[open] calm before the storm

[arlathvhen]

WHO: Beleth and YOU.
WHAT: Beleth hanging out around the Gallows, gossiping, being an anxious mess, and other fun Beleth things.
WHEN: Nowish, covering up until modplot starts.
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Probably last chance to do much with her before everyone goes off to war and shit gets real.

i. scoutmaster office

As things start to get more and more serious, and everyone is gearing up to leave for the big battle, Beleth gets more and more busy. All of her scouts will be in attendance, and Beleth is spending a great deal of time working to assign everyone and make sure that everyone will be playing their part. She keeps her door open most of the time, and can be seen pouring over reports, writing letters, or consulting a map of Thedas with little color-coordinated pins pushed into it (because not everyone sticks knives in their maps like some kind of HEATHEN).

However, whatever she's doing, she'll set it aside if anyone comes to her office. Whether coming there out of the blue, having made an appointment, or being summoned there for some reason, the Scoutmaster's office is open for any visitors.

ii. training room

When she isn't dealing with the massive amount of paperwork that a massive battle requires, she's training for the event itself. It would hardly do for her to send people to fight, and not be ready for it herself, after all. So, usually late at night, when she's done with her work for the day, she can be found in the training room.

She starts with what she's best at, archery. Firing arrow after arrow at targets. Some of the shots go wide, but for the most part, she does a solid job of keeping the arrows in the target space. After that, she starts with the daggerwork. She's never been as good at this as archery, and it shows as she follows the intricate steps of the usual bard training practice. Anyone familiar with bard training will recognize the graceful drill as The Butterfly, but for anyone who doesn't know, it is simply a rather pretty demonstration of daggerwork.

She'll stop if approached, but can also be approached when she takes breaks, to sit down for a few minutes and drink from a jug of water she's brought with her. Anyone who knows Beleth well enough can probably recognize that the relentlessness she's putting into these drills is a sign of anxiousness, the way she throws herself into it with a determination that speaks to just how on edge she is.

iii. the docks

Besides overworking herself, there is always one tested and true way to deal with stress: Arguing. It doesn't take much for Beleth to find an excuse to bring someone to task, and stands there on the docks of the Gallows, a few papers in one hand, the other one devoted to tight, tense gestures to show just how aggrieved she is of this failing.

"--And if you look at the order, it quite clearly says that we need Rashvine Nettle, not regular rashvine. If I wanted regular rashvine, I would take two steps out of the city and collect more than enough--" Her voice is relatively controlled for the argument, because she's still a division leader, and can't be seen having a shouting match in broad daylight. But there's an undeniable tension cutting underneath her words, her eyes sharp and accusing as it drills into the unfortunate soul who has brought her the alleged unworthy rashvine.

"--They are not the same, they wouldn't have different names if they were the same, would they? I need rashvine nettle for lyrium potions, regular rashvine is entirely useless for the task. An entire crate of useless--" And here, she jabs an accusing finger at a crate. "--entirely unneeded, regular rashvine."

Anyone can step in and either side with her, save the poor person receiving the Scoutmaster's wrath, or wait until she waves the other person away to speak with her. Or, if they're someone who might be tasked with gathering herbs and could make the mistake of mixing up rashvines, they can be the unfortunate person getting told off.

iv. cade

When Cade requested a private meeting with her, she was quick to agree to it, and make the time in her schedule. She can't quite imagine what he wants to talk about--maybe he's managed to acquire his own betrothed?--but Cade wouldn't make the request if it wasn't important. Not with the way things are going right now.

So when Cade arrives, the door will be already be open, and Beleth will already be in one of the chairs she uses for chatting with people. There's already a teapot seeping on the small table between the chairs, and in Beleth's hand is a file, as she crams in some reading while waiting for him. At his approach, she flashes him a grin, gesturing to the other chair.

"Cade! Good day, please come in."

v. legolas

The reason for Legolas showing up at Beleth's office is, ostensibly, testing wearing makeup over the anchor on his hand, and trying to see how well it can last while he goes about his day. And that's certainly one of the things that's happening, the door to Beleth's bedroom propped open while she goes to and fro, fetching her own makeup for the trial. If this works, she'll have to find a way to order large quantities of it--she might have to reach out to Val Royaeux, the only place she could think of that might carry enough to outfit everyone who would need it.

(If Legolas takes a peek into her bedroom, he'll discover that it's even more ostentatiously elfy than her office, and filled with personal momentos and whatnot.)

The trickiest part of the moment is getting Beleth's foundation to match Legolas' much fairer skin, though she's taking to the challenge with gusto. And maybe if she distracts herself with trying to match skintones, she'll be able to forget that she's grasping Legolas' hand, and not act like a total fool. She's fine, this is fine, she spends plenty of time holding hands with attractive elves. Just another day in the life.

"So, the blemish spotter goes first, to try to conceal the anchor as much as possible. The foundation is going to try to make it look smoother and more natural, which is why it's so important to match your skintone." She's explaining it step by step, since Legolas will have to be able to do this by himself at some point. "If this works, I'll probably have to try to find foundation to match everyone's individual skin tone." Shopping trip, maybe? That'd be a nice break from everything. "Then I'm going to dust it with setter, to try to keep it from smudging or wiping off. Now, this will help, but it's not a miracle worker, so try not to do anything that would ruin it."

She declines to list any kind of activities with his hand that might be frowned upon. She's not Lexie, after all.

vi. wildcard

Any other ideas? Throw it in, or hit me up if you want to discuss it.

Comments

v.

[tofindthesun]

Legolas is has long been aware of things like lipcoloring and some skin paints, but skin powder is new (as is... eyeliner. of all colors).

Still, knowing that this was going to include some handling, he made sure to clean his hands before showing. There's only a bit of pollen from the flowers he picked before arriving (the garden-keepers have been shooing him off doing that because it ruins the flower beds, apparently), which he's left scattered on the table while Beleth powders his hand. Enough for both of them, if Beleth cares for a (very) light snack.

"It feels.. odd. As if there is flesh, but none at all, where the anchor lays." He wiggles his fingers a little, because it's weird to see the anchor move with his skin despite the fact that there's really nothing there except.. light. He checks out the containers she has the makeup in, in case he needs to get more and she's not available for pestering.-- judging by the amount she's using though it probably won't be necessary until he does....... a lot... of strenuous activity.. with that hand.

Which he will not.

"I can use my bow with the other hand if I must. It will be strange seeing the back of my hand whole and unmarred again." He might just. Forget it's there. Which is what learning to reapply it is for. "Is it quite difficult to make? There are so many people, to match all of their skin colors seems quite a task."

[arlathvhen]

"I can't imagine what it must be like, to have one of those." And she's glad for it, in all honesty--a truth that she doesn't voice. The anchors are useful, certainly, but they are so uncertain--they've done so much research, and they still know so little about them. "But the feeling of the makeup should be easy to adjust to, at least."

She leans back to admire her own work, tilting his hand around at a few angles, to make sure it looks decent. Satisfied, she opens the container of setting powder, and begins lightly dusting his hand. "I don't think that you will have to switch bow hands, but be careful, just in case. And--I'm not quite sure what goes into making any of this, I'm afraid. Someone in my clan made a bit of it, but mostly, I've traded for it. Or just bought it, now that I live here."

She pauses again, because there's a subject that she wants to bring up, but she's not quite sure what the smoothest way to segue into it would be.

"Speaking of which," She says, before moving on to something completely unrelated, "Your father, Thranduil." As opposed to his other fathers. "I expect that you've already gotten his, ah, invitation?" Don't make her say what the invitation is for.

[tofindthesun]

"It is not unlike ointment for a wound, though far more comfortable. At least it does not hurt as a wound does." Often. But if Beleth already knows about that part, then she knows; and if she doesn't, it's not a big enough issue that Legolas sees the need to make her aware of it. "If it will not be a problem then I will not refrain. But, I am in need of that practice, regardless, so it will be a good reason to change hands."

He helps with the inspection, turning his hand over to have a look at it himself. He's the one that'll have to be looking at it more often.

Luckily for Beleth, he's got the attention span of a squirrel in harvest seasons.

"He does not invite me to anything, I simply show up." Said in such a way that he could be entirely serious, but knowing Thranduil probably not. "Will you be attending, Scoutmaster?"

[arlathvhen]

She has an idea of it, as it's the reason why they tend to keep most of the rifters in one area. Why natives who've caught an anchor to the hand show up here at all. Unfortunate--for them, at least--but there's not much for it.

"It's pretty impressive that you can switch back and forth at all. I think I would be hard pressed if I had to switch hands with my bow. I'd be afraid of missing a shot and the electricity frying someone." Which is a problem when you have a fancy enchanted electricity bow, because you just have to show off.

She can't help but give a laugh at the idea of Legolas simply showing up to his own father's wedding--she suspects he's joking, but. Maybe that's how Middle Earth elves operate? She'll table that for later, since it's not the point. "I will be. I was just...wondering about your own thoughts on it, I suppose. I must imagine it must have been a bit surprising, to show up and discover...all of this."

She makes a vague gesture around her. All of this being: your father shacking up with some rando human who's centuries younger than his son.

[tofindthesun]

"It did take some time to become accustomed to using both hands, but it does give one more options in field. And I confess, we do not often have to worry about lightning or ice, or anything else." He did like the bow Iorveth let him borrow, but it would take a lot more time practicing with it to find the best way for him to use it himself. "I think I would also be wary of striking an ally with those sorts of weapons. We do not have such things where I am from.. usually."

There are stories. History, some would say, but so long ago that even Legolas's 600-odd years seems paltry. It's an era his father lived through and sometimes that is difficult to imagine, even for an elf.

It is entirely Not how Middle-Earth elves operate, although Legolas will not make any attempts to clear that up. If Elrond had wanted someone to properly represent the Race of Elves, he would not have chosen Legolas for the Fellowship.

Plus, Thranduil can do that.

"Shortly before arriving here, I attended a wedding between an Elf and a Man." If he sounds like he's trying to avoid the subject..... Well. He's still processing a proper response to that. "Lady Arwen was.. a little under 3000, I believe, and Aragorn some years shy of 100. But his line is longer-lived than most, and she had not been wedded before. Such unions are rare but not unheard of... but were it not for them, I would find it stranger than I do now."

A pause.

"I do not think my Elvenlord makes such decisions lightly. At least, not the way I do." Haha thank god Gimli isn't here. "From what I have heard, a union of elf and human is not so similarly regarded here as it is where I cam from. I worry more for them both than I do for any other part of it."

[arlathvhen]

"Your father told me once that such marriages are not unheard of—and that they carry different connotations in Middle Earth than they do here." A pause, and Beleth shoots Legolas a wry smile. "I believe he was trying to console my own concerns regarding the upcoming nuptials." She doesn't bother to include whether or not it worked.

"Here, marriage between an elf and a human is...fairly taboo. There are various reasons for it, some legitimate, some not so much. I'll not bore you with the full details, unless you're truly curious. Suffice to say, I found it....out of the ordinary. But he does seem to be happy." She stops, seems to consider Legolas' hand—lets it go, finally—and considers how much she wants to say. What cards she wants to reveal. Perhaps it would be best to layer it into more innocuous conversation.

"Are you planning on dropping in on your father alongside anyone else with a prohibition to RSVPs? If not, the only person I have to go with is Sorrel, and I'd rather not be known as the woman who has to attend events alongside her brother. If you would like?" The invitation is vague, but it's an invitation nevertheless, and Beleth offers it up with her most charming smile. At least Legolas, eccentric as he is, is undoubtedly a step up from going to a party with Benedict.

And, smile still on her face, she adds in, as though it’s only a natural continuation: "Though of course, I wonder. Have you met the, ah. Bride?"

[tofindthesun]

"Not unheard of, yes... I believe it is rare, mostly, because many Elves love so deeply that we do not hope to wed more than once, if ever." The implied after the other party dies goes unsaid. "For us it is a committment bolder than that between elf and elf, though no less deeper."

He doesn't mention his late mother. If Thranduil has brought it up and addressed it already, then that's that; and if he hasn't then Legolas won't be the one to start it.

"I would be curious, if not for how I have seen plenty of the way humans treat elves.. especially those of the city. I suppose it must be something akin to a king wedding a servant, for all the fuss they put up about it." He wrinkles his nose. When she lets go of his hand he brings it back to take a closer look, even going as far to sniff it to see if it gives off any discernable odor. He'll have to make slight adjustments to how he hunts if it does.

"Oh, I have not thought about it... will we be required to attend with another? Well, I would not mind attending with you, if you do not prefer to keep your brother's company." An equally charming smile. "Though perhaps I should invite him instead, and leave you at the mercy of the wilds. Which one dances?"

Aw he's just kidding, he'll go with Beleth. Legolas doesn't make a habit of hooking up with people he's never met before.

"We have.. met. Not as much, I think, as we likely should. But perhaps that is a far cry better than forcing ourselves through it." It's almost like meeting the in-laws! Which, uh. Legolas has not done either. Ever. "We do not hate each other, at least? It is a pleasant start."

[arlathvhen]

Beleth nods along as Legolas explains. Thranduil has never mentioned his late wife to her, either--once, a failed attempt to court someone, but nothing on what was presumably his successful go at it. And she's never asked. It's not her tale to tell, after all.

"I know this is not the way of it in Middle Earth, but within Thedas, any elf and human pairing will result in a human child," She explains quietly, with a shrug, like it doesn't really mean that much to her, like she isn't discussing yet another venue of slow genoicde that her people must deal with. "Always. There is no choice involved, as there is in Middle Earth. Which is why elves tend to oppose such unions." There's other things, like power imbalances, things that obviously don't apply to this particular situation, and Beleth is already discussing things she just said she wouldn't get into.

For a moment, she looks genuinely concerned that Legolas might take Sorrel instead--or at least ask him, whether or not Sorrel would accept--well. Legolas would probably serve Sorrel better than Adasse, most likely, so that wouldn't be too bad--

But he's joking, and Beleth is overthinking it. She lets out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "Far be it from me to either tell you who to attend with, or to insult my brther's dance skills. Though I will say that I have been to several balls at this point." Which is a sly way to insult her brother's dancing skills without actually insulting him, because Beleth is just that smooth.

And speaking of smooth insulting, Beleth listens to Legolas describe his somewhat brief relationship with Gwen, nodding along with a thoughtful look to her face. "I have to admit, I've not had occasion to speak with her very often, either. Though I have read several of her works--she is a writer, you know--which I've found illuminating." She doesn't mention that some of those works were fairly anti-elf, nor does she encourage Legolas to read any of it. She leaves the information hanging in the air, with another little shrug.

"Either way, not hating each other is a good start. Certainly better than some. I suppose the two of you will have plenty of time to become better acquainted, as things progress."