There's No Glory In This

[equanimiti]

WHO: Alayre Sauveterre & Whomever Else [OPEN]
WHAT: Faced with the seemingly impossible task of bringing "order" where there is none, Alayre begins to realize that he's not fairing well.
WHEN: The Sixth of Firstfall
WHERE: Skyhold (Starts off at Herald's Rest and then ends at the Gardens)
NOTES:Brackets and prose are both welcomed! I will match whichever style you pick.

Once again trouble brews.

It doesn't take long for such news to reach the Knight-Commander's ears, especially when it involves his men. Drunken arguments aren't out of the norm here at Herald's Rest but Alayre isn't keen about the news regarding his men causing trouble. The atmosphere here within Skyhold is tense enough without adding anymore scorn and contempt for the Order. With the Herald of Andraste dead and the Magi unwilling to cooperate with the rest of the Inquisition; Alayre finds his patience bitterly waning once he strides into the tavern.

Silence ensues as the Knight-Commander barges in with hell and fury with his eyes. He's absolutely livid and it shows by the amount of force he uses to throw the offending templar out of the tavern. Alayre literally tossed the drunken ass out like a sack of molded potatoes without much an effort on his part. The templar in question seems to sober up instantly once the brisk air hits him like punch to the gut. Alayre says his pardons to the barkeep and patrons before stepping out again. He circles around the gasping templar brief before reaching down to lift the drunken fool up.

An argument soon ensues between the two, a heated one dealing with morals and ethics. The conversation is brief at best but one choice line could be heard muttered from the younger templar that silences Alayre briefly. While it comes as no surprise that the templar aren't fondly looked upon by others, Alayre never once thought he would gain animosity from his own.

'What does a whoreson like you know about honor when you side with apostates?!'

Before more is said, the offending templar is escorted off quickly by his sworn brothers. Alayre could feel his anger wash over him as he glares at the retreating man. Is this how they feel of him? After all his efforts to redeem them and their cause, is this how his men view him? The bitterness in the drunk's words cannot be easily dismissed regardless of how much ale he consumed. Alayre is at a loss here. Maybe it was too much for him to expect for drastic change to be met with open arms. Just maybe his righteous crusade for equality is nothing but a pathetic dream at best.

"Food for thought." Alayre grumbles as he takes his leave of here. The Knight-Commander was en-route to his quarters until suddenly taking a turn towards the gardens. Maybe it would be best for him to soothe his nerves before getting back to his work.

After all, gazing at nature does help heal the soul.

Comments

[amygdalae]

[Maintaining a constant stock of herbs in Skyhold is not an easy task.

From their location to the environment to everything else, a lot of things that were thought to be easy was proving to be quite the challenge. Still, for now they were managing, but they really needed to get some sort of actual place to grow herbs soon. There was only so long they could depend on the merchants.

But for now, at least things were still alright. Bruce had been in the garden to ask the Chantry sisters for help in obtaining something and he was here to return the favor buy passing some of the poultice he had made. The sister thanked him and Bruce refuted it with his own thanks, bowing slightly as she took the gift and left, probably so to put it to good use.

His task done for now, Bruce sighed and glanced up towards the battlements, pondering on the rest of the day. There were still more patients to see but he did have some time now - now the questions was on what he should do.]

hoppin' in!

[eolasemah]

Sina was a constant presence in the gardens, and was at least partially responsible for the level of functionality it had begun to take on. She had noticed with pride that her efforts were being used by the other healers present, and she saw from afar as Bruce had his exchange with the Chantry sisters.

At the moment, she was cutting and replanting a single shrub of royal elfroot that the Inquisition had been fortunate enough to come upon. Looking up from her work, she smiled timidly at Bruce, though he was looking at the battlements. When she heard new footsteps approaching the garden, she peered over the shrub to see the Templar enter. She held her position, crouched amidst the limited foliage, perhaps hoping he wouldn't see her.

[equanimiti]

[Lost within his morose thoughts, Alayre almost missed that brief exchange. He watches curiously for a moment in mild surprise. Usually people go out of their way to avoid the Chantry but this fellow seems different. It's refreshing to witness the two conversing without someone being called out of name. It brings Alayre some hope for the rest of Skyhold.

Waiting for the sister to take her leave, the Knight-Commander makes his approach. He doesn't quite feel up to smiling right now but he's trying for the sake of not looking so grim. Alayre doesn't want anyone to know exactly how miserable he is, especially since he goes out of his way to seem otherwise. Now with his companion's disappearance and unraveling of the Order, Alayre isn't too certain he can hide it anymore.]

Doing some work with for the sake of the sisters?

[amygdalae]

[Bruce turns around at the voice - and it takes almost everything inside of him not to be entirely startled by the sight of Templar armor on the man before him. Bruce has nothing against Templars in general but after spending the last six years of his life running away from certain Templars it was only natural that he would get a bit edgy around them.]

Ah--no. I was just giving them something for a favor they did for me. [He manages to keep his voice steady, which was good. Bruce took back a step and inclined his head slightly towards the Templar, showing his respect.] I apologize. Did you need something from me?

[equanimiti]

[It must be rather puzzling for anyone to come across a Templar out of the blue. Most people wisely keep away from the Templars out of fear if nothing else. The man before him is probably no different so Alayre does his best not to worry him too badly.

The last thing he wants is to frighten anyone.]

Pray forgive the intrusion, I don't need or want anything from you. I was merely surprised to see at least one interaction here at Skyhold that didn't end in a brawl.

[He chuckles faintly.]

Tensions are high as of late.

[arlathvhen]

She wasn't trying to creep on Alayre this time, honestly. She'd been walking along, on business of her own, when she heard the scuffle. It was a bit of a scene, and along with the scene she'd witnessed at the mage's meeting, she wonders what it bodes for the Inquisition, when both templars and mages spend as much time arguing amongst themselves as with each other.

Certainly nothing that concerns her, she tells herself, and yet, she's not sure that's true. She dwells on that for a few moments, as she watches Alayre stomp off. Then he turns suddenly, heading straight for her. Well, hopefully he didn't notice that she'd been watching that entire--No, there was no way he didn't catch that. Only thing for it was to try to not make it weird.

And besides, if she had to play nice, she was going to do it encouraging the templars that didn't seem balls to the wall crazy.

So as he approaches, she ducks her head down, speaking quietly--Enough for him to hear, though, if he bothers to listen.

"My Keeper told me once that a leader is the ruler that their followers measure themselves with. And it should be the goal of both leader and follower to get them to that point." She didn't mention that Keeper was her mother, and that speech had been just part of a lecture on the various ways that Beleth was not measuring up to that ruler that had been set. However, the sentiment sounded good. "It's a good thing to want your people to improve, ser." She glanced off at a group of templars, expression thoughtful. The next part is more of a risk, but based on what she's seen and heard about Alayre, she takes it.

"The problem, I think, is getting them to see it as improvement." And she turned back to the man. "I apologize if I seem like I'm trying to tell you what to do. I just thought I should tell you--Not everything thinks of being kind to others as dishonorable."

[equanimiti]

Alayre isn't too surprised to know that others witnessed that ugly tirade. Their arguing reached the very peaks of the battlements and could almost be heard by the stables. Therefore, Alayre won't pretend as if no one overheard him along with the other Templar's scathing comment about his lineage. He's used to name calling but it's been awhile since anyone mentioned that.

He's an orphan who was left at the local Chantry in the Magistrate of Serault. Alayre never knew his father's name but at least knew of his mother. Information about his past is hazy at best and not something frequently shared, especially not among others in the Order. Therefore, he's a tad curious as of how that rogue Templar learned of it. Very curious.

Alas, Alayre pushes these unsavory thoughts aside once he spots the familiar elf. He smiles some out of reflex but it's an empty smile devoid of true happiness. There's no possible way after that conversation that Alayre can fake being jovial now. He's angry, frustrated, and grumpy. However, Alayre knows better than to take his frustrations on others. Therefore, he bottles them up as he always does and greets the Dalish with a slight nod of his head.

"No, no. There's no need for apologies." Alayre states to ease Beleth's worries. "Everyone has the right to speak freely without the need of pointless filters. Therefore, I welcome your advice on the matter." With that disclaimer out of the way, Alayre focuses on the conversation at hand. His grey gaze drifts briefly towards the group of templars nearby. A frown suddenly appears upon his lips.

"Mayhaps there's some truth to all that. These men don't feel the need for pleasantries as I do. They believe their vinegar will attract bees while we all know honey does. They're drunk off of their own hubris if you ask me."

[arlathvhen]

The right to speak freely without need of pointless filters? Hah! Pointless filters were Beleth's specialty. She ducked her head at his attempt to ease her anyway, because it was kind of him to say, and she suspected that kindness was not easy for him at the moment. She would not be feeling a surfeit of it, if she had been called such names by one of her clan, for all to hear.

She gave a little shrug as he speaks, words still carefully picked out. She didn't want to overstep herself, though this would certainly be a good opportunity to make some quiet suggestions on the current astray templars. In her own opinion, the templar's actions are unsurprising. People--even elves, yes--liked power. They liked having power, being in charge, and when they were used to it, they didn't take well to it being taken from them. But that was not an observation he needed.

"To step the metaphor up...You can use vinegar or honey on them, as well. If they find vinegar unpleasant to use, it's possible they'll choose to stop. You could also show them the benefits of attempting the honey. If they realize that they like the bees, and they want the bees to like them back..." She gave another little shrug, giving Alayre a sidelong glance.

"...And for the record. I find that people who put great stock in the marriage of parents have little to offer of themselves, aside from their parent's marital status. Babies don't care, they will come out the same either way." Her words are polite enough, but there's a tension to her, even as she speaks. Like she'd be ready to bolt if the man takes offense to her words and raises any anger in her direction. She wants to attempt to encourage one of the only templars who seems to be trying to help, but--habits are hard to break. You don't start talking to a lion without worrying it might bite, even if it has promised it won't.

[equanimiti]

The elf's nervousness is almost palatable at this point but Alayre would find it cruel to mention it. He's grateful that she's taking the effort and time to speak with him, especially since most Dalish are justly unfriendly towards humans.

This is why his smile grows once Beleth answers his metaphor with one of her own. He listens to her for a time while mentally wondering how to sweeten the alleged honey well enough to convince his Templar men to change a new leaf. Surely he can figure this out better than what he has already. After all, he's suppose to be their commander. A thoughtful him escapes Alayre as he ponders more about this.

"Quite right but I need to convince them all." He mentions while idly stroking his chin. "Here within these walls where sky and land meet lies the Inquisition free from the hindering vices of politics and needless nationalism. Surely the Templar here cannot be bound by their old ways when a new future dawns." He let's out a slight sigh and shakes his head.

"It shall take time to convince them all but I have patience."

Beleth's following comment wins a grand smile from him. The elf is brave to encroach upon that subject but he's not offended at all. If anything, Alayre is oddly humored. "Babies certainly seem to care much about lineage, much like most parents. I have thick skin, so the name calling doesn't bother me much." He chuckles lightly.

"Although, I'm shocked that child of a man knew that. I'm not one to speak of my past."

[arlathvhen]

Well, to Alayre's credit, once he seems to take her words in stride, she doesn't seem quite as convinced he might suddenly turn around and try to punt her to the bottom level of Skyhold. She manages to relax into a state of wariness, but not outright nerves. At least, until he starts pontificating about the templar order, and she doesn't say anything, but...

Those are a lot of fancy words and symbolism that he's pouring out there, and maybe Pel could make better heads or tails of it, because she's smart. All Beleth can puzzle out is that he is probably trying to commune about making the templars to be not assholes, probably. She wants to point out that it's a pipe dream to think that everybody can be changed--Instead, she just shrugs, glancing up at the sky. "There are a lot of nice mages. Maybe if they see that? See that being friends with mages is nicer than the mages fearing them. I'm not sure if everyone will agree...But you're growing a new thing. Sometimes there are dead leaves that must be pruned for the overall health."

He looks younger when he smiles, she thinks. Like he isn't trying to carry the burden of the world on his shoulders. Or at least the burden of the entire templar order. She wonders, maybe it would be easier for him to just ditch the entire plant, instead of desperately try to salvage it. Certainly, it would prove better for his health.

"I couldn't guess, ser. Though, if it were the Dalish, I would say that you have become a victim of the gossip machine." Gossiping templars--They must do it, but the idea of large warrior men in full suits of armor gathering around to chat about the latest rumors brought her dangerously close to giggling.

[fleurdesel]

Word spreads, as it often does, of the scuffle. The Argument between a templar and his commander. A mage tells a mage tells a student tesll an apprentice tells Adelaide and with all the heavy considerations granted her by the meeting a few days prior and what vestiges of decent wine she had left from the meeting after the meeting, her choice seems plain. Difficult, but plain.

Her staff she leaves behind. A sign of goodwill, of trust- making her harmless. Well. Slightly more harmless. Without Dorian's gift for warmth the bottle of spiced wine is bundled in her cloak, warmed by the fire rather than by magic as she makes her approach. It is a tense, tentative thing out of fear, out of habit more than anything else. But she steels herself against these and all those thoughts two tin mugs clinking together as she walks.

"...I heard a rumor you may be in want of wine." A beat. "It is Orlesian this time."

[equanimiti]

Alayre's wrath cooled by the time he reached the garden, replaced now by anguish. There's something truly sobering about that heated argument that left him worrying about encountering more dissent in the future. The further he walks down this path of redemption, the lonelier he becomes. He managed to walk one leg of this journey with his former commander but the other had died during the rebellion. For a time, he walked this road along with Stannis but now he's gone missing. Silently wondering if he has to embark upon this journey alone after all, Alayre seem resigned to his fate now.

The Knight-Commander almost missed Adelaide's approach if it hadn't been for his keen hearing. He turns his head towards the woman and stares. She's honestly the last person he expected to see here, especially since their last encounter. A faint smile appears upon his face as he greets her. For good or ill, he owes Adelaide his gratitude for caring for Durandal and for that horrible bottle of wine she left him. While he honestly hates Ferelden wines, Baratheon was willing enough to take it off his hands. Therefore, it didn't go to waste at least.

"Greetings, Lady Leblanc." His tone is even and calm as ever, seemingly unfazed by his earlier troubles. At the mention of wine, Alayre smiles a little more.

"Aye, some wine would be much appreciated."

[fleurdesel]

"Mulled, even." She motions to the nearby benches, with a hand devoid of ice or more than her usual set of tension, too weary to wind herself up over what may happen. Dorian and Daylen had the right of it. Cooperation was required. Bolstering that would be an ongoing process but snapping and snarling will do nothing for either of them. Lead by example, as her mentors would say, and while she certainly has no true desire to lead anything at least making a toke, public attempt to reconcile their differences is warranted.

Besides.

He had lost his fellow commander. Handling this on his own? Cannot be easy. "I never thanked you, properly, for helping me find Leon."

They both know the bottle of Fereldan wine wasn't even a formality so much as a faint insult.

[equanimiti]

"Trying to win my favor with mulled wine?"

The lack of frigidness in her tone and overall demeanor actually wins Alayre's interest. Had Leblanc behaved the way she did days prior, Alayre would've declined her invitation. The Knight-Commander has more than enough stress to deal with as of late. The last thing he needs to do is to accidentally cause a bigger rift between Mage and Templar. This is why he's been a tad reclusive as of late and prohibited the Templars from taking action here in Skyhold against apostates.

He's trying to foster good relations.

"Very well. I cannot decline such a treat." Alayre comments in gratitude as he approaches the benches close by. He sits down upon the right of it giving Leblanc enough room to join him.

[fleurdesel]

"That depends- would it work?" Having the favor of a Templar is better than having the scorn. He is in a delicate position along with every other templar and mage in the Inquisition. Fighting does neither of them any credit and while she will likely remain wary and tense about the templars for some time to come...he himself had done nothing wrong. If anything he's only ever acted in a noble light.

Having someone mean what they say and keep to it was something she hadn't quite thought possible after what happened at the Spire. She won't be able to put all that behind her so easily but-

Seeing Alayre as a person first and a templar second. It helps.

Graceful as she's able she takes a seat at a polite distance, uncorking the wine and pouring them both a measure, offering him his mug first.

[nofury]

Maria doesn't rush to follow after the exchange. She'd been in the training yard and leaving things half finished or improperly done wasn't a habit she was looking to pick up. The younger templars seemed to have retreated and weapons needed to be tended to and returned to their place.

So it's a few minutes before she sets out to join her commanding officer in the gardens. Perhaps he'd rather be left along, but with the momentary lull in battle the internal struggles were bubbling to the surface and needed to be addressed. Or at least Templars of a mind needed to be aware of one another.

"Knight-Commander."

[equanimiti]

"Knight-Captain."

Already fully aware of Maria's new title and place amongst their ranks thanks to Baratheon, Alayre feels embarrassed to know this is the first time he's met Maria in person. The other Knight-Commander made many decisions under the pretenses of upholding the Order's intregity here in Skyhold without consulting him formerly. It's Cullen who bestowed such power on them both but Stannis the one who truly utilized them.

"Unity is quite far off." Alayre states while looking quite grim now. This entire conflict has left him joyless. "I fear that I'll have another rebellion to look forward to soon."

[nofury]

Maria's gives him a slightly rueful smile at the title. The ranks of the order still meant something of course. Titles that had been earned by merit and deed, ones not to be discarded. But promotions within the Order's current state? She wasn't sure how that fit into the state of the world. Yet she was hardly going to argue it.

"Not as bad as all that, I hope. They're frightened. They're lashing out. But we're not over the edge yet."

Maybe a little closer than she'd like to it, but not there let alone over. If that happened, the Inquisition itself likely wouldn't survive it. So it simply wasn't an option.

[equanimiti]

"We're nowhere at the tipping point yet to see any effective changes in our men." Alayre mentions as he glances back at Maria.

The woman earned her title from Baratheon fair enough considering the debacle they're in. They need another opinion amongst then, now more than ever considering the other has left them. Alayre has no intention of stripping her of rank. He's going to need her help here at Skyhold, so he better keep her.

"Everyone wants us to fail, everyone except for the Maker himself. The entire hold is against us but we shall persevere as long as we remain dedicated to our goals."

[nofury]

"Persevere is the word for it. Change takes time, the good kinds of it at any rate. I have faith the Inquisition leadership will lend us support long enough for it to take."

They'd all be fighting besides each other, there was no avoiding that. The enemy had Templars and Mages alike, and so both would be needed here, working together, to face them. She could only hope they could find a way to pound that truth home before another few failed battles did it for them...Maria looked away from the Commander, away from the garden, and back towards where the noise and bustle of training and drinking and life could be heard.

"The mission to the Mire might be an opportunity. If we can find at least a handful willing to work together as an example."

somewhere between the tavern and the gardens

[perseverances]

Cullen's not actively looking for Alayre, per say, but when he does see the Knight-Commander, he makes a beeline for him. One of the never-ending perks about being a Commander, no free time to actually do something he's been meaning to do. Since Baratheon's departure, he's yet to speak with the other Knight-Commander, and after a strongly worded letter from Cassandra, it's been a priority. Well, one of the many.

"Knight-Commander Alayre, a word, if you have a moment."

[equanimiti]

Alayre visibly tenses when he hears someone call for him. Hoping to place down his title for a few moments of solace, he now finds that to be delayed as the Commander approaches with haste. He quickly turns towards Cullen and bows in respect.

It's been some time since he last spoke with the Commander. Cullen is admittedly a difficult man to track but that's only because he's one of the acting heads of the Inquisition. With the Herald now put to rest and the conflicts of that night etched to memory; Alayre awaits to see how this conversation shall go. "Ah, of course, Commander Rutherford." Alayre replies while doing his best not to seem mildly worried.

"Shall we speak here or elsewhere?"

[perseverances]

"I'll walk with you." At least he's not going to keep Alayre from what he had been wanting to do. It also keeps Cullen occupied and if he's walking, he's too busy to talk with other people. Cullen really does understand the need for a moment of solace, so it won't be too long, he hopes.

He waits for the Knight-Commander to start walking, and then falls into step with him. "As I'm sure you're aware, tensions among the Templars are at an all-time high after the Herald's funeral. Unfortunately, this won't be remedied until, I feel, they are forced to work side by side with the mages."

[equanimiti]

At the invitation to proceed, Alayre continues on his way towards the garden. It doesn't take long for his worries to be true once Cullen mentions the funeral. A grim expression settles on Alayre's face as he ponders about it. He knew that something would go foul during the funeral and wake, but Alayre had hoped his men had more sense than that. It was embarrassing to say the least for both Baratheon and him.

"You mean to force their cooperation then?" Alayre asks as he glances over at the blond. He gives the Commander an uneasy gaze before turning away. "Is this wise, Rutherford?" The Templar asks while slowly coming to a halt by a few rose bushes. The Orlesian in him has a fondness for beauty and roses are lovely.

"I believe the same but I'm hesitant to put the two factions together without ample measures taken to prevent them from fighting." Unlike Stannis, Alayre is a bit of a worrier.

[perseverances]

"Are we not all part of the Inquisition?" He asks, coming to stop beside the Knight-Commander, though further away from the flowers. "There is hardly semblance of the Order left, and nor are there Circles. We must work together if the Inquisition has any chance in standing its ground against Corypheus."

Alayre was right, however. Cullen did have his reservations about having the two factions working together side by side, but he knows that it needs to be done. "Ample measures are always taken. There will be some squabble, but we are all adults here. We will learn through our mistakes."