faderift | A Matter of Reputation

"It's not— I mean it's gonna be stories, not my whole life, but—"

That much is a soft protest to the exact phrasing Mhavos used, but also kind of highlights why Mhavos is going to be helping her, too. Such a way with words she has.

Put on the spot by Byerly's attention, Athessa lets out a breath.

"I told Mhavos about how I got my scar, when we bumped into each other in Ghislain, and he said it was inspiring, like the books and poems about heroes. Except... well there really aren't all that many of those kinds of stories about elves, if any."

Mhavos nods, crossing his legs in front of the cushy chair he's in. His feet barely touch the floor. "Our intention is for it to be as political as it is inspirational."

"I see," By says, trying not to mention that he tends to find things that are overtly political to be rather...well. Off-putting. Athessa also seems like an odd choice for inspiration, given that she's generally pretty unassuming, but, well...That's what an author is for, he supposes.

"Well, I won't know if you're writing something objectionable till you've written it. Give me the drafts, and I'll take the censor's quill to it."

"How about some things to avoid outright?"

The idea of a human taking a censor's quill to elven works sends up a little warning, though Athessa would be inclined to trust Byerly more than she might do someone else.

She looks at Mhavos for his take, trying to see through his unflappable demeanor with minimal (if any) success. How does he feel about the Censorship Quill?

Mhavos keeps himself focused, shrugging slightly. "That sounds like rather more work for you."

He doesn't like the idea of someone having complete editorial power over anything, for various idealistic reasons he has no current interest in discussing. On the matter of Elven stories in the hands of humans, that's pure nonsense. It will just turn into an human story, for humans.

Saying that aloud is also nonsense, unfortunately. Appealing to other arguments is, in Mhavos' opinion, generally best.

"Surely you can think of ways you wouldn't want Riftwatch to be portrayed."

All right, that seems rather suspicious. His brows draw together.

"Certainly," he says, his voice mild. "I don't want Riftwatch to be portrayed as a secret cabal of squid-creatures stuffed inside of human-, elf-, dwarf- and qunari-shaped suits. There are a multitude of ways this could go sideways; are you requesting that I anticipate them all?"

Her face betrays her thought of I'd read that story before she shakes her head and starts to shift to sit sideways in the chair. Realizes. Sits normal (+ bouncy leg) again.

"Obviously we're not gonna do that. The idea is for it to be close enough to the truth that people will know its real, but different enough that we have deniability, and written so we aren't just giving away information, right?" She's not asking for confirmation, why did she make that a question?

Mhavos defers to Athessa on this one, who's more less said what Mhavos would have. He nods, encouragingly.

He looks at her with a slight tilt to his head. "What is the point of it, Athessa?" he asks. "Looking to incite an elven uprising? Looking to just provide some comfort in a rather grim world?"

"The point is to give people stories based on truth, about elves doing good things, not just being servants or the subjects of cautionary tales. Showing people the ways we're similar, not how we're different."

She shrugs then, a little self conscious.

"And to give elves a little hope, I guess. If the person the stories are based on can come as far as she has, maybe they can, too. Like...silent permission to be great and do heroic things and all that."

Mhavos again defers to Athessa, nodding softly, because anything he says at this point will be pointed and unhelpful.

"So it is not intended to help the war effort?"

She hedges, looking briefly to Mhavos, then back to Byerly.

"Weeell, yes and no? It's likely to be pretty clear that it's Riftwatch, unless we change more than just names. So it seems... likely enough, at least, that elves might be more willing to ally with us if they think doing so will help them in the long run."

"Everything published during a war is about the war, Serah." Mhavos says placidly, "we know what we want to say: elves have a place in organizations helping the war. Look at this elf, who has done so. We want to know if there is something you do not wish to be said about such organizations. Accordingly, we are asking you what you would not wish to tell these people."

By's eyes flick over to Mhavos. His voice, abruptly, becomes quite pleasant, which Athessa will, of course, recognize means that he's quite annoyed.

"My thanks, good man," he replies warmly. "I'd lost track of why you were here."

Then his eyes come back to Athessa, and he loses that false warmth to speak more frankly. The annoyance certainly is not directed at her.

"You can publish this without my permission," he says. "I don't have chains on every printing press in Kirkwall. Or you can bring me into the process. But I can't precisely anticipate what might be said that I'd object to until it's been said. I'm nearly all-knowing and all-seeing, but I'm not quite there yet." A shrug. "Let me review the final version, or tell me to fuck off."

Even without it being directed at her, Athessa still tenses slightly at that overly genial tone of voice.

“You’ll get to review anything before we go publishing leaflets to drop from a griffon or something,” she says, “But any changes have to be discussed first, and made by Mhavos. You know that I trust you, but especially when it comes to crediting the work, even anonymously, there are undoubtedly things you might say that don’t sound like things an elf would. It might fuck with the, I dunno, authenticity, or something.”

There’s nothing for it, she has to sit with her legs criss-crossed, sitting semi-normally is too much pressure to perform.

“I don’t expect you to predict whatever we might write that’d be disagreeable, but you can give your opinion, which is what I wanna hear. Whether you think it’s a good idea. Whether you think it’d rub the wrong people the wrong way, if the benefit of endearing ourselves to ten thousand Royan elves with access to people’s drawers outweighs the risk of piss off a few masks in Orlais.”

Mhavos has no idea what Byerly's shift in tone means, he only knows the words weren't kind, and if that's the worst thing that happens today, everyone will be just fine. Again, he sits in silence, another nod, because why argue with a noble? Athessa is doing what she must, and that is fine, but two uppity elves do not help their case.

"What a leading question, dear Athessa," he says a little dryly, but there are no teeth to it. Then he says, "If you want to know what I think: I think that said Orlesian masks will not turn their attention to such a tract. It might be read in some of the more liberal salons, but said salons would already have pre-formed opinions about elven rights, in favor. Those against it would dismiss it out of hand for coming from an elf."

A breath out, and he drums his fingers on the table. "As for the benefits...First, I think you are likely setting your expectations a bit too high. Twenty thousand eyeballs is dreadfully ambitious. In my experience, tracts are transient and quickly trampled into the mud, especially if they don't even have dirty pictures in them. Though I'm certainly no judge of elvish matters. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with less of a sense of the needs of your people, I fear."

To the lofty expectations, she shrugs.

“Bastien’s words, not mine. Well...paraphrased, a bit. He also said we’d have to make sure it makes sense when read aloud, since not everyone can read, of course.”

For all the silent deferring Mhavos is doing, Athessa is doing her fair share of deflecting. Bastien said, Mhavos will, etc. She doesn’t exactly see it as her idea.

In Mhavos' mind, the issue is cut and dry. They're not going to make any further leeway without annoying a head of their organization. They should take what they have, and be happy they didn't get an outright decree to stop.

After all, Byerly has never demanded final editorial rights.

Mhavos nods once more. "Thank you, serah. If editing in post is what you think best, we'll acquiesce as best we can."

He's expecting a sharp glare from Athessa, but he can explain himself later.

Byerly's tone is quite pleasant in return. "Very good speaking with you, good fellow."

And then he turns his attention back to Athessa and continues the conversation in a more normal tone of voice. Evidently, Mhavos has been dismissed, while Athessa still has his attention. "So then this was Bastien's idea? Or did he simply encourage it?"

And Byerly has her incredulous stare.

"No," she says, and gestures to Mhavos. "It was Mhavos' idea. But yeah, Bastien encouraged it. I told him about it to get his opinion on it, too. And because he's the one with the press."

Mhavos nods courteously, and stays put, intending only to leave if Athessa asks. As far as he's aware, he's here for moral support against a shared enemy: nobility, no matter where they're from. He's found most of Riftwatch's leadership to be amenable, and remembers Byerly with some vague sense of fondness, the giving of gifts and assurances against prejudice, but clearly that time is gone.

And that's simply the way of it, with nobility. You live on their timetable, in their memories, not the other way around.

"It was our idea," Mhavos says softly. "I suggested you belonged in a book, you wanted to push the idea forward. I'll do what is needed to keep the project on track."

"And what is your heart's desire, then?" By asks, turning his gaze towards Mhavos. Athessa - He can guess, particularly given how self-conscious and reluctant she seems to be. "What do you want to get out of it?"

This figures. Athessa taps her fingertips against the arm of her chair.

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