Girls and Boys

Cousin,

Here I am, reporting the latest news: Everything Is Fine.

All the people I took away last year have already got jobs, a place to live in, and most of them have blended with the rest of the neighbourhood. Some even started mingling and they've formed families. Not me, unfortunately. Still on my own. Still dealing with my issues, but everything's under control so far. Hm… I should delete the last part – you'll probably worry about that now.

You should come over. I bet that life in Kirkwall's not as easy with the new Brigadier. Sounds like a joke, right? Kirkwall, the heart of the Free Marches, ruled by a Brigadier. Yes, I know that she's not 'ruling'; just waiting for the next elections to take place. When will that be, next year? What's the word on the street? Will she run for office? She's certainly got impressive qualifications: single-handedly defeating the Vaels –unarguably the seediest family of Starkhaven– and stopping the Blight in the region qualifies as "Wow", don't you think? And no, I'm not in love with the lady. Just saying that she sounds like someone worthy of following, right? Anyway, you see more of her than I do, or at least you will soon, so you'll be able to tell me what it feels like to work with such a force of nature.

Would it hurt to write more often? I know you're not friends with pen and paper but hey, at least I have time to send you an e-mail every other month. Granted, the last one was six months ago, but let's say I wanted to lay low for a while. Just in case. Unless you're too busy having sex with someone, in which case… Allez-y, mon frère! I won't distract you from your duties (wink wink).

Cheers,

A

P.S.-Here's a photo of my favourite refugees. You sent them over, remember? The younger one is sweetness incarnate. She's getting better all the time, and she's helping me with my investigation. The older one… … … … (Yes, there's a good reason why those are there. My lips are sealed.)

Leto stared at the screen. How many times had he told Anders that he should stick to traditional letters, not electronic ones? He banged his fist on the table. Electronic mail was probably monitored for employees of the Department, and he did not want to be found. It would risk everything he had managed to get.

He took a look at the photograph. He wasn't sure he had helped those women. He didn't remember them. His cousin had said something about a research… No. It couldn't be. The amenta? He zoomed in on the younger woman. He tried to remember her the way he'd seen her: drooling, whiny after the long journey, the vacant sight in her eyes… If this girl was the same, then Anders had worked a small miracle. She was smiling for the camera; her black hair was parted in two thick braids, her sparkling eyes reflecting joy, much unlike the other woman. Her expression was somber; a little irritated, perhaps? Leto closed his eyes and tried to remember her: unremarkable, except for her dark eyes – big, expressive; on fire. Her voice sounded in his head - "I'll do anything," she had said. From her tired expression, he thought that maybe she had acted upon her word. Her train-wreck of a sister looked fine, so maybe she had done anything. Was that the reason why Anders had refused to comment on her? He took a closer look at her. She wasn't particularly attractive. She looked tired and a little thin, which made her lips stand out. Small ears, long neck, caressed by locks of thick, black hair. Full lips. No lipstick, and yet her mouth looked juicy, red and inviting.

He heard the door open behind him. He closed his laptop and turned to greet the woman.

"Were you waiting for me, sugar?" Her voice was seductive, and she swaggered in his direction as she took off her uniform.

Leto took off his shirt and kissed the woman hungrily.

"Ooh, somebody's happy to see me," the woman purred, licking the line on his neck that led to his lips.

"No talking, 'Bela," he grunted, grabbing her by the waist. She wrapped her legs around his body and let him carry her to his bed.


"I'm not kidding, baby girl. There we were, Blondie and I, working on a cold case late at night when all of a sudden one of the dead bodies started shaking."

"Varric…"

"I thought Blondie would shit his pants. I took out my 17C, ready to unload it on the motherfucking undead, and we heard a groan from under the sheet."

"Don't tell me…"

"It was no undead – just one of those dumb junkies! You should have seen the guy's face. Glossy eyes, blue veins crawling up his face…"

"What did you do?"

"What do you think? We reported him to the Captain and he contacted the Wardens. I tell you: those bastards sure are tough. They came in their uniforms and drove the junkie away in their fancy truck."

"I bet it wasn't only Anders that almost shat his pants," the woman laughed.

"Hey! I'm butch – that's not my style," Varric winked at her.

"Sure you are, handsome," Lucía patted him and left her bag on a chair. "Bianca," she greeted the other woman.

"Luce," Bianca waved from the other side of the counter Varric was leaning onto. Her short wavy hair was decorated with flowery hairpins today, making her look fresher and younger.

"I see your idea of training and I'm not sure I want you to be my instructor," Lucía told him.

"You know you want me to teach you, gorgeous."

"Varric! What will Bianca say?"

"Bianca will say that she's not sure about Agent Tethras taking her to the end-of-year ball if he keeps flirting with Recruit Hawke," Bianca frowned, shaking her pretty blonde head. "Also, she will request a change of agents: he might even get stuck with Operator Donnic."

"Aw, come on. You know you're my shining light."

"As much as I enjoy this comedy of lovers," Lucía interrupted, "I'm late for practice and I need to catch up before the announcement."

"What announcement?" Varric asked.

"They sent an e-mail one hour ago. Come on, let's get to the range."

After one hour of practice, Varric checked his messages, read the e-mail and asked, "What do you think it will be about?"

"Well, if I got the e-mail as well it's safe to assume that it's something that affects the whole Department, not just the recruits or the agents." Her shots came close to the mark, but they weren't perfect yet. There was something about shooting a gun that made her excited and scared at the same time. Carver had tried to teach her, but he didn't have the type or amount of patience that Lucía had needed at the beginning of her training, and so Varric had come forward and offered his expertise for the modest price of dinner together every Thursday night. Varric was very fond of Bethany –everybody was, even during her bad days– and Leandra, and although he didn't always agree with Carver, he tried to be there for the boy. He knew how difficult it was to have the intention of leading the family and being overshadowed by an older sibling instead. Lucía was completely different from his own brother, though. The moment he'd seen her leading her family through the crowd back in Kirkwall, he'd known that she was not just a girl: she was a woman; independent, self-sufficient, complete.

"And that's what's driving Blondie crazy: you don't need him."

"Why would he want me to need him?" Lucía was cleaning the gun carefully. The last time she'd done that, she'd made several mistakes that had made Varric's sleek hair stand on end.

Varric opened his mouth to reply, but Bianca's voice came through the speakers. "Announcement starting in Conference Circle now, guys. You're running late."

"What are we doing tonight? Your place, my place…?"

"We'll be having rat-on-a-stick if you want some…" Lucía joked.

"Ooh, I love that. I'll take that bottle of wine your momma loves so much."

"Don't go around saying that. You'll give her a bad reputation."

"Bah; your old lady's tough as nails. Stop worrying so much," Varric said, opening the door for Lucía.

"… Having announced my retirement," the Captain was saying, "I'd like all of you to welcome my successor – a remarkable young lady who's spent the last couple of years serving abroad and has the Brigadier's full support. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you your new Captain, effective as from next month: Lieutenant Aveline du Lac."

Everyone in the room clapped politely as the Lieutenant took her place in front of the audience.

"Did he say 'du Lac'? Isn't that your mother's friend's last name?"

"Yes," Lucía nodded. "The daughter that came back from Orlais."

"What do you know," Varric murmured. "You might end up with a half-Orlesian half-sister, Hawke."

"We'll see," Lucía said to herself, looking at the red-haired woman that was about to start her speech. "Who knows? Seems like a nice girl."

Except that she wasn't.

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Title: "Girls and Boys" is a song by Blur. I went for the idea of girls and boys having fun in different ways, and still "always should be someone you really love" - Yes, I'm looking at you, Leto.