[open] far from my mother's home

[altusimperius]

WHO: Benedict and you
WHAT: October catch-all
WHEN: throughout Harvestmere
WHERE: Kirkwall dungeon/gay baby jail
NOTES: will add if necessary

For Riftwatch members in good standing, there's a built-in captive audience residing in a cell below the Kirkwall mage tower. One barred window peeks out onto the dreary courtyard, and on the opposite wall an interior door opens onto a dark, torchlit hallway, a bench placed on the wall facing in for the comfort of guests and interrogators.

Inside the cell, every day is the same. Sometimes Benedict is sleeping on the little bed supported by chains from the wall, sometimes he's pacing, sometimes he's standing on his toes to rest his chin on the windowsill, hands gripping the bars to keep himself upright, starved for any form of stimulation whatsoever.

Increasingly, he can be found sitting or lying on the floor of his cell, staring at the ceiling or fiddling with the straw scattered on the floor, bending and twisting it in such a way that, on closer inspection, he might be trying to figure out how to weave it.

Visitors will find him quite receptive, even excited to see them. Unless they're Flint.

Comments

[sulahnan]

"Hmm...that's a bit trickier. And kinda stupid. Not the...coming up with a bigger score thing, but that he's keeping something he bought as a trophy. It's not like he won it or something."

She narrows her eyes, and rolls a coin over her knuckles. "Forgery would probably be too easily spotted, with something like that. No chance to study it to get it just right...What would Leander value enough to wager or trade the box? Think that's an angle we can use?"

[keenly]

"It's...it's Benedict's, and he helped bring him in in...ways." Colin's brows knit. He goes quiet for several seconds, then lifts a triumphant finger.

"If you can get it off him long enough to take a rubbing of it," he says, "we can make a copy. There's a couple places to go with that--either we switch it for the real one, or we let slip to him that his prize is no longer unique. Maybe we make a hundred copies and sell them to a merchant on his route or something."

[sulahnan]

Her face brightens, echoing the triumphant gesture with a little emphatic waggle.

"Hey now that's a great idea! Easy-peasy if he keeps it in his room, too. If he carries it with him..." Shrug. "We'll need a distraction, but it's doable. We should probably do the second option, seems like he'd be less likely to suss out that there's only one fake that way if he finds out that Benedict has the real one later."

[keenly]

A wicked smile spreads over Colin's face, then turns into a thoughtful look.

"Then the question is how to get the original, though. Leander seems more likely to chuck it in the ocean than surrender it, just to prove a point."

[sulahnan]

"Maybe we do a bit of both, then? Swap the original out for a fake first, then let slip that it's not unique? That way we have the original from the start, but he thinks he has it the whole time."

[keenly]

"And if he complains to someone higher, he looks like an idiot because he demonstrably has the box. We just say we bought the replacement for Benedict, and give them the shop."

Colin holds out a hand for a shake.

[sulahnan]

She pumps his hand once, up-down, to seal the deal, and grins.

"This is gonna be fun. And of course, a nice thing to do for a...friend," Weird. That was almost automatic. Almost. "But also fun."

Her other hand bears the coins for her purchase, and she uncurls her fingers, holding them out for Colin to take.

[keenly]

Colin grins broadly and receives the coins.

"You get me the rubbing, and I can take care of the copies. If you need paper and charcoal, I have it."

He tells her the address of the de la Fontaine apartments in Hightown slightly sheepishly. "It's where I live. You'd best deliver it there. The rubbing and, in time, the original box. Unless you think of a better place."

[sulahnan]

She recognizes the address, not by whose apartments they are but purely the fact that it's in Hightown, and gives an appreciative whistle. No wonder she doesn't see him around much; she's never in Hightown.

"That should be fine. Probably better than any dive in Lowtown I could suggest," though not many would think to find anything of value, sentimental or otherwise, in her usual haunts. "And I've got paper and charcoal. I wasn't kidding about the art supplies."

[keenly]

He suspects he would only make it worse if he explained he is not actually Lady Alexandrie's boytoy.

"It's the de la Fontaine apartments. Anyone trying to get in would have to be better at infiltration than the lady herself, which is...not Leander."

[sulahnan]

"Or a friend of Lexie's, of course," she almost throws in she threw a knife at me once, ya know. It was great. but deems it not worth mentioning. After all, it was accidental. She hefts the bag of herbs with a nod and starts towards the door.

"Thanks for this. I'll see what I can do to get those rubbings."

[keenly]

Colin grins broadly again. Only Lexie's friends call her that. It seems the lady has continued her collection of lower-class trash, and he definitely likes that.

"Glad to help. Come by anytime."