[closed-ish]

[katabasis]

WHO: Wysteria, Bartimaeus, Flint, Marcoulf + Misc + YOU!
WHAT: Catch-all for Drakonis
WHEN: gestures vaguely to the whole month
WHERE: Kirkwall, misc.
NOTES: Dumping ground for the 600 starters I'm writing. If you'd like something, feel free to PM me or ping me on discord at abby#4396. Or wildcard start me in one of the subthreads. Whatever works

Comments

[katabasis]

"You can't honestly expect to go stamping your heel in some square in Ostwick and get so much as a scrap of anyone's attention."

--Is the easy, dulled parry in this conversation. Obviously they have some means beyond that. They have Venatori letters, which could be copied for forged further. They have a small cadre of Llomerryn pirates playing at Tevinter agents gnawing along the coast, whose informed exploits they might pin on anyone they chose. They've the means to make this happen if Silver cares to do it. The opportunity could be made, if his vision for it has any kind of clarity.

(Inciting yet more resentment for the Imperium is hardly wasted effort, but it demands questions.)

"Where exactly do you propose you'll spread these rumors?" No, the more pressing, better question is: "To whose benefit? Hamstringing Gertruda sees us saddled with Clorentine."

All questions that could easily carry some sharp edge to them, but don't. They're real questions; he's asking them honestly.

[hornswoggle]

A flicker of amusement crosses John's face. A simpler time, with a simpler goal. John hadn't fully understood the consequences of courting the crew's attentions and acceptance at the time.

"Only if you think there aren't plenty among us who'd work to see her torn down as well."

Which John does, based on the tenor of the discussion he'd followed along with on the crystal. But more importantly—

"But I would rather have someone too foolish to make up her own mind than someone set on her course."

And someone who very probably thinks someone like John should be dragged into a Circle, or worse. He looks into Flint's face and feels the weight of that unknown, how it clouds Flint's observations of his motives.

"I would wager quite a bit that we have many among us working to advance some of the more palatable options. If we can drag one of the more inconvenient obstacles down a few notches, is that not worthwhile?"

And that is the sticking point. John only sees one clear path to use what they have gathered. There's only so many places that it makes sense to spread this information, and only so many places they'll have access to do so. John will still need the help, but he still only sees one clear course open to him for the moment.