The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Marian Hawke]

"So I can get hurt again?" she asks, immediately, then winces. "Sorry. I-- I guess..."

[NPCs]

"Yeah, that's going to happen," Roland agrees. "Get two moving bodies next to each other and there's going to be a bump or two."

[Marian Hawke]

"It just doesn't seem like other people have anything to offer me but pain. When I reach out, I'm slapped back into my place, every time. Sometimes I have hope, for a little while, but then..."

[NPCs]

Every time? With this entire group of rather different types, including the Pal-Pal and Seeker? Hmm... "What do you consider as being slapped back?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Beth makes it clear if I disagree, she'll scream at me. Seeker lectures me, explains how I'm stupid and know nothing. Varric gets angry. Haliel looks at me with disappointment and pity like... like there's this ideal me in her head and I'm not being it."

[NPCs]

"Those do sound pretty rough," Roland admits. "What about you?"

[Marian Hawke]

She blinks. "Me?"

[NPCs]

"How do you slap back?" he clarifies.

[Marian Hawke]

"I-- well I'm rarely looking to put someone in their place, but... I guess I lash out with words."

[NPCs]

"Lectures like Seeker or cuts like Beth? Or something else entirely?"

[Marian Hawke]

"If I want someone to back off, I tend to snap at them. But I do better biding my time to get revenge. I'm never the one in a higher position anyway. If it's just a fight, I get shouty."

[NPCs]

"Good- not many people are self-aware enough to know how they get nasty," Roland says with a faint smile. "It's good to know really, so you can realize what you're doing and stop it if you want to. Anyway. You see to know how they slap you back... can you think of a way to stop it? To redirect or at least make them realize what they're doing, so they can stop themselves?"

[Marian Hawke]

She blinks. "Why would they stop? They want me to be less... myself, they're not going to stop wanting that just because I asked them to."

[NPCs]

"Really? You tried?"

[Marian Hawke]

"It makes no sense. People don't just... change because you want them to."