002.

[sangsues]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Etienne Guerinet Beaumanoir
RECIPIENT: everyone (sorry)
WHAT: whats all this
WHEN: post-proposal etc
WHERE: the walliest kirk
NOTES: Orlesians

( A quiet clearing of the throat; one can naturally assume it is a very beautiful clearing of the throat, done by a very beautiful man. )

This matter of the phylacteries for rifters… it seems sensible. If they are such a valuable resource to the Inquisition, the closing of rifts, and so on, being able to find said resource if a rival power were to try and overpower them and abscond with them makes sense, I think. For their own safety, for our own safety. If Corypheus and his forces were, for example, to make an attack on a party closing a rift and kidnap those rifters for nefarious purposes, it would be better for all if we were able to find them as quickly as possible. The phylacteries are an established way of doing just this, no?

By all means, if you wish to see the world end, protest. Even if this is not your world, though, I think we can all agree that you are currently in it. It’s fate is not entirely irrelevant to you.

Comments

private ;

[iceblade]

[A muted chuckle.] My people -the Avvar- understand, believe me. I didn't come here expecting to be surprised, and I haven't been. Not about the Chantry, anyway.

I'm Skadi Iceblade, of White Wolf Hold, and also the Stablemaster. If you've need of me or just want to say hello, I'm with the mounts most of the time.

[aenseidhe]

Political maneuvers and clever arguments that have not already been publicly voiced.

[ so many good ones have already been aired, and made useless to them now. ] All that's been spread on the crystals already, even solid plans, have to be considered null. The Inquisition will have already heard them and had time to prepare to counter them.

[ be they rebellion plans, escape theories, or simple arguments against the policy. they have as long as they delay the negotiations to prepare to combat them. ]

I've some thoughts, but I'd rather not voice them over the crystals, even private. Thranduil's doubtless thought of more. You may want to approach him about it in person.

[thunderproof]

Oh, fuck him.

❰ is the incredibly uncharitable, petty first thing out of adalia's mouth. but he is gwenaëlle's husband, and a man in a position of power here, who can coordinate all the rifters of the inquisition. after a moment she breathes a sigh and nods. ❱

I'll talk to him. Maybe this time he won't all but call me worthless! We can all have dreams, mm?

[aenseidhe]

[ blink. blink. uh? ]

I take it you've had a falling out?

[ when... did Thranduil call her worthless? he can't imagine the man calling adalia that, though he hasn't really seen them interact much. and... well, adalia does tend to love to mercilessly push buttons. he doubts he'd have truly meant that, but who knows. ]

I can talk to him instead, if you like. Or punch him.

[zombra]

Holy crap, really? Dude, they're like, just from stories where I'm from. But man, I wish these guys would go eat some rocks.

Hey, thanks. I usually don't debate things, but I guess that's because most things didn't hit so close to home until now.

[provenforce]

No. I never said the Inquisition wants us dead. If they did they would have done it long before now.

[thunderproof]

Well, you know, when someone implies that your age means you know nothing, and threatens you, and rails about being seven thousand years old and a king, as if that should mean anything to you at all —

❰ there's bound to be some repercussions, aren't there. there's an interested noise at the idea of punching thranduil, and adalia smiles. ❱

The idea is tempting. But it doesn't really speak to my maturity if I take you up on that, does it.

❰ blast her contrarian nature for needing to prove the asshole wrong. ❱

No, I'll talk to him. If nothing else I have to prove I'm better than him.

[esquive]

If they don't want to kill you, then it stands to reason they'll sort out how to do this safely before all rifters are made phylacteries.

[aenseidhe]

Ah, so that was you we heard him screeching at through the hallways.

[ The realization hits him with a small laughing fit. Oh, that was a pretty priceless moment, and he can understand the girl's offense taken from it. But there's much that comes with years the young don't quite understand. For one, angry old men with blue balls forced to abandon their hot wives to solve a diplomatic crisis. 'Too old for this shit' is a concept you really have to reach that too old part to grasp. ]

A word of advice. Adalia, sweet and caring and clever Adalia. [ he would be cupping her cheeks right now if he were there. ] Old age does not cultivate greater patience. It erodes one's tolerance for other people. Especially when threats of city-wide revolution interrupt their sex life.

[ That last bit is some pretty important context. In truth, Adalia is painfully young, and both her headstrong attitude and unwillingness to concede speak to that, but she's still just a child. It's difficult to blame Thranduil when he's a soul so used to rightfully having no question to his judgments, but at the same time, even if Adalia would take insult to it, she's but a child. A wealth more patience is required when speaking of serious matters with her, and Thranduil ought to know that. But, she'll also get over it. If not in a few days, then few decades. ]

Gwenaelle and I badgered him into intoxication last night to shut him up about political maneuvers. He's likely in much better spirits now.

[thunderproof]

❰ it's more annoying than anyone can possibly know — or remember, probably, given they're all so much older, the bastards — so much more annoying than any of them can remember, to be spoken to in this tone, with such patience and patronizing condescension. it's even more annoying to know that reacting based on that annoyance will just reinforce their ideas of her youth and what it means. it takes adalia a few moments to wrangle her frustration down so that she doesn't snap, and it occurs to her that she's probably grown more in thedas in a few months than she ever could have in toril.

it is not really a comforting thought. ❱

You would think a seven thousand year old king would have better control of his baser urges, ❰ is all she's going to say about that, biting her lip against the more petty "was he interrupted with his head between gwen's legs, she tells me he's fond of that". she doesn't really want to think about how much she knows of thranduil's sex life, okay. ❱

Would that he had directed his frustration onto someone more deserving, it might actually make me give a damn about his spirits and what state they're in.

❰ she's not whining, or pouting, or being in any way a child. however — ❱

All I did was ask if he had a plan.

❰ her tone is slightly higher-pitched. definitely not whining, though. ❱

[aenseidhe]

I would not especially, no. [ For a seven thousand year old king to get less annoyed with interruption, nah. He's downgraded from legendary king of a proud and strong nation to glorified babysitter for most all the rifters, taking the brunt of this planning for battling the policy. Iorveth's surprised no one'd been slapped off the side of the docks yet. ] Least of all in being a king - he likely hasn't had his words questioned in at least two of those millenniums.

[ For good reason - his nation and people are far more prosperous and stable than any other elf here can claim of their own. no real idea of how long Thranduil's been a king, but he seems well versed in it enough that it's likely been a good, long time. and even still, the outburst he gave was much kinder than ones Iorveth's made towards others when only a unit commander, rather than a lord.

But he was never known for being a nice person to begin with. Thranduil at least makes attempts at it most days. ]

I'm sure he'll come around. He has much on his plate right now. Give him time. [ Things Iorveth and Gwen have been trying to assist with, and still more have come together to aid it, so hopefully he'll not start pulling out his pretty, pretty hair. ]

In the mean time, we can take entertainment value from his struggles. Where are you now?

[thunderproof]

❰ why on the gods' green earth should she have to give him time, when he's the one who threatened her! it's not fair!!!

it is, as with most things in adalia's life, more frustrating than she could possibly articulate to be of an age that she knows her feelings mean nothing, the world isn't fair, and she needs to get over herself, and simultaneously be so driven to rail against these facts. as if she could change anything, as if anyone cares what she wants or what bothers her or if she's happy —

those feelings, too, are as much due to adolescent blubbering as they are anything real. but it's so easy to be caught up in them, and to want to be caught up in them. it's easier to be petulant and righteously offended than it is to swallow her pride and keep her head down when she has to. she deserves better, doesn't she? she deserves more — more respect, more consideration, more attention. she's fighting so hard to be reasonable, to be useful, she deserves to have her efforts acknowledged.

with another deep sigh, adalia flops her head into her arms and huffs. ❱

The office. I think I've found something interesting, but concentrating has been proving difficult.

[provenforce]

Except what works for one or a few rifters might not work for all of us. With the exception of a handful of us, most of the rifters are all from different worlds.

Re: private ;

[sorcerised]

[ Aro pauses. ]

You're telling me to be quiet, when you shouted first and loudest?

[ And made a whole public message all your own? Come on, Iorveth. You don't get to be the pot calling the kettle black here.

Still, Aro does trust Iorveth more than any of the Inquisition-affiliated men and women here. Certainly more than the man he's talking to. At least he can be assured that he and Iorveth are on the same side, and also, the elf probably has a point. It's a hypocritical point, but it's still a point. ]

Look, I understand. I don't want to jeopardize anything we'll need to do in the future. I don't believe these are bad men. They just don't see this from our side, and they never will if we don't tell our side to them. If we want to make a change, we'll need more voices calling for it than our own, you have to know that.

[esquive]

I would expect the Inquisition's aware you're all different kinds. [He assumes that's part of the problem, isn't it?] If you're concerned about seeing this done safely, you might volunteer to help with the project.

private ;

[tagartist]

I'm sure that that'll make 'em feel real comfy cozy.

[faithlikeaseed]

[He appreciates that sentiment, never fear; it shades his tone with a little relief.]

Good. Our coordination's been a little disrupted by the recent events, [faint irony,] but I know if we're going to work on the tracking bit, we can start with how it is one crystal knows where the others are. If you'd like to focus on working out what part of the spell is doing that, that'd be a great boon to us.

[mal_adjusted]

Yeah, no kidding ....

[There's an exhale of relief there.]

I've got a couple of proposals I need to write up - do you want me to write up this one?

[faithlikeaseed]

Please do, and send a copy to me, if you would.

[castintoflames]

He exaggerates. (But that is said fondly. There are few talents Maedhros counts himself as having. What he can do in the Forge isn't up to par with what his father can do or his brother and nephew, but they have talent that seems to rival what the Maiar can do. Maedhros, on the other hand, is merely a gifted Elf, which counts for a lot actually.)

Please come by as soon as you are able. Once I get a look at what you need, I can begin to fashion a mold for it.

(He smiles faintly.) Force equals mass times acceleration? It's good that the slug isn't big. It means we can make more of them.

[mal_adjusted]

You got it.

[castintoflames]

I like being clear and firm.

private ;

[aenseidhe]

What patience you much have in holding your tongue around these people. A talent I've yet to learn. [ because, holy shit, the chantry feels shoved halfway down his throat just stepping into the gallows.

iorveth hear's 'white wolf', and he can't help the short chuckle that leaves him. ] Forgive me, it's just the same thing my people call one of my dear friends. 'White Wolf', Gwynbleidd in my tongue. Though, if you're Stablemaster here, you've likely met my bird.

The large, obnoxiously green one that prances around the stables.

[ it is literally a lime green, horse-sized chicken. don't ask him, came out of dreamland.]

[utulien_aure]

You are good, compared to most people. [By which he means Crazy Mad Science Uncle is an outlier and will not be counted.]

Jane, do not listen to him- I would not leave your problem in anything less than capable hands.

private ;

[iceblade]

It's less 'patience' and more 'out of fucks to give'. Why give them the satisfaction of holding my time and attention hostage? I'd rather spend it as I please.

And aye, that I have! Quite a beauty, that one. I've never seen its like, but it's not so different from the other mounts when it comes to care.

Gwyn--[You know what, she'll just stop since there's a 100% chance she'll mispronounce that.] Your friend, is he here?