[ It's a ritual so profane that the caster will no longer be themselves again. Halsin doesn't wish this for him. Even if he is forever a follower of Silvanus, his concern for Astarion goes beyond just for the sake of preserving nature's balance. It's the soul of someone he's grown to care greatly for. What a poor companion he would be if he can't help the other see his own worth before that decision is made...

His heart aches for him all the same as he tells him about Karlach's departure. So they both had been here...and he's of mind to think that if everyone else was here, Tav would have gathered them all already, somehow. ]

Knowing our fiery friend, she may very well be rallying the rest to come back to find us as we speak.

[ He reaches ahead where he knows where the vampire likes to part his hair. After gently combing back the locks with his fingers, he rests both hands on Astarion's shoulders. His grip is hardly called one, but there's enough weight put in there as a means to comfort. What he says next is something he knows they both already know, but it's worth saying it out loud anyway. ]

She would not have left without notice if it was up to her.