Ben waits through that stretch of silence, uncertainty bubbling away under the surface. But even if this was a faux pas, and Cole tells him not to do it, Ben's awkwardness will have taken his mind off the nightmare they had both just witnessed. That is something, right? A small silver lining?

"Yeah?"

He wonders if it meant something different to people in Thedas, who lived in a world with spirits, to meet one like Cole. Did people avoid him - avoid touching him? It sounds like a lonely existence, to Ben. He's not even sure whether Cole feels loneliness the way that someone entirely human would...

"Doing this used to help. When my brother was hurt, or scared, or sad about something."

Probably Cole had already picked that up from his thoughts or emotions, but Ben says it anyway for good measure. He can't just assume that Cole is picking up on every little thing, and even if he did, Ben would feel weird not talking to him like a regular person.

"Okay." And he starts up again, rubbing those soothing circles into Cole's back. But he adds quietly, "If you change your mind that's cool too. It won't hurt my feelings. I just - thought that just because you're always trying to help other people who are hurting, there might not be anyone to do that for you. And that would suck."