[There may be nothing seductive about Astarion's vulnerability to someone only after good looks and an even better lay, but to Gale, it's beyond intriguing - it's compelling. Their group thus far has been relatively sympathetic regarding his condition - they provided him artefacts to keep the orb stabilized, and upon finally reaching the Heart of the Absolute, insisted he was worth more alive than dead, that obliterating himself wasn't the answer.
In truth, his ultimate fate with the netherese magic buried in his chest is more than just the inevitable explosion: there's also what it did to him upon entering his body, what it continues to do the longer it remains. The tendrils from the mark on his chest didn't used to trail all the way up to his eye.
His eyes trail back to Astarion's hands as they leave him; he wants to reach out in some way, but isn't sure how.]
no subject
In truth, his ultimate fate with the netherese magic buried in his chest is more than just the inevitable explosion: there's also what it did to him upon entering his body, what it continues to do the longer it remains. The tendrils from the mark on his chest didn't used to trail all the way up to his eye.
His eyes trail back to Astarion's hands as they leave him; he wants to reach out in some way, but isn't sure how.]
How do you manage it? That hurt.