[CLOSED] Smoke & Mirrors: Kirkwall

[minrathousian]

WHO: CLOSED to those who signed up.
WHAT: Inquisition personnel work to identify Venatori agents who have infiltrated the Inquisition in Kirkwall.
WHEN: Early November.
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: Violence, murder.

In Kirkwall, the threat to the Inquisition is more covert:  four Venatori agents have infiltrated the Inquisition's base of operations in the Free Marches, and have insinuated themselves well into the workings of the organization. Perhaps they have made befriended you, or established themselves as a quiet loner who prefers only to focus on their work, with little interest in socializing. Actionable intelligence suggests that they will take advantage of the Inquisition's reduced numbers in Kirkwall to attempt to seize valuable information. The trouble now is identifying just who the infiltrators are--and stopping them before they access vital information, or create further havoc.

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

He sees Araceli depart and is at a little bit of a loss. Not because he thinks she needs backup - she's capable and hadn't said anything as she parted, so she has whatever she's doing handled - but because he doesn't know how to proceed. Here he is, in the Rookery, Anders where there's potentially sensitive information, and the reputable one in the group has just departed.

"Good day?" he offers. It's the closest to stealthy Anders gets.

[minrathousian]

What Anders and the Medicine Seller may notice, however, is that another figure has paused in his work to look after Araceli as she departs. It's just a fraction of an instant when he glances next towards the two remaining individuals, before he turns quickly to focus on fastening a message to a bird's leg and coaxing it out the window--

"Are you suppose to be up here?" asks one of the young couriers imperiously, planting her hands on her hips. She's inconveniently placed to block Anders and the Medicine Seller from getting a good look at the individual by one of the windows.

[justice_is_blond]

For the briefest of moments he hesitates... but then it's gone and Anders straightens. The order came from the division heads. He's not here for his own reasons, he's here because he's actually supposed to be here.

"Yes," Anders answers, looking down at her as much as he can when he's not exactly tall. "We are. You may call Beleth if you'd like to verify this, but you'll need to step out of the way as you do so because you're impeding official business."

It's rather nice that this is the truth, because Anders can't lie for anything. He steps to the side himself and puts a barrier up on the outside of the window, blocking the bird from taking off without harming either bird or person while desperately hoping he's doing the right thing and not overstepping here.

"That bird cannot take off. The letter needs to go to the division heads first." His heart is pounding so hard in his chest he feels like it might rip free, but at least he's not saying that he needs to read the note. Please, Maker, let there be something shady in that message, because if it's some recipe for a casserole they're never going to trust him with anything again.

[meds4sale]

"Perhaps it would, in fact, be best if all current correspondence be brought to them," the Medicine Seller suggested, peering around the courier so as not to take his eyes off the messenger.

He was the most suspicious in the room, but a few curious glances at three infrequent guests to the rookery and trying to do his job efficiently was hardly the most compelling evidence for treachery.

For all the Medicine Seller knew, the worst he could be up to is making personal correspondence with inquisition resources.

"Operations may be... compromised."

He said it softly enough that only Anders and the courier could hear.

[minrathousian]

A little bit of authority looks quite good on Anders--or at the very least, it conveys the appearance of command with sufficient believability that the little courier backs down quite quickly, blinking and retreating. "All right, all right."

The bird lets out a squawk as it encounters a barrier, flapping haplessly in place for a moment before twisting in the air and flitting back into the rookery, the message still attached to its ankle. The agent looks after it with a scowl, then looks to both Anders and the Medicine Seller; there's an undeniable line of nervous sweat across his brows now, and he fidgets in place. Whatever he was doing, it wasn't good.

...then, very slowly (and a bit pathetically), he starts to lift both his hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

[justice_is_blond]

Thank the Maker. Anders couldn't see any way in which having to chase after or attack the man would have gone well. Suspicion and instinct are fine and dandy for other people to claim. He'd be on very thin ice, and it's entirely possible Medicine Seller would be too.

"Someone please catch the bird? Carefully. And then you can send its note and what was to go out during his shift to a department head by trusted runner, please." Anders glances at Medicine Seller to make sure they're on the same page there while giving him room to command their surrendered agent if he'd like.

[meds4sale]

The Medicine Seller paid little heed now that the man had surrendered, and instead focused on luring the agitated raven with the promise of some dried meat from his medicine pack.

He was, on the whole, good with most animals that didn't bark, and the bird was gobbling the jerky from his palm while he retrieved the note from the bird's leg.

"I'll see to it they take these -" he gestured vaguely to all the correspondence in progress "-To the aproppriate head. Will you be able to handle this man?"

[justice_is_blond]

He blinks, but a second later Anders nods. Considering how much time he's spent in custody, and escaping, he thinks he can handle one prisoner.

"Come along," he says to the man, gesturing to move in front of him. "I escaped from the Circle seven times, so don't think you're going to surprise me." The staff comes off his back just in case. This is no time to be taking unneeded risks.