Blood from Stone [AU]

[GamesMaster]

"The... office?" he whimpers, swallowing hard. 

[NPCs]

Leaning back, the human slaps Don across the face sharply. Then, evidently liking that, he repeats it, twice. "Your rank, your home, your fortune, Beth. You don't deserve any of it, you stupid, brutish animal!"

[GamesMaster]

Beth. He lets out a low whine. "You can have the money, the rank," he whimpers. "I never earned it. But not Beth. Never Beth."

[NPCs]

Pandias snarls again, then stands up. He takes a slow breath, then smooths his tunic down. "That is... regrettable. For you. Peter, heat the iron back up, it seems that..." He pauses, then a cruel smile slowly forms. "Actually... Petter, Dawlins. Flip him over. He doesn't need to give her up. We can just make him useless to her."

To the side, Don can just catch hints of movement as to burly thugs move towards him.

[GamesMaster]

"Useless?" he whimpers, as hands grab at him, turning him. Already useless. Weak. Bestial. Cowardly.

[NPCs]

Coming back into view with a knife, Pandias grins, eyes seeming to glow with some kind of dark flame. "Useless," he agrees, suddenly calm again. He watches with an almost curious expression as the two men retie Don in place, then steps forward to start cutting the catfolk's trousers off.

[GamesMaster]

There's a good sized tear before he understands what's happening, before he struggles. "No, no!" he whimpers. "Please, you can have my money, my titles, everything, please!"

[NPCs]

"I gave you a chance, thief. Too late now. Now you have to pay a little pain." He glances at one of the men. "Gag him again. The screaming gets very tedious." With a mumbled acknowledgement, the man grabs the bridle and starts to fit it in place again. "You should have stayed in your place. Beth should have been mine. I deserved her. Daughter of a Light? She was meant to be mine, not some filthy beast's."

[GamesMaster]

Don fights like a wildcat, biting down as soon as there's flesh anywhere near him, but he only has so much energy to fight with; soon enough he's overpowered, the gloved hands forcing the bit into his mouth, nearly gagging him. 

[NPCs]

Once the trousers and pants are off, however, there's a slight snag. "...the fuck?" Pandias mutters, starting at the first catfolk prick he's ever seen.

[GamesMaster]

Don whimpers, twisting as if to hide himself. Please, you can have Beth, take her, please, just don't do this, don't hurt me again!

[NPCs]

"...is he deformed or sumthin?" the guy on Don's left asks in a very rural accent.

Pandias scoffs a little. "Gods. How did you get her to... Some kind of beast trick. Maybe that alchemist pet of Huntinghawk's. A little something in her drink maybe?" He spits on Don. "Beast. Filthy, perverted monster, that's what you are." Shaking his head, he moves in and kneels. "I was going to... make a clean sweep of things, so to speak. But whatever the fuck that is... you can keep it. I'll just... settle you down a bit. Neutering your pets is supposed to calm them, you know?" Around them, a chorus of laughter rings out, the sound ugly and inhumane. The edge of the knife, magically chilled and keen, presses lightly against Don's inner thigh.

"Brace yourself, Kittycat. Or should that be Pussycat?"

[GamesMaster]

Now, as the knife slides in, Don finally vomits.

[Helene Dakesh]

It's been hours, huddled in Varric's office; hours in which Varric fails to appear, hours in which Helene says not a word, doesn't make eye contact, doesn't even attempt to communicate with hand signs or writing. Hours in which Merrill's tuiste sits, and rocks, and occasionally moans. But nothing else. 

Finally, a change in behavior; Helene reaches for their sketchpad, still rocking, and flips it open, landing on a sketch of a bowl of fruit. They push it slightly toward Merrill, still rocking, not looking up.

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill doesn't notice for a few seconds, curled up around Glimmerwing as she is. Sitting next to her on the floor, her new... friend? Ward? Hostage? Kevin has fallen asleep clutching a book about flowers that Varric had happened to have in his office. When she sees the sketch, Merrill pulls it closer and studies it for a moment. She starts to say something, pauses, then pulls out a coal pencil to write 'hungry?' under the image before pushing it back to Helene.