OPEN ( ⚠ there ain't no motive for this crime )

[hairysituations]

WHO: Varric (hairysituations) and YOU.
WHEN: Anytime between 6/11-6/16.
WHERE: Pleasure District, The Mistress's Girdle.
WHAT: Varric's bartending at a semi-seedy bar, which means: general CR building, networking, drinking, gossiping, flirting, setting drinks on fire, bonding, witty banter, getting drunk, whatever your little heart desires.
RATING/WARNING: Language, will update for anything else.

i.

[ the bar's not too bad for a place called The Mistress's Girdle. smaller in size, with patrons who aren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to be out on a dark street with at night, wooden bar, table, and chairs that smell faintly of beer and wax. he'd taken up working there as soon as he found it; it was charming in a small, hole-in-the-wall kind of way.

he's standing behind the counter (yes, provided with a special thick mat to give him an extra few inches to reach the bar without a problem), keeping busy while its slow by drying glasses and arranging bottles.

slow enough that it's easy to make conversation, so he does, whoever happens to be sitting at his bar: ]

You want me to get something for you? [ he drops a glass down onto the bar, ] Or are you just in the mood to keep me company? Boring tonight.



ii.

[ it's getting well into the evening and Varric's been practicing setting drinks on fire. they're supposed to be his specialty, and hey, he can appreciate a little razzle dazzle as long as it doesn't burn his eyebrows off. so he's behind the bar alone, keeping his hands busy by mixing drinks and using his own little tricks to light the glasses on fire.

when he gets a particularly nice one (small long stemmed glass with a ring of purple fire lighting up around the rim, turning blue at the edge of the flame thanks to chemicals) he pushes the drink to someone sitting at the bar: you. ]

Have one on the house. You look like you could use a pick-me-up.

[ he pauses before adding ] You wouldn't think I need to say this, but you'd be surprised—blow the fire out before you drink it.




iii.

[ he's nearing the end of his shift, cleaning up some of the seating area, straightening chairs and wiping off tables that have gotten a little too grimy, even for this bar's tastes. there are a few people still sitting around and drinking (this place never closes, it seems) but they're mostly quiet.

he stops by a table, ]

Oh, is this— [ and he bends down, scooping up something into his hand to offer it to whoever happens to be sitting at the table next to where he found it ] ... yours?

[ there's hesitation in his voice because it's ... a pair of panties. black lace. classy, but still: ... what? Varric lifts an eyebrow. um???? ] Should I ask?




iv.

[ Varric's off his shift but just hanging around; no harm, not when he can use a drink himself, and there are people around for some fun. he's sitting more toward the back of the bar, reclining back in one of the wooden chairs, shuffling a deck of cards idly.

when someone catches his eye he grins and gestures for them to come over with two fingers, ]

Up for a game?

[ he holds the cards up, twisting his wrist, ] Been a while since I've gotten to play anything.



v.

[ WILDCARD. respond with a prompt of your own if your character would be getting into any wonky nonsense in his general vicinity of standing at the bar making drinks. or right outside. you wanna be passed out drunk and fall into the garbage cans? you do that, my friend. it's yours for the taking. Varric will also be cutting anyone who looks like they had waaaay too much to drink off. ]

Comments

[onerous]

[Yuri makes a small noise of protest, about to insist she's not sweet, really, she's just... being.. nice? Which is being sweet?? With that logic ti seems silly to protest, so she simply resigns herself to this. Which is fine, really, because what he's doing with the alcohol is fascinating.]

I didn't know it came in so many colors. [Alcohol in general, she means. She takes the glass and turns it, impressed, then tries a taste. At first she winces--alcohol burns and it surprises her-- but it's not bad. And it is sweet enough for her tastes] It's good-- you're really good at this.

[She drinks slowly though, debating on how much information to actually give as she looks back at the table that's been occupied by someone else, the date having left shortly after Yuri's departure.]

Her friend was missing. I thought it was going to turn out worse than what it did-- [That is, in her limited experience with finding 'lost people' most of them time they wound up dead. Finding someone alive is a novelty. She shakes her head and continues] But, actually, it was just a misunderstanding. He was avoiding her to surprise her and she thought he'd gone missing because he wasn't answering her and she couldn't find him.

But, I'd rather it be something like that than the alternative. I told her where he would meet her, so hopefully they work things out. [She pauses and tilts her head, thinking about it] I think he wants to confess to her, actually.

[hairysituations]

[ he chuckles, putting away the bottles. maybe he went a little crazy, but there wasn't any harm in showing off what he'd learned how to make, right? that's what happened when you spent hours buffing glasses and listening to the daily gossip. point is: it amused her. which... was the point. nailed it. ]

Yeah? Sucks for her date then. Assuming she likes this guy back.

[ he can see it now. the two embracing while her date watches from a distance, holding an umbrella in the rain. are the drops running down his cheeks rain... or tears? but he slowly turns, looking up at the sky, knowing one day he too will find the one his soul longs to be with. or someone with low standards. ]

I've got a soft spot for happy endings. Or... supposedly happy endings. It's less happy if he confesses and she says no, but. Eh. [ he shrugs his shoulders. ] That's just another one'a life's plot twists.

[ he grabs a beer for another guest that sits at the bar down at the other end, sliding it to the guy before looking back at Yuri ] You happy?

[onerous]

I think she does. I think-- I hope--it'll go well for them. Maybe she'll tell me if we see each other again. [She's curious too, okay? Sue her, she likes a romantic happy end. And the emotions she picked up during the hug the woman had given her had given her enough suspicion that everything was going to be a-okay.]

At least 'm reasonably sure it won't end up like something out of Romeo and Juliet. [Yuri pauses and realizes that that reference likely went right over him] You don't know that story, do you?

[You happy? is a surprising question too and she sits up a little straighter. This isn't the type of question that normally would require thought, but she honestly doesn't know how to answer for a moment, because--] ...Yes, actually, I think I am. Strange... [???? it's not supposed to be 'strange' yuri stop] I never really thought about it before, but I guess I am happy.

[hairysituations]

[ sadly, Shakespeare does not exist in Thedas. so he shakes his head at that but makes a mental note of the name; if it exists here, no harm looking into it. ]

I don't know if people usually spend that much time wondering if they're happy about something, but you looked a bit... [ he pauses, gesturing with his hands while he finds the right word ] ... wistful? [ he stacks a few glasses on top of each other, giving her another look. ]

Doing good deeds usually ends up pretty stressful for you, huh?

[ it's less of a question than an observation. 'the alternative' is much more depressing, he can imagine. ]

[onerous]

Am I that easy to read? [She looks a little surprised and a little amused, but not offended or anything. It's kind of interesting--usually people just think she's about ready to cry all the time or something. The tiny smile she gives is a little bitter and she taps her fingers against her glass.

What was it Hisoka had written in her journal?] Everyone has secrets, and sometimes it's the weight of those secrets that cause people to disappear. Like maybe they're trying to escape the burden of them. Sometimes they want someone to find them, and sometimes they don't. [She shrugs a little]

Hisoka-- my friend-- had powers like mine. She was using them to help people like I am now, but usually only missing objects. Going after people is always a risk. I only worked on a few missing person cases before I came here, without Hisoka's guidance. It didn't... It didn't end well. I wasn't fast enough. [She takes a bigger drink then, remembering Fuyuhi's blank stare as she dragged a knife across her own throat.]

But I did save people too. Hisoka saved me too, so I think I like being able to [She trails off not sure how to word it] Pay it forward? The downsides can be horrible, but I think the success stories can make it worth it.

[Yuri pauses and give she'd drink a mildly accusing look, wondering if she can blame it on her sudden chattiness. Or maybe they're just things she'd been wanting to say and needed the opportunity.] I'm sorry, I'm talking too much.

[hairysituations]

[ he listens quietly while she talks, cleaning a glass here and there: short rinse with soap and water, wiped down, and then placed to dry. he knows better than to interrupt someone with questions or comments when they're... venting. yeah, venting. it's almost like she's never really gotten the chance to let it all out like this before. maybe its the booze? if it helps her relax enough to get some stuff off her chest, then it's not that bad, right?

it's second nature to remember names (for later) and her expression when she speaks, noting anything that causes a tick or other particular body language. it's only when she accuses her drink of making her talk to much that he stops cleaning glasses and leans against the counter, crossing his arms in front of him. ]

No such thing. [ .... unless someone's saying something utterly stupid or asinine, but this is neither of those. ] Sounds like a lot of pressure, to me. Not sure I'd want that kind of power. No offense. [ too much responsibility, too much knowing you could do something, possible guilt knowing you could do something and then not doing it. ]

But you... well, you've got a hero's attitude. And heroes always run themselves thin.

[ he offers her a smile, ] Don't forget to take a break now and again.

[onerous]

No offense taken. [She looks amused an shakes her head.] I didn't want it either. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but... I've found a way to make it worth it.

I don't-- [She looks flustered then, shaking her head.] A hero? I'm not sure I'd go that far, but thank you. I'll keep it in mind. [The break thing, she means-- she has a feeling she'd be the type to run herself ragged if given the chance, even if she hasn't tested this theory out yet. She even offers a small smile in return!

Yuri's found it a bit easier to smile lately, which is nice, but a little strange for her. If only Hisoka could see her now... Ah, well.

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT HER. She feels like she's dominated this conversation a little too much--talked too much--despite him more or less saying it was fine] Can you tell me a little about where you're from, Varric? If you don't mind. I like hearing about the different places everyone's come from.

[hairysituations]

Not really all that much to tell. Lot of problems.

[ understatement. between darkspawn, the mage/templar war, and then the years following... he's probably making it sound better than it is. ]

Very different from things around here. We're not so... advanced. [ he shrugs his shoulders, pouring himself a glass of water. ] Miss it, though, all the same.

[ taking a second, he downs the water smoothly before placing the glass back on the counter ]

You've heard about a lot of different places?

[onerous]

I feel a lot of places are like that. [Full of problems, she means. He's got the whole mage/templar war thing, she's got a literal mountain of suicide ghosts...

She listens attentively, curious at both what he says (not advanced, she could've figured that much out herself) and what he doesn't. She assumes he just doesn't know how to describe it-- after all, it's always a little difficult to talk about where you're from when you don't have much to compare it to. It's 'just home,' after all.

Yuri tilts her head, humming in confirmation.] A few. Most people are from someplace similar to my world-- the same countries, mostly the same history and things, but the rules are different. The mountain I live on apparently doesn't exist in any other world, even the ones that have my country in them. Some places seem to have magic, or aliens, or crazy things like that.

A couple of my friends are from some place called Konoha that's more like some place from my country's history, but never actually existed. [it's probably hard to explain and she doesn't feel like going into the history of ninja or explaining what those are right this second.] I met someone from a place called Tevinter where I suppose magic is pretty common. [If the baffled looks Dorian had given her when questioning him about magic was any indication] It's interesting, hearing about everyone. I never considered where I live to be 'normal,' but compared to a lot of other things I hear...

[hairysituations]

[ so she met someone from Tevinter, eh? very interesting. he makes a mental checknote on that one but doesn't ask, instead focusing on the things he's not very familiar with. he doesn't recognize the other name, and it's... interesting. differences between places that are supposedly the same. history versus the present—or what you know of as being the present. it's a lot of good info that prepares him for what exactly might be going on here; and what he might have to deal with, at some point or another.

once she finishes speaking he just ends up looking resigned, sighing and shaking his head, though he's not without a small smirk. ]

Sounds crazy. If things weren't crazy as they are, I might not believe it. The improbable has already happened, right?

[ he pours himself a glass of beer; not his favorite drink but good enough. he needs one right now. which is why he throws back a swig despite being on the job. no one's gonna care. ]

Might as well just go all out at this point. [ bring on even more craziness, if this is how things're gonna go. ] At least it's not boring.