[Harlowe] Passage Within Variable Doesn't Work

Heyo,

I just joined a game dev team as a writer and have been getting used to Twine within the last few days by writing out quests from other games.

In a current "exercise" (with the Bait and Switch quest from Dragon Age 2) I tried this:

(if: $party is "Carver")[ FENRIS: You are skilled. [[I know that much.->Carver Defends Hawke]] ]
(else:)[ FENRIS: You are skilled. [[I know that much.->Fenris Apologises For Being An Arse]] ]

I have a

(set: $party to "Carver")

in the beginning but whenever I reach the above point in the conversation I won't get to either passage I've linked to. The story just ends there, too, which it's not supposed to.

Or this:

(if: $party is "Varric")[ HAWKE: I could stand to know a little more about this [[Danarius.->Fenris Tells About Danarius 2.0]] ]
(else:)[ HAWKE: I could stand to know a little more about this [[Danarius.->Fenris Tells About Danarius]] ]]

The "Fenris Tells About Danarius 2.0" is the same conversation, only with Varric chiming in with a comment. Both eventually lead back to the same passage since it's a loop dialogue option. But even if I choose to take Varric with me in the beginning--I do have a

(set: $party to "Varric")

--it goes to "Fenris Tells About Danarius" immediately, then back to the dialogue choices.

I don't know if it's just me or if it's that passage links don't work with variables or whatever. Gender variables changing pronouns work. Different conversations because the player chose a different class in the beginning work as well. I'm a bit clueless.

Thanks in advance for any answers.