Hazelnuts and plaid

[Isabela]

"Alright. Sold. Let's just hurry in case they find something while casting."

And so, half an hour later, they turn up the walk to find Aveline's door sitting just a bit open. Isabela moves slowly, crouching slightly, but the reason why is obvious a moment later as first Beka, then a heavily-gravid Silence nose the door open and trot out to meet her, tails wagging the all-clear. 

"Hey girls," says Isabela, relieved, as she crouches to pet them both. "I was coming to find you, Silence. Where've you been, girl? Everyone's worried."

[Tethras Clan]

Silence whines pathetically, her fear and misery no less clear than any verbal response could manage. Beka seems more agitated than her sister and less miserable, but she's also upset. While Silence presses up against Isabela, sniffing deeply, to try and get some comfort, the guarddog stalks around them in full protector mode. 

[Isabela]

"Poor baby. Is Aveline home?" she asks, rubbing Silence's back and sides. 

[Tethras Clan]

It's Beka's turn to let out a mournful whimper, though she doesn't halt in her self-directed patrol. She hesitates, for just a second, as she passes nearest an empty spot in Aveline's surprisingly whimsical garden but doesn't call out a challenge or greeting. Sitting with a groan, Silence looks at Isabela with primal wisdom in he eyes, waiting. Where is my Person? Where is Her mate? What has happened?

[Isabela]

"Hmm. I suppose if she's not here there's no shame in feeding you two before we set out," suggests Isabela, already making her way into the house. Once inside, she does scoop some food for the dogs -- before snooping around in Aveline's desk, looking for...

"Gotcha," she whispers, leafing through a folder on the desk. Damn. No autopsy results. but -- hello, a note from Helene, urging her to go...

"The Doctor's ritual room? Why?"

[Varric]

"The twins are still alive," a voice whispers with naked relief. Watching Isabela with narrowed eyes from the hallway, Beka leaps to her feet and surges into the room with a deep, bass snarl. She lunges for where the voice had come from but bites nothing but air.

[Isabela]

"Nox and-- oh! The twins!" Isabela's face lights up with new hope. "They must be... implanting them back into Hawke? Down, girl."

[Varric]

Muttering an oath, Varric drops the invisibility and gives Beka his best 'stern dad' look. "Beka, hold fast," he barks.

The mabari comes to a stiff halt almost comically fast at a known voice giving that command in such a tone. She then shakes it off, moving forward again. But slower this time, now wary instead of aggressive. Keeping one eye on the mabari, Varric replies to Isabela, "I doubt to Hawke, not if they're arresting her. But yes, Helene is one of three people in, of, or available to Nyra that can be considered to have a degree of mastery of that ritual. Which would be needed in this case."

[Isabela]

"Aveline." Isabela snorts. "Wow. They didn't even ask me. Not that I'd have said yes, but..."

[Varric]

"In fairness, you were hiding," Varric points out wryly as he gingerly lets Beka sniff at his hand. In the doorway, the just arriving Silence watches all this with unnerving focus.

[Isabela]

"Only from Hawke. I didn't want her knowing Zev was ill until he was better."

[Varric]

Thankfully Varric's second though is faster than his mouth. Because she'd be a dan-(because she worries and Isabela wanted to protect her from that additional stress)-ger to-- "Sure, but hiding from her is enough to hide you from most anyone else that's in a hurry. I doubt they have long before they need to-- to do the ritual."

[Isabela]

"I was at home," she mutters. "This is just like Aveline and Helene. I'm in the top contenders for the babies' father and nobody even thinks of them as mine. Typical."

[Varric]

"Of course they're yours," Varric says with a frown. "That's a given and declared, remember? Draste explained at the party."

[Isabela]

"Sure, sure, but like, in the same way they're Helene's. As in, they're Clan and we're Clan, but not like as in, would you like to see the sketch a prophet mailed in claiming to be of them as young children that he said came to him in his dreams. For instance. Or as in, would you also need to go crib shopping, because who would figure I would want them to spend the night?" 

Having been in her house, of course, he's seen the nursery, or at least acknowledged it existed as he passed the open door. Two cribs, mobiles with pirate ships on them, the whole room done in a pirate theme. Very cute.