She's tense and unhappy and coiled like a spring ready to let loose. Not so long ago in Barge time, she would have shredded him - or anyone - for touching her.
She's still all of those things but she leans into him, instead. She lets him collect her close as she stares down the hall.
"Did he say anything to you?" she asks, her voice even, her dark eyes troubled.
He holds her against him. He would have let her shred him because he knows this feeling all too well. He knows the depth of the grief and the worry and the pain and the sickness of it all. He knows and he hates it.
His fingers tremble slightly, the only indication of his stress.
"Not about this," he says softly. "But neither did you."
"I didn't have a choice." It's not blame she places at Astarion's feet for this - indeed, she's proud he managed to find his way - but she needs to cover bases, needs to check boxes so she knows what to do next.
"He didn't talk much to me about his home. Where was he at last you knew?"
"I'm not saying that," he says firmly. They're both wardens. They can go if they want. "But we don't know nearly enough to be effective in his world. We've got Gale here, we can talk to him if he's gone for a while. Maybe you can learn some more spells. Something to not get your ass handed to you as soon as you get there."
"Jacob, every power tripping punk I've ever met in my life has thought they could hand my ass to me, but I'm still here. You think I can't figure it out faster than I could figure out magic?"
She knows he's right. She knows that this driving need to go find him right now is tied to her own world, not his. But she can't just turn it off either.
"You think I want to lose him?" he responds, voice low but firm. "You think I want to lose you? Just - think a minute on it, alright? You don't know where he is or what you're going into. You don't know what that place looks like. What if you get there and you get turned around? Honey, I know what you're thinking, but don't start having half-assed ideas yet. You want to go and get him, fine. But we're going to do it together and we're going to be smart about it."
She's stubborn and more than that she's learned how capable she really is over the years - she'd go, right now, if it were just her. But it's not just her, is it? Jacob is here, asking her to stop. And she's not living just for herself now in more than one way.
A muscle in her jaw jumps, unhappy. No, furious. But he's asking her to think on it and she owes him that much.
"Going after him," he says firmly and cups her cheek. "But we are gonna go talk to Gale. We are gonna bring up something in the Enclosure. We are gonna be smart about this because if we go there and he loses you or he loses me..."
It's hard, when she's one of the most capable scouts back home. It's hard because she's frequently the first name called, and always the second. It's hard because she's known for bringing her group home safe.
She glares back into his eyes, but it's obvious that she's flagging, that she's giving in, even before she reaches up to cover his hand with hers.
"Fine," she agrees. "But if Gale doesn't give us anything we can act on, we give him a week and then we go."
"And if he's not -" Because Rosita is a realist, is practical to her core, has seen men break into a thousand pieces. "We'll still be there. He'll still have a place with us, and we'll put it right."
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Hey.
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She's still all of those things but she leans into him, instead. She lets him collect her close as she stares down the hall.
"Did he say anything to you?" she asks, her voice even, her dark eyes troubled.
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His fingers tremble slightly, the only indication of his stress.
"Not about this," he says softly. "But neither did you."
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"I didn't have a choice." It's not blame she places at Astarion's feet for this - indeed, she's proud he managed to find his way - but she needs to cover bases, needs to check boxes so she knows what to do next.
"He didn't talk much to me about his home. Where was he at last you knew?"
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Fucking Cazador.
"Don't- " he warns her gently.
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She's still terrified of Cazador, but she can finally say his name. She can shoot him in the fucking face.
"If he - if he forgets us. We can't just let that asshole have him."
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She knows he's right. She knows that this driving need to go find him right now is tied to her own world, not his. But she can't just turn it off either.
"I just got him back, Jacob. I just -"
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A muscle in her jaw jumps, unhappy. No, furious. But he's asking her to think on it and she owes him that much.
"What am I thinking, then?"
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He shakes his head.
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She glares back into his eyes, but it's obvious that she's flagging, that she's giving in, even before she reaches up to cover his hand with hers.
"Fine," she agrees. "But if Gale doesn't give us anything we can act on, we give him a week and then we go."
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There's a horrible weight in his chest, making him dizzy and sick at the thought that he can't just...keep them together. "Fucking hell."
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"It means once we find him, we can go wherever and whenever we want. And he's survived a lot longer than we have. He's good. He's strong."
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If he's not alright, she will have blood.
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He will do anything for Astarion and Rosita. Including face off against Cazador.