Affectionate subtitle: Look at what you made me do! (3678 words)
“There you go,
buttercup. You have a lovely day now!”
Varlen visible
bristled as the old lady waved, and he offered her a tight smile as he backed
away, a pouch of powder clutched tightly in his hand. Senile old woman… Varlen shook his head sharply, scolding himself
for his own harshness. He wasn’t sure why he was so on edge. Okay, maybe it was
because they had finally tracked one of Corypheus’ captains to the area. Maybe
it was because they had a good enough idea of where his stronghold was, but no
real clue on how to breach it. Or maybe
it was because he had told that woman
his name was Varlen, yet she had still insisted on…
“Now now buttercup – keep frowning like that and
your face will get stuck!” Dorian’s rich voice wafted over from Varlen’s right,
and he shot an angry glare across at the mage.
“Do not call me that.”
“As you wish.” His
mouth still curled into a satisfied smirk, Dorian gestured to the pouch.
“What’s in there, pray tell?”
“What? And you’re…
keeping it in some little leather pouch? Just breathing in the stuff can kill
you, you know.”
“It’s fine.” Varlen
said dismissively, tucking it into his belt. “I spent my last few years with my
clan building up an immunity to iocane powder.”
“Half your luck.”
Dorian grumbled, rather unsubtly putting another foot’s distance between
himself and the strolling elven man. Just to be safe. “Where are the others?”
“Who? Bull and
Varric?” Varlen asked, and when Dorian nodded, he frowned. “I’m… not sure. They
said they’d meet us by the cliff at sundown though. Should we just head there?”
“Of course. But we
have a moment’s time. Perhaps we should… steel our nerves for the coming battle
while we can? Say, with a bottle of the most expensive wine available at the
tavern over there?”
Varlen laughed, his
eyes warm as they met Dorian’s. “You are wonderful.”
“Thank you; I’ve worked hard to become so.”
“I don’t suppose you
can speed things up?” Dorian drawled as Bull grunted somewhere up ahead, his
hulking form like a giant black shadow rising from the earth. They had located
the stronghold that contained the man they believed they sought. A former
Templar so corrupted by red lyrium that he had grown an extra finger on his
right hand. They knew not his name – everyone simply referred to him as the Six-Fingered
Man.
“If you’re in such a
hurry, you could push, or find something useful to do.” Bull grunted, sweating
as he heaved a heavy wooden cart up the hill. “It would also… be easier… if you would all… get out.”
Yes. They were all
sitting in the cart, being towed up the steep incline by their large companion.
Rather comfortably, really. No, they had no intention of getting out.
“Doing well, big-guy!”
Varlen encouraged cheerily, and Bull shook his head, not dignifying it with a
response. Beside the elven man, Varric sighed, leaning back slightly, his blue
eyes drinking in the darkened countryside as it awkwardly lurched past in time
with Bull’s steps.
“You know what the
best thing is about all of our little adventures? Endlessinspiration.”
Varric declared to no one in particular, his deep voice lilting almost
wistfully. “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases,
escapes, true love, miracles… they all make for good romance serials. Ones
those Orlesians just lap up.”
“Wonderful. I’ll try
to stay awake through your next one.” Dorian chimed snidely, and Varric shot
him a stung look.
“Oh, well, thank you
very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming,
Sparkler.”
Lavellan obtains some of her own spies. She has them send her information on Solas’s plans and monitor where he is placing agents, find new research materials for her regarding the veil, and above all else, repeatedly slip tea bags into Solas’s drinks.
“He really loves tea, just do it.”
She manages to start a nationwide rumor that his favorite thing is tea, so all of his new elf followers start bringing him tea out of no where to gain his favor and he doesn’t know why and cannot make it stop.
The next day: all of the frilly cakes in Val Royeaux are bought, and the bakers are specifically bribed by Agents of Fen’Harel to not sell any to Lavellan.
Soon the two factions are in total warfare, armed with frilly cakes and tea.
So, I really like my mutuals’ awesome Lavellans ( @chaitea09, @capt-spangles, @courtneysupertramp, @thereluctantinquisitor, @speedsteer, looking at you all here 🙂 ) and I like the idea of a wonderful AU where they all coexist in the same Clan. I’ve had a playlist for musing about this Clan Lavellan knocking about in my phone, for how Traesa felt growing up with all of them, and I decided to throw it up on 8tracks, if anyone’s interested. n_n
Think About It – American Authors | Daylight – Matt & Kim | Mountain Sound – Of Monsters and Men | Renegades – X Ambassadors | Vagabonds – Gritzfolk | No Better – Lorde | The Show Goes On – Lupe Fiasco | Team – Lorde
Oh, this is amazing! I’ll need to pull up the lyrics for these later, but they sound awesome. Are the songs associated with certain Lavellans, or no? Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks!! I’m happy you like it! n_n I tried to make it so that the songs mostly encompassed the whole Clan, although I do always think of specific people when I listen the lyrics of ‘The Show Goes On’. n_n
Okay I am so inspired to make a playlist for this as well. We will collaborate our good taste in music and love for all our Lavellans
Please do!!! Omggg, I would so want to listen!! n_n! I seriously love music, so I am always like 100% ready for awesome playlists. :DD
Oh my gosh!!! This was absolutely wonderful! I am SO HERE for our happy little (big? lol) Lavellan clan! Now you’ve got me wanting to do one too… but I don’t know, this one feels so perfect to me already! I love your playlists T-T
Delicious Fish 