The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Varric]

"Don't fall into the trap of thinking all that's ill in the world traces back to sceletratis," Varric cautions her. "I know you know better but trauma can sneak its way past reason sometimes."

[Marian Hawke]

"What happened to me was my own fault, and I was an elf then," she agrees. "What happened to Bianca was Bartrand's fault. The sceleratis just are what they are, it's mortals that act for good or evil."

[Varric]

"Hey, that's not what I said," Varric counters, eyes narrowing. "In that case, there was a sceleratis involved. You made choices, but don't let guilt and shame make you forget you were being manipulated by a compulsion casting predator with millennia of experience and a base nature that makes it excel at the task."

[Marian Hawke]

"I wasn't exactly difficult prey, Varric," she points out. "I know that."

[Varric]

"You were left vulnerable." Not a denial, but not agreement either.

[Marian Hawke]

"I was an arrogant little shit. I still am sometimes."

[Varric]

"What's wrong with arrogance?" Varric asks, eyes wide.

[Marian Hawke]

"Got me in over my head. I thought I could handle it and I was woefully naive."

[Varric]

His attempt at teasing fades away. "Yeah. Trust too."

[Marian Hawke]

"Trust?"

[Varric]

"Sorry, half a thought I guess. Arrogance and misplaced trust both. The lilin used magic to get your trust and you didn't have any with us to balance it out any," Varric explains somberly.

[Marian Hawke]

"I'm... not sure she did," says Marian slowly. "She just... appreciated me. Flattered me. Made me feel smart and special."

[Varric]

"Not much for flattery but... We didn't do that, the rest of it?"

[Marian Hawke]

"You.. you used to. Back in Raplin's Oak. But... we got to Orzammar and it seemed like it was back to normal, I couldn't seem to do anything right anymore. I figured you'd been faking, pretending, just to make me like you, but now you were too busy to keep it up."

[Varric]

Varric winces a little. "Hyper focused. I thought you were fine, so I turned my attention to Bianca," Varric says softly. "Not very good at... Friends. Family."