Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Varric]

"Okay, you two settle that little tiff later," Varric cuts in. "Window. Still broken."

[Carver Amell]

"It was an accident!" There was real fire in his voice as the kid turned back to Varric.

[Varric]

"And?" Varric says bluntly. "I can't fix my window with implied apologies,"

[Carver Amell]

"What are you trying to say, old man?" Now Carver's tone is less angry -- and, oddly enough, more menacing. Less like a hotheaded whiner and more like a tween bully. 

[Varric]

Varric doesn't say a word, just mets Carver's glare with the eyes of a person that's been in bloody conflict and is entirely unimpressed by a little snot-nosed bully.

[Bethany]

"Carver," Bethany scolds him, not seeming to notice the shift in Varric's demeanor. "We broke it, we have to make it right."

[Carver Amell]

Carver takes a half step back -- but stops when he hears Bethany. "We don't have any way to do that! I don't know how to fix a window. And it takes like, glass and stuff."

[Varric]

Varric clucks his tongue. "Barter then- if you can't provide a specific skill, you can either pay for it or work off the debt with something you can do. Why don't we finish this talk with your parents, yeah?"

[Bethany]

Bethany stiffens a little, hand gripping her brother's arm. Mother will be so mad! We don't have the spare coin to pay for... windows are expensive, glass ones anyhow. Oh Astea, what're we going to do?

[Carver Amell]

There's no way we can bring this to Mother, agrees Carver. We have to handle this ourselves. "I can work," argues Carver. There has to be something. "I can pull weeds." He'd done so at the church before, on Astea's Day, as part of his school's efforts to teach them humility and community sentiment. Surely people paid adults to do that, right?

[Varric]

In the gardens I don't have? "Hmmm. Not much need for yardwork, not yet. Just moved in last week. Though... place was shut up for a while prior... you two any good with cleaning?"

[Bethany]

Bethany nods rapidly. "I can do laundry and cook. Well, simple stuff. And Carver's strong and clever, he can sweep and scrub for hours and hours."

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah, I can," says Carver, nodding enthusiastically as well -- making them look, for a moment, identical again. "We're both good workers." 

[Varric]

What am I doing? Clear enough they're worried about their parents finding out but... "Alright, how about this- what kind of free time do you have during the day? And no, school time doesn't count."

[Bethany]

"Well... we could come by right after classes, for like an hour or so," Bethany says cautiously. "Half past noon bell?" she adds at the dwarf's continue gesture.