you looking for her trust or her cooperation?" Viago asked, surprising Lucanis. "You will get her cooperation as it will be in her best interest to work with you, but if you gain her trust, you will have an ally for life unless you betray her."

"Make sure that it's Harding and Bellara that greet her at the eluvian when she comes home," Teia added, returning to the conversation. Lucanis glanced around, realizing that she had emptied the Diamond before Viago went on with his tirade. "Those are the only two that weren't blaming her, yes?"

"Well-" Lucanis began before earning a look from Viago. He had wanted to mention that Neve also had her back, but it seemed that short answers were what was needed. "That's right."

"Give her time, and she'll come around. And like I said, bring her around more often to Treviso when you have the time. I think showing her that she isn't as isolated will help," Teia reminded before sighing. "But I think you better get back before your team starts coming through the eluvian."

"If they even care to," Viago grumbled as Teia rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure some are just late risers. Lucanis doesn't sleep much," she reminded. Lucanis grimaced, unable to argue that point.

Lucanis took his leave after exchanging a brief goodbye, still feeling bitter about returning without his leader. Especially after learning that her name wasn't really Rook, but also not learning what her real name was. It was difficult to know that even Illario knew her real name, and Lucanis had essentially lived with her for the last several weeks.

The trip back to the lighthouse was long and irksome, especially when he found part of the team waiting for him outside the lighthouse eluvian. It seemed that they were waiting for the Caretaker to take them across to Treviso, and they hadn't expected to see him.

"Lucanis?" Harding called out as he stepped onto the dock. Maker, he needed more coffee. "What are you doing here?"

"I went to find Rook," he grumbled, walking past her as well as Emmrich, Taash, and Davrin. It seemed that Neve and Bellara were still at the lighthouse. "She's in Treviso."

"Why isn't she with you? We went to find both of you for breakfast and couldn't find you anywhere. Usually, you tell us when you two run off," Harding continued as Lucanis sighed. He wanted to be angry or upset, but he never could with the dwarven scout.

"She needs some time after yesterday," Lucanis answered, stopping to face the four of them. That wasn't what they expected to hear.

"When she said to clear our heads, I assumed we would stay at the lighthouse," Taash mentioned as Davrin nodded. Lucanis took a deep breath before running a hand through his hair.

"As did I, but she had more than that in her head. She hadn't planned on coming back," the Crow informed, producing the resignation note. Horror came over their faces before Lucanis gave the second note to Emmrich as a further explanation. The necromancer didn't open it. "Viago was able to convince her to come back, just not… today."

"So, she's staying in Treviso?" Harding repeated before shaking her head.

"And she isn't resigning? What's this note then?" Davrin asked, turning to Lucanis.

"I found it this morning when I couldn't sleep. I went to apologize for my words yesterday and found this on her door. I went to find her immediately," Lucanis explained. "Like I said, Viago was able to talk her out of it. She thinks we blamed her leadership."

"That's ridiculous," Taash scoffed as Lucanis shrugged.

"We were pretty rough on her, though. She was trying to talk us through everything, and we kept shutting her down," Davrin sighed, staring at Lucanis. "When is she coming back if not today?"

"Viago said a few days, and to have Harding and Bellara greet her. Teia's orders," Lucanis smirked as Harding tried to smile.

"She isn't going to run out on us every time it gets rough, though, right?" Davrin wondered as Lucanis shook his head.

"Rook has been in this fight for over a year, and she was banished from her home for most of it. She just needed some familiarity to deal with the aftermath," Harding answered, turning towards the Warden. "I think she just hit a breaking point. Once she's back, she'll be right as rain."

"If you say so," Davrin nodded before dropping the subject. "What should we do in the meantime? I don't know if we can afford to wait around the lighthouse."

"Fair point," Taash sighed.

"What if we helped our allies while Rook is out? Rook will probably be helping Viago and the Crows, so we can help the Wardens, Jumpers, and the rest. I'm sure we can pair up when we need to, but that way we can strengthen our allies as Rook recovers," Harding suggested, handing the note back to Lucanis.

"It's a good a plan as any. I'll stay in the lighthouse with Harding in case Rook makes it back," he suggested as Davrin nodded.

"I'll check with the Wardens again to see if they have any leads on where the darkspawn went," Davrin offered with Assan landing next to him.

"I'll let Neve and Bellara know what's going on," Harding added before returning to the eluvian.

"What about the Lords?" Lucanis wondered as Taash shrugged.

"Same old same old with them, I guess. Could probably check with them," Taash answered.

"Go ahead and check with them and see if they need anything. The more allies the better. I'm going to make some coffee and try to get rid of this headache," Lucanis informed as the team split up.

Lucanis walked back into the lighthouse and made his way through the courtyard back to the dining hall. He bypassed his room and made his way back to the pantry where his old bed was. Something about it felt more appropriate, and it was also right next to the coffee maker.

He sat on the cot against the wall as the coffee percolator worked its magic. He could see Spite pacing and groaning out of the corner of his eye, complaining about him and Rook's absence. Lucanis caught a few words, but he was too far in his own head to really hear what the demon was complaining about.

Then he felt Spite hit him and his nose bled.

"Spite! Mierda!" Lucanis cursed, covering his nose in surprise.

"You left Rook! Now you. Ignore me!" Spite shouted in frustration and almost despair. Lucanis blinked at the demon for a moment, surprised to hear a different emotion.

"I didn't leave her. She wanted to stay, but she's coming back. Remember? She just needs time," Lucanis reminded, reaching for a handkerchief. It had been a while since Spite had hit him like this.

"Then you push. Her. Away. She flirts. You like it, but don't. Do. Anything," Spite argued, his frustration mounting. Lucanis closed his eyes and sighed.

"It's complicated, and you aren't helping."

"No, I . She slept in. Our arms. You pushed away. She comforted. She protected. She watched. Over you. Then you. Pushed. Her. AWAY!" Spite shouted in Lucanis's face. The Crow narrowed his eyes, unable to argue. "She wants. To be near. And yet, you won't. Let her. Now she leaves. Talon has to convince her. Shouldn't have to convince her."

"We were all dealing with the aftermath poorly, not just me," Lucanis reminded as Spite sneered at him.

"She came to you. For comfort. And you pushed away."

"What? I didn't-"

"She came in. Tried to tell you. Happy to live. That we live. You were too focused. On the contract. Told her that you wanted. The contract to end."

"Of course I want this contract to end, then we'll be on even footing since she won't be the client," Lucanis reminded, removing the cloth from his nose.

"She doesn't know that! She reaches out now. Doesn't care about contract. Even said so. But you insisted. Even asked for you. To be grateful. And you said no."

"I didn't say that. I wanted her to be harsh on me, to push me to go harder. So we can win and go back home."

"No! You asked her. To not be Rook. To be a Crow. That you didn't want. The Sentimental Crow."

Lucanis paused at that, realizing that he had told her that plainly. He had meant for her to be harsher on him, like he said. He wanted her to push him to be better so he could see what he could do better next time. Instead, he told her that she wasn't what he needed in his anger. No wonder she left so quickly afterwards. He dropped his head in his hands at the realization, wanting the Fade to swallow him up whole. She wasn't even around to apologize to.

"Go find Rook!" Spite demanded again before Lucanis shook his head.

"She needs time after what I said. Finding her now will only make things worse. She needs to come back so we can apologize. SoIcan apologize," he informed with an exhale. "Maybe explain myself so I don't look like a complete asshole."

"And if she doesn't. Come back?"

"Viago said she would, but if she doesn't, then we'll send her a letter, alright? We'll say we want to meet up to apologize. That usually works, doesn't it?"

"Don't know."

"Right," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Spite calmed down a little now that he had said his piece as he began pacing again.

Lucanis stood after a moment, walking into the dining hall to start making lunch. It was probably too late for breakfast at this point, but he was sure that the rest of the team that still lingered around the lighthouse were probably getting hungry after all the excitement. He pulled out eight dishes before putting one back, cursing himself for being so oblivious and careless.

Lucanis made a complicated pasta dish, hardly paying attention to the cooking process. He made sure it didn't burn, but even when he tried tasting it, he couldn't taste much. It was fine, but the usual color of the flavors had vanished. He sighed, continuing to cook, hoping that the others wouldn't notice the change in his skills. Most likely, his mood was affecting his appetite and taste.

Once it was done, he left the dish on the table with the plates and left the dining hall. Usually, he would've called out to the team, but he guessed the aroma of cooked pasta and meat would call them well enough.

Instead, he wandered towards Isabella's cottage, something the Fade specifically made for her. He hoped that maybe hanging out in her old room would calm the demon enough for him to relax for a moment. Spite stepped out of his body to examine the room, searching for signs of Rook. However, she had been thorough in her departure. Everything of hers was gone, including all of her alchemy supplies. Only the table remained.

He sat down on the couch, facing the hearth that he sat her down in front of when she had fallen through the table. Lucanis sighed, really thinking that they had been growing closer since then. He had never had a friend outside of Illario until Rook, and he had burned it all down with a careless comment. It was probably more than just the comment, but he had still pushed her away consistently. She had offered to help him again and again, even when he assured her that he was fine. There wasn't a point where Rook hadn't looked out for him.

"Spite," Lucanis called out as the demon perked up. Very rarely did the assassin reach out the demon in anything other than malice or anger. "Do you know how Rook was feeling when we got back from Weisshaupt? You said she came to me for comfort."

"She felt lost. Nerves ragged. Doubting. Scared. Grieving," the demon answered without his usual sneer. Lucanis stared at Spite, expecting a jab or something spiteful to follow up. Except, the demon seemed downtrodden.

"I told her that I would quell those doubts, didn't I?" Lucanis whispered, shaking his head. With a sigh, he stared back at the wall. He knew that he was also going through his emotions after Weisshaupt, and he wasn't solely responsible for Rook's emotions. But she had come to him to talk things through, and he wasn't listening. Too focused on the wrong thing, like Spite said.

Spite eventually wandered away, leaving Lucanis to stare into the Fade fueled fire for hours. There wasn't anything for him to do at the moment. Everyone except Harding had factions they could help and look out for. The Crows didn't need him while Rook was with them, not that he would know what to do himself. Viago was furious with him as it was, and Teia seemed irritated as well. So, sitting on the couch for a few hours while he sorted through his thoughts seemed like the best plan for the time being.

Neve stood in the courtyard staring up at the cottage, seeing the door askew. She had noticed Lucanis from her office window walk to the now vacant building, and she had thought about going to talk to him. As soon as she received the letter from Harding explaining the situation, she rushed back from the lighthouse. She hadn't expected Isabella to run back to the Crows to gather herself again, which meant that her dear leader and Lucanis had some sort of altercation.

"Hey, Neve," Davrin greeted with Assan at his heels. Neve grimaced as the Warden glanced at the cottage as well. "Missing Rook, too?"

"Yes, but I think someone else is missing her more," the detective sighed. Davrin looked back at the building before grimacing.

"Lucanis?"

"He's been in there for an hour or so now. I don't know if he'll come out soon."

"I know he and I went a little too far in the debrief. I wish I could talk to Rook and apologize."

"I'm sure he feels the same. I think something else happened, though, for her to go all the way back to Treviso."

"Between her and Lucanis?" Davrin guessed as Neve half-shrugged. "I suppose that would explain why he's brooding."

"It would indeed. Anyway, I have a couple things I'd like to chat with you about, if you have a moment," Neve informed as Davrin shrugged. "And I think Lucanis made lunch before he went to brood."

"Think it's poisoned?"

"Nah, that's Rook's specialty."