New Clothes

Varian had always liked his blue shirt, but after wearing it throughout his imprisonment, there was something negative attached to it now. Quirin agreed that it was probably time for a change. They went to the tailor's shop not long after Quirin had been freed. It still elated Varian to know that Rapunzel had kept her promise, that she still cared for him and his Dad and that Quirin was free again. Every little thing they did was another happy memory Varian could make, after he had long despaired he'd never be happy again. It was thrilling.

But it was also a little disconcerting, because Varian was a free man now too, but people still remembered his past deeds. There were more than a few whispers in Old Corona that the mad alchemist was back, pardoned by the Princess (somehow). What would he do? Was it safe to be around him? Most of the whispers weren't too unkind, just wary. Varian suspected they'd be a lot worse if Quirin was sticking by his side, determined to catch up with his son after the long, painful year apart.

"So… you're a year older. Do you… still like the Flynn Rider books?" Quirin asked, trying to make small talk.

Varian snorted. "It was a year Dad. I'd never change so much that I'd forget my favorite book series ever." Varian replied.

"Good to know." Quirin mentally filed that under 'things that hadn't changed.'

"Do you… think the tailor will mind working with me?" Varian bit his lip nervously. He'd known Dan the tailor all his life. But did Dan still think of him as Varian, the boy who accidentally made messes with his alchemy, or did he think of Varian as the vengeful revolutionary?

"Dan. Good to see you. My son is in need of new clothes." Quirin said in greeting.

"Varian. Ah... I am not sure what we have in stock..." Dan fumbled for an excuse. Fortunately, he was 'rescued' by his apprentice.

"Varian!" Katie squealed. "It's so good to see you!"

Varian smiled. Katie had always liked him, almost taking on a big sister role around him. At least her opinions hadn't soured on him.

"Let's get you fitted for something right away!" she pulled out her tape measure and began marking measurements. "23 inch waist, that's a little small. You must have… been watching your diet in..." she couldn't bring herself to say prison. "Perhaps a vest would look good on you, give you some padding. I've got a nice red one with buttons. We'll only have to take it in a little." Katie didn't add that the vest had originally been ordered by a 13 yr old who'd changed his mind at the last minute. Varian had always been scrawny, but the 15 lbs he'd lost in prison definitely showed.

Still, Katie was all smiles, instructing Varian to take off his old clothes and slip into the new ones, blithely pinning Varian's new vest, and adding sleeve garters to a shirt with long white sleeves. "You'll want an apron too, and gloves. I know how you like to work on your projects." Katie continued, happily. She was in her element, talking about clothes. It had been her dream to be a seamstress ever since she was a child, and Varian was glad to see her succeed.

"I've been working regularly with Dan for awhile now. When he retires- which won't be for a good long time mind you- my name is going to be on the shop. Isn't that exciting?" Katie babbled.

"Yeah. You deserve it. You've always been a hard worker." Varian replied, relaxing now that he was on familiar ground. Dan had made himself scarce, and Varian tried telling himself that it was just business and Dan wasn't purposely avoiding him, but the thought that he might lurked in the back of his mind.

"Thanks, Varian. Of course, there's been some more changes in my life. You know Adam, right?" Katie said.

"The miller's older son." Varian replied.

"Right. He and I have been going steady for 8 months now." Katie blushed a little.

"Congratulations." Varian told her sincerely.

"Adam makes me so happy! We're having lunch together, a little picnic, but maybe tomorrow you and I could talk some. They've rebuilt so many things since the rocks..." Katie faltered. "...caused some trouble. There's parts of town you'd hardly recognize." She noticed Varian tense up at that, and hastily backtracked. "But much of it is still the same! Dad's sheep still graze in the pasture, and Pamela can still be found reading when she's not at work and the baker still trades recipes with Attila..."

"Yeah. I'm sure a lot of it is like I remembered." Varian replied. Old Corona was a small town, and for good or bad, it resisted change. Whatever differences there were between now and last year were mostly superficial. It was Varian who was different, Varian who had always stood out and not in a good way, back in town and back to being the subject of fear and distrust. If he'd been alone, he didn't know if he could face it. But Quirin was back and Quirin had always been liked in town, even if there had been an undercurrent of pity for the hard-working widower with the troublesome child. But Varian wasn't a child anymore, and he was determined not to be troublesome either. He'd work in the fields, he'd work in his lab, creating things that would help improve the quality of life, and perhaps in doing so he'd atone for all the bad things he'd done.

"There." Katie finished pinning and adjusting his outfit. "You look like a new man, standing proud." Next to her, Quirin nodded his approval.

"Thanks, Katie." Varian said. Maybe in time he would feel proud, just as she said. In fact, with his Dad by his side, Ruddiger rubbing up against his ankles, and some friends he could count on, he was sure of it.

The End

Varian's a brave kid, it can't have been easy to reintegrate back into society after his jail time. When you see him in later episodes, it seems like he's always working, trying to be helpful. I hope he took some time for self care too, even small things like shopping can do wonders.