Ghost Story

[GamesMaster]

"My store?" she asks, frowning further. 

[Marian Hawke]

Behind her, Emma storms out of the office, clearly furious, as she heads for the kitchen. "Don't you dare repeat any of that!"

[Varric]

"Your face!"

[Marian Hawke]

"Oh come on, I didn't hit her that hard," growls Emma.

[Varric]

Gesturing at Rhea's face, Varric points out, "left a good handprint. How come you don't hit that hard during training?"

[Marian Hawke]

"I'm not mad at you during training!"

[GamesMaster]

Rhea clears her throat. "I'll be back tomorrow with anything I pick up from the caravan."

[Varric]

"Seriously?" He looks from one to the other, then throws her hands up. "Fine, whatever. Only my house and all, no reason for me to know what's going on, no, none at all." He continues to grumble under his breath as he stomps off to his office.

[Marian Hawke]

Emma calls after him, "You don't want to know!"

[GamesMaster]

Dear diary-dad, the journal begins as he grumbles to himself about of course he wants to know, he always wants to know. 

ugh I am so done with school. All the other girls want to talk about is stupid boys. I hate stupid boys! Why can't we just kiss each other and be done with it? I'd definitely kiss Stacy, but she just wants to kiss Barty (ew) and Susie wants to kiss Barty or Johnny and Marie wants to kiss Johnny, Mike, and Steven, and I don't see the point in any of that!

Neither does Varric, as he starts skimming. 

Dear diary-dad, today we have a field trip out to the pasture to look for bugs. I hate bugs. I hate boys. I hate-- someone's at the door, more later.

The next writing catches his attention, as it's in a different hand altogether: one less fluid, slower and more careful, and heavier too, as if gripping the pencil too tightly: 

They took Beth. I can't even They just took her. 

[Varric]

"Wait, what?" Varric mutters, setting his tumbler down on the desk and leaning forward. Who is-- Is this Carver? Why is (took her, magic) well shite.

[Carver Amell]

There's some space before the next entry, dated almost a month later. 

I hate that Beth's gone. I don't know how to not be a twin anymore. I don't know who to talk to about it. Mother's always in bed sobbing. Father locks himself in his study. And Marian's a total bitch anymore. How could she let this happen? How could she?! She's not even sad about it. She just keeps going to school and dating that stupid guy and taking on odd jobs. I can hardly stand to look at her stupid face. Today she came home late, with her stupid boyfriend, and I just went off on her. I can't help it. 

[Marian Hawke]

Marian shivers a little as they walk, the feeling of the rough horse blanket still ghosting along her arms. It hurts to walk, but she forces herself to walk as straight and even as she can, desperate to avoid calling attention to herself, to what she's done. Her stomach churns. She feels like her skin is far away, like Drake is a million miles from her body, like she's a tiny seed in the pit of her stomach and she's desperately trying to control a golem that's so much bigger than her, how can that possibly be her body?

She lets Drake open the front door for her. He's always arguing she should be more ladylike, but truth be told, that's not why she does it. She lets him open the door for the same reason she let him walk her home: because her body feels far away, and she can't spend the effort to tell him no. Not since her last no, which he overrode entirely.

They walk into the parlor, where she struggles to find the words to say goodnight. 

[Carver Amell]

Carver's there. Of course he's there. He sat up waiting for her, because who else was going to make sure she came home? She's a witch too, he knows, and it should have been her that died, not Beth, but he's not going to just let them take her if they come for her too, even though she's stupid and doesn't care that Beth died. 

"You're late," he growls, eyeing the pair. Out with her boyfriend. Doesn't even care she worried me.

[NPCs]

Oh great, the little shit's here. Astea's tits, if Marian wasn't loaded and willing, I'd dump her in a heartbeat. Drake offers a lazy smile to Carver. "Sorry about that, my fault,"  he says easily. "Got a bit caught up in," your sister, "things, lost track of time. Still, all's well that ends well, yeah? Home safe and sound and shit."