Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Varric]

"No, you aren't listening. You don't... remember the shield? Instead of welding a plate on the rent to strengthen it, you're just trying to hide behind the plate." Varric holds up a hand as if to demonstrate the size of the plate. "Masks aren't people, they're just... aspects. Small portions of a person. You're more than that."

[Marian Hawke]

Hawke gestures, and at her when, a shield appears: a small buckler with a hawk on it. She gestures again, and it shatters, becoming a twisted hunk of shredded metal, still somehow in one piece but utterly useless as a shield. "A plate seems better."

[Varric]

"Okay, one?  That's cheating," he says wryly. "But..." The dwarf studies the shield scrap for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, that's repairable. Won't be as pretty or sound, at least at first, but doable."

[Marian Hawke]

She looks at him in disbelief.

[Varric]

"Hey, who's the blacksmith's son here?" Actually, did I ever... "Me. It was implied but not sure if I ever told you..."

[Marian Hawke]

"You... You didn't," she says slowly. "Ci-- I know some Smith's. I will have to introduce you." Despite the correction, she flinches, glancing around.

[Varric]

Varric's eyes narrow. Guess that's another word of importance. But less forbidden and more trapped. "Well I am. This can work. Just... be you. Gather your masks and make a... mold of them. Masks come from you. Fit them together and work backwards. This isn't going to be an instant fix."

[Marian Hawke]

"If you won't pick I will. You need me."

[Varric]

The dwarf cocks his head to the side. "The way you say that implies there's a deadline or something you need to do," he says leadingly.

[Marian Hawke]

She hesitates then, in sightly rusty Dwarven, says, "You need me. There are three dreamers in this dream. One is incapacitated. You do not want the other to control the battlefield."

[Varric]

Three... what? Should be Marian and Cindy (or Coquette, hard to tell). Oh. Wait. What if... "Your girl, whatever name is right, she's even more divided than you, isn't she?" he asks carefully in the same language. 

[Marian Hawke]

Marian nods, a look of relief on her face.

[Varric]

"Three dreamers... You, obviously. And...  overwhelming Justice at any cost and her... civilian side?" Varric hazzards, then wince at her nod. "Lovely. And if you're down with... forging... and Civilian is also still recovering, we're facing against a defacto ego. Which, given locale, is like fighting a demigod. Lovely." He rubs his forehead, trying to plan.

[Marian Hawke]

"You need me to be functional. For Helene. If my girlfriend isn't..."

[Varric]

"...then... can you wait? Can you hold on, as you are now, until after we beat J? Try and fuse your masks afterwards?" Varric proposes.