Ilska spins to her feet, reaching for the dagger she's still armed with.

Raeli laughs. "Hello, Merrill."

Merrill bounces into the room, immediately wrapping an arm around Rae. "Hello Rae! And Defiance, of course." 

She doesn't even notice Ilska's dagger.

She turns a bright grin behind her at Karl. "Anders went past looking like a stormcloud, so I thought I'd come see if everything was all right?"

"He didn't go anywhere, did he?"

"No. He's just in the courtyard. Why?" 

She drops her voice to a stage whisper. "Did Justice do something again?"

"I rather think this might've been my fault, but regardless."

"It's just so sad. If they stopped trying to change each other, they might actually find balance. I worry, sometimes, that Anders destroyed the person he meant to save." 

Karl winces.

Raeli sighs. "Spirits living in people is...not an easy thing."

"No. But balance is possible-" Merrill catches sight of Blaise, and her eyes light up. 

She leaps up from Rae and bounces over to him. "Hi! I don't think I've met you before. I'm Merrill, and you are- by the Dread Wolf, but there's some power coming off you!"

Blaise twitches away from her, startled by her exuberance, and looks to Karl for help.

"It's all right, Blaise. Merrill's loud, but she's gentle," he coaxes. 

To Merrill: "Blaise isn't really human. He's a spirit who has made himself a body. It's magic I've never encountered before."

"That's the kind of magic from before the fall of Arlathan!" Merrill's eyes are huge, and she stares at Blaise with amazement. "You are very special to have pulled yourself from the Fade intact!"

"I- That is-" He shrugs. "I'm not sure I did?"

"Oooh, maybe I could ask my friend, he would know!"

"We're actually going to walk the Fade. Find where Blaise used to be."

Merrill claps her hands excitedly. "There's a Dalish rite for that! Doesn't need lyrium, or blood, or anything! Just something strong to tie him to both this world and the Fade!"

-He perks up a little bit at that - any new magic is interesting.

"That sounds a lot safer than anything we were going to try. Any chance you have it written down somewhere?" Karl has perked up too, he has always been a scholarly sort of mage.

Merrill's smile dims somewhat. "Oh, um. My, er- the Keeper. She'd probably have it. She wouldn't give it to a shem though. Though she might for Hawke!"

"I doubt she'd give it to me either. All things considered."

"More likely you than me," Merrill said, looking a little lost for a moment, and scratching an old scar on her hand. 

"But!" She said a second later, bubbly charm coming right back. "You wanted to know about Dalish magic? I learned from Keeper Marethari, and she's considered one the best we have! The actual best was Zathrian, but either he died or disappeared or something."

"We better head back to it, Blaise. Unless you wanna hang around, listen to the Dalish magic lecture?"

He thinks for a moment, and then shifts closer to Karl - an answer, even if it isn't a verbal one.