[closed] a cordial meeting

[arlathvhen]

WHO: Beleth and Loki
WHAT: Beleth & Loki have a friendly chat over tea about blackmail and conspiracies
WHEN: The day after Beleth’s network post
WHERE: House Asgard’s estate in Kirkwall
NOTES: none for now

Perhaps it was foolishly risky, accepting Loki’s invitation, and entering the estate without any backup, save the possible presence of a single servant. But Beleth doubted that she’d want anyone else to overhear what they had to discuss, and she was relying on Loki being loathe to do anything, with those damning pieces of evidence somewhere out there.

Hopefully, at least. Besides, it’s not like she’ll ever get anywhere not taking risks, and she’s certainly not going to just sit on what she’s found out for the rest of her life.

So she shows up at the appointed place and time, carefully dressed and styled in a manner appropriate for a high class Orlesian tea. As much as a Dalish can be, anyway. At least if she dies, she’ll be dressed for a funeral.

It’s with that cheery thought that she crosses the threshold to House Asgard, nodding briefly to whatever servant (Slave? Let’s go with servant) came to greet her at the door. Here it goes.

Comments

[arlathvhen]

Beleth sits through Loki's speech, her face politely impassive. Even at his laugh, her only reaction is for her brows to raise, just slightly. If Loki's condescending attitude bothered her, she certainly doesn't show it. Instead, she sets her teacup back on the table, and gives a little nod.

"I would like more tea, thank you."

And in the meantime, she'll snag another little cake. Honestly, it was worth having to deal with Loki to get these.

"It's moving, how much you care about your brother. I hope that you won't be required to do any kind of recounting in his stead." Slowly, she flicks her eyes up from the cake to Loki's face. "A hope that, I'm sure, you also share." And back to the cake. "I have a brother, as well. I know how close those bonds can be."

Now, to address the actual bulk of his statement. She doesn't speak right away, and wonders, as she's wondered many times, how Leliana would handle this situation. Perhaps she could sic Baron Plucky on him and be done with it.

"You truly don't care about this situation with Corypheus?" Okay, that might not be addressing the main point, but it's certainly something that needs addressing before she even considers touching him as a potential Inquisition resource. "He nearly tore the Veil asunder and ripped open the Fade. And the person who stopped him from doing it is now quite dead."

[hwaaaitsme]

Loki waves his valet over and the man calmly pours her another cup of tea, his demeanor perfectly in keeping with the setting, if not the conversation. Loki waits for her response and, to her credit, is a little surprised by the sudden shift in conversation. She had evaded dealing with the issue at hand by asking a rather pertinent follow-up.

Loki considers her and lifts his tea up again, taking another sip before answering.

"There is a wildfire spreading across the peninsula of Jotunn; it is a terrible thing, ruining thousands of acres of land, and has no end in sight. It cannot be contained, doused, or dealt with and the destruction it will cause is simply a fact of life." Loki tells her. "Now, we can move the people to safety, we can protect what they can take from their homes, but we cannot stop a disaster of that magnitude until it has burned to the fringes where we can get at it. Where we can kill it.

"You care about the wildfire, many people do, in a distant sort of way, but you are not faced with it just as I am not faced with it. It is, at the moment, a problem waiting for a solution that is out of our hands.

"I care about Corypheus in the same way I care about that wildfire," Loki assures her and, frankly, seems as though he is being honest. "Many things have been lost, things I never saw or knew or cared about, and I'll agree it's very tragic that person is dead, but I am not directly invested in them or the situation.

"Given the chance, yes, I would rather like to put an end to this disaster before it destroys more than it must, and I feel as though his Venatori followers are fools begging at the altar of a twisted creature cum madman, but the machinations of a distant villain don't keep me up at night."

[arlathvhen]

Beleth listens to his explanation, only interrupting to murmur thanks to the valet as she accepts her tea. Because she has manners.

However, as he goes on, she can't help but quirk an eyebrow, that becomes a slight frown as he continues. First, a sip of her tea, as she tries to figure out just how the heck Loki came to this conclusion, and how to counter it.

"I think that your view on the wildfire spreading is fair enough, but I don't feel like it quite accurately compares to what we are facing. You're quite right in that there's little point in attempting to stop a wildfire. Were I to fire an arrow at the fire, all I would have is a burnt arrow. However, if I fire an arrow at a Venatori, I now have one less Venatori to deal with."

Certainly, she's done that enough times.

"I think a better comparison would be the Blight--Corypheus is a darkspawn, after all. He spreads, killing where he can, and if unchecked, could destroy the world. And it might seem like there's nothing that can be done, but each time it's happened, we have fought, and won. With the Grey Wardens' help, of course." Which they have secured...some of. Kinda. "That is to say, Corypheus is no force of nature which must be endured. He is a person, as is his followers, and both can very much be killed."