Hazelnuts and plaid

[GamesMaster]

Ey chuckles a little. "Well, she was so secretive about her family. It was weird, right? So we had guesses. My guess is she's Lady Sage zi'Hawke. Her scars match up, and so does the secretiveness around her family, her being rich despite nobody having heard of the Amells, and she's real brave like the Champion of Coalside. I never asked her about it, though."

[NPCs]

Oh gods dammit (fool girl) Hawke. Not even a blasted Disguise item? 

"Understood. You will now move on to the events of last night."

[GamesMaster]

Eir smile fades. "Last night... normally I wouldn't think too much of it. Sometimes Mary gets angry when she drinks. We're used to that. But last night she was angry really quickly into her drinks, before she was properly drunk. The first time I asked, she told me to buzz off, so I left her alone until she was pretty drunk. That was when she started talking about it. She mentioned her wife, which surprised ev-- mostly everyone, since I was pretty sure my guess was right. She'd only talked about the boyfriend before, but last night she was talking about her wife and her wife's girlfriend. And I guess she's mad at her wife's girlfriend, and she was worried about her relationship with her wife going down the drain because they'd been fighting about the girlfriend. She told me she had a plan to get her wife back -- I don't understand why she was saying get her back like they'd broken up, but instead I asked what her plan was. It took her a bit to spell it out, but she was saying something about making her wife sick so she could nurse her back to health. I told her that was a stupid plan, that she shouldn't hurt someone she loves because of an argument, but she wasn't listening. I helped her back to her dorm room early, since she seemed like she needed to take a break, get her act together. I tucked her into bed shortly before midnight and went back to my room to meet back up with Maryann." 

[NPCs]

What the ever loving fuck. That doesn't make any godsbedamned sense! "M-- her wife is a healer," the 'legal aid' mutters to himself. "And rich." There's no 'nursing' back to health (for rich and powerful) unless there's soul (or emotional) damage. 

"Is this sort of expression of 'angry when she drinks' typical?" Vosang asks, not batting an eye at the witness's remarks. 

[GamesMaster]

"Yes and no. On one previous incident, she was angry with her boyfriend, and cursed him up and down. There were other incidents of being angry while drunk. But in no previous case had I heard her make deliberate threats. When I heard the news about Sage zi'Hawke's wife, I knew I needed to say something to a guard."

[NPCs]

The guard blinks, the first real reaction he's shown this whole time. "How did you hear about this?" he demands, rather fairly given the efforts the city has spent trying to keep the matter quiet. Until more is known, at least.

[GamesMaster]

Ey blinks. "Everyone on campus was talking about it this morning. Someone saw the commotion of guards at her house -- I think it was Lianne, she lives not to far away -- and then Andrew let slip his roommate was called into his internship with zi'Smith early this morning and it all came out."

[NPCs]

Varric stares at the young student. That's... Fine, it's possible but highly improbable. Someone the Doctor vetted being that (stupid) careless? The news spreading so fast without anyone in the guard hearing as well? No, this is getting more and more obvious a set-up. 

"What are the details of which you have heard?" Vosang presses.

[GamesMaster]

"I heard that Lady Merrill zi'Hawke was injured, and since she was pregnant, that there was an ongoing effort to try and save her children. You understand why this was alarming."

[NPCs]

"Any additional rumors on the subject?"

[GamesMaster]

"That demons were involved, but that didn't seem plausible. That this was vengeance for her traitorous ways, but Andrew makes everything about race and sees race traitors behind every bush. That both of them were dead and they were just hiding it to avoid causing a panic while they raised them. I figured most of that was probably nonsense."

[NPCs]

Demons? Not devils? Interesting, Varric notes absently, still (furious) mulling over Mary's supposed plan to grievously harm her wife.

Vosang doesn't ask anything right away after that, instead glancing at the Lord Hand. Panis nods, just a little, and Vosang returns his attention back to Joni. "New topic. Have you ever witnessed Mary Amell-- in that identity or another-- act out with violence, cruelty or malice?"

[GamesMaster]

"Not personally. But I've heard stories about zi'Hawke."

[NPCs]

"This interview is concerned solely with your firsthand accounts, with second or further hand testimony only relevant in regards to how it affected how you responded to personal encounters," Vosang recites evenly. "Did Mary Amell indicate how she was going to go about making her wife sick? Or any other part of the plan you recounted her telling you?"

[GamesMaster]

"That's the weird part. When I started talking about spellwork, as I assumed she would use a spell, she got secretive. Said she already had a plan, a better plan, and everything was set up. That's when I told her she can't make her wife sick, it's cruel."