The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Marian Hawke]

Helene rushes to Marian's side, picking up the dropped pencil. She snaps her fingers to get Marian's attention, then examines the girls' pupils when she looks at her. 

"mmokay," mumbles Marian, wincing at the noise. "I-- I can't see-- or I can see-- I-- I think I'm---" 

She swallows hard. "I think I'm hallucinating?"

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene stills, pulling back just a touch. Hallucinations. Ne swallows, then again. Healer. Get a healer. Ne struggles to force nemself to move, to get help, not to picture Renaud's face.

[Bethany]

"It's okay- well, not- that's a warning sign for a migraine flare-up," Beth says quickly, having interrogated a few healers yesterday afternoon rather ruthlessly about her sister's new condition. "We just need to get you into a dark, quiet room. Willow tea and a cold compress and maybe a nice soft bed."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"We should step testing," Haliel says in a rush, rising to her feet. 

[Marian Hawke]

"No," says Marian, frowning. "No, go on without me. I'll-- I'll just pick up with it tomorrow."

She rises, slowly, unsure of herself, and reaches for Beth's arm. "Help me get settled?" she begs, not trusting her vision to warn her of uneven ground. 

[Haliel Lightsong]

"I'll take you," Haliel offers, making a face. "I... I think I've gotten maybe half a question right, so- no sense in making Seeker Helene waste any of nir time grading my test really." She briskly closes her test book and heads over to Marian.

[Marian Hawke]

"That's good," says Marian, taking Lightsong's hand. "We have't gotten to religion yet, I bet you'll do well there."

[Haliel Lightsong]

After seeing the other questions... I'm not so sure. I suppose it's a good thing that it was SHE-THAT-IS-ASTEA that I made that bargain with, not SHE-THAT-IS-ALYDRA. Still, she musters a smile for Marian. "Perhaps so," she agrees. "Miss Bethan-"

[Bethany]

"If you still can't manage Beth, then at least Miss Beth?" the young woman cuts in.

[Haliel Lightsong]

"You don't mind me calling you by just your first name?" Lightsong asks, started but pleased looking.

[Bethany]

"...no? You're sorta dating my big sister, teaching my brother sword fighting and generally pretty neat," Beth says with amusement. "Why would I?"

[Haliel Lightsong]

"I- okay then," Haliel replies, smile turning more natural. "Could you get some tea and such sent to Marian's room?" Beth nods, tosses off a salute and jogs off.

[Marian Hawke]

Marian leans on Haliel's arm, blinking. "I can't, um... see very well," she admits. "So you'll have to lead. I hope I'm recovered by tomorrow -- I really want to finish that problem."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"Simple enough to solve," Haliel says with a touch of mischief in her voice. "Trust me?" With Marian's nod, the paladin simply sweeps Marian into a bridal carry. 

[Marian Hawke]

She lets out a startled "eep!" but judging by the giggles that follow, it's not a bad eep. Not at all.


The next day, Marian sets to work back on the Arcana section again -- and almost immediately begins to develop an aura. This time she doesn't tell anyone, pushing through as well as she can before the pain sets in and she has to be carried back to the sickroom.

The day after, she's given the non-arcane sections to do: religion, geography, and the like. She pushes through, going onto the history of magic section without problems. The day after she takes the general magic knowledge section, without so much as a symptom. She goes into specialist knowledge section, filling out as much as she can recall about the Schools and Circles, without so much as a twinge. Hesitantly, Helene passes her the mid-level practical section, and her head blossoms into pain and aura simultaneously within ten minutes.

She tries to keep going, stifling her whimpers, refusing to let the pain show. Surely she can think through it, right? Her jaw aches from clenching too hard, but she achieves a state of intense focus. It's just her now, the others having finished or given up already thanks to her frequent interruptions. As she scratches down part of her answer, she reaches up absently to wipe the trickle of blood from her left nostril. 

(Helene tugs on Varric's sleeve anxiously, pointing at Marian.)