open | back in the atmosphere

[coquettish_trees]

WHO: Lexie, Loki, Lea, Yseult, you
WHAT: complaining, spy things, catch-all for all your Lexie-based needs
WHEN: Presently, just after her return from Val Royeaux
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: Hi again <3

Loki:
The carriage is unloaded, its driver paid, and its riders retired within the estate to trade their road-dusted travelwear for something eminently more comfortable. Tea is made and delivered to the sitting room followed closely by a robed Alexandrie finger-combing her released curls who disdains the other plush chair beside the small tea-bearing table in favor of wiggling herself into the space between the long droll stretch of her husband and the arm of his chair, tucking her head beneath his chin and sighing with gusty finality once settled against his side.

“Merde.”


Leander and Yseult:
It’s easier this way; all three of them, in Yseult’s office late on the evening of her return, Alexandrie still standing, uncorking a bottle of exceedingly fine wine retrieved from the family’s cellars in Val Royeaux to soften the frustration she brought back along with it for them—and to soften whatever local frustration she’s to be briefed on.

“Shall I begin?” is her query over the quiet pop of the cork releasing, “It will be a thing of depressing brevity.”


Wildcard!
[Come at her wherever; home or studio in Hightown, Gallows office, library, somewhere completely different!

Alternately, come at me, and we can figure something out if you like. shaestorms or shae#7274 on discord]

Comments

jeshavis party

[sarcophage]

Please, Leander might answer, were his behaviour not presently subdued by the Scoutmaster's presence. He may play around elsewhere, but knows when it's time to be quiet and still and studiously respectful, and to listen a little more than he speaks—and if he's out of his depth in this position (which he is, in some respects), he's never seemed fearful of it. Caution without insecurity.

His silence is relaxed; he's here to learn.

(And he's glad to see Lexie back.)

[hassaran]

There are only two chairs typically arranged in front of the fireplace in Yseult's office, but a third from before her desk has been carried over to make room for both Lexie and Leander. She sits in the third, legs crossed at the knee beneath her skirt, watching as Lexie pours the wine into slender-stemmed glasses at the sideboard.

She nods once, a slight sideways slide to it accepting the forewarning about the nature of the report to come. "Please do."

[coquettish_trees]

"You will remember, I think, the rather shrill letter from Lady Pasquier," Alexandrie begins, her skirts swishing as she turns to offer Yseult and Leander their glasses in turn before settling herself in the vacant chair with her own, absently smoothing the fall of fabric over her knees as she does so. "As it transpired, the rumors she so diligently reported did lead to a 'horrifying web of dangerous deceit, poised to suffocate the heart of our beloved Empire'," the quote is delivered with the affect of one in the grip of just such a horror, immediately thereafter cast aside in favor of wry irritation, "albeit one entirely of native construction. In the wake of our dealings with Baron Deshaies and other such true agents, it has apparently become a fashionable play in the Game to fabricate and accuse one another of Venatori connections and allegiances." Alexandrie touches the bridge of her nose delicately, ruefully. "And if one is both ambitious and very confident of themselves, as we eventually revealed the Lady Pasquier to be, to add gravity by luring the obvious personal attentions of Riftwatch."

A sigh. "As it is," she continues, spreading her hands, "my lord husband and I spent a month chasing the hat, and gained absolutely nothing that will be of use in further operations save the knowledge that our ostensible allies are woefully insistent on making our intelligence work even more difficult."

She gestures with her glass, words far drier than the wine it contains. "One hopes that our eventual shaming of the Lady will dissuade her peers from attempting similar feats, but it is equally—if not more—likely that one or two of the shining stars in the firmament of the Royal Court will decide that successfully manipulating Riftwatch into removing a rival is a crowning trophy for their wall. We shall needs watch sharply for such things."

sorry, i forgot we decided to skip

[hassaran]

Yseult takes the offered glass, sipping as she listens. She isn't much given to reactions, despite the frustrations of the tale and its animated telling, but at the close a line forms between brows and she hums a note of agreement.

"A shame your time was wasted," she agrees, "But better to chase a phantom than leave a true Venatori agent at large in the court. Likely you're correct we will see more of this. So screen such requests with extra care in the future, and make greater use of our sources already in place before involving our own personnel, but let's take care not to let the false reports blind us to a real one."

[coquettish_trees]

Alexandrie raises her wine in acknowledgement of the direction, then turns her head to consider the dance of the flames on the hearth.

"Quite so, Scoutmaster," she agrees, "It merely... galls more than it once did." No matter that sometimes the Game drew blood; that she had. Minrathous had made it different. Ghislain. She looks back, tilts her head curiously. "And what have I missed?"

[sarcophage]

Leander's done a very good job of listening politely without looking like he wants to interject. Sitting there, pleasantly attentive, like handsome furniture. He accepted the glass from Alexandrie with a polite incline of his head, and since then he's merely held it with practised elegance.

His gaze flicks between the two women before he answers, evenly,

"Enough to make you forget all about the misuse of your time. Nevarra's gone to war with itself, and it would seem there's a growing trend of secret sedition among our ranks."

It would seem.

[hassaran]

The wine swirls slowly in her glass as the stem rocks between Yseult's thumb and forefinger, held delicately, but without particular attention. She is inclining her head in acknowledgement to Lexie, and then turning her focus on Leander as he chimes in.

"Indeed. Perhaps you could bring Lady Alexandrie up to speed on that," she suggests, wine a steady, constant speed around her glass. "Before we delve into the politics abroad and work to be done."

[coquettish_trees]

Lady Alexandrie's eyebrows climb toward the carefully crafted sweep of her hairline as she settles her attention on Leander, their ascent a rather elegant echo of indeed, perhaps you could.

[sarcophage]

"Gladly."

He sees you there.

"Sanctioned sedition, I should clarify." Mostly. "Shortly before your return to Kirkwall, my Lady, the eldest of the Grey Wardens shared with us... a bedtime story, I believe she called it, by sending crystal. The Van Markhams have acquired proof that Aurelia Pentaghast arranged to trade Perendale to the enemy for a parcel of land in the Blasted Hills.

Disastrous, of course, but the more intriguing part came before, when that same Warden accidentally dispatched a piece of conversation by sending crystal. It sounded like a few of our scouts were in fierce debate with one another about whether or not—or perhaps how, exactly—to assist the Nevarran resistance. Interesting timing, I thought, given the monarchy's precarious state."

Not to mention the political history of Nikos Averesch, left unspoken.

Here, still entirely relaxed, Leander pauses to sniff gently at the wine in his glass. Hmm. He doesn't know enough about wine for the scent to mean much to him, but he does enjoy looking like it. He enjoys looking handsome and clever and is presently feeling both of those things.

"Anyway, according to one of ours, the evidence of Aurelia Pentaghast's treachery was initially acquired by us. As for how it made its way into Van Markham hands—as far as I'm aware, that remains a mystery."

On his way to a sip, looking to Yseult through his eyelashes, "Have I forgotten anything?"

[hassaran]

"I couldn't say. But I find it interesting," Yseult replies once Leander has finished, not being inclined toward interruptions. Her tone is as politely bland as ever, her wine glass several sips emptier, "That you connect the two. Are you suggesting that we--that is Riftwatch--might stand to benefit from the Van Markhams' good fortune?"

one skip while j's away, ho ho

[sarcophage]

"Merely relaying what I've observed. Whether or not Riftwatch might benefit from either outcome of the civil war is beyond my reckoning at the moment." They weren't thinking of Riftwatch at the time. "If anything, I would say it's more likely to end up taxing our resources in one way or another."

Re: one skip while j's away, ho ho

[coquettish_trees]

"If Lady Aurelia truly made arrangement to trade land to the Venatori, I might suggest that all of Thedas stands to benefit from the good fortune of the Van Markhams," Alexandrie replies, lifting one shoulder slightly. "A Nevarra staunchly set against Corypheus means he must needs care for the whole of the southern border of Tevinter whilst one that will make such deals is will likely not cause him to stretch his strength, and I think we can little afford that."

The fire pops; Alexandrie tilts her wine glass. "Speaking on this bedtime story: Riftwatch cares for the appearance of neutrality, of course, but has it been decided how much we care for it in fact?" She has every appearance of neutrality herself. "Must we do something about those who would seek to use what power and influence we have gathered for their own ends, or do we politely turn our gaze aside as long as it goes unnoticed by Thedas and is judged to serve the greater fight?"