Chapter 80: Oblige
Velor’s eyes scanned the room. He stepped into the alcove with the composure of a man arriving at a private opera...amused and thoroughly entertained.
His boots clicked softly against the marble streaked with Varric’s blood. He paused,then smeared it further, like it was nothing more than pain...then he let the silence linger a beat too long, before he finally spoke again.
"Kieran Blackmoon, defending a stranger’s honor?" He sighed aloud, dramatically. "How...uncharacteristic."
His grin widened, all gleaming teeth. He gave Varric’s crumpled form a nudge with the toe of his boot, eliciting a fresh moan.
"And here I thought you only brawled for your own ego," he added, eyes flicking from the blood to the woman standing like a statue.
Varric spat blood onto the tiles and shoved himself upright. "That bitch..."
"Ah...ah." Velor’s hand clamped down on Varric’s shoulder, fingers digging in just shy of pain. "You are embarrassing yourself, Stormfang." His voice was like syrup over steel. "Go downstairs. Pick any woman you like...a willing one, this time...and drown your temper in something sweeter...and juicy! " Velor winked before turning around to face Autumn.
"The bitch attacked me. I was just trying to talk to her and she..."
Velor turned back to him slowly, and the chill in his smile made Varric fall silent.
"Did you touch her without consent, Varric?" Velor asked, voice still smooth, but the air turned sharp.
Varric blinked. "I mean...I grabbed her wrist. But I did not..."