Ghost Story

[Varric]

"Dreams can be pretty nice when they want to be. Anything you'd like to share?" Without having to think about it, Varric skips the second step and uses the left side of the fourth as he comes up onto the porch.

[Marian Hawke]

"It was pretty simple," she cautions him. "I just dreamed I had a dog, and we were playing the whole time. It was lovely."

[Varric]

A dog. Of course. "What kind of dog?"

[Marian Hawke]

"A big friendly mabari."

[Varric]

"Dun colored fur, stub tail and a dappled brown pattern on her nose?" Varric asks, knowing the answer.

[Marian Hawke]

Emma starts. "Yes, how did you...?"

[Varric]

Well, that confirms that pretty firmly. "Evidently the resident nice ghost likes you. Near as I can figure, that's a manifestation of her mabari. If she-  the mabari- was playing with you in your dream while guarding your body, then she must."

[Marian Hawke]

Her eyes widen. "No way.... a ghost Mabari? That's... wow. I'm impressed."

[Varric]

"Impressed?" His tone is curious, with no hint of rebuke or censure.

[Marian Hawke]

She nods. "Mabari die when their owners do. To become a ghost, along with their owner, that's... that's a level of dedication and willpower I'd not have expected in a canine. Even a smart, loyal one like this."

[Varric]

"Might not be a real ghost," Varric points out. "Could be an echo, or part of the human ghost."

[Marian Hawke]

"Oh," she says, sounding deflated. "You're probably right."

[Varric]

"But even if not," he adds quickly, feeling bad about ruining that for her, "then it still means the mabari was so important, both to her and mystically, that she left an imprint in either the world or the ghost's soul. That's not nothing."

[Marian Hawke]

"It's pretty cool," she says quietly, as behind her, the mabari in question pads straight through the closed door and sits on the porch. 

[Varric]

Varric's left eyebrow twitches, just a little. "Turn around."