Varric knew that Ashley had been sick, and her father had left Helen to deal with it alone. That was about the extent of his knowledge, and he'd never pushed for more than that.
"I think I can agree to that. I think I convinced her into being open minded about some of my out there novels." Which spanned the gamut from lesbian pirates to steampunk adventures to detective novels. He grinned ruefully, and held out his hand, as if to seal the deal, "When it comes to friends, they and their well being are always my priority, even if they don't always like what I have to say. And I'm always open for questions."