WHO: Two Geckos + an assortment of guest stars WHAT: Summary of content WHEN: Late Bloomingtide WHERE: The Gallows, misc. Kirkwall haunts. NOTES: Will update as needed.
The pieces line up easily: a library regular who came over looking for a book about the Chantry, gave Richard suggestions on others, and mentioned he owned his own.
"Let me guess: Chantry related."
Richard didn't know enough yet to know why that would specifically be valuable to Riftwatch, but it was looking like it was worth finding out.
Guilty as charged, says both the tip of his head and the brief quirk hidden at the corner of his mouth. Ease of the puzzle aside, he's neither immune to a bit of cleverness or his own internal flash of pride that comes from being recognizable.
(Particularly not that second one, historically inconvenient though it may be.)
"A bit of translation work." Laurent briefly bends with all the angles of a folding canopy and raps his knuckles on the stack of books dedicated to the Imperial Chantry. "Proven to be slightly unpopular in certain circles, I'm afraid."
He eyes up the stack of books, getting a different angle now on the previous assessment that most of them weren't reading.
"Sounds like more than a bit, if you're hiding out here to do it."
He wasn't big on political history, but he knew what it usually meant, risks and dangers wise, if someone was writing or saying something an authoritarian regime didn't like. The easiest route would be to shut up. But Laurent was here, instead.
This has the ready, pre-tailored air of a thing he has had practice saying. It comes to him more smoothly than anything else he's said so far, and it's hardly as if Laurent's been stumbling over himself thus far.
At the same time, the point of his attention flicks round the assembly of books and Richard's place at the center of it—seeking out some other trajectory toward which to turn. Lalla has begun to give him a particular look when he delivers this very rehearsed line; consequently, there is a natural impulse toward avoiding the semantics of the claim.
"And you're either of the opinion that yours is going to be slightly more permanent, or shockingly bored. I think they have rules about that, you know. Not torturing the people who land here. You might petition for early release on the basis of it being an act of ethical mercy."
There's the urge to call that bullshit. If Laurent had had to run away from the country, going back wasn't going to be an option just because he'd finished whatever he was working on. But then, maybe the war that was going on would be the answer. Either way, Richard isn't feeling antagonist enough to push it.
"Bit of both," he says, instead. "I like to know the details of a situation. Preferably before I land in it." Hadn't been an option, clearly, so here he was playing catch up on an entire world. Productive, at least. "My brother's the one actually climbing the walls."
The Geckos don't do well in confinement, but Seth was the one with a history of it.
"It sounds like your brother and my wife might have a few things in common." It's a throwaway sort of statement, one in a great dictionary of things which people commonly say and mean absolutely nothing by. Only—
From under the gloomy line of his heavy brow, the point of Laurent's attention moves fleetingly about the books scattered about them, across Richard's hand punctured by the anchor's glow, and then back to meeting his eye. It's a very brief assessment as if mentally confirming something rather than arriving at any new thought.
"I can't offer much in the way of a scenery change, but If you and your brother get tired of books and scaling the battlements, I'm fairly confident Lalla and I could pretend at hosting guests."
(Nicomedes Laurentius Vesperus, don't volunteer your wife to arrange a social hour.)
It's a nice offer. Richard hasn't ever received many nice offers like that. Mostly because the Geckos don't make the best of houseguests - or socialise much with the kind of people who even have houseguests. But he's sure they can pretend, at least for one attempt at it.
"Might just take you up on that." There's the quirk of a smile to it, genuine. "If I can detach Seth from the wallpaper long enough."
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no subject
"Let me guess: Chantry related."
Richard didn't know enough yet to know why that would specifically be valuable to Riftwatch, but it was looking like it was worth finding out.
no subject
(Particularly not that second one, historically inconvenient though it may be.)
"A bit of translation work." Laurent briefly bends with all the angles of a folding canopy and raps his knuckles on the stack of books dedicated to the Imperial Chantry. "Proven to be slightly unpopular in certain circles, I'm afraid."
no subject
"Sounds like more than a bit, if you're hiding out here to do it."
He wasn't big on political history, but he knew what it usually meant, risks and dangers wise, if someone was writing or saying something an authoritarian regime didn't like. The easiest route would be to shut up. But Laurent was here, instead.
no subject
This has the ready, pre-tailored air of a thing he has had practice saying. It comes to him more smoothly than anything else he's said so far, and it's hardly as if Laurent's been stumbling over himself thus far.
At the same time, the point of his attention flicks round the assembly of books and Richard's place at the center of it—seeking out some other trajectory toward which to turn. Lalla has begun to give him a particular look when he delivers this very rehearsed line; consequently, there is a natural impulse toward avoiding the semantics of the claim.
"And you're either of the opinion that yours is going to be slightly more permanent, or shockingly bored. I think they have rules about that, you know. Not torturing the people who land here. You might petition for early release on the basis of it being an act of ethical mercy."
no subject
"Bit of both," he says, instead. "I like to know the details of a situation. Preferably before I land in it." Hadn't been an option, clearly, so here he was playing catch up on an entire world. Productive, at least. "My brother's the one actually climbing the walls."
The Geckos don't do well in confinement, but Seth was the one with a history of it.
no subject
From under the gloomy line of his heavy brow, the point of Laurent's attention moves fleetingly about the books scattered about them, across Richard's hand punctured by the anchor's glow, and then back to meeting his eye. It's a very brief assessment as if mentally confirming something rather than arriving at any new thought.
"I can't offer much in the way of a scenery change, but If you and your brother get tired of books and scaling the battlements, I'm fairly confident Lalla and I could pretend at hosting guests."
(Nicomedes Laurentius Vesperus, don't volunteer your wife to arrange a social hour.)
no subject
"Might just take you up on that." There's the quirk of a smile to it, genuine. "If I can detach Seth from the wallpaper long enough."