Hazelnuts and plaid

[Varric]

"Could, just take longer. I think I know which poison was used-- or at least the family, so to speak-- but having a curse entwined with it made it a problem whose solution would take too damn long for me to fix myself. But yes, it's a certainly something to consider, two poisonings." He frowns. "What Zevran was given was different. Not entirely different mind you. A fireball isn't a flamestrike but they're more alike than they aren't."

[Isabela]

"Similar enough, given their differences in physique and potentially dose? I'm not sure how they got to his fish but he didn't finish it, kind of picked at it."

[Varric]

Varric considers that, then lifts his hands in a gesture of surrender. "'Maybe' is the best I can give you without having anything more than a single symptom for the one case."

[Isabela]

"Sounds like we need the autopsy data. Time to break into the guard station?"

[Varric]

"Already did," Varric says, scowling at the annoyance. "It's a Light involved, they're probably keeping the active record in the Bedrock HQ." Left unsaid is that even the two of them would get caught trying to infiltrate there. Maybe if they had Zevran at the ready and a few months to plan but...

[Isabela]

She frowns. "Aveline might know," she offers. 

[Varric]

"Might know some," Varric allows. "But she's not only been taken off the case but put on paid leave to isolate her. So we'll have to be discrete about contacting her." Last thing she needs (after all the shite happening) is for whoever did that to get 'proof' she's (mortal) corrupt.

[Isabela]

"I can pick up a pie, pretend it's a social visit? If she's been sent home, they might be watching who comes and goes but a visit from family won't look too amiss."

[Varric]

That gets an amused look. "And when was the last time you visited Aveline? Especially with a pie?"

[Isabela]

She rubs the back of her neck. "Last time I picked up Hawke and Silence from her place? Shit, where's the dog gone if Merrill's dead and Hawke's in jail?"

[Varric]

Varric flinches at her blunt wording but pushes it aside. "If not with Zevran, then Aveline. If not her... Seli ma-- right, nevermind. Hrrm. If she was left at the house and no-one came back after a while, she'd head either to Voice or Aveline, I'd wager. Unless- you said she's pregnant?"

[Isabela]

"She is. So maybe we should actually go to Aveline to look for Silence, and if she's not there, borrow Beka to find her with?"

[Varric]

"Assuming Beka is there without Aveline, seems reasonable enough," Varric says slowly. "But wrong pronoun; I'm not here." He smirks. "Not yet anyway. Let whoever is doing all of this," he waves towards the ritual room where Zevran is being treated, "find out I'm back by way of Bianca's hello."

[Isabela]

Isabela turns her head toward the ritual room, frowning. "I think we can be there and back before they're done if we hurry. I want to be here when he wakes up."

[Varric]

"I paid for the deluxe, so they've hit him with enchanted sleep," Varric offers. "Less discomfort and such, and he'll sleep for seven hours unless he's woken. On our way to Aveline's, we should stop at Might of Honor, hire some Warbounds to stand watch."