Ben watches Cole cleaning that knife in a practiced motion, like it's something he's done many times before. But it is not an alarming sight to him; instead, it reminds him suddenly and intensely of his brother, Diego. He always took such good care of his knives. Ben knows exactly the way Diego's hands and wrists would move as he would wipe his knives clean, sometimes mid-mission, if there was an opportunity. If seeing Cole flicker in and out of visibility was something new and profoundly strange, this is like a little piece of home in an unexpected place.

He stops in his tracks, but only once Cole gives that warning about Red Lyrium. So it could affect him even though he isn't a Templar or even from this world? Good to know.

Since he does not share Cole's powers, Ben doesn't know what is the cause of the pause when Cole holds out his hand like that. Rather than avoid touching him, Ben takes his hand at once and, figuring it is safe to speak since Cole had, whispers, "Are you okay?"

He knows that it's Cole's purpose to help people and that the Templar was suffering, but Ben can't help but worry about him, too. Might he be afraid, from the fight? Sad, to have been near someone who had succumbed to that fucked up magic substance? Unhappy, because he'd had to kill? It is so ingrained into Ben's mind, how he had felt when he was asked to kill people. It was disgusting and terrifying and haunting and infuriating and boring and hopeless and awful. Could Cole be feeling any of that, and hiding it?