Blood from Stone [AU]

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Because I almost got his son killed!" she snarls. "I don't-- we don't talk anymore. Not since then."

[Varric]

"Did you decided that or did yo-" Sodding common. "Did you alone or both of you decide to stop talking about life, work and... important things?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"It's not like it was a decision! Will almost died. I saved him. I killed Gold. I stayed away while I was mopping up Gold's henchmen in case he told everyone who I was. Then his right-hand man nearly killed me, I was thrown in an insane asylum, and broke out!"

Interesting how much she's willing to talk now, given she's never said any of this to Varric before.

[Varric]

"You saved him. You protected your family. Then you got beat. You got hurt bad. Then you saved yourself. Varric sighs a little. "And my eldest kid. Let us help you this time. Let yourself trust again. Trust Kyle, trust Jaina, trust Vigile... someone."

"Please."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Or what?" she says, bitterly. "They might live a long, happy life without me?"

[Marian Hawke]

"L-l-like my s-sister?" Liz croaks, shivering, crading Vig. "Sh-she still gets n-nightmares, and I d-d-didn't d-die."

[Varric]

"We all do." Varric's admission is soft but sincere. "Losing people... Jaina wouldn't die if you vanished. She has Kyle, Will and the babe to be. But you'd gut her. And Kyle would like as not blame himself." He shrugs a little. "Would it be your fault? Not directly. But..."

[Marian Hawke]

Liz glances at Varric, but doesn't say anything. This isn't the time. 

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I-- I know," she says, and the admission takes something out of her. She finally glances away, shoulders slumping. "But... I can't go back and unmeet them. I can't make this right."

[Varric]

"...when you're making a brew with limited ingredients- when every herb and powder is irreplaceable- and you make a mistake... sometimes you can't finish with a perfect brew." Varric's words are slow to come, carefully selected. "Can't just stop either. Throw it out and you're left with nothing. So... you have to adapt. Accept a lesser product. Most of the time? It works just fine. Maybe it's a little more bitter than it would have been. Maybe it's not as potent- maybe it's more potent. Hells, maybe you invent a new recipe that's better than the one you started with. But you have to keep going and try."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"And maybe the brew is poison and you drink six doses." Her word are thrust from a rapier of a whisper. 

[Varric]

"Which is why you pass the brew over to someone else you can trust to double check your work." Varric doesn't miss a beat despite the flash of pain on his face. 

[Marian Hawke]

"Please," whispers Liz. "I don't want a world without you in it."

[Coquette Blacquin]

Cindy looks away, still slumped. "...I'll speak with Kyle. Once. At a neutral meeting place. And we'll see how it goes."

[Varric]

"I'll take it. Liz and I will head home and talk to Kyle. I'll use a Sending spell to tell you where and when?"