A Matter of Reputation

[sulahnan]

WHO: Athessa, Byerly, Mhavos, Silver
WHAT: Talking about Propaganda!
WHEN: Early Harvestmere
WHERE: Diplomacy Office
NOTES: Content warnings, OOC notes, links to other relevant posts, etc.

Mhavos made the appointment, so who knows what Byerly is expecting from this meeting. Athessa actually sits normally in her chair, though whatever energy that usually bids her to sit improperly manifests in her leg bouncing up and down.

It's one thing to pay Byerly a visit, and another entirely to be talking to him in his professional capacity as Lord Ambassador.

Comments

[bouchonne]

He shakes his head. "It's completely different," he says. "Orlesians shit on Fereldans. Very different from when someone comes for you personally."

But...He sighs. "Yes. Silver would do."

[sulahnan]

She makes a skeptical face. Not about Silver; he's fine, and smart, and good at storytelling and all. But at least Fereldans have a country. They're not dwindling, about to disappear.

"Who else? You said you had a few."

[bouchonne]

He feels, abruptly, rather sullen. He supposes that it's another instance of the same - admitting something personal, and having it just...glance right off her, having her not even absorb it. Ah, well. At least he's more accustomed to it of late.

"How many do you want? I believe there's a saying about cooks and broth."

[sulahnan]

"There's also a saying about counting chickens before they hatch."

She sighs and shifts her weight to one foot, one hand on her hip, the other at her mouth so she can chew on her thumb. Orlesians. Fereldans. Dalish. Gossip. Hurt.

"How long did it take before you started to believe it?"

[bouchonne]

His brows draw together slightly. "The saying about too many cooks spoiling the broth?"

[sulahnan]

"The slander."

[bouchonne]

A little shake of his head. "Which bit of slander? I fear you'll have to be rather more specific; there's been quite a lot of it through the years."

[sulahnan]

"Nevermind."

Athessa glances towards the door, thinking about going after Mhavos. But if she ducks out now, Byerly might think she's just going to take this to Silver and that'll be the last he hears of it.

"What exactly do you think Mhavos is supposed to be hiding from you, anyway?"

[bouchonne]

He shrugs. "Who's to say? Maybe nothing. Probably nothing. But it might be something. Rather a lot of people have rather a lot of secrets."

Then - "Has someone slandered you?" Is that the slander he's supposed to have believed?

[sulahnan]

She frowns, confused. "What? No. What's there to slander?"

More importantly: "I didn't expect you to be so...dismissive of him."

[bouchonne]

"Then were the Dalish slandered? Is that what I'm supposed to have believed?"

Then, with a sigh, the matter of Mhavos: "He dismissed himself. I'm quite sure you heard him. What was I supposed to do with him, Athessa, beg him to stay? I don't have much use for people who give up."

[sulahnan]

"No, what? I mean yeah, all the time, but I meant the slander about you."

She shakes her head. She's losing the plot here.

"You were supposed to hear him out and not treat him the way he was obviously expecting you to treat him. Like a servant. Lord Ambassador."

[bouchonne]

"You think that's how servants get treated?" He snorts incredulously. "I'll grant I've never actually had any servants, but I've certainly watched the process of interacting with them. And I don't think that many servants get offered drinks. Rather the opposite."

A short shrug. "Do you think it would be in my best interests to trust people who haven't earned that trust, Athessa?"

[sulahnan]

"Maybe if he wasn't my friend I'd be a little more understanding of your suspicion, By."

This is one of those not mad, just disappointed things. Long-suffering, like.

[bouchonne]

"You like me," he points out dryly. "Your taste is suspect."

[sulahnan]

She raises an eyebrow.

"I happen to have excellent taste, thank you very much."

[bouchonne]

He purses his lips at her, then says, "Betrayals come easily and from many directions, in my experience. Maintaining skepticism is healthy."

Then - "Which slander about me were you talking about, by the by? There have been many. And I haven't believed any of them, because slander is, by its nature, a lie."

[sulahnan]

“How you lie, how your deeds are false, how you deserve no praise. Attributing evil to you and demanding to know why you weren’t better. I thought you might’ve been talking about— But I misread it, I guess.”

Waving it off, distractedly. It’s hard to think about all these things at the same time. She’s bound to make mistakes.

A huff of breath, and she looks at Byerly.

“What if I have the final say, instead of you or Mhavos? Since you don’t trust him, and we don’t want the final word to come from someone other elves might not trust. Cute little ears or no, most elves won’t know you from Maferath, and while any humans who read it probably wouldn't think twice about it, the concern that a human has made alterations to the events will probably be kind of hard to ignore.“

[bouchonne]

"Have you been believing that my plan is to, what, go through and rewrite huge swaths?" His voice is a little dry. "Take it away from you and burn parts and release it without your consent? I know that's what that fellow - " Mhavos - "Seemed to be anticipating, but I hope that you know me a bit better."

[sulahnan]

"I do know you better than that," she agrees, genuinely. "But I have to think about how it would be perceived by people who don't know you. Or, by people who only think they know you, because they know your reputation or your family name. Or people who only know Riftwatch, and how that might affect their perception."

She shrugs, letting her arms fall loose at her sides after it.

"It's a lot."

[bouchonne]

Dryly, "Do you anticipate that I would be signing my name to the document?"

[sulahnan]

"I don't know! I'm not a writer, I've never done anything like this before, I don't even think I'm half as inspiring as Mhavos thinks I am," the words tumble out, and any hope of keeping this Professional™ tumble with them, out and away. She laughs once, self-effacing.

"I'm just... I dunno. Trying to do something right and not let anyone suffer for my good intentions."

[bouchonne]

A moment, and then he lifts one shoulder. "I think," he says, frankly, "that you may be overthinking this a bit. Propaganda pieces are not uncommon. They come through my office, and I sign off on them. This may feel as though it has higher stakes, because it is a propaganda piece that centers on your life, but it really is no different from any other. If you're talking maudlin about people suffering for your good intentions, you've built this up too much, I suspect."

[sulahnan]

Well. That actually does make her feel better, at least. She lets out a heavy breath and splays her hands.

"You're probably right. That's why I wanted Mhavos to help, 'cos he doesn't do this—" A vague gesture. "—emotional fluttering that I do. He's level. And I asked Bastien, because he knows stories, and he's level, and he told me to ask you, because it's your professional capacity, and—

"I mean you know me, I can't even sit in a fucking chair properly." Athessa laughs and drags both hands down her face, leaving them on her cheeks to sigh and just sit with what a mess she is for a moment.

[bouchonne]

By lifts an eyebrow, and uses his pinky finger to gesture towards himself - one arm slung over the back of the chair, his leg coming up to rest on the chair-arm.

"I can't either. Is that a sign of emotionality?"