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

[luaithre]

[ It's a lot to absorb: her nerves, her information, and the branching implications of this little experiment. But he can absorb, and does, watching her in silence, occasionally bringing cigarette to mouth.

The quiet continues after. It's tempting to just immediately go haul Julius out here to deal with it, and he likely will, but owes it to probably Julius himself to field this a little. ]

Strategically useful, [ he prompts. ]

[elegiaque]

Well, first of all, it's not the sort of thing you want to find out fucking unexpectedly when things kick off. If it could be done, I thought we should know first.

( riftwatch, generally, but—

she shrugs. )

I'm not a tactician, I just thought it would be useful knowledge. Maybe. I'm not a mage, but I do magic with this thing, ( tilting her hand, ) every time I'm in a fight. I've been inside the Fade. I'm not an idiot; if the Chantry's redrawing the lines to include rifters who can do less than I can, sooner or later it's going to matter to someone.

If it mattered to people here first, that could be a useful surprise. Maybe. I thought.

[luaithre]

[ No argument or agreement is forthcoming; Marcus only listening to her sounding it out, getting her measure. There's—well, it's not a nod, more of a blink of acknowledgment, and he sets the cigarette between his teeth.

Turns, disappears through the door, which is closed behind him. Gwenaëlle will just have to take that on faith, for at least a minute.

He winds his way through the gathering until he can pick Julius out in the room, getting his attention with a hand curling at his elbow, a tug. This way. ] Gwenaëlle Baudin's outside, [ he explains. ] Speaking of phylacteries.

[overharrowed]

[Julius is very much in the thick of it, but Marcus is one of those present who can always get his full attention. His explanation, however, does not surprise Julius, which suggests something on its own.]

...I see. What is she saying specifically?

[luaithre]

You should know,

[ isn't particularly accusatory, just a little pointed.

He drops his hand, but tips his head towards the door, moving this way. His attempt at subtlety, that the conversation is better had out of earshot in its early stages, and not about his inability to distil what Baudin was talking about into specificity, probably. ]

Come.

[overharrowed]

[What he actually meant was how much is she saying, but it doesn't entirely matter; none of it is anything he'd keep from Marcus specifically, he's just trying to catch up. Still, he comes with Marcus as indicated, as subtle as he can be when he's been making himself central to the conversation.]

[elegiaque]

( how much do you think she's saying, julius, the noted orlesian foghorn—

gwenaëlle is waiting where marcus left her, fidgeting with her reading glasses, although she drops them back to dangle from the chain at her hip when they rejoin her. )

I also talked to John Silver about it, ( she says, without bothering with any preamble. ) Before we knew that Julius could do it we thought we might have to try and find instructions, or someone else, or something.

( and john silver is shady and her friend, so it therefore naturally followed, though she's got no idea he's also a fucking mage. to julius, more directly: )

I thought it'd be rude to crystal you in the middle of the meeting but I thought I should make sure it got brought up.

( see, it's not that she doesn't understand rudeness, it's that often she doesn't care. )

[overharrowed]

I appreciate that.

[Her not sending him a message by crystal; her making sure it was raised. Either.]

I wasn't sure what promises you may have made to the provost about keeping this secret, so I thought I might circle back to you and him after the meeting was over.

[He might still do that for other reasons.]

[elegiaque]

You're probably going to have to talk to the division heads afterwards anyway.

( presumably they're going to do something, not just chatter about it and then call it a day. she assumes. )

The point of knowing was knowing being useful.

[overharrowed]

I'm aware.

[Regarding the division heads, though it's quiet and not a rebuke.]

I'm glad you came. There's already discussion about rifter phylacteries and it will be nice to head off any discussion of chopping off arms at the pass.

[A pause, and then:]

You can come in, if you want to.

[elegiaque]

I think we both know I'd better not.

( it's not that she doesn't want to come in, it's just that the likelihood of any potential meaningful contribution she might make is outweighed by the equal likelihood of her getting into a very stupid argument with someone she finds annoying and merely adding to the chaos. )

But I do want to help. If there's anything I can do, after.

[overharrowed]

I can keep you current, if you'd like.

[For all he doesn't argue her point about coming in, the offer is genuine.]

[elegiaque]

( pleasantly surprised, )

Yes, please. Thank you. And I'm happy to give you my thoughts, if you want to edit them for consumption.

[luaithre]

[ Marcus had contained his protest re whether Baudin should be permitted entry to simply a glance flicked Julius' way, and then it doesn't matter. She has sense. As does Julius, but, you know—

You're looming, he remembers. Smoke breathed past his teeth. The conversation is closing but he doesn't move to enter back into the fray. ]

[elegiaque]

( as the conversation is coming to a close, gwenaëlle takes the opportunity to pivot to marcus to say, because even if she'd have just found another way he very well could have just told her to fuck off, )

Thank you for hearing me out.

( and heroically doesn't attempt to convey to julius with her eyebrows: he's terrifying, that's really very sexy of him, do I high five you now or later. )