Stone's Throw

[Varric]

"I'm not saying-- I'm just... " he trails off, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Do you... want a lover? Ignore me for now, just... for you, do you want that?"

[Helene Dakesh]

"....I cannot ignore you. I do not wish to cause you distress."

[Varric]

"Then-- if I wasn't here, if I died two decades ago, long enough for the grief to dull; what would you want then?"

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene nibbles ner lower lip. "I would not be seeking another husband," ne decides, "but I would want to experiment. Perhaps to date."

[Varric]

So you do want sex. Dammit. Okay. "So you're interested, at least a little, or maybe curious about sexual activities in and of themselves?"

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene hesitates, still chewing ner lip. "I had intended, when the first ritual was undertaken, to remove all such desires from myself. Indeed, the first draft of the ritual focused heavily on this part. But... I was convinced that... that desire in itself is a worthy thing. My desires are but a small thing, easily ignored, but they do exist, still, despite having no means of fulfilling them without another flesh-crafting ritual."

[Varric]

"That-- that sounds horrible," Varric replies with a shudder. "Not-- not just-- But having a need you can't do anything about, like an itch under heavy armour."

[Helene Dakesh]

"It is how life is," admits Helene. 

[Varric]

But it didn't have to be (you chose it). "And... you're looking to modify your flesh to... allow you to scratch that itch?"

[Helene Dakesh]

"I must stress that the primary purpose is to create life," Helene corrects. "But... that is not an unwelcome side effect."

[Varric]

"Have you-- I'm not insisting or deciding against your plan. An alternative idea to consider; remove the lingering, ah, itch, and ready your body for pregnancy. Then we can use the Enclave ritual-- or a similar method-- to create a child."

[Helene Dakesh]

"That might work," ne says dubiously. "But..."

Only when prompted does ne reluctantly continue: "But you didn't like the results of changing my brain in the past."

[Varric]

"Valid," Varric admits, nodding a little. "I would be... less bothered, with a more carefully crafted and checked ritual but valid. Admittedly, I'd also assumed most of the itch was glandular, not neural."

[Helene Dakesh]

"It is primarily the impact of sex-related hormones on the brain that causes sexual desire. My prior thought had been to eliminate the receptors for such."

[Varric]

Thoughts turning more to the mechanical issue, Varric hums softly. "If preventing at the source isn't viable for some reason and stopping reception too dangerous, then perhaps some kind of filtration during transit?"