crystal.

[cozen]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Bastien
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: Nah

I am sure this will sound invasive—and it is, and I am sorry—but I am doing an inventory of sorts. An inventory of personal connections.

[ Bastien sounds faintly embarrassed, to be prying so directly, but after a moment to soothe his Orlesian nerves he soldiers on. ]

Mapping out where we might find friendly faces. Whose names might open doors that are otherwise barred. Not that we will storm through every door just because we could. I promise [ unilaterally ] I will not ask anyone’s family for money. Or not without talking to you about it first. But ah… For the sake of knowing what resources might exist if we need them, as issues arise, it would be helpful.

And I am not speaking only to our nobility. If you were raised by a Chantry Sister who is now a Revered Mother or if your childhood sweetheart runs a smuggling ring, by all means, I would love to hear about it. Or if our charming rifters are owed any favors. And if there are people we should absolutely never mention your name around if we want to live, that would be good to know, too.

All optional, of course, to the extent anything is these days. And if you would prefer to speak in private that is [ way less fun for gossipy threadjacking but ] obviously possible.

[ A pause, as if to check notes and be sure that was everything, even though he doesn't have notes. ]

Merci.

Comments

[justashotaway]

Everybody I knew is dead.

[HELPING.]

[cozen]

[ A pause. ]

I am not sure how sorry I should be sorry to hear that. [ Given the limited givens that he's aware of. ] But to the extent any might have deserved it, I am sorry that those were the people that you knew.

[elegiaque]

The mercenary company that Yngvi's attached to, the Boneflayers, as well as Asher Hardie's home hold are friendly faces for me. His younger sister is an Avvar spirit warrior and she and the hold took care of my uncle on his way here. The Duke de Coucy has an illegitimate son—

( is grandpa going to love the rest of this sentence )

—who's an artist with some military background and if you pitch something to him as a sexy adventure he's probably interested. My attendant Guilfoyle probably has connections I don't know about in Orlais. I've somewhat lost touch with the Leblancs in Val Royeaux, but I was close to their son and they legally adopted a rifter. And I think my childhood sweetheart might actually be involved in something illicit, but I didn't get enough out of him before he left Riftwatch again to say if it'd be useful or not.

If you want to know who I have something on, that's a different list.

[toujoursdroit]

[Can one hear a silent glare behind a mask using a crystal? If it works for any glare, this is definitely the one.]

[cozen]

[ An ARTIST with some MILITARY BACKGROUND who likes SEXY ADVENTURES. IS HE SINGLE?

Or: cool, cool, mildly interesting, making a note just like all of the other notes. ]

Would the list make me blush?

[okayimin]

My Chantry contacts are more on the radical scholarly side than political.

Most of the Carta owe me blood, though.

[cozen]

Owe you blood?

[sulahnan]

[ Seems pretty pointless to say Here's my list of contacts: Sten, Sten, Sten, Beresaad, Sten, Sten, Beresaad, Tamassaran, Sten, Sten, Sten, Sten, so she can't really offer much. ]

I don't know which cathouse Ciara ended up in or if she's still at the CC, but if you pay her enough she'll probably spill some secrets. Other than that you know all the people I know, pretty much.

[cozen]

Would mentioning your name make the secrets any cheaper?

[bouchonne]

No one is allowed to speak in private.

[cozen]

Come now, Monsieur Ambassador. Some people are shy.

private, sorry byerly

[overharrowed]

I can make you a list of a few correspondents who I've found useful in varying capacities. One is the aforementioned son of our resident duke; I would own Mme Baudin's assessment to be accurate. There are also a few more people who I'm relatively certain would react favorably to my name, but I'm not sure if they survived the fall of the Circles.

[A brief pause.]

If you've read some of the older diplomacy reports, you may have the impression that it might be useful to mention me to Bann Selwyn or his family. Let me assure you, it would be deeply counterproductive. Lady Selwyn might be a useful asset, but best handled through another channel. She liked Mme de Cedoux reasonably well, when they met.

[cozen]

Ah.

[ Of course he's read the reports. ]

I am sorry. That must be difficult.

[ To have your family prefer a rifter to you, you know. He isn't going to say it. ]

[rowancrowned]

( thoughtfully: )

We still have ties to Clan Ashara and a number of the Dalish.

[cozen]

Ah ouais—would you be the best person to contact them, now, if we need them?

[tender]

There are maybe four Rivaini and Antivan captains I once sailed with who would do at least one favor if I asked them.

[ sailors, pirates, whatever. ]

But I'd have to find them first.

[cozen]

That is the trouble with Rivaini and Antivan captains, I have heard. Is there a port in particular where you might be known?

[unshut]

I know a truly excellent tailor.

You're all quite welcome in advance.

[cozen]

[ Adding this to the powerpoint presentation for How Not To Be Suspiciously Silent. Or he would, if he had any idea what a good example this was or had ever heard of powerpoint. ]

I am grateful in advance. Is this tailor in Kirkwall?

private;

[heirring]

First, you must swear not to mention this to any so-called and self-proclaimed Orlesian scholars by the name of de Foncé. Do you swear it?

[cozen]

[ A dismaying sound. ]

I would like to, but I take my oaths seriously. [ :) ] So there must be caveats. If what you are about to tell me every becomes of immediate lifesaving importance for someone, and I must tell de Foncé in order to prevent a death—can I tell him then?

[hornswoggle]

Unfortunately, I believe most of my useful business contacts are occupied in the North at the moment.

[ and he's still inclined to keep the good stuff to himself. ]

As for familial connections, I was raised in a Fereldan orphanage, so you can imagine how useful that is for your purposes. I suppose I could try and track down Mother Gitte. If there was ever a woman to defy all expectations of human longevity it would be her.

[cozen]

Vrai? I had assumed you were Tevinter.

[ He also assumes the story of how a Fereldan orphan arrives in Tevinter is not necessarily a happy one, so he isn't going to ask. ]

Where in Ferelden was the orphanage?

[charmoffensive]

How about: I'm working on it, and will get back to you.

[ :D? ]

But I do have the name of a local docks master who looks the other way when it comes to cargo.

[cozen]

That is quick work.

[glandival]

I know at least someone everywhere, if by 'open doors' you do not always mean, you know, from the inside of it.

[cozen]

We are not always in the position to be particular, I imagine, so...

Everywhere?

[filthydipper]

[His lady out here spilling his secrets--]

M'lady already said some of my bit but I'm one of the Boneflayers mercenary company so I know the same hold but I've got the whole guest thing up there in the mountains when I need and want it. And I know bits of her family likewise.

I know an Orlesian lady who writes romances. Lady Sylviane Camile Roux [not one name in there is said correctly what the fuck is wrong with Orlesian it should be banned] they're well filthy books but she's a good laugh.

And the Carta birthed me, raised me, that whole thing. Here in Kirkwall.

[cozen]

That is quite a life, my friend. You sound well on your way to becoming a legend.

[degenere]

Ah, alas. My friendliest faces are all of them scholarly. As Riftwatch has little interest in such pursuits, I do not think they would be of very great use. I am of course acquainted with a variety of this set--experts, largely, quite top in their disciplines and their fields--so if you or any other should find a situation in which their expertise and assistance might be appreciated, you need only ask, and I will write a letter of request immediately. My influence is within even within the halls of the University. One of the librarians owes me a great debt. A very helpful thing to have.

[cozen]

How great a debt, would you say?

[staysail]

Are we expecting any certain issues to arise?

[cozen]

Nothing specific, no, or I would narrow the question. It only difficult to be creative about how to solve problems if you do not know what tools might exist.

[extortionate]

Who can we mention you to?

[cozen]

Anyone on Avenue Corentine in Val Royeaux—the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker—if you say you know Monsieur Almary. But the candlestick maker thinks I owe her ten Royals, so you must be prepared to settle that with her.