3. Dilemma dance.

Dilemma dance.


  • 1.4

    _-"Help".

    "YOUR GETTING MARRIED?" Varen blurted out through a wide smile. Ryal smirked and showed off the ring on his finger. "Yup, tied the knot with Shae. So, when'r you goin' to get hitched?" Ryal asked, grinning faintly over to Varen who was looking around the Norwick commons, toying with his rapier's sheathe. "Well… Look, Natanya hardly even notices me." He said with a small downhearted tone. Ryal smirked slightly, just for a moment.

    "Come on, we got to pack up for our trip." Ryal begun walking towards the general store. The grey armored woman approached them, Ryal smiled, Varen offered a polite nod. "Hello Miranda." She smiled and waved slightly. "Hello Ryal, hello Varen." Ryal explained there plans. "We're going to the gypsie camp later, care to join us?" She smiled and nodded a few times. Ryal had a cunning gleam in his eye that night, as they entered he looked to Varen. "I need a private word with Miranda, Varen."

    When he finished whispering to her, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Varen frowned slightly. They walked back towards Varen. They excused themselves from Miranda and walked outside the shop. They made there way towards the south fire. "What was that all about?" He looked over to Ryal who was obviously hiding something with that wide grin of his.

    "Oh... Nothing." Varen stopped and marched over to him. "Tell me, Ryal." He sighed and shook his head, grinning. "I did you a favor." Varen's eyes widened, his frown deepened. "What do you mean, favor?" Ryal just chuckled lightly. "Tell me, damn it." He sighed and waved him off. "I told her to spread rumours about your… endowment with the ladies." Varen's jaw dropped. "I don't need help with Natanya! Now she's going to think I'm a damn gigalo! Gods damn it, Ryal! Quit trying to help me with my problems." Ryal just shrugged and gave him a slightly confused look. "What? So what if Natanya thinks you have a big stick?"

    Varen paced back a few steps, turned, and paced forward another few. "Damn it, Ryal. She could care less, I'm sure. She isn't that kind of girl. She's classy, not some gutterslut bard! You'r going to stop this, come on, Miranda's probobly still at Praeth's." He grabbed Ryal by the collar and dragged him towards the shop. Ryal struggled but failed to get loose from Varen's grip. "Hey! Put me down! I was only trying to help!"

    ...

    "Miranda." Varen opened the door to the shop, seeing Miranda talking to praeth. He pushed Ryal in front of her. "Tell her." He folded his arms and begun to tap his foot, awaiting Ryal's dismissal of the request. "He just wanted to say thanks..." He chuckled slightly, looking over his shoulder to the now annoyed Varen.

    "Damn it, Ryal. Tell her." He sighed and turned back to the confused Miranda. "Forget about the favor I asked you, Miranda. Varen's too much of a woman to go through with it." Miranda grinned slightly. "Oh, quite alright. Although I was going to do things a bit different then just spread rumours, boys." Said the cunning blonde.

    -Temptress that is Miranda.

    Varen and Sarp walked into the gypsie camp. He couldn't believe it. She had kissed him so many times earlier that night. He rubbed his left cheek and placed his finger lightly on his lips. Maybe Miranda did have feelings for him, he thought. "Sarp… I've got more problems." He sighed the words out sadly. He hadn't seen Natanya for a whole tenday, he was getting a touch worried. "Yesh? Wha'sh wrong?" Sarp stumbled a bit behind Varen, clutching his bottle of wine.

    "Miranda kissed me again." And Varen was telling the truth. She had burried him in kisses earlier that night. Sarp blinked and chuckled lightly before taking another sip of his bottle. "Thoshe Shareshiansh kish everyone, Varen." He sighed and rubbed his forhead.

    "I know. Damn it. I know, but she kissed me alot. What the hells was I thinking." His leather boots dug into the grass as they made there way towards the darkened forest, towards the spiders. "Sho you didn't like it? Dsh'you sheep wish her?" He questioned from behind. Varen smirked ever so slightly. "No I didn't. That's not it, I know they don't mean anything. But they felt good." He sighed. "I'm being stupid… She doesn't feel for me, she's just… Being a Sharessian!" He waved his arms in the air, a bit fustrated at the situation.

    "This is just too damn brilliant. I'm over Tris and I fall for one of my best friends." Sarp lofted a gray brow. "Shtop." Varen stopped and turned around, giving him a curious look. "Y'shee... Shareshiansh don' shtick to one partner, Jacob."

    For the first time in his drunken state, Sarp was making sense. At least to Varen. "I'm pretty damn glad Natanya isn't a Sharessian. Although..." He shook the entire thought from his head, knowing all too well that Sharessian make untrustworthy companions when it came to relationships.

    -Poems in the night.

    "Sarp said that women like bards because of there poems and songs." Thought Varen as he turned the key to his inn room at the boarshed inn. He unbuckled his belt and layed it across the belt. "Maybe I should try writing a poem." He never was good with words. He was as cunning as a fox when someone had to plan tactics for a fight. But not when it came to words.

    "Wonder what rhymes with Natanya. Katana?" He rubbed his forhead. No, that would'nt do. "Piranna?" He walked over to his desk and lit the candle, pulling the chair and rumaging through some papers. He found a quillpen and some ink quickly enough. He dipped the quill in the ink goblet and begun to scribble some letters on the paper.

    Natanya
    Your not a katanna holding piranna.

    He smacked his forhead, he even laughed a moment. He scribbled over that line and started another.

    Golden dark armor.
    Flowing blonde hair.

    He murmured the words, with a small focused look in his eyes as his quill darted across the sheet.

    You wink and you smile.
    Wave back if I dare.

    "Bah, this isn't working." He crumbled the sheet up and threw it out, dragging his feet to bed. He sighed and rubbed his forhead, drifting off into a familiar slumber._


  • 1.3
    _What is love?

    Don't hurt me,
    Don't hurt me no more.

    What is love?

    Yea-heah.

    Well I don't know.
    When your not there.

    I need you, my love,
    But you don't care.

    So what is right?
    And what is wrong?
    Give me a sign.

    I don't know.
    What can I do?

    What else can I say?
    It's all for you.

    ~Haddaway~_
    _-Second thoughts.

    Varen sat in the warm bath he had prepared himself in the Peltarch Bathhouse. He sighed and leaned back, enjoying the steam coming from the water. He folded his arms back behind his head and closed his eyes.

    Was Natanya really worth impressing? Maybe Kalina was right. Maybe he should just give up instead of going through with his pathetic stunt for attention. She hadn't even noticed him at the south gates the other day. Why would she wink at him one second, then ignor him the other?

    Or maybe Sarp was right. Maybe he should have just tried to sleep with both then decide. He smacked himself for thinking such an idiotic thought and mumbled.

    He sighed and opened his eyes to peer around the steamy bathhouse. He saw a girl giggle and wave, he put on the smallest of smiles and nodded. "Real smooth, slapping yourself in public." He murmured. He then eyed her strangely a second before shifting his weight and resting his head against the smoothly paved floor as he lay in the bath.

    -Starry Night.

    He pushed his wet hair back behind his ears and rubbed his newly dried temples as he walked out the front door of the bath house. He shouldn't just give up, he thought. After all, She didn't exactly say the word 'no', did she? He mumbled and adjusted his belt and checked his rapier. "She didn't. No. I'll go through with it." He nodded to himself. He then begun to walk through the streets and commons, hands on hips, head tilted downward with a pondering look on his face.

    "Varen you poor bastard…" He said to himself through a small sigh. "What are you going to become, falling for a law lady."

    He took a deep breath of fresh air and glanced up towards the night sky. For the first time in a while he could see the stars perfectly clear. In the words of Sarp: It must be a sign from lady firehair herself, he thought with a small smile.

    -Honar before women?

    He walked back to the mermaid inn, missing a few nods along the way. He kept his head low and his hands on his belt, always pondering. "Well… What if she catches Sarp and wants to kill him? I like messing with the guy, but I don't want him dead." He sighed and shook his head. This plan was faulty. For some reason, he didn't care. He took the thought of Sarp being jailed and stored it away in the back of his mind. "He'll be fine." He thought.

    "Besides, a little jail time would do him good." He turned a corner, a woman nodded and once again he didn't notice. "If it gets me closer to Lady Natanya." He wondered. "No, damn it. What am I thinking. Sarp's a good friend of mine." He sighed and smacked his forhead. "What the hells am I going to do?" Maybe he should just stop thinking about her all together, he thought.

    -Starry Night, Part II.

    He unlocked his room at the Mermaid and threw his pack by the door. With a small sigh he dropped on the bed and closed his eyes. "Damn it Varen, why can't you just let it go? She's a Law Lady, a Paladin. Hello? Are you stupid?" He shook his head and continued to think to himself, turning around and burrying his face into his pillow. "Why can't you stop thinking about her? Her stupid little smiles. And her stupid little winks."

    "Damn it…" He sighed and pushed his weight off the bed. "Who am I kidding? I love those." He said wistfully. He wouldn't be able to sleep that night and he knew it. He got up and walked towards the window, opening it and peering outside from his inn room a moment. He eased his way on to the windowsill and arched his back, gripping the top of the window and hoisting himself up on the rood with ease. He crawled over a few inches before turning around and lying on his back. He folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the stars. "Just going to gaze up to the stars, tonight." He said, wondering if anyone else was. Mainly her._


  • 1.2

    _-Problems, Part II.

    "Natanya. No. Tris. No wait…" Varen woke up in his room. "Mmmnh..." He burried his face in his pillow, hugging it a moment before blinking and focusing his eyes on the white sheets. With a small groan he pulled himself up and sat down on the edge. He leaned down and reached for his dark pants, struggling into them before buckling the straps to his boots. He pulled on his usual shirt and buckled his belt over his pants, making sure his rapier's sheathe was safely secure on it.

    He walked down the stairs, then out the boarshed. He breathed the air in as he walked tall, hands on his belt. He nodded to the rather flirty Lisara as he made his way to the south fire. He looked around, she wasn't there. He sighed and sat down near a woman and nodded politely. She returned the nod and continued with her business. "Tris is innocent and cute... That's what makes her so attractive." He thought to himself.

    "But Natanya's just as innocent, with tons more class." He sighed and rubbed his chin. He remembered Sarp's advice which earlier that tenday. "You shhould shleep with them both, then deshide. Tha'sh what I'de do." Varen remembered smacking him so hard that day he almost fell unconcious. "That advice won't do… What does he think I am, some kind of gigalo?"

    A blonde haired, bronze armored woman appraoched the fire from the north. Varen looked up, it was Miranda. "Good evening, Miss Miranda." He pulled himself to his feet, finaly finding someone worth talking to. "Sir Varen." She nodded and smiled. Varen looked around the bleak looking south gates, before looking to Miranda and leaning forward. "I was going to head to Jiyyd, care to join?" She smiled. "Better then staying around here."

    Although Miranda was beautifull, Varen wasn't really attracted to her. Sharessians werent very trustworthy when it came to relationships, and if she was of different faith she probobly would have been involved in his little problem. He considered her more of a friend then anything else. They started to walk towards the northern Norwick gates. "So, how's Tris been?" Varen looked over his shoulder to Miranda. "Oh, she's been fine."

    -Problems, Part III. Spider hunt.

    They walked through the nars, Varen looked to the ground as he walked. He held his rapier and dagger loosely to his sides, he knew he didn't have to worry about the bandit sneaks anymore. Miranda smiled. "Tris!" Varen looked up, the grey armored, brown haired woman was jogging towards them. He almost smiled. "Hey Tris, Why in such a hurry?" Miranda asked.

    "Oh, I'm running from a bandit." She explained while Varen lofted a brow. "I thought we had a truce." She grinned wide with a small glint in her eye. "Oh he wanted dinner and drink." Miranda chuckled lightly while Varen lofted the other brow. "Don't like badboys, hmmn, Tris dear?" She laughed and winked.

    "Maybe." Varen took this into account, making a mental note if the conversation. "Badboys? Drink? Maybe?" He thought to himself. "Oh, you two go on ahead to camp, and I'll catch up!" Said tris who had to adjust her equipment. They changed there destination. Varen and Miranda nodded and walked towards the camp.

    "And how are you holding up, my fair Tris?" Varen looked over his shoulder to Miranda who had a small grin. "Erhm - I mean Miranda." The small grin broadened a bit. "It's not hard to figure out who your thinking about." He sighed and mumbled. "It was an honest mistake." Tris cought up, Miranda didn't say a word.

    They walked past the gypsies with polite smiles with respectful nods. As they made there way into the darkening forest, Varen knew something wasn't quite right. He peered around, rapier in one hand, dagger clutched tight in the other. Miranda had her crossbow pointed and ready, Tris held her two longswords carefully.

    A small russling to the right. Varen looked over at the bushes, something was moving. A slight hissing sound coming from the trees, Miranda pointed her crossbow upward, squinting. A pure white spider jumped from the bushes and spun a large web, casting it over the trio. Varen growled and slashed his way through with his rapier to protect the team healer, Miranda, who was having trouble shooting and fending off the spiders from close range.

    Tris fended off the forest spider to the left, Varen managed to pull his way and stand in front of Miranda to hold back the web weavers. With a small wince, and one heck of a struggle, he managed to jam his rapier through one of the spider's head, Miranda shot the other in the heart, killing it instantly. Varen turned around, eyes wide and focused, he saw tris fending off the forest spider. The web was wearing off, he fought his way through. Miranda shot the last remaining spider in the leg, it still refused to die. Tris growled and slashed it across the face as Varen lept over and sunk his dagger through it's back. It squeeled and wriggled around before finally keeling over.

    Varen brushed himself off, looking to Tris who smiled. He then looked to Miranda who was also smiling. He had a slightly confused, but stern look on his face as he rubbed the last bit of web from his chain armor. "Oh, see Varen? That wasn't so bad. Why are you all upset?" He sighed and looked to Miranda. "I have to watch you get tied down in a web and get surrounded by spiders, along with Tris. And you wonder why I'm upset?" Miranda smiled sweetly and leaned forward close to Varen. "Aww… Poor baby."

    She leaned closer and kissed him quickly on the lips. He blinked and took a moment to process his current situation. After a split second he cleared his throat and blushed a light pink, trying to hide it but failing. Tris giggled. "Erhm..." Miranda just kept on smiling and shook her head. "Come on, it's time we head back."

    -Problems, Part IV, Finale.

    On there way back Varen got to thinking. "Alright, well. Let's see. Miranda kissed me on the lips, but it doesn't mean anything since she's a Sharessian. It would seem that Tris isn't as innocent as I thought…" He rubbed his chin with a gloved hand and pondered deeply as they walked through the dark forest, back to the Gypsie Camp. He glanced over to Tris, who had been flashing confident grins ever since they met in the Nars. "Hrmn..."

    They found there way back to Camp and walked over to a stream. "I've got to wash my armor." Tris explained as she walked into the stream and splashed water on her bloodstained armor. Miranda stripped her armor off and walked into the lake nude. Varen was casually making his way behind them when he saw her, he blinked and shifted his gaze the oposite direction, blushing madly.

    "Should of expected as much from a Sharessian." He thought to himself. Without looking over his shoulder. "Erhm, Come see me when you two are done washing up...!" Tris smirked and walked out of the stream, her armor was still on. "I'm done, I'm heading to the fires." Varen swallowed lightly and followed her. "I'll be there in a moment." Miranda called after then as they turned the corner and made there way to the fires.

    -Innocent as human.

    "Never seen a woman strip down and walk into a lake before, Varen?" She grinned slightly and watched him plop down beside her at the gypsie fires. He shook his head slowly. "Neither have I. At least not with another man around anyway." He blinked. Miranda appraoched from behind and sat down oposite of Tris. "So, Tris, how's Elor doing?" Miranda looked to Tris expectantly.

    "Oh…!" Tris sighed. Varen looked over with a confused, yet stern look on his face. "I think he likes you." Miranda grinned faintly, always looking to Tris. Varen felt as if he'd faded into the background and had been watching a performance. "Oh...!" Tris sighed again. "Too many men like me! It's becoming a bother!"

    "She isn't innocent..." He thought to himself. "She isn't innocent at all." Innocence is what he liked about her. Very pure, very simple minded. He obviously had gotten the wrong impression. He hopped to his feet with a small, polite smile. Happy his dilemma had been partially solved. "Enjoy the rest of the evening, you two. I have to go find someone." He half-bowed and made his exit. Tris looked over. "Oh... Bye...!"_


  • 1.1

    _-Curious Reasons.

    "Awww come on!" Kalina pressed forward, her voice could be heard throughout the south fire, raising a finger as Varen adjusted his rapier. Sarp just looked around with the same blank look on his face and sipped from his bottle of wine, not giving Kalina or Varen any regard. "I'm not telling you, why should I?" She frowned slightly and turned to Sarp. "Tell me why he likes her." Sarp blinked and mumbling a few inaudiable words before looking around. "Eh? Whash wrong?" He blinked again and sipped his wine, looking to Kalina curiously. "Why does Varen like Natanya?" She repeated herself. Varen gave the wizard a glare. "Don't you dare."

    Sarp shook his head. "I'm not tellingsh." Kalina grinned slightly. "Oh? Not even for… Liquor?" Varen quickly stepped in between Kalina and Sarp, facing Sarp. "Sarp, buddy, pal, chum. You wouldn't sell ol' Varen out for some cheap wine, would you?" His tone was worried, yet stern. Sarp thought a moment as he sipped his wine. Kalina called over from behind Varen to the wizard.

    "Creamy Dwarven Stout..." Sarp licked his lips, Varen frowned. The old wizard quickly blinked and shook his head. "Well... Creamy dwarven Stout... Errhm! No, I can't betray Jacobsh." Varen grinned and stepped out from between them, turning his back to both and folding his arms thinking he had won. Kalina frowned once again.

    -Cunning Threats.

    "Fine! I'll just go talk to her then." Kalina taunted behind him. He quickly staggered and turned around, dropping to his knees and grabbing her boots. "No! You can't go telling her! You just… Can't!" For the first time he had arrived in Narfell, Varen Snide sounded nervous beyond compare. Sarp lofted a gray eyebrow and sipped his wine, looking to Varen who was begging Kalina. Kalina grinned, looking down her nose to the man who was clutching her boots.

    "Then tell me." Varen let out a small sigh of relief and pulled himself to his feet, wiping the dirt and dust from his outfit and turning his back to start pacing. "Fine. Sarp, tell her." She smirked and watched him sweat. "No, tell me yourself." He shook his head, always pacing. "I can't, Sarp will." He sighed and rubbed his forhead lightly with a gloved hand.

    -Snide Remarks.

    Sarp cleared his throat and took a swig of wine before blurting out drunkenly. "Sh'because he likshe her boobsh" Varen stopped short, walked up to Sarp and smacked him hard upside the head. "That is NOT the reason!" He frowned and obviously took great offense at Sarp's statement. "I don't know why I always come to you with my problems you… you drunken cormyrian!" Kalina smirked and chuckled lightly. "Oh, so it's her body, eh?" He sighed and pinched the area between his brow, tilting his head forward slightly and closing his eyes. Sarp blinked and wondered why his head hurt, before taking another sip of wine. "Cormyrian Warwishards are never drunksh."

    "That's beside... Reasons... That's not... Bah!" He threw his arms in the air and shook his head. Kalina just folded her arms and shifted her weight, lofting a brow, grinning the whole time Varen displayed nervous mannerisms. "So your really going to go through with this stupid plan to get attention?" Varen sighed and toyed with a strap on one of his gloves. "It's the only way she'll notice me." He nodded to himself. She burst out laughing and wiped another tear. Sarp drank his wine and peered around the south fire with a blank expression.

    -Laugh it up.

    The dark, golden armored woman walked tall, hands on hips. A troupe of followers behind her. She didn't even notice the nervous looking fencer, along with the drunken wizard and coy red headed woman standing by the fire talking. Varen held his chin as he stared into the fire, looking up at the footsteps. It was her, he ahermed and stumbled onto the path, looking out the gate where she'd just left. "Erhm, Lady Natanya?" Either she didn't hear him or she was ignoring him. Varen slumped his shoulders and hung his head, dragging his feet back to the fire.

    "…Nothing." He sighed and plopped down near the fire, crossing his legs and toying his index fingers together near his chest, looking down at them glumly. Kalina walked up to the path and looked out the gate to the golden armored woman, she then turned to the downhearted Varen who was slumped down near the fire. He looked over his shoulder. "Laugh it up. Come on. You know you want to." He sighed and went back to toying his index fingers together. "Nope. Not this time." She said breifly. Sarp sipped his wine and peered outside the gates. "Well, thatsh different then a winksh."

    -Determination.

    "Well, that settles it. I'm definatly going through with Sarp's plan now." He nodded to himself and pulled up to his feet. Sarp nodded at the mention of his name, and sipped his wine idly. "Tha'sh good, Jacob." He obviously hadn't been listening or paying much attention. Kalina just smirked and shook her head._