A cold inquisitor

What is this?

How could she be this dumb, allowing him in so quick when everyone else would have been put down immediately? She knew better, she swore to herself up and down for years never to let someone simply waltz in whenever they wanted. She always found herself violently regretting it, bending her back to pick up the pieces of her shattered trust, tending to her wounded ego, and reburying the suppressed and ignored voice that told her they would come back. They never did. Years spent in the mages circle, surrounded by backstabbing envious peers and constantly scrutinized by chantry eyes had taught and reaffirmed so many things. The most painful lesson was one she had spent learning since she was a little girl. Everyone would leave.  Everyone would find something dangerously unacceptable about her. What would make Varric so special compared to the rest? 

A few nights ago she had spent the evening listening to Varric's eccentric tales with his arm wrapped firmly around her middle, hand on her waist. Now she was trying to find something warm to wear. He had since asked her to come find him at night when she had a moment of free time, said he wanted to show her something. 

" Varric, do you have something planned i should be aware of?" She asked him, hesitant at what he wanted to show her. He simply grinned with a knowing look on his face. " You'll find out. You just make sure to wear something warm, else you'll freeze before you'll get to see."  

She attempted to question him further, when Cassandra called for his attention, sounding almost urgent like she needed him to take care of whatever issue she found so pressing. " Something warm, i promise you!" He called out, turning back as he left with somewhat of a hurry. 

" Something warm, warm, warm.." She was telling herself, muttering under her breath as she went through her limited options. Eventually finding a deep red coat, with the inside being covered with snow white fur. It looked new, scarcely had it been used, let alone out of storage. Maybe she was actually the first to find it since its creation. She spent little time worrying about that though, putting it on an rushing out the door, she was already running a little later than she originally wanted to. 

Finding Varric was far easier, he always stayed near a cozy fire not too far into Haven. When she saw him, he had his signature faded coat and Bianca sitting on his back. 

" Had something you wanted to show me then?" She asked, coming up to him with her arms crossed over chest, more so in an effort to cling onto warmth than any actual frustration. 

" I did, glad you decided to see. Come on, just follow me." He motioned her to come follow him, she took only a few steps till she was right beside him. 

" So what is this thing that you thought deserved my attention?  She asked. " Well, you seemed interested in my story the other night, thought you should be the first to hear my newest one." He didn't  seem phased by  the slight scowl on her face, giving her a playful nudge of his elbow. " I promise you'll like it!" 

" As if i didn't hear you run your mouth run enough as it is." He simply laughed at her little retort, a playful but small grin on her own face, to show there was no real malice.  He led her away till the snow was midway up to their shin, and Haven's lights were a deal in the distance. They had privacy, but it was getting a little darker than she would liked. He looked around till they found the right spot. The area had been cleaned of the snow, raked away into a pile off to the side. There was a spot for a fire, marked by a ring of stones. Beside it another pile covered by a tarp which was removed by him to show dry, fire wood. She wondered what he had been up to, but given he had put in some effort and was working on the rest, rather than question she watched instead. The silence was comfortable, and he had been the one to break it.