The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Marian Hawke]

Marian turns to watch her go, blinking. Alright...?

[Bethany]

Beth returns in under a minute, big grin in place and two somethings clutched in a hand each. One is wrapped in a hankerchief, while the other is just a leather pouch. "Pouch first, it's good but more boring, I guess," she orders, thrusting them at Marian. When the merikos elf does so, she's met with a lovely gleam. "It's your quarter of our... inheritance, I guess. One for each of us and one to Varric 'cause he's been paying for all our things and such. Twenty coin of each color and another five ground in pearls and rubies. Evidently there's a ruby mine nearby so that's what's around for big gems."

[Marian Hawke]

Marian stares at the pouch, frozen, not breathing, for a long moment. When she looks up, her eyes are full of tears. "I-- I can just-- I can have this?"

[Bethany]

"I-" Beth's eyes widen with a hint of panic at her reaction. "Y-yes? I mean, it's yours really, you're our sister and... you should have had more than that for years so..."

[Marian Hawke]

"I---"

She swallows, paling as she glances down, still shocked. "I... If I had had this a year ago, I wouldn't have been raped," she whispers. "Gods. Gods. Thank you."

[Bethany]

Beth's breath rips out of her and her head swims. She blindly reaches for the air of her chair as she tries to steady herself. Rape. Rape. Marian was raped too. She was- she know how- "How can you- can you just say it without-" Her words are dry croaks, broken by swallows.

[Marian Hawke]

"You get used to it," she whispers, still staring at the pouch. A moment later, she looks up, startled, shaking herself out of it. "Beth? Are you alright?"

[Bethany]

Beth shakes her head, eyes squeezed closed. "I- everytime I- I just feel- I just can't get past-" The disgust and self-loathing in her voice is staggering, even stronger than the hate or fear.

[Marian Hawke]

"You have to," she says quietly. "You're stronger than that. You know you are. You can be stronger than he wants you to be. Don't let him break you down."

[Bethany]

Beth licks her lips, body trembling, as she stares at her sister. "Can- please don't hate me?" she begs in a whisper.

[Marian Hawke]

"What? Of course," she says, automatically. 

[Bethany]

"He- when he-" Bethany swallows convulsively. "I- he hit my head against the wall and I was- I couldn't think straight and I lost track of-" She grips the chair tighter, eyes pricking with tears. "He touched- for a few moments, it felt..."

[Marian Hawke]

Marian reddens, looking away. "It's an observed phenomena," she says, sounding a bit odd, her throat a bit closed. "It's common for rape victims to-- to exhibit physiological responses, inconsistent with their described emotional state. They are still able to say under Zone that they were raped, that they did not wish the contact, that... they did not... The body tries to protect itself, on its own."

[Bethany]

"I like... I like it when my partner is... rough," Beth chokes out. "Not- not like whips or anything, just- fingernails, teeth and- so it- I just got confused, I wouldn't- I hate him, I wouldn't ever- not with him, I just-"

[Marian Hawke]

"It's-- these things happen," she says, still not looking at Beth. "It's not your fault."