unwelcome tagalong.

[storytellertm]

garretthawkcs‌:

He’d missed this, the easy back and forth, the way Varric could convey everything with just a single look. No one else understood him the way he did, and he’d felt like half a pair of boots without him. “I happen to be very responsible,” he argued, mostly out of habit – though his history showed the very opposite and they both knew it. He let the dwarf lead the way – Maker knew he was still utterly confused when it came to this place. He would’ve loved to have blamed it on the fact he was newly arrived, but if he used that as a defense, Varric would surely bring up that he often had gotten lost in Kirkwall after living there for years. “If it’s who I suspect is here, then definitely yelling,” he agreed. “Might be nice though, to have our little family back together.”

          instead of dignifying hawke’s statement with a proper response, varric slowed to silently arch a brow in his friend’s direction. he tried for a look that was full of judgement, but couldn’t help the smile continuing to spread across his lips. in the end, he shook his head in favour of keeping up the act, then pretends to sigh as they continue on their journey to the kitchens. varric’s laughter was a low rumble at the comment, though when hawke mentioned family, it calmed into a begrudgingly warm smile. “well, then we’ll definitely need to drop by later. but for now, i believe i was told of a crippling hunger?” theatrically, he pushed open the final door to the kitchen. (the empty room responded with anti-climatic silence.) “we’ve got... bread, and leftover turnip stew? what i think is roasted mutton. some cheese.”

[storytellertm]

andruilblessed‌:

“ Wicked grace ”   she said, remembering the nights she had seen them play   “ Is that the one where everyone bets everything they have, including their clothes? ”   She laughed and she could see her breath in the cold air of the mountains. Night was closing in and the cold of the Frostback grew more and more unforgiving with each passing day. She held her cloak closer to her frame; the warmth of the tavern felt more alluring than ever.   “ Because if it is, count me in. I’ll pay to see some people’s dignity going down ”   even if she had never played, she felt confident enough to feel she wouldn’t be the one defeated.

          it was easier to bear the trek through the frostbacks when he had company like this to keep his mind off of it. “well, believe it or not, you don’t actually have to bet all of your clothes. skyhold’s general population is just more inclined to make bad decisions.” his grin was crooked and teasing; true enough, he did feel like a lot of the rounds in the herald’s rest ended up with someone losing more than their coin. maybe it was the whole end of the world thing that made people more daring with their gambling? varric chuckled wryly at the thought, though he was quick to respond, “as long as you’re good at keeping a straight face, you’ll be able to beat a lot of those poor suckers.” his tone was affectionate, despite the somewhat crude choice of words.

[storytellertm]

@pippabragadin

          more and more faces had shown up in skyhold as of recent - many of which varric even recognised. today, he’d heard word of one in particular that he was quick to seek out; and seek out he did, eventually finding the woman around the gardens of skyhold. “well, shit,” he greets with a low laugh, a familiar, endeared grin spreading across his lips. pippa was a face he knew well from their days in kirkwall; she’d looked after him and the rest of the ragtag group at the hanged man, and varric had frequently tried to return the favour by looking out for her on the day-to-day. the dwarf waved one gloved hand in a contemplative, playfully suspicious gesture, though his affection was clear in the warmth of his crooked smile. “first hawke, now you, pip? i’m almost inclined to believe the both of you had it planned this way.”

[storytellertm]

pentghasts‌:

She’d been putting this off, talking to Varric hadn’t been something she was overly happy to do on her best day. Now that Hawke was currently popping up in every place she looked it made her blood boil even more. Cassandra had to make sure she wasn’t going to stab him the second she saw him before she spoke with him. Gritting her teeth she approached him in the main hall, “Tell me Varric. How big of a fool will I like like if I say one word to your… missing friend. Is even one thing you told me true?” 

          when hawke had first arrived in skyhold - much to varric’s genuine surprise - it had been difficult for the dwarf to be anything less than ecstatic. unfortunately, the mood didn’t last long; cassandra seemed rather keen on seeing to that. when he noticed her out the corner of his eye, drawing closer and closer to where he lingered in the main hall, varric muttered a quick curse under his breath before turning. “seeker, i told you a lot of things, and plenty of it was true - no matter what you want to believe.” he met her gritted snarl with a similar twist to his lips. “but if you’re going to fixate on just that one point, then yes, i lied. i lied and did my damned best to keep hawke away from you people, and i’d tell you the same things again and again if i knew it’d keep him safe.”

[storytellertm]

alistcirs‌:

count on varric to flip a mediocre or even foul mood into a jolly one with a few words and a winning smile . alistair genuinely laughs , something he hasn’t done terribly much of lately . “oh , ha ha ! very funny . i’ll bet you were praying for company as sparkling as mine before i happened along .” he doesn’t quite lose his grin , accustomed to && enthused by varric’s witty humour . “ generous . here’s to you , then .” he raises the mug in cheers , placing it down with a husky exhale . “ speaking of you — i know you’re gonna dance around why you’re here, so how about this: how’d you get here ?”

          he flashed yet another wide grin at the other’s laugh - then shrugged his shoulders with a thoughtful click of his tongue. “you know, the company here did lack a certain something. can’t pinpoint what it is, but maybe it was your... sparkle.” he made a clumsy twinkling motion with his hands, then took a swig of his drink at alistair’s toast. “...if i said it was on the back of a dragon, would you believe me? or have i used that one too many times already?” stalling, of course, while he figured out how to phrase the real answer properly. “guess i was... beckoned. had some answers for folks who had questions, that sort of thing.” his grin turned lopsided as he nodded at the other. “your turn.” varric had a few guesses, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

[storytellertm]

garretthawkcs‌:

“That’s exactly what I take issue with!” Hawke retorted, wrinkling his nose up as if he was smelling something awful. “Bad jokes? My jokes were, and still are, hilarious, you just never fully appreciated them.” As Varric started to walk, he fell easily into step with him, and to a casual onlooker, it would look as if they were either holding hands, or joined at the hip. Either of which weren’t unlikely outcomes, he supposed. “Cranky Hawke is an unproductive Hawke, and apparently I need to be somewhat of a responsible Champion here. Ugh, that title.” At Varric’s words, he nodded in understanding. “Kitchens it is then. Too many people here, I’ve been on my own for the last few years. Not used to the noise. Sensitive little soul, you know me.” It was true enough at least, but he knew Varric would understand. He always had. “I heard whispers of other members of our merry band of misfits turning up here.”

          varric levelled his friend with a flat look that voiced his disagreement; he tried his best to stifle his smile, discouraging any of the other’s awful jokes. his attempt wasn’t particularly successful when he immediately cracked another grin, arching a brow at hawke’s following remark. “responsible, huh? that might take some work,” the dwarf teased, “but if food’s the needed first step, then to food we venture.” once hawke had made his decision, varric took a turn down into the basement instead of out the main door, strolling to the kitchens. he smiled, crooked still but warmer than before; there was an obvious amusement at hawke’s choice of wording, though varric understood well enough beyond the jokes. “‘whispers’; it’s been more of a consistent yelling, i think,” he chuckled, “but, true - you’re sure to find a few... familiar faces.” his knowing grin said all he needed, though he didn’t name names. hawke had surprised varric, showing up as he did; perhaps he’d give the others a shot at catching him off-guard.

[storytellertm]

olyvcrs‌:

“Why mercenary? Why not a duo of handsome rogues?” Olyver teased, nudging him with his elbow lightly. “We could take this show on the road. With your writing skills, our songs would be extraordinary.” He returned his eyes back out towards the rain, hoping it would either die down enough for them to find their way back to camp, or at least, to a better shelter. “Never have I ever is a better drinking game, I think. What about ‘would you rather’?”

          “i figure we don’t need a fancy name,” varric shrugged playfully, though his mouth curled into a smile at the other’s nudging. “only if you’re doing the singing. i’ll just lie back and reap the rewards.” olyver’s commentary left the dwarf humming in slight agreement before taking the prerogative to ask first. “would you rather... have a glass of ale or a body to keep you warm?” then, with a teasing grin, “and before you make a smart comment, sorry, that’s not an offer.”

[storytellertm]

lvllcn‌:

recalling the book, still fresh in her memory… as if she’d read it but only a few hours ago, lèonie revealed a wide grin in realization — and looked ahead in thought. it made sense now, meeting him. the book was good… but it wasn’t the story that’d captivated her so. no, it was how the words had been put together to make it. he’d put his own personality into the pages, that’s why it was so good. why so many of his books were good ; little did she know he’d written others. hazel hues went back down to look to the dwarf with a hidden smile. “ it does. ” approaching the stairs, she noticed he’d slowed a bit and appreciated it. but then he asked her a question about her clan, dalish storytelling… and her expression changed. “ oh, it’s… it’s fine, um… more of aneducational thing, though. ” of course, that wasn’t entirely true. there’d been many times it’d been a ‘ fun gather-‘round-the-fire sort of activity ’, but the brunette was holding onto the darker times. “ …personally, i’d just rather read about how an elven courtier got between two families in the dwarven merchants guild than listen over and over again about how humankind pushed elvenkind into the forests and so now we hide and forage for berries and hate. most stories end that way, you know. so… i don’t know. perhaps i just have a different taste. ” looking down to her feet, she appeared almost disappointed. lè looked back to him, however, reaching the top of the steps, and she attempted to change the subject ; shift the focus back on him. “ are you still writing, varric? ”

          varric didn’t miss the way her smile shifted when he asked about the storytelling. a rather interesting reaction, to be sure. a grand majority of the dalish elves he knew seemed mostly happy to talk about their clan, their lives and their beliefs - not often to actually share their knowledge, but rather to celebrate their lifestyle. his brow arched quietly in subdued curiosity. her following spiel of course gave him a better idea as to what she was getting at - though, the way she phrased it, he couldn’t accurately tell if her distaste was directed more at the humans for what they did, or the elves for holding onto their hate. not that he blamed them, but this was admittedly a different insight than most. “different people use stories for different purposes. a lot of humans use them to understand; a lot of dwarves use them to remember, instead.” not him, though, he supposed. still... perhaps this was a conversation better tucked away for some other day. when she moved to change the subject, varric flashed a warm, knowing smile - and picked it up just as she wanted. “not so much since - well,” he made a wavy gesture at the fortress and their surroundings, using that as his answer. he’s had strikes of inspiration, but actually sitting down to write was an activity he had to put on hold for now. “but i’ve written some stuff after the viper’s nest. they even keep a few copies of said ‘stuff’ in the library, so if you’re ever bored...”

[storytellertm]

garretthawkcs‌:

“I like the element of surprise.” Hawke grinned in response to the scolding, and he pulled back – somewhat reluctantly, but threw his arm around Varric’s shoulders. It felt like he’d been dead since he’d left Kirkwall, since he’d been separated from his family, his heart. “Besides, if I’d told you ahead of time, you’d have planned arguments as to why you think your book is an accurate representation of me.” Nudging the other with his hip, he laughed again – a laugh! it had been years – “now, I’m hungry, and you know a hungry Hawke is a cranky Hawke.”

          varric smiled lopsidedly up at hawke when the other pulled away, trying (and quite frankly failing) at maintaining a stern expression. “it’s not? there’s a lot of hitting things and a lot of bad jokes,” the dwarf teased. as though anything that simple could ever sum up hawke. he grinned at the hip bump, then immediately motioned for them to move. “mm, and we can’t have cranky hawke,” he nodded sagely, still glued to his friend’s side as he walked. he took two steps before he paused, “they’ve got a tavern here - not a great one, but a tavern - though if you’d rather, we could probably grab something from the kitchens.” the implication was clear enough; the tavern would be rowdy, while the kitchens themselves offered more in the way of privacy.

[storytellertm]

myrianii‌:

“Aye, got it in one! Very little, but I pack a punch.” She winked, proud of her strength that she’d spent years mastering and honing. She looked sweet, but she was fierce. “I suppose you’re right though. Yeh’re far too close to my age. And we’re still youngin’s yet, no?”

She did flush at his wink though, still flattered by any sort of winkery and such. His hum worried her. Had she chosen a book he didn’t like?! 

But his response eased her mind, and she relaxed, listening to his suggestions in the library. Ah! The library. Yes. Where that young Tevinter man with the very pretty hair is. Yes. I will check there.”

Hands on her hips, she nodded. “Of course! You’ve got to vary your characters. Can’t have an elf all the time. A few dwarves sprinkled here and there. A boring human every now and again,” she teased, elbowing the air around him playfully.

“Forgive me though, I’m sure yeh’re tired of people botherin’ you about yeh’re works.”

          “had a feeling,” varric grinned, lips quirking especially high at her confident wink. it was nice to see someone proud of their capabilities. and if it was also a bit endearing, he wouldn’t say so out loud. “are we really? i think my back disagrees.” he hunched over exaggeratedly, a fist reaching backward to thump against the lower part of his spine.

          it was interesting to see myriani’s expressions change. she wore them freely, openly, and varric was a bit surprised - albeit still pleased - to see it. “dorian? he does have pretty great hair,” he chuckled, amused at both at the comment and what seemed to be her apparent excitement. his smile grew a bit more thoughtful as she spoke, though. he hadn’t written a dwarf protagonist in... well, not since his very first book, if he was being honest. most of his works probably did feature a human protagonist, actually. huh. what do you know. maybe he should start varying things, now that she mentioned it. his train of thought was interrupted at her sudden apology, and varric quickly waved it away, hoping he hadn’t drifted off. “no, no; not at all! you’d think that, but the most memorable encounter i’ve had with one of my books was when someone stabbed right through one.” varric threw a smile in her direction, then quickly added, “but, i wouldn’t say no to talking about something else. you, maybe?” he made a gesture with his hand, prompting her to share. “you know i’m a writer. what about you?”

[storytellertm]

olyvcrs‌:

This wasn’t exactly a solution – though it was marginally better than standing completely in the torrential downpour. What he wouldn’t give to be indoors right now, by a fireplace. With one – or five – glasses of wine in his belly. “This is what the inquisition has driven us too,” he grinned. “Wishing for death by rock slide.” He glanced down at Varric and winked playfully. “Get cozy?” he asked. “What did you have in mind? I do enjoy being spooned tenderly, just so you know.”

          “‘death by rockslide’, huh?” varric repeated with a low hum, as though testing out the words. “sounds like it’d be the name of an especially quirky mercenary band.” he’d have to tuck that into the folder of ideas sitting at the back of his head. at olyver’s wink, he barked a laugh. “not much room for that, i’m afraid. ...unless you want to get all down and dirty, quite literally.” he gestured at the mud at their feet. “but - there’re options. ever played ‘would you rather’? ‘two truths and a lie’? ...‘never have i ever’?”

[storytellertm]

garretthawkcs‌:

He had thought about this moment for years, what it would be like to be reunited with his family, but all of those imaginings, those daydreams, paled in comparison to how he was feeling. How his chest felt it would explode in his chest. “You made me sound short and fat,” he responded dryly, and he tried to keep the stern expression on his face, but that facade fell away as soon as Varric opened his arms for him. Hawke all but launched himself forward, grabbing the man in a tight hug, his cheeks aching from the force of his smile. He was home at last.

          his mind was reeling - how long ago did hawke get here? and how didn’t he know about it? varric laughed heartily at hawke’s attempt at a complaint - his retort was prepped, but instantly forgotten when the other all but ran into his hug. the dwarf wrapped his arms around his friend with an open sort of eagerness he rarely displayed, his beam wide, affectionate, bright - and most importantly, sincere. it had been a long time since varric had felt as alright as he did in that moment, a long time since he’d felt at all at home. he missed kirkwall, but more than that, he supposed he’d missed what - or who - kirkwall came with. “couldn’t even write to let me know ahead of time?” he pretended to scold despite his grin, his voice a bit muffled from how he’d practically pressed his face against hawke’s torso.

[storytellertm]

myrianii‌:

“Oh ‘tis too. Just because we’re both wee ones doesn’t mean  I can’t call you as such,” she said, shaking her auburn locks disapprovingly. She curtsied still, as best as she could which still was only sort of all right. “It’s a pleasure to meet’yeh Ser Tethras. My name is Myriani Ghilain, but you can call me Myri. Or mum. To be fair, I’ll answer to the latter more often than not.” She smiled brightly and played with a curl over her shoulder. It was a nervous tic at this point.

“The Viper’s Nest,” She replied. “The main character was interestin’. I rarely read about elven characters in books, especially books by other races. So, I wanted to tell you, it was good. I liked it. Wouldn’t mind readin’ more, but I’d not know where in the world to start.”

          “fair enough,” he remarked with a lopsided smile. “but if i’m the wee writer, you’ve got to have a title too. the wee... warrior?” he guessed, a bit surprised at her curtsy. he gave a rolled wave of his hand in response, deeply bowing his head; and his grin turned blatantly amused when she mentioned answering to ‘mum’. “i think i’m getting a little too old for you to be my mother,” he mentioned with a playful wink, matching her smile with a laugh just as bright. the title of the book she brought up earned a thoughtful hum in response - it had been a while since the viper’s nest was first released, but he’d heard some new feedback about it since joining the inquisition. (some days, it really felt like his publisher was holding out on him.) “huh, that’s great to hear,” he said, lips pulled up high at one end. he pondered her last comment. “well, i’ve been told the library has a few dozen copies of my more well-known tales,” maker only knew why they needed so many, “so if you think they’d hold your interest...” he made a gesture pointing upward and back, toward said library, punctuating it with a click of his tongue. “no other elf protagonists though, gotta say.”

[storytellertm]

blvckwall‌:

It seemed he turned into a young boy again around Varric, given to fits of hysterical laughter and a lightness he hadn’t felt in years. He liked it – missed the boyish joy, the moments of levity where he could forget the last years of his life. “Look at us, keeping important secrets from the Inquisition for our own gain,” he grinned back. He finally sat up, making his way to his feet, a few chuckles still escaping his lips every so often. “Well, I can definitely do that,” he teased back. “But I fear I’ll be designated packhorse from then on.”

          important secrets. varric laughed, “it’s for the greater good, so that makes it alright.” he took a little more time to regain his breath as blackwall got to his feet, calmed but still wearing a wide smile. “well, we wouldn’t want that,” he chuckled with a wave of his hand, glancing out at the vast expanse of sand they still had to traverse before finding their way back to camp. “it’s probably better this way... if i was carried back, i might just fall asleep on the way.” he cracked another grin, “besides, we’ve got to figure out that proposal for our next mission...”

[storytellertm]

olyvcrs‌:

“Oh, I’ve never been good at responsibility, ask my parents,” Olyver joked back, but nonetheless, he stepped up beside him, as though he was going to help lead. Truthfully, he couldn’t see much better, but he shield his eyes with his hands, cupping around his face to try and see more. Not that it helped too much – the rain fell in wide sheets of grey. “Not exactly a death of glory,” he threw back. He squinted, still trying to make out one shape from another, then nodded. “Possibly. This way, I think there’s a rock ledge we can shelter under. Or get crushed to death with.”

          varric managed a chuckle at the comment, though quickly regretted it when the wind changed direction and all but shoved rainwater down his throat. maker, what he wouldn’t give for the scalding heat of the western approach instead, right now. at least the sun was still out, there. “oh, i’m not hoping for glory, just something that won’t make the rounds in a humiliating tavern song.” when olyver mentioned a possible rock ledge, varric threw up his hands in a soaked hallelujah before heading in that general direction. “getting crushed is preferable to the drowning, at least.” he trudged forward — the outcropping wasn’t very big, and the wind still blew water in, but it was better than nothing. “now what? hunker down, get cosy, and wait for the skies to stop throwing a fit?” he flashed a grin. “play a game to pass the time?”

[storytellertm]

garretthawkcs‌:

He could scarcely remember the last actual time he’d seen Varric. Kirkwall, for sure. He’d stuck around for a while, to help rebuild, but then… well, everything had seemed to implode in one fell swoop, and suddenly staying put had seemed like the worst idea he could’ve thought of. So he’d disappeared. Packed his bag one day and left in the dead of night, leaving only a note for Varric – goodbyes weren’t his thing, he was terrible at them. And after already going through it with the others as they’d left, one by one… well, it was too difficult. But life had a funny way of upending him, of throwing him onto a course he hadn’t expected, and now, here he was, reunited with some of his old merry band of misfits. It was long overdue.

He couldn’t help but laugh softly as he came up behind the other, all at once he felt so comfortable and light. “You know,” he started, trying to catch his attention. “I do have some qualms with the way you described me in that book, if that’s what I’m supposed to call it.”

          the laugh he heard coming from behind him felt almost like a ghost’s in its eerie familiarity - but hawke was certainly no ghost, and if he was, varric would almost definitely beat the shit out of ghost-hawke for dying. he wanted to whirl around immediately at the voice, but instead he froze still, hunched over his table; but once the comment about his book was made, his lips drew into a wide smile and he turned anyway, expression filled with pure, giddy glee. “what, i didn’t get the description of the rugged jawline just right?” he joked, barely able to string his teasing together in the face of his best friend, now here in skyhold. he threw out his arms, laughter warm and hearty, “hawke, you absolute bastard! when did you - ” he shook his head as his mouth stumbled - his mouth! stumbled! - over the words, grin still wide and toothy. truth be told, he’d kept tabs on everyone since kirkwall. using every favour and resource he could get from his connections in the merchants’ guild or elsewhere, he’d made sure he was kept up to date how everyone was doing, and where they were - but hawke’s arrival was entirely a surprise, and varric was caught off guard in the best possible way.

[storytellertm]

cmpssn‌:

the dwarf jumped again. hmm. cole recognized the panic in his friend’s eyes. there was a puppy-like look in his own, innocent, staring over with the paper barely pinched between his fingertips. the heat of the fire behind him slowly warming his back was temporarily bringing color to his features, making him appear just a bit more human — though he wasn’t sure how he felt about the sensation yet.

slowly, he looked back down to the paper, curious. the spirit flipped it over to see the backside, studying it as his companion spoke… but light blues flickered back to him when he seemed to wave the subject away — and lips pursed in slight frustration. cole didn’t like it when something couldn’t–or wouldn’t–be explained. but he trusted varric. it probably was boring. he gently placed the paper back down on the already disturbed pile and moved his legs up to hug on the chair. vision crept over to his opposite once more and compassion quietly began to stare at the dwarf again. his head popped up at the question, however. “ …no. ” he answered after a brief moment of thought. “ but if i could… ” eyes flickered down as, immediately, he thought of rhys and evangeline. but that wasn’t going to happen. “ …nevermind. ” he shouldn’t have said anything. “ varric… how do you ‘ write letters ’? ”

          varric offered the boy a quiet smile as cole huddled up on the chair. it felt like story time by the fire... except he was about to explain writing letters, he supposed. his brow quirked with open curiosity when the other paused think - ‘never mind’ was usually the sort of thing people said when there was absolutely something to mind, but it wasn’t exactly varric’s business, so he let it go (for the time being, anyway). instead, he let his smile grow wider. “yeah, i guess you wouldn’t exactly be trading letters in the fade,” he mused at the question, nodding sagely as he pulled his chair closer to the table. “well, there’s really not much to it. get something to write on, something to write with, and then say what you want to say.” with that, he dug through the pile to try and find a piece of paper to scribble on - ah, that one was reasonably unimportant. with a flourish, he flipped the sheet over and then passed both it and his quill to cole’s side. then, he patted the paper with a flat, open palm. “people write letters to communicate, but you could also write for yourself. if you’ve got someone you want to send a letter to, but can’t, you could still pen down what you want to tell them. it... helps.” with what, varric didn’t specify. maybe he wasn’t going to let that earlier slip go so easily, after all.