The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Varric]

What is ne... circle? No... loops... and.. oh. Astea. Why would... Varric struggles to think, struggles to focus past the panic fogging his mind. He's dwarven and far more conditioned than Helene, and less injured besides, but his panic is a bigger threat to his mental abilities than the poor air is. Astea... Ne wants... wants a story about- He tenses suddenly as he registers nir hand going fully limp, hears the soft sigh of resigned relief. "Helene? Helene, answer me!" He swallows, trying to speak past the horror gripping him. Alone. Trapped alone. Alone. Can't move. Trapped. Alone. Helene is- 

"Helene!" he half shouts, uncaring of the danger. What did ne mean- we're trapped- why that kind of story, why- why now, what does ne want- that symbol- a story about Her love aspect? Why would- "Helene, damnit, answer me! Don't leave me alone," he pleads in a strangled sob that echoes around the small pockets. Not paying any attention to the soft groan of stone around them, he demands, "Helene, please!" A rumble of rock can be heard from Helene's side of the gap, as stone shifts and slides. 

"Please. I don't want to be alone anymore."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene jolts awake as fresh pain wakens nem, the stone pinning nir arm shifting a bit. Ne grabs for Varric's ankle, channeling healing desperately into him, sending as much love and comfort as ne can through the link. The effort leaves nir head swimming worse; the rock before nem spins and dances until ne shuts nir eyes. Please, please, please, ne prays, fear drowning out the pain.

[Varric]

"Helene," Varric gasps out, relief making him almost as dizzy as the panic had. "You're still- you're still. I- you- story. I need to tell you a story. About- about- you wanted a story about... love. About... About falling in love. About... respect and... admiration and... shared interests that- that grow. That... deepen. About companionship and- and- not being... not being alone. About trust and- and- caring. Love. Stories about love." As Varric talks, almost babbles, Helene can feel a gentle stirring on the skin of her ankles where nir robes are pulled up a little. Air?

[Helene Dakesh]

Love, ne thinks, and air, and the one is as vital and unexpected and invigorating as the other. Ne traces the lemniscate in the heart again, then pulls back, releasing his ankle in a deliberate motion. 

Six seconds later, an earth elemental peeks into Varric's chamber, then pulls back; Helene gestures, and it heads toward the air, seeking the rock, trying to determine the new configuration after the rubble shifted.

[Varric]

"An earth- that's yours, right?" At the squeeze, Varric frowns, then sucks in a sharp breath. Something must have changed. Did ne- "Do you- people? Rescue?" he pleads.

[Helene Dakesh]

Two crossed lines drawn sharply along his ankle -- one of the simple runes for 'no' or 'woe' in bones made more crudely than the set Helene treasures. 

The elemental returns, giving a verbal report in Terran, his voice gentle to avoid causing a disturbance: "The dwarf is uninjured. The rock configuration is unstable, but unlikely to cause further injury if no sudden motions are taken. Vibrations indicate the presence of humanoids two hundred yards hence. Shall I fetch them?"

Helene tenses, tightening nir grip on Varric's ankle, and nods, vigorously, not caring if that's a sudden motion. Freedom.

[Varric]

Varric makes a soft whining noise that cuts off as soon as he realizes he's making it. "Yes," he whispers hoarsely. "Yes please."

[Helene Dakesh]

"Very well," he replies, and vanishes once more.

Helene grips Varric's ankle in a shaking hand, letting out a small, choked sob. We're going to be freed. We're going to live.

[NPCs]

It's a badger that gets to them first, one old and slightly scarred but brawny despite the silver fur. He slips in through the newly made opening, grunting softly as he inspects the cavern, eventually waddling past Helene to peer into Varric's pocket. A moment later, a ten-foot span of the wall and ceiling abruptly turns into mud and oozes out of the way to reveal a corridor. The pair are washed in the mud, unfortunately, but only a couple of inches of it. In the hall, a small, wizened figure gives a satisfied grunt from her perch on the back of the armoured figure carrying her. Two more figures are in the tunnel as well, though they're staying back a bit.

[Varric]

As soon as the area to his right is absent, Varric is up and over to Helene, completely ignoring the rescuers. "Helene," he says urgently, then hisses in shock and shared pain at the sight of the stone spike in nir arm.

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene winces, glancing at the arm -- it's a mottled purple all over now, the bone having attempted to heal around the spike as best it can. Ne glances away; the arm is useless, ne knows, and will have to be repaired. More expense. 

Eyes falling on Varric, Helene gives a tired smile, shoulders sagging in relief. Safe. Ne wiggles nir fingers toward him, then glances away, realizing how ne must look: the dried stains on nir robes-and-leggings, the matted blood in nir hair from the times ne bashed nir head too hard against the rock and had to heal the wounds, the mangled arm. Nir summoning supplies are carefully laid out in arms reach beside nem, and nir sketchbook is laid on nir chest, where ne can trace the cover of it lovingly every morning to pray. It's very clear this wasn't a recent injury -- and yet, ne said nothing, for days on end. 

[Varric]

Varric sinks to his knees next to Helene, eyes dull with exhaustion and sorrow. "Oh Helene," he murmurs, reaching down to take nir good hand. "You brave, stubborn being." He ignores the approaching rescuers for the most party, all of his limited focus on Helene.

[NPCs]

Roland squats near the pair. "Hey. Come on, let's get that... out and get you two upground, yeah? Time to come home."

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene grips Varric's hand tightly. Safe, ne tries to project at him, the feeling of relief that Varric is safe, that their troubles are over. But ne can't connect to words, can't phrase it to speak aloud, so all ne can do is grip his hand. Time to go home.

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene doesn't speak a word on their trip to the surface. Neither does ne allow Varric to stray far from their sight; ne sketches as best ne can with only one working arm, but there are no words jotted around the margins, no diary entries. Ne stays near Varric, and ne draws.

The shifting tunnels ensure their route up is different than their route down had been; it is only a day and a half to the surface, where they learn that for the three days Roland and Lightsong were gone, Marian hasn't woken. Beth, Carver, and Shiori have taken turns sitting with her, hoping she wakes, but while she breathes and occasionally shifts a bit, she doesn't wake.

Helene pays in gold to have nir arm restored -- a simple enough matter, though a large, bruise-like discoloration remains where the bone was broken, a scar to remind nem of nir traumatic experience. Then they gather, Lightsong telling her story, Varric telling his, and Carver filling in the fact that his procedure has gone well, he is intact and satisfied.


They eat a real meal. They sleep. And the next day, Helene interrupts Varric's brewing session, barging out to the patio and reaching for his hand. Ne was meant to be sitting with Marian; judging by the urgency on nir face, the fact that ne tugs him toward the door, Marian's condition must have changed.