Closed | Dear world, I'm pleased to meet you

[keenly]

WHO: Colin, Beleth, and Julius
WHAT: Beleth has decided there shall be a reckoning. Colin is in trouuuuble.
WHEN: Justinian 3, morning.
WHERE: Beleth's office, The Gallows
NOTES: Will update with content warnings.

The shop is closed today. Colin had to sleep in after getting in late last night. He hasn't shaved. He bathed when he got home only to wash the stink of Darktown off him. He wakes up still tasting metal in his mouth. Everything hurts even though his captors, while ungentle, didn't actually hurt him. He'd fought hard enough that he is, most probably, covered in bruises. He could heal them right now. He doesn't.

There is a knock at the door. A messenger hands him a note. He stares at it, glassy-eyed at first, then picks up his crystal to call Julius.

A half-hour later, he is standing at the door of the Scoutmaster's office. It could be coincidence. It probably isn't. He taps at the door, barely enough to be heard, then glances down the hall as Julius' footsteps begin to ring. He waits for Julius to arrive, then pushes open the door, holding it open for the enchanter first. It is not an entirely uncalculated move, nor pure politeness. If Colin is in trouble, he wants the scoutmaster to see he has a representative before she says anything. And right now, Julius is a more presentable figure for her to first see than Colin himself.

Comments

[overharrowed]

Julius looks as put together as he usually does, but the glance he gives Colin before they walk in is... evaluating. Not cold, certainly; not even unsympathetic. But trying to read the state he's in.

He doesn't, however, start a conversation outside Beleth's door. Instead, he walks in (first, as Colin has clearly indicated), but lets Colin have the first word. If he doesn't take it, Julius expects the Scoutmaster will.

[arlathvhen]

Beleth first wonders if Julius has just had poor timing, is about to politely request he wait until she’s finished with this meeting, then Colin trails in right on his heel, and Beleth realizes it’s no coincidence. Well, that’s not what she would have preferred, but she merely shoots the two of them a curious look as she fetched a third cup for the tea she’s set up.

"Enchanter Julius, Colin. Thank you for coming here today." She gestures to the two chairs opposite her desk, then busies herself with readying the tea. "As you two are doubtlessly aware, my job is to be aware of any events of interest to the Inquisition. And I have heard some very unusual things pertaining to one such event that took place last night."

She scoots the tea closer to them, then settles back in her seat, lacing her fingers together. "I was hoping that Colin would enlighten me as to the exact details."

[keenly]

Julius will have difficulty evaluating; even when Beleth presses for details, Colin's face doesn't change. His gaze wanders to one side as if he is merely listening attentively, but there is no sign of inner turbulence. Whatever he is feeling doesn't make it to his face. And the truth is that right now, he is thinking rather than feeling. Thinking that he can still spin this, that he can damage-control and still come out with his hide. He can panic later, when he has some idea of what is going on.

"What happened," he begins evenly, "was that the Carta mistook me for a competitor in the lyrium business. And they didn't believe me when I told them I wasn't. They found what little lyrium I did have and accused me of holding out on them. So they decided to..."

The air goes out of him as he realizes he has absolutely no motivation to tell the rest of the story. His eyes glaze over and his poker face cracks briefly. He's tired. He doesn't want to think about this right now, or ever again. But he has to finish this sentence. He shakes his head a little and tries just spitting it out.

"Ransom me."

[overharrowed]

"They left a very dramatic note," Julius offers, quiet yet dry. He'd planned to report... something, he hadn't quite yet figured out what. In a way, Beleth's competence saved him from having to make that call; he doesn't have to guess how Colin wants to play it, because he's seeing that for himself.

[arlathvhen]

“Ah, a dramatic note.” There’s a hint of amusement in Beleth’s voice, as she glances at Julian, then back to Colin. “I should have known.”

Still, she’s patient enough when Colin seems to have trouble finding the right words, leaning back in her chair as she mulls it over. She already has a few questions about this story, but she’d rather hear the full extent he’s willing to tell her, before she starts prodding into the details.

“Well, since you’re sitting here now, I assume that something down there went your way? As much as it can, in the circumstances, at least.”

[keenly]

"It did," Colin confirms. The less he talks, the less likely he is to say something that gets him in trouble. After a beat, he realizes he should offer something more. "I'm not fully certain what. I...dropped my phylactery, when they took me." He glances at Julius. "Is that how you found me?"

He knows that's how they found him. Anders handed the thing back to him afterward. It crunched satisfyingly under his foot this morning. The point is to shift the focus to Julius, like two men running in different directions to muddle an enemy archer.

[overharrowed]

Julius' expression doesn't flicker, but there's no relationship like "former teacher" to prepare you to read the lack of change in an expression.

He inclines his head. "Yes, that helped. And," this more to Beleth, "I think it demonstrates the urgency of the situation, as it's not a method I particularly relished resorting to given all the trouble we went to at Skyhold to convince the Inquisition not to hold on to the things. I, for one, wasn't willing to risk that the Carta was bluffing about its timeline."

[arlathvhen]

"That's fair." Beleth replies, shrugging off the topic of his phylactery. Phylacteries are some weird shem thing that have given her nothing but trouble since they became an issue, and she's not eager to broach it more than necessary. They used it to find him, cool.

Or was it they? Certainly, her sources had suggested more, but.

She turns to Julius, giving a nod as he speaks. "Did you have any assistance in locating and extracting Colin? I doubt I'll need to follow up with any of them, but I'd like to have an accurate picture of what happened upon arrival to where they were keeping him."

And it looks like she'll have to nudge every detail out of them at length. It's something that she's been trained for, it's a vital part of her job. But still--is there a reason, or are they still flustered from what had happened down there?

[keenly]

It's not as though Colin can refuse to answer.

"Yes," he says, and lets the pause linger while he considers whether to offer names. Making her ask specifically will probably anger her, so... "Anders and an elf named Cyril. And a...local. I can't remember his name."

His fingers twitch nervously on his lap, and soon he is toying with the seam on the outside of his trousers. His hands have a small tremor.

[overharrowed]

"Barnabas," Julius supplied. "I'd heard his advertisements for rifter goods but not met him before; Anders suggested him as an expedient way to get a connection to the Carta, since none of us had such a connection pre-existing."

Julius' general rule is that there's no sense lying about something it's easy enough to externally verify. He may be generally close-mouthed by temperament, but he's not going to make this easier on Colin through obstructionism or sloppy falsehoods.

"Anders has a better sense of Lowtown than I do, given his clinic. I thought it prudent to follow his lead within reason."

[arlathvhen]

"Cyril was there?" The reaction to that is more immediate, and more personal, than anything that she's shown yet in the meeting. The meeting was, after all, purely business. Cyril, on the other hand, was a former clanmate--even with his questionable decisions. There is--slightly--a softening in her features.

(Was Colin another one of Cyril's one hit wonders? She takes a moment to study the man anew. Attractive enough to catch his eye, probably. She doesn't press the issue.)

The other two names are given nods of acknowledgement, and then follows a few moments of silent contemplation. Beleth isn't given to acts of cruelty, certainly doesn't desire to make Colin rehash more unpleasant memories than strictly necessary (the anxious fidgeting is something she can all to well relate to, how many scarves and sleeves has she worried into ruin?). So, she skips through the parts that she doesn't need to know, which are likely the worst of them to think through.

"What state were the Carta members in, after you were rescued?" Still not something fun to discuss, but important to know. There's a difference between killing a bunch of Carta, and just stomping them until they scatter (much like roaches, she thinks).

[keenly]

“Yes.” Short, almost dismissive. Colin supposes the Dalish all know each other, as few as there are here.

“We left them quite alive. And very angry at the runner who lied to them.” Then, as if there is air stored in his lungs that cannot be used for any other purpose, he bursts out, “I wasn’t profiteering. Even if I was, I was hardly taking advantage of innocent men, and I thought I didn’t have enough customers for the Carta to pay any attention to me. The point wasn’t money. It’s never been money. All I wanted was...safety. But I’m a mage, and templars need incentive to protect a mage.”

His gaze has gone from vaguely irritated and defensive to straight-up pleading.

“Please. I never thought I was putting anyone in danger.”

[overharrowed]

It's not, Julius thinks, as if he doesn't sometimes have the same instincts, for all he's older than Colin. Whether or not it's the entire truth, he certainly believes that it's -- at a minimum -- a large part of the truth.

He's not in a position to override a division head, especially not where Inquisition is security is concerned, but he can see why Colin wanted him along.

Julius doesn't quite sigh, but he addresses Beleth's comment about the Carta members instead of preempting her reaction to Colin's explanation. "We threaded the needle as neatly as we could, under the circumstances. It wasn't perfect, I readily admit, and for the future headaches it might cause, I apologize for my part in it. I thought the alternatives would mostly be worse."

[arlathvhen]

When Colin dismisses her question with a single word, Beleth stares at him for a moment, then frowns, and any softness that had come about leaves instantly. She doesn't bother to say anything about it, simply scowling at him for a few moments, and then ignoring him entirely, switching her attention to Julius.

"I appreciate your restraint. Dead Carta always lead to living Carta with a grudge. It's entirely possible that there might be future repercussions, but all things considered, I suspect they would find the entire situation as embarrassing for them as for us." Which neatly leads into what she has to say on the entire situation.

Crossing her arms, she leans back in her chair, and studies her desk for a few moments. Than, addressing them both, she speaks. "No matter what was intended, or not intended, no matter what the reasons for your actions, the situation is...not favorable. You smuggled lyrium illegally on Inquisition property, and then put Inquisition agents at risk because of it. I doubt any of the other division leaders would be particularly pleased to hear any of this."

That's when she stops, tilts her head, and examines her desk again.

"Which is why I would suggest that none of this be brought to their attention. I can make sure that everything is quietly taken care of, but there will have to be certain...concessions made. To make sure that this doesn't happen again, nor is it discovered."

[keenly]

Beleth's reaction to the way he answers her question about Cyril is not what Colin expected. He did something wrong. He said something, and it was the wrong thing. What about yes could have been wrong? He glances somewhat frantically to Julius several times before it comes to him with her words put Inquisition agents at risk. Beleth doesn't just know Cyril. They must be close. And Colin answered her so irritated with both her and himself, so afraid of what this all meant for him, that she thinks he doesn't care about the people he put at risk. And he could try to argue with that. He could tell her he feels guilty about it, or something. But actions speak louder than words, and his actions put three friends and a stranger at risk. It doesn't matter if it was for money or a survival strategy. It was still pure self-interest.

Maybe he shouldn't have dropped his phylactery. He hadn't actually thought anyone would find it who would also care enough to follow it. Even that thought is a disservice to the people he knows. Who would pick up a phylactery in a room with signs of a struggle and not investigate? That sort of thing would never happen in Denerim, in the Circle, or anywhere else Colin has lived. Where did he get the idea, then?

The fight has gone from his eyes. His gaze lowers demurely as he listens to the rest of what Beleth says. Surprise registers over his face when Beleth offers to keep things quiet. Given everything, what motive could she have to throw him a bone? There is one that stands out, blue and bright, but the only way to know is to let her finish.

"Yes, milady."

[overharrowed]

Julius looks mildly surprised at Beleth's reaction, but he inclines his head as she finishes. "I can be discreet; if you think it best we leave the matter with you, you'll have no argument from me. As I assume you don't want anything in writing, if you have any more specific questions for me, now or later, I will be happy to provide what information I can."

If this is really all, Colin is getting off lightly. Julius won't undermine that by refusing to defer to the judgment of a division head.

[arlathvhen]

Beleth glances first at Colin, then Julius. Thinking, and measuring. There's no arguments, and they seem as eager as she is to keep things hushed up. Which is good, because she really doesn't need the others finding out that she's doing things behind their backs. They probably assume--she is the Scoutmaster, after all--but they certainly don't need to know.

"The main issue at hand is that you, an independent agent, had been illegally selling lyrium to Inquisition agents, on Inquisition ground. We are lucky, because the act of selling lyrium independently is no longer illegal. So the best way to smooth this over, and keep things looking on the up and up, is for you," Here, she nods to Colin, "To no longer be an independent agent, and to start selling as an Inquisition agent. That way, what you're doing is above approach."

It sounds ideal, but there are caveats, of course. Beleth lets her words sink in, and then continues with what they'll be waiting to hear. "You'll work under me, to distribute the lyrium, and help the Inquisition out in whatever other ways you can. Do what jobs I assign you. Though--All of the jobs will be things I assign anyone else working for me, openly." In other words, she may boot paperwork at Colin, but she's not going to send him on secret assassination missions.

[keenly]

When she pauses, Colin's gaze falls away, brow furrowing slightly. Is that it? Really? No corporal punishment, not even a threat of Tranquility, just the dissolving of his contract, which was the very least he expected? He almost feels guilty to get away so cleanly. He's not delighted to lose his independence, but compared with what the Carta would have done? This is nothing. Hopefully nothing.

Then she continues. And this gets him thinking. She speaks as though he will be like any other agent, and there are suddenly a great many questions coming to the forefront. The main one, whether this is a sentence, or a bargain. If the latter, he can bargain back.

"My shop?" he asks. As he expects the worst, his voice is steady.

[overharrowed]

Julius gives him a slightly arch look -- he's clearly torn between his instinct that Colin might be pushing his luck and mild admiration at his boldness for doing so. It can be both at once.

He doesn't, however, interject out loud. It's Beleth's call, and an attempt to place a thumb on the scale is likely to do more harm than good under the circumstances.