closed.

[tender]

WHO: Derrica, Marcus, Petra.
WHAT: Post meeting debrief.
WHEN: Backdated, Harvestmere
WHERE: Location
NOTES: Eventual guest stars to come, watch this space.

They have been riding for some time now. Passing through the eluvian and setting out on the roadway, with Petrana bracketed between Marcus and Derrica, they've cut through the countryside to wind their way south again.

The heavy footfalls of Petrana's nuggalope and the speed at which they've traveled has cut off the possibility of conversation. It's not until Marcus directs them off the roadway, into a copse of trees where a river flows that they are afforded any chance for conversation. Derrica remains in the saddle for a few moments, stroking her palm along Dulcinea's neck and observing Petrana and the Black Divine, Marcus dismounting his newly acquired horse.

All the weight of the conversation they've had, the news they are carrying back with them, is still settling in her mind. Derrica looks between them, fingers playing loosely in Dulcinea's mane. Weighs up the utility of breaking the quiet before asking—

"Who shall we speak to first?"

She can guess at a few potentials. But she would like to hear what they are thinking of, and order her own thoughts accordingly.

Comments

[ipseite]

“Julius, I think,” Petrana says, and not only for the sake of her desire, generally, to speak with Julius first on most such occasions— their shared qualifications edging ahead of her affections, and inclination to bounce her thoughts off him when able. “He has made himself a far less divisive figure than any of us, particularly within our division,”

Derrica would, perhaps, not be considered quite so divisive a figure outside of it at all.

“It would be to our benefit to have him represent this proposal to Rutyer, I think.” Descending cat-footed from the great nuggalope's back, she leans against his foreleg and shoulder, considering, straightening her heavy traveling skirts, “And we had best ensure no risk that it will reach our leadership by means other than our choosing.”

[luaithre]

First on the ground, Marcus lets out the lead for the horse he is riding to attend the river, lowering her big coppery head down to drink. She is not so placid as Kevin, but gentle and obedient and her company in his absence has been appreciated.

He binds the leather lead around his knuckles in a fidget. Unspent energy. Not anxious, exactly.

"Separately, then, from the rest," is agreeable to Petrana's thought, furthering the conversation. "Would Rutyer have reason and cause to delay or protest?"

[tender]

"Whether he has reason to or not has no effect on whether or not he will."

Shifting in the saddle, Derrica affords one last drag of fingers along Dulcinea's mane before swinging out and down to the ground.

"We'll need Bastien convinced," she posits, as Dulcinea whickers after her. "He can help us mitigate any difficulty Byerly Rutyer is inclined to create."

And they had talked, hadn't they, of the project leaders being included in such grand shifts. It would help if Bastien knew too, if he were told alongside the others.

[ipseite]

“The ambassador is no great advocate of mages, and we're none of us endeared to him,” Petrana agrees, “it is a delicate matter to handle. If Mssr Bastien might be persuaded, I think that all to the good.”

Leading the Black Divine to the water's edge, too, she holds back from risking her skirts in the mud, gazing at her mount with some fondness as she says, “We must have a consensus to safely approach Vael, but so long as we are wise in this the benefits are clear, and too good to overlook.”

[luaithre]

"Aye. There are as many military and diplomatic benefits to Fiona's assistance as there are to the causes of mages. More, really."

And so on that level, it's true that Julius is likely the best candidate for finessing something Rutyer wishes to agree to. Marcus lays a hand on his horse's flank, an absent minded patting over dust-red coat. There'd been a nod to mention of Bastien, but he does not himself volunteer.

"Yseult and Flint both have resources we'll need to be able to guarantee to Fiona, and Vael. We've already promised some of them."

[tender]

"The Commander will support us," is said as a foregone conclusion. Derrica has no doubts about Flint, but Yseult—

"I hope the Scoutmaster will too."

Her absolute silence on the topic has never inspired any hope in Derrica. That she was often absent from the discussion could mean any number of things, lack of investment at best, agreement with Rutyer at worst. Derrica doesn't know her well enough to guess at which.

[ipseite]

“She is a pragmatist, I think. I won't pretend to know her intimately held views,” and, frankly, as a woman who keeps many of her own cards close to her chest she's long been inclined to respect Yseult for that, “but nor could I imagine her passing up an opportunity to do tangible good for only the sake of ideological point-scoring.”

Whether she'd like it being Fiona's mages or not— as much as the public relations win will be significant, only if it works. Only in the event of measurable success, of lives saved, of the willingness to stand and do aid to that end.

And that end, those lives, they matter.

[luaithre]

Marcus has shifted towards the saddlebags borne by Margaret as Derrica and Petrana speak, taking out some form of biscuity ration wrapped in paper. He breaks off a corner of it, offering it to Petrana where she stands closer by her nuggalope. There'd been a quiet sound out of him in the midst of her assessment, agreeable.

"My instinct is they should be addressed together," he says, quietly, thoughtful. "We'll need them operating in tandem if we expect to involve Riftwatch more directly than making an introduction, and best we begin it immediately."

A conversation that starts in logistics and planning, rather than negotiation.

[tender]

"The Commander and the Scoutmaster together, Julius speaks to Rutyer, then one of us will need to discuss with the Provost."

Immediately goes without saying. They should likely proceed from the stables to the Division Head tower, with the stop to collect Julius, of course. Who steps into which office has yet to be decided, but—

Petrana's faith in Yseult is allowed to stand unchecked. She has been in residence longer, would have a better sense than Derrica of what Yseult will or won't do. She leads Dulcinea by the reins to the shore of the river, strokes fingers under the edge of the saddle while Dulcinea drinks.

"I'd like to speak with Kostos of it," she says, almost to herself. "After we talk to the Division Heads and inform them of what needs to be done."

[ipseite]

“I think that wise,” is agreement to all of the above— but particularly Kostos, who she has long held in warmer regard than might be credited by their infrequent conversation. (If it were more frequent, he would grow too accustomed to it for her to fluster him as effectively.) “I would know his thoughts on the matter, if he'd share them.”

later.

[luaithre]

It will be clear to Julius that all three of the people who have gathered in his office—an efficient choice, with his already being there, and they needing to speak to him privately—have only just arrived from the road, all in cloaks a little damp from melted snow, drying mud on boots and hems of garments.

They did, at least, send a brief crystal message ahead of time, before invading.

But it is a bit like an invasion, chairs taken up and door latched and whatever Julius was working on now pushed aside in favour of whatever conversation they wish to present.

"We think you ought to be the one to speak to Rutyer," is how Marcus chooses to open the conversation, efficient and probably not how Petrana might have done it, but he looks to her anyway (you know, for approval), and back to Julius. "About a proposal, for the division heads."

[tender]

Marcus and Petrana are given priority, allowed to step ahead of her. Is it a transgression for Derrica to be here alongside them? The three of them put this together, yes, but she is not unaware of how Julius, Marcus and Petra fit together. Perhaps she should have let them speak of this together without her.

For the moment, she is quiet. Looks to Petrana before she interjects further, because obviously they will need some further explanation. Say, what exactly Julius would be putting to Byerly Rutyer.

[overharrowed]

Julius trusts the people in front of him, all three, with his life. He does not, however, trust them not to give him a headache in the pursuit of whatever objectively important goal has brought them here, this way (and not before now).

"What sort of proposal?" then, is quiet and even. He's not guarded, exactly; they do have his full attention and he knows that they'll listen, if he has objectives. But whatever comes next, he expects it to be something heavy.

[ipseite]

Quite frankly, it might be important for Julius that Derrica remain present for this conversation. The likelihood of this taking a lot longer for slightly more stressful reasons without her is not nil. Here and now, however,

“Our travels were to speak directly with Grand Enchanter Fiona, regarding the possibility of rebel mage assistance being offered directly to Starkhaven. I don't need to outline the benefits to the cause of being seen to come to their aid while the Divine won't or can't.”

Either is bad; can't might be worse, as far as the Chantry's strength relies not only on its actual might but its perceived strength and relevance.

“Fiona is willing, if Riftwatch is willing to facilitate.”

[luaithre]

"By getting Sebastien Vael to agree to speak to her," Marcus supplies, just on the heels of Petrana's words.

Easy. What else is Diplomacy for?

Here, with this particular configuration of people, Marcus is a little more demonstrably at ease than he's inclined to exhibit in more mixed company. Bluntly, humourlessly wry; "He has good cause to. His city is falling."

tfw you forget the tag order

[tender]

"We think he'd be receptive," Derrica offers quietly. "And even if he isn't, he can't afford otherwise. His people are suffering."

Vael's reputation encompasses many things, but Derrica has no doubt that he cares for his people. After so much suffering, living alongside such a clear threat, he wouldn't toss aside an offer of help so casually.

[overharrowed]

The pause while Julius processes all of this is relatively brief, though when he says, "You've been busy," it's really more a sign that he's still thinking than a response in its own right.

Once he has finished sorting his many questions in order of importance, the first real one he lands on is: "Practically, when Vael says yes," he agrees with Derrica that it's unlikely he can say anything else, regardless of his feelings, "Does Fiona have the manpower to make a real difference? The attempt to help without actual victory could come at a high cost."

He trusts that he's not bring up anything they haven't thought of already, but he does want to hear where they came out on it all the same. If nothing else, it's something he imagines Byerly might raise in short order.

[ipseite]

“To some degree, that will be a matter of setting expectation,” after a moment, her lips pressing together. “The Grand Enchanter is confident of her ability to provide aid, if it's accepted — we will not end the war with Corypheus on the Minanter. But with the rebel mages, and with such support as Riftwatch can offer, strategic victories may be won and true assistance provided to the people of Starkhaven in the process. She can tip the balance. And we are an advantage that additional manpower will be able to exploit.”

Riftwatch's intelligence and coordination would do little for Starkhaven's forces in the position they find themselves now, but with a shot in the arm from Fiona's mages—

they might win something, without bogging Riftwatch down in an unwinnable siege.

[luaithre]

There is a minor uptick at the corner of Marcus' mouth at Julius on the matter of their being busy, despite the gravity of it all—and because of the gravity of it all, it dims quickly. Later, he will be very confidently asserting to Commander Flint that the rebel mages are force enough to change the tide.

He believes it now, but doesn't feel as much need, in this company, to make an unflinching case for it. They will know better when they land in Starkhaven, and his silence is agreement for Petrana's words.

[tender]

"I think it would be akin to when we assist the Inquisition," Derrica agrees.

That Julius has yet to say no is heartening. His assessment matters. As much as Derrica believes they have come to a conclusion, she would have accepted any check Julius extended towards their efforts.

"But we must convince the Division heads to support us in that. We can't order people onto griffons ourselves."

Well, it might be frowned upon, but—

[overharrowed]

"My history on the subject aside, I do prefer to work with Riftwatch rather than at cross purposes," is dry but not unkind. He's sure there's still a file somewhere in Skyhold with "troublemaker" noted in the margins, possibly underlined, that's been there since the strike years ago.

"At least you're giving me Rutyer, as I think the potential diplomatic upsides are fairly clear. If Riftwatch is seen to broker this, it's going to matter to other Marcher cities, at a minimum." He's thinking out loud, aware he's not telling them anything they don't know. "And I don't think leadership will see it as drawing a line in the sand with the Chantry. The Exalted March failing to come is still qualitatively different that an overt statement that no one else should help either. After all, Riftwatch has already been offering direct help to the limited extent we can."

He reaches for a sheet of paper. "Do you have a particular approach you're planning to take with the others that I should be aware of?"

[ipseite]

“We are in the rare and enviable position of the situation as it stands being its own argument in our favour,” Petrana says, tipping her hand, “it is a question of emphasis. The benefits to the cause of mages in doing this is obvious— I would emphasize, with Yseult and with Rutyer, the benefits to Riftwatch and the Free Marches. They will draw their own conclusions to the rest, we need make no pretense of it, but Vael is in a difficult position and the Divine is not coming. All are aware the Divine is not coming. As to lines in the sand...”

Her hands spread.

“It would not be our failing, if the Divine were to rail that her failure to act must be everyone's. It is not a winning argument.”

[luaithre]

"We can be forthright with Flint," Marcus adds, a glance to Derrica in instinctive indication of who he means by 'we'. Some reconfiguring has determined that they would be better suited to bringing him this news.

Probably. If anyone is.

"He'll see the angles of it without our emphasis."

[tender]

All these things make sense to her. The Provost settles as nearly an afterthought; they must corral the other three. There is urgency, thinking of how they must align Yseult and Rutyer with Flint.

"As long as we do it all at once," she adds. "I think it better if we don't wait. We tell them what we have for them, instead of letting of them present it as they perceive the situation."

[overharrowed]

He's aware of how it might look, if it comes up with Rutyer that he wasn't himself present at the meeting he's summarizing, but that's a problem that isn't likely to be a sticking point. Julius's somewhat complicated reputation is an asset as much or more than its a hindrance, but no one who stops to think about it for a few moments could fail to find a reason he might now be out in front of this.

(If he wonders whether they themselves considered and rejected the idea of bringing him, he doesn't give any sign)

"I do agree. Starkhaven can't wait, for one thing. For another, the sooner we approach the division heads, the less likely rumors outstrip us. We're providing an opportunity, not a problem; best to have the unfettered ability to frame it that way."