Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

Carver shakes his head. "I-- I need to take a walk. I'll catch up." With that, he storms for the door, trying to push away thoughts of 'of course he's upset about Marian, her ears matched his, he'll never love me like that'.

[Varric]

"Car-"

"I'm follow after him," Varric interrupts Bethany. "You and Helene go have tea with new girl." With that, he heads after Carver, intending to give him some space, but look after him.

[Carver Amell]

He has to jog -- Carver isn't moving slowly, though he does seem to be holding it down to a power walk. He heads for the woods before he breaks into a jog, wiping at his eyes with one hand. He doesn't look where he's going; he doesn't need to. The brush never seems to trip him up, his feet finding their path as sure as if he's lived here his whole life. 

He slows after a bit, swallowing hard before slamming a well-made fist into a tree. He strikes it again, this time letting out a grunt of rage and pain, and again, with the other hand, though he yelps as he does, wringing his hand a moment later. He kicks at it next, though much less forcefully, before sinking down onto a stump, hanging his head into his hands, and letting out a few low, wet sobs. 

[Varric]

After a brief internal debate, Varric decides to let Carver have a minute or two to wipe his face. At least let him pretend no-one saw, if he wants. "Hey," Varric calls out, making sure to deepen his dwarven accent so he Carver clues into who this is right away. 

[Carver Amell]

Carver rubs at his face, sniffling, trying to hide the signs. "Hey," he says, his voice shuddering, cracking, betraying him. 

[Varric]

"So... that, uh, that didn't... hells. I was hoping that would go better for you than it did. I'm sorry Carver," the dwarf says awkwardly. 

[Carver Amell]

"It's fine," he says, hunching his shoulders a bit. "I just... I just wanted to help. The way that girl looked at me-- but it doesn't matter. I keep forgetting. I'm not, I never do anything right." A slight pause, a bitter laugh. "No wonder he left us."

[Varric]

"He left you because he's a coward. A selfish, feckless coward. You helped that girl. Plain and simple, you helped her," Varric says firmly. "Your father's idiocy and poor taste in women doesn't change that."

[Carver Amell]

"She's an orphan," he says bitterly. "With no siblings. Who will protect her next time, or the time after that? They'll never stop coming for her. Bullies never do, not until someone stands up to them."

[Varric]

"Someone did stand up to them, up for her," Varric points out evenly. "You. Not sure if you noticed, but girl's got some serious admiration going on in your direction. We can stay for a few days at the least, maybe you can use that gratitude and respect to teach her some self-defense, some self-respect. That one Elder, the female, seems to look after her a bit. Maybe not as well as she should, I caught some whiffs of politics there. And... well, no idea if it'll last, but Malcolm seemed pretty shook up about finding out the bitch was still being a bitch."

[Carver Amell]

"He's useless," says Carver in a low growl. "I don't want anything to do with him."

[Varric]

"I... I uh, I won't lie and say there's not a part of me that's... relieved, I guess," Varric allows, voice gruff. "You're a good kid and...  I don't know, maybe in a decade or two, you and him could... be amicable towards each other. But right now, no. You need to heal and he needs to grow the hell up. And that's okay. You have every right to not... deal with that right now. Or ever."

[Carver Amell]

"Lt Vallen says..."

Carver hesitates, shakes his head, starts over. "I-- both my parents are--"

Again, he shakes his head, turning away a bit as he steels his courage. "If both my parents are worthless, what does that make me? Humans aren't like Dwarves. Blood means something, for us."

[Varric]

"For some of you anyway," Varric allows, wondering that that bit about Lt. Lawful was about. "But with you... I'd say your parents were... an investment. A cost the gods put down, a price paid, in order to have you and your sisters."

[Carver Amell]

"Humans tend to take after our parents. Joey's dad was trash and so was he."