Under Darkness [AU]

[Marian Hawke]

"I suppose." She pauses, giving a rueful smile. "The garden is metaphor on top of symbolism. I understand that. There are flowers above that record a version of Nyra populated as a kingdom. The garden, I have come to understand, is similar. But I am.. I suppose I am the puppet king, then? This is my garden; I created it, and I give it life, in a way the others do not. Which is why I must take my leave, unfortunately." 

[Tethras Clan]

"Right... okay, that's more self-awareness than I was expecting, to be honest," Varric mutters. "Clearly recognizes us as well... what Hawke doing right now? I mean, total Hawke, outside the mindscape? Do you know?"

[Marian Hawke]

She shrugs. "I really have to go, Papa. I'm sorry." She gives a brief curtsey, then drifts back through the arch she walked in a moment before. 

[Tethras Clan]

"I- dammit," he says with a sigh. "That was more than I was expecting though, if I'm honest." He takes a deep breath to center himself.

"..what did she mean about a new guide?" Aveline asks slowly.

[Marian Hawke]

"That'd be me."

As Teddy jumps back up to his rightful place on Zevran's shoulder, a figure follows after him. At first, she looks to be a stranger -- but no, that's Hawke's face. She's almost a foot shorter than she was a  moment ago, and considerably stockier, with wider hips and larger hands. Wait, with that build... is that a merikos Dwarf version of Hawke? 

[Tethras Clan]

"Huh," Varric says stupidly. "Uh."

"I'd do her," Zevran says without thinking.

"Zevran," Aveline hisses at him. "I gather you're... the part of Hawke that is focused on being Varric's daughter?"

[Marian Hawke]

She blinks. "Huh? I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm Marian Tethras, but you can call me Tethras. Other than me, we all have the same name here, so nicknames are sort of a thing." She rubs the back of her head in a Hawke-like gesture. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Right... do you know who we are?" Varric asks carefully, brain having relit.

[Marian Hawke]

She rolls her eyes. "Obviously, Papa. How could I forget my own father and lovers? And Wynne," she adds. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Glad to know we're memorable," Zevran comments idly, getting a snort from the ignored Silence. Flat scent thing anyway.

Aveline's head turns towards Zevran."Wait, you can understand her?"

"...yes?"

"She's speaking in dwarven," Varric observes thoughtfully. Has this been an ongoing effect or is it a property of the Tethras avatar? I wonder if-

"Stabbed in the gut with a sword," Zevran says instantly, wanting to say that without sounding like a toddler for once. "How was that?"

[Marian Hawke]

Tethras laughs, a hearty laugh from the gut, not bothering to hide behind her hand. "Languages are one of my specialities. I can make myself understood in a half dozen tongues, and more every year. Someday I'll maybe know more than my Papa even," she boasts. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Good luck, kid," Varric says with a snort. "So... you're our tour guide?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Seems like. What do you want to see? There's some great statues up top, if you like that sort of thing. Or there's flowers and stuff, I guess, if you're into nature." 

[Tethras Clan]

"I was more curious about where Hawke's recent but not current memories are held," Varric says easily. "Say...four months ago?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Sure, of course. So we're in the Catacombs now, which is actually where a lot of the memories from that time period are filed. This chamber is for physically painful memories in the current configuration -- to your left, you'll actually find the world-famous Stabbed In The Gut With a Sword bloom, though the one you were just admiring has a significant following these days. There's a number of blooms from that time period in the, let's see, I think at the moment it's the Times I Failed Merrill chamber, but of course I can reconfigure them for you. Time period, time period..." She begins to pace, thinking it through. "That's an unusual configuration. All of this is typically correlated by subject matter, with passages serving as indices as well as resorting algorithms, but I can probably make time period work for you. Four months, you said? That's the Underdark, isn't it? Would geographical location work? That's much easier to navigate as a configuration."