[closed] diamonds are a girl's best friend

[eolasemah]

WHO: Sina, Adelaide, and Varric
WHAT: so about that book you wrote
WHEN: early Solace
WHERE: Varric's lil table by the hearth
NOTES: This might get super gruesome, I have no idea.

It is a typical day in Skyhold, pleasant and summery and with golden light streaming in the windows of Skyhold's great hall. There is no reason for concern, just two harmless mages strolling in to approach Varric at his usual haunt, the smaller mage a sickly-looking elf with a green anchor shard embedded in her chest. She is holding a thick tome, The Tale of the Champion, written by none other than Varric Tethras. She has read it from cover to cover, and has many questions.
But having only encountered the dwarf once or twice, Sina isn't quite sure how to approach him with the very specific question she and Adelaide have come to ask. She looks expectantly up at the human woman, the book clutched to her chest and rimlit by the green glow behind it.

Comments

[hugeinorlais]

Varric has become, in his months at Skyhold, fairly used to the idea that fans of his writing will approach him at any given hour. Sometimes they ambush him at breakfast, sometimes they catch him in the tavern, but a good number of them always seem to slide up beside his table while he's working. It's almost become part of his routine.

So, naturally, when he spies the book that Dalish elf is holding, he instantly jumps to the most likely conclusion.

"Ladies," Varric greets and shoots Adelaide a charming smile as he leans back in his chair, away from his correspondence. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He'd bet twenty sovereigns that the answer to that question was: she wants an autograph, but he has enough tact not to just say it.

[fleurdesel]

"A few questions regarding the extent of the abilities of one of your friends, Varric." Desperate times, desperate measures- and even asking about it is not so certain a thing. Adelaide rests a light hand on Sina's shoulder, glancing at her before looking back to Varric. "Fenris. What he can do with the lyrium in his skin- is that truth or exaggeration?"

[eolasemah]

Sina smiles at Varric, albeit a little uncomfortably-- he looks a little too pleased to see them, or at least... like he's trying to seem pleased. She's not sure what to make of it.
She holds her silence for now, giving Adelaide a cursory glance when the woman rests a hand on her shoulder.

[hugeinorlais]

There's a moment where Varric's whole brain seems to judder to a halt and restart itself. He'd maintained a subtle hold on his pen, but he lets it go as he turns in his chair to better face them.

"You want to know about Broody's tattoos?" Varric asked, a slight note of incredulity in his voice.

He'd never lost a bet to himself before. It was a novel experience.

He folds his arms across his chest as he quietly recalls what he'd written in the Tale of the Champion.

"It's been a while since I've read through a print copy of that one, but I don't think I embellished too much when it came to Fenris. Well, not with regards to his tattoos, at least."

Automatically, Varric started to ask them if they'd tried asking Fenris but, before he got into the first word of that question, he realized: no. No, they had not, and that was probably a good thing.

"So--why do you want to know? You two have a thing for brooding, glow-y, Tevinter elves? Or maybe you want someone dead? I'd say there are easier ways to manage that, but Broody is one of the quickest routes if that's the endgame."

[fleurdesel]

"About what he is able to do with them, yes." Probably not the expected request but- it is what it is.

"Is it possible for him to use them without killing someone?" It is, at best, a long shot. Clarifying the supposed skill comes first- asking a favor of a stranger comes second.

If they decide such a thing becomes necessary- and at this point? It may very well. Lips pressed thin as, again, her eyes flick to Sina. She cannot manage this on her own, no one knows anything aside from 'wait and see what comes of it' and Sina may not have as much time as the rest of the shardbearers. "Is it always 'tearing out hearts' or can i be more precise than that, in what you have seen?"

[hugeinorlais]

"Broody has never had a problem with precision, as far as I've seen, but I'm not sure..." Varric says.

It's a challenge to envision Fenris using his tattoos and not killing someone. In the end, the closest Varric can get to the idea is imagining Fenris with his arm stuck through a magister, demanding information before he rips something out of him.

"You want to know if he can use them and...not kill the person he's ripping stuff out of, right?"

That sounds almost medical...or torture related. Adelaide didn't seem like the kind to condone torture. They could want to rob a vault or something, that's possible, but Varric is uncertain if Fenris can manage that, either.

"You know, I actually have no idea." He shrugs, his voice a bit apologetic, and takes a moment to look between the two women. Broody had feelings about Mages, and a distinctly aggressive lack of feelings about the Dalish; suggesting they ask him, themselves, is risky business.

"I could find out, if you like?" He offers, after a pause.

[eolasemah]

Sina stands silent with folded hands for most of this, watching the other two as they speak and looking more and more grey and frightened as the conversation progresses. But it was half her idea, she's not going to pretend to be a victim of it. Even something so fearsome may be the key to extending her life.
"Serannas," she chimes in for the first time, her voice small and weary but certain. "...it would mean everything, if you could." She dips her head, lowering the book to reveal more of the shard. Despite the circumstances, she maintains a pleasant expression, ever grateful for the kindness of Skyhold's denizens. They have yet to show her otherwise.

[fleurdesel]

"We would be most grateful, Varric. Others with the shards, it is an arm a hand." As Sina shows the situation for her is much more dire. Not having an answer, not having a means to treat this? Hounds Adelaide more than she can properly express. Otherwise she'd never ask such a thing.

Especially considering the inherent risks. Weapons are not often turned to treatment. One does not cure a cold with a warhammer.

"I do not think- from what you wrote, he would much care to hear it from me." She has never met the elf though she has seen him. A well warranted wariness of mages cannot be gotten around simply because she means well.

[hugeinorlais]

Varric glanced at the book in Sina's hands and then back at Adelaide. Her hesitation was appropriate, if nothing else, but Fenris was only mostly an asshole. (Like most of Hawke's friends, really.) He'd help out if it was the right thing to do, and Varric was fairly confident he could convince him to...try, assuming it was even possible.

But this was all getting really heavy and heartfelt, wasn't it?

"Oh I don't know, Broody usually prefers beautiful women to mouthy dwarves." Varric asked with a lot of overblown cajoling in his tone. "Well don't worry, I've been harassing Fenris for years. If anyone can bring up his tattoos in casual conversation and still get a favor out of him, it's me."