"Already planning on it." There's no reality in which she'd stay behind while other people go off to fight for her freedom, fuck that. Of course she's going to Cumberland. She watches Flint carefully, eyes on his every movement, and the letter he produces is- well. A surprise, honestly.
This meeting is not taking place inside the realm of truth or soup and yet, Abby still says, "You want me to deliver your mail?"
She isn't offended, or complaining about it, don't get it wrong! Just confused.
"I want you to deliver a message to Grand Enchanter Fiona. If she doesn't make a personal appearance—which I very much doubt—, you're to identify whoever is speaking for the Libertarians and the rest of the rebels in her place and deliver it to them."
The envelope is set on the desk; unlike a great deal of official Riftwatch documentation, it bears no seal or plainly identifiable stamp. It might very well be a personal letter, save for the elaborate 'lock' folded and cut into a corner of the parchment to identify any tampering.
"How much do you know about the Mage-Templar War?"
She can do that. She can do that and then join the rest of Riftwatch protesting the proposal, which is where she wanted to be in the first place. How hard could it be. How disappointed would Flint be if she took the letter out, read through it, and then put it back into another envelope to make it look like she didn't do that.
Kidding...
Unless?
"I've been reading about it." In books from their collection here in the Gallows, which may only count for a certain perspective; she's been thinking about that ever since the disastrous first conversation with Sabine. "There isn't gonna be a quiz, is there?"
Is there going to be a quiz when she reaches Cumberland, or is one happening right now? With a soft rasp, the drawer from which the letter was produced is slid shut.
... Okay. After a moment's pause to gather her thoughts she begins, "It started after the mage rebellion voted to leave the Chantry. Mages fled Circles, and Templars tried to force them back into the towers. I know they've tried a conclave before and it didn't go so well."
Understatement, but; he knows all of this.
Abby's arms fold succinctly across her chest; she adds, "I don't blame the mages for wanting to get out, but I'm a Rifter and I know exactly where I'm headed if the proposal goes through. I don't want to go into a Circle. Wanna be under the Chantry's thumb even less." Shrug, "That's why I was already going to Cumberland."
From behind that ugly old formidable desk, Flint's scrutiny of her isn't so removed from the same way—weeks earlier—he'd considered that chart book laid out across big central table of this very office. There's something measuring in it, pieces in the process of being oriented on a board. Her answer, bare bones that it is, seems to satisfy some requirement.
"Good," he says with nod, some of the sharp edge in the line of his shoulder falling away. "Should the Grand Enchanter happen to request your opinion on the matter while you're briefly in her company, I would encourage you to speak freely."
Simple enough. Though, here is the part where one might ordinarily ask, 'Any questions?'—
"Okay," she replies awkwardly, transparently relieved at having said something seemingly correct. First time she's ever talked about her own opinion on this. She hasn't asked anybody about theirs, either; Flint won't be where she starts, but she still has a question for him.
Ignoring that he's obviously dismissed her, "Do you want me to contact you when it's done?"
"That won't be necessary. Just see it safely and securely delivered. I'm trusting you to see that no one meddles with it, and that if Fiona asks you to carry anything back that you do the same in reverse."
No, best to be as unobstrusive about this whole affair as is possible lest someone catch wind of the thing. Had it not taken so long to arrange the various parts of the envelope's contents, he might have handed this to her in the middle of the day so as to solicit even fewer questions. But better this than to be seen by the whole company chasing her (or any other likely messenger) down on the way to the eyrie, or stuffing it in some griffon's saddlebag.
He will have to survive with this modicum of suspicion and hope for the best.
Ah, so he's eliminating any possibility of this information slipping into other hands... duly noted. Abby looks at him, searching, but she doesn't ask any of her questions out loud. It's none of her business (is what he'll probably tell her, which is the truth, so).
She takes the letter off the table.
Wait, one more question. "Why aren't you coming with us?"
"Because we're not storming Cumberland at sword point, and my presence there could easily serve to suggest otherwise. Provost Stark will be traveling with you instead. We considered him the obvious choice of representation from the Division Heads."
—Is certainly one way to describe the terse disapproval Tony had met from his peers when he'd made his intention to go along to Cumberland known. But if there is a lack of consensus in the Central Tower, then it does no good whatsoever to volunteer that information.
"Riftwatch is permitted to function as it does so long as we remember who gave us the authority to do so. I suspect a number of us have one reason or another for wishing to avoid the Divine thinking that we might be put to better use if we were drawn closer to her side."
Abby, looking at him, grunts with no clear feeling behind it. Makes sense.
She wants to ask if a significant rifter presence at the Conclave will tug upon the Divine's curiousity– but what's the point in knowing the answer. Flint probably doesn't (realistically, how could he), and Abby is going to go no matter what that answer actually is– so she pockets the letter.
"Okay. Talk to you later," will be her parting remark instead.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
"Already planning on it." There's no reality in which she'd stay behind while other people go off to fight for her freedom, fuck that. Of course she's going to Cumberland. She watches Flint carefully, eyes on his every movement, and the letter he produces is- well. A surprise, honestly.
This meeting is not taking place inside the realm of truth or soup and yet, Abby still says, "You want me to deliver your mail?"
She isn't offended, or complaining about it, don't get it wrong! Just confused.
no subject
The envelope is set on the desk; unlike a great deal of official Riftwatch documentation, it bears no seal or plainly identifiable stamp. It might very well be a personal letter, save for the elaborate 'lock' folded and cut into a corner of the parchment to identify any tampering.
"How much do you know about the Mage-Templar War?"
no subject
She can do that. She can do that and then join the rest of Riftwatch protesting the proposal, which is where she wanted to be in the first place. How hard could it be. How disappointed would Flint be if she took the letter out, read through it, and then put it back into another envelope to make it look like she didn't do that.
Kidding...
Unless?
"I've been reading about it." In books from their collection here in the Gallows, which may only count for a certain perspective; she's been thinking about that ever since the disastrous first conversation with Sabine. "There isn't gonna be a quiz, is there?"
no subject
"Tell me your assessment of it."
no subject
Understatement, but; he knows all of this.
Abby's arms fold succinctly across her chest; she adds, "I don't blame the mages for wanting to get out, but I'm a Rifter and I know exactly where I'm headed if the proposal goes through. I don't want to go into a Circle. Wanna be under the Chantry's thumb even less." Shrug, "That's why I was already going to Cumberland."
no subject
"Good," he says with nod, some of the sharp edge in the line of his shoulder falling away. "Should the Grand Enchanter happen to request your opinion on the matter while you're briefly in her company, I would encourage you to speak freely."
Simple enough. Though, here is the part where one might ordinarily ask, 'Any questions?'—
"That's all I have for you."
no subject
Ignoring that he's obviously dismissed her, "Do you want me to contact you when it's done?"
no subject
No, best to be as unobstrusive about this whole affair as is possible lest someone catch wind of the thing. Had it not taken so long to arrange the various parts of the envelope's contents, he might have handed this to her in the middle of the day so as to solicit even fewer questions. But better this than to be seen by the whole company chasing her (or any other likely messenger) down on the way to the eyrie, or stuffing it in some griffon's saddlebag.
He will have to survive with this modicum of suspicion and hope for the best.
no subject
She takes the letter off the table.
Wait, one more question. "Why aren't you coming with us?"
no subject
—Is certainly one way to describe the terse disapproval Tony had met from his peers when he'd made his intention to go along to Cumberland known. But if there is a lack of consensus in the Central Tower, then it does no good whatsoever to volunteer that information.
"Riftwatch is permitted to function as it does so long as we remember who gave us the authority to do so. I suspect a number of us have one reason or another for wishing to avoid the Divine thinking that we might be put to better use if we were drawn closer to her side."
no subject
She wants to ask if a significant rifter presence at the Conclave will tug upon the Divine's curiousity– but what's the point in knowing the answer. Flint probably doesn't (realistically, how could he), and Abby is going to go no matter what that answer actually is– so she pockets the letter.
"Okay. Talk to you later," will be her parting remark instead.