#I know I can technically cheat it and make her kidnap Halsin BEFORE his romance triggers but I don't know if I wanna go through all that

[hootshooch]

at first I thought it was really weird that Yenna was just... conveniently waiting on the path to Wyrm's Crossing in a place where you are physically unable to avoid her with a sob sorry ready for the first strangers she meets (which doesn't entirely make sense on it's own either - what do you mean Yenna's mother just left her home alone to go see a doctor for a terminal illness? there wasn't ANYONE who could watch her? her mother couldn't bring her to the appointment?)

even IF you're super mean to her and tell her to go away, she somehow finds your camp on her own regardless and decides to stay unless you kick her out. how did she find your camp? why would you LET Yenna stay in camp when Withers just made Arabella leave because traveling with the party was too dangerous for her? you expect me to believe this little girl and her cat are safer in our camp when we were literally just ambushed by gith last night?? the FIRST night we enter the city?

And then she eventually just disappears from camp even IF you defeat Orin and save her?? I guess you could reason that she was traumatized and didn't want to stay anymore, but where the hell is she going to go? Why do we NEVER see her again?

I understand why her presence is necessary from a mechanical point of view (re: needing a fail-safe in case none of the kidnappable party members are available), but I think Yenna's narrative role would make a lot more sense and be WAY more interesting if she was always a doppelganger (and Orin herself at different points)

It would explain why Orin is able to kidnap characters like Lae'zel and Minthara when they are so on-guard all the time, or Halsin when he's so damn big and strong (which I think he even questions himself at some point?) - their guards were down around a "child", Orin and/or another doppelganger had been closely watching them for days learning about their personalities and weaknesses, and she could easily knock them out discretely by poisoning her soup or something

in the case that Yenna HERSELF is "kidnapped", it just serves as a clever way to play your empathy by putting this "little girl" in danger so Orin can easily lure you to the Temple of Bhaal (especially if you're playing as a good-aligned Dark Urge), while also having an easy way to spy on the party before you enter the Lower City. and then, in the case you DO save her, Yenna conveniently "disappears" from camp after Orin is dead (doppelganger trying to save their own skin after their purpose has been fulfilled, maybe?).

I don't think this is what the writers intended but in MY mind that little girl is a doppelganger