[ CLOSED ] The Buck Stops Here

[sulahnan]

WHO: Athessa, Bastien, Byerly, Colin, Deimos, Flint, Raas, Thranduil, Yseult
WHAT: Revenge for past trauma reveals a sinister plot
WHEN: The Month of Guardian (aka now)
WHERE: The Gallows and Hightown, Kirkwall in general
NOTES: CW: This plot deals with sexual assault, revenge, and murder. Mostly the aftermath of the assault, no graphic descriptions that I can foresee, but be cautious. Opting out and hand-waving is fine.

By and large, the beginning of the month of Guardian in Kirkwall is unremarkable. Business as usual, even with the ever increasing cost of sugar, coffee, and tea. But for the inhabitants of Lowtown, it comes with signs that their waking nightmares persist.

For the past few months of winter, Lowtown locals have been whispering about a rash of murders and disappearances among the Alienages. Deaths previously attributed to exposure to the harsh winter weather are rumored to be far more insidious; some have claimed that they noticed wounds on the bodies as they were being disposed of, but any attempts to bring this information to the City Guard have been met with indifference or empty platitudes.

Less widely noted, and harder to attach to a pattern, are the instances of working girls being hired to entertain at private functions and coming back...different. Or not at all. To the average person, it’s barely even news, but to anyone who spends time in the brothels and listens to the chatter within, it’s clear that these are not isolated incidents, nor are they without concern.

While the alleged murders in Lowtown have no clear culprit and thus are blamed on anyone from random strangers to demons and Crows, the goings-on at the brothels go hand-in-hand with mention of one name in particular: Devigny.

Comments

[sulahnan]

I knew, I said we had to help her! [ She gestures like she wants to claw her own face off for how wrong they both were to leave, and starts to pace back and forth. ]

We shouldn't have come back we should've stayed and done something--

[bouchonne]

[ He clenches his jaw and draws in a breath, trying to find his calm. ]

Tell me everything you know.

[keenly]

[It's hard to recall everything, or organize it all aloud while in such a frantic state, so sometimes they have to double back to hit a point they'd missed. So when Colin ends the story in this manner, it may not be surprising:]

The carriage curtains were drawn, a footman or someone went to the back and took out a girl who was unconscious. Devigny didn't come out, I think the last time we saw him was...

[He trails off, then he looks at Athessa with wide eyes.]

...when he left, earlier.

[sulahnan]

[ She'd been interjecting, sometimes frantically, to remind Colin about this thing, or that thing, or a minor detail here and there. Tell him about the guards, Colin. No, that happened the day before, yes we were there all night.

But when the realization hits, at the same moment that Colin looks at her, Athessa's frantic energy seems to dissolve along with the willingness for her legs to keep her upright. She sinks down to sit on the floor, taking a few deep lungfuls of air. Relief is so often a weight off the body that the way it sucks out every ounce of breath from you gets glossed over. ]

We have to act fast, then.

[bouchonne]

[ Some of his sharpness fades as it becomes clear that the imminent danger is not immediate. As the story is told, he becomes more and more quiet, more and more pensive.

At the end of it, to Athessa: ]

You should not be a part of this.

[keenly]

[Colin looks between them, but his eyes ultimately fasten on Athessa. He's seen what this week has done to her, emotionally. When he went after Lutair, there was little threat of physical danger and the payoff was all but guaranteed. This is the opposite of that.]

He's...he's right. After what this week's already done to you.

[sulahnan]

Whether or not I should doesn't matter!

[ She doesn't look between them, because she knows what she'll see if she does. She sets her jaw and, after a moment, gets back to her feet. ]

I can't let him get away with doing this to anyone else. I can't.

[bouchonne]

He will not.

[ By's voice is soft and level. ]

Trust us to guarantee that he will not.

[keenly]

You haven't, [Colin says gently.] You've ensured his destruction. Try not to risk your own.

[sulahnan]

I've made up my mind, [ She balls her hands into fists and lifts her chin. ] and the longer you both spend trying to change it the less time we have to help that girl.

[bouchonne]

[ His lips thin. ]

I could have you removed to the dungeon for the duration of this investigation.

[sulahnan]

[ Finally, she looks at him. She's called this bluff before. ]

Then do it.

[bouchonne]

[ But did she ever call it on someone as stubborn and bullheaded as a Fereldan with his blood up? Byerly makes to rise. Hopefully, Colin will intervene with some good sense. ]

[keenly]

[Colin reaches out to catch Byerly's arm, eyes darting between the two of them again.]

You believed me when I said I could handle Lutair. Athessa's just asking you to believe her now.

[sulahnan]

[ With considerable effort, she relaxes her hands and nods slowly. ]

I can do this. [ Even if she can't, she has to. She won't be able to live with herself if she simply hands the problem off to someone else and has nothing further to do with it. ]

[bouchonne]

[ But. A muscle jumps in Byerly's jaw as he looks to Colin. ]

The situations are not the same. You were far beyond Lutair's control when we went for him. This man has connections, power in this city - safety isn't a promise here.

[keenly]

The situation is different, [Colin agrees. His eyes turn to Athessa.] So is the person in the thick of it. She's stronger than me, quicker and more ruthless. And if you don't give her the opportunity you gave me, she'll wonder about it all her life. Please.

[sulahnan]

Who gives a fuck about safety if we don't do the right thing because it's not guaranteed?

[ Sure, she might want to be safe from Devigny, but it's not her own safety she's worried about at this point. She's not the same person she was at 15, and if there's even a slim chance that she's the only survivor who has the power to do something about any of this, she has to take it. ]

And we're not talking about taking him to court. He might have connections but they can do fuck-all for him if he's dead.

[bouchonne]

[ A jerk upwards of his chin. ]

Precisely, we're not talking about taking him to court. Colin, you were the only one who was able to do what you did. [ A small gesture towards Colin. But, to Athessa: ] Any hand can slit a throat.

[keenly]

Including hers. [But she's also incredibly likely to act on emotion instead of the agreed-upon plan. Colin lets out a breath.]

We need a plan. Once we have a plan, we can work out whether or not she fits into it, or what part she plays.

[sulahnan]

[ Athessa sighs and crosses her arms, falling back into pacing. Yes, she is likely to act on emotion rather than the plan, but she's also currently driven by a need to prove herself. ]

[bouchonne]

[ A pause, and then he settles back into his chair. ]

All right. Tell me about your plan.

[keenly]

[He hesitates.]

I just said, 'We need a plan.' I mean, neither of us are any good at those. It's why we came to you. You're brilliant at them.

[sulahnan]

I'm much better at rushing in without one, so if you'd rather we take that course...

[ Heavy-handed, over-acted, but the point stands even as she takes one purposeful step towards the door. ]

[bouchonne]

You're a damned poor liar.

[ But the threat is understood. By lets out a breath and rubs his lips. Somehow, there's nothing more terrifying than being told he's brilliant. Has that word ever been used to refer to him before? He would be quite content if he never heard it again. ]

We need intelligence. From professionals. I need to reach out to Yseult.