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

[criticalhip]

Yeah, a bit.

[He says as he grabs the bottle, assesses at it like one would a fine wine, pops the top off...]

[...and proceeds to chug a good half of it (again, like one would a fine wine).]

Hey, this isn't bad at all. Nice.

[hairysituations]

Did you just—

[ Varric stands there like, what the hell. Did this guy really just chug all that ketchup? He's tasted the stuff. It's thick and weirdly sweet and... well, he'd gotten a little sick when he'd had too much. ]

... That's not a drink.

[criticalhip]

Not with that attitude.

[Sans is all about party tricks, and inadvertently discovering a new one is enough to make his day. Night. Whatever time this is.]

[It also begs a couple of extra questions.]

So nobody else has done that before?

[hairysituations]

[ OR ANY ATTITUDE, SANS.

he shakes his head. ]

Can't say they have. You're the first. And I've seen people down a lot of weird shit around here.

[criticalhip]

Really? How weird are we talking?

[Sans asks, as the wheels start turning in his head.]

'Cause I'm willing to bet ketchup is pretty tame compared to the other stuff you've got here.

[hairysituations]

Oh, sure. But most of the other stuff was made to drink.

[ Pressing his fingers together, he studies the bottle before looking back at Sans. ]

How would you feel about taking advantage of this skill? Hypothetically.

[criticalhip]

[He gives the question due pause.]

[...Probably a bit too much pause.]

[But only because he has a feeling Varric is on the same page as he is.]

Hypothetically? I'd say my skills are up for the advantage-taking, depending on what ideas you've got.

[hairysituations]

[ Sounds like they have a deal. Grinning, Varric leans in, one finger raised ]

How about something like this...

[ AND THEY FADE TO BLACK GOING "NYUK NYUK NYUK PLANS" until part two ]