She seemed surprised to find that he was a monster, by his words only and not by her own experiences she'd likely have in the future. He grunted and watched her evenly, her little eyes widening as she watched him too.
"I'm Adna?" she kinda asked back, really. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm supposed to say."
He clenched his teeth at that. He already hated the way she was being raised. But then what the hell did he know. It wasn't like he was a father. His own daughter couldn't stand to have him near and left him to live with his greatest enemy. Preferred his enemy over her own father. His last little piece of Cerva. Of perfection.
Fuck.
He ignored the tear slipping down his cheek beneath his mask, swallowed hard. His sharp gaze studied her as she took a cautious step back, finally catching on that he was a danger, even lying here in a pile of bone armor and heartache. Perhaps more so for the heartache. It often made him do things, act more rashly than he typically did.
"Do I need to call for my daddy?"
His lip pulled up in an amused sneer. "Not unless you'd like to watch him die." It was matter of fact, completely accurate. He nodded to his bone plate on one shoulder, clacking the nose of his mask against it pointedly. "You see these scratches? And that little chip there. I've been in countless fights, little babe. I always walk away," or pass out with dead bodies for a bit first, it happens. "I leave death in my wake, not injuries."
He shifted his weight a little, getting as comfortable as he could manage. "So you'd be killing your daddy if you did. Because I take it he's not big on chatting, hm? He'd see me with you and attack. And I'd fight back. The end." Which means he'd be leaving another body in his wake and not blinking an eye for it. Not even for his Leliana. Well. Perhaps he'd let the bastard live for her. He didn't really want to find out how far he'd go for her even now.
She deserved this family she'd made for herself.
And he didn't. It was why he hadn't had any more kids after Atrani.
It was why he'd backed off Leliana when he had her under him, when he nearly took her completely. Had wanted to so badly.
But how could he curse his angel to spawn another of himself?
She deserved better.
She could've used the new opportunity to choose someone better, though. This one was weak, not strong enough to let her go so she could find someone more deserving. Dov had already sized him up and determined the idiot wasn't worthy of her. He didn't deserve her. But whatever. If she was happy, then he'd stay out of it. That was all that mattered. No matter how it killed Dov to see it.
"C'mere, little babe," he murmured tiredly with a little gesture of his chin. He wasn't done punishing himself yet, it seemed. He knew she wouldn't. Even his own daughter wouldn't come near him, let him touch her. But he would always try anyway, make it hurt more to take the rejection. "Lay with me just a moment before I have to leave. You won't see me again. All I have are these few short minutes, and then I need to leave and stay away."
Danger always followed him, and he wouldn't let it find her. His little Leliana.
we're slaves to any semblance of touch
Lord, we should quit but we love it too much
