action/video ♪ tfw no bianca

[merchantprince]

Who: Varric and open
Broadcast: Video, and open!
Action: The Huntress crew & visitors.
When: The end of March (after dragon stuff I guess?)

[action;]

[After taking a nice hot shower to wash off a month's worth of dust, Varric is back in business being his nosy self. You bet he's checking the food stores to see how much of the crap he imported is still there, as well as the cargo bay because 1. that's where his desk is and 2. he had a buttload of alcohol there last time he checked.

But really, he's just wandering around so that he can check on his crewmates. He's worried by some of the things he's reading, and he hasn't even set foot on the planet yet.]

[video;]

[Varric eventually settles at his desk and turns on the nearest comm console. Honestly, he looks like nothing's changed. At all. But there is a nervous energy in how his fingers dance along the edge of his makeshift desk, rustling some papers.]

Good evening. Did you all miss me? Don't be shy, we have all night. [Is his chest hair visible? Yes it is.]

I think I'm mostly caught up on what I missed during my exceptionally long beauty nap. [His brown eyes glimmer dangerously in the low light.] Something about peasant uprisings and dragons? Sounds like home.

Comments

action;

[misconceived]

[ Chris almost doesn't notice. He's just moving from one room to the next (without shimmering! gasp!) when he glaces up and sees Varric along the way, then continues to what he's doing—except then he stops, takes half a step back, his head tilting to the side. ]

Doc?

[merchantprince]

[Varric doesn't ignore him, though the lack of shimmering is worth noting. He grins broadly.]

Prickly! Don't look so happy to see me. I might tear up.

[misconceived]

[ He's trying to not shimmer where an accidental broadcast might out him to Piper... ]

When did you wake up?

[ See, he knows Dorian was there but then... what. Yeah, yeah, he's totally happy to see you around, though, Varric. ]

[merchantprince]

[Haha, welp.]

About half an hour ago. I've been making sure the kids didn't get into the alcohol while I was gone. [He might be kidding. Or he might not.]

Good to see you kept the ship in one piece. Maybe you're captain material after all.

[misconceived]

Nah, not the kids.

[ Chris, though... And he can't really speak for Cullen. ]

Hah. Right, maybe. [ He shakes his head. ] Anyway, we've gotten someone new on the ship since you took your little nap.

[merchantprince]

Hah. If you say so.

[Chris is still a kid in Varric's opinion, and Cullen should know better. But since when are templars great at resisting temptation?]

I thought I noticed a new bunk. And here I was just getting used to Ghost.

[misconceived]

[ He is a kid who is a legal adult. Twenties, man.

His comment on Komaeda gets a small laugh. ]

New guy's name is Cullen, and for Ghost... he seemed pretty freaked by the idea of leaving you alone for any period of time at all.

[merchantprince]

You mean he was watching me? [Varric looks absolutely unthrilled with this development.] That's just--

-- Wait. Cullen? Blond, sort of curly hair, wears a skirt?

[misconceived]

Yeah. I got him to leave sometimes, but he seemed pretty intent on the idea of the... buddy system.

[ At this point, he's not even surprised. It seems like Atroma enjoys mashing people who know each other together more than just complete and total strangers in every direction. ] That's him.

[merchantprince]

[... Fucking Ghost. But Cullen, really? He wrinkles his nose.]

He's not a bad guy, but he's a templar. Their whole thing is chaining up mages. [He rubs his nose.] Has he been giving you any trouble?

[misconceived]

[ That gets a change in stance from Chris, from something casual to more like oh really. What is his life? Now he's captaining a witch-hunter? ]

No, not yet. Then again... I haven't really been using my magic lately since... my aunt is here. Except—it's complicated?

[merchantprince]

Don't think I'm sticking up for Cullen. He let Hawke and everyone go, apostates or not. That's worth something.

[Not much, but something. Templars really ought to just not exist but whatever.]

Wait, what? I thought your mom and dad were both finger-wiggling types. Why would you have to hide?

[Chris, what.]

[misconceived]

Worth enough?

[ Finger-wiggling types? Chris actually mouths that half-way before stopping and just giving Varric a look. ]

She doesn't remember, like... anything. It's just... easier to not explain what I am right away.

[ He says it casually, like a matter of course, because it is. He's done this before, hidden himself and who he really is from his family and that's something he's gotten over. Even if it outright sucks to do it again. ]

[merchantprince]

If it's not, I can always shove him out the airlock.

[... Hard to tell if he's kidding. But Chris' expression, his quiet tone, put Varric on edge immediately. He's too calm for this.]

Yeah, okay. What's her name? I'll keep an eye on her and let you know if anything changes.

[misconceived]

Let me know and I'll try pushing him with you.

[ Yeah, that's a joke. Chris is just glad enough Varric is back. Varric is a sensible guy in a fleet of crazies. ]

You don't have to do that. Her name's Piper, though. She's on the Starstruck.

[merchantprince]

Sounds like a great bonding activity to me.

[Oh he missed the joking. His dreams were largely unfun.]

Piper, huh. Still, she's your family. Your family's important to you, and what's important to you is--

[... fuck, he's bad at this.]

-- it affects all of us. Because we're a crew. [That was some desperate recovery there, Varric.]

[misconceived]

Maybe we'll get the whole ship in on it.

[ As obvious as the recovery is, Chris is distracted by the mention of family being important. His family is everything, even if his family is largely falling to pieces around him because one is passively suicidal and the other is amnesic. His life. ]

Yeah. Look, Dad's—it's complicated too, but if he shows up, just let me know, all right?

[merchantprince]

[Varric knows what a mama's boy looks like. He is one.]

Yeah. I will.

You let me know if you need anything, all right?

[misconceived]

Yeah, sure.

[ He shrugs, then motions around the ship. ]

No one's touched your stuff, though. I think we were all worried you'd come back to haunt us if we messed anything up.