Ghost Story

[Varric]

"Good to see you again, Marian," Varric whispers, reaching out to take her hand in his.

[Marian Hawke]

She clings to his hand tightly, tears dripping down her cheeks. "My memories are... it's fragmented. Broken up. I can't put things together in order very well. But you... you were there for me. You took me in when I was alone and hopeless."

[Varric]

"And you gave me a reason to reach out. To care again." He squeezes her hand tighter. "Worked out pretty well, I'd say. For us both."

[Marian Hawke]

"And I'm... alive again? Really alive this time?"

[Varric]

"Pulse and breath," Varric promises. 

[Marian Hawke]

"Thank Astea." Marian blinks, then, frowning a little. "Why doesn't that feel quite right?"

[Varric]

"You pledged to Alydra. As Emma."

[Marian Hawke]

Marian shifts a little, looking up at Varric. "Is that... alright? This town is pledged to Astea..."

[Varric]

"Honestly? Fuck'em all. Besides, I was kind of thinking about moving back to Nyra. I still have my old office and workshop. Far better setup for teaching my new apprentice than the makeshift lab I set up here. Better climate too."

[Marian Hawke]

"Nyra... Nyra belongs to Alydra. I could move to Nyra. Forget this place. Get away from my brother, my mother."

[Varric]

Shite. "Ahhh... About all that," he begins awkwardly. "Remember your mother is-- that it's been fifty years or so. So she's gone."

[Marian Hawke]

Marian stares at him blankly. "Fifty... years?" she asks, dumbfounded.

[Varric]

"Give or take a few," Varric confirms, trying to be a gentle about it as he can.

[Marian Hawke]

"So Mother is...? And Father...? And what about Carver, he's human, so he must be...?"

[Varric]

The dwarf coughs awkwardly. "Ah, no, he's, uh, still alive. And uh," he mumbles something else after that.