Whoops. (semi-open)

[arlathvhen]

WHO: Beleth and Nerva, then anyone who wants to scold Beleth. This is only open to current CR.
WHAT: Beleth got caught spying, but ran for it. Nerva finds her anyway and sticks her with stables work. After that, Beleth is available for people to scold.
WHEN: Backdated to after Templar meeting but before First Day party
WHERE: Skyhold battlements, and the stables.
NOTES: This is rly late and I suck.

Comments

[equanimiti]

"Cloaking your shame with busy work?"

A familiar voice rings out from the other end of the stables as the wooden doors open. Standing at the threshold is none other than the "Hero of Pharos" himself dressed in full Templar regalia. His steps are heralded by the faint chattering of his armor as he approaches the she-elf with something akin to a frown upon his stoic expression.

" You certainly do far better as a stable hand rather than as a spy, Beleth." A sigh escapes him as he stops before the elf. "A lesson learned, no? You dishonored yourself by playing the role of spy." Alayre shakes his head. "And you've dishonored us Templars by forcing our hand in all this."

He takes no pleasure in knowing that Beleth has been tried and sentenced to act as a mere stable hand. The Dalish are known for their pride, so Alayre knows that this turn of events wounds Beleth metaphorically.

[arlathvhen]

As Alayre spoke, Beleth looked utterly intent on trying to shuffle hay around with a pitchfork, staring down at the ground. If Alayre was feeling particularly perceptive, he might notice that her hands trembled slightly as they gripped the tool. While it was reasonable for someone to think that shame or sadness was striking her, the truth of the matter was that she was doing her very best to exercise enough control not to swing around and lash out at Alayre. Anger pounded in her ears, but she was already on thin ice. She remembered the threat that Nerva made, of the dungeons if she wasn't careful.

The idea of being imprisoned made her skin crawl.

It was enough to keep her mouth shut until she could speak calmly.

"People who have nothing to hide do not mind prying eyes. Templars have been both present and vocal to all of the meetings of the Mage Council." She slowly turned to look at him, expression as serious as the grave, eyes intense as she stared him in the eye.

"What are you hiding, if you're so fearful of someone listening?"

The fact that she was being trained specifically to take the role of spy was left unmentioned. She doubted someone as honorable as Alayre would understand. Spywork was dirty, and underhanded. His opposite, in other words.

[equanimiti]

Beleth's demeanor does win a curious glance from Alayre but her question strikes him like a punch straight to the jaw. What does he have to...hide? He cannot help but blink his eyes owlishly at the accusation. "I--no, we have nothing to hide!" Alayre states loudly with a hint of surprise in his tone. "There's nothing happening behind those closes doors, nothing. We--" In the middle of his reply Alayre trails off suddenly once the elf's previous comment comes to haunt him.

The Mage Council have been forthright in their decision making process despite what others may claim. Though the Templars didn't have much say, at least members of the Order were allowed to attend. That is what made that meeting more of a success. They, the Mages, actually allowed for them to participate. The realization dawns upon him far too late to recognize their error in this. It's far too late to correct this injustice.

"No wonder they hate us." He mutters to himself. "We still hold the authority to do as we please even when claiming to desire a unified Skyhold. We lord that privilege over their heads like a mock badge and then cry foul when called out." Alayre's expression is a mixture of shame and weariness.

"A hypocrite, I am."

[arlathvhen]

Now it's Beleth's turn to be taken by surprise, and her face shows it. He just--admitted he was wrong? He listened to her and not just heard her, but thought about what she had to say and acknowledged that a mistake had been made.

What kind of Templar was he?

She's so taken aback that her first instinct was to apologize to him. It took a moment for her to tell herself no, she had been right. The Templar Order couldn't have secret meetings if they wanted to assure people that they didn't have any malicious motivations. But Alayre's admission has taken all of the wind from her sails, and she can't draw up the righteous fury to continue getting after him about it. What was the point, anyway? Get him to feel worse?

It takes her a few moments to say anything, and she tosses the pitchfork aside while she thinks, stepping out of the stall.

"I think that a lot of the stuff that's happening right now is new for everyone." She said quietly, giving a little shrug. "You're reforming an entire Order. There will be mistakes. At least your meeting wasn't the shouting match that the first Mage meeting was." She rubs the back of her neck, now feeling a twinge guilty for throwing the mages under the bus. Well, they'd figured that out, at least.

"Just, um. Just remember this for the future." Wow, she was really putting on the heat. But it was really hard to be mean to Alayre. "Everything is a work in progress, right?"

[equanimiti]

Upon this newfound thought, grief overtakes Alayre. How could he be so blind? Surely had he realized sooner that he could've swayed Norrington's mind and made the meeting public. Despite how much they talked in circles around each other, it would've brought the Mage Council some comfort to hear them talking. It probably would've eased some of the wounds that still plagued Skyhold.

"Men are truly not gifted with foresight or wisdom of any kind." The Templar laments. "I swear it, Beleth. This slight will not happen again. It will not and cannot." He turns to the elf once she steps out of the stall. A sad chuckle leaves him when Beleth lightly scolds him. She is quite gentle with this fool of a Templar and it shows.

"Beleth, you are exceedingly kind to this old fool before you. Too kind to suffer such indignation here." He gestures to the stables. "With this in mind, I, Chairman of the New Order, release you from such embarrassment. You are no stable hand but an ally to the Inquisition." Alayre apologizes with a slight bow.

[arlathvhen]

"That's what women are for." She muttered, more to herself than Alayre. She's slightly irked by his attempt to smooth things over by 'releasing' her from her work. Nerva had no right to assign it to her, and Alayre had no right to revoke it. Neither of them had any control over her, save what she gave them out of fear of reprisal. But she recognizes Alayre's attempt to aid her as the kind gesture that he had intended, and she smiles, bobbing her head.

"This humble ally thanks the Chairman of the New Order. That's quite the impressive title. Does it replace being Knight-Commander? Ser Alayre Sauveterre, Chairman of the New Order. Or Knight-Commander Alayre Sauveterre, Chairman of the New Order." Her smile is slightly mischievous as she tests out the variations of Alayre's new title.

"And you're not that much of a fool. Nor are you that old." She reached out to Alayre, hesitating for a moment, before gently resting her hand on his arm. "Can't teach an old dog new tricks, and here you are, learning and improving."

[equanimiti]

"Ser Alayre Sauveterre, Chairman of the New Order." Out of all the fancy titles, he chose long ago to drop the Knight-Commander part. For too long, he's been playing to the old ideologies of the Order despite how corrupt they are. He realized that shortly after becoming Chairman. While he still sometimes refers and thinks of himself as a Knight-Commander, Alayre is still taking strides to correct this line of thinking.

"I don't want my name to instill the same sort of dread that the title of 'Knight-Commander' causes." He admits with a slight sigh. "If I cling to such a thing in my pursuit of change, then how will change ever come if I'm honoring the ideals of the past? Again, hypocritical."

It's truly amazing that some of his age and stature welcomes such change. Usually older Templars like him are less likely to be reasoned with in such ways. Alayre is something of an oddity here at Skyhold and he's become increasingly aware of it. That's why he cannot fault those who show mistrust towards him. He understands.

Beleth should feel proud for winning a smile from Alayre for her compliment. He chuckles a little. "You're comparing a former Knight-Commander to that of an old dog after claiming I'm not old? My, what a contradiction." His smile widens more as he gently pats Beleth's hand.

"Oh, I tease. I know you mean well and I accept your words. It's sometimes...difficult even for me to accept change but I know I must."

[arlathvhen]

"A very fancy title." She repeated, nodding. It wasn't quite as fancy as having Knight-Commander shoved in front of it, but in her opinion, it flowed a little more smoothly. "But I think you're right. Putting aside old titles will probably make people feel more assured that you're truly changing the Order. Shall I start exclusively referring to you by that title, then?"

She gives him a mock frown when he teases her, and she puffs out her cheeks, folding her arms. "You weren't listening to me at all. I said that you weren't old, because you did learn new tricks. Unlike the old dog--Ugh. It made sense, you just weren't listening. You'll need to work on that, if you want to be a good Chairman." Not that she's exactly sure what a Chairman does, aside from...listening to people complain, from what she understood from the meeting.

"Well, I can't complain too much about change. I don't think I've been adapting very well, either." She shrugged a little, forcing her tone to stay light and casual as she turned to the Wild Hart she'd been taking care of, reaching to pet his neck. "Look at how my other clanmates have taken to living with humans. They certainly don't get dragged out of their beds by outraged Templars." For better or for worse, she thinks.

[equanimiti]

A smirk settles upon his lips. "You may." He says in reference to his new title. Of course he's going to miss being referred to as 'Knight-Commander' but Alayre will get over it. He isn't overly invested in the title like Norrington. He's content with these recent developments, very content actually. He honestly feels as if he achieved something far greater than needless grandeur. Therefore, Alayre embraces his role as Chairman. Now if only he understood the ridiculous work load that comes with this promotion.

"Here's hoping not everyone will be speaking in silly metaphors when I start." He says with a slight chuckle. "Although, I truly do appreciate the sentiments, Beleth. I sincerely hope to bring much needed change to Thedas in the future but first, I have a war to win." Alayre explains somewhat somberly. There's much he needs to do here at Skyhold before branching out to other endeavors.

"Goodness, we did that? Ah, yes. I cannot say I ever understood why the Templars harassed the Dalish Clans in such ways." He shakes his head in disgust. "That always seemed a tad barbaric even if the Maker supposedly willed it."