When Rook first finds Cole at the Lighthouse, there will be a short cutscene. Speaking to Cole afterwards triggers this conversation:
Rook: Anything going on I should know about?
Cole: Sometimes.
Rook: Are... You gonna tell me?
Cole: Heavy shoulders. Smiles that slip when no one sees. Questions with no words. You answer without being asked.
Rook: Right. Should've seen that coming.
Cole: I hear the hurt. You answer it. They don't ask for help. I tell you where the silence is loudest.
Rook: So, basic translation, you'll tell me if one of my friends needs me. Is that it?
Cole: Yes.
New Quest: In The Spirit of Compassion
Cole senses the emotional weight carried by those within the Lighthouse.
While he seldom speaks plainly, his observations may reveal when a companion has something important to discuss.
Check in with Cole whenever you return to the Lighthouse after major missions.
If there are no new companion quests available, Cole will say one of the following:
Rook: Anything I should know about?
Cole: They're quieter today. Not empty. Resting.
Rook: Everything alright?
Cole: Enough is.
Rook: Does anyone need me, Cole?
Cole: You should rest. They'll still be here tomorrow.
Rook: Hey, Cole.
Cole: Hello!
When all companions have been recruited, Cole may instead say one of the following:
Manfred is hiding spoons. Emmrich knows. He’s pretending not to.
Assan ate something Davrin told him not to. Davrin is deciding whether to be angry or impressed.
Bellara lost her notes. They’re under the other notes.
Lucanis made coffee. Taash drank it. Neither of them is happy.
Neve knows who moved her chair. Harding doesn’t know Neve knows.
Taash is arguing with the kitchen. The kitchen isn’t listening.
Manfred waved at Spite. Spite waved back. Lucanis wishes they hadn’t.
If a companion has a new quest or conversation available, Cole will say one of the following:
Lucanis
He made coffee. It went cold before he drank it.
He's looking toward Treviso. His feet never left the Lighthouse.
He looks over his shoulder. Habit. Hope. He isn't sure which.
Family is supposed to catch you. Falling hurts more when they don't.
(If Lucanis is romanced)
He says your name when you're gone. Softer than when you're there.
He looks for you first. He doesn't know he's doing it.
The demon is quieter when you're close.
He's practicing what he'll say. It never sounds as good when you arrive.
He wants to tell you something. He keeps finding another reason to make coffee first.
Harding
The Stone is quieter than she expected.
She keeps touching the lyrium. It answers. She isn't sure she wants it to.
She misses the roads she used to know.
She's trying to carry mountains with two hands.
She's smiling again. She's checking if it still fits.
(If Harding is romanced)
She reaches for your hand before she remembers to.
She wants to show you every sunrise. Every one feels new.
She thinks she's changed too much. You haven't looked away.
She keeps saving stories to tell you later.
She still gets butterflies. She blames the magic. It isn't the magic.
Bellara
She found another question. It isn't the one she's asking.
Broken things are easier to understand than people.
She keeps talking so the silence can't.
She thinks if she fixes enough, this one might hurt less.
The past is loud today.
(If Bellara is romanced)
She keeps rehearsing conversations you'll never hear.
She lights up when she sees you. She doesn't notice she does.
She wants to show you everything she discovers.
She wonders if someone as extraordinary as you could choose her.
She already knows what she wants to say. She keeps talking instead.
Davrin
The griffon isn't what's worrying him.
Duty feels lighter when it's carried together. He forgot that.
He's teaching someone else to be brave. He's still learning himself.
He keeps watching the horizon. Wardens always do.
He thinks protecting everyone means standing alone.
(If Davrin is romanced)
He smiles more when you're nearby. Assan noticed first.
He makes room beside the fire without thinking.
He trusts you with the quiet.
He thinks about tomorrow. He didn't used to.
He wants to ask you to stay. He hopes you already know.
Emmrich
He speaks kindly to the dead. Himself... less so.
He wonders if forever is worth the cost.
The skeleton worries about him. He pretends not to notice.
He's surrounded by death. He's thinking about life.
He found another mystery. It isn't the one keeping him awake.
(If Emmrich is romanced)
He still blushes. He finds it terribly inconvenient.
He likes hearing you say his name.
He imagines growing old with you. Then remembers.
He forgets himself when you're smiling.
He's read hundreds of love stories. None of them prepared him.
Neve
She's already solved the problem. She wishes she hadn't.
She keeps turning the evidence over. The answer won't change.
She trusts facts. Feelings leave fingerprints too.
Dock Town is hurting. She always notices.
She carries everyone else's burdens like they're clues.
(If Neve is romanced)
She trusts you with the truths she can't prove.
She looks for you before she looks for trouble.
She keeps pretending this isn't important. It is.
She likes when you make her laugh. She'll deny it.
She stopped expecting someone to stay.
Taash
They keep asking where they belong. The answer keeps changing.
Fire is easy. People are harder.
They're louder when they're afraid.
They're trying to become themselves. Everyone keeps offering different maps.
They know who they were told to be. They're looking for the rest.
(If Taash is romanced)
They stand closer than they need to.
They like making you laugh. They like it more than winning.
They feel safe. It's strange. They keep checking if it stays.
They've stopped wondering if you'll leave.
They found someone who sees all of them. They're still getting used to it.
🧾Codex Unlocked: Notes on Cole
Found tucked beneath a coffee cup in the Lighthouse. An ink blot stains the top left corner beside a small drawing of a smiling sun. The initials "B.L." are written beneath it.
Since Cole is apparently living at the Lighthouse now, I feel like we should establish a few ground rules. Mostly because nobody seems entirely sure what he is. —Rook
Oh! I have a question! Is he a spirit inhabiting a body, or a body imagined by a spirit? Because those are completely different magical phenomena. —Bellara
Trust me, don't overthink it. I tried for years. —Harding
Spirits can become demons. —Lucanis
True, but usually after being twisted against their nature. Compassion is among the gentlest spirits one could hope to encounter. Cole appears eager to assist, and no one here would deny him that. —Emmrich
I still don't trust him. —Lucanis
(scrawled underneath in handwriting no one recognises, "You trust the hurt. Not me. Yet.")
Does he always do that? —Neve
Pretty much. —Harding
He useful in a fight? —Davrin
Surprisingly, yes. —Rook
More importantly, he can feel what we're feeling! Not thoughts, I mean. It's like… he experiences our emotions as his own. Regret, grief, hope… all of them. —Bellara
So... don't lie to him? —Taash
Or yourself. —Neve
An excellent habit regardless. —Emmrich
Good. Glad we've established that the spirit can see directly through my terrible decisions. —Rook
(Another addition in the unfamiliar handwriting, "Not terrible. Just expensive.")
I love how vulnerable he looks here. He's asked the question, "Where's Caterina?" He knows the answer, but doesn't want to hear it. He knows he's lost one of the only family members he has left, and the pain from the Ossuary, and now his grief, are raw. For a brief moment, he can't hide it. For that moment, he's the child who lost his parents again.
Cole: Pebble in your pocket. Smooth from your thumb. Shiny, shimmering, shook free from the roots, a piece of the whole, it broke away but it's not broken.
Me writing: I imagine myself there, beneath a verdant canopy, time standing still as the essence of summer poured itself forth - a melody of sweetness interwoven with a hint of tartness. In this brief moment, I taste the essence of pure delight, a fleeting glimpse of paradise captured within the confines of a humble fruit.
Also me, writing: I open the door and gasp in surprise.
Hi! Sorry for perhaps bombarding you by reblogging every other banter post, but they are honestly such a big part of why i love the dragon age games, and you really have a knack for writing them. Im impressed that you can make them feel so in character! So close to the rythm of how the conversations begin and end in the game!
I also just finished veilguard, and these comfort me more than you know! So, thank you for sharing them, and sorry for the spam i suppose!
Hahaha it's quite alright, I actually really love opening tumblr to find a bunch of notifications, it makes me feel quite popular :')
But seriously, I'm really pleased you're enjoying them, I hope to capture a bit of Bioware magic for those who want more Veilguard content. Here's to another ten playthroughs for you! <3 :D
I love your fake Veilguard banter! Any ideas for what Illario might say post Murder Of Crows when he is confined to the Villa or being babysat by Viago?
Ooof, that's a thought. I wonder what banter we could have if Illario joined the party during a quest? Perhaps an opening for some Bellario shipping :D
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