And it's the stars, the stars that lie to you.

[neverheardofhim]

[This week, Varric opted to take a page from Vanille’s book. Gathering everyone together after the roller-coaster that the first trial had been proved to be somewhat cathartic for himself. He hoped that it would prove to do the same for the others.]

[He wasn’t alone, of course, having found himself blessed with the most ragtag team of chefs and party-planners. He might have had words for and thoughts on Elda and Kimbley, Mikazuki was welcome company, and he wasn’t about to turn away potential allies, even in a fight as simple as cooking dinner.]

[Once everyone’s set to a task, baking a cake, brewing tea, or stirring stew (the only task Varric could think to assign Elda to), Varric excused himself to his room. His first task was writing up cards, each personally titled and signed by Varric.]

Food in the Library. 5 p.m. Don’t spend the night alone.

[Each note was slid under a door and accompanied by a single rap on the wood.]

[With his tasks completed, Varric returned to the kitchen to put out any potential fires and, with luck, set the food out. A table in the library would be adorned with plenty of tea, cake, pancakes courtesy of Viktor, and stew thanks mostly to Varric (sorry, Elda).]

Comments

[alchemicals]

[While Kimbley's spirits aren't exactly high - that is definitely untrue, that thing in the pit unsettles him - he seems a bit less generally off than he did last week; Alani's...everything had come out relatively easily once it got going, it wasn't pulling teeth like it was with Kyrie, and she'd been calm when she'd gone out.

He's both grateful for it and he hates it at the same time, so he's just going to be following some of the others to the kitchen and making cake of some sort, because baking and chemistry really aren't that far separated, when one thinks about it.

(Thankfully, none of the girls here remind him of his sister; that might put him off doing even that much.)

At the gathering itself, he'll do as he usually does when they're all together - namely he'll be sitting somewhere that's a bit separated from the others, somewhere that he can see the door, but still close enough that he's not completely isolated. Just staying where he is and writing...something.

He doesn't seem to be making a lot of progress - he usually just ends up crumpling it up and stuffing it in a pocket or something before starting over - but either way, it's keeping him occupied when he's not just...watching everyone.]

[neverheardofhim]

[Varric might have been happy avoiding the man, but there was something about his demeanor that drew the dwarf's attention. The fact that he was writing, as well as the fact that the least Varric could do was thank the man for his help, certainly helped matters of course.]

[He approached the man but was quiet for a long minute, simply watching his efforts. But after a short while, he cleared his throat.]

Writer's block?

[alchemicals]

...Something like that. More like letters, I just don't really know what to say.

[neverheardofhim]

[That brought an unpleasant memory to mind, one that he'd spent most of the week trying to forget. He nodded and, for the time being at least, pushed his more negative feelings toward Kimbley to the back of his mind.]

I know the feeling. Can I help at all?

[alchemicals]

...I don't know.

[He's not blowing the guy off, from the sound of it, he just...doesn't know.]

Apparently I got my shit together somehow, before I was brought here. I'd kind of appreciate being able to talk to the guy that helped me out with it, I guess, and this is just the next best thing.

[neverheardofhim]

Alright. [It was vague, but then, Kimbley had already proven that he wasn't the forthcoming type. Varric had worked with less, though.]

Usually it helps to start with the obvious. 'Thank you.' The details can come after.

[matchbreaker]

[ Kimbley stood up for her a lot earlier.

Kimbley also made an ass of himself earlier.

Either way, she's going to ghost over to him and try and ninja the note right out of his hand to look at it ]

[alchemicals]

Hey-!

[It's not like it's going to be particularly hard, he's an uncoordinated little shit. It looks like the start of a letter, addressed to someone named Greed for some reason, though it's not like he's said a whole lot in it.]

[matchbreaker]

[ TOO LATE.

... Uh? ]

You're writing letters o vices?

[ She offers it back after reading the top... ]

[alchemicals]

...Something like that.

[HE JUST...DOESN'T REALLY QUESTION GREED...]

[avoidcomplications]

...Something bothering you?

[Outside of the...you know. Everything]

[alchemicals]

Not really - there's stuff that I'm thinking about, but it's not really bothering me.

[He shrugs.]

You holding up all right?

[avoidcomplications]

Why wouldn't I be?

[Sure enough, looks like it's just another day for Yoshikage Kira.]

[alchemicals]

[Good.]

Just making sure the world's not ending.

[iaspis]

[The execution wasn't nearly as horrific as the last one, but the thing still disturbs her.

His writing catches her eye, but she doesn't take a close look at what he's writing. It's private things, as far as she's concerned.]

Writing something?

[alchemicals]

Letters that I'm not expecting to actually be sent, yeah. Doubt our host will allow it.

[iaspis]

To people from your world?

[She shakes her head, vaguely.]

I don't think he would allow it, either. He doesn't seem the type, does he?

[alchemicals]

He really doesn't.

I tried calling him a few days ago and he wasn't all that bad, surprisingly, but he's not exactly the sort to do us any favors like that, either.

[tsugomori]

[ He's definitely coming over to Kimbley with that cake he's made. He's really... enjoying the hell out of it, and takes a spot nearby the other, but of course giving respectable distance. ]

It's nice to have some of your cake again.

[ He'll give a bit of a smile. ]

Sometimes I wonder if you were ever a baker.

[alchemicals]

[Ahhh, that seems to amuse him, actually.]

More like I had to provide for my sister for a while after our parents weren't around anymore. She liked that sort of thing, so I'd make it for her once in a while.

Baking is all pretty much chemistry anyway, or at least it's not that far off. I'm not fantastic at it, but I can follow directions.

[tsugomori]

Oh, that was kind of you.

[ He takes another nibble out of the cake he's retrieved. He's probably going to need to make sure to do some work outs do to eating so many sweets lately... ]

Well, either way, I don't think I'd be able to tell if you were anything short of 'great at it'.

[ And he'd make some but then he'd probably mess it up somehow. ]

[uncouthhatcher]

[If he's gonna be here he might as well try to be a little light, even if he's not 100% feeling.

... Besides, ain't like Kimbley's doing anything important as far as he can tell.]

So, you gonna tell me why me bein' well-off [RICH] explains a lot?

[Better than... kink discussions and stuff.]

[alchemicals]

[...Slightly better, yes.]

Rich people have a certain way of doing things, that's all. Not really a good or a bad thing, they just operate differently.

[uncouthhatcher]

Sounds pretty offensive when you put it like that, dude. We don't think about certain things or something like that?

[Is it their shit priorities. It is, isn't it.

... Also he's just. Gonna sit down, if that's alright with Kimbles, hi.]

'Cause I just wanted to say, uh. [...] I ain't seriously playin' around in here. People need distractions, you know? Helps that all the girls are pretty good lookin', but I ain't even got time for stuff back home, I'm definitely not gonna think different here.

[So it's easier just to play up what's fun when he can and even when he shouldn't. Just so we're clear. If it's the priorities thing. Boy, is he gonna have egg on his face if it's not like that all!]

[alchemicals]

...It's not as though I'm particularly productive during the trials myself, though that's for different reasons altogether. Good to know, though.

[It does clear up some things, at the very least. Whether that's what he was getting at or not, he doesn't seem inclined to clarify, but still.

He doesn't seem inclined to complain about Gold sitting down with him either, though, so that much is good, too.]

I've spent a good long while with nothing but time, granted. But I've been to war, I've seen people die. I was first sent to the front lines when I was around your age, actually. So I get how important distractions can be.