princessia | ❥ ic contact (driftfleet)

Shh, you'll wake her.

[Jove's amused voice comes from the doorway, pitched low to avoid doing exactly what she'd just warned Cullen against. She'd come intending to visit the both of them, but this is certainly an image that she was not expecting.]

[Cullen manages to not jump precisely because he sees Elize is asleep. He gives Jove a sheepish look before looking for a place to set down his book, and then carefully pluck the pen and drawing from Elize.]

It's been a busy day of art.

[He speaks softly, and in the process of oh-so-carefully scooting aside so that Elize can be on her side instead of upright against his. He should probably wake her or take her to her room, but for now, he lets her stay.]

I see that.

[And as much as she'd love to stay leaning against the door frame watching Cullen maneuver his large frame around adjusting Elize's tiny sleeping form, he looks like he could use a hand. There's a blanket on the foot of Cullen's bed, one that found its way there thanks to Jove wanting to be sure Cullen would be warm enough on the days he struggled with lyrium withdrawals, and she grabs it up so she can spread it carefully over Elize.]

She must feel very comfortable with you to fall asleep sitting like that.

[Jove gets a grateful smile. He's a little trapped, yes, but it's partially his own doing, especially when he rests Elize's head on his lap. Easier for him to stroke her hair this way, touch light so as not to stir her from her dreams.

He wonders if her parents ever had the opportunity to do this for her.]

Or simply that bored.

That's something I doubt very much.

[After making sure the blanket is tucked securely around Elize's shoulders, Jove reaches for the picture the girl had been working on.]

She's quite fond of flowers, isn't she? Perhaps I should bring some seeds for her the next time I visit.

She'd like that. More to keep her busy wouldn't hurt.

[Not because he doesn't enjoy her hanging around him, not at all. But he thinks he might be kind of dull. Cullen doesn't really do anything exciting.]

She's very lucky to have you looking after her this way. [And then her lips twist into an amused grin.] Though this might be the last thing I expected to find when I came to see you. It makes a very sweet picture.

[Cullen smiles, a little embarrassed, and then looks down at Elize's sleeping face.]

She's a sweet girl. She deserves everything I can offer her and more. [There may be a little girl on one side of him, but he nods to his left. Come join in, Jove.]

And I'm sure you're not getting anything at all out of her company.

[Said with a teasing look as she moves to sit beside him, tucking her feet up under herself.]

[He says nothing, smiling still and chuckling a little under his breath. Elize has brought him some peace in a way he's never imagined. A little girl with no idea about templars or lyrium or the implications of it all, trusting him enough to fall asleep on him--it means more than he knows how to voice.

Cullen's free hand reaches for one of Jove's so that he can press a kiss to her knuckles. He's a happy man, in this moment.]

That's what I thought.

[And she's glad that he's found this, this little bit of peace after everything he had been through in the past. It's absolutely something he deserves and really, Jove is just glad hasn't talked himself out of believing he does deserve it.

When he kisses her hand, her teasing look fades into something much more affectionate.]

And there you are being far too sweet again.

[Oh, he comes close, now and then. But the last thing he would do is abandon Elize.]

It comes easy with you. The both of you, I suppose.

[ Maybe it's their voices influencing her dreams or it's that she feels some small movement on the cot, but something brings her to stir during her slumber. She shifts slightly, curling up underneath the blanket. ]

Father...

[ It's the only word she speaks softly in her sleep, then she remains still again, continuing to dream peacefully. ]

[Well, that's a surprise. The girl look unlikely to wake completely but Jove waits a long moment before she leans past Cullen a little, trying to get a better look at Elize's sleeping face.

No tears, so at least the comparison isn't one that's causing bad dreams. Again she keeps her voice low when she speaks to Cullen, barely over a whisper this time.]

Has she done that before?

[The single word causes Cullen's hand to still on Elize's head. His breath catches in his chest before Jove speaks, and when he answers, his voice feels thick.]

No.

[And then he pretends to think nothing of it, hand resuming its task of gently pushing away Elize's hair from her face, brow creased as he looks down at her.

Father.

He really shouldn't think anything of it.]

Cullen...

[She puts her hand on his arm, unsure what else to say to that. He almost seems upset by the slip, but she can't put a figure on why. Does he not want Elize to think of him that way? Does he, but now that it's been confirmed, does he feel guilty?]

She said once, that people used to throw rocks at her. The thought makes me sick.

[His voice is quiet, measured. He thinks about that sometimes when with Elize, as she chatters or draws or plays pretend. That anyone could do such a thing to such a sweet girl...]

I won't let anything like that ever happen again to her.

[As if he could have done something before, when they were worlds away.]

She's grown close to a number of us here, you know. She's as safe as anyone could possibly be now, and I wouldn't be surprised if knowing you was the thing that gave her the courage to seek out the people who care for you.

[All the safety wouldn't make up for what she's endured. He knows it's illogical, to wish to erase that so much and to be so angry at people he'll never encounter, and so perhaps that's why he's offering so much of himself to a child that isn't his own. In hopes of making her present better.]

She and I are both lucky, then.

[ Stirring in her sleep, the quiet voices are enough to gently rouse her from her dreams. She turns on her back and tiredly rubs at her eye with one hand before having it slump back down to her side.

She opens her mouth slightly to speak, but no words come out at first, when it quickly registers in her mind that she's gazing right up at Cullen. ]

...Cullen?

[ It's a questioning tone, to make sure she's not dreaming. For just a moment, it might have looked like she wanted to address him differently. Father. She's at least conscious enough to stop herself from making a mistake. ]

Jove's here too.

[ She'd sound more cheerful if she were fully awake, staring with tired eyes and looking just about ready to drift off again. ]

[With a soft, affectionate smile, Jove reaches out to brush Elize's bangs out of her eyes.]

We didn't mean to wake you, da'len. [The augment will translate that to "little one" for them all, thanks to the fact that Elvish of every kind is apparently well known by whoever runs the show they perform on.] Go back to sleep if you're still tired.

[When she wakes, Cullen finds himself almost at a loss of words. No, he'd never mention what she said in her sleep. But it's something that he feels should be acknowledged, even if not verbally. Even if only by a gentle touch to the side of her small face.]

Sleep. It's all right.

[ Their affectionate touch brings a flicker of a weary, vague smile on her face. There might be even a tinge of sadness to that smile as she once again wonders how her parents treated her, if they ever showed her similar affection. She can't clearly recall her dream, but she's certain she must have been dreaming of being with a family.

She pulls the blanket closer around her body, comfortably resting back on her side and nestling her head on Cullen's lap. ]

[After sharing a mildly concerned look with Cullen, Jove chooses to stay silent for the moment to let Elize get back to sleep. She rubs the girl's back in an attempt to soothe that sad look off her face, but she can't seem to get it out of her head.

Poor thing is probably terribly homesick and all she has to alleviate that feeling are people she didn't even choose to surround herself with.]

[Cullen wants to believe that her parents did everything they could for her, and that they tucked her into bed each night, if they didn't let her fall asleep on them like this. He settles an arm over her and the blanket. One more layer of protection between her and the world--or worlds--at large.]

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