Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Varric]

"No you don't," Varric says softly. "I will."

[Marian Hawke]

That stops her in her tracks. "...what?"

[Varric]

"You shouldn't always have to be the one that suffers in order to spare others. Let someone else take up that burden for once."

[Marian Hawke]

"It's-- it's my job. My responsibility. There's never been anyone else to do it."

[Varric]

"There is. There should be. I will."

[Marian Hawke]

"But... But you'll die," she whispers. "Don't you care about that?"

[Varric]

"It wasn't so bad really," Varric replies with a crooked smile. "I was sad it hurt my kids. I was sad I never got to see Carver get married. Beth finish her training and find her way. That I would abandon Helene when they were hurting. But they needed my help. I couldn't let them die. If missing the rest of their lives was the price for that... so be it."

[Marian Hawke]

"But they need you," she protests. "Who will they have left if You--"

There's something wrong with that line of thinking, something involving Beth and Carver and herself and Hunter and Silence and--

But she can't let that matter. She's discovered something important, or remembered it. He can see comprehension dawn as her eyes fill with tears. "You can't die, Varric Tethras. I still need you. Even if I can't ever be Marian again, I still need you!"

The word comes through loud and clear -- just once, but that's all it takes. In that heartbeat, she is Marian Hawke again, and it's enough.

Liz vanishes in a bright flash of light. When it fades, at his feet is a mask: a half-elf female, a tear frozen on one cheek. Ahead of them is a wide open pathway made of pure darkness.

[Varric]

Varric, a dwarf again, slowly kneels down in front of the mask. "Oh you silly, stubborn girl," he murmurs, stubbornly ignoring the liquid tear that crawls down the side of the mask next to the painted one.

[Tethras Clan]

He gives him a few moments, but eventually Zevran clears his throat. "I think the next section is Cindy's. And... such an inviting path we have before us for it."

[GamesMaster]

Taking the mask with them, they step into the darkness.

Yet again, the dark is hostile to them, almost alien -- all but Zevran, who finds it oddly comforting, welcoming. As they walk, the oddest thing seems to happen to him. He begins to feel almost a cloth under his fingers, something nearly tangible but alien all at once, like he imagines handling raw magic might feel -- more tingle than solid. If he gestures just so, he can draw it in close to him, shielding him from view -- or making him more visible by pushing it away.

Almost as soon as he figures out how it works, the darkness recedes. Not all the way -- there is no place that has no darkness -- but enough, like a curtain drawing back to reveal the stage.

They find themselves in the front hall of a great manor house, being shown in by the servant. Now they are all dressed in finery, their races yet again scrambled: Varric finds himself a human female, Helene a half-orc male, Zevran a Tiefling female, and Isabela a catfolk male. The butler, a human male, leads them to a sitting room: there are several fancy sofas and armchairs, all pulled into a rough circle so they can speak and face one another. Sitting in one of the armchairs is the lord of the house, a human with a stern look about him, and on a loveseat are the ladies: a tall, thin, elven woman and her half-elf daughter, both with silver hair and deep purple eyes. The daughter is doing needlepoint in a very fine dress of blue and white lace, while the mother is reading a tome in a shimmering dress the color of autumn leaves that suits her fair complexion perfectly.

"Coquette, darling, are these friends of yours?" asks the mother, her voice prim and a bit chilly.

"Yes, mother, I believe so," replies the daughter. "We met at the ball last week, did we not?"

"Well, you have fun, dear," says the father, folding his newspaper and standing. "I have work to do." He crosses the room, planting a kiss on the top of her head as he passes.

[Varric]

The hells is this I don't even (why are we constantly- oh for the love of wisdom, they both have the mask problem?). Varric scowls deeply and shifts with discomfort as he looks around.

[Tethras Clan]

"Quite so," the tiefling female says with a deep, throaty voice. "Your daughter rather kindly introduced us around and, truth be told, absolutely rescued us from a simply dreadful evening. We're new to town, you see, and hardly know anyone at all." She smiles charmingly at the two ladies, her focus slightly more on the elder of the two. 

[GamesMaster]

"Oh, how lovely," says the elder, with a tightly controlled smile.

"This of course is my mother, Lady Melindre Blacquin," says Coquette-apparently. She shifts a little to get enough elbow room to continue her stitching -- the two women are sitting quite close to one another, Coquette affectionately leaning toward Melindre, though both have both hands busy. "Mother, may I present Lady Varric zi'Tethras of Nyra, Lady Zevran, and their knights, Sir Helene, and Sir Isabela."

Zevran's fingers tingle, just a little.

[Varric]

What.... Nope, that narrative needs a slight tweak. "Actually, Seeker Helene is my fiance," (s)he corrects her. "A fairly new development, we've not yet made a formal announcement."