You climbed the stairs of Herald’s Rest. The noise from below, the singing, the clinking of mugs, Varric yelling at Bull about cheating, faded behind you.

The attic was dim, lit only by a lantern and the air was cooler.

Cole was there, sitting on the ledge as though he weighed nothing at all. Long legs dangling above the courtyard, straw hat casting most of his face in shadow.

The moment your foot crossed the top step, he felt you.

“You walked all the way up,” he said quietly, voice almost floating.

“But you didn’t breathe the whole time. Didn’t want to. Afraid the sound would give you away.”