Hazelnuts and plaid

[Lux]

Lux hesitates, rising to his feet but not approaching. "How-- How did you wrest control back?" he asks almost timidly. Silence, however, does approach slowly and carefully, though much of that is due to her belly.

[Marian Hawke]

"She pushed too hard and tired herself out, and I was able to force her to the background. I came to warn you. Please. Is Nox alright? I--" Her eyes seem to fall on Nox for the first time behind Lux, and she slumps a little. "Oh, oh Astea no... is he... is he?"

[Lux]

Silence comes to a stop just in front of Hawke, false eye glowing and nostrils flaring as she tries to detect as much as she can about the person in front of her. "Asleep. Recovering," Lux says tightly. "Hawke, who is 'she?'"

[Marian Hawke]

"A devil. They threatened Merrill -- They have Merrill's soul, they threatened her if I didn't let her in." She focuses on Silence for a moment, but then turns her attention back to Lux. 

[Lux]

Silence steps back a few paces, hackles rising and a deep growl building in her throat as she feels magic wash over her. She doesn't understand arcana well enough to know what was just cast at her, but she's able to read people better than most trained mortals and she's pretty damn sure who just cast on her. Lux's eyes widen and then fill with sadness. "Oh Hawke, I'm sorry," he whispers.

[Marian Hawke]

Hawke turns her eyes on Lux, and for a moment he's overcome with love and trust in her. How could he doubt her? She's Hawke, the center of their clan, their Matriarch. "Please," she whispers. "Just hold me?"

[Lux]

He takes a step forward, arms coming up despite Varric's detailed instructions and his own instincts. But before he can do more than that, Silence lets out an enraged howl and lunges at Hawke. Her teeth and paws are gleaming a golden white, a sure sign she's using the Bond she shares with her Person to magic them up in some fashion. Eyes still closed, Zevran springs from the bed in a single, smooth motion. The bedsheet is wrapped around his right hand, a silly joke turned into a lethal weapon by virtue of his training.

[Marian Hawke]

Hawke jumps back as the claws nick her flesh, and within an instant she is gone -- teleported away, vanished from the room entirely. As they check the door, they find T collapsed in a heap outside the door, no longer on guard at all. 

[Zevran]

"What is--"

The merikos drow breaks off with a wince, his voice being drowned out anyway by the heartbroken howl Silence fills the building with. Failed. Failed again. Not Best enough for my Person. Failed her.

[GamesMaster]

So distraught is Silence, that she almost doesn't see the scrap of parchment fall to the floor where she's torn some kind of pocket on Hawke -- but Zevran catches it, glancing over the encrypted text briefly.

Ldwj Ycrb Ycbo,

Nrd fawb om wakcmn jdwlx. O rwqd sobomrdl dviwqwnobt nrd jonpwa irwkedj, wbl rwqd fjcipjdl nrd wjnoswin ud mfchd cs fjdqocpmax. O hbcu nrd Wmnjwa Lowkcblm wjd dvfdbmoqd, epn nrdx wjd bdidmmwjx nc nrd fawb. Nrobh cs nrd tacjx nrwn uoaa ed rdwfdl pfcb pm ex Mojdbw! Urdb ud rwqd Iawb Ndnrjwm ob cpj tjwmf, Mrd uoaa tjwbn pm wbxnrobt ud ldmojd. Xcp uoaa ed w Ldqoa wn awmn, wbl O uoaa ed toqdb fcudj wbl tacjx. Ud uoaa njpax ed kwndm ob dqdjx mdbmd cs nrd ucjl nrdb, wbl xcp uoaa jdotb ex kx mold ob Rdaa. Ypmn mnoih nc nrd fawb, wbl waa uoaa ed udaa.

Xcpj Acqd,
KwjxWbb

[Zevran]

And then lingers on the note, frowning. A letter, clearly, and in a cypher. A simple substitution cypher, if memory serves, which is more used in illicit love notes than by spies. Mind still focusing desperately on the note instead of anything else, he nevertheless sinks to his knees to wrap an arm around the heartbroken mabari. Twenty minutes later, when Varric and company come storming into the room, things have mostly been cleaned up. Zevran has coaxed Silence into crawling into bed with Nox, the mabari looking listless and weary, though she's at least stopped crying and howling. Lux is keeping himself distracted by fussing over T, the young woman furious and surly about having been cold-clocked. 

Naturally enough, people are tested before pretty much anything else; having passed through the Bazaar, Varric had overpaid to get a 'cursed' holy dagger that will react very poorly to being held by anyone too far aligned with the Dark gods. That handled, Varric starts to demand a more detailed explanation of what happened when Zevran offers the letter. "A substitution cypher I believe. Ls are D, D is E, W is A and J is R." He doesn't bother with more, knowing Varric will be able to read it almost as easily as he would if it were in plain common. 

[GamesMaster]

Dear Ycrb Ycbo,

Nre faab om aakcmn readx. O raqe sobomred eviaqanobt nre ronpaa irakedr, abd rwqe frcipred nre arnosain ue mfche cs freqocpmax. O hbcu nrd Amnrwa Doakcblm are evfebmoqe, epn nrex are beiemmarx nc nre faab. Nrobh cs nre tacrx nran uoaa ee rdafed pfcb pm ex Moreba! Ureb ue raqe Iaab Nenrjam ob cpr tramf, Mre uoaa trabn pm abxnrobt ue demoer. Xcp uoaa ed a Deqoa wn aamn, abd O uoaa ee toqeb fcuer abd tacrx. Ue uoaa nrpax ee kanem ob eqerx mebmd cs nre ucrl nreb, abd xcp uoaa reotb ex kx mode ob Reaa. Ypmn mnoih nc nre faab, abd aaa uoaa ee ueaa.

Xcpr Acqe,
KajxAbb

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[Varric]

Varric grunts in acknowledgement, studies it for about three seconds, then reads it out loud for everyone without a single stumble. Zevran rolls his eyes almost automatically, though it lacks the amusement it would normally possess. 

Dear John Joni,

The plan is almost ready. I have finished excavating the ritual chamber, and have procured the artifact we spoke of previously. I know the Astral Diamonds are expensive, but they are necessary to the plan. Think of the glory that will be heaped upon us by Sirena! When we have Clan Tethras in our grasp, She will grant us anything we desire. You will be a Devil at last, and I will be given power and glory. We will truly be mates in every sense of the word then, and you will reign by my side in Hell. Just stick to the plan, and all will be well.

Your Love,
MaryAnn

After he finishes, Varric takes a slow breath. He almost moves, almost just acts, but just barely manages to stop himself. "I know-- We have our targets. But we need-- if we want this to be fixed, really fixed, we need to do this legitimately. We need a guard. Can't be Aveline, Andy is retired and might not be here yet. What do we have?"

[Theta "T" Roidmet]

T scowls. "Shouldn't we just, I don't know, bring this letter to the Lord Hand and have him deal with it? If we want to be legitimate, shouldn't it go through the Lights?"

[Varric]

"Astea said to only trust Clan," Varric mumbles, pacing yet again. Rather strange that, to be honest; he hadn't had that particular habit before his flight.