It had been a warm day, which is precisely why Jadell had stripped off her armor quickly and didn't care about what she had underneath. The fact her top was sleeveless was a mercy. It allowed the breeze, what little there was, to flow through and cool her. Vincent didn't mind the effect either. The more skin revealed the better in his opinion.

The light in the sky was fading. Another day done. As he had hoped, Jadell was waiting for him at the table in front of the door as he and down from the library and his latest lesson. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, a hand lingering on her shoulder by the exposed Templar mark. She turned, snatching a better kiss with her lips.

Jade then pulled him into a bench with a laugh. "Sit," she suggested. "He kept you late tonight. So rude!"

"I'm sure Lord Pavus has no desire to snub you love," Vincent chuckled. "I was just a bit slow on the lesson today."

"Ah." Jade answered with her own giggle. "I suppose that can't be helped." She moved in for another kiss, smiling. Vincent obliged his love happily.

From nearby, the duo heard the unmistakeable sound of a throat being cleared. Both looked over, then down to see a dwarf watching them.

"Can I help you?" Vincent asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"I... ah..." The fair-haired male turned his attention to Jade. "Are you part of that Starkhaven group our fearless Commander Curly keeps raving about?"

Jade sighed. "Probably," she admitted.

"Then this must be Sparkler's apt pupil." The dwarf laughed before offering, "Varric Tethras, master storyteller."

Jadell considered him a moment. "You're the dwarf who wrote the chronicle of Kirkwall?" Her eyes were dancing brightly, and Vincent had to smile at the excitement. "The Tale of the Champion is my favorite book."

"Always a pleasure to meet a fan," Varric offered. Then, more tentative, "I hear you two have a tale yourselves. Stuck in Starkhaven while that shit popped up? Bad stuff."

Vincent narrowed his eyes instinctively. "Very."

"I don't mean to pry..."

"Of course you do," Jade contradicted. "You very much mean to pry."

"Alright. You got me." Varric looked slightly sheepish, but still pressed. "But come on. It was wartime. You two should have been at each other's throats- or at least refused to talk to each other."

"I never felt that way," Vincent clarified. "WE never felt that way. It was almost as if..." He paused, trying to find the words.

"As if someone was put in the path. You don't fight it, Master Tethras," Jade offered.

"You DO have a story." He seemed absolutely giddy. "Do tell."

An hour later, spent over drinks and food, the trio was laughing. Varric had a quill and scroll, making notes, and Vincent kept his arm around Jade tightly. "So let me at this straight." The dwarf seemed incredulous, laughing. "You left Orlais to find a standing circle and proceeded to claim your name was Wishes?"

"Not Wishes. My mother was Dalish, and I gave the name she had given me. It just happened to be elvhen..."

"For Wishes," Varric laughed again.

"I don't remember it being funny at the time," Jadell noted, "but in hindsight it does feel ridiculous."

"It's dramatic gold, that's what it is. That's it. You're Wishes." The nickname was fluid, and the dwarf was caught up in his laughter. "And as for you Blondie! I have trouble believing half of what they ha been saying, but you actually make it sound plausible." The dwarf started right after he said it. He'd not referred to a nickname for the Templar girl before, but it seemed he had just surprised himself by finding one. He looked at her oddly then nodded. "Yeah. Blondie. I'm going with that."

Jade furrowed her eyebrows. "Blondie?"

"It's... appropriate," the dwarf explained before laughing lightly. "Maybe you can redeem it after its previous owner."

Jade nodded, confused, but knew better than to argue. When Tethras assigned a nickname, all Skyhold knew you just went with it. At least it meant he would remember you.