[Speaking to her had been, in the end, a terrible mistake. Astarion should have left the second he made the decision, this was yet another reason to hate Halsin for... talking to him, really, and letting him know where she was. Curse his body for moving before he could think and curse his mouth for not weighting words properly- he should have left with a more general 'there are things I must take care of' and just disappear in the night. It would have been cooler, too. He rested in that embrace, feeling safe even if he knew it was a small illusion, and hid his face against her shoulder.]

You will have too many things to worry about to focus on... unrelated things.

[He let her touch him freely, eyes half lidded as he took his initiative in drawing them a bit closer and pressing his forehead against hers. The faint glow of her eyes was a nice thing to focus on while trying not to think too much, especially when his few non self sacrificing thoughts at the moment merely suggested him to close the distance further and just kiss her. That would have been a great goodbye gift for himself, at least, but he did value her consent and treasured his sanity too much.]

You are making this incredibly difficult, my dear.