AN; meant to have this up Tuesday but grabbed an extra few shifts at work. Some of the chapter is taken directly from Jackal in the shadows but altered for Elan's inclusions.

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As they set out the moment the sun was up, Elan thought nothing of his companions lack of interest in chatting at first. He could ramble for hours or just be at ease in the silence, comforted by having at least one he trusted implicitly at his side. Tavaiya was on his left, his shield arm, and the faint echoing feel of her reflecting his magic back towards him -as always feeling like the lingering sound of her voice as if she had just spoken only not- let him take all of this chaos in stride. By the time it was noon however he was sore pressed to not admit he would have preferred the silence once more considering the constant sniping at each other the motley crew was performing. Cassandra seemed to take great umbrage at the presence of all of them, despite a grudging enjoyment of Tavaiya's company that could potentially be chalked up to the fact that both were women and at times it was only pratice of being in the courts that had Elan able to not let on how bored he was hearing of hair items they had used to hold back their hair in battle. Apparently that Tavaiya's was wild curls and Cassandra's stubbornly sleek and straight to the point it slipped free of almost everything but her severe crown braid gave them common ground.

The few times the large warrior mage in hiding had dropped back to try and talk to the other elf in the party had been rebuffed by way of elaborate complex magical talks specifically designed to ward off interest in a non magical audience. Solas and Elan were clearly at odds if only because the hairless apostate was considering the brute of a Fereldan nobleman to be as against mages as so many of his ilk.

Little did he know and frankly Elan had no interest in enlightening him after he had a lot of unusable lecturing happen.

Varric was a gem, a treasure beyond any price and so Elan resigned himself to mostly a dwarf and his sister figure for company. It provided no end of strange discussions and if the crossbow wielder was rubbing his hands together cackling over making him and this Hawke meet up in a tavern? Well stranger things had occurred.

At some point the dwarf had brought up his 'daisy' an elfin bloodmage who had accompanied him on many a journey back in Kirkwall and kept the two honorary siblings laughing for hours as Varric entertained them with her random quips and having to pay off most the Kirkwall underground to leave the little oblivious sprite alone. In thanks for the amusement Tavaiya had handed over her black flask which apparently had only endeared her to the dwarf. If Elan had then rolled his eyes and produced his own larger flask stating something about something that would really knock him back? Varric was hardly complaining at the proliferation of alcohol to continue plying them with tales.

The stories of Daisy and the other former companions went on through the day. Varric took pleasure in sharing the multitude of silly moments, some he was convinced couldn't have been anything but done on purpose with her comments. What Merrill had done was a tragedy but she had tried. She had been misguided and paid dearly but she did her best and thought it had been true. So he downplayed the fact that Merrill was a capable and frighteningly powerful bloodmage, dwelling on her lack of ability to play Wicked Grace, her addled remarks. Her silly behaviors and how she responded to the most mundane of things.

In his tales he felt like Daisy was there with him again, that any moment her little frame would dance ahead, twist about and give him that beaming smile. The one that had been borne of affection. Because they were family, a broken strange misshapen family but she was there for him and he was for her and she had been the only one he had told the tale of Bianca too a few nights after the loss of Merrill's clan.

And how peculiar was fate, that now he had a brand new broody elf who was a mage and bald as could be? But Chuckles it was, because the man looked at the most dire of straights as if it was a game and they didn't know they had signed up to play. As though it didn't really affect him.

Secrets made sense in the way only a rogue could and Fumbles? He was strange. At first glance you overlooked him as just another Fereldan of low nobility. Tall, broad, quick to smile and charge in. the thing was though he had shrewd eyes and the deflection of attention was just a little too good. It made Varric pay attention. How swiftly he and secrets could direct attention elsewhere with what seemed like random babbling, that was practiced or he'd paint Bianca blue. That Fumbles was so relaxed in the company of rogues was also telling, as much as the fact that despite the massive chaotic green rift in the sky when it happened both of them had reacted first to finding where the other was. There was more than just loyalty there, there was that closeness, that unthinking protecting of the other that was even deeper than friendship like siblings. That was what happened when you had something to hide.

He'd acted like that with Merrill, when deflecting talks of Ander's and if he'd seen someone that looked like Fenris. Now, the real question, was it Secrets or Fumbles who was hiding something?

"Flask for your thoughts?" Tavaiya asked him and he grinned over, spotting mischief in her eyes. The little rogue wanted to play?

"Now isn't it supposed to be a silver?"

"If you'd prefer that to what I've got..." She teasingly leered, it was entirely a joke and not even given serious delivery. Indeed she did it deliberately awful he suspected and her reward was his chuckle and a grimace from Elan.

"Oh come on don't start that again tavaiya...and just ignore me."

"Hand it over! I was just thinking that it's crazy I've gotten surrounded by fools and comparing you all to the lot back when I traveled with the Champion."

Varric wasn't quite sure where she'd pulled that black flask from again but she took a pull of it before passing it over. He upened it into his mouth and let out a low whistle as though it was the first time, enjoying the playful change of pace.

"A woman with expensive taste! You're definitely my counter part. Or maybe Bianca's."

Elan laughed "Oh she's got expensive taste all right, and the bad habit of befriending those who know how to empty her coin purse, which means mine!"

"You're comparing me to your crossbow?" She asked but it was not dismissive even if she was plainly ignoring Elan. He knew she was enamored of her blades and watched as her eyes trailed over Bianca's form in a way that showed appreciation. Not aptitude, no, she'd confessed that it was in the simplicity of the regular bow she carried that her skills lay but artistry was always recognized by those who appreciated beauty. And to a rogue, to a warrior of any sort but especially one that needed precision and silence, comparison to a beloved weapon was high praise.

"You don't quite live up to her lines, but.." He gestured a little, taking another sip from her flask. It was a smooth burn, a delicious whiskey that was like velvet and fire. He still wanted elan to hand his back over, that had been a blend of liquors and he was fairly certain that it wasn't just the rogue who had expensive tastes among the pair.

"Hmmm..I'm the lethal and rigid dealer of death in style, is that what you're saying?" She went along with it, and then there was a wink, a tilt of her jaw and shift of her voice that sent chills down Varric's spine and a warmth spread that was mild, but he was a living man and could appreciate the view and the teasing. It made him think of how luridly Rivani would have been staring at this elf right now had she been there. "That my form invites the touch of only specific, and skilled, hands to slide along my sides? To increase and release the tension in turn as only one could know by touch..that perhaps I am at my most beautiful when singing others to the afterlife of their choosing?"

Varric chortled then, his eyes spying a flush on their companions. "You've got a silver tongue there, Secrets. Mind if I use those lines in one of my books?"

A little bow of her head and a laugh, and the sultry woman was gone again into the easy gait of the rogue on alert but at ease. "I'm woefully out of practice but feel free Varric."

"She really is, there was a time she could talk a woman out of my bed the next morning and onto a horse before somehow convincing her that there was a man several farms away who would be receptive. Come to think of it, they made that cheese that Alistair likes..we should see if they're still expecting yet another brat, jackal."

"Good point elan..And yes I need more working of my tongue." Secrets agreed with a grin at the dwarf. "In addition to handling Elan's many, many, many affairs, there was a time I could convince others that the very sight of them stole the breath from my lungs and set my pulse racing but those games are fun to play with the ones I know won't take them seriously..but not otherwise."

"Distasteful." Cassandra scoffed and Varric was highly amused to see her ears still pink. The lady did protest far too much.

"Is it?" A skip, she actually flipping skipped! And then Secrets had her arm through Cassandra's with a smile up at the still taller woman. "I would think it would only be distasteful if I acted under such falsehoods."

"Toying with another's affections." Cassandra gave a short clipped response but did not pull away. Then again with how much those two beat up each other in the mornings -and he was not the only male who greatly enjoyed watching the sight of two beautiful different looking women in a lethal catfight, they always had a massive draw just out of sight- he supposed Cassandra would give Secrets more of leeway.

"Oh it's never their heart they are thinking with Cassandra!"

There was a snort beside him from Elan and a sigh from Solas that amused Varric. Really.

"Ever lost yours, Secrets?" Varric drawled easily. He left it vague on purpose and once it sank in Elan was roaring in laughter again.

Only a wink from Tavaiya was his answer.

Well and apparently bandits but hey, when was it ever not bandits? At least elan seemed entirely too happy to leap into the fray when they came upon them.