Blood from Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah," says Carver, quietly. "The Guard will retrieve the body -- they were poised to storm the place when we left, mop up any other messes. They'll send it to me as next of kin." He takes a deep breath, shuddering. I'm going to have to tell Mother, to arrange the funeral. Should we try to have him brought back? It would probably fail but then again, I underestimated him before. And there's regeneration for Silence and Don to think of. So much to juggle -- is this what Dad usually feels like? Where the fuck is Dad, anyway? He should be here, handling this. It shouldn't all fall to me. Gods damn him for leaving me in the lurch like this.

"Have you heard from Dad today? Either of you?"

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill growls softly. "Dad is being-" She cuts off, not wanting to say 'Drunk Carver' to, well, Carver. "He was acting really, really weird yesterday? Or was that earlier today? No, yesterday. Like... Well, like he didn't... care. He was... He treated Helene and me like he treats people at work. Smooth words but not... real words." She shudders a little. "Kevin suggested he might have evil mind bugs and Helene and I think he might be right. Glim agrees he was acting weird."

[Bethany]

Evil mind- "What bugs?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Kevin- that's my new minion, I rescued or maybe kidnapped him from his evil keepers when they tried to abduct Tuiste yesterday at the Light offices," Merrill explains in typical Merrill fashion. "Anyway, he suggested Varric might be infested, like his old keepers were. With evil mind bugs. They give you magic and stuff evidently, but make you even crueler and uncaring and stuff."

[Carver Amell]

"Dad's been dropping the ball lately," growls Carver. "He had word that Leandra was ill but he ignored it, Summerhill was trying to reach me while I was gone. I thought I could leave things in his hands but I couldn't. What the fuck is an evil mind bug? Wait, what the fuck, someone tried to abduct Helene?! Are we sure Dad's not possessed?"

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill nods a little. "We went to Dad's office 'cause Tuiste wanted to figure out why that dwarf guy from Orzammar said we Dad was moving us all there soon. They found-"

[Bethany]

"Ne found," Beth finds herself correcting Merrill automatically, as she is used to doing with 'they' prior to now. At the elf's blinking stare, she shrugs. "Ne told me just before this all started. Helene wants to go with celestial pronouns. Singular, gender neutral in the context of not being male, female or a blend. Ne went to the store with nir friends to buy nemself a new shirt."

[Tethras Clan]

"Oh. Okay. Ne found a bunch of letters. Something about them being pissy that Dad is successful and a Light and stuff without kissing their asses and doing whatever they want even though they used to be his family's patrons. The most recent letters were him responding to them threatening us. So..."

[Carver Amell]

"Dad's moving us to Orzimmar?!" snarls Carver, always keen to focus on the important part.

[Tethras Clan]

"Well, that's what the dwarf... ambassador? I dunno what his title or whatever is really. But he said so. But Dad's letters were all refusals so maybe he was lying about it? Maybe convince us to go, to help pressure Dad into agreeing?" Merrill shrugs a little. 

[Bethany]

"Okay, but what about Helene being abducted?"

[Carver Amell]

"You said you talked to him," snaps Carver, jabbing a finger toward Merrill as he pulls back from Beth. "What did he say about it? Yes or no?"

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill shifts back a little, looking upset. She hesitates, then faces Beth. She didn't yell. "Oh right. Yeah. I had to use the toilet on the way out and while I was doing that Kevin's evil keeper came by and did stuff. He tried to abduct Tuiste, I guess because he didn't accept that... nem? Nem was a person and stuff. Adult I mean. Kevin said he has bugs, so I guess that's kind of to be expected? Being evil and shitty." She flicks a glance at Carver. "And he didn't. He was talking to the guard and just blew us off, said we'd talk later. Which is really, really weird, hence our suspicion he's got evil mind bugs in him."

[Carver Amell]

"Damn him," mutters Carver. "What's he playing at? How did he end up possessed, of all things? Shouldn't he have had plans and, and precautions? He knew this was happening! It happened to Liz!"

[Bethany]

"It would have to be recent..." Beth says slowly. "The Lantern is protected against just about anything short of a deity. And honestly, kind of against them, given that it's consecrated to a few of the Heptad. But... He hasn't been to a meeting in over a week because of the party set-up."