[ The silence, though it had lasted only a few moments... felt like an eternity. Vanille expected--still does--him to think ill of her. It's not that she doesn't believe him... but she'd unloaded onto him. For anyone, that's a lot to take in. Still, he doesn't push her away, either physically or emotionally. He's still holding her, still treating her like he's done in the past.

And that makes a world of difference. Vanille doesn't know how to put into words how grateful she is, and it's taking her a while, too, to process his story. ]

He... you're still friends with him, then? [ ... ] Even after he did a horrible thing...

[ She's mostly musing to herself. The capacity some people have for forgiveness... it shocks her. ]

I... I don't blame her, either... She had no choice, in the end. [ She wraps her arms around Varric and gives him a squeeze. ] I wish terrible things didn't have to happen to good people...