Ghost Story

[Varric]

"I..." Varric trails off for a long moment. "Yeah. I think I actually am. I-- thank you. Thank you for pushing me to-- to this."

[Marian Hawke]

"Of course," she says quietly, and she smiles for a brief moment before a round of hacking coughs interrupts her. 

[Varric]

"Emma!" Snatching up the holy symbol, Varric rushes over the young woman (is she young? ghosts don't age, how long--) and kneels next to her. "How bad?"

[Marian Hawke]

She struggles to breathe between the coughing, which doesn't let up until she hacks up a clump of half-dried blood. "Bad," she croaks. "Sorry. I keep trying to-- if I'm dead, I can't be sick."

[Varric]

"Well, not entirely accurate, there are--" No, bad brain. "I think it's symbolic. Your lifeforce, your connection to existing as yourself, is in danger. I think you and the Bethie ghost are connected somehow." He hesitates a moment, then continues, "you mentioned... that you had a sister. A younger sister."

[Marian Hawke]

"...did I?"

[Varric]

Yes (pretty sure) you did. "Younger, innocent, dark hair."

[Marian Hawke]

"I-- I don't remember. Is it important?"

[Varric]

"I think Bethie might be the ghost of your little sister," Varric says gently.

[Marian Hawke]

Marian blinks, slowly, trying to put that together. "Then... what does that mean?"

[Varric]

"Well, it seems like a lot of your regret and other negative emotions are bound up in her death and how your relatives reacted afterwards," Varric explains slowly, still puzzling it out himself. "So it's possible that you're a ghost because she is. That you couldn't move on until she could. And now she's trapped, in danger, and that's eroding your ability to remain as well."

[Marian Hawke]

"She's in danger?" Emma coughs, though not as hard as before. 

[Varric]

"I can't imagine being held in a cocoon made by a predatory spirit as not being dangerous."

[Marian Hawke]

"A predatory what now?"

[Varric]

Varric stares, getting really concerned now. "Emma, I know we've talked about this before. Do you not remember about the phobophage?"