faderift | Upstairs, Mostly Downstairs

"This is probably the part where we figure out whom is doing what. I'm supposed to be the envoy..." And why a single envoy would be traveling with three servants/assistants/whatever he's not sure, but here they are. "I'm not going to tell the rest of you what role to play, or how to title yourselves, but it's better if we have a cohesive story now as opposed to later, or being caught out in a lie."

"Well we can hardly all be servants," Wysteria says instantly from where she is sat, unknowingly giving life to the heretofore unspoken thought. "Unless you're meant to be a particularly fussy sort of dignitary, I suppose. Although surely it would be highly inappropriate and unusual for a young lady to wait on a person such as yourself. Whoever heard of a man's maid?"

Her scoff is one of those impressive, chest deep sort of things.

"Perhaps I am a clerk to assist you with your various letter writing and correspondence. My handwriting is considered rather good by Thedas' standards."

"I can see fussy," he comments with a wry smirk. "But you're probably right about that. Not so much the unusual, more about having three dragging alongside. So I'm gonna take a servant role, then, waiting on--how do we wanna address you?"

It's not Mobius' normal kind of role. And he's never really gone undercover before. But this is a fact-finding mission at heart, and he loves finding facts. He can do this; he's personable and good at following orders.

"In fact, are you even gonna use your name?" Given Loki of Asgard kind of...theoretically exists as a native of this world.

"I will accept whatever role makes the most sense!" Mado chimes in, with all his usual pleasant, vaguely canine enthusiasm, "though if I'm to be more than a servant, I will..." He's still grinning, albeit a bit self-consciously, as he glances around at them, "need help."

How charming, to be part of a playact for political reasons!

"We shan't be calling me Loki within earshot," he says, in response to Mobius' question of names, with a little headshake. "Laufeyson works; that's the name on Riftwatch's paperwork anyway, not that the note states exactly whom it is they've sent. Useful, that. I think your idea of a clerk is a good one, and I've seen your handwriting, at least in Trade, and it's very good."

A nod. That's most of it settled. "You could be a guard, Mobius, I suppose?" He'd still like to see that sort of thing in action, and Loki knows he can play the pampered aristocrat with no self-defense skills, easily. "Which would leave room for a gentleman's servant which would work for you, I think." This to Mado. "What do you do when you're not part of the Scouting division?"

He knows Wysteria is a friend of Tony's and is involved in several research projects; Mobius has his self-appointed organization of the library underway. Mado is the one Loki knows the least.

Much as she might not require anyone else to praise her penmanship—she is in fact so assured of this fact that it would take a great deal of dissent to dissuade her from it—, it's nonetheless the sort of thing which endears her immediately. This version of Lord Asgard, she decides all in one instant, is far preferable to his near twin roving around somewhere in Tevinter or wherever it is Alexandrie's husband is meant to be.

(Not that she would say so to Alexandrie. That would be dreadful of her. Obviously.)

"He's an actor," Wysteria supplies helpfully before Mado can answer for himself. "Or a musician. Or is it that you do little close up tricks to amuse people with. I've seen him in Kirkwall playing at it."

Oh, a personal bodyguard type. Mobius seems a bit pleased with that. Would he technically have all that much time to schmooze with the staff, though? But then, how many people would actually notice?

"A man of many talents, huh?" He's got the spirit, this Mado. "With any luck, you shouldn't have to be more than a servant. So long as we keep the goals in mind and don't start making up complicated stories."

Mado has just opened his mouth to reply when Wysteria supplies the details for him, and so instead he simply nods along in agreement-- actor, musician, doer of little close up tricks to amuse people with.

"Sometimes I do it as a dog," he adds, smiling at Mobius, his feelings clearly uncomplicated on the matter. He will be whoever they need him to be.

"A dog?" Loki inquires with great curiosity. "Is that the only thing you can become?" A pause, and then: "I am, at times, a snake, but usually not without some warning." The last thing he wants is to have to avoid someone armed with a dagger or a gardening hoe trying to sever his spine.

Mobius blinks. "As a dog?" nearly at the same time as Loki. And then he stares at Loki at suggesting he's a snake. Looks between them, back and forth. "We're talking literally, actual animals here? Shapeshifting?" Which is magic he is aware of existing, and not generally something the Circles were fond of fostering. Or acknowledging.

"Maybe neither of you do any of that where anyone can see, where we're going."

From where Wysteria is sat, dutifully taking little half notes in a slim booklet unfolded across her knee, she pauses. The soft scritch-scritch of the metal pen nib, which has up until this moment been providing a gentle ambient undercurrent to the proceedings, abruptly stops as she studies both Loki and Mado with equal intent.

Mobius has hardly managed to deliver this cautionary advice before she is adding to it: "But perhaps where no one can see would be very helpful."

Here, the pen comes fully away from her little notebook and is tucked—behind her ear? In the twist of her hair? Hard to say exactly, only that one moment it's set between her fingers and the next it has disappeared entirely.

"If we're to be gathering intelligence about the household, doing so in the guise of some beast in front of whom everyone will be happy to gossip seems perfectly rational. For how long are you able to maintain the changed shape?" is a question for both of them.

"And do you remember everything you saw and heard while in it? What size are you while altered? I've seen one or two very large snakes,"—and didn't enjoy the meeting, if her wrinkled nose is any indication—"but were you slim enough to creep about the undetected, then all the better."

About to answer verbally once more, Mado resorts to simply nodding to both Loki and Mobius, his eyes widening with interest at having met another shapeshifter-- and before he can say anything, there's Wysteria again, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"I can maintain the shape for quite a while! Hours. And I'm just me, but a dog-- or a dove, whichever suits our purposes. It's proven very handy for eavesdropping on Riftwatch's behalf, but only if other dogs aren't around. They don't... seem to like me much." Perhaps he just smells Wrong to them.

To tell these people that being a snake is the only shapeshifting that hasn't been a struggle since arriving when he used to change his appearance at a whim and in the span of a thought's movement through time, feels too... close to an abrupt sort of honesty that he's not sure he wishes to reach the ears of Tony Stark as soon as Wysteria returns to the Gallows.

So. First, he gives Mobius a look that clearly asks 'how dumb do you think I am, sirah? and then he immediately follows that up with a shrug in Wysteria's direction but is clearly intended for everyone. "I haven't found the upward time limit but I suspect it is something similar. I remember everything I see, hear, experience."

Apparently this is a thing. This is just a Thing now that they're just rolling with. Loki's look is noted and set aside because frankly freely admitting to shapeshifting seems pretty dumb to him in the first place. But. There is at least some form of tactical advantage.

"So we've got some indoor and outdoor options for eavesdropping. We should stick to being our people selves as much as possible, but downtime and during hours where everyone isn't going to expect to see you guys, that's a plan."

It's a plan. It's maybe not the best plan, but it's not the worst plan.

As Mobius speaks, Wysteria nods along in emphatic agreement.

"And while in dog or snake or dove form, you may collect all sorts of information which you can then feed along to us that we can use to our utmost advance while in, ah, ordinary people form.

"Mister Mado—perhaps it would be best for you to arrive as yourself first and I will stay behind as if delayed on some errand and you can sneak out of the household in bird form, meet me, and then alter your shape into that of a dog. Then the both of us can join Misters Loki and Mobius, myself as the former's assistant and you as his beloved animal companion whose care I was temporarily charged with. That way the household has no reason to suspect the wandering of a spare animal about, or why the other dogs might dislike you."

Look at them, being so clever and sneaky.

Grinning, Mado nods between Mobius and Wysteria, clearly at peace with them thinking he's as dumb as they like.

"A well formed plan, I think!" he enthuses, "but shall I arrive as myself myself, or myself someone else?"

"Yourself, but someone else. Manservant, perhaps? You can pick your own name, if you like."

That seems like it would work.

"We're all playing a role in this espionage play." He sounds perhaps a little excited about the prospect. Whether it's the espionage part of equating it to a play, hard to tell. "No harm in having a little fun with it so long as we keep the goals in mind. Make nice with the party animals--no offense--and with the stodgy Chantry types, and stir up more anti-Tevinter support. Suss out the nature of the relation that might be a suitor to Queen Anora and figure out what his deal is. No muss, no fuss."

"Yes, I agree," is all chipper and cheer. Wysteria's little notebook has been tucked away as well—disappeared into one of the cavernous pockets of her skirts, no doubt. "It's all very rationally and well-designed, and I agree with Mister Mobius that none of us ought to take the thing too seriously. That's bound to inspire awkwardness and self-consciousness, and to make all of us look terrible suspicious. It is far easier to lie when you can pretend as if you're playing a game and there's no harm to be derived from anything you can or might do."

Wysteria, that's terrible advice.

"Now obviously you will have to attend to Prince Giannozzo,"—is for Loki. "But as for the rest of us, we must decide how we wish to approach the rest of the household. Or rather, who shall be aligned with which parties and so on."

"I might approach Signora Arcimboldo, as a Riftwatch envoy," Mado supplies, "I often get on well with older people! And I hear it's quite simple to get her talking." Something he can do without any particular subterfuge, he hopes-- just a friendly conversation in which he can absorb gossip.

"All of that sounds good to me." Loki claps his hands together. "Alright. Have fun, people, but be safe, yes?" He'd hate to have to write up how someone got injured, or arrested, or worse.

Upstairs, Mostly Downstairs

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