It is a cool summer morning- although not for long- for the sun has yet to rise and take its seat in the sky. The time is five and the sun won't make its climb for another hour. The village is still, save for a few drunks making their way home from the tavern and the farmers making their way to their fields. The first few rays of light blaze the tree tops and the cool blues that their shadows cast over the town give it a sleepy look.

The crows are beginning to bicker on the rooftops- they're nasty beasts with five eyes and saw toothed beaks- with a penchant for kidnapping the occasional goat. Below them people begin to stir in their beds and ready themselves for another thursday.



It was five in the morning- the closing hour of her grand and beloved establishment. So beloved, in fact, that there were some straggling patrons that needed a good boot to the ass to convince them to get on their merry ways back home. It was while helping the last of these fellows that she overheard talk of the "Blooming". Was it really that time of year already? Tired as she was- Marion Dawnleaf was suddenly itching to tell a story.

Nanda, a sassy village girl who'd come to work for her simply to save up enough coin to get out of Vale, was in her line of sight when the temptation seized her. They met eyes and the barmaid knew what she was in for.

"Nanda, doll- I almost forgot that the Blooming season is almost upon us."

"Well yeah- it being spring end and all." came the dodgy reply, she averted her eyes and took a fascination in wiping down an ale soaked table.

"You know of the Ascythenia legend, right?" Her eyes took on that sparkle that signaled an opening to a rehearsed story.

"Pfft of course I do. Everyone in Vale knows that old wives tale." Said the girl, hoping this would save her. She was so godsdamned tired and really needed a bed.

"It all began-"

"Marion I should really-"

"It all began-" she repeated as she kicked a stool sharply at her barmaids knees, which made the girl cry out and begrudgingly take a seat lest she get assaulted some more. Triumphant, the bard settled into her art- her voice now took on a dreamy tone- as if she were recalling a cherished memory.

"-long ago in this very forest, when it was nothing but a cluster of sapplings. A great white stag reigned as the forests guardian- at his footsteps sprung flowers and vines. His charges- two young men- followed him wherever he went. They were the sons of the grand king Tolemus- who coveted knowledge and would only crown the son who returned with the most complete knowledge of the land.

Now- what could these princes learn from following a forest guardian that would help them rule armies and conquer lands? Surely they would do more burning of forests than the building of them. The eldest brother, Natas, believed that the stag would speak to them and tell them secrets- nature magic that would vanquish their enemies. Parius, the younger, was sure that the stag would want something in return for its knowledge.

But the stag never spoke. On it walked and on they followed. They followed for years, in fact, and soon lost patience. "I have learned nothing of this creature!" cried Natas one day. "He  simply walks about and grows grass!" So keen was his rage that he tore at a nearby flower, ripping it from its roots and tearing it apart between his hands. At once the stag turned his great head- eyes as clear and bright as sunlight- and he spoke thus "The mortal dares murder my children. For this heinous act I curse your seed who claim this land their home. They will hide from the sunlight- for your act will shame them so."

At this the Stag turned his gaze upon Parius- "I will bestow only half of my gift upon you- for you have remained patient while creation has taken root. But you turned an eye upon its destruction. Your seed who claim this land their home will be bound to one another by the flower that your brother savaged. It will bloom between only two kin souls- however if it wilts or harm comes to the flower- they will die." Thus spoke the stag."

Nanda had never heard the story told in such a way,

"Wait-what- they die? My apa always said that they never find happiness or whatever."

Marion smiled, brushing a lock of loose auburn hair from her eyes,

"Nanda darling- what he told you was the bedtime story version. What I tell is genuine." She sighed, pursing her lips as she gave her drinking hall one last glance. The bard rolled her shoulders before stretching out her arms to yawn,

"And now you know where the Ascythenia and ghouls come from."

"Joy. Can I go home now?"



Farrest had long been awake. He preferred to start his days before the sun did- it gave him a chance to gather his thoughts and run through plans for the rest of the day. Being the busy fellow that he was, it really didn't hurt to get an early start on things either. This morning he walked alone- a rare sight given that Dagny was usually in his company- but the wolfdog had given birth the night before and she was fiercely protecting her babies. As much of an asset that Dagny was to his patrols- he didnt dare dream of coming between a mother and her young. He'd learned this while watching Marianne raise their son- as a baby no one was allowed to touch Aldric. Everything was a threat. If he cried because he'd scraped his knee- she'd cry and then curse at the ground for hurting him. That always got the lad giggling.

He was jarred from his thoughts when he saw that someone was waiting for him at his destination. Like a great looming bear- a shadow filled the doorway of the mayors house. The giants face came into view when he stepped down and met the ranger halfway, at the entrance. Gareth Hart was a mountain of a man. Truly, he must have been a descendant of giants. His shoulders were twice as broad as any other grown man that Farrest knew. And, despite having a middle softened by retirement, the ranger could clearly see how the man had instilled fear in his enemies during his glory years.

"Farrest!" He boomed, shaking his old friends hand while simultaneously clapping him on the back with the other. It was like being hit with stone. Farrest smiled through the pain- tried to convert it into love for his friend.

"Morning, Gareth- trouble with the garden?"

At the mention of the mans favorite past time the smile vanished off of his ruddy face. This had been the whole reason for the visit- the mayor had a problem that only a ranger like Farrest Eleros could fix.

"I'm afraid so- but before we address that- where's your pup?"

Farrest, out of habit, glanced down at his left knee where Dagny's wise eyes often peered up at him from. He smiled back up at his large and in charge friend,

"She isn't quite a pup anymore, she's Aldrics age."

The Mayor chuckled and jokingly said,

"Then I guess Aldric isn't much of a pup himself hm?"

"Ah, I guess not." Replied the ranger, smiling. His son had proved himself to be grown many times in the past- this was not his concern. But it suddenly struck him just how much like himself he was like. Aldric was the ideal ranger- who had the drive to learn and the fortitude to put in the work to make up for his faults. But Farrest had lived his whole life in Vale. Yes its forests were vast and beautiful and contained wonders that couldn't be seen anywhere else in the world. But there were worlds out there that couldn't possibly be found here in the Angar. He didn't want his son to be path blinded by the trees. He wanted him to know of the outside as well.

A rustle in the sunflowers brought their attention back to the garden. Was that fear he saw in Gareths eyes?

"Its been eating them." Informed the mayor, almost frantic.

"Whats been eating what?" Asked the Ranger with growing alarm. Maybe this morning job was much more serious than he expected.

"Have I ever told you that you smell like dog water?"

"What?" asked Farrest, but the Mayor was shaking his head.

"That wasn't me, goodman."

Another rustle and it poked its head out from between the stalks of sunflowers. It chewed as it spoke in the mayors voice,

"I can't stand that Farrest. Such a quiet fellow, goodman." It mocked.

The deer was a vibrant yellow like the sunflowers it was gorging itself on. He should've known. And now he knew why the mayor was so adamant about having this nuisance dealt with- it could easily confuse the villagefolk and ruin his name- at worst of course. These creatures rarely if ever attacked anyone.

"Please Farrest- you must send it back into the forest. I could barely sleep with it feeding on my garden all night."

The ranger unhitched the lassoe at his belt,

"No need to worry. I'll get this straightened out before sunrise."

Guinevere’s chocolate brown eyes slowly flickered open as rays of sunlight touched her face. Morning had finally come. Yawning, she rose from bed and rubbed her tired eyes. Yesterday had been quite a long day, her back still ached from the long hours of punishment for ‘accidentally’ letting all the chickens go running wild throughout town. It wasn’t her fault she had fell on the chicken gate while dueling an opponent. Warriors went with the flow, even if the flow meant chickens everywhere by your feet. Apparently the town didn’t appreciate Guinevere’s ‘go by the flow’ attitude. Well, they’d certainly have to get used to it someday. She smirked in amusement.

Sifting through her clothes, it was only mere moments before she picked out her outfit for the day. Constantly sword fighting, Guinevere spent most of the time in her armor and had very few casual clothing. If it was her choice, she’d wear her armor everywhere, but that would come with constant looks of disapproval from the town. She shrugged her shoulders and threw on a simple blue and brown dress and slipped into brown boats. It wasn’t anything too formal, for corsets were where she drawled the line. Guinevere could never understand why girls practically choked themselves to look presentable. Rolling her eyes, she left her bedroom for a delicious, fulfilling breakfast, not even trying to comb her hair. Curly like it was, it didn’t even require the effort. Plus, Guinevere didn’t like to spend much time on herself. It was such a waste of time and energy.

A mouthwatering scent filled Guinevere’s nose as she squatted at the family table. Yumm! It wasn’t long before Guinevere’s mother placed fresh, warm eggs on her plate as well as poured her a glass of water. One bite sent her taste buds dancing and begging for more. As her mother took a seat beside her, Guinevere wondered where her father, the town’s mayor, was at.

“Mother, where’s father this morning? Is something wrong?” She asked her mother, slightly concerned. There was probably nothing wrong, but it was always best to be prepared.

“He’s outside speaking with the ranger. Don’t both-,” Her mother started but couldn’t finish for Guinevere had already bolted outside. What was so important that her father and the ranger had to speak before breakfast? She had to know! Like her mother said, the ranger and her father were conversing just outside the house. A slight smile curled on Guinevere’s lips as she saw her gigantic father tower over the ranger. No he wasn’t obese, but just extremely muscular. It was something she loved about her father, how strong and yet still agile he was. Guinevere pecked a kiss on her father’s cheek as she walked up beside them.

“Good morning father and Farrest, how are you? What brings you here so early in the morning?” She asked curiously. It was then she noticed the ranger had unfasted his lassoes. She raised her eyebrow and glanced around, catching sight of something extraordinary. A deer, at least she thought it was a deer, the color of a bright yellow, was devouring on some sunflowers. Guinevere gasped and went to pull out her sword but remembered it was inside along with her armor.

“Father… What is that?” She wanted to take a step closer but waited for her father to explain.

Varric rubbed sleep from his tired eyes as he slogged out of bed. He yawned impressively, before standing up and approaching the mirror.

He looked himself over, before smirking and singing a short song. The song itself was some ancient thing by the elves about change and accepting it, and Varric's incredible voice carried it through the tavern and out the window.

While this may have had a positive affect on whoever was listening, more importantly, it activated Varric's magic. Flower petals whipped about him, altering his appearance. His chest flattened, and his face became slightly less feminine.

He smiled at his appearance now, before getting dressed.

He'd had such an amazing time last night. After he had subtly tripped Guinevere with a small vine using his magic(AND SHE HAD ACCIDENTALLY BUSTED THE CHICKEN COOP! Varric was so proud!), he had decided to go on a bit of a prank spree. The chaos he'd spread through the town was incredible, and he looked forward to seeing it as he went about his day.

Seriously, he had started on a high note with the chicken coop, then went on to relabel all of the baker's measuring implements, and had used illusion magic to make the blacksmith's hammer invisible! And that was just the small stuff.

He grinned, remembering it all. He couldn't wait to skip town and just see where the road went, but in the mean time, he had some pretty nice adventures here.

Varric went about his morning routine, washing and making himself presentable. He wore a fanciful green garb with a feather cap, and strapped his Lute to his back. He looked at himself in the mirror, and grinned.

Yep, it was the start to a great day, and there was no way karma would effect him. All he had to do was turn around and leave his room.

He did the former, then looked at his bed. He blinked once, twice, then let out a noise somewhere between a groan and a curse.

Sitting on his pillow, was a flower yet to bloom.

Varric panicked. If that was what he thought it was, his life could be ruined. He picked up the flower, and felt something stir in his soul.

Dammit.

In a week, it would bloom, and Varric would be tied to someone.

He gritted his teeth, fighting back tears. He had been planning his leaving for adventure for years now. It was all he'd wanted. He wanted to do great deeds and save maidens and slay dragons and take a string of lovers and make his mark on history. Like his mom.

He looked up to her. His early years involved a lot of riding in a little baby carrier on her back as she adventured. He witnessed her doing incredible things, and knew early on that was what he wanted to do. Whenever her companions talked to him, they asked if he would follow in his mom's foot steps. He always responded with a resounding YES.

Now...That could all be over.

He tucked the flower into a pocket inside his jacket. He had to talk to Guinevere about this, see what she thought. He went downstairs.

His mother had just finished regailing a bar maid with a tale. Varric smiled as he saw his mother. If there was ever the right parent for Varric, it was her. Most people would try to tame Varric's wildness. Marion nurtured it. Even when she "forbid" him from adventuring, Varric for the feeling she was just trying to get him to rebel.

"Varric! Good morning. I was just regailing Nanda with the tale of the flowers!"

Varric blinked.

"Ah, the great gift, and yet punishment as well, inflicted by the great Stag on the Prince Parius, for witnessing his brother's careless destruction of the Stag's flowers," Varric said dramatically, "Many a maiden awaits this gift, the flower that binds two souls forever. Mostly, they're hoping I get the matching flower, no doubt. And yet, some dread it's coming, waking up to find the unbloomed bud and wishing to curse the heavens for it!"

Marion looked at Varric strangely.

"But surely any buds of this kind would be for the best. After all, flowers, like adventures, meals and beds, are best when shared," Marion said with a smile, "And should any issues come up with my son's 'blooming', I'd hope he could talk to me."

Varric smiled, "But you know us youths. We think we know everything."

And with that, he left.

He made his way through the town in the early morning. He saw one of his pranks come to fruition before his eyes, as the cabbage salesman pushed his cart and one of the sides of the cart fell off, spilling cabbages everywhere.

"My cabbages!" The salesman cried.

Varric eventually made his way toward the Mayor's house. He saw a strange sight as he arrived. He heard the deer insulting the Ranger in the Mayor's voice, and couldn't help but chuckle.

He just HAD to figure out how to do that himself some time.

He raised his hand as he approached, grinning. He then unslung his Lute from his back, and called out to the Ranger.

"Need any help, fair Farrest? Surely a man of your wild beauty would not mind a bit of help from one who can wield the wilds that you know so well?"

He, in truth, wanted to show off to the Mayor a bit. Varric was a known trouble maker, and the Mayor's daughter Guinevere was his closest friend. It was best to show that he could be useful.

"And fair Guinevere, the radiant sun of my soul! After we rangle this slanderous sunflower scourge, there is a matter I must discuss with a lady of your acumen!"

Aldric was patrolling the perimeter of the village, the cool breeze rustling the trees and his hair, the light from the midday sun was beaming down from the holes in the forest canopy. His hood was down, mainly because there was no need for it but also because it was rather stifling sometimes. Aldric walked the beaten path around the village, one he'd walked thousands of times before. His eyes examining just inside the treeline for anything peculiar.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement, a dark shape rushing out of the bushes. Aldric didn't quite see what it was, regardless he pulled up his hood and drew his bow, slinking across the ground to where the shape was. He checked the ground for tracks, finally finding what he was looking for.

Alric followed the tracks for some time, maybe an hour before he came to the end of the trail. What he saw took Aldric's breath away, a stunning field of flowers, animals of all kinds, lions, bears, boars, birds of all kinds and in the middle of them all a great white stag. It seemed like all of the animals gathered were bowing to the stag. Aldric saw what he was tracking just ahead of him, a big gray wolf was trotting towards the rest of the gathering.

Aldric was content to watch and see what was going on, shifting a bit to *Snap!* He cursed in his head as the sound of a twig breaking under his foot resounded through the clearing. Everything turned to face him, the wolf he followed being the closest. The white stag looked directly at the young man, he could feel the creature staring straight into his soul. Images flashed through his mind and he could hear the sound of Wolves howling. Aldric collapsed to his knees, clutching his head, staring up at the wolf as it bared it's fangs before pouncing on him.

He felt no pain, only some form of ripping sensation as his throat is torn to pieces. Aldric stared at the flowers surrounding him, admiring their beauty as his vision faded to nothing........
-------------------------------

Aldric woke in a cold sweat, his hand reaching to his throat as he recalled the past few minutes. "Just a dream." He thought, panting as he glanced around the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. The door on the western side of the room opposite his bed and the window just above it. A small table housed his bow and quiver with his longsword hanging off the chair by it's baldric.

He looked out the window, the sun almost cresting over the horizon but not quite. Aldric got up, pulling on his boots and finding a plain, white shirt to cover his bare chest. This early in the morning his father was sure to be up, likely starting a patrol or something. He put the baldric on, his sword hanging at his left hip, his hand lingered on the engraved pommel, the shape of a howling wolf. It was specially made for him, his personal symbol. His weathered, green cloak was hanging from a nail in the wall, he slung that around clipping the clasp of his brooch, which also was a wolf, shut. Next he slug his quiver over his back, his bow joining it.

Finally Aldric went to get his belt pouch which was over by his window, as he reached for it something caught his eye. A small bud was growing from the corner of his window, small and green and on a long, curling vine. Aldric had no idea what it was nor where it came from. Actually it was rather quite vexing as Aldric had spent years familiarizing himself with every plant that grew in the vale. The best thing he could think to do was leave it it for the time being, he'd ask his father about it later for sure.

Thinking of his father spurred Aldric to hurry and get started. He passed through the common room where Dagny was lying with her pups. He dearly loved his father's hound, such a stout and faithful companion. Hopefully one of her pups would prove to be such a companion for himself. Aldric took a quick peek into his parent's bedroom, confirming his mother was asleep and his father absent. His stomach growling Aldric took a quick detour through the kitchen, taking a loaf of bread and biting into it as he passed through the front door into the cool morning air.

His first effort would be to locate his father, see if the elder Eleros had any special designs for his son today. He also had to ask about the flower, it's small green image kept creeping into the young hunter's mind. He would first check town hall, that would be a fair bet and from there he can search the rest of the town in an hour or two. So he started towards the center of town, whistling a signal that his father would surely know if he heard it.

Alixanna had just finished braiding her hair when she first laid eyes on the flower bud. It sprung forth, unhindered by the floorboards, it's still closed bud a vibrant green and shining in the early morning sunlight. It was exactly like all of the fairy tails the brunette had ever heard whispered before bedtime. It was awful.

"Nope," Alixanna muttered to herself, stalking over to her desk. The girl snatched a pail of freshly harvested ginger root and dumped its contents, not flinching as multiple stems rolled onto the floor. Alixanna advanced on the unassuming blossom and placed the bucket over it, effectively concealing it's presence.
"Better," the girl hummed appreciatively as she admired her handy work. With any luck, her mother wouldn't even notice it.

After she washed her face and tied an apron on over her simple blue dress, Alixanna trudged into the kitchen where her mother was already waiting for her. "Hello my dear," Elora greeted her daughter with a hug. Almost instantly the older woman recoiled and frowned. "You're not wearing a corset."

"Excellent observation," Alixanna replied with a grin, grabbing an apple and taking a seat at the table. Elora crossed her arms and pursed her lips, clearly not amused. "Don't worry mum, I'm decent," the teen answered, the corners of her mouth twitching up to grin wider.

"Fine," Elora huffed, reaching a hand out to tuck a wayward lock of hair behind Alixanna's ear. "I've set up a meeting for you and the duke's son next week," the older woman spoke hurriedly, excitement glittering in her green eyes.

Alixanna took a bite of her apple and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "You mean Finnley?" she clarified, her mother nodding viciously before the question had even finished leaving her mouth. "Really? I heard he's got a third nipple."

"It's just a mole!" Elora shrieked, throwing her hands up in exasperation and scowling. "And with all the land his family has, it wouldn't matter if the boy had fifteen extra teats," the woman finished with a grumble.

"Gross," Alixanna said, but there was only humor in her voice. The youth finished her apple and disposed of it properly, before rounding the table again to give her mother a parting hug. "As charming as I think body anomiles are, I'm going to have to pass," the teen informed, causing her mother to groan and bury her face in her hands. "Has Farrest brought us the yarrow from the meadow yet?"

"No, there's some kind of camotion in the mayor's garden. Mrs. Caperthon said something about a yellow deer," Elora said, waving a perfectly manicured hand as if to dismiss the whole situatioin entirley. "She also said the mayor accused Farrest of smelling gods-awful or something like that, but honestly, the woman is eighty three. She told me yesterday that she was growing a potato in her navel."

"Mmm," Alixanna answered, tieing off the laces on her worn out leather boots. "I wouldn't doubt it, Da and I found an acorn in there last time."

Elora looked properly appauled at this new information.

"Alright, I better go get that yarrow. Da needs it for a new salve he's been working on. Bye mum!" Alixanna said, and with a wave farewell, bounded down the stairs and out the front door.

In the early recesses of the morning, a male figure was hard at work as he went about creating marvelous items from the ores the earth bore to the family. Weapons were neatly hanged in order to display the craftsmanship of the duo. The boy continuously hit at the bright metal at specific angles and places to form the item into what would be a newborn blade for a wandering adventurer to buy. As went to work, he stay attentive of not only the blade, but for any potential customers who decided to buy a weapon this early in the morning... then again, very seldom did he see a speck of life other than the occasional animal. As he finished melding the sword, he proceeded to cool it down before taking a look at the eloquently crafted blade.

"Hmm, not bad I would have to say. The blade is sharp as always with the point easily being able to rend flesh... brr, a rather ghastly thought but alas it is the truth, a sad one too at it..."

"Anyways, I need to deliver some weapons to a few people and Academymen today. I have a list of them who wished for me to deliver, however, others may appear to receive their weapons while I'm gone... Hopefully mother doesn't worry over me wandering off on some wondrous journey... not like that will happen with a grip stronger than steel"

With a placid sigh, he went inside the clean house which was kept well despite the sharp tools all around. Scanning the general area, he found a clean sheet of paper which was lying near surprisingly things that could be considered haphazard. That was a sign his mother possibly forgot to clean up something last night before heading off to the bar. Even if it was minor, they did have to keep appearances up to attract potential people who might wish to procure goods and he didn't at all want the impression of being sloppy.

The boy dealt with the problem as quickly as possible and went about his business, finding the required materials for leaving a note behind so she would understand where he traversed. As he went to work writing out a letter, he continued to ponder on the enigmatic message his father left for him involving flowers, along with the strange gift he received last night. He wracked his mind over their meaning, but continued to struggle with unlocking the secrets that averted his sight. Once he finished the letter, he left it on the desk since that was the first thing she would most likely see when coming into the lobby. With that said, he went back into the shop, procuring the goods before heading off.

"Makes me wonder why some people can't ever get this trade as it is rather simple. Then again, people have their own niche and can use it to assist them in their upbringing... Father practiced some alchemy but I struggled with conjuring up creative concoctions. Even so, I shouldn't give up on this path I carve. I might need to stubbornly find another way if she keeps trying to to me down and force me to go into blacksmithing and blacksmithing only. She knows that I have a lust for knowledge, but she is trying too hard to let that desire wilt away with her consistantly attempting to safeguard me... Maybe one day I'll be able to pursue it, but for now... this."

The boy lamented in his thoughts as he began his way south, cleaning his face off with a simple rag that became gray over the course of the wiping the grime and sweat embedded on his cheeks. He gained a few looks from a small amount of people around his age which must of garnered a reasoning for why he was up so early while having the appearance of being worn out. The others who were familiar with his kin of work an services he provide were no stranger as he delivered the weapons to their new found companions. One by one, he recorded them and their purchase along with gaining the proper amount of gold from them in the process. Over the course of the early morning, he dispatched the items with ease, before delivering the final weapon - a spear to its rightful owner. With that task finally completed, he began to traverse back to the blacksmith, contemplating on whether to go do some self training or study a bit...

... before hearing a familiar voice of a rather infamous fellow (in his eyes) complementing the mayors daughter. Even with that specific part of the sentence popping out, he was more curious to what he meant by scourge... and then he saw the deer that was devouring the mayors flowers. It was a bright yellow, the same color as the flowers which helped the boy easily discern that this was a cobalt deer. One of his books told him about the enchanted beasts that roamed close to town and he absorbed the knowledge into his system, gaining a keen understanding of the predicament. He also came to the conclusion of how to lure it away without jumping to the use of weaponry as it looked like they were a bit befuddled and almost ready to act on impulse.

"Alright, so deer problems... ok Laciel, just walk up to them and politely state your business and idea to remove the creature from the premises without the use of force."

"Uhm... Uh sir? I, er, uhm... I th-think I have a solution t-to th-this problem."

That could of been smoother than he thought as he attempted to avoid any sort of eye contact. This whole situation was awkward and he just wanted to flee back to the blacksmith as this was so embarrassing. What if he said the wrong thing or tripped over his own words?! This wasn't at all a good situation for Laciel.

"Perhaps you should speak to it- to calm it down." Suggested Mayor Hart as both men noted that the deers eyes significantly widened at the sight of the lassoe.

"Human speech isn't exactly something they comprehend, Gareth. The deer mimick. Mimicking is one thing. Comprehension is another." He half hid the rope behind his back before crouching. The sunflower deer studied him. "Its best we take less intimidating stances..." he glanced over at the seven foot giant next to him, "perhaps you should go inside for the time being, Mayor Hart."

"Nonsen-" Gareth was cut off by Guinevere poking her head out of their home, inquiring of their morning and the reason for Farrests presence. At the sight of her the deers ears flicked forward, it began to move about nervously in the garden.

“Father… What is that?

Gareth saw that she went for her sword. That was the exact reason for his calling Farrest. The mayor knew only how to butcher and hack away with his axe- he couldn't bare to kill something lest he get blood all over his precious flowers.

"A stray deer- or, er, doe- from the forest. Come to eat away at the garden. Farrest is here to lead it away from here and out of my life forever."

The ranger was much too concentrated in his task to laugh. The doe was thoroughly distracted by the mayor, his daughter, and the meal before her. So much so that she almost forgot Farrest's presence altogether. Almost. The doe quickly caught on to his movements and retreated farther into the garden- muttering something in a strangers voice as she went.

"Need any help, fair Farrest? Surely a man of your wild beauty would not mind a bit of help from one who can wield the wilds that you know so well?

The ranger turned to consider Varric Dawnleaf. In all his years knowing the boy he had only pinned a handful of his pranks back to him- but the ranger suspected that many more odd disturbances around the town were his handiwork. Yes, for the most part they were harmless and could easily be rectified. But the ranger wondered how long these merely childish pranks would remain so harmless. How long would it take until Varric started some real trouble.

"Ah- no need- I have a feeling we won't need nature magic to control her. But thank you Varric. I'd prefer everyone just to keep their distance lest we spook her."

"Uhm... Uh sir? I, er, uhm... I th-think I have a solution t-to th-this problem."

The ranger spun and looked toward the voice- he recognized the blacksmiths son.

"Do you now?" He asked amicably. Leslie loved to boast of her sons intelligence- but Farrest never had the opportunity to work with the lad.

"What did you have in mi-"

The mayor interpolated,

"Good day Varric- and Laciel! I'm unused to seeing you outside of the forge- but don't mind us. I wouldn't want to stop you and Guinevere from playing, Varric. And please- do play around Dunstans coop." He looked fixedly at his daughter and his gaze showed that he knew,

"You know- the coop that you wrecked yesterday. Dunstan hasn't said a word but I'd prefer if you both went and helped him fix it."

Just then one of the windows to the house burst open and his wife's blonde head poked out,

"She did what?!"

Farrest had to duck as the doe leapt out of the garden, startled. The ranger cursed and shot Sebille an exasperated glance. The mayors wife stared in shock,

"What the hells was that thing-"

Gareth chuckled nervously, seeing how crowded everything was getting and how upset Farrest had become. He put a hand on Varric and Guinevere's shoulders,

"Off you two go now- hm? Come back for lunch, Varric. You eat meat, yes? I've something special lined up."

And then he turned toward his wife,

"Darling what was that thing you were telling me about earlier- that thing about glass-" he said hurriedly as he made his way back into the house. Sebille could take a hint, she giggled and disappeared back into the house. Only to return moments later at the window to speak to her child,

"Guinevere, darling, apologize to Dunstan for your behavior. You know how your father loves eggs in the morning."

Farrest cleared his throat and bid her farewell as she retreated back into the house, already calmed down once more. By now the doe had ran farther into town. He sighed and wondered how long it would take him to find it without Dagny. Then again.. Sunflowers didn't have a scent- so he'd be in the same predicament either way.

He glanced toward Laciel,

"Let's go after it, hm? I could still use your plan." He didn't want to send the boy back to his mother- that seemed cruel. Something told him, also, that he'd probably enjoy a morning of deer chasing.

A familiar whistling tune caught his attention then. The ranger looked toward the direction of the sound and saw his son approaching him from down the road. Farrest smiled- the more help the merrier.

"My son- good morning." He greeted Aldric warmly. "You've come at the perfect time. A cobalt deer has wandered into Vale and has eaten a few of the mayors sunflowers. So now its yellow.. But it just ran off. It's mimicked the mayors voice- so its best we send it on its way back into the Angar." He gestured to Laciel,

"Laciel here will be helping us- says he has a plan."

Varric grinned.

"But Sir Gareth, no doubt my natural magics could be a great boon to you in rangling this plant ravager. But, alas, I suppose I must cover for my trouble making friend as per usual," Varric said dramatically, before looking at Guinevere and grinning.

"Worry not, my angel, for we shall handle your mishap together. I shall soothe the angry Dunstan and bring him such cheer through song that he will not even be mad about the damages. And when you fix the coop itself, why, I will supervise like none have ever supervised before!"

He paused, "And then we will discuss botany. For the flower of my heart seems to bloom for one of your beauty."

Varric wondered momentarily who his "soulmate" could be. For one, he knew the flower tended to bond man and woman. He wondered what that meant for him.

He didn't like the idea of having it decided for him. For one, 'string of lovers' was still in his short term plans.

Perhaps it was Guinevere. They were close, after all. Varric could honestly say he loved her. However, he wasn't so sure he could be IN love with her. Besides that, while his illusion magic could disguise his body for the most part, Varric knew that at night the illusions would have to drop. If she were his wife, would she be okay with never bearing child? Would she even find him attractive?

As for anyone else, well...what if they didn't want to leave. There were plenty that Varric wouldn't mind taking to bed, like Alixanna the medic's daughter, or Aldric, who inherited his father's fit lifestyle and physique. But marriage was a commitment. And Varric didn't want to commit himself to staying in town. He couldn't imagine settling down.

And what if they wanted kids? If it came down to it, would he be okay with bearing children?

He shook the thoughts from his head, and maintained his cheery demeanor, though he was admittedly nervous on the inside. He felt the flower underneath his jacket. It felt like shackles, close to his heart.

He woke up in a tree again. But like his eyes were open so maybe he was just drunk. What the hell was in that old brandy that Varric dared him to drink... That little twig fairy didn't drug him- right? He hoped he didn't. Whatever it was- he couldn't really account for the night before. Sluggishly he looked about. He recognized Illya's house at once and for that he was relieved. The man hopped down and landed shakily on his feet. It took him a moment to steady himself- he pointed to the sky and the ground to situate himself. The world barrel rolled and his face met earth. A groan escaped him,

"I'll kill him."

He sat up again- yet despite all this he felt no hangover- only the pain from his fall. So he stood- clear headed now- and noticed something in a waste bin by Illya's front gate. It was a broken childs harp. The mans green eyes brightened- a mischievous idea taking root. Snagging this on his way past the gate he strummed it a few times- one of the five strings was broken and three were loose. He'd never played the instrument in his life- but that didn't stop him from plucking away an improvised tune as he walked up to the house.

Ezra stood right under Illya's bedroom window- he knew it was hers because he was a creep- plus he saw her sneaking into her house through there one night.

"Illya baby I may be no bard~" He twanged off key "but come on girl meet me out in the yard~ Yeah I know that I may be a mutt~ gods damn girl you got a nice butt~ Come on girl don't be so mean~ I came to blow off some steam~ Do you dream? Got plans? I could be your man~ Listen this time- we can like, do shit- fuck its hard to ryhme..."

Feeling lame he stopped strumming the harp, dropping it on the grass and absentmindedly kicking it across the yard. He stared up at her bedroom window for a bit- wondering at what moment a chair would be thrown from it. He imagined that- the spray of glass showering over him like synthetic stardust, only to get a wooden stool to the face.

"Shut up lad- she isn't home." Said a voice from a window on the other end of the house. He stepped back and craned his neck to see an older version of Illya glaring at him from the living room window.

"Goodday ma'am. Did I wake you?"

"And all 12 of the gods with that horrible singing voice of yours. I could've sworn someone was killing a goat out here."

Ezra smiled, he liked how refreshingly nasty she was, it made him feel like he was having a genuine conversation. None of that feigned interest that people are taught to have with one another.

"That's rude as hell Mrs.Vance."

"MS. you little toad- I never married."

"I can't imagine why." He said, stepping closer. He'd never spoken to Illya's mother like this- or at all for that matter. He only ever saw the woman from affar when she happened to head down into town. But he often came by the womans home to serenade Illya or try and talk to her- all attempts thwarted. It must have finally started to ware on the woman. Or maybe it was the unreasonable hour? It was so hard for him to tell.

"Why must you be so nasty with someone who only wants to get to know your daughter?" He asked with forced innocence.

Marideth snorted,

"To get to know? Is that what you call it these days?" She shook her head, disappointed in the weak slang.

"Leave- before I lose my patience and start throwing knives again." Ezra's eyebrows shot up, remembering- hell he had a scar on his forearm that reminded him plenty of the last knife throwing incident.

"Sure- will do. Tell Illya I stopped by- that I think of her and all that." He said, beginning to backpedal his way out of there.

"No, I wont." said the mother, rolling her eyes.

"You're right- it does sound kinda desperate- I'll stop by later and do it myself. Have a nice day never-married-Vance."

"Trip and smash your pretty face." She spat, but Ezra was already out of the yard and headed back into town.

Aldric's journey to town hall was cut short, partly by the yellow deer that went streaking past him and partly by his running into his father. "Good morning Father." He looked at the somewhat scrawny boy following behind his father, he didn't quite know who it was until he got a good look at him.. "Laciel, good morning." The blacksmith's son, he wasn't as hardy as his mother but he had a fine aptitude for knowledge, something Aldric greatly respected. Knowledge is power, his father always said.

Aldric cocked an eyebrow at his father, "That was a cobalt deer? I knew what was odd but I didn't think that's what it was. The creature went running by a moment ago." He cursed himself for missing the opportunity to catch the beast. If he had just been a bit more perceptive he would've caught on that it was a cobalt deer and made some effort to catch or at least follow it.

Still, it was a bit late for what ifs now. All Aldric could do was focus on how to catch it now. To which his father pointed to Laciel saying he had a plan. "Very good, what did you have in mind Laciel?"

The moon was just setting over the horizon as the woman walked through the village, dressed in her armour and clearly having been out of town for a time though she rode no horse through the Vale as she headed toward her home. She hadn’t slept the night before, nor the day, instead she’d stepped away from home for a time though she was gone no more than a single rising of the sun for she’d only gone as far as the closest noble holding. Noblemen always had enemies and purses full of gold that was ripe for the taking if you knew how to get it from them; not only had she been paid tonight, she’d also picked several pockets of their pockets and carried a nice sum of five hundred gold pieces home with her this morning. She walked along the quiet path, glad that everyone else was sleeping so they wouldn’t see the cloaked figure walking through the town, a sword on her hip and a dagger in her boot, a pouch of gold between her breasts where no one would notice it.

She rounded the corner and ducked out of sight as one of the town guards, easily finding her way into the shadows and staying hidden while he passed, even though she was less than a foot away from him he never noticed her. Reaching out she flicked a small knife through the button of the man’s coin purse and she caught the copper and bronze pieces in the palm of her hand where it closed into a neat fist and she slipped it back within her cloak, counting them with her fingers as she dropped them in a pocket in the fabric. She waited for several heartbeats before she stepped out of the shadows again, smirking smugly as she walked away from the small town again.

Having made it through the town the sun had begun to rise behind her as she walked the dirt pathway that ran through the grass from the town to her house; there wasn’t a real road for carts as the two would rather take a horse of their own feet anywhere. The path was familiar and the young woman pulled a dagger from behind her thigh and twirled it between her fingers as she walked, though, the sudden twang of a horribly played note followed by terribly rhymed lyrics and she knew that Ezra was once again beneath her window. It was interrupted of course, by her mother yelling at him and she was grateful – for the first time in years – that the woman was such a bitch. What she hadn’t expected was for him to turn around and walk toward her while she was standing in the open, just off the property.

“Damnmit.”

@Snarl

Guinevere stared at the deer, curious and amazed by how beautiful and precious it seemed. Hunting had never been her thing, but it seemed odd for her father to want it dead simply because it had eaten sunflowers from their garden. Guinevere didn't dwell in her thoughts very for an all too familiar voice soon called out to them. Varric.

"And fair Guinevere, the radiant sun of my soul! After we rangle this slanderous sunflower scourge, there is a matter I must discuss with a lady of your acumen!" Varric said.

Guinevere raised her eyebrow. Something to discuss with her? Perfect. She still hadn't been able to speak a particular chicken situation with him yet. I believe my sword is sharp enough too Smirking, she glared at Varric and crossed her arms. Words could never describe his personality, not even Guinevere, who's known him forever, could fully define him.

"Good day Varric- and Laciel! I'm unused to seeing you outside of the forge- but don't mind us. I wouldn't want to stop you and Guinevere from playing, Varric. And please- do play around Dunstans coop." Gareth looked fixedly at his daughter and his gaze showed that he knew, "you know- the coop that you wrecked yesterday. Dunstan hasn't said a word but I'd prefer if you both went and helped him fix it."

Guinevere winced at the mention of the chicken coop. She assumed he didn't know anything when he didn't speak of it at dinner. Quickly apologizing to her father, Guinevere promised to fix the chicken coop right away. Scowling at Varric, she followed him as they made their way back to Dunstan.

"Worry not, my angel, for we shall handle your mishap together. I shall soothe the angry Dunstan and bring him such cheer through song that he will not even be mad about the damages. And when you fix the coop itself, why, I will supervise like none have ever supervised before!" Guinevere elbowed Varric in the stomach, hard, probably enough to send him on his knees. He deserved it alright. Varric paused, "And then we will discuss botany. For the flower of my heart seems to bloom for one of your beauty."

Stepping a bit away from him, Guinevere continued walking. Varric's flirting was beginning to become old but some things still managed to creep her out. Romance was something that had Guinevere squealing in fear. Varric only meant to play and have fun, and she was well aware of that, but it was still flirting and she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to it.

"Ah! I left my sword back at home. Why don't you get started fixing Dunstan's chicken coop while I go and fetch my sword? It'll only be a moment!" She said before sprinting back to the house, not even looking to see if Varric followed her or went to the chicken coop. Quickly muttering hello to her parents, Guinevere rushed into her bedroom, only to discover something she hadn't noticed before. Sitting on her pillow was a green bud that had yet to bloom. Guinevere let out a earsplitting shriek in fear. No. No. This wasn't happening. Her? No. All she could do was stare at the dream-killing flower as visions of going on adventures seemed to disappear.

Varric 'oof'ed loudly when Guinevere elbowed him, and nearly fell to his knees from the pain.

He got the slightly feeling she might have known about him tripping her. On another note, GODS COULD SHE HIT HARD. The last time he was in this much pain was when those bandits captured him.

She said some bollocks about her sword(which he didn't properly listen to because OW), and went to get it.

Varric nodded politely, "Ow. Also ow. But fine, I'll start on it first, oh beautiful Guinevere."

He took a few steps in the direction of the coop, strumming on his life as he went. He sang a quite tune, and flower petals kicked up around him.

Then, he stepped backward, a perfect copy of himself still walking forward and playing. Varric hummed under his breath now, focused, and became the wind.

He moved as a song on the breeze, intangible.

He planned on popping out and scaring her when she got in her room. Eventually, they reached her room, and as Varric became tangible again and was about to scream and scare her, she screamed aloud, scaring him.

Varric saw why, and pulled out his own flower from his jacket. He looked at Guinevere. He spoke, for once, completely serious.

"...I...feel like we should probably talk about this."

Meanwhile, his clone kept on bumping against the wall of the broken chicken coop, confusing passersby, before exploding into a thousand flower petals.

Alixanna made it halfway to the mayor's garden before she spied Varric Dawnleaf ramming himself against the side of a chicken coop. The girl paused and furrowed her brow, watching as the other teen continued to clamor against the structure. While she could not claim to be close with Varric, Alixanna was reasonably sure that he wasn't the kind of fellow to willingly spend his free time undulating against chicken coops.

"Varric?" She called, but the boy in question did not reply. Alixanna was starting to get worried. "Hey, are you drunk or something?" She asked, reaching out and carefully laying her hand on his shoulder.

Varric chose this moment to burst into flower petals.

Alixanna jerked her hand back and made a noise that was an odd mixture of startled shout and awestruck giggle. It was no secret that Varric had a gift for earth magic, but the small healer had never seen it in action before. It was really quite lovely. Once her laughter died down, Alixanna brushed the stray petals from her hair and continued to make her way towards Mr. Hart's garden.

When Alixanna finally rounded the corner and approached her destination, the young healer saw the mayor, the blacksmith's boy, and both the ranger and his son congregated amongst Gareth's flowers. "G'morning," she greeted them. "I can see you're all busy, so I won't keep you. I just wanted to see if Farrest had been able to find any yarr--."

She was interrupted by a tremendously loud screech coming from the mayor's house. Alixanna gritted her teeth against the noise and covered her ears until it passed. "Was that Guinevere?" She asked, licking her lips anxiously and shooting a worried glance toward Gareth.

At Guinevere's scream- the mayor went into full attack mode- really it was quite a sight. Like all small town mayors he went to a stand by his front door and picked up the family war axe- armed himself and ran off into the house without another word. His wife, Sebille, raised her eyebrows when she passed him in the hall- but made no move to stop the man.

Outside- Farrest looked on toward the new arrival- Alixanna- and noted the worried look on her face. His mirrored hers- it was not every day that there was such a commotion in the Hart household. The ranger hoped everything was alright- although he was sure Gareth could handle it.

"Good day Alixanna. Whatever it may be- Gareth will probably have it all under control. Was there something you needed from either of us?" He quickly went over in his head all of the orders that Atlas had lined up for him to deliver- he just couldn't remember if it was either yarrow root or ginger that they needed today.

"How's your father?" He inquired just as he heard a crash upstairs. It was something glass-like. Sebille screamed- but it was a frustrated one rather than one of fear.

Upstairs, in his worry and haste to get to his daughters room, Gareth had knocked over a vase. Lavendar and lilac burst out on the floor like a can of open paint- it was over this mess that he stepped to burst into his daughters room. The war cry would've been comical- had he not been brandishing a axe over his head- but it shook the door that he almost unhinged.

Gareth had to almost squat to get into his daughters room- the doorway had not been remodeled for his size so he barely fit through it. This is what he saw- Guinevere's teary face as she peered at something in her hands and Varric standing before her- very serious like.

Now when was that boy ever serious in his life? What the hells was Guin looking at- only one thing would make her cry like that and that was a WEDDING RING.

"WHAT BY ALL THE GODS AND THEIR HELLS IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Outside- at this new scream- Farrest flinched. Maybe "under control" wasn't the right choice of words. He looked on over at Aldric and half-mouthed that they should get on their way soon. They did have a doe to catch, after all.

~~~

Ezra's head was down as he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm. An old scar clipped his forearm- the cut from one of Marideth's daggers was clean and not all that big- but she must have tipped her daggers with something because the skin that formed was pink and weak rather than his olive skin tone. It was this groove in the skin that he was massaging as he looked back up and saw her.

Oh gods there she is, he thought, what should I do with my face?! Uhh uh... Smile! No thats lame. Scowl? No! She'll think I'm angry. Maybe I should- Gods damn she looks so angry.. Oh by the 12 thats such a turn on. He thought frantically as he approached her- his face taking on a different expression with each thought. At last he lost his cool and settled with a goofy smile, tilting his head as he came within a few feet of her,

"Your mom and I just had another one of our little chats. I think I'm growin on her- said she'd invite me in for tea sometime- I swear, I'm not kidding." He said in greeting.

Something was different about her boobs. He should know- he looked their way a lot. In fact- there was a little jingle to her step. Ezra knew nothing of Illya's nightly exploits- hells he always assumed that she was out meeting some lover or with friends. So what he said next was ironically innocent for him,

"You sound like a dragons lair on wheels- did you rob one or something?" He asked with a chuckle. The man cleared his throat at her death glare- there was only so much of it he could take-

"I'll bring you to bed, if you want." His eyes glinted with the suggestiveness of those words, but he willed his face to remain serious, "You look ready to drop."

@ViolentViolet

Varric wasted no time at all in saying possibly the dumbest words he could possibly say.

"Well, you muscular hunk of man you, it would appear your daughter and I are soulmates, as we both have received flowers of that grand old tale. I suppose that makes you my new daddy, eh?" Varric winked, "Now, sadly this means no grandchildren and your family line will die out, because, you know, vaginas, but on the other hand you can take pride in knowing your daughter has such a strapping and responsible young man to take care of her weak, frail female form."

Clearly this was tongue-in-cheek. Varric doubted anyone other than her own father could beat Guinevere in a fight. Honestly, Guinevere was far more ready to be an adventurer than Varric. He was a powerful bard, yea, but his magic was all avoidance and mobility. His only offense was vines and bursts of wind. He knew theoretically he should be more in tune with all the elements, but since when did his emotional state and needs involve fire and frost and lightning? There was a reason his mom enchanted his lute so thoroughly.

Varric was honestly joking around to relieve the tension he himself felt. If Guinevere was his soulmate, then...what did that mean for their friendship? For their plans to adventure?

WHAT DID IT MEAN FOR HIS STRING OF LOVERS!?

He had only had a short string so far. Nothing incredible like his mother had. A proper bard adventurer had to have an extensive list of trouser behemoths engorged and/or waistcaves dived into. His list was, like, a few attractve young travellers and maybe a local.

Dammit, he was a stallion. He was too damn young to be monogamous!

Guinevere stood, her whole body shaking, and stared at Varric and her father in pure horror. What.was.happening?!!? There was absolutely no way Guinevere had a soulmate, let alone planned on marrying anyone any time soon. Varric was her best friend, sure he flirted with her but that was all pretend. So, how? There had to be a mistake. Someone obviously placed this here as a joke, right? Varric was always the prankster... Yet somehow Guinevere knew the flower was real and she had been placed in a terrifying nightmare, if only she could wake up.

"I..." She glanced at her father and then at Varric. Looking past the gigantic frame of her father, Guinevere noticed that Alixanna was also at the doorway. By gods, the whole world will know before nightfall!!

"I.. This... Don't follow me!" She shouted, annoyed that her voice was getting higher and louder. It was rare to see Guinevere scared or upset by anything but something about love and kis-. Agh! Shaking her head, Guinevere dashed for her sword and armor, sprinting out of the room. Muttering an apology as she accidentally bumped into Alixanna. Only one thing could clear her mind from all this chaos, and that was sword fighting. Hopefully no one would go after her, although she was sure Varric would. It was fairly obvious as to where Guinevere went when she was troubled, anyone would had a brain could find her. Guinevere would spend all day here though and no one would stop her.

Putting on her armor, Guinevere grabbed her sword and started attacking the practicing dummy beginners used. Unfortunately, there was no one around to spar. What she needed most was just to hit something anyway, so the dummy would do. She then began viciously striking it, hit after hit, she didn't stop. A light sweat was already starting to form on her face and she didn't protest as her mind slowly became concentrated on solely her sword and forgot everything else. Good. This is what I need.

"Da is as prickly as ever," Alixanna answered Farrest, wincing as a loud crash came from the mayor's house. It sounded like someone was being murdered in there.

"I was just--," Alixanna stops mid sentence and swallows hard when she accidentally meets Aldric's eyes. The medic drops her gaze quickly, but it doesn't help much because then she's caught sight of his stomach, which she knows for a fact is so hard and well muscled that you could crack an egg on it.

Not that she would crack eggs on it.

Unless that's what people did in those sorts of situations.

Then she would crack all of the eggs in the entire village on those abs.

For science.

Alixanna coughed.

"I just wanted to see if you'd been able to collect any more yarrow," she tries again, flicking her green eyes back towards Farrest, whose abs did not have hypnotic powers. "But I see that now isn't a good ti--."

"WHAT BY ALL THE GODS AND THEIR HELLS IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"...I'm going to see if anyone needs medical attention," Alixanna says after that last bellow from Garreth. "Just swing by the clinic when you've got the yarrow. We could use some more sticklewort too, if you find any," she adds as an afterthought before saying her farewells to the three men and walking up to the mayor's house.

Alixanna makes it to Guinevere's room just in time for the other girl to barrel past her, sword and armor clutched tight in her hands. The healer blinks at the other teen's retreating form, before turning back towards Gareth and Varric. "Everyone alright here?" she asks and that's when she sees the flower bud on the pillow.

-Laciel Lenssed : Mayors House-

The amount of people that were piling up around the general vicinity was making Laciel ever so anxious to speak at the moment to anyone at the moment. He felt the pressure weighing down on his chest, pondering on if he made the incorrect choice or not as it was difficult to procure an answer between both inconsistencies. The only problem was he hadn't opened his mouth yet to reveal the source of said plan.

Maybe it was a terrible idea coming here as the ranger turned a sharp eye to the young man as he ever so uncomfortably looked down. He really couldn't exactly socialize with him properly since he wasn't one of the few people he ever spoke to or made a lasing impression on. As he "studied" his feet, a sudden jolt of surprise filled him as the mayor spoke up, interrupting the ranger, giving more attention to Laciel.

Well sort of.

It was more or less addressing how he was rarely seen outside the forge which in most part people frequently traversed there, so it was a mere sight to see the boy at work from what he interpreted. Laciel became slightly confused over how he spoke for a moment, his eyebrow shooting up for a couple of seconds before resting it's laurels down upon his face. He also took notice of one bewildering event which shook to stun him momentarily. Guinevere caused detruction to a chicken coop the other day which took him back a bit as he didn't expect her to be a klutz. He stared at the ground, slightly confused to how the graceful Guinevere fell prey to a chicken coop.

It honestly should of hit him in a couple of milliseconds, but with all this talk was making him feel awkward in a sense to the point where he didn't speak up... and became a bit startled when a high pitched voice caused him to flinch. The voice of the mayors wife eminated from their household as she appeared just as curious as Laciel to what was transpiring with Guinevere... before the cobalt deer bolted out of the garden, almost taking off the rangers head if he didn't duck on time.

"Well crivens, all of us are rather on edge with one of natures beings in our town and then we decided to talk about... Varric must of had something to do with it as he is always pranking people... just like mom when she always 'loses' a hammer, seriously, those cost money too you know! Anyways, speaking of which he probably has magic from my concurrent knowledge that we could use in our endeavors to capture and release the beast into the wild... that or we could borrow some of the mayors sunflowers, hopefully he wouldn't be too displeased with that if it comes to this."

With his thoughts, he was right on the money as he saw how they played coy, acting as if she was the cause of such trouble. It was blantly obvious to the eye that Varric was the reason for such fixation on Dunstans coop. Either way the duo finally decided to head out to the chicken coop, Laciel keeping his focus on the bunch until they were finally gone from his sight, removing some of the tension he was feeling inside of him.

It was made a tidbit worse as the rangers son decided to show up and return some of the tension he was feeling. There was no way he could be at all comfortable around these people despite knowing who they were. The boys gaze turned to the son of Aldric as he approached, taking the words out of his mouth to an extent about what type of creature that was. He felt mod like a burden since they could easily snag it with a couple of sunflowers since it was a rather bright yellow. The boy gulped in a breath of air as he spoke to the two.

"A-as y-you both already know, th-that is a C-cobalt d-deer, or d-doe as F-Farrest says. W-we could u-use some n-nature magic from V-Varric to assist us, o-or we c-could ask the m-mayor 'bout u-using some of h-his sunflowers."

The timid boy could hardly speak up, let alone hold a properly conversation with a cunning but simple design which the creature couldn't resist. He wanted to continue releasing his practical idea into the realm, but the words fled from his mind. It was as if fate was taunting him for lack of such a thing as he frowned slightly, his eyes filled with a bit of distress. It wasn't long before a familiar voice called out to the ranger.

Alixanna appeared at a rather precarious moment which made him even more panicky. He turned his focus to the girl, showing his own weakness around to each of them with his nervous outlook as they began gathering about the mayors garden. Laciel was much more afraid of whatever concoctions she had plan to use on him this time, or why he kept exactly agreeing to be a human test subject. Either way, he feared what might be roaming through that head of hers with whatever items she had, losing sight of the main mission ahead of them.

And then he heard an ear piercing shriek.

The place where it came from was blantly obvious as he turned his head to the mayors house, his eyes widening in surprise as Alixianna questioned if that was Guinevere shrieking. To answer her question, he for once could at least speak normally around others for that brief period time, making the thieves daughter not an exception for the moment.

"... Yes, yes it was, no doubt about it."

As they all stared at the house, dumbfounded by what could be going on, Laciel could only ponder on the possibilities of what might be transpiring for the time being. Either way, a scream from a girl he admired in combat screaming gave leeway to the rise of trouble. In a moment he saw the mayor procure an heirloom and traversed into the house. Yeah, he could only wander whether it was hell splitting open for a moment or someone proclaimed their love for the lovely warrior which slightly made him jealous. Either way, Guinevere would still most likely be terrified at both prospects transpiring.

Laciel returned his eyes to the duo, still nervous as always be for hearing a shout come from the top floor which sounded masculine. Looks like the mayor wasn't calm and collected at the moment which would mos likely lead to a rash decision. He could only wonder how bad this day could get. First a deer dining on the flowers as if it was a buffet, a possible new concoction made by the daughter of the doctor, and now screaming from two parties. The boy could only wonder how much worse this day could get as he shook his head in sheer befuddlement as he ruffled his spiky hair.

"Erm, uhm, ah, a-anyways, th-the p-plan. W-we n-need a h-huge pile o-of y-yellow sunflowers. I-it s-snacks on the b-bait, we c-capture it, al-alright? D-does that s-sound l-like a good p-plan?"

And then another screech arose from the house as the clanging of metal could be heard. Either way, she was thoroughly distressed by something and most likely went with her best and most decent defense, which counted as well as an offense to those who attempted to penetrate her thoughts with ramblings of what she feared most. He couldn't help but wonder if this was the best time to try and have an actual conversation with her since he knew where her destination most likely was. Since someone must of touched a nerve, Varric most likely, he had to discern the best way to go about this all, before finally realising the best solution out of all these thoughts and reasons.

Now all he needed to do was to execute it.

"Erm, maybe i-it's best t-to take Va-Varric with y-you on th-this hunt a-as he could p-possibly b-build off m-my plan. W-we need flowers and tr-trickery, so wh-why not acquire h-his help f-for now as I'm ah, uhm, a l-little busy... A-anyways, I hope th-the hunt g-goes well, and a-apologies for n-not being a-able to a-assist in s-such an e-endeavor! S-see you g-guys a-around!"

Before any of them could protest, he flew fhe scene, a bit red and embarrassed from all that. By the gods was that excruciatingly terrifying for him. How was he ever going to spread and gathering knowledge if he couldn't even form a proper sentence with and stumbling through it or jumbling a word up. Laciel probably made himself look like an idiot as he wracked his head over this whole ordeal.

"Bah, damnit, just, ugh... Why can't I be normal around anyone except her?"

That question could be answered later as there were more pressing matters to attend to. He followed the sound of clanking the best he could but was sidetracked by myriads of thoughts that bombarded his head, such as the story about a boy who made a sword from a heavenly rock - a meteor sword or something? Either way, he continued the journey through the town be for finally finding a familiar figure hacking away at a target dummy.

Only he could hope that he didn't mess this up, or Varric suddenly popping up out of no where and causing an unpleasant surprise, followed by an intimidating conversation.

"... Uhm, h-hey, Guinevere, th-thought I m-might find -you here... wh-what m-might b-be troubling you th-this time?"

((Stealing peoples thunder, yeah :p))

Varric paused a moment.

"In all seriousness though, Lord Mayor, I feel as if I should talk to her. This does seem quite dramatic for her, which I understand because I swear she might be the most aromantic individual ever."

With that, Varric set out. As he got outside, he heard the blacksmith's son, Laciel, recommending his services to the rangers. As much as Varric appreciated it, he had shit to take care of. So, he Became the Wind, and moved with silence and speed.

He moved slowly, ponderously, thinking about what he would say.

Then he saw Laciel, and he paused. He thought for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to tell the boy to fuck off and talk to Gwen himself. However, he thought about it.

Guinevere was about the only person that could get him to think utterly selflessly.

And, from that perspective, who would be better for her to talk to? Her best friend who might be her soul mate, or a concerned, sweet boy?

...

No, yeah, fuck that blacksmith boy. Varric had to talk to her.

Varric appeared behind the blacksmith, before letting out a loud scream to scare the poor boy. He then began speaking, calm and collected with his trademark smirk.

"Ah, Laciel, you sexy hunk of man," Varric said calmly, "Fancy meeting you here. It IS good to see you! But, hey, I've got things to talk to Gwen about, if you don't mind. Now, tata, amd do please tell your mom to stop misplacing those hammers. I worry about that woman."

Varric walked past Laciel, before looking at Gwen. He ignored the blacksmith, and spoke.

"So, regardless of this flower business, you're my best friend. And no matter what, I want to go on adventures with you and do cool shit. And I want you to know that if destiny doesn't go the way we want, then, well, literally fuck destiny. Fuck it sideways. You're my friend. That's the important thing."