open | full circle pt 1

[exequy]

WHO: Concerned mages/rifters/others
WHAT: An emergency meeting!
WHEN: Solace 20
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Explanation in the OOC post. Please tag this like a network post. There are top-level comments to provide a little chronology/structure, but threadjack to your heart's content.

Before and during dinner on an otherwise unremarkable Wednesday, there's a chain of whispers (or notes, or perfectly audible comments from the particularly unsubtle) about an emergency meeting, at an evening hour, in a basement room, regarding a matter of concern to rifters and mages.

The basement part is probably unnecessary. It's certainly ineffective; the organization is too small, the Gallows too contained, and the halls too echoey for something arranged with this much finesse-wrecking haste to truly remain a secret. They could have done it in an empty office or the recreational dining hall, probably, and sat on chairs instead of storage crates. But Kostos picked the location, and he's dramatic. If nothing else it signals a clear intention to do this as unofficially as necessary.

Anyone who accepts the invitation (or just decides to come see what the fuss is about) will first encounter Marcus Rowntree, posted up outside the door like a bouncer, letting mages and rifters move through undisturbed but stepping in to question and likely bar the arrival of anyone else. Inside, Kostos is nothing but a dark scowl in the room's far corner, picking at a splinter of wood on a crate and not mustering a word of greeting for anyone who comes in. Derrica has parked herself within arm's reach of Kostos, a long gold-edged shawl spilling over one shoulder. Her diplomacy pin gleams from the front of her tunic. The worried pinch to her brow is the only outward sign of anxiety; otherwise, she is tightly contained, watching people enter. Julius–notably not in robes–is serious but calm as people come in, standing next to the ever-composed Madame de Cedoux.

Once as many people have arrived as seem likely to, Marcus closes the door, remaining beside it, and they explain what the problem is.

Comments

[hassaran]

There are too many of them with sense for that. They would at least arrange to murder the Loyalists quietly.

[ Yseult collects a cup of coffee and takes a seat on the arm of a second settee. ]

But it wouldn't hurt to remind them one of us is among their minority.

[bouchonne]

[ Too many of them with sense gets a lift of Byerly's eyebrow - they're being led by an Averesch, for Andraste's sake - but he doesn't interrupt. ]

[propulsion]

[ A breath in, held, pondering that over, ]

But what part of my body do I twitch at 'em?

[ The real questions. He is also not visiblely racing down to join the rabble, taking a leisurely sip of coffee. Thinking about it. ]

[katabasis]

I find a good glower is entirely characterized by the height of the chin.

[Not that he's demonstrating at present.]

I say let them talk. Surely we all have someone in that room who can be trusted to pass a message should things appear to be slipping out of control.

[propulsion]

[ Tony opens his mouth to speak, stops, thinks, and then fishes his crystal out from his vest pocket. Into that; ]

Honey, are you at the, uh, super-secret mage cabal right now?

[obdurata]

( —in the midst of the super-secret mage cabal, joselyn briefly steps away to the side of proceedings, excusing herself, )

And making it weird by answering my crystal.

[katabasis]

[Flint glances up from his stack of paper, all significant eyebrows as he drinks from his cup. You're all welcome; he's a genius.]

[propulsion]

Dope. If they get rowdy down there, remind 'em our door's open, okay? Okay bye have fun don't incite any magic riots bye.

[ He hangs up. Does tada hands, careful not to splash his coffee. ]

[obdurata]

( joselyn has the presence of mind not to answer I'll incite any riots I want, even if it is immediately what nearly comes out of her mouth just on principle of being told not to do it and just has time before the call ends— )

Be normal about it, I love you too.

[bouchonne]

[ A very faint scowl crosses Byerly's face. Certainly has nothing to do with the fact that his own spy was much less cooperative than this. Where does one find good help these days? (In retrospect, "in the dungeon, locked up for treason" probably isn't the best starting point.) ]

All right. If the lovely Miss Smythe does succeed in redirecting their rage towards us, what do we say to them? Don't go seems - Well. Both impossible to convince them of, and wrong besides. They frankly should have a voice in this.

[hassaran]

'Don't incite any magic riots' seemed like a sensible start.

[katabasis]

[The topmost page from Flint's stack is turned and displaced onto the settee arm.]

From there, I imagine our position on Circles should steer how we advise them.

[This is punctuated with an expectant look passed about the room. What is their opinion?]

[propulsion]

Should it? I mean, they'll say what they'll say, right?

[ —a slight pivot to Flint as he asks, continuing his circular pace around the room. Lazy, yet restless. ]

Pretty much no one loved boarding school, besides some outliers. And none rifters are in favour.

[bouchonne]

[ Byerly's response is less flippant. This isn't something that can afford miscommunication. ]

Circles are more than merely boarding schools. Mages can become abominations. And an unchecked abomination can kill - hundreds of people. More.

[ He gives a breath of a sigh. For a moment, he looks exhausted. ]

Maker knows I'm sympathetic to their desire for freedom. But I'm far more sympathetic to the needs of those who have no way to protect themselves against a demon made flesh, whose lives would have been saved if the mage had been properly trained, or if a Templar had been well-positioned to put an end to the creature before it got loose. So my position is that the Circles need reform, but that they are still needed.

[hassaran]

[ Yseult is blowing on her coffee and then drinking it and couldn't possibly be expected to say anything while that vital task is being completed. ]

[katabasis]

[The look Flint gives her across the edge of his definitely-not-containing-coffee cup has the blankly nonplussed quality of someone who has recognized his opponent's strategy in a game of chess.

(Nevermind that he was the one who set the board to begin with.)

He takes a drink.]

Rutyer has a point.

[propulsion]

[ There is a flash of irritation in Byerly's direction when he chooses to get real on him, but that's all. Nettled, if anything. Tony finally picks a place to stand, stopping. ]

Prison, [ cheerfully. ] I got my words confused, obviously. Except with prison, there's usually a thing called due process about who gets to go into them, instead of just, like, everyone.

Have we invented that yet? [ and the target of this hypothetical query is delivered sharp to Yseult, sitting pretty over there. ]

[hassaran]

Are we all in prison now? [ is Yseult's flat reply. It only feels like it sometimes. So that's a yes, they've something like the basic concept, at least, if not the apparatus supposedly designed to guarantee it. ]

If we were to take a stance in support of circles, the entire company would revolt.

[bouchonne]

[ Byerly smiles bitterly. Doesn't he know it. ]

It should be said, though, that prison isn't the right point of comparison. A prison is for evildoers. There is nothing evil to mages, no wickedness that drives their actions -

[ He spreads his hands, gives a shrug. ]

Which is what makes it dreadful. As the sufferer of a disease is blameless, so too are they - but, like the afflicted, they are still dangerous. The Circles are unjust, yes, but to act as though they have no reason to exist is naive to the point of disingenuousness.

[ A nod to Yseult. ]

But...indeed. No one wants to go into quarantine.

[katabasis]

[There's something in what Byerly says which solicits what appears to be an involuntarily sharp look from Flint on the settee, the line of his mouth slanting toward disapproval behind his ginger whiskers. It's the sort of incendiary spark that serves as a signal flare—a brief, easily missed warning that Flint is an aforementioned cheek twitch away from some sharp word.

Instead, his attention pivots away from Byerly. With surprising moderation—]

What no one in this company will tolerate is a vision of Circles indentured to the Templar Order or the Chanty. But there's no reason that reform [that is just a little cutting, slicing in Byerly's direction without actually looking at him.] need fall under their purview. The mages in this company know that. I imagine even the Loyalists in Cumberland know that, otherwise they wouldn't be racing away from the possibility.

My question, and the one I would suggest we have them take to Nevarra, is who else recognizes that? Don't go there just to argue. Go there to identify who isn't there. That buys us time to determine an alternative we think could realistically act as a check, and gives us names for when we decide which direction is most tenable to steer in.

[propulsion]

[ There is something in Byerly's words that Tony does not love either, less inclined towards sharp looks and warning subtleties and more about staring across the room. Not openly hostile, or anything, they're not dogs in a yard,

and his mouth presses into a smiling line before he takes a sip of coffee, while Flint's talking. Once done; ]

This is also a church thing, right? Religious. It's not subtle that mages who said 'no thank you' to school-prison-hospital are still called apostates. I just got here, so I don't know, but what's the actual likelihood that the Chantry will ever support a clean break? On principle.

[hassaran]

[ Yseult replaces her cup in the saucer, though she keeps it held high in a palm, like she might be about to pick it up again at any moment. A shrug of mouth and brows answers Tony's largely-rhetorical question: not that likely. ]

The past decade may have created some willingness to at least consider alternatives to direct Chantry oversight. Provided they offer real protections and no threat of creating a new Tevinter. And a means of saving face.

[bouchonne]

[ Byerly nods. ]

There was an instance, in Ferelden, not so long ago, in which one of our number brought his complaints of his treatment in a Circle before a Blackhaller - a justice of the peace - [ That explanation is for Tony - ] and won his case. The Chantry, in that instance, gave way and allowed Fereldan sovereignty to prevail.

[ Then, a little dryly: ]

The cost of making that happen, however, was...not inconsiderable. A fellow only has so many favors to call in.

[katabasis]

Nor should we be the ones to solicit all of them. I doubt any of us wants to jeopardize the Chantry's more or less unspoken writ that allows us to continue doing as we see fit. But then let's be honest about the position we hold, and how often we find ourselves hobbled by this debate. A solution would serve us.

And I don't know about you [is for the three of them, the room, generally.] But I would prefer we have some voice in the shape of the thing we're going to find ourselves beholden to regardless of what role we play.

[propulsion]

Well,

[ after listening, after thinking, and a beat of silence to convey he did both of those things, promise ]

we can probably agree that the Chantry reinstituting exactly what they had before is. Bad? [ Yes? We agree? ] If that's on the table, we want them to have a conversation that goes on longer than a day trip to Cumberland. Turn a shot at the final say into an opener.