and it takes, and it takes, and it takes

[acherontiastyx]

[It... definitely takes a while for the weekly after-execution note to arrive, but it does --- kind of scrawly and on ripped paper rather than nice stationery.]

EY. YO. WE GOT EFFIGIES IN THE DINING ROOM AND WE'RE GONNA BURN EM.

FOOD TOO. THE USUAL AND HOT COCOA. GOOD FOR THE SOUL. GET SOME. MAYBE TAKE IT BACK TO YOUR ROOM IF YOU HAVE TO. JUST GET SOME.

[Anyway, in the dining room, there's plenty of mugs set out, with a janky looking arrow sign pointing into the kitchen to where you can get your hot cocoa. On the table, there's Vichyssoise, a pot of green tea, and some booze. There's also a cookie tray on the floor away from the table on which to burn the Wordsmith and Kimbley effigies, which are handily placed near the food on the table.

...also if you go in the kitchen without shoes on just. Watch the northern corner. There's no kidneys, but there's a lot of broken plates there for some reason...]

Comments

[firstaid]

[She's just finished pureeing the potatoes and other ingredients so it's definitely a good time to talk. When he calls out to her, she looks to him with watery eyes, but it's clear she's doing everything to keep herself together. She's not the one hurting the most tonight. Therefore she must stay strong.

That won't stop her from wiping the tears away from her eyes before she speaks and gives him a smile.]

Y-yes, I do!

[neverheardofhim]

[The tears were hard to miss, and Varric noted them with a frown. He wished he were both closer and taller, to have been able to wipe them away for her. She might have been trying to stay strong, but that didn't mean she couldn't show a little emotion. At least in front of him.]

[He shook the thoughts from his head and held out the book. His name was inscribed on the cover.]

I told you if I ever found it, I'd bring this to you...

[firstaid]

Oh, is that the book you wrote?

[Her smile becomes a little more genuine and her voice sounds sincere. She's really happy he brought it to her.]

[neverheardofhim]

Sure is. [He opened it up, pointing a page with his portrait on it, amonst a few others.] "The Tale of the Champion," my best selling work. Here for you to read.

I promised a few other people I'd let them read it, but you can have it first. Once everyone else has finished though, you can keep it. I'll even sign it for you.

[firstaid]

[Estelle's not going to lie to herself -- she's honored he's giving it to her first to read.]

I'll be sure to read it then. I can get it back to you in two days.

[So on Monday, likely. Given how fast anyone has seen this girl get through a book, it shouldn't come as a surprise.]

And no, I couldn't keep it. Isn't it special to you?

[neverheardofhim]

There's plenty of copies back home, Princess. No need to worry about that.

[Not one to be argued with, Varric quickly shifted to changing the subject, focusing instead on the food she was cooking up. His head angled to the side slightly as he looked over the ingredients.]

What is this?

[firstaid]

[Well, since he asked, she shall answer.]

It's vichyssoise. It's a soup with potatoes as a primary ingredient and served cold.

[But she likes it and she likes making it.]

[neverheardofhim]

Huh. That... that sounds really good, actually. [It wasn't his travel stew, but it still sounded damn good. He peered up at her handiwork. surveying the ingredients, then looking back to her.]

Need a hand with it? I'm not an ace in the kitchen, but I can fetch stuff good.

[firstaid]

I wouldn't mind help. I'm sure not only that, but your input, will make this all the better.

[And maybe help not make it so salty thanks to her tears.]

Um, if you wish to start making more soup, mix the potatoes, leeks, and water together in that saucepan. It needs to cook for a bit before we can puree it.

[neverheardofhim]

Alright. I can absolutely do that, Princess. [First thing's first, he grabs his trusty stool-pot and sets it by the counter. Grabbing the dictated ingredients, Varric set to combining them as directed, struggling only a little with the weird future technology.]

[At least the month had made him better at something.]

Where did you learn to make this, anyway?

[firstaid]

[Well, she does suppose it's odd that a princess is cooking.]

When I traveled with my friends back home we had to cook for ourselves. This dish was something I learned in my travels. Naturally, over a campfire, I can't get it as nice as I can get it here since there are so many more tools here, however, I still enjoyed making it.

[She giggles a little.]

My friends all called it 'potato soup' since it's a soup made of potatoes.

[She smiles, recalling her friends back home and that seeming to put her in a decent mood.]

Rita, she was an awful cook. [She laughs to herself.] Often times she would put a raw egg between two slices of bread and call it a 'sandwich'. I must admit, it was unique. But...

[She laughs a little more. It's clear that she's fond of this 'Rita'.]

...she's an amazing person. And Raven? He loved making sweets, saying that the ladies loved them despite not liking sweets himself. And Yuri? He could make anything. We often put him on cooking duty because what he made was almost always amazing.

[Pouring the pureed soup into the bowls and mixing some sour cream in them, she sighs...]

I... miss them a lot. I hope they're all okay.

[neverheardofhim]

[Pausing in his efforts, Varric turned to look at Estelle as she spoke. The look on her face, the way she laughed -- it was good to see her in higher spirits, and certainly good to see her mind away from more troubling things. Equally as reassuring was the fact that she had good friends. Last they spoke, he'd heard business of assassins and other such things.]

I had a friend like Rita. Dorian was his name. Pampered a good portion of his life and not really used to cooking for himself, so he had no idea what to make. Tried to pass off his burned mess as "high-class, Tevinter cuisine." [Varric trailed off into a laugh.] Your friends miss you, I'm sure. They'll be excited to get you back.

And they will, too. I'll make sure of it.

[firstaid]

Rita wasn't pampered. She's lived her life alone as a scholar and was outcasted due to being 'insane'. She's a genius, but I think she was very lonely. Right now, I think of her as one of my best friends. In fact, she was the first female friend around my age I've ever made!

[And she was excited to have her as one, even if it took Rita a while to actually reciprocate it. But eventually she did, and the two back home were about inseparable.]

[neverheardofhim]

Sorry, sorry, wasn't trying to imply that. [He held his hands up, making a few vague motions, before lowering them again.] Although, Dorian was an outcast too. Not for being insane but for...

[Was that really his story to tell? Varric made a habit of spreading rumors, but that was the sort of nasty thing that could stay dead in the past, as far as he was concerned.]

Let's just say his parents weren't happy with him. But Rita -- she sounds lovely. I'm glad you have a friend like her.

[firstaid]

[Rita doesn't have parents to be disappointed with her, but she doesn't need bring that up.]

She's a wonderful person. Rita is kind and loyal, but she's very dedicated to her world. She studies magic-- ah, when I spoke with Phi it could be similar to science. Studying formulas and how Aer reacts to blastia amongst other things. She's very spirited and energetic and she's never afraid to speak her mind. Rita is... my best friend.

[And it's clear how much she misses her.]

[neverheardofhim]

The more you talk, the more you make me think they should meet. Dorian was smart like that, good with magic -- more traditional, I'll admit, but he was trying to apply it to new things. Found out how to make time travel work with his mentor. [And then everything went to shit, as things were often wont to do.]

What else can you tell me about her. How did you two meet?

[firstaid]

I honestly don't think Rita has ever attempted to study time travel, but I'm sure she would be interested if someone brought it up.

[She giggles a bit.]

Hmm, how we met? Well, we were looking for a criminal by the name of Mordio. The only one who matched that name was the Sage Mordio from the city of Aspio! Rita Mordio! So Yuri and Karol broke into the city! I told them not to do it, but they said that this was a mission they needed to see through and did so.

[A beat.]

Oh right, we couldn't get in without a pass, so we had to break in through the library. The city itself dwells inside a cave, so it has a natural fortification. Anyway, we end up finding her, and she's really bad that Yuri and Karol are accusing her of theft! To prove she isn't stealing, she makes us go with her to some ruins, however, it really ends up with us guarding her so she can examine something. She's really amazing like that, figuring out how to swing the situation to her advantage.

[Really, Rita's kind of awful, but Estelle really adores her.]

For the longest time, Rita refused to call me Estelle and kept calling me Estellise. It upset me because I truly did want to be her friend! Then one day, she started calling me Estelle and we became a lot closer! [There's... actually a story to that, but Estelle doesn't think it important to tell? But she realizes, ah... he asked her how they met... not... right...]

...Oh, sorry. It seems I've rambled on a bit.

[neverheardofhim]

[Rambling, maybe, but Varric doesn't seem put out by the matter. In fact, the grin on his face might well indicate otherwise. He listened with rapt attention, even as he glanced back to the food he'd been asked to prepare.]

[Even after she finished, he remained quiet, lost in his thoughts. She'd painted quite the image, one that he continued to play in his head even after she was done.]

Some friends you have, Princess. It's... good to know you're well taken care of back home. [Good to know that once they got out of there, once they all went their own separate ways, that she would be well-tended to. Wouldn't keep him from worrying, of course.]

[firstaid]

Taken care of?

[She taps her index finger against her bottom lip.]

No, it's not quite that. It's like we're... we're a wolf pack! Yeah. We're just always together.

[A really strange wolf pack, but they're together and a team no matter what.

Anyway, she'll start slicing up some more potatoes to get ready for a another batch of soup.]

[neverheardofhim]

Sure, but even packs watch over one another. It was the same sort of thing with my party. We weren't really actively taking care of each other, but we sure as hell didn't let anything hurt one another. That's all I want -- to know you'll be safe.


[The concept almost made him homesick. What he wouldn't give to have the Bull's hammer there to protect him. He doubted anyone would go up against that. Varric certainly wouldn't.]

[As Estelle returned to work, so too did Varric. After a long moment, he turned his gaze to Estelle once more.

How do I know when it's done?

[firstaid]

Well, I won't deny that. We do watch over one another and each of us has an important role we play.

[She's definitely the healer. And she's glad to be that, too.]

Ah, once it's been simmering for a while, it's done. Just take it off the burner and we'll allow it to cool before we puree it.

[neverheardofhim]

That's the way it was with my friends as well. I was always the charming rogue, attacking from afar and dismantling traps. Usually we kept two mages around, one being our leader, Lavellan. Dorian was a mage too, but we also had Solas, an elf, and Vivienne, a... an interesting woman.

Then we'd have a warrior to back us up.

[He nodded to her as he mixed the food around. After a moment, as directed, he lowered the temperature, leaving the food to simmer for the time being. His gaze drifted back to her, looking for further direction.]

[firstaid]

[Hmm, she's not sure how she would describe her group.]

Yuri and Judith fight in the front lines. They both like to fight though, so I suppose that makes sense. Rita is a mage, Raven fights with a bow and arrow, but he also has a knife for close range attacks. Karol fights with either a large sword or hammer, and Repede, well, he's a dog, but he's been trained to attack.

[She finishes slicing up a few potatoes and putting them into a bowl for the time being.]

I specialize in healing artes. Though I'm capable of magic and also know how to use a sword.

[That last part being emphasized a bit.]

Oh, it should be done, so take it off the heat and we'll let it cool now.

[neverheardofhim]

You had a dog too? [That brought a smile to his lips, fondly recalling his own animal ally. It'd saved his ass more times than he cared to admit.] Better name than ours, too. Hawke was a smartass, just named him Dog.

[He thought to list his own companions, but he doubted Estelle wanted to be there for an hour. The problem with being in multiple games companies of heroes, he figured.]

I think you would have liked one of my friends. He was a healer too. Damn good one. [He looked down at the food, removing it from heat as he was told and setting it aside once more.] I think you'd like all of them, honestly.

[firstaid]

It sounds like your friends are rather amusing.

[Then again, she just likes people in general. Everyone is unique and has their own traits. It's what makes them so wonderful. Perhaps her years of isolation has made her appreciate others more than she would have otherwise.]