The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Zevran]

"It is hard to face such things," Zevran agrees, not looking at the departing pair. "Dangerous even, to think of them in the moment. Learning to... deflect such thoughts is a survival trait, and a good one. But eventually you have to deal with the attacker, not just deflect. ma'bela has been a wonder for me. I know she hates to hear of my pain, of my stolen years. But she does listen and she holds me as I cry. And it is helping."

[Marian Hawke]

She wants to argue, wants to deny it's useful, but she closes her eyes briefly and sees a dark pair, full of hatred and  accusations, and opens them again, drained. "Alright," she whispers. "I'll... I'll talk. maybe... Maybe it will help."

[Isabela]

Isabela, taking her cue, plants a kiss on Zev's cheek, then goes for the door. As she passes behind Varric, she gently traces a finger along his shoulder, figuring that to be less obtrusive than speaking or beckoning. 

[Varric]

Varric follows after Isabela silently out into the hallway. "...mind a third?" he asks, looking towards his room, where Helene is.

[Isabela]

"Sounds great," she says, biting back the comment about finally having a chance to win second.

[Haliel Lightsong]

Haliel, finished cleaning up the splatter, retakes her sit next to Marian. "Start however you want. And I'm open to cuddles, hand-holding or anything of the sort whenever you need it."

[Marian Hawke]

Marian takes a deep breath, then another. "We did... lots of things together, but... the thing that... the thing that bothered me, the thing that got me looking for escape routes -- if you can handle that, the rest of it doesn't matter. So-- so maybe-- maybe I should start there?" she asks, looking up at Haliel. "It's... a lot. I was there and I enjoyed myself and I still find myself... doubting. Wondering if I made the right decision. Regretting some of it."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"I can't promise not to be hurt or disappointed," Haliel admits slowly, never looking away. "But I won't abandon you. I won't stop trying to help." She musters up a weak smile. "It will probably just push me to try and help more. Umm. Also, fair warning and I get that this might be pushy or intrusive or something but I don't care- no more Dark gods. Aldyra is fine, I won't push for Astea if you ask me to stop, but no more Dark gods. I will hound you about that now. I just- I just can't watch you... flirt with that risk anymore. I'm sorry."

[Marian Hawke]

"Agreed," she croaks, her voice a rasp of stone on steel. "No more Darkness."

She takes another deep breath. "I...Tanna took me to a... a party. A secret party. A s-sex party. She told me not to speak until spoken too, not to ask questions. She told me the rules -- I was to call her My Lady, and she would call me Little Bird. No names, everyone in masks. We don't shame anyone for their, their sex. We observe and we partake but we do not try to find out who anyone is, or try to approach them outside the party later. She said I didn't h-have to try things if I was sc-scared but... my Path is... if I'm afraid, then that's the way my Path is leading me. S-so I c-can't s-say no. But she said she'd b-be there and I could h-handle anything I see there, so I-- I thought I was ready. We'd been doing perversions for over a week, I-- I thought-- how much more could there be?"

[Zevran]

"There is always more," Zevran says darkly, taking a seat on the ground in front of Marian and Lightsong. Crossing his legs, he nods at her. "There is also something else to... explore. Another boundary to cross, another line to blur. More pain, more pleasure, more comfort, more joy, more harm. I have... been to such parties. Some are good. Some are an evil to make a sceleratis pause." He winces. "Apologies, that was... a poorly chosen expression to use."

[Haliel Lightsong]

"Some are good?" Haliel asks curiously.

[Zevran]

Zevran nods. "Yes, of course. Most sex acts, most kinks, can be good or bad, just like most anything else. The biggest key, the greatest deciding factor that I know of, is consent. All parties must not only understand exactly what they are going to be doing, but wish to do so for their own pleasure and purpose, not because they are forced, tricked or controlled into doing so. Marian was both tricked and controlled, if not outright forced."

[Marian Hawke]

"She didn't. Flinch, I mean. Tanna loved it. She kept leaving my side to participate in... in..."

Marian takes a deep breath, lets it out. "I... I had her wear Lightsong's face," she whispers. "I thought, since I'd never get to.. maybe it'd be nice to have Tanna wear her face while we-- I didn't think about how often I'd see her across the room, doing all sorts of perverse things."

[Haliel Lightsong]

Haliel flinches then, looking uneasy. "She- a sceleratis was-" She swallows, taking a breath. "Go on," she adds after a moment. My face? Why would you... I offered again and again to... why couldn't I be enough? 

[Marian Hawke]

"At first it was fine. We did things I've done before -- pain play, bondage, blood play. Multiple partners -- I'd done a threesome but she'd brought in more. Piss, drinking it. Spankings. The usual sort of thing. But it... this was a party with, with shapeshifters, and actors, she said. A place where people could indulge their darkest desires without hurting anyone or getting arrested. So... so... it went on from there."