Ghost Story

[Varric]

"You want to learn how to cast this ritual?" Varric asks abruptly, looking adorably awkward, not caring how horribly rough that topic change was. "Handy one to know."

[Marian Hawke]

"Um. Isn't it part arcane? Won't I get in trouble?"

[Varric]

Varric cocks his head to the side. "Stupid law," he mutters. "Fair enough. How about you learn the whole thing but only do the divine part? I'll handle the actual casting, but you make the plea? You wouldn't be casting any arcane magic that way."

[Marian Hawke]

"A-alright," she manages. "At least I'll get to learn some divine magic."

[Varric]

"That's the spirit," he replies, voice coming easy and light again. "You can leave it open, the plea, or name certain deities. In this case-- in most cases honestly-- you'll want to at least use 'Bright Gods' instead of leaving it entirely open, as certain deities," he coughs lightly, which sounds rather surprisingly like 'ire bit itch,' then continues, "might grant the plea and then demand a return. Wouldn't be binding really, but it's not worth the risk." Bet you ten gold she picks the entire ritual up in less than twenty minutes (as if you would take such a clear sucker's bet). Such is his distraction, his enjoyment, at teaching Emma that he doesn't even notice that he hadn't had to force the grief away at the imagined wager.

[GamesMaster]

The ritual goes well; Emma picks up the divine parts easily, and she casts them flawlessly, almost as if she's done something like this before, though she swears she hasn't. 

The ritual done, Varric has time to flip through a few more pages of Bethie's diary. Today sumthing horible happened, the next entry begins...

[Marian Hawke]

"MOM!" There's a shriek, Marian's voice, and the sound of her racing up the stairs as fast as her legs can take her. Beth knows, she knows, what the problem is: Marian was headed to the kitchen to check on Car just before she shouted. So she races to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to take in the scene.

At first all she can see is the blood. Then she sees Car, crumpled on the ground, and the knife sticking out of Car's stomach, her little hand still curled around it as she moans in pain. 

[Leandra Hawke ne Amell]

When Leandra makes it into the kitchen, her heart nearly stops. Her precious little girls lay still and pale on the floor of the kitchen, a pool of blood underneath them. Bethie is slumped over Carol's legs, one hand around her twin's wrist. Never more glad for her parents' hiring tutors of all sorts for her as a child, she desperately begins first aid for Carol. The Ray's lessons don't make her a healer, but she can staunch bleeding easily enough, try to buy time for Marian to come back with the town cleric. By the time the cleric arrives, Leandra had mostly stopped the bleeding, though the mother was deeply relieved to notice that it's not bleeding nearly as much as she feared or would have expected from a gut wound like this, and determined Beth had just passed out. 

[Carver Amell]

When Beth wakes, she's inconsolable until she can see her twin -- lying on the bed beside her, a bandage around her stomach, staring up at the ceiling with sad, broken eyes. As Beth approaches, she turns a little, reaching for her twin's hand. "Beth," she whispers. 

[Bethany]

Beth, still pale and weak, lets out a piteous whimper as she crawls into the bed and curls around the hand. Her body shakes as she fails to cry, her eyes empty and dry. "Ma'win, ma'win."

[Carver Amell]

"'win," manages Car. "sumin' wrong me." 

[Bethany]

"Nife," Beth mumbles, shuddering again as she recalls the image of that thing in her twin's stomach. The blood, so much blood.

[Carver Amell]

But Car shakes her head. "W'rs." She takes a deep breath, lets it out. "I dun' wanna have babies," she says, slipping back into full Common. 

[Bethany]

"'s fine," Beth says stoutly. "I'll have'm for both'a us."

[Carver Amell]

"Beth," urges Car. "I'm not a girl."