video ♪ well fuck this

[merchantprince]

Who: Varric
Broadcast: Open a/v on the network.
Action: Anyone on the Marsiva, since he hasn't been shuffled yet.
When: Dec 29th, or so.

[video;]

[The feed, quite frankly, is crap. The communicator's been bumped on midsentence and appears to be capturing video of an empty bunk.]

—e's ass! Where is Bianca?

[There is some mad shuffling offscreen. A door opens, then closes. The shuffling returns, and this time, there is... chest hair? Chest hair. Sorry. He picks up the communicator, examing it and turning it in his hands, and then finally looking straight into the camera.]

I may be the most desirable dwarf in all of Kirkwall, but that doesn't give anyone free pass to kidnap me twice in a row. Come out of hiding, hand over the crossbow, and maybe I'll feel generous enough not to shoot someone in the face on the way out. Maybe.

[His brows knit together. He leans back and rubs at his temple.]

Maker's breath... my head feels like it's full of cotton. Cotton and shit I've never seen before.

Comments

[catamite]

Oh, right... where are you from? [oh but waiting for an answer is for losers. he's too excited to actually slow down for proper conversational pauses.] There used to be tons of dwarves, like... a way long time ago. Before a bunch of the gods died and all that.

And yeah, griffons, right? I swear I saw a griffon in the middle of the Andolies once, but nobody believes me.

[merchantprince]

Kirkwall. Well, Thedas. That's the world. [This kid.] The elves on Thedas talk about their gods dying too, I think. What is it with gods and dying? A living god would sure as hell be more useful.

I haven't seen one personally, but I heard a rumor about a nest no one will ever find.

[catamite]

Maybe the nest is in the Andolies. [--cue a stupid laugh at a stupid joke that only he will understand.]

And wow, so... you're from somewhere totally different? And there are dwarves there? And elves? ...What about humans?

[merchantprince]

[He's not even going to touch that one.]

I am. I mean, I assume I am, since half the things you say don't make sense, and we're all prisoners on a fleet of huge ships sailing through the night sky. I think the likelihood of everyone being from the same place is pretty low.

[He shrugs.]

But yeah, we have elves and dwarves a-plenty. Humans rule pretty much everything above ground, though. They're not bad... mostly. [He frowns.] Elves really don't have the best lot in Thedas. If you go to Tevinter and you don't have magic, you're a slave. If you're an elf in a human city, you live in the alienage. There are the Dalish, but they don't have a city, just a bunch of forests they wander through. It's... it's not good.

[catamite]

[he only absorbs about half of that, fidgeting with his lip-ring while he thinks. enough of it is familiar to be kind of spooky, honestly.]

Sounds kind of like home.

[annnd then another thought makes him laugh kind of suddenly.]

--Ha, wouldn't it be funny if, like... it was the same world, but you were just from the past?

[yes. hilarious.]

[merchantprince]

... Not sure "funny" is the term I'd use. [He shakes his head.] I'm sorry we even have that much in common, kid.

You deserve better.

[catamite]

[he almost visibly shies away from the sincerity there. he glances away, straightens up away from the camera, keeps up a nice sunny smile.]

Oh, it's not that bad.

There's a lot of people worse-off, so... [and he just shrugs]

[merchantprince]

Yeah, and those people aren't right here, so who gives a damn.

[But he can tell that the elf doesn't really know what to do with that kind of honesty-- he's seen it before-- so he lays off.]

Sorry, you just-- remind me of someone I know.

What's your name, kid? I'm not calling you 'elf'; that nickname is taken.

[catamite]

It's okay. [said so superficial, just perfectly brushing the whole topic off like it never happened.]

Oh, and I'm Nel! It's so nice to meet you.

[merchantprince]

[That's not a good habit, kid. Then again, VARRIC DOES THE SAME SHIT.]

Varric Tethras. [He smiles, and the edges of his eyes crinkle.] Look, I don't know if you drink-- you look old enough, I guess-- but if we're both in a place where there's an actual place to eat, I don't mind spinning a couple yarns.

[catamite]

[Nel is the prince of bad habits, you know.]

I drink! [said in that enthusiastic, 'oh if you only knew,' kind of way.]

And you're, like... a weaver?

[merchantprince]

[What a great pair of sinners they are.]

Good. I think. I mean, good for this anyway.

[He laughs at that, though.] It's an old way of saying I tell stories. I only wish I could sew worth a damn. Repairs cost an arm and a leg after a night on the town.

[catamite]

Ohhh...

[he gets it now. maybe.]

So, yeah! Okay. We should totally get a drink together, yeah.

[merchantprince]

[It's okay, young crack elf. The day is young, and Varric is infinitely tolerant of children. Well. Mostly.]

We should. As soon as I can find a way off this damned ship, I'll let you know.

[catamite]

Ohh, you're still on that big one, huh?

What's it like there?

[merchantprince]

Yep, the big one. It's... cozy, in that hospital bed way. There's machines-- I think they're for running? And the food sucks.

Also, the place is deserted.

[catamite]

Oh... the food is bad?

[that is absolutely what he is the most disappointed about, here.]

...I thought it would be better there.

[merchantprince]

I'm not sure I can call it real food. I'm used to stew that's been cooking all day, questionable fried meat, watered down ale... That kind of thing.

You've never been to the big ship, then?

[catamite]

[the wistful sigh means that he would LOVE any of those things the dwarf just listed. they sound heavenly compared to what he's had in space.]

...Yeah, I guess I got here too early to ever see it.

I thought it would be fancy and better than the little crappy ships. Like... maybe we could all try to figure out a way to get back onto it or something.

[merchantprince]

[Poor kid.]

I guess so.

There's probably a way to get real food, even if it means going on the... stations or planets and just buying up everything in sight. But this? Nothing I'd jump ship for.

[catamite]

Well... I guess there's meat now, at least!

[perking up a little!]

It's just big-bird meat, but at least it's something.

[merchantprince]

That sounds like an improvement. Giant birds? No problem. More chicken for everyone.

[catamite]

It's pretty good when they cook it right. I just miss... other food.

[and he kind of... leans, like he might be able to magically see around the dwarf and get a look at the whole station]

What about the beds? What are they like?

[merchantprince]

You'll get some, eventually.

[He adjusts his gloves.]

Cots. Nothing to write home about.

[catamite]

...Small cots or big cots?

[because, oh, he would be so excited for even a big cot.]