just to prove there once was magic

Julie stayed there, sobbing into Kaiden's shoulder for a good long while, before gradually managing to calm herself down. She didn't know if she wanted to go or stay. She didn't know if it would be crueler to go or stay. She decided she did want to go home. She just wanted to go home and lay down on her bed and hug a stuffed animal and cry. She started to try and get up.

Kaiden held Julie for a long time before the tears even started to stop. It wasn't dark yet, but it was getting there, so it made sense for Julie to try and stand up. Her eyes were red and puffy when she stood and swayed a little.

"Do you want me to walk you to Solas?" he asked quietly. He knew she probably didn't want him to follow her, but he also knew that her crazy Uncle was running rampant.

Julie felt a little bad having Kaiden walk her home, but she didn't feel safe going by herself. And it wasn't just herself, she wanted to ensure Quill's safety too. It was getting a little dark, and it wouldn't be long before the sun had set completely.

"Y-yeah," she hiccuped. "Thanks."

The two of them walked home in pretty much silence. Kaiden had wanted to hold her, to keep her close, but he knew better. Julie sniffed every so often, and Kaiden knew better than to assume she'd be feeling better by the time she got home.

Keiran would know something was wrong. Kaiden wasn't sure how he felt about that, but there wasn't really anything he could do. Either Keiran would confront him, or he wouldn't. All Kaiden knew was that Keiran would probably be able to cheer Julie up more than Kaiden ever could.

And so he was thankful for Keiran. If only for that.