Under Darkness [AU]

[Isabela]

"Too high. I don't want him to think about why they went for Gilly and Tomas, why they keep coming for me. The less I tell him, the less he'll put things together." 

[Tethras Clan]

"You really think he's never considered that the girl he saved might have....gotten that way, after what was done to her? With how careful he always is about preventing that very thing?" Varric refills his glass, not bothering with salt this time. "Whichever way that went, however it played out those years ago... might make him sad, but it won't make him think less of her."

[Isabela]

"It wasn't an accident," she hisses, and somehow, the pain and anger from so long ago rises up as if fresh inside her. "It wasn't as if I was, whoopsie, someone didn't use a rubber. This was intentional. The entire point, the purpose of passing me around like an offering plate, was to make an heir. He made damn sure I'd conceive before he started."

[Tethras Clan]

Varric grimances, forcing himself to not look away. "Then all the more reason to make sure every last fucking person involved is dead or given their due," he finally replies. Given her reaction, I gather that there's no child out there somewhere. For the best really.

[Isabela]

"I'm not going to commit genocide on the entire extended family. That just makes it harder to track down who considers themselves heir next. Someone will always step up to claim the house. That's what humans do."

[Tethras Clan]

"Involved, not related," Varric corrects. "Best way to end this, in my figuring, is to pick out an heir that's got some morals. Maybe a Bright or something. Then... arrange things so they have not just the most solid but the only solid claim to it. And if there isn't one, then we devalue things. Pillage the place of anything portable, then burn it down. If there's no villagers or the like involved, then we mess up the lands too. Make it not worth fighting over."

[Isabela]

"I'm not really keen on seeing the place again. Nor figuring out who among them isn't involved," she admits. "I've got better things to do with my time."

[Tethras Clan]

"Let me handle that end of things," Varric says with a shrug. "Better to work through cut-outs and mercs for now anyway. Less chance of spooking them than if they catch wind of you in the area. Which gives us time to wait for Hawke to wake up and then everyone to do the emotions thing."

[Isabela]

She slumps a little, reminded why she was drinking in the first place. "Right. Hawke." She sighs, glancing at the door. "How bad is this likely to be?"

[Tethras Clan]

"...bad how?" Varric asks, confused. "She's fully healed, she's just sleeping off the stress of it. It's a bit strange, sure, but not unheard of as a reaction to high-stress stuff."

[Isabela]

"So that's just it? We wait this out, she wakes up, she'll be right as rain?" Isabela frowns, glancing back at Varric. 

[Tethras Clan]

"She'll probably be a bit shook up about almost getting killed." Varric taps the rim of his glass, wanting something to do with his hands. "So she might need a bit of help dealing with that, but shouldn't be too bad."

[Isabela]

"It's never been that simple before, not when I've been around anyway," protests Isabela. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Well, normally, it's the result of a possession, months of torture... dying... This is much less-" He cuts off as the door to his office is pushed open. His eyes flick down at the lack of person and spots Beka. The mabari heads for for Isabela, then twists her head to the side to reveal a scrap of paper tucked in her collar.

[Isabela]

Isabela takes the paper, placing her glass on the desk. She reads it rapidly -- twice, to be sure she's got the message correct -- then stands abruptly. "She's awake."