OPEN

[keenly]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Colin
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Business
WHEN: Early Wintermarch
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: n/a

Hello, everyone. It's Colin, Inquisition storekeep. I've been seeing people making their own crafts about, and I thought if any of you want me to have a look, maybe buy up some of what you've made, I could be selling it in the store. Or I could keep it on consignment, maybe, give you the money as it sells. And that way, if-if you wanted to pull your goods from my store to...to make...

[Several seconds of dead silence. A few sounds are made under his breath as if he's retracing a thought process to himself. When he continues, he sounds nervous.]

Oh. Um. It's a little different either way. If I buy up your goods, I'll sell them and keep the profits. If you consign your goods, you'd pay me a commission for selling them for you. Nothing that would break anyone, it's just regular practice. So again, I'm Colin, and...things.

Comments

Private

[justice_is_blond]

Is everything all right, Colin?

[keenly]

Fine. [It comes out a little short, a little frustrated, but he backpedals, a little calmer.] Yeah. My thoughts just sort of. Fell apart for a minute.

[justice_is_blond]

I meant no offense, [he says gently.] I simply wanted to check. I... I also wanted to speak to you about something I'm trying to pull together, and to see if you'd assist. If now is a good time?

[keenly]

Sure! [All crossness is set aside now.] Sure, come down to the shop, we'll see what I can do for you.

To the actionmobile!

[justice_is_blond]

Of course. I'm on my way.

[About 45 minutes later Anders is down by the shop with a fluffy orange kitten in his arms.]

Is now a good time?

[keenly]

[Aww, it's a kitten. With claws. But that's not Colin's greatest worry, now that he's had time to wonder what Anders is going to ask him to do and conclude it probably has to do with mages.]

Of course. Just make sure the cat doesn't, you know. Knock over things. What can I do for you?

[justice_is_blond]

He'll stay in my arms, not to worry. He's a little cold and I'm warm.

[Anders' voice is as warm as his body apparently is for the kitten. He gives Pawdric a smile before looking up at Colin.]

I'm going to try to have a gathering of mages who aren't Loyalists in several days here. I was wondering if I could commission a certain shopkeeper to provide food. He'd be welcome to linger as if he would like to keep an eye on whatever the food got brought over in.

[keenly]

[Colin was prepared to dismiss Anders out of hand the moment he mentioned mages, but wonder of wonders, this isn't a mage thing. It's a catering thing. Colin can do catering. He brightens a bit, unwinding from his defensive stance.]

I'll take the job, but I can't involve myself in politics. Especially not politics that don't concern me.

[justice_is_blond]

[Anders relaxes too.]

It's not politics, but I'm not going to force you to participate. I'm simply giving you an opening. The gathering is about creating a community, a family of sorts. The Loyalists have got that, they've a shared vision of the future, they've the Templars behind them, the Chantry, half of Thedas, but w-my sort of mages don't. And I believe it's needed.

[keenly]

[Colin's gaze falls. His brow furrows. A community like that, it would be incredible. It would be full of people who would understand him. But.]

Maybe the problem is you're all telling everyone you're mages. Maybe people who aren't, they're never going to understand. Templars, Chantry, they will never understand. They're not listening to any of this. Maybe you should all just take this chance to disappear.

[justice_is_blond]

[He can understand the sentiment. Before Justice, he'd even been of a similar opinion. But everything changed when the fire nation attacked he'd become possessed.]

And what then of the ones who have yet to discover their magic? What of the mages yet to be born? They'll have no one except the Loyalists, the Templars, the Chantry. They will be herded up and hurt like so many of us.

I don't blame those who hide their magic and take the chance to vanish. But I cannot. I didn't even, Maker, I was one of the lucky ones in my Circle, the abuse I dealt with was physical and emotional, not... the other sort, and I can't bear to have another generation go through even just what I did.

[keenly]

[The other sort? The other sort? It can't even be named now, even by the people who claim they don't look the other way? Colin's expression goes from troubled to furious in a flash, his face darkening.]

Lucky? [he hisses, because he is too cautious to shout.] None of us were lucky. Lucky is what every one of us told ourselves, each one, to-to make ourselves feel better and-and-and convince ourselves we hadn't just gone through something unimaginable. Like none of us lost years and years of our lives to this...this machine. This fucking prison where we weren't people and the things we had to do to survive were...

[His throat is tightening, his breath short, but he takes a moment to calm down a little before continuing.]

The person I had to be in there, that's not me. [Tears prickle his eyes and he blinks them away.] And you, I know what they did to you. You were practically a folk hero, you know. For years after, they told stories about your escapes, the things they tried to do to stamp you out but you never gave up. You weren't lucky. You were fucking heroic.

[justice_is_blond]

[He steps back at the sudden anger, arms protectively going around his kitten. It's not that he thinks Colin is going to attack Pawdric, but sudden snaps of a anger still shake him and trigger old reflexes.

When Colin pauses, Anders starts to breathe again, eventually looking down.]

I was scared and desperate and stubborn. I'm not certain it's heroism to be more ready to risk everything and possibly die than to live like that.

[It's scary to stand in front of someone who knows so much of what he's been through. Most don't have that knowledge. Even Nate hasn't heard all of it, though he knows of Karl's fate while Colin doesn't. Or Anders thinks Colin doesn't.]

What we had to do to survive... You're, you're right. We weren't lucky to wind up in there. But sometimes, looking back, seeing what we survived that maybe others didn't, it helps to put a word to it like luck. Because I can't say that so many who didn't make it deserved to not make it, or didn't earn making it.

It, it could have been worse. I'm not Tranquil. I'm not dead. But so many are.

[keenly]

[You haven't had the other sort of abuse which is clearly just as bad as those two, Colin wants to bite back sarcastically, but that's not fair. The rage pounding in his ears will die on its own; he deals with it sometimes, like a war wound. When he can breathe, when he can speak again, he is quiet.]

There's nothing wrong with heroes. They don't make the ones who didn't make it less heroic themselves. They just show the rest of us it's possible. Maybe I didn't leap into the lake and swim, but I lived. I got to the end of it. They'll never tell my story, but I did what you did. And you're one of the reasons I tried, instead of walking off the top of the tower. Not because of the laundry list of what you had to go through, but because you got out.

[justice_is_blond]

[There's more quiet from Anders. They're on ground that's so painful for both of them, even if he doesn't know all of what Colin went through because he'd gotten out. The word hero is especially painful as it reminds Anders of how many he'd failed even as someone he'd apparently helped save stands before him.

Anders pets Pawdric gently as he searches for words. They're hard to find.]

I'm glad you made it,

[he finally says, words slow. They stay slow as he continues to talk.]

I want to make sure that more mages make it, because it's hard to get to the end of matters and there's no shame in needing help with it. We deserve to not have to hide, to not have to fear, and I know that's not coming in our time but it could for mages who come after us, and in that hope I'm starting the gatherings.

You're invited as the caterer for as long as you want. You'll never have to out yourself if you don't want to, but the community and support is there for you too if you ever want it.

[keenly]

[Colin understands that Anders is trying to be humble, but he needs, so badly needs, for this man to keep being a hero and stop sugar-coating his experiences. Anders isn't just one man, he's every person who was abused by this system, who wasn't lucky enough to escape notice. Anders is all of them. He must, he must be a hero, or else Colin is left with only ghosts to look up to.

He rubs his lips and lets out his breath. He looks, and sounds, strained.]

I'll cater your meeting.

[justice_is_blond]

[There's still tension here, but it's not the sort that prodding at will fix, Anders is fairly certain. He nods in response.]

Thank you.

[He takes a breath and nods.]

I'll see you then.

[And with that, he'll be heading out, unless Colin stops him.]

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Well I'm really not much of an artisan ... but I procure items all over and now outside the city for people. So if I find some extra stuff - I pay you a commission and you'd sell it -- and if you needed something procured ... we do do the same deal the other way around?

[keenly]

...No. [Don't be deceived. The way he gently, nonconfrontationally trails off there does not mean this is up for debate.]

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

... Okay.

Then have a nice day, I guess?

[Seriously, who rejects an offer like that? Rude, friend. Very rude.]

[keenly]

If you try stealing any of my goods, you'll learn a lesson. Understand? And I'll know who it is, if I suddenly get robbed after having this conversation with you.

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

[The faintest of snorts.]

Yeah, I got you, serah. 'Don't steal from the store that gets most of it's good from people in the Inquisition or allies of the Inquisition'. Pretty sure I can manage not to be that much of an amateur.

[And Now A Pause.]

...and just a word of advice? You're way too bare open, mate. A shopkeeper ought to have a good salesman pitch and you got none.

[keenly]

The first thing you said to me was an admission that you're a thief. I'm not taking any publicity advice from you.

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Aaaaaah you're one of those then. Preachy-judgy Chantry folk. Well, shopkeep, I'm with the Inquisition now, see? So all the thieving I do is for the betterment of them. Beyond that, Maker yes I'll advertise I'm a thief, because I'm one of the best. Reputation is sometimes all we've got in this world.

[keenly]

Right, sometimes it is. When you can't steal anything else.

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Hey, it put food in my belly and kept me from getting stabbed in a back alley, or becoming a 'pretty boy'. So yeah, I'll steal to stay alive, and be proud I did it without having to beg for help.

[keenly]

You don't need to tell me about poverty. You understand, the people you stole from? Probably in the same position as you, only they were actually trying to be resourceful about it and not hurt anyone. You steal from a man in a market, you think he must be well-to-do, right? He has something to steal, after all. But he's probably just as poor as you, and no more talented neither. Chances are, he breaks his back day in day out at the docks, trying to feed seven kids. And instead of getting yourself proper work like he did, you take what he earned. But clearly, anyone with a problem with you must be a Chantry loyalist who has no idea what the poor go through.

So. Don't. Steal from me. Ever.

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

[And now there is another pause.]

... you would be a horrible thief. Seriously. That is - what were you doing when you picked out that mark? Drinking? Smoking elfroot?

I won't. Steal from you. Ever. Because. You likely. Won't have. Anything. Worth. My Interest.

[Annnnnd.]

Nee. Ner.

[keenly]

[Colin smiles, thinking of the shipment of refined lyrium he has locked tightly away in a back room. Goes to show what this kid knows about choosing a mark. Not that he'll neglect locking that chest and the room it's in.]

So long as we're on the same page about that.

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

[Listen the only people you can sell lyrium to is mages or templars and Adasse's not getting in that market, thanks so much. However, it is a good score, he'd grant the other man that.]

Yes we're on the same page.

[Silent eyeroll.]

[misdirection_hex]

I think there's a bit of overlap in our crafting talents, but if you would have any interest in supplementing the Antivan cuisine with some northern fare, there's a kind of fish sauce we make in Hasmal-- [Borrowed from Tevinter, as with a lot of things in Hasmal, but no need to be so explicit about that.] --and I've been making small batches of it for friends.

If you'd like to stock it, I can produce more. I wouldn't mind introducing more people to it, and the coin would be a bonus.

[keenly]

[FOOD TALK YES. Especially with this whole lunch-a-day thing and the cold snap.]

What's it made of?

[misdirection_hex]

That's almost a question better left unanswered. [His tone is wry; he knows exactly what southerners tend to think of garum when they hear what's in it, but it behooves him to give a chef the benefit of the doubt about it.]

You wouldn't know to taste it, but it's made by fermenting fish innards--usually in the sun, but I've been working on a method that uses heating glyphs as a substitute so that it doesn't have to be a seasonal product. It keeps forever, of course, but when nobody else around here makes it, it's harder to have it year-round. Especially when all the fish to be had are under the ice.

[keenly]

That sounds really good, actually. Could you bring it over for a tasting? I'm having to get creative now with the cold snap, seasonings aren't as easy to come by and this might give people something to smile about at lunch.

[misdirection_hex]

--Absolutely. [The pause there is noticeable despite his best efforts, if just for a split second. But--no. It's warmer now, if only a little, and the shop is still within the Gallows besides, and there's no chance of frostbite just getting there and back. His fearful lizard brain is not as easily convinced of that, but he can't just stay holed up in here all winter. Not even if he is accustomed to spending years at a time indoors.]

I'm always happy to show people what they're missing. I'll decant what I've got into smaller bottles to make it easier to sell, and you can have one on the house. If it works out, I've brewed up some other things you could try as well.

I've wanted to stop back in anyway. No offense meant to the fine staff of the dining hall, but. Well.

[keenly]

They're doing what they can with what they have, which isn't much. I have a special spice blend I put on nearly everything I get from the kitchen, I'll give you a sample of that.

This could work really well. I'll cook with your sauce, see how it turns out, and if people like it and ask what that flavor is, I'll point them to the bottles.

[samahl]

I'd be happy to work something out with you, Colin and things.

[keenly]

[A faint, embarrassed sigh.]

Right. That wasn't humiliating at all. What do you have to sell?

[samahl]

Trinkets, traps, arrowheads, puzzle boxes.

And don't worry, my opinion of you is unchanged despite the slip of words.

[keenly]

I feel very forgiven. Want to come by with a few samples?

[samahl]

Yes. The puzzle boxes are the most popular, I'll bring a few of my newest ones.