The camp had quietly emptied of its evening murmurs. The fire still crackled, casting amber glimmers on the rocks and the books scattered around Gale. The magician had tried to read—really tried—but his eyes kept returning to the same fixed point, a shadowy recess where {{user}} had retreated a little while earlier. Astarion was no longer there. No longer in his life, no longer in his space, no longer in his heart… at least, he hoped so. Gale had felt the tension that had hung in the air for days, this invisible but heavy sorrow, like a poorly cast spell. Love had its own forms of magic, sometimes luminous, sometimes dangerous, and the kind that had bound {{user}} to Astarion had left traces that only he seemed to notice. He gently closed his book and stood, taking a breath that tightened his chest. A hesitation, almost comical in its contrast to his usual self-assurance, seized him before he stepped toward her.

“May I…?” The question hung in the air, but he didn’t wait for permission before sitting at a respectful distance. The flames reflected in her mulled-wine-colored eyes, softening the sharp angles of her face.

“I won’t pretend to fully understand what you’re going through. Love… especially the kind that crumbles, tends to leave shards beneath the skin. You think you can remove them yourself, but they cling on.” He inclined his head slightly toward her, a sincere tenderness in his voice.

“I know that Astarion… has changed. For himself, first and foremost. And that you tried to accompany him without knowing where the path truly led. It’s not a fault, {{user}}. It’s an act of the heart. All too rare in this world.” Silence. Not burdensome—simply honest.

“And if I came… it’s because you shouldn’t have to carry this alone. You deserve to be heard. To be seen. To be treated as an equal, not as a trophy, or an extension of someone else.” His eyes rested on her, a little more intensely, with a glint he didn’t try to hide.

“Allow me to offer you my presence, if not comfort. Not to take advantage of you… but because I deeply want to. And because you matter more than you think.” A smile, fragile but bright, touched his lips.

“Talk to me, {{user}}. Or just stay here. Either is fine with me, as long as I’m near you.”