( closed ) one track mind, one track heart

[fightingale]

WHO: Advisers (Cassandra, Cullen, Josephine, Leliana), some Grey Wardens (Herc, Bethany, Nathaniel) and that other Grey Warden problem child (Anders); closed
WHAT: Leliana informs the Advisers she discovered Anders, the Wardens call dibs, everyone is grumpy and stressed.
WHEN: almost immediately following this with some timeywimey in the middle, before Cassandra and Leliana's epic disagreement
WHERE: War Room? War Room.
NOTES: AHHHHH
Not sure about warnings so I'll edit here as necessary, however! If a warning-worthy thing pops up in a tag, pls warn in the subject line!

More ooc notes, I think I got this all correct from our discussion but prod me if I got this wrong:

Leliana's initial starter - open to all the Advisers, Anders reveal, discuss
Grey Warden starters - individual starters for Herc, Bethany and Nate, advisers feel free to thread individually as you see fit or as your whims/character stuff guides you, no need to tag all wardens unless you are keen to :]b

and then freestyle discussion threads, basically :Db

And finally:


How everyone is going to feel after this, probably

Comments

for the advisers.

[fightingale]

Last minute meetings demanded over the crystals, a trend she truly does not wish to see continued.

Anders is, for now, in the company of Grey Wardens, though she might not have allowed them to take him even now, if not for Bethany's determination in protecting Leliana in that tent. It did not spark trust in her, not when the lies had been so great and so drawn out from many parties, but it allows her to relent enough that she can speak to her fellow Advisers before they are met with Anders and the Grey Wardens who will doubtless have arguments to make.

It is a strange thing, this. She stands, and she knows not what she feels. She is not entirely sure she knows what she thinks. In the moment, it feels more as though her lungs are bursting from too lung spent underwater, even if she has air to breathe now - like she is treading water in a storm, and knows not when the next crash of a wave will come, only that it is inevitable. Leliana feels raw and wrung out, and she despises this weakness that still lingers in her, ever persistent. Believing in her friends had been foolish. Trusting them had been stupid.

She stands in the War Room, looking out the window and waiting for all to arrive, and only when they are all gathered does she speak.

"I have uncovered some..." Trailing off is not typically her way, but Leliana's jaw clenches and unclenches as she tries to navigate how to articulate this past the dryness in her throat. She seems much as she always does, more than likely, save a little colder and more distant. The traces of teasing and light comments have appeared less and less in their meetings, these past weeks. Perhaps bluntness would be best; serve it to them simply. "The criminal Anders has been uncovered as living under an assumed name and identity within the Inquisition."

But she carries on, not yet allowing for interruption. "He is in the custody of three Grey Wardens, who are bringing him here presently." His staff rests on the War Table, confiscated, and she lets her gaze sweep over it. "I intend to begin immediate investigations to uncover the span of his influence, determine how many concealed his identity and determine his purpose here. Doubtless you have as many questions as I, and as much to say on the matter. "

And they have every right to any rage and indignation they might have. Leliana feels it keenly, and there is not a one of them it has not impacted, some more closely than others, just as it has been felt reverberating across all Thedas. She would love to see him dead, truly she would, though she would not give him the satisfaction of being a martyr, either.

[stabsbooks]

There is silence, for a moment. Cassandra imagines the others feel as stunned and horrified as she herself does at the news. Anders. The criminal - murderer of innocents - living here, among them all. It is a wonder he had not repeated his actions, killed them all in their sleep or merely blown Skyhold to pieces as he had done to the chantry in Kirkwall.

Her stomach turns over at the thought. But Leliana is silent, waiting, and Cassandra pulls herself together, though her voice, when she finds it, is dry and raw.

"How long?" she asks first. "How long has he waited - plotted among us?" The damage he might have caused in that time - a part of her wants to flee the room now, to track the mage down herself and shake him until he confesses everything, but she makes herself stay where she is, hands pressing down on the War Table hard enough to hurt.

[perseverances]

Cullen is silent, eyes slightly wide. His breath catches in his throat.

And suddenly, it's like he never left. He's in Kirkwall once more, watching in horror as the Chantry explodes, killing the Grand Cleric and the dozens of other people inside. The debris raining down and killing those who weren't fast enough to get out of the way, who weren't lucky enough to be saved. Watching Knight-Commander Meredith and Grand Enchanter Orsino argue it out while the Champion and her companions stand by, Meredith calling for the Rite of Annulment for the Kirkwall Circle.

Mage against Templar, fighting for freedom. Meredith going crazy because of the red lyrium. So many people hurt because of one man, one mage. Hawke had seen to Anders' pardon, but that didn't mean Cullen had been happy about it. He wanted Anders to pay for his crimes, to answer for all of the countless of innocent deaths.

His hand grips at the hilt of his sword to keep it from shaking. It doesn't work, and in a moment of rage, he punches the nearest wall. It hurts, obviously, but it keeps him from shouting, yelling into the room. How could they have missed this? How could anyone of them? Have they been so blind to everyone around them that they didn't notice him? He can't imagine how Leliana feels, only discovering him now, when others have known for so long.

He takes a moment to compose himself. "Did the Wardens conspire to keep him secret from us?"

[fightingale]

"Months," she informs Cassandra, and the word sticks, almost enough to sound close to a low rasp. "He lived as the mage 'Detlef,' a spirit healer who has healed my scouts and Inquisition forces many times over. Following the incident with the Crows I redoubled my observations and investigations of a number of Inquisition members, to ensure their loyalty. These efforts are ongoing, but 'Detlef' caught my interest. As I looked further into the matter, the truth became apparent, and I apprehended him in his healing tent."

It does not feel real, and Leliana learned long ago that, unfortunately, that has very little bearing on whether or not events have truly come to pass. It had not seemed real when Marjolaine's knife cut into her, either. When Cullen strikes the wall she does not flinch, nor move. She watches only with sympathy. She remembers seeing him in Kinloch. She remembers how he had been suffering, and she can only imagine how this must feel for him - for all of them. Only three of them were servants of the Chantry, but Josephine has a heart more sensitive than many she has known, and she dreads to think what all of them must make of her for not catching this sooner.

"No." That she can inform Cullen with certainty. "Their appointed spokesperson, Warden Hansen, assures me that he found out only yesterday, and had planned to approach us this very day. I was afforded access to a Warden contact on the crystals that confirmed this information. In the communication itself, Warden Hansen had asserted that the Inquisition would have to be informed, and promptly. This was not a plot amongst the Wardens, though I fully intend to investigate further."

She holds herself straight, calm, and it shields a grief in her that she had not anticipated. Alistair had hidden it from her, and well can she imagine why, if he assumed the Advisers would learn the truth from Warden Hansen soon enough. That does not reduce the sting of finding one she has long trusted as a brother has betrayed her.

"However," she continues, "there are two that I know of amongst the Grey Wardens who have known since their arrival here of his presence and concealed it, for they had travelled with him before. Perhaps more, although the knowledge was not spread throughout their ranks prior to the communication. There are also those others who collaborated with the Champion in the past. They may have kept his presence secret for months. Varric, Isabela and Merrill can hardly be beyond doubt," and she pauses, "Zevran, as well. Beyond that I have yet to determine. I plan to interrogate all those who had an association with Detlef and with Anders, to see what poisons or influence he might have aspired to."

[theproperglove]

Josephine hangs back by the wall during the beginning of the meeting. As soon as the name Anders is mentioned, she knows that emotions will be running high. She did not know the man before the actions he took in Kirkwall, and she has scant personal connections to the city-state itself. This is not an argument she can truly engage in on the same level as everyone else, and she is certain her own opinion will only make matters worse. So she stays silent, biting her tongue, at least until she can say something about how they might work towards protecting the reputation of the Inquisition. Something useful.

She'd had as little idea as the rest of them that they had been harboring the mage, but she finds the revelation does not surprise her. The Inquisition is its own political strength these days, fractured and fragile as it may be, and is one of the few places in Thedas where mages may have both freedom and security. If the question is where would one hide a abomination, the answer is clearly Skyhold. Right under their noses.

While Leliana remains stoic when Cullen punches the wall, Josephine jumps a little, her nerves frayed. She draws her arms across her chest to try and calm herself. The others know what they would like to do next. That leaves her.

Once Leliana has finished detailing her interrogation plans, Josephine draws a breath. "Yes, we will have to uncover as much as information as possible to ascertain to what level we have been compromised." She looks at both Cassandra and Leliana in turn. "We must also think on what we will tell the rest of the Inquisition as a whole. We all know this will not remain a secret for much longer." Better for them to consolidate their official stance before the rumour mill a head-start.

Then, Josephine turns her attention to Cullen, eyebrows furrowing in concern. "How is your hand, Commander?"

[stabsbooks]

Months.

Cassandra does not punch the wall, but her nails dig grooves into the surface of the War Table as she seethes.

Her stomach cramps horribly when Leliana mentions Varric's name. He had known. Of course he must have known; that much is obvious as soon as Leliana suggests it. But the thought had not occurred to her yet, and after their conversation in the Emprise, the fact that he had kept this from her, that he had looked her in the eye and refused to let her take the blame for the Herald's death, all while holding back yet more information that might put the Inquisition at risk...

It is a blow, as sudden and painful as the slap she had levied across his face. She snarls, glaring down at the table, only to look up in astonishment at Josephine's words.

"Tell the rest of the Inquisition?" she asks, baffled. "Remain a secret? Of course it will not remain a secret." She looks to Leliana, seeking agreement. This is not a difficult thing. A horrible thing, yes, but not difficult. "We shall tell them the truth. And they will all be there for the execution."