Under Darkness [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

Strangely, that gets her attention, even more than his sharp order from earlier. "Y-you d-do?" she stammers, eyes wide as she stares intently at him. "R-really?"

[GamesMaster]

"Of course." He smiles at her. "I see how hard you try, every day. You're working really hard, and you're making huge improvements every week. I fully believe you can handle this and make a full recovery. I look forward to seeing what kind of person you become when you come through this."

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill's eyes well up again and she presses her face against his chest. But her tears this time are... smoother. Less jagged. Her grip has loosened as well, her body not trembling nearly as much. But it's her new chant he's probably happiest with.

"-thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou-"

[Carver Amell]

Hawke was having a nap -- usually a bad time to get Aveline, but with the tonic she'd taken, and Anders' promise to get Aveline the moment she so much as twitched, it was the only time Carver could get to speak with the paladin. 

Carver had arrived in Raplin's Oak two days prior, but before he could find his sister, he'd been intercepted by Isabela of all people. She'd tugged him to a meeting with Varric, who had laid out a number of unpleasant truths for the lad. Carver hadn't believed him at first. The dwarf was prone to exaggeration and pranks, after all. But upon producing proof that Aveline had resigned from the Guard, he'd been forced to admit perhaps some of it was possible. He'd withdrawn feeling like his head was full of angry bees, and all of them bore the face of his twin sister, disappointed beyond reason.

He'd asked to see Aveline the next day, but she'd been unavailable. Upon hearing that she had a few minutes today, he'd dropped what he was doing and rushed over to see her. They were meeting in a cafeteria inside the tree itself, a communal space where food can be had -- a place Aveline was quite familiar with by now, as it was the nearest eatery to Hawke's dwelling. Carver looks subdued compared to his usual expression as he slid into a seat across from the ex-guardswoman. He rakes a hand through his short, dark hair, catching his breath. 

"Vallen," he says, with a nod. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Aveline is fine," the paladin says with a wan smile. "Sorry, I'm short on time so I'll be eating during this," she apologies as she dresses her salad with practiced ease. "It's... good to see you again, even if..."

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah, likewise," he says rapidly, not wanting her to get too deep into the 'even if'. No, stop that. That's why you're here.

"I don't want to waste too much of your time," he begins, shifting a little in his seat. "So I'll get right to it." He takes a deep breath, pausing there. How do I even start something like this?

"I spoke with Tethras the other day," he begins, glancing down at his ale. "He told me a number of... distressing things about my sister." 

[Tethras Clan]

"He wouldn't lie about it," Aveline says softly. "Not about this. Not... Hawke is his daughter. Blood or no blood, he loves her, wants to keep her safe and help her grow. I swear on Vangal's name, Varric thinks of Hawke as his daughter, his heir, his family. He loves her."

[Carver Amell]

"That's... good to hear," he says slowly. Distressing, to hear. When did Marian get another family? What happened to caring about the family she had? What makes this Varric so special, so much better than Mother and I? But that's not why he's here, and it's not productive. He shakes his head, ordering his thoughts. 

"But that wasn't my question. He said... some things. Many of them were vague, or otherwise..." Many of them I just stopped listening to. It was too much, too fast. 

He takes a deep breath. "I want to help. To do that I have to have a good grip on what exactly happened. What we're dealing with. Can you run me through what I can expect when I see her? He said-- He told me you're with her most of the time, that you've got the best insight."

[Tethras Clan]

Aveline takes a few deep breathes interspaced with rapid bites of her lunch. "...you do merc jobs for the most part, correct? Have you... have you ever run into... have you ever had to assist with," deep breath and she lifts her eyes to met his, "rape victims or slaves?"

[Carver Amell]

He blanches. "I'm no good at that sort of thing. I'm-- I'm a fair hand at freeing people, not so much at the comfort thing. But, I want to help, if I can," he adds. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Just a few minutes of conversation, of... of kind words, perhaps a hug if she's up for it... that'll help," Aveline says quietly. "Or... or if you like, it would be good for Merrill to interact with people as well. Another male to spend time with her would be nice. Especially because you look like Hawke," she adds thoughtfully, more to herself than to him.

[Carver Amell]

"What?" He blinks. "That's the... elf, right?" 

[Tethras Clan]

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Yes. Merrill was also... hurt. But... Sorry, I should start from the beginning." Aveline takes another few bites of salad, knowing she won't be able to eat after she's started talking. "After... after Hawke was brought back, we... for a variety of reasons, none of them as good as we thought they were at the time, we pulled back. We were all hurting and instead of coming together, we isolated ourselves. And... and Jadan took advantage of that."

"Of Hawke. He... he was a slaver, but a clever one. Operated in Treeshade for over a decade without so much as a second look. He... he lured Hawke in, offered sympathy and kindness, then used mind magics and and her pain to break her." She falls silent, pressing a hand to her face. "Sorry, I need a moment."

[Carver Amell]

'We pulled back'. Carver feels a pang of guilt. And how often did I visit her, after Mother died? I left town pretty quickly, without even spending the time to go through her things until I returned. When I did, I only visited to drop off a box. I guess I figured she was doing alright. She had so many friends, and I had nobody to lean on but a sister who didn't want me anymore. I never thought she might need me. Certainly not like this.

"Mind magic?" he asks quietly. "Is there something we can do to... to break that?" 

[Tethras Clan]

"The magic itself is gone, but it left... mental scars. It... what was done to her didn't... control her like a puppet. It was more... insidious. It made her unable to conceive of the caster as anything but a deep and trusted friend, no matter what they said or did. So when Jadan asked her to... commit crimes or... debase herself, she did it. After all, it's perfectly reasonable to do a quick favor for a friend, right? Not just a friend, but your best friend at that." She pushes her bowl aside, unable to tolerate the smell.

"And he started small. Slight adjustments to her behavior that even after the spell ended, her mind justified because she'd done it and been okay with it so why would she change her mind later?" Aveline shudders. "Insidious, vile magic in the hands of a monster. And unfortunately a very clever, skilled monster with a lot of experience in doing this sort of thing."