closed | we could do revenge, revenge, revenge, revenge

[coquettish_trees]

WHO: Anders, Byerly, Colin, Lexie
WHAT: Planning the downfall of one trash-heap Templar
WHEN: Nowish (before we all start spouting the opposite of nonsense and Anders leaves to be tragically murdered rifp)
WHERE: The balcony of the apartments, where all the best vengeance plotting happens
NOTES: cw: probable discussion of sexual assault, suicide attempt may come up, maybe some links later?

The weather is not fine, on the whole, but it is fine for this manner of gathering: the sound of light rain, the droplets themselves hardly visible in the light haze of mist that is the remnant of the ambitious heavy fog that covers the city below that has made it all the way up to Hightown, and mild enough to sit out on the covered balcony of Alexandrie and Colin's apartments. It is mid-afternoon, but even so, candles had been set out along with luncheon to combat the particular shade of dour grey seemingly unique to Kirkwall. Alexandrie's staff sets a fine table, even in the relative informality of the balcony setting, and while the purpose of the gathering is hardly the meal, Alexandrie primly insists on conversation about lighter matters until the last plate has been cleared and replaced by a cut-crystal decanter of brandy set out on a tray with four small matching glasses.

"So. The matter of Balfour," she begins, taking up the decanter and raising it slightly along with her eyebrows—anyone? The man is denied both given name and title; not a small mark of disrespect from the mouth of the ever-solicitous Alexandrie. "I assume we are all in agreement that he is well deserving of what recompense we can deliver."

Comments

[keenly]

"So they care because we're paying them. With favors."

This is a lot more believable than Colin expected. He glances over at Anders, a gleam of hope in his eyes, before looking back at the other two.

"But they still can't prosecute what isn't illegal in the first place. Though I'm...not actually sure whether it's legal or not. It wasn't exactly part of our education."

[justice_is_blond]

"Death and destruction is the last path when the paths that are supposed to function do not." His gaze is even as he meets Byerly's. Colin's not going to call out any of the repeated jabs, apparently, but Anders doesn't dare actually jab back.

"Technically, it may be illegal. Rape is not legal. Where it gets blurry is if we are, by legal definition, people. We've some sort of inheritance rights now it seems," which is entirely worthless for a vast majority of them, "which isn't retroactive, but the personhood line may be complicated enough that it's humiliation. Though this leads to a whole other question: what do we offer the initial contacts to make them want to look into this rather than try to simply silence it?"

[bouchonne]

"Legal, illegal - what does it matter?" By shrugs with a single shoulder. "The sky is periodically on fire, one Divine has used the corpse of another candidate to step onto the Sunburst Throne, half-capes are fashionable again. All is chaos. And in times of chaos, precedent matters for shit. What matters is the question of - can you take that chaos and shape it to your will."

He flutters his fingers at Anders. "Well, that and who owes you a favor. Not even a flaming sky negates the power of an owed favor. And it just so happens that I am owed." A slight bow at Lexie - "And I suspect I'm not the only one who is."

[coquettish_trees]

Alexandrie tilts her palm upwards—of course, but—"Mine are less useful within Ferelden," she replies. "Two degrees of separation rather than direct. A favor owed by one whom I know to be owed quite dearly. I do not know how much can be wrung from it. Lucien is a snake, and grown bold in my absence by all accounts. I shall have to pick him up by the neck and shake him. It might be better if—" she cuts herself off with a brief glance skyward and flicks her fingers dismissively. What is the point of tracing the web of it all now? A glance and tilt of her head for Byerly: later.

"It matters little. Byerly and I are in agreement; the legal merit is almost entirely immaterial." Her eyes slide to Anders. They contain only detached courtesy now, and the tone of her voice matches it exactly. "Having never had access to the halls of power due to the place mages hold in the South, it is perfectly understandable that you believe the only options to be either trying to convince the emplaced system of justice that you should have rights as any other citizen of your class or the violent overthrow of that system." No judgement, there, only a statement of fact. "The Chantry views mages as you say. Justice works for mages as you say. And so, for you, those are the only options. For us," she indicates Byerly, "there are more, and for this purpose they have been placed at your disposal.

"What it will require is that the two of you are willing to trust that we know how to feel, draw out, and work the power made by men every bit as well as you may feel, draw out, and work the power provided you by the Fade."

[keenly]

“So the only question is whether I’m willing to be publicly humiliated to get justice.” It’s not sarcasm. Colin is very much weighing his options—is this worth it?

It’s worth more than another bottle of poison. It’s worth living for, if he can live in a world that isn’t constantly trying to drive him to that brink. Moreover, it could make life worth living for the next victims, a glimmer of hope for other mages, rather than supplying yet another corpse for the pile. He just has to accept what it means for him.

“It’s to be another walk through the Void again,” he sighs, “but I know the way.” He leans his elbows on the table, considering further, a hard gleam coming to his eyes. “This was exactly what he was afraid of me doing in the Circle. He threatened me with death and worse to keep this from happening. I’m ready to make it come true for him. I’m ready to make men like him think twice.”

[justice_is_blond]

Trust people to manipulate the system that's been manipulated against them for hundreds of years, trust it with the life of someone as vulnerable as Colin at stake? It's not something Anders can do, and it's no reflection on the two asking.

Luckily, it's not his faith they actually need and he knows it.

"I'll be here for you," he says quietly to Colin. "Anything you need."

Then he's looking over at the other two evenly. "You'll keep us appraised of how things are progressing and if there are any expected or unexpected challenges that arise?" He can't promise them anything - they'll not understand it based on how they've been acting - but he can hint at having resources. And, for once, use the wrong impression someone has of him. If Byerly thinks he's nothing more than a destroyer, then maybe Byerly will have greater motivation to not fail.

[bouchonne]

"There is no humiliation in this." It's a rare statement from Byerly Rutyer that carries no sarcasm, no irony, no double meanings. But in that moment, there is nothing but honesty from him. In that moment, his voice is soft and low, but unwavering: his conviction is powerful. It's a sentiment not just for Colin, but for Lexie, as well - not a new one, because in their younger days, he'd shared it often with her. But it bears repeating, always. There is no shame to being surrounded by cruel men. The only shame is in being a cruel man.

The earnestness disappears, of course, as quickly as it came. His eyebrows lift, and he shrugs, all the irony back in him. "But yes, dear fellow, we shan't work in secret. I promise. When revenge is nigh, you shall know it."

[coquettish_trees]

Byerly had been the only one to place her fall at Rolant's feet. It had taken her long enough to begin to believe it even in the slightest. That it wasn't entirely her fault for being such a tempting target. Her fault for being credulous, for moving, and looking, and smelling like prey. For believing him. For wanting to believe him. For walking blithely directly into his teeth.

What sin greater than naivete in Orlais?

"Mais oui," Alexandrie affirms. "If we manage this correctly," in her eyes: 'which we will,' "you will be brave and strong, and he will bear the full shame of his actions."

[keenly]

Colin gives a tight, hollow-eyed smile at Byerly, then Alexandrie.

"I appreciate it, but there's plenty of humiliation to go round. People defending him will have all sorts of things to say about me. I could even have been charged with his corruption, in the Circle."

Not that Greagoire was like that, nor Irving. He glances away, brow furrowed.

"The Templars who hear about this will have to condemn one of us. They're pretty eager to distance themselves from stories like mine. I wonder if we could make it easier for them to condemn him instead. Most of the Knights-Corporal in Kinloch Hold knew what he was doing, and they could ruin me if they united against me."

[justice_is_blond]

"There is no grounds for humiliation or shame," Anders says quietly. It's not exactly agreement. He knows what's going to be stirred up, and he knows Colin knows. There's no reason to make Colin feel it all over again right now.

"If there's some other sort of blackmail that can be put on the Knights-Corporal, if some of them are doing something underhanded to obtain lyrium, perhaps?" It might be cruel to use their addiction against them, but if they hadn't turned a deliberate blind eye to cruelty and suffering it wouldn't come up. "Divide them so they've reason to condemn this one."