image [https://i.imgur.com/R5hHP24.png]

Late that night, Carmen grabbed her brown winter cloak from the closet. After putting it on and pulling up the hood, she stepped out into the cold winter darkness. She trekked through the woods for a while until she entered a nearby town, a few miles outside of LaVeda.

Carmen looked around until she found a fairly sketchy tavern on the farside of town. The green sign out front said “The Hazy Pour Taphouse” in a simple, blocky font. She cautiously stepped inside and saw a few people seated. They were all big, burly men, clearly mercenaries or hunters of some sort.

The customers took notice of Carmen’s hood, finding her presence to be strange and suspicious. After an awkward silence, they eventually resumed their prior conversations. Carmen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly approached a seat at the back of the room. The table sat in a dimly lit and dingy corner, perfect enough to keep her presence at a minimum.

The air was thick with smokey haze and the smell of alcohol, a fragrance that relentlessly attacked her senses. Moments later, a waitress came over and looked at Carmen, wondering why she had her head covered.

“What can I get you, miss?” She asked with a strange, northern accent.

“Oh, uhm. Give me a glass of Vahneir with ice please.” Carmen replied, trying to make her voice sound deeper than it was. The waitress looked surprised by the order, but ultimately wrote it down and walked away.

She returned with the requested beverage, placing it on the table gently. Carmen looked at the dark yellow drink and contemplated her decision.

'Zalthia always drinks this when she’s had a rough day. Maybe it’ll help me feel better.'

She quietly amped herself up with a deep breath before taking a drink of this wild concoction. Carmen sipped from the glass and felt her spine quiver as the drink went down. She grimaced and coughed at its disgustingly bitter taste, making funny faces in the process.

“EUGH! How does she drink this stuff?? It tastes like old leather and burnt tea leaves.” She squealed to herself, greatly regretting her choice of beverage. She contemplated going for a second sip, but once she brought the glass to her mouth, an unfamiliar voice interrupted her.

“Yo, you're in my seat…” The man said with a deep, booming voice.

Carmen looked over and saw a tall man with a fairly dirty face. His beard was long and unkempt, his hair disheveled, and the gray robe her wore was terribly tattered.

“Did you hear me? I said, that's my chair you’re in.”

His tone grew more annoyed and irritated by the second as he awaited an answer. Carmen looked at him and glared with her vibrant red eyes, hoping he would leave her alone. The man slightly cocked his head to the side, as though noticing something.

“Wait a minute… Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

Upon hearing this, Carmen quickly turned her head and looked down, praying that her cover wasn’t blown. He glared at the top of her hood and sighed, eventually pulling out a chair in front of her and sitting at the table. Carmen glanced up and took a closer look at the man, curious as to who he was.

‘Why did he have to sit here? Who even is this man and why does he claim to know me?’

Carmen wondered, her mind racing a mile a minute. The man got comfortable in his seat and coughed a couple times, his breath now permeating the air. The terrible smells were intense as they danced around Carmen’s nose.

‘Plus he reeks of alcohol and body odor!’

She started to breathe out of her mouth, hating every moment of this situation. The waitress eventually walked over and took notice of Carmen’s uninvited guest.

“Geez Varric, you’re back here again? Look, It’s good business for me, but you’ve seriously gotta lay off the drinks for a bit. It’s not healthy for you.” She said while showing great concern, worried about the damage he could be doing to his body.

"I’ll be fine Rachel, don’t worry about me.” He replied with a grizzled and raspy tone, not breaking eye contact with Carmen for even a second. Rachel shrugged and took out her notepad.

“Well, what can I get you then? The usual?”

“No. I’ll start with this one for now, toots.”

The man reached for Carmen’s drink and took a long sip while maintaining eye contact with her. Rachel sighed and nodded, walking away from the table to tend to her other customers.

“Hey! That’s mine! You can’t just take other people’s drinks.” Carmen exclaimed, feeling annoyed by this strange man. He glared back at her while swishing the drink around in the cup.

“Please, a kid like you shouldn’t be drinking this stuff anyways. Why are you even here?” He asked coldly, not fooled one bit by her hidden identity.

“Well, I.. Uh.. That’s not important.”

Carmen started to grow quite nervous, feeling embarrassed to be in this position. The man raised one eyebrow and lightly snickered.

“Geez, are all you Belouis brats so stubborn? It’s gotta be tiring.” He remarked, taking another long sip of the Vahneir. Carmen was now on full alert once she heard him mention her family.

‘How does he know about my family?? My hair is covered right now.’’

Her mind was spiraling as she tried to figure out who this was, growing more confused by his statement. Carmen thought for a second and remembered the waitress called him Varric. She then looked at the man and started to match his description with Varric Clover, the Calamity Class Vesta that fought against Azhane during the 2nd great Manifest War.

Their faces matched up perfectly, the only difference was that he seemed to have let himself go completely. No longer a cleanly shaven man with masculine features, but instead a dirty, unkempt, bearded man. Carmen’s eyes widened and panic began to set in.

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“If that damn sister of yours wasn’t so stubborn, I probably wouldn’t be in this state right now. She completely crushed my pride as a man and as a Vesta. Showing me mercy was worse than just killing me…” Varric said with slightly slurred speech, drowning his sorrows with more alcohol.

Carmen slowly stood up, not wanting to be with this seemingly dangerous man. She bowed her head and prepared to make an exit.

“Well, I must be going. Enjoy your drink.” She said before walking away.

Once she took a few steps from the table, Varric gripped her arm tightly. She immediately began to sense the Calamity Class levels of Core Energy coursing through this man.

“No, sit back down and let’s chat…” He said with a deep glare.

Fear overcame Carmen as she heeded his demand, slowly turning around and sitting back in her chair.

‘Stay calm Carmen, if he wanted to kill you he would’ve done it already. Just keep your head level.’

Every bone in her body screamed for her to run away, but she simply didn’t have the guts to flee. Once Varric took another sip, he posed a question to her.

“So tell me, what’s a kid like you doing in a shabby place like this? I’m dying to know.” Varric chuckled, finding her presence here to be quite comical.

“Why do you keep assuming I’m a kid?”

“Because what grown ass woman wears a school uniform to a taphouse?”

He looked down and noticed Carmen’s skirt peeking out the side of her cloak. She did the same and embarrassingly readjusted herself, hiding the skirt as quick as possible. Carmen then looked down at the table and blushed, pondering his question again.

“Well, I guess… I thought this place would make me feel better.. You know, after a rough day.” She softly replied, looking a bit dejected.

“You thought this shithole was going to make you feel better? The hell kind of logic is that??”

Varric laughed again, not understanding Carmen’s line of thinking at all. Carmen glanced up with an angered, yet embarrassed glare. Varric rolled his eyes and took another sip.

“Chill out would ya, it’s a joke…”

His tone turned more serious as he began to realize that this kid was probably going through some stuff.

“So, what could possibly be going so wrong that you felt this place of all places would help?” Varric asked in an almost fatherly manner.

Carmen softened her glare and unwillingly spilled her guts to Varric. She talked about her many fights at school, the midterms, her low ranking, and many other things that had been bothering her.

Carmen talked for an hour and Varric didn’t say a single word the entire time, he just sipped his drinks and listened. When Carmen finished her extended monologue, Varric nodded his head and acknowledged that he understood. The taphouse was completely empty at this point, the sound of the ice clinking in his glass echoing against the walls.

“Well kid, I’m not going to sit here and try to give you advice. No one has time for that bullshit. What you’re experiencing is life, plain and simple. You either grow from it or you don’t. It’s all on you what your next move is.” He said matter of factly.

“I know, but I feel so stuck… I don’t know how to progress forward.” Carmen quickly replied, pleading for a better answer.

“You’ll figure it out.”

Varric took one last sip of his many drinks and started to stand.

“But… How’d you get to be so strong? Surely you have some kind of advice to give me!”

Carmen pouted slightly as she stared with child-like eyes. Varric simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Look kid, I’ve got nothing to tell you. Just do some training or something, I don’t know. Sitting here crying about how stuck you are isn’t going to help, that’s for sure.” Varric said as he scratched his matted beard. Carmen frowned and looked down at the table again as Varric slid some of the cups over to the side.

“Well, it’s been fun. Hope you get some closure, or whatever they say. I’ve gotta head out.”

He adjusted his tattered robes and took out a few golden coins, placing them on the table. Once he stepped away from the table, Carmen sprung up from her seat as though she just came up with the most brilliant idea ever.

“Varric, train me! Let me be your student!” She exclaimed with great determination. Varric turned around with an annoyed expression, his eyebrows raising towards the roof.

“Huh!? Why the hell would I waste my time doing that? I’m not interested in babysitting children.” He replied, almost offended that she would ask that of him.

“Besides, I’m out of the Vesta business now. There’s no point in any of it anymore.”

“But why??” Carmen pleaded, not understanding how someone so powerful could be so uninterested in everything.

“Kid, there are some things you just won’t understand until you experience it for yourself. When your pride is hurt, that damage is irreparable…”

He looked down at his hands and watched them shake, as though a previous trauma was being unearthed at that moment. Carmen stood in stunned silence as he started walking away. Before she even thought about what to say, Carmen blurted out something Varric didn’t expect to ever hear.

“I’m a dual type! Just like you! So please, train me how to better use my abilities. You’re the only one that understands how to do so!” She exclaimed, her eyes beginning to water as she pleaded her case further. Varric stopped and slowly looked over his shoulder. He saw Carmen’s full face and silver hair sparkling in the light, tears dripping from her red eyes.

“What did you say?” He asked with great shock. Carmen wiped her eyes and collected herself before replying.

“I have two affinities. Void and Dark.”

Varric’s eyes went wide upon hearing this information. Dual types Vestas were impossibly rare and many believed that Varric Clover was the only one to possess such an elusive trait. In his thirty-seven years of life, this was the first time he had ever come across someone with that same potential.

“Show me.” He demanded with a serious tone, now fully sobered up and focused as he approached her.

Carmen nodded and stepped forward, holding out both her hands. Suddenly, a purple orb appeared above the left hand and a black, inky blob floated above the right.

“Well, I’ll be damned…”

Varric was speechless, not believing what he was seeing. He stared at her hands and began to ponder a few thoughts.

‘Is this a sign? It’s gotta be, right?’

He questioned internally, now contemplating Carmen’s request. He eventually looked up and stared intensely at Carmen, sizing her up for a longer than usual moment. After what felt like an eternity, Varric sighed and nodded.

“Alright kid, but only under one condition. No one, and I mean no one, must know about this. I’ll be a laughing stock if people found out the great Varric Clover, Calamity Class Mercenary, dual Affinity extraordinaire, was teaching some crybaby girl how to fight. My pride is hurt enough.” He said, slightly regretting his decision. Upon hearing this, Carmen leapt into the air with great excitement.

“Yes!! Thank you!! I swear, I’ll follow your instructions as best I can!”

“Yeah, yeah, just chill out already, I get it. Damn, you’re annoying. Anyways, meet me at the town gate two days from now at noon. We’ll begin then.” Varric replied, rolling his eyes at Carmen’s excited response. Carmen quickly nodded and agreed to the terms.

She rushed to the taphouse entrance and waved, sending Varric the happiest smile he’d ever seen before exiting the building. The waitress walked over to Varric with a surprised expression.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” She asked, having overheard their whole conversation.

“Honestly? I’ve no idea. But, for some reason, I see a lot of my younger self in that kid. No one helped me out back then, so.. I guess, I don’t want to see someone else go through the same thing. I dunno…”

Varric’s response was much softer than usual, causing Rachel to look rather impressed.

“Oh my, I didn’t think you had this kind of side to you. Where has this been all my life?” She playfully quipped.

“Ugh, shut up, would ya!”

Varric pulled his hood up and immediately left the taphouse, slamming the door behind him.

“Hopefully that girl can get you back on track, Varric.” Rachel softly said to herself, knowing how far he had fallen from grace. She then turned to the table and began cleaning it up, humming a gentle tune in the process.