The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Marian Hawke]

"Thank you," she says, quietly. "I appreciate it."

[Varric]

"No problem. Noticed anything else?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Just this damn uncontrollable tail."

[Varric]

"Any patterns so far? Aside from the obvious," he adds smoothly.

[Marian Hawke]

"Oh, it's pretty obvious. It-- get away from the baby!" she snaps, spying the tail. 

[Varric]

Varric tenses, then relaxes when he sees the tail is just bobbing around over Marian's shoulder like a, "mobile fool. You know, the things that hang above baby's cribs?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Yes, well, given what it tends to do, I don't want it near bitty baby."

[Varric]

"Entirely valid," Varric agrees instantly. "Even though he seems to like it." This is added when Ricky begins to complain about the dangling appendage being forced out of sight.

[Marian Hawke]

"...is that why he wanted me?" she wonders as she bounces the baby, her voice a bit small, uncertain.

[Varric]

"Maybe part," Varric answers honestly. "But he perks up when he hears you speak too. And he loves your hair, clearly."

[Marian Hawke]

"Did my voice change? When I...? My speaking voice, I mean -- I know I sing better now. Is it different? Maybe he likes-- maybe I remind him of infernal things."

[Varric]

"Plausible but unlikely I would wager," Varric decides after a little thought. "And yes, your speaking voice has just a hint of chime and polish to it that you didn't have before. Nothing you couldn't have gained with a few months of speech training but rather effective."

[Marian Hawke]

Marian moves to hand Ricky back to Varric. "I don't want to be liked because of this... this body I'm trapped in. I want... I thought... I thought he liked me for me."

[Varric]

"...Marian, he's a baby. His only rating system for people includes gems like 'smells nice' and 'has the bottle.' You pay attention to him, constantly, you have a pretty and kind voice with a face to match and you let him chew on your hair." Varric gives her a patiently fond look. "You care about him. He can tell. That's all."

[Marian Hawke]

"..every baby should be wanted, loved. I wasn't. I was a mistake that almost cost my mother everything. So I don't want... I don't want bitty baby to ever feel like he was a mistake, too. He  might not have a mother or a father, but he's got us, and we love him."