Stone's Throw

[Varric Thedas]

Hmmm. Sample size is too small to identify the writer. Not bad though. He just stands there for a few minutes, working out the problems in his head. The difficulty scales upwards as he goes, with the last two actually forcing him to trace out the solutions with his finger. Heh, that's pretty good. Should convince ne to collect all the puzzles ne's made so far and publish them. Folding the paper back up, he places it on ne's desk before resuming his goal of nicking a spare bottle of ink from the class supplies. 

[Helene Dakesh]

An hour later, his spouse knocks on his door, slipping into his office. Ne has finally figured out how to dress comfortably: custom-made robes, lifts in ner shoes that make ner feel a little taller even if ne isn't much taller, and makeup that helps with the fact that ne hasn't aged since childhood. But ne doesn't wear the makeup and lifts so often aronud the house. Ne feels better presenting ner true face to ner husband than ner false one, no matter how young it makes ner seem. 

"You left this in the schoolroom. The puzzles are good. Rudimentary in places, but a new form of puzzle must begin with simpler forms, and as a demonstration tool, it has merit."

[Varric Thedas]

Varric holds up a finger for a second, scribbling furiously with a scowl on his face. Twenty seconds later, he finishes and looks up at his spouse with a smile. Then he replays nir words, which turns is expression puzzled ."You didn't make that sheet?"

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene blinks. "What? No, didn't you?"

[Varric Thedas]

"No... I had assumed it was a school worksheet. Homework maybe."

[Helene Dakesh]

"One of the children, perhaps?" muses Helene. "Perhaps Sami?"

[Varric Thedas]

"Likely so," Varric agrees, leaning back with a thoughtful expression. "Possibly Siggy or Tomas; Siggy can focus on the oddest things for a brief spell and Tomas is smart enough. Not as likely to put it to such a use though."

[Helene Dakesh]

"Should we find the owner? Or let it be?"

[Varric Thedas]

Varric purses his lips as he thinks, then he smiles. "Neither. We solve them, then create our own sheet. Keep it similar, don't go overboard. Then we leave it where I found this originally and... see if they 'write back' to us."

[GamesMaster]

The Festival of Kato, sprawled out along Temple Street, is full of fire: flaming chalices, fire swallowers, fire jugglers, fire dancers. Everyone seems to be wearing red and black, and bunches of red and black roses (thorns on) are made into bouquets, wreaths, crowns, corsages, floating in water, or even rose petal incense that burns the smell of roses and smoke into the air. Everyone seems to be having a merry old time, whether they're wearing Kato's colors or not -- everyone except the occasional dour Junonite who is scowling at the proceedings, or the Vangalites working security. 

Sami has obtained an apple from somewhere -- best not to ask where -- and Addy stops to buy a flower for her hair, yelping as she pricks herself on the thorn. "Oh ho! That's lucky, that is!" the flower vendor laughs. "Think of your own true love as you suck on it and you'll get your wish within the year." Addy gives a thoughtful look as she sucks on her finger.  

[Andreas Amell]

"Fine. I shall admit that this is a bit, ah, more than the storytelling festive I had heard mentioned at the mason's guild," Andreas says, eyes carefully not rolling, after the fifth 'subtle' remark from his cousin about the matter. "Nevertheless, it is at least what I said, even if it is also more than I said, is it not?" 

Andreas doesn't realize all of the tricks and tactics he's picked up from his grandparents over the years, but that doesn't stop him from using the wide array of rhetoric education he's been given. Despite that upbringing and the advantage of being almost to the lofty sixteen instead of just having turned the immature age of fifteen, he's no more able to keep himself from gawking at the various spectacles than the other two are. "Oh! They have shaped sugar treats. Such exquisite craftsmanship. Do you see how sharp the detailing is? How vivid the colors?"

[GamesMaster]

Sami rolls his eyes. "Also, delicious. Do you want one?"

[Andreas Amell]

"What? No, of course not, you know I detest sweets such as that," Dreas says, nose wrinkling in a very feline show of distaste. The sweetness of fresh fruit, he enjoys on occasion, but the aggressive taste of sugar or honey was never appealing for the merikos catfolk. "Although..." He hums thoughtfully. "I wonder... if one applied a fine layering of lacquer to it... perhaps from a spray bottle?" I think I still have a clean perfume bottle I sto-- ah, borrowed from mother...

[GamesMaster]

"I would like one," says Addy shyly. Sami winks, vanishes into the crowd, and comes back to present the little sugar flame with a flourish. And then places a hand on each of their backs to hurry them along.

[Andreas Amell]

It takes Andreas all of two seconds to catch up. "Oh for the Bright Artist's sake," he groans, quickly moving along. He doesn't approve of such behavior of course, but he approves even less of getting in trouble.