congrekate | in which cassandra explains romance novels

Occasionally, Cassandra would read those novels she liked to Cole. Of course, he didn't mind. She liked reading, he liked listening. These things made her happy so he wanted to see what they were and just why and how they made her happy in the first place. And...honestly, they made Cole happy as well. These stories always had nice endings. Dramatic twists and turns, of course, but most of the time people ended up happy. And that, of course, made Cole happy.

However, the fact remains that Cole and his very single-minded way of thinking didn't exactly get some aspects of the romance genre. Most notably, the entire concept of 'will they won't they' as well as the idea of people not telling others things. It's silly. The girl liked the lord of the manor, not the soldier, so why was she even pretending to like the soldier to begin with?

So it's one of those reading sessions, when Cassandra and Cole are sitting in some more secluded part of Skyhold that Cole decides to voice his frustrations. After Cassandra pauses in her reading, Cole decides to ask.

"Why don't they talk to each other?"

Well, he tries to ask, at least.

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She is becoming less wary of Cole, although she cannot fully shake the feeling that she should be keeping more than one eye on him. Sometimes it's almost like he is nothing more than a young man, if one who has never eaten a full meal in recent memory, or seen the sun. Knowing who is at fault for that, too, twists at her. But she can do nothing to change the treatment the original Cole received at the hands of the Templars.

Perhaps the thing that makes Cassandra more endeared of Cole is that he doesn't treat her choice of reading material as the subject of a joke. And while she edits out the parts that young men shouldn't hear, or the parts Varric would chastise her for reading to Cole, it's a calming activity.

At least until the question. Cassandra pauses, lowering the book slightly to look at the young man. "I-- it would make things simpler, yes." And a lot less engaging to read.

"Then they should do that." It's said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Things are complicated? Make them simple. Cole might not understand a lot about people still, but everybody agreed on that point, right? Simple was usually better.

Besides, he wanted the people in Cassandra's book to be happy. And a lot of the times, they were definitely not happy.

"So much hurt, so much sadness. It could be avoided."

That is at least a very Cole answer that doesn't revolve around rooting through people's heads and pulling out whatever they think with no qualms. Putting the book down, Cassandra turns her full attention to the question. "It could." She'll give him that, but it's more complicated than what's easy and provides a happy conclusion -- which they will get anyway, considering what she's reading.

"But how often do people talk to each other outside of books?" There had to be some realism in these fantasies. Cassandra knows how odd that is to think, but it's true.

"Not as often as they should," Cole admits, with a frown. He knows this much. From whispers in people's ears, talking to them, telling them what they should do. So much could be avoided if people just talked. It's honestly a bit annoying.

However, there's another problem that he soon spots as soon as Cassandra steers him in that direction.

"But books aren't people."

For a moment, Cassandra thinks the matter is settled. She should have known better, of course, it's Cole. What he doesn't understand, he'll question -- it's a trait that many find endearing, but she's unsure of how to handle it. Head on, she supposes, like she does everything else.

"Books are a reflection of people. They... would not be so engrossing if they were not." An escape, but not an unrealistic one. No matter how fantastical the tales were inside of them. "If everything was perfect there would be no story, no conflict."

"But the people in the books would be happy," he continues, with a frown. That's what matters most to Cole: helping, making certain people are happy. So why wouldn't someone write it so they're happy? You could write a story about happy people, couldn't you?

As Cole looks up at Cassandra with a frown, he realizes that books might not make any sense to begin with.

"They are happy," she says, with a small gesture at the book. "But sometimes one must work for one's happiness. It is no different in life." Cassandra frowns, trying to find a way to make Cole see why she found them so engrossing. "Most authors do give their heroes a happy ending," she adds, trying to help.

Varric being a notable exception, and part of the reason she's concerned for the heroine of his story.

But if most authors gave the heroes a happy ending, then why would they write the parts where they don't talk to each other in the first place? It'd be so much simpler if the author just wrote the happy ending right away!

...but then, Cassandra would probably say something like oh, they're not supposed to be simple, Cole, which was silly and annoying and something he didn't like. More things needed to be simple.

"Books are confusing." There we go, an amazing insight from Cole, who's sulking a little bit because this whole thing's gotten more aggravating than he expected.

"Have you talked to Varric?" Cassandra asks, before thinking otherwise. "Perhaps that's not a good idea. He prefers to have his characters suffer with no reward."

It was something she feared, at least for the series he was currently writing. But still, Cassandra looks Cole over and manages to find it within herself to at least continue to help him. "People are confusing," she offers, before realizing that perhaps that doesn't help him either.

That was entirely the wrong thing to say. Because as Cassandra mentions that Varris enjoys making his characters suffer, Cole just looks fricken distraught. What?! Why would he do that?! That's...cruel and selfish and doesn't make any sense and again, why would he do that?

"But it's wrong," Cole definitively states. Because it is! It's cruel of Varric to do something like that when he could write them happy. And if he had to write them suffering in the first place, at least he couldn't write so much suffering.

It's also possible that Cole keeps mixing up if characters in books are real or not.

How does one argue with a spirit of compassion that things happening to characters in a book isn't a moral problem to take issue with? Cassandra doesn't know. Instead she awkwardly tries again, hoping to ease some of his distress.

"It is writing. I cannot say I agree with Varric's narrative choices, but he... does write engaging works of fiction. And that is what people wish to read."

Nope, she knows she didn't do it that time, either.

None of this made sense. Varric's characters suffered and people enjoyed it? Why would they enjoy suffering in the first place? Wouldn't they enjoy it more if they ended up happy?

That look of confusion is still on Cole's face as he frowns about the whole scenario.

"I need to talk to Varric about this." Maybe he could better explain why he does what he does. But...Cassandra is still here. And she's still got the book. And Cole kind of wants to know what happens next. "...but I can talk to Varric after the next chapter."

in which cassandra explains romance novels

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