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

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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He had just gotten off work and decided to sooth his throat with something wet to drink. Talking to people who had too much spare time and not enough real dates always made his throat scratchy and while tea was plentiful enough at his apartment, sometimes he just liked to see what the humans were doing.

That and it was also a way to spot anything really interesting to do on his off days.

Jinga looked at the flames on the glass and then glanced at the bartender. His mouth curving into an amused grin, he rubbed the tips of his fingers along the rim of the glass, smearing flames and chemicals alike on his skin, and watched for a moment at the flames flickered before blowing them out.]

Duly noted.

There you go. Now we don't need to worry about lawsuits.

[ because he's bolting if he's gotta be involved with the law in any way. gone. but he winks, wearing a little grin of his own. It's, after all, a joke until that shit actually happens.

that's probably enough setting drinks on fire for now, so he starts wiping down the counter where he'd been working. ]

Much as I'd love for something exciting to happen.

I usually don't bother with lawsuits; they are not satisfying in the least and what would I need money for?

[Considering that his food costs a lot ~~demon souls are not cheap~~ he had no other needs. The trappings of wealth are fun, but he was perfectly comfortable with just an overly large couch and one lamp.]

Excitement around here tends towards the annoying like that ViViD game glitching or ghosts showing up to possess people and really not worth the effort.

[ 'what would I need money for' is something Varric's rarely heard before. not never, but rarely. his thoughts mostly align with: so he's a rich guy, or just doesn't care. either way, anyone who wasn't interested in calling the authorities on him for something stupid sounded fine to him. ]

Good man. Keep on that.

[ he rubs a glass dry with a rag, offering a shrug of the shoulders. ]

Not exactly what I'd consider excitement. The kind I'd like, anyway.. [ excitement in its purest meaning, sure. but he'll pass on the game glitching and ghosts showing up to possess people. he's really not about that life. ]

At least it makes a good story.

[He could make a comment about the man part, but Jinga wasn't going to bother with it. Instead he tasted the drink, arching an eyebrow at the taste. Well, he couldn't say that it was bad, but it wasn't something he would order on his own.]

Everyone has their own idea of excitement. Now, I like a good battle with a worthy foe, or, barring that, a dinner date with my wife, but circumstances have made that last option moot.

[While fighting Ryuuga was fun, he missed just hanging out with his wife, hunting down strong Horrors and eat them. As it was, he just had a little glowing blue butterfly to keep him company.]

What is your idea of excitement?

The 'good battle with a worthy foe' thing sounds alright. [ he can't exactly agree on the second one seeing as he's single and will be forever single, but hey, dinner with a lovely lady; sure sounds like a good time to him. ]

Something interesting. See, I'd rather watch someone fight a worthy foe and then write about it later. Travel, drama, comedy, romance.

[ he shrugs his shoulders, ]

A tale unfolding. Less ending up running from a bunch of people crazed from mob mentality and more heroics [ he places down a glass he'd been cleaning to make gestures with his hands ] or, at least, some sort of reason for it.

You are a storyteller?

[That was actually rather appropriate considering that he was working at a bar. Lonely people enjoyed sitting around talking to those people serving drinks, and sometimes those people were always interested in listening.]

My people tend towards the dramatic heroics and take on a mighty foe that may outclass one then the mob mentality. Unless they end up on the opposite side and start amassing power in order to take out the heroes.

Oh yeah?

[ he rests his chin in his palm, leaning against the bar. ] See, that sounds interesting. [ he pauses before adding, ] Ah, yeah. Teller and appreciator. Making them up or passing them along. [ ... sometimes both, honestly. ]

Which part? The taking on foes or falling from a noble purpose to become an enemy?

[Once upon a time, he would have never said so much, never would have told anyone about the Order or himself, but he was learning that i9n this place and time, he didn't need to be cautious. He knew that Ryuuga must have explained his night wanderings to some people, so he saw no reason why needed to do the same.]

Both sound interesting. But... maybe the second more than the first.

[ ... if only because that's usually a story that's got more meat behind it. ]

Ah, I suppose it would to a storyteller. Tragedy tends to stir more emotions then fighting against all odds.

[It was a little too personal to speak about, but he knew of other stories concerning Fallen Makai, some of them from family stories, some of which had been elaborated on by others.]

I may know of a few, though they are from my great-grandfather's time.

Mmmm... well, fighting against the odds has its own special place in my heart.

[ much less fiction when it's what you've dealt with for about ... forever, give or take. ]

—and there's nothing wrong with a classic, [ he adds, nodding his chin. ] Just as good.

It does have a nice ring to it, though I find it a bit more ordinary. Then again, my Order does tend towards doing a lot of fighting against terrible odds on a daily basis.

[Horrors will always exist. The Makai were only a piece of paper trying to hold back the flood, and their numbers were dwindling from the stress of the work. No matter how much they accomplish, all it would take is one strong monster to make it all crash down.

For instance, a monster like him.

He took a sip of his drink, looking at it for a moment and letting the taste fill his senses while he thought about it, but then gave a mental shrug. It wasn't like a lot of people would know what he was talking about.]

My great-grandfather had been a foundling, taken in by a childless Knight and raised to pick up his arms when he finally was initiated into the Order. It wasn't usually done; at least in most cases, members of the Order adopt only within the Order but the Knight felt that he was worthy of the honor. You can imagine that it wasn't widely accepted among the more traditional members.

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

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