The sun hung high over Skyhold as repairs continued across the fortress, ever since the Inquisition had moved its headquarters. Lara stood at a training area, wearing simple brown trousers that fit loosely and a dark red shirt that was completely untucked, sleeves rolled up past her elbows as she watched a group of soldiers spar. Each were practicing their hand to hand maneuvers and Lara Gennadia moved between the pairs, observing every move and sometimes stopping for a correction. "He's leaving his left side entirely open, use it!" she told one, rolling her eyes as she moved on and yet addressed the entire group at once. "If you have to use this, it will be because you lost your weapons, you have nothing left, quit fighting fair. You must be ready to fight for your life!" she snapped at them, sighing as she moved to a nearby section of fence and leaned against it, crossing her arms and looking over the group. Her skin had been tanned by the sun, though a redness across the bridge of her nose made clear she wasn't entirely used to it. Her dark brown hair was cut short and a mess, falling in her pale green eyes as she watched, some strands dripping with sweat from the heat of the midday.
Her people were tiring, she could plainly see it. "Take a break." She told them all suddenly, shaking her head. She knew they were being worked to the bone, some doing twelve hour patrols or guard rotations, plus anywhere from two to four hours of training with her. Fitting in meals and sleep was difficult and often left them exhausted. It was a time of war, rest was a treasure grasped when it could be found. She watched several sigh with relief as they went on to try and get a bite, likely before whatever detail they had called them up next.
"If they have to resort to their hands, isn't it too late already?"
The voice was familiar, but Lara was shocked to hear it, or at least to hear him addressing her. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder, and slightly downward, at the dwarf who had spoken to her. "Maybe. But there's always a chance, and we could give them every chance to survive out there. Our men are more valuable than theirs after all, sir." She replied.
Varric Tethras couldn't help a laugh as Lara called him 'sir'. "Oh I'm not a sir." He said, still laughing. "And I guess you're right, in theory at least. Not sure that ever works out in reality."
Lara sighed, turning her head to look straight ahead again and rolling her eyes where Varric couldn't see. "And in fiction?" she asked, having a hard time keeping a sarcastic edge out of her voice.
"Ha! Only for the hero beating impossible odds." He said, chuckling to himself as he moved to walk around the fence and stand beside Lara. "So you do know who I am, beyond trying to call me 'sir' anyway. Why call me that then?"
Lara shrugged. "Most of us figure anyone seen one on one with the Inquisitor is 'sir'…. Or 'ser'." She replied, glancing over at him. "I'm just a cog in the machine, pretty unimportant one at that, so why strike up a conversation?"
"Oh… why not? I think I see you out here every day, and you don't say hi…" His words trailed off as he gestured wide, clearly expecting some kind of answer.
Lara snorted in a rather brief chuckle of her own. "Again. One on one with the Inquisitor? Why would I say hi? I don't tend to assume someone that high up in the ranks would notice if I did or didn't."
"Except you never say hi to anyone."
Lara raised an eyebrow and looked at Varric, the silent question passing between them before he answered it.
"I people-watch." He said simply, shrugging.
Lara shook her head, the cross of her arms somehow deepening as she frowned and considered how to answer. As her eyes shifted forward once more she noticed a trio of mages walking by, one of whom stopped briefly to stare at her. For that moment it was as if his mind was working over a problem, a sign of recognition in his eyes before he shook his head and continued on. Lara herself seemed to freeze up as he looked, the muscles across her shoulders tensing up briefly and only releasing as the man passed on.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a story there."
Lara looked quickly towards Varric and shook her head. "Maybe I just don't like mages." She retorted.
"That wasn't a 'I don't like mages' look. That was something else. You know him."
Lara wrinkled up her nose. More than once she'd wanted to talk to Varric when he'd passed by, a fact she'd kept to herself, not really wanting anyone to know she'd read several of his books or what ones she had read. But suddenly she found talking to him was the last thing she wanted to do. "You might be one of the Inquisitor's friends, but that doesn't make you mine." She said simply, refusing to look at him as she kept her eyes straight ahead this time.
"Alright I get it, not going to spill your secrets to the writer."
"I thought it was the Seeker's job to squeeze non-existent answers out of people."
"Oh now that hurts!" Varric said, feigning hurt as he finally turned as if he was going to leave, before looking at Lara one more time. "You going to at least tell me your name?"
"Lara." Lara looked confused a moment before looking over at him a moment. "Was this just all an elaborate ruse to get my name for someone?"
"Maybe."
Lara rolled her eyes as Varric left, shaking her head and silently relieved as she looked up and saw her next group walking up to the training area. 'Finally, knife training…' She suddenly found herself looking forward to the daily training, if only to get her mind off what just happened, and the fact that it was bugging her.