she took me back and stitched me up

[fightingale]

WHO: Sister Nightingale, Scout Harding & Knight Captain Hill; possible appearances from Araceli, Lara, Hermione, Beleth, Kitty & Clarke?
WHAT: After following different sets of clues, a few intrepid detectives present the information to the Nightingale.
WHEN: After the soiree; backdated soorrryyyy
WHERE: a chamber off leliana's private quarters that i just made up and that totally exists ahem
NOTES:
Feel free to set up individual starters and I'll hop in. The post itself is a generic starter for Leliana, but I want to keep this flexible as possible for everyone and not pile too much on folks, so feel free to get in touch with me ooc if you'd like to figure out something specific or handwave :]b

There are very few places to pursue a Spymaster when she is not in her Rookery. For those willing to seek her out even in the hours after the soiree, and perhaps even a little earlier if it were possible for her to escape any earlier without undermining the very purpose of the party, Leliana can be found in a chamber that precedes her own private quarters. It is sparsely decorated. There is only a table, a few chairs, and depending when someone arrives they may find her Lead Scout and the Knight Captain present, as well. On the table sits a deck of cards, and a few glasses - water only, of course. Sharp minds over blurred wits.

Leliana has shed the beautiful dress that made up her apparel for the evening, and is back in the uniform of the Nightingale, cowled and covered, and she waits. The nature of the arrival will tell her something, as well, and one of her agents stands outside the closed door, waiting to address those who would approach and enter.

Comments

[arlathvhen]

Beleth takes the seat hurriedly, nodding. Okay, she can do this. She's given scout reports plenty of times. She takes a breath, then...hikes up her skirt, enough to reveal a leather strap just above her knee. It has a dagger, and pouch hanging off of it, and it is this pouch that Beleth concerns herself with, untying it, and putting her skirts back into place. She takes the pouch, and carefully empties the contents--the shards of glass and bone, as well as the handbook she pickpocketed. And she had thought that she would never use those lessons on it.

"There were three men, all with an odd bracelet, like a snake. They were speaking in the gardens, and one seemed to be scolding the others. He mentioned getting word to someone--At first, I just thought that it wasn't anything too serious. Something with the Game. But, um. I..." She paused for a moment, and decides to leave out the pickpocketing. "...noticed that he left this behind." She opens the handbook, flipping through it. "I don't know the cipher, but I figured that I'd bring it to you anyway, since you'd be able to figure it out. Maybe just idle gossip, maybe some information the Inquisition could use. Then I saw this--" And she spun the handobok around to show Leliana the 'For restored glory!' inscription. "That's, um. Well. It sounds an awful lot like what the Venatori say, doesn't it? All that rubbish about the glory of Tevinter."

She makes a face, but then turns her attention to the shards. "This might just be a coincidence, but it was nearby. It just looks like glass and stuff at first glance, but, ah. As I'm sure you can tell...this is bone, and this is crystal. It reminds me of those creepy skulls on sticks, but, ah. I'm pretty sure none of them were carrying any in their back pockets. Have we been keeping them somewhere in Skyhold? Because if we have, maybe we have thieves. Either way--" She turned back to Leliana, folding her hands in her lap.

"It's worrying. I know there's a Venatori in the dungeons, maybe we can get him to look at the cipher? I'm sure he can be convinced to help us." Through bribing him with better conditions, or threatening him with worse. Beleth will leave that up to Leliana. "Either way--I thought that you could make use of it. Um. If not, I'm sure I can find the man and return his book to him, if you want..."

[fightingale]

"This is excellent work, Beleth." Thorough, careful, and the other strap to keep her findings is well hidden. Leliana overviews the evidence provided, and considers Beleth for a moment, running through a mental checklist of the different pieces that had been available.

"What I must do first is set your mind at ease. These were clues deliberately planted by my people, as a means to assess who would notice and assessthe information, and who would bring this information to me. In the wake of discovery so many worked to conceal Anders' presence in Skyhold I was... cautious as to who might be considered trustworthy, and who considered me to be so."

That isn't a small bit of information to drop on someone who may have justifiably thought Skyhold was under the threat of some impending Venatori disaster, and so Leliana allows that to rest a moment before continuing. "I apologise for the dramatic nature of it. You have done very well to gather and analyse all this information as you did."

[arlathvhen]

Beleth first takes in the praise, straightening up and smiling, eyes ducking down. Excellent work. She did excellent work, it wasn't stupid or useless.

Then Leliana continues, and Beleth is glad that her eyes are trained down, so she can hide the look of surprise that flits across her face. This had been an assessment to decide if she was trustworthy...? Her knee-jerk reaction was a feeling of betrayal, that Leliana had not trusted her, and had deceived her. Her fingers dig into the soft silk of her dress, as she takes a few breaths.

But then she stops and thinks about it. And wonders if it's more worrying that she's more concerned with Leliana not trusting her than she is the risk of a Venatori force infiltrating Skyhold.

But Leliana continues, and apologizes, and tells her that she did well. And she smiles at that. It's enoughto make her start thinking from Leliana's perspective--Not from the perspective of a friend, not from the perspective of a teacher, but as a spymaster. As a bard. And viewing it like that, she thinks she begins to understand. And she slowly nods.

"Thank you, Sister Nightingale. I'm glad that I met your expectations. And that Skyhold isn't under threat. I understand the need for, ah. Dramatics. If it were a real situation that had arose, it would have been similarly dramatic."

[fightingale]

"Quite so," Leliana replies, and perhaps there is the faintest hint of a smile in it. "Knowing that there are those beyond my own scouts who remain so attentive even with the flurry of Orlesian nobles and the myriad distractions they provide is... reassuring, shall we say." A comfort seemed too self indulgent.

"Well done on connecting the fragments to the Ocularum. There has been evidence to suggest they are the creation of the Venatori." Her frown is grave, troubled, and disappears in the next moment.

She considers for a few moments longer, slowly tapping against the table with her index finger, before straightening in her seat. "Based on your own assessment of your clue gathering, are there any areas in your training that you would like us to focus on? Areas that you felt you would have liked to have been more confident about while in the field, so to speak?"

[arlathvhen]

Beleth continues to look quite appreciative every time Leliana gives her praise--She's easy to please, all in all. Positive words and attention mean a great deal to her, and she would go to further depths than scooping bits of debris off the ground and picking a man's pocket to get it. Leliana isn't quite on the level of aiming to please that Zevran is yet, but she's not too far off.

When Leliana asks her to assess herself, Beleth blinks, but nods slowly. Was this another test? Was she supposed to tell Leliana that she did perfectly? Or tell her all the ways that she falls short, so Leliana knows that Beleth is aware of it? She's silent as she thinks, staring at her hands clasped on her lap.

There's one glaring area that she has problems in, but if Leliana learned about it, she could take her out of the field entirely. But if she didn't tell Leliana and it got found out later--? No. She could take care of it herself.

"I think--While working, my biggest flaw was lack of knowledge. I don't much about Tevinter--there isn't much to read about it in the Skyhold library, besides how they're all heretics. So...If that notebook hadn't had that Venatori thing in there, I would've never have even guessed that they could be from Tevinter. I think that's true in general, though. I've been trying to learn more about the world outside of my clan, but...there's a lot." Is her answer, sitting straight in the chair. "I don't know how much that'll effect me on the field, but I feel like it would have made things a little easier tonight--If I knew more about...our enemies in particular, but also...The world."

[fightingale]

"That is often the greatest challenge," Leliana replies, hands steepled as she leans back in the chair. "It is near impossible to know everything you need to, especially in the beginning. Even knowing all you can, sometimes the very purpose of a mission will be to acquire knowledge, and it can take you out of your depth. I fully agree, however, that book make for fickle teachers, especially those whose creation was sponsored by the Chantry or this or that noble."

There is, of course, more to what Beleth said. "A freedom from some perceptions and assumed knowledge may be to your benefit, however. When I first travelled with the Hero of Ferelden there was a good deal I assumed based on the life I lived in Orlais, and many things I had to learn. Doubtless there are perceptions you already hold, and some of them may be skewed or unfair, as mine were - but we all of us have them. Learning more things with an open mind than having to relearn them may be to your benefit."

She reaches for a pieces of parchment, taking down a couple of notes. "Perhaps some more focused lessons would be of help," Leliana starts, before looking to Beleth. "Beginning with some history?"

[arlathvhen]

"The Dalish share knowledge through their storytellers," Beleth murmurs, focusing on the hands laid in her lap. "People think that such a knowledge must be warped, since it has been told through so many mouths. But we take pride in making sure to tell the tales exactly how we were told. Every ten years, when we meet with the other clans, we compare our knowledge. We make sure nothing has diverged." Her eyes flick up to Leliana, scanning her face to see her judgement. "But I understand the benefits of writing down what you know. It stands to reason, as long as the book is written by a person, that the book will be through the slant of that person."

And Leliana's suggestion, Beleth nods. "I think I would like that. Knowing more history won't just be good for missions. If I want to be better at speaking to people outside the Dalish, having a firmer base of shared knowledge would help endear me to them, if I'm trying to get on their good side. Which reminds me--" She presses her lips together, hesitating. "--I didn't need it on this mission, but I know that another thing I have trouble with. Ah. Flirting." It's hard to even say, and her lips thin into a thin line. "I know it's necessary, sometimes. I can be friendly. I can be cute, adorable, I can make people like me and want to protect me, think that I am harmless. But getting beyond friendly? It's something I struggle with, unless people like someone awkwardly faffing about like an idiot."

She pauses, and glances at Leliana. She's trying to be as professional about this as possible, but it's odd to talk about it with someone like her. "I hope it's not. Weird. And please don't suggest Isabela helping. She's..." What is the word that could possibly describe Isabela. "...Intense."

[fightingale]

"I've not heard of anything quite like that, before. A wise practice, I'd think." Her expression is one of interest, consideration, curious as to how voices could still shift and influence over time, the natural progression and shift of storytelling. The Dalish and their stories and their ways of preserving history are fascinating, beyond simply being important, but she resolves herself to ask about this again at a later time, so she can focus on Beleth's training.

"It is not strange. A more subtle art, I think - learning to read people and their wants, but it will complement your skills beyond flirting in and of itself." Leliana clears her throat, and her expression settles into one of quiet concern.

"There are two points I think are important to address. First of all, I would not subject you to Isabela." She is a capable duellist, an excellent sailor, but Leliana does not trust her. It had been cautious before Anders, before Isabela concealing him and failing to bring him to the Inquisition's attention. Now it is fractured remnant, a reminder of how isolated she is, and how blind people can be to the hurts they inflict. "Second of all, while I agree it is an extremely useful tool, I will not ask you to partake in missions of seduction. And if you should initiate such a tactic of your own volition and move past simple flirtation then you should know it is always more never so simple as you will anticipate it being."

Seduction was still a necessary tool, was considered by some an essential facet of being a bard, but... Leliana does not utilise it lightly.

[arlathvhen]

Beleth visibly relaxed when Leliana assured her that both flirting and Isabela wouldn't be involved in any training. Or at least seduction. She knew, from what Zevran's told her, that flirting is not always the same as seduction--But if she doesn't have to follow it up, it'll...probably be easier.

"I don't see myself moving past that." Beleth replied quietly, tugging a piece of her hair. "I don't--Usually. Do things like that." She doesn't expand on if she means seducing people for ulterior motives, or the act all together. She doesn't really want to. The entire conversation was awkward enough as it was, and Beleth is trying really hard not to ruin her dress by trying to fidget all the pretty embroidery off of it. "And...Isabela makes me feel uncomfortable. She doesn't respect boundaries." She twisted her lips together, hands clutching into the silk of the dress.

"But thank you. I don't--I'm not good at it. I don't want to risk a mission because I failed at flirting with someone, or something like that..." She twisted her hands on her lap, eyes flicking back up to Leliana. "Is, um. Is there anything that you want me to work on? That you've seen that I should practice with?"