Sorry that this has been taking me so long, but in my defense, I did warn everyone that I'm a HUGE procrastinator. This chapter is very dialog heavy, so if that's not your thing...I sorta apologize. This is mostly Varric's story... Happy Holidays everyone!
This is my 1st multi-chapter FF...so any kind of feed back is really, really appreciated!
The normally short drive from Varric's main office to the docks had taken them a little over 2 hours due to some traffic and a flat tire. During the wait, a very bored Isabela decided to pick Varric's brain. "So how DID you get to be so...how do I put this delicately? So..."
"Handsome?" Varric supplied helpfully. "Charming? Irresistible?"
"I was gonna say "loaded", but since I still believe in unicorns, I guess anything is possible!" Bela replied with a laugh.
"Unicorns, huh?" Varric said chuckling, "so you want to hear my sordid tale, do you?"
"Absolutely! I even found alcohol!" Bela replied as she pulled open the mini bar.
Varric reached over and plucked the bottle of rum from Bela's hands. "I'll take that! You are on the "no drinking in front of Varric" restriction." He opened the bottle and took a healthy swig.
"Oh come on! I thought that was just in your office?!" Bela pouted at him. "How about you just look out the window...or something?"
"Nope. I'd like you sober when you meet your new crew." He drawled. "Hung over...but sober."
"There's not enough alcohol in this entire limo to get me drunk! Tipsy maybe, but not drunk!" She huffed still pouting.
"Bela..." he said in a misleadingly soft tone.
"OK, OK! I got ya boss." She said while raising her hands in a placating gesture. "So, since I'm bored and not allowed to have any fun. The least you can do is entertain me."
"Are you sure you want to hear this story?" Varric asked with a smile.
"Well, you are one hell of a story teller." Isabela said winking.
"Flatterer!" He said taking a huge gulp of rum. "It all started when I was a little boy..."
"Varric! Come ON!"
"You know I had a brother?" Varric asked.
"Had? I thought he was still alive?!"
"Well, he's alive...as in breathing. But as far as I'm concerned he's dead to me and my family." Varric looked pensive for a few moments and then launched into his story.
"I grew up on the southern tip of Argentina, in a tiny little port town of San Sebastián, Tierra del Fuego. My father, as was his father before him, and his father before him, was a fisherman. Both Bertrand (my good for nothing brother) and myself were following in their footsteps, and spent almost all of our young lives aboard our father's fishing boats.
Bertrand always thought he was better then all of us. He was always scheming and plotting to get out of San Sebastián. I guess it would've been ok if his schemes were good ones, but his schemes were always a failure. He was always borrowing what little money any of us had, and losing it all. Then he started borrowing money from others, and before we knew it, our entire family was thousands of pesos in debt to some very bad people.
Back then a couple thousand pesos was our yearly salary. So you can imagine what that kind of debt meant to our family. Our father sold 2 of his 3 fishing boats to put a down payment on the debt, and let all of his people go. His last boat he kept to be able to keep paying. That boat was always crewed by 8, but we couldn't afford to pay anyone else, so it was just the 3 of us on that boat. For 2 years straight we crewed that boat and spent weeks out at sea. Fishing and salvaging whatever little things we found. We had managed to make a pretty sizable dent in Bertrand's debt. We still had a long way to go, but it looked like we might be able to survive Bertrand's failures.
And then fortunes smiled down on us. While free diving one slow afternoon, I saw something on the bottom. We were close to the Falkland Islands, and as a result, not in very deep waters. After 4 days of free diving the wreck we realized that we had found a real treasure! I had picked up a medallion on one of my dives, it was an intricate heavy chain with a large ring in the middle. It had all sorts of markings on it, one of them said 1650, and we figured it was possibly the year it was made. My father and I cleaned it and I started to wear it. We figured that would be a great thing to show off when we got back home. We decided to return to our shores and pick up some help. A friend of the family had a fleet of salvage ships and a real crew of divers that were docked in Port of Rio Grande, which was more south of us.
One evening on our way to the port, Bertrand put some poison in our dad's whiskey. When dad became sick and stumbled his way up to the deck, Bertrand gave him a bit of a shove, and pushed him over board. I thought I heard a splash and made my way up to the deck as well. I saw my brother leaning over the railing, and called out to him. He told me he saw dad go over, and I ran up to look as well. Bertrand was pointing and I tried to see what he saw. Next thing I knew I was in the water, and all I could hear was my "brother's" laughter.
4 days later, I got picked up by a fishing boat from the Falkland Islands. They thought I was dead, I couldn't remember who I was, or why I was in the water. They called Search and Rescue and I got flown to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital on the Falkland Islands. I spent the next couple of weeks in the hospital, recovering, and trying to remember what had happened. The day I was to get released, I happened to be watching the news as a new story came on. It was about an Argentinian man who had found one of the largest Spanish Galleon ships just off the Falkland Islands coast.
The minute I saw that man, everything came rushing back, and I knew exactly who I was and what had happened. I called my doctor and told her my story, she called the police and the police came out and heard me out. They questioned the fishing boat captain who had found me, and the doctors who had worked on me. They looked at the chain with the ring that I had been wearing when they found me. And they believed me.
Before I knew it, Bertrand had been arrested, tried, and convicted. As for me, I had become a millionaire over night. That Spanish Galleon that we had discovered was the La Capitana that sank in 1654. We recovered over 70 million dollars worth of silver, jewelry, and gold. Which launched my very lucrative life.
I paid off Bertrand's debt. Married the doctor who saved my life, whom you know as Bianca. Started a Steamship Company that you know as Bianca Unlimited. Dedicated a Search and Rescue company to my father known as Tethras S and R, which now patrols all of South America. And as my special project, I put together a salvage operation known as Deep Roads LLC., in which you are a pivotal member." Varric concluded with a smile for his guest.
"I never knew! I'd heard rumors, but just never imagined. So, since you can have anyone you want working for you...why me?" Bela asked quietly "Why are you giving me another chance?"
"I like lost causes." Varric replied.
"Like homeless puppies?" Bela asked with a grin. Varric and Bianca were known to adopt every stray they came across.
"Everyone deserves a chance." Varric replied thoughtfully, "well...everyone except my brother."
"After everything you just told me, he is still asking you to help him at his parole hearing?" Bela asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Can you believe the nerve of that piece of shit?" Varric said, all trace of humor gone from his voice.
They had just turned onto Pier 72, with a large sign announcing the owner of this large Terminal. "Deep Roads LLC., a subsidy of Bianca Unlimited. If its been lost, we'll find it!"
"How is your wife anyways?" Bela asked.
Varric smiled brightly. "Bianca is absolutely, amazingly, fantastic." He beamed.
"WOW! All those pretty, flowery words!" Bela chuckled. "You better be careful or...O M G! Is that a Safeguard? You have a Safeguard? Varric! Answer me! Why didn't you tell me? Varric? Why aren't you answering me? A Safeguard? WOW! Varric? She's just...beautiful!" At that moment the limo came to a stop and Bela threw open the door and bolted out. Skipping like a little girl towards the Safeguard class salvage ship.
Varric climbed out of the limo all the while watching Isabela's progress with a raised eyebrow and an amused look.
Isabela oohed and aahed her way down the entire 255' length of the ship.
As a slight dark haired woman slowly made her way down the gangplank in Varric's direction. "Hello Varric!" She called out, waving.
Varric beamed at her, "Hello Bethany! How wonderful to see you again. How are you enjoying the ship?"
"Loving it!" Beth replied with a smile "The crew is settling in very well. Tho Hawke isn't due in 'til tomorrow. We're dying to take this beauty out." Beth's smile faltered as her dark eyes fixed on Isabela's progress back towards them. "Is that the new Captain?"
"Relax Beth, I think this whole endevor will do a world of good for Bela AND your sister." Varric said with a reasuring pat on Beth's back.
Bela was cooing at the ship. "You are just gorgeous! Aren't you? Of course you are! Varr...?" At that moment Isabela noticed Beth's presence and she raised a questioning eyebrow at Varric.
"Hello Captain Rivaini. My name is Bethany Hawke, and I'm your XO as well as your Navigator. I'd like to be the 1st to welcome you to the Siren's Call." Beth inclined her head in the Salvage class ships direction.
Isabela stood frozen looking between Beth, Varric, and the ship. "What?" She finally whispered, her eyes watering.
"Your ship, Captain." Beth answered perplexed. "Would you like to come up and meet your crew?"
"Bela" Varric said to get Isabela's attention focused on him. " This is by no means an easy ride here. I have an operation in mind, and this ship, as well as this crew, needs an experienced Captain. You are my choice, but don't ever think that I won't remove you if I think you can't get the job done."
They locked eyes.
"Are we clear on this?"
The moisture in Isabela's eyes had dried instantly and she looked Varric directly in his eyes. "Crystal!"
"Good! Now go meet your crew." Varric said while pushing Isabela in the ships direction. "Everyone is onboard except your diver. There will be a chopper out tomorrow dropping your diver off enroute to your destination. Enjoy!"
Bela stumbled after Bethany, as the XO led the way back to the gangplank. "Hope my diver is totally, smoking hot!"
Both Varric and Beth smiled, eventho Isabela couldn't see either of their faces.
"Perhaps." Varric called to Isabela's back.