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

[feistytrader]

...I've never played anything like this before. Just a couple at Gold's house.

[So man, he isn't going to judge if Viktor totally sucks ass. At least he's probably not gonna be as bad as Elda.]

Do you mind if I sit with you?

[Weavile has uh, already decided the answer is yes, and cozies up to Viktor right away.]

[quadruples]

Not at all; please sit down. [ Oh, hey there, Weavile. Viktor holds his hand out to let him sniff it, not sure if it's a thing you do with Pokémon. ]

Who's this little guy? He's cute.

[feistytrader]

[Oh, please. Weavile's pushing his head right into Viktor's hand and even guiding it directly where he wants to be scratched. Go on, pet him right on the forehead.]

This is Weavile. He's been my buddy for a long time.

[...He's also been absent from the latest trial, and will never see a trial period, if Silver has anything to say about it.]

[quadruples]

[ Oh no, it's cute. The game is going to have to wait because Viktor is going to be busy petting Weavile for a while. ]

How did the two of you meet?

[feistytrader]

...I don't know. I don't remember a time that Weavile wasn't around.

[Weavile- who is absolutely enjoying being pet- gestures with his claws to try to make a toddler sized... Something. Either way, the message is pretty clear; it's been basically forever.]

[quadruples]

[ He's imagining a tiny redheaded child and Weavile now. It's cute as hell. ]

That long, huh? You've probably been together for about as long as I've had my precious Makkachin - he's my pet poodle. I've had him since I was twelve.

[feistytrader]

[That's a really long time. Viktor must miss him a lot...]

I'm sorry, but what's a poodle?

[Maybe there's a Pokémon that looks like one?]

[quadruples]

It's a... actually, wait here for a moment, I'll show you.

[ With that, he gets up and leaves the library... and comes back a few minutes carrying a stuffed poodle. ]

Isn't he cute?

[feistytrader]

[...That's adorable, and Silver's face lights up pretty significantly.]

Yeah. He looks kind of like a Growlithe.

[Hold up, he's got his Pokédex, he can show Viktor this.



Extremely loyal, it will fearlessly bark at any opponent to protect its own Trainer from harm.]

[quadruples]

[ Viktor's eyes are practically glittering when he sees the image of the Growlithe. Where can he get one, he wants ten of these things. ]

How cute! Makkachin doesn't bark much, but he's certainly loyal.

[feistytrader]

I'm guessing Makkachin doesn't breathe fire, either.

[Growlithe are pretty fucking cool, alright.]

[quadruples]

Nope! He doesn't have any cool powers, unless you count having mastered the art of begging for food. It's so difficult to resist him when he looks at my food like I would look at a winning lottery ticket.

[feistytrader]

[...Silver takes a good long moment to stare at Weavile.

Weavile smiles; it's not an innocent smile.]

I understand completely.

[quadruples]

How often do you give in when he gives you that look?

[feistytrader]

...Every time. Sometimes he doesn't need to make the face.

[Weavile looks so proud of himself.]

It's fine. We don't get a lot of treats in the woods anyway.

[quadruples]

You spend a lot of time in the woods?

[ He resumes petting Weavile, apparently having forgotten about the game entirely. ]

[feistytrader]

Yeah. Most trainers do.

[...Which isn't a lie, but isn't the entire truth, either.]

[quadruples]

Do you sleep outside?

[feistytrader]

...I don't own a tent, if that's what you're asking.

[quadruples]

[ Viktor looks a little appalled by this. ]

Maybe it's because I've never camped a single night in my life, but that sounds awful. Doesn't it get cold?

[feistytrader]

Yeah. The winter's pretty bad.

[...There's no sense in buttering that up.]

But you get used to it, and there are all kinds of amazing things you'd never see unless you went out and traveled. You have your Pokémon to stick by you and keep you warm if it gets too cold. And if I ever get tired of it, Gold always lets me stay at his place.

[The implication of that last part hasn't really sunk in yet.]