[ …well that doesn’t sound good. ]

What happened? Are you okay?

[ Dorian frowns a little, hearing the words both from his bird and muffled through the walls. So he gets to his feet and heads out of his room and down to Ashton’s door, knocking a few times before opening it. ]

…want to go grab a drink?

[ It’s not a solution, but it might help calm the barbarian down a bit so they could talk easier. ]

[ With a nod, Dorian quickly stops by his room to grab his cape and his own bird before joining Ashton to head out. ]

So… you might need to start over, because I am a bit lost. What happened with Lord de Rolo?

[ After all, he hadn’t been there when they’d gone to Whitestone to revive Laudna. ]

[ Dorian nods as he listens, filing the information about Barcus away for later. It’s definitely something he wants to ask about, but this is not the right time for that conversation. ]

Okay. So what happened when you first met him that caused all these problems here?

[ Those words have Dorian’s brain stalling for a moment. ]

I… I’d heard Laudna had gone through a difficult time, but not… I never got all the details. We’ve been so busy, and…

[ And there had been a lot of what the group has been through that he didn’t know. But then, there had also been a lot he hadn’t told them either. ]

You might have to fill me in on everything.

Dorian had just been stopping by home briefly to drop something off at the house, and has just been leaving something on Orym’s pillow when Ashton bursts in, and he jumps slightly startled.

Turning back to Ashton, he blinks, as it takes a moment for his mind to register the words. But when he does his cheeks flush a bit, and he clears his throat nervously.

“Ah well… to be honest I’m… not sure myself,” he admits hesitantly.

Dorian can only manage a sheepish shrug. “Sorry,” he says, as if it’s his fault he’s never fallen in love before.

Probably.

But understanding that that answer probably isn’t very helpful, he offers his friend to sit down. “What sort of things do you feel when you’re around him?”

He maybe not be able to offer much advice, but he can at least listen and let Ashton talk things through.

Dorian can't help a small smile as he listens, and he chuckles softly as he nods. "Well, that I have felt," he says after a moment. Honestly, that is exactly how he feels when he's around Orym.

"To be honest, I don't know if it is love... all I can tell you is that, that feeling? I know for me personally, I want to find out if it is."

Another chuckle, this a bit more nervous as he takes a seat beside Ashton, careful to not dislodge the sprig of flowers he'd placed on Orym's pillow.

"The truth is, when I left home I had... all these fanciful notions of what it would mean to be free, to explore and have all these adventures. And everything I've experienced since then is nothing like I expected it to be." He sits, a bit hunched forward with his elbows resting on his knees, playing a bit with his hands. "Everything is so much different than how I pictured it, even who I thought I would be, and..." He pauses a moment, trying to find the right words. "I'd always imagined falling in love, what that would be like. And I've had flights of fancy with people before, even back home. But the way I feel for Orym... it's unlike anything I've ever felt for anyone before. And I guess... part of me is a bit worried about messing it up. Maybe I just want to be sure of what it is, because I'm scared of either of us getting hurt in the end."

He falls quiet a moment, then shakes his head and clears his throat. "Sorry, uh... you weren't asking about all that." He mentally kicks himself, feeling bad for dumping all this on Ashton when the other had been the one coming to him for advice.