faderift | [OPEN] So Much Is At Stake

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[OPEN] So Much Is At Stake

WHO: Character(s) Vivienne and OPEN
WHAT: Catchall leading up to Orlais happenings
WHEN: Beginning of the month up until Orlais event starts
WHERE: Skyhold (early) / Val Royeaux (one week before event start)
NOTES: Open to all. Val Royeaux segment is a shopping trip en route to Halamshiral (which is available for 'guests' to tag around with each other.) Prose or brackets is fine, I'll tag to match.

Early Solace
Courtyard
Even with whispers about ongoing strife in Orlais, little notes and letters finding Madame de Fer's hand confirming as much, she remains in Skyhold for the time being. Her business is much as it has been. No small part of her day is spent working with the younger mages present in the Fortress. With no Circle to provide these youngsters with solid training, they find themselves trouble in trying to alleviate their boredom. The best solution she's found is to take an active role in not only learning their names and personal quirks, but genuinely trying to seek out responsible mages to serve as mentors to guide them. Much of her time is spent finding suitable adults willing and able to work with their younger members.

Balcony
Not quite as many new mages are joining the Inquisition as there were in the early days. Those who do are often either Rifters, or rebels who didn't follow Fiona to Redcliffe, for good or ill. Regardless of affiliation, Vivienne attempts to stay apprised to the numbers of the magically gifted present in Skyhold. It's especially important that she does so now, as the recently appointed mage liaison. For her part, she tries to remain as available to find on her balcony as she may. When a new name is brought to her attention, an invitation is sent out to join her for tea where she holds court from her chaise lounge.

Anyone passing through the Main Hall of a late night might find her still awake upstairs and intent on an alchemy project.

Gardens
Any morning following a late night dabble with alchemy will find the Iron Lady strolling through the Skyhold Gardens. She examines the plants as she passes through, calm as always, though sometimes a thoughtful hum gives away her extra consideration of something she sees.

---

Val Royeaux
Convinced now that the Inquisition will be making a move into Orlais in short order, Vivienne's routine alters. She decides that a little detour en route for shopping is absolutely demanded. Nevermind that the capital is actually beyond where they will be traveling, or that it seems perhaps frivolous to be indulging in retail therapy when there are far more serious matters to attend to. She, of course, insists that if they are to deal with Orlesians, those agents should at the very least look presentable as such. ~~No, plaidweave is unacceptable. Find something else.~~ Shopping is happening. They've plenty of time to conclude their business and meet with the intended encampment at Halamshiral.

She doesn't travel to the capital alone, however. There are a number of people she's invited to join her for the excursion. Not all of them are particularly pleased to be present, but somehow the Iron Lady's gotten her way. Not that blackmail was involved in any way, that's far too cheap to someone who revels in playing the Game. However, her bullying victims might perhaps feel otherwise. She's arranged lodging for them all at Bastien's townhouse, though the Duke is not in residence at present. Playing hostess is quite fun for her, thus Vivienne will point out the best shops, the tastiest pastries, and of course the most ideal restaurants to see and be seen.

Her own personal shopping involves inspecting a golden pig, which she decides firmly against, browsing fabrics, pretty jewelry pieces, careful inspection of practically every bookseller she can locate, and much time inquiring with the local herbalists.

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Araceli knows rich people. Araceli knows rich people both from sneaking into their houses to steal from them (and to sleep with their daughters or sometimes their wives) and then from mingling with them as a guard, and she definitely knows this attitude. Perhaps she should have intervened a little earlier but after having to deal with so many Orlesians up close and personal, she deserves a little entertainment.

"Sirena!" Bursting in with a touch of scolding in her tone, she swings up on her toes to kiss Korrin's cheek, all smiles and windswept curls tossed over her shoulders, she turns her attention to the proprietor, then to the box, crouching down to get a look at it. "Where is your sense of intrigue, Korrin Ataash?"

"Thank you my-" The man attempts to speak, seemingly relieved by his supposed rescuer but Araceli talks over the top of him, and her next words have his neck flushing crimson, the mask fortunately covering his face.

"Wasn't it worth it after the soiree when you got to peel me very slowly out of my dress into just the corset? Perhaps it is like that, no?"

Oh dear, he's too scandalised to speak in the face of these alarming bisexuals in his shop, Maker have mercy.

Araceli's timing is, as usual, impeccable. Left on her own a moment longer and Korrin's temper would have begun fraying even more. Perhaps it would have to the point where the shop-keeper would have called for guards to subdue the 'dangerous qunari'. The fact that Korrin would have done nothing but rant about the stupidity of it all would have made no difference, not to the people who have little time or respect for anyone not human.

The timely arrival derails Korrin's mounting temper, at least for the time being. That kiss gets a smile out of her where none would have been possible a moment ago, and those words bring a flush to her own cheeks. That silly smile lingers, though it turns into a smirk when she notices the redding neck of the shop-keeper. "When you put it like that, I suppose it has some appeal. A little. It has nothing on you and that corset, though, never could."

That very racy, very energetic night is never too far from her thoughts, and her grin says as much. Hopefully it makes that shopkeeper asshole blush even further. She's not going to share every detail, though. Some things are just for them.

With Korrin suitably appeased, at least for the moment, Araceli does turn her attention back to the man because it's always a good tactic to distract and flummox someone, especially this particular stuffy breed of man. Korrin might not be interested in the box but Araceli was a thief for years. A damned good thief.

She wants to know what's in the box.

Still tucked close to Korrin's side, she smiles sweetly at the man with a bard's smile; utterly insincere but it looks so very real and genuine as she inclines her head. "You must draw the attention of the most unsavoury sort of folk," she remarks sympathetically, to soothe whatever feathers she's surely ruffled. "Only the most brazen, of course, would dare. Is this the sort of work for the guards, or is this the sort or private work for mercenaries?" That's a nudge for Korrin - and an actual nudge too - as Araceli edges away when the man heaves a great sigh.

"You would not believe," he begins with the air of a man who has been put-upon for far too long, as if he is not a man in the the upper level of the markets in Val Royeaux with a shop that can stay open with only one box that apparently draws a crowd from far and wide, "what I must suffer! Those rogues, those-- those scoundrels!"

If Korrin would please be so kind as to keep him talking however, Araceli might be able to sneak around and get closer to the box, if she times it just right.

Araceli's curiosity is infectious and while Korrin already has some of her own, if her love wants to sneak a look inside she's absolutely not going to thwart that plan. One could try to justify it as checking to see if it's something that would help the Inquisition, but Korrin's not that person; she just wants to know what the hell is worth all this fuss. That sweet smile of Araceli's just makes her smirk more, though she returns to looking appropriately grumpy at the stuffy little (at least to her) shop-keeper.

"Oh yeah, scoundrels are everywhere. Never can tell what they'll do next. I'm still not convinced all this song and dance is worth the trouble, but it's your money. And I have a company that might be willing to offer help for a modest fee." Not that it's a sincere offer, but at least it's a believable one. The Valo-Kas have done plenty of business in Orlais. Nobles are forever ridiculous, but new crew's opinions don't prevent them from getting well-playing work.

Outside of her gambling with the scouts and soldiers where she plays for information or trading favours these days more than she plays for coin, there's so very little that follows her oldest of routines since even in the palace she steals. She puts things back usually unless it's for a mission or assignment, but there's little call to steal within Skyhold, and she's too busy. But she misses it. Misses just wanting to know, to hold something that isn't hers, the want, take, have impulse. An eye on Korrin and the proprietor, she slips out of his line of sight and kneels by the box to run her fingers over it first to find if there's anywhere with any sort of give, a hidden catch or join the naked eye can't see.

"Valo-Kas company have a reputation for excellence," Araceli adds just to back Korrin up as she slips out her earrings. To most, they're just curiously shaped long earrings with fine detailing. Very few know that they're lockpicks, same as her necklace where they all fit together intricately. Gesturing at Korrin, she looks to the box then to him, eyebrows raised. Keep him talking, she implores with her eyes, still making sure that he's not about to turn and that no one is going to burst in the door either.

If it was almost anyone else, Korrin's patience with this twit would have run out by now. Likely she would have just turned on her heal and left, grumbling about Orlesians and their stupid antics. But she'll give it just a little longer, having faith in Araceli's lockpicking abilities. Her kadan will have her chance soon, of that she has no doubt.

"Most of them are in Nevarra right now, but there are three of us available and we're a balanced set. Warrior, Tempest, mage. If you want more, that'll cost extra, but I'm sure we can handle a your rogues on our own. As for our references...." She rattles off several well-known families, which she has actually worked for, though she also makes sure to include the Leblancs and Varric Tethras's name. That seems to perk him up, and she smirks. Good, an angle to exploit. As she dangles the possibility of signed copies and a meeting, she does her best to keep that man's attention on her and not her kadan.

There isn't a lock.

It takes all her years of skill not to start cursing when she can't find a seam or a join or a lock on the box because what sort of trickery is this? For as long as Korrin talks, she keeps searching, bending low to run her fingers far across it until she's forced to admit defeat, sliding her earrings in again as she gets to her feet, dusting herself off.

"Well, I think we must give it some very real consideration, these things require delicate negotiations, you understand." Rejoining the conversation as if nothing happened, she smiles effortlessly but well to say she's disappointed would be an understatement but she has a plan. Just not for within earshot of this idiot. "We should be talking terms with the rest of your company while this is all still fresh in our heads I think. A pleasure to meet you." Translation: time to go, we have to consult privately away from the Orlesian buffoon.

"...right, we'll see you later perhaps." Korrin can't get out of there fast enough, her stride quick though she remembers after a few paces that Araceli's legs aren't as long and slows down. Once they're clear of the shop, she sighs and turns to face her love. "No luck, huh? I should've known it wouldn't be that easy."

But perhaps Araceli found something, or she might have lingered to toy with that pompous ass a little more. At least, that's her hope.

"Bastardo," Araceli mutters as soon as they're safely out of earshot, her shorter stride keeping pace with Korrin's before tucks her hand into Korrin's elbow to set the pace better, burying her head on the part of her arm she can reach. "Defeated by an Orlesian box, my reputation in ruins around my feet! How will I live down this shame?"

Obviously she's exaggerating when she had far worse setbacks at home, some of which have ended up leaving her with scars but that really wasn't how she expected her day to go.

"I do have another plan," she announces when she does finally lift her head from Korrin's arm, glancing around to see who might be watching them.

Korrin glances around as well, though as far as she can tell, the nearby citizens are clustered in small groups conversing and not paying them a speck of attention. Whatever scandal they create by existing here and together, it doesn't always eclipse the Orlesian's own intrigues. For once, she's grateful for their ridiculous behavior.

"Oh? And what is this daring plan of yours? Do I play a part in it again?"

"Come, come sit with me for a moment," Araceli urges as she turns in the direction of one that faces out over the water so she might watch the little boats with their red and gold canopies for a moment. Not ships but they remind her of the gondolas in Castileos that everyone uses to navigate the waterways quickly, and Antiva with the voyage by sea, the fight aboard the ship with the smell of salt-spray in her nose, the noise of the Rialto, it's beginning to feel like a lifetime ago. And she can sit like this. Like they're two ordinary people; ladies might have mercenaries here, after all, not people who have to worry about an Inquisition hanging over them.

"I steal the box." All plans start out small because a seed is very small; Araceli isn't a gardener but she does know that much. "Usually I do such things alone but for Lux however I couldn't trust these Orlesians seeing my handsome boy with his fine fur, so I would need a lookout. And if there are guards I think you could be trusted to deal with them. But quietly, of course. And maybe carrying the box once I get it open since I have no idea what's in there since I didn't have enough time to find any way in."

It does beg the question if magic is involved in protecting the box as well actually.

Those boats bring out a small smile from Korrin, who might just be planning to snag a miniature one for Araceli. It'd be a cute room decoration, after all. Maybe they can even bribe someone into lending them the real thing before they must leave again, just for a fun afternoon on the water. It's not the same as Antiva or Rivain, but still, it's something.

And she snaps back into focus at mention of theft, a small grin forming. Sure, it's not at all what the Inquisition sent them to do, but she's the last person to discourage Araceli on this. If they're quick and clever enough, no one will even know it was them. "Anything you need, kadan, always. I can't give a hint as to what's in the box, though the box itself isn't magical. Once you have it to yourself, I have complete faith in your ability to get it open."

One day their room is going to be utterly ridiculous when Araceli finally manages to go pick up the sort of things that litter her room back home, not clutter precisely, but it feels very bare with only the essentials or the odd bits and pieces she's procured that are still mostly practical. That and the one lone seashell painted out front so everyone knows what door is theirs when she directs them.

"You're sure it's not magical?" That puts a bit of a smile back on her face because it makes things simpler - boxes she can deal with given enough time, since even in houses she could get them open with people in them. Just not in the room with her unless they were tiny and she was hidden or very careful. "Is this sort of thing common in Orlais? I've been reading more about the history, the politics, the game, the culture, not about the specifics of shops."

Used to a roaming life that doesn't afford much in the way of things, Korrin isn't one to take the initiative on item accumulation. If she gets something new, it's usually to replace something else. But she's finding herself increasingly swayed by the idea of making a place visibly theirs. Someday, she might have an addition to the door.

"I'm pretty damn sure, yeah. Magic has this feeling, and I didn't get any of that when I was standing next to it. Odds are the shop-keeper isn't a mage, either. And no, this is pretty ridiculous even for Orlais. That's why I had to go see it for myself, I couldn't believe that something that preposterous existed. I'm going to lose a bet...but if we find out what's inside, it'll be worth it."

Araceli will only encourage this, if only so she doesn't feel as if she's taking over entirely; it was her influence (and she'll have to tell Korrin this next part one day, maybe here when they go to a few other shops since she needs to cajole her into at least holding fabric swatches against her to get opinions) that the queensguard from other lands now have rooms to reflect their homelands thanks to her. That the architecture might be Castilean but as much as possible? They look like home. Little bits and pieces are forever find their way into their rooms that Araceli will shrug and deny every time.

Nodding, she considers the options as she stretches her arms high above her head, using it as an opportunity to get another look. "We'd need to stay late, take another stroll back up here by sunset so I can get a look at everyone without really looking; it's a good view, people watching the boats, enjoying those silly little gardens. Obviously cover of darkness and going in the back way is the way to do it." Only that's more Araceli talking to herself except usually she'd be talking a plan through to Lux, and it's a shame he isn't here actually, so Korrin could see him nodding, looking very serious instead of his usual louche manner. "Who are you losing a bet to?" She asks with interest, rising to her feet again since there's still plenty to explore in Val Royeaux and they can't seem too suspicious after all if she's planning to come back again later.

"Oh, one of the former rebel mages I was helping with lightning control. Orlesian guy, said his family were traders who visited Val Royeaux and they saw it. It wasn't here the last time I visited." So, naturally, Korrin thought he was trying to one-up her on outlandish Orlesian nonsense. One day, she will learn not to bet against that, ever.

She smiles at the forming plan, an eager glint in those blue-violet eyes. "Cover of darkness, it is. Until then, we can always get a better look at those boats. Someone's always offering to show tourists around, but I bet we can cut out the middleman and borrow one for just ourselves."

"I wish I could show you our markets. Val Royeaux is nothing compared to floating markets or the docks, but I still think I prefer Antiva to here so far. Next time the Inquisition has business there? You need to come along." It had helped to move past the bad memories left from rescuing Zevran, especially when Zevran had been one of the people on that mission with her. Fewer masks, much more honesty, much less rudeness.

Getting out on the water is a much better plan and her eyes light up immediately. "Really? They look like strange little gondolas, we don't have canopies on them - do Orlesians not want to catch the sun or the fresh air?"

"These are still the same people who can end up wearing full-face masks, you know. So no, some of them don't. But their loss is our gain." Seeing those eyes light up makes Korrin's warm smile return. Anything to make Araceli happy, whatever it takes. Not that relaxing in a boat with her kadan is in any way a hardship.

"Of course I'll come along, they have the best brandy and second-best beaches." Rivain's are still better, sorry Zevran. "The ambassador's Antivan, isn't she? Maybe she knows of something that would require a bard's touch in her homeland. And a mercenary mage."

"I know, I stopped somewhere earlier to discuss designs for one of those as well as the half-mask." The soiree was the only chance to get away without one, and from now on she'll have to choose them with care; the full one is for performing since she can afford to hide much more, to be a statement, to be the figure she's shaping herself into. The smaller one will follow the rules of Orlais, with decorations she can change easily whenever she must.

Further visits to Orlais, for instance, will likely demand that she covers up but today she can claim ignorance and enjoy herself.

"One day I'll meet her but I know our ambassadors and diplomats, they're awake at all hours and one of them is thin as a rake from running here, there, everywhere. Usually with one of us in attendance. They're popular targets to extract details and information from, that or their attaches, their contacts, their friends, their families, anyone that they know or do business with regularly. The list is endless."

"It usually is. I can see that much, and my politics begins and ends with the Council." But there are some things that one learns when spending time among the more politics, picking up them up without realizing it. Korrin's political acumen will never rival a bard's, though, and she wouldn't care to sharpen those skills anyway. She knows where her strengths lie, and that it's better to focus on those instead, especially when time is precious.

"Shall we go, then? You can tell me all about these mask designs and whether you found any suitable for the both of us." Korrin's still not into masks overall, but Araceli's taste is trusted, and for the chance to compliment her in a soiree, she'd definitely consider it.

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[OPEN] So Much Is At Stake

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