Blood from Stone [AU]

[Marian Hawke]

"Yeah," she says, glancing away. "So what's the biggest lizard you've ever seen?"

[Varric]

"Lizard, not dino? And I'm not sure what the difference is," he adds before she can ask. Something about blood? Or was it bone and... whatever. "Five feet from nose to the base of the tail, which was about the same length. Damn thing ate one of our oxen," he recalls. "Admittedly, we sold the skin for nearly triple the cost of a new one, but it was a bitch to drag the wagon until we got to town."

[Marian Hawke]

She whistles. "Is it weird that I want one as a pet?"

[Varric]

Varric shrugs. "Your brother and younger sister have nearly three hundred pound magic dogs and your older sister has a talking mini-dragon so... wouldn't be the weirdest pet in the family." Admittedly, Glimmerwing isn't really a pet but still. "Not sure how they they train though and housebreaking is a hard requirement for being a pet."

[Marian Hawke]

Liz nods. "Of course. I wonder if they can be litterbox-trained though?"

[Varric]

"Well, lizards need to be warm so... if you kept the sand heated, it would probably default to being there. And most animals know better than to just, ya know, in the open," Varric muses. "So... maybe. Well, actually, you could just magic the thing. A gentle compulsion to nudge it into going in a certain spot. Link it to a collar. There's no reason why it should mind going in a litter box so it wouldn't hurt the lizard or even have to be all that strong."

[Marian Hawke]

"They have to be kept warm? What do they do in winter?"

[Varric]

"Don't," Varric replies with a grin. "Well, small lizards going underground. Burrows and the like. Big ones only live deep underground or in places where it's always warm the whole year around." Stretching, he reaches up to get the tray of baked goods from the table nearby. "Cold makes'em tired. Sluggish."

[Marian Hawke]

"I want to move someplace it's always warm," Liz sighs. 

[Varric]

"Tch. Thin-blooded elves," he teases her. "It goes below freezing for maybe one week, possibly two, each year. They have to use the wards to create enough snow for the winter parties every year." He silently offers the tray, a slightly expectant look in his eyes. "You have to go past the bay to get real winter. Draslina gets natural snow most years but still not a lot."

[Marian Hawke]

She takes a scone, nibbling on it politely. "If we got snow I'd feel better about the cold, but nope, it's just miserable and damp with no benefits."

[Varric]

"Damp I'll grant you," Varric allows. Nyra has more of a 'wet and chilly' season rather than a 'cold and snowy' season. "Yeah, being miserable isn't much fun." Ignore the tautology, use the branch. "Better to be happy. Secure. With family."

[Marian Hawke]

I wouldn't know. She swallows the barb, instead making a "mm" noise as she nods, eating more of her scone.

[Varric]

"Liz..." Varric says softly. "Do you not feel that way?"

[Marian Hawke]

"Hmm? No, of course I do. Happy is better than sad. Secure is better than endangered. With family is better than alone."