Hazelnuts and plaid

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene-who-was-Dakesh walks in silence, one hand gently stroking Avato's back as they make their way home in the presence of the new solicitor. Must be a friend of Isabela's, Helene had long since decided. This was... troublesome. Ne no longer hero-worships Hawke; that had been done with long before. But some part of nem still mourns for what could have been, still suffers to hear just how badly Hawke was doing. 

"This one must apologize," Helene says after a bit, as they approach Voice. "This one should have done another scrying to determine if her stockpile was growing again. This one had assumed that removing the blades from the home once would have been enough but clearly she has been feigning her improvement to some degree. This one will not be so lax in the future."

[Varric]

"Not your fault," Varric says after a short delay so his mind can catch up to the words being spoken in the here and now instead of replaying the past. "At some point, it has to come down to trust. And besides, maybe-- we don't know for sure it's not an old cache."

[Helene Dakesh]

"It can be no older than the last sweep Merrill and myself did of the house. Likely no older than six months." Helene holds the door open for Ergile, ushering him inside. "Regardless. This one will attend your planning session, but this one requires a nap afterward."

[Varric]

"Maybe..." Maybe she had it elsewhere (Voice? Her dorm?) and moved it back there for... To get rid of it safely? "Right, sorry," he adds belatedly, wincing at nir comment about the nap. He starts to add something but stops when he spots Nox rushing over.

"Hey Li'l Blue," he says in a hurry, eyeing Varric. "Madame Z is downstairs, in your workshop. He's got food-- tea, lots of tea-- and others with him. Bella and Rosalie. Oh, and the mabari. Silence is napping with Chris." A brief smile crosses the aasimar's face. "Pretty sure both of them got told that they need to keep an eye on the other and make sure they take it easy." Rosalie's son, a merikos catfolk, has been having a rough month thanks to his first shedding. Most catfolk get a bit miserable for a day or so if they're the sort to have long hair over the winter, but Chris had gotten a rough hand with the mixing of his blood. He has fur over his back, arms and legs, but he also has more human typical body hair on his arms as well. The clash has led to him having to suffer through dozens of ingrown hairs practically everyday.

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene gives a bow. "Ah, good. I have procured another ointment that may assist him. Would that our alchemist were returned from his travels, but, it may help. We are gathering the Clan together -- this is Mr Ergile Evide, Hawke's solicitor. He wishes to discuss the ongoing troubles with those of us that are not otherwise occupied. Please collect your brother and meet with us in my workshop. You do not mind if Rosalie joins?" ne asks of 'Ergile'. "She is Clan-adjacent..." 

[Varric]

"I was expecting her in fact," Varric says with a polite smile, one that completely covers the winces nir words had invoked. "After you?"

Nox shrugs, his brother having mentioned seeing the merikos elf when he'd come by earlier. "I'll head down shortly then-- I'm covering the floor-- but my brother will... is waving at the stairs," he says with a laugh. He doesn't even register that his twin is naked save for a gauzy robe over a size-too-small loincloth. 

Varric does. Varric regrets this. "...let's head down," he mutters, eyes on the ground.

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene tilts nir head, just a little, then smiles, just a touch. "It is alright to look. Honored Lux Tethras likes to be stared at, in fact. He and his brother view it as compliments, just like the Madam. Have you spent much time around Voice in the Dark?"

[Varric]

"Not particularly, no," Varric says with complete honesty. "Not really my sort of interest."

[Helene Dakesh]

"It is considered a compliment to look, but do not attempt to touch without asking. Clan gets a discount, and Clan-adjacent a smaller one. Hawke never pays, of course, but if you need advice on who to ask for, she knows everyone." While speaking, Helene leads the way toward the stairs down to the basement. "My dwellings are in the basement, in a pair of rooms that used to be for storage. The second I was only able to obtain after the sub-basement was opened for storage during the Wager and the wine cellar moved there. That is where the others will be waiting, in my workshop slash parlor."

[Varric]

"Thank you for the explanation." Forgetting himself, just a little, Varric offers nem a warm smile. "It's good to know the lay of the land." A beat, a slight tightening of his eyes. "As well as the people of note. Which..."

He trails off as the door to Helene's workshop opens to reveal a particular wench of both pirate and saucy significance. "Mission successful?" he asks instead, concern creeping into his voice.

[Isabela]

Bela nods. "I sent three messages, but I haven't heard back yet. Told them I'd be at Voice if they wanted to reply. Feather token should be getting there soon, Animal Messenger won't be long behind, and worst case the runner I sent should catch up tomorrow." 

[Varric]

Varric waits for all four of them to be in the room, Lux having followed them down after a quick word with a server, before replying. "I'm actually hoping that Helene has enough juice in nem to do a scry; if I assist, I know how to cast Message so we can tell them in real-time." Less than a second after speaking the word, Varric flinches and makes a mental note to himself to find a different way of referring to the energy levels of people for the next long while.

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene rakes a hand through nir hair, pausing before automatically agreeing with a glance to Zevran. He would scold me if I didn't think long and hard, but... "A scrying is... minimally dangerous in this state," Helene concludes. "Such can be performed."

[Varric]

"I can help with that," Varric promises, then pauses at a quick knock. A bare second later, the door opens to admit Nox.

"Bridget came in early so I cut and ran," he explains with a mildly sheepish smile towards his boss. Not that Zevran seems to care much about Voice's bottom line at the moment. Or at all really.

"Good. Is this everyone?" Seeing nods and hearing affirmations, Varric looks towards Helene, centering his gaze not on nir eyes but instead nir left shoulder. "Right then. Sorry about the misdirection, I'm still trying to work out the scope and depth of whatever's going on here. Couldn't get in contact with most of you in a secure location until now so..." Without further delay, Varric drops the magical aspects of his disguise, reaching into his pocket for a wipe to start the removal of the mundane additions.

[Helene Dakesh]

It's adorable, really -- Helene's entire face lights up, the exhaustion wiped away as though ne'd suddenly gotten a touch from Aveline. "Varric! You're back!"