"Make way!" the frowning man barked, shoving his way past Gamlen and the nervous City Guard. After a moment, Brennan knocked on the open door.
"Guard-Captain? You have… a guest."
Aveline looked up with her own short-lived scowl. "Gamlen" she muttered, as it slightly returned. "… Thank you, Guardswoman. Send him in."
"Well, that all sounded fun" Gamlen coughed, taking one of the seats.
"Just the Seneschal, puffing up his chest" she replied, dropping into her own chair.
"He has to look busy, somehow… so, nice office you have. You've done better than I ever expected."
Biting her tongue at the remark, Aveline sighed. "I'm not done yet. Still a long way to fixing Jeven's damage… it keeps me quite busy, as you can see."
"Right."
"… So if there's nothing else?"
'Better make it quick, before she drags me out' Gamlen thought, noticing her impatient expression. "Right... speaking of him, how are you going with rooting out his cronies?"
"Slowly. I haven't the manpower to retire all of them, so I'm turning a blind eye to the ones who were turning blind eyes. Just replacing the ones who were definitely involved… and even that's left holes in the roster."
"So… you'll be hiring?" Gamlen tried to casually ask.
Aveline's frown returned in force. "… Oh no, don't you start as well! I already heard this from Carver, and Leandra."
"I'm merely asking-"
"I know what you're going to ask."
"If you were moving the auxiliary guards up to full status, to fill the holes" he quickly got out, as she went to stand.
Momentarily stunned, she sat down. "I'm considering them…"
Gamlen nodded. "Thought you'd have to… so, when you're done, stick the boy in the auxiliary vacancies and see if he works out."
"Gamlen…"
"Rather simple, I'd say."
"He's not guard material."
"They said the same about you" Gamlen answered, gesturing around the office. "Look where you are now… thanks to his help. Hell, one of your men out there has his arm in a sling, so you're clearly undermanned."
"Donnic has been cleared to return for light duties… that's not the point. Why are you pushing this?" she asked, fixing Gamlen with a stare. "Especially when, last I heard, he'd found some work."
"Re-digging the Pit mines, for that Orlesian fop? For starters, it won't last beyond a few months… well, you really think Leandra's happy having her last child stuck underground? After what happened to her other boy, down there… and when there's a chance they'll wake up another dragon."
"… It's not my concern. I've told him repeatedly, he could be an apprentice."
"For who? With so many refugees from your country still here, all the worth-while jobs are filled for years to come. Even if they weren't… well, haven't you been listening to the Lowtown gossip?"
"Should I?" she asked in exasperation.
"If you want to last, in this office. Isn't gossip how you got here in the first place?"
"… Out with it, then."
"That Rivaini tart you all seem to know" he began, stopping as he heard Aveline's jaw audibly click.
"… I already know this won't be good."
"Well, seems she found it hilarious when Carver got booted from an expedition he helped pay for. So she's been up and down the docks, spreading it" he stopped again, as the Guard-Captain made a grunt of bitter amusement. "She's also fond of the other part of the story, where he's saved your life more than once and even you think he's too useless to hire. 'Not even the Guard-Captain wants him, despite the lack of men under her… or her shortage of guards!' is how her jokes go, from what I heard from Smetty, who runs the fishworks. We tried there, but thanks to her, he's supposedly unfit even to gut fish. Hell, I went to ask Athenril and Meeran again. He's still got a grudge that they turned him down, and she'll only take the two of them back. 'Got enough dumb muscle, your brother had the skills I want.'" Tapping two fingers on her desk, Gamlen waved his other hand in defeat. "If you know anyone willing to hire him, we'd love to hear it."
Getting up, he shrugged. "Look… I'll try talking to Leandra about them going back to Ferelden again. She keeps saying 'maybe Bartrand was wrong, and he'll come back to us', but I think she knows… she just hasn't accepted it yet. Even if you just tell her you'll consider it, in the meantime? I'll leave you to it, Captain."
"… Gamlen? I'll see how the auxiliary stands in a month. No promises."
"Just let us know" he nodded.
"… And send Brennan back in, please?"
"Who?"
"The one who showed you in… I know a certain slattern who needs a night in a cell, since she's disparaging the City Guard."
"Same again, gentlemen?" Quintus asked, with his usual tone reserved for customers who weren't paying for one of the Rose's staff
'Better buy some more drinks, before we get walked out.' "How about it, boy?" Gamlen muttered, poking his nephew while fishing out some coin. "I believe it's my round."
Draining the mug he'd been absently nursing, Carver shrugged. "Sure… cheers, Gamlen."
The older man nodded "… Cheers." 'Still in his mood… if I had the money, I'd buy him one of the girls.' "Try to drink this one while it's fresh."
"Right" his nephew replied vacantly.
"Too used to that watered-down swill at the Hanged Man, are you?" Gamlen asked. "A few more actual drinks will fix that."
"I'm trying… guess I got in the habit of squeezing in the cheap stuff, to get more for what little coin Athenril paid us."
'We'd get cheap drinks here too, if Lusine had agreed to hire you. Doesn't smile enough, for our clientele she said when I asked… I guess she has a point.' "You get what you pay for, I find" Gamlen frowned. "Plus, better company… we may be down in the world, but we don't have to lower ourselves into the riff-raff crowd."
"… Damn it, Garrett. You should have let me help you" Carver muttered out loud, pushing his mug from side to side. "Now what we supposed to do?"
Gamlen glanced back, noticing the dank smell of Darktown before the new arrival could speak. "Carver, Gamlen… well, I heard the news. I wanted to give my regrets."
'So you bloody should… what kind of Warden lets people go down there by themselves?' Gamlen wondered, staring at the blonde Mage.
Shaking his head, Carver turned around. "Yeah, thanks Anders."
"If you ne-" Anders trailed off, before taking another seat and hunching over the bar.
"Relax" Carver said, realising Anders had spotted the Templar on the balcony. "They're just finishing up their investigation into that mess we found, about the blood-mage girl who worked here."
"Of course…" Anders breathed, trying to keep himself calm.
Carver noticed his face, and quickly leant over to whisper "… Look, I'll come by the clinic, whenever I'm up to talking about it… but you should probably go anyway, in case your friend shows up and wants to play."
Watching Anders leave, Gamlen frowned. "You let him off easy… he could have done something, being a Warden. He just didn't want to get stuck underground with those two Elves… even I know he hated both of them."
"… Garrett left him behind, same as me. Said he'd do more good by staying at the clinic." Carver finally reached for another drink. "Wait, are these ones even ours?"
Quintus nodded, to another new arrival behind them. "She's paid a tab for you."
"I also tried paying him, to say sorry for me, because I'm bad at these things... but he told me I had to do that" Isabela awkwardly announced, patting Gamlen and Carver on their shoulders. "So… if I were to say something… Maker, look… I'm sorry?"
"Thanks…"
"It's a shame… another shame, I mean, that Man-Hands couldn't keep Bartrand from leaving. I wanted to wring answers out of him myself, when I heard. Poor Kitten…."
Carver exhaled, and raised the mug in a salute. "Merrill…"
"Did Aveline get anything out of him, at least?" Isabela asked.
"He said he couldn't wait – the expedition had already been behind schedule, and he had to meet his contacts in Tantervale. He'll be back to help arrange… funerals, according to a note he left with her for me."
"Tantervale, huh?" Isabela replied. "If he doesn't, I know people in Tantervale. Sticky fingered people."
Carver groaned. "I'm sure he'll keep his word. Maybe not the 'pay you Garrett's share of profits' part, but he's not the kind of arsehole who'd skip his own brother's funeral."
"True… well, again. Sorry, and all that. I better go, I think Man-Hands has her people out to bring me in… I haven't even done anything yet!" She gave a forced smile, and left.
After they turned back to their drinks, Gamlen stared ahead for a moment. "… You and the tattoo-face girl, then?"
"If only… no. No."
"… I liked her. She was always a polite little thing, whenever she turned up at the house. Usually to ask how to get back to the Alienage. She wasn't interested?"
"I don't know. I never found the nerve to ask, before they left."
"Ah." Gamlen sipped at his drink, trying to ignore the flash of curled brown hair in his mind's eye.
"What?" Carver asked, looking over.
'Mara.' "… A story for another time" Gamlen answered, snapping back to the conversation. 'Too much like me...' "Maybe I'll tell you, one day. Now, though… look. Get out of this city while you still can. You're still young enough to do anything, out there."
"That was the plan, once we'd made our coin… but I don't think Mother will leave. I've got her to think about and look after, you know?"
Gamlen nodded, sadly. "I know far too well. Just don't let that be all you do. Or one day you'll wake up, wondering where it all went… this city will suck your life away if you let it. Trust me…"
Carver's jaw set, as he looked up and over his shoulder. "… Ser Maurevar" he mumbled.
"Cirma what?" Gamlen asked in confusion, before following his nephew's gaze to a curly-haired Templar. "… If you're thinking that, be bloody sure first. It's not something you can just walk away from."
"We're out of options…" was Carver's only reply, as he walked over to the base of the stairs. "Excuse me, Knight-Captain? Could I… ask you a couple of questions?"
'Looks like he recognises Carver… I don't know if that's good or bad.' Gamlen watched, as the two younger men sat at a table to talk. 'I do know this… I'm sure not going to be the one who tells Leandra.'
I've got a few more in mind, but open to suggestions. Expect sporadic updates, like everything I do.