You don't hate a person because someone told you to

[motherfucking_ghost]

WHO: Church aaand anyone who wants to show up!
WHAT: Rifter meeting reboot
WHEN: Noon-ish on the 24th-ish
WHERE: Upper room of the Herald's Rest
NOTES: After this notice went up. People who are not Rifters are welcome to show up--nothing stopping them from dropping in, and he isn't going to cause an incident (probably) by throwing anyone out.
Mingle! Share knowledge! Talk about your trials with your pain lasers!

He's not nervous. He's totally not nervous. This is just like calling a Blue Team meeting, except with a lot more people, and most of them (probably) aren't dumbasses. Araceli believes in him, for some reason, so, obviously, he's got this in the bag. His letter was super professional and everything.

Look, there's even some snacks! People can get drinks downstairs. What does he look like, a bartender?

Comments

[universal_charm]

Kirk and Varrci had not met officially - well, unless you counted exchanging pick up lines through the crystals they used for communicating (and damn wasn't that weird still to him). But whatever had helped them hit it off across the crystals seemed to draw Kirk to him now, raising his own beer in greeting. (Or ale, let's be honest, he was having trouble telling the difference between the drinks here).

"Glad I'm not the only one that decided to show up."

[hugeinorlais]

"What, am I that early?" Varric asked with a short laugh--to his horror, yeah, he sort of was. He winced a bit as he eyed the room and then turned his full attention to the approaching human.

"Well, I guess I am that early," he confirmed and returned Kirk's gesture with his own mug. "Varric Tethras, writer, rogue, and helpful native dwarf, at your service."

[universal_charm]

"That's quite the list," he chuckled and held out his hand to him. "Jim Kirk, Rifter, uh... man of many labors and shipless captain at your service." He gave a depreciating huff, wincing at how truthful that introduction had been for himself. "Oh, also teacher of self-defense. I need to remember to add that one more often."

[hugeinorlais]

"What can I say? I'm a dwarf of many talents," Varric replied with the air of someone who knew just how ridiculous a claim like that sounded and embraced that ridiculousness utterly.

"Pleased to meet you, Captainish Kirk," he added and, so sate his own curiosity, couldn't help but ask. "What sort of defense do you teach? I assume it's not sword and shield or Curly would have you recruited by now. Bow an arrow? Two-handed maul? Lute?"

[universal_charm]

He had to smile at it, hearing the ridiculousness, and appreciating someone who could roll with it. It was a nice change from the severity that seemed to permeate Skyhold.

"Hand-to-hand self defense," he said. "I've actually been teaching Sam, but I suppose if anyone else wanted to learn I wouldn't mind teaching them too." He gave a little shrug and then had to chuckle. "I'm trying to imagine how to defend yourself with a lute and I just keep thinking baseball bat, but it sounds better when you connect."

[hugeinorlais]

"Short-stuff or spirit healer?" Varric asked, almost nonsensically and made a vague gesture at about his shoulder height. This was, coincidentally, the same height as Sam the Hobbit and was something of a novelty for Varric.

"And you would be surprised at how many ways you can eviscerate a man with a lute. Orlesian bards are basically just assassins that match your fancy party decor," Varric explained casually and then gestured in the general area of the downstairs. Maryden was striking up another tune.

"Not that one, though, she is just a musician. Difference between a Bard and a Bard."

He drew his hand back and settled it in his pocket. Just as easily as he'd segued to assassins and Orlais, Varric pulled back to the original topic.

"Hand-to-hand? As in unarmed? That sounds iffy but I won't knock it. Maker knows, if you're out your weapons knowing how to handle yourself can only help."

[universal_charm]

"Oh, the spirit-healer," he said after a minute of working out the difference, realizing that short-stuff meant Samwise.

"I probably would, but I would be just as happy never learning," he laughed a little. "I would much rather the lute make music than take out someone's insides." Because, you know, he really didn't need more things to look over his shoulder for here. Not the he understood the difference between two bards either. Couldn't something here be just as it said?

He was glad enough to change topics too, smirking a bit.

"That's right - bare handed. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish without a weapon," he grinned. "I admit, it doesn't work in all cases, and it's certainly not meant to kill, but it keeps me alive and that's what matters."

[hugeinorlais]

"Yeah, keeping yourself alive is the primary goal," Varric agreed and considered Kirk.

He didn't look as rough and tumble as, say, Rivaini, so he probably wasn't a pirate. By that same token, however, he was a little to easy and relaxed to be a military man, and not quite easy or relaxed enough to be merchant marine. It was truly a conundrum and Varric, despite himself, had always been a curious dwarf. He was usually pretty decent at sizing people up and figuring out their deal but, for some reason, he was having trouble with this guy.

"So, when you're not stranded in the ass end of Thedas, sans ship, teaching mages to defend themselves without weaponry, what do you do for fun?"

[universal_charm]

No, not a pirate, this one, though he had caused plenty of trouble in his younger days. Still did, actually. If his future held true, he would be making more kinds of trouble for the Fleet, though in a good way. Mostly. Some Christmas' he sent a holiday card to the police department in the town he grew up in. He was never sure if they got a laugh or not out of it.

"Play tri-dimensional chess, read, keep myself in shape, and explore new planets," he said casual as you can be. "Lucky for me, that's kind of my job - the last part anyways."