[He looks down at it disinterestedly, but picks up the tea and inhales the steam nonetheless. It's good to smell something nice, even if it's just water.]
Yes. [Might as well be honest, no beating around the bush here. It's rare enough that his requests are heeded, if someone is asking a direct question he might as well take the opportunity.]
[ Well, she can't fault him for honesty. The only tricky part is that she can't send Ser Gareth off for a coat or sweater, and leave her alone with Benedict--even if he looks pathetic enough at this point that she's pretty sure he's not much of a threat. So, instead, she pulls out her crystal, muttering into it, than stashing it away again.
Having accomplished that, she turns to Benedict, and smiles. ]
So, I've heard that you've been speaking to one of my scouts, Kithan Gandir. I hope that he's been treating you well?
[ And Kostos, but she's not going to bother asking how that went. She can only imagine. ]
[ Beleth blinks, looking a little surprised, but obligingly draws out the crystal again, holding it up for him to see. ]
It's a sending crystal. You can use it to speak to others who also have crystals--for example, I just asked one of my scouts to fetch you something warm. They're very useful. A stash of them had been found deep within Skyhold, I'm told...?
[ Beleth blinks at him, then shrugs, unconcerned. ]
Well, you're welcome to believe whatever you want.
[ It's not like he's going to be getting one anytime soon anyway, so. Whether or not he believes it doesn't exactly affect anything.
In the meantime, a scout--some scout or another, maybe there's a Scout Gareth to complete the trifecta--comes up to Beleth with a sweater, and leaves. She promptly hands it over Benedict. It's no fashion statement, but it's sturdy and fairly comfortable, and most importantly: warm. ]
[That suits him fine. Benedict watches her dully until the scout appears, wrinkles his nose at the sweater, and then puts it on anyway. This is a far removal from how he'd react to something so garish at home, but... well, he's far removed from home.]
[ He doesn't seem to happy, but--Well. There's not a whole lot she can do. Not like she can get away with importing a high-fashion Tevinter coat (if she even wanted to. Which. She didn't). ]
I'm glad. So, Benedict. Tell me about where you're from, in Tevinter.
[ He's dodged--or more accurately, ignored--all her questions so far. Maybe he'll be more interested in talking if it's just about him. Or about his home. ]
[He wouldn't want it anyway, not if he's just going to go back in the cell. What a waste that would be.]
Minrathous, [he says dully. After a pause, he glances at her for several moments then pointedly away, subtly rolling his eyes.] You wouldn't do well there.
[ Beleth raises an eyebrow calmly. So here is the attitude that drove everyone else up the wall. Not that she would have stuck him in a dungeon, drugged and underfed and cold, for it. Unless it was worse, before all of that. ]
I dare say that you're correct. There's a reason my people don't venture far north. Is that where you were staying, before you...came south?
[ He's not making it easy, is he. Beleth would probably just send him off at this point, if it didn't make her feel so guilty to do so. Maybe she should have just gone and conducted this in the dungeon, after all. ]
Your family? Tell me about them. Do you have any siblings? Do you usually live with your mother and father?
[ Beleth meets his stare calmly, a polite smile on her face. That guilt she'd felt at sending him back to the dungeon evaporates, and Beleth suddenly understands why few have any issue with his treatment. Turning her eyes from him, she gestures to Ser Gareth, who is probably relieved she's finally reached the end of her patience. ]
Well, far be it from me to keep you here. Let me know if you need any more sweaters or blankets, or if anyone has unduly mistreated you.
[ She takes a moment to finish her tea, sets it down, and then back to Benedict, with that same smile. ]
You're dismissed.
[ Still, she supposes, he hasn't done anything wrong, besides be obnoxious. And if that were a crime in and of itself, she'd have half the Gallows put away. ]
[ And just like that, the guilt sinks back in, settling in her gut. Ugh. Ughhh. Is she being ridiculous? Heartless? Too sensitive? Why can't he just be smugly confident like Atticus, so she doesn't have to feel so bad. ]
Ah--Alright, if you'd like to, certainly.
[ She places her hands together, thinking a few moments. He didn't seem fond of the personal questions, so-- ]
As you noted, I've never been to Minrathous before. Tell me about it. How big is it?
[ This is terrible. He's so eager to avoid going back, but she'll have to do it eventually. He can't just live in the garden--probably. Petra might take issue with that. ]
Is there a lot of nature in the city? Trees, flowers, things like that. Kirkwall barely has any, it's so dreary. I don't know how people stand it.
[ Part of her wants to ask about the situation of the elves there, if there are alienages--or if there are even enough free elves for that. But she doubts she wants to hear the answer, and she knows she doesn't want to hear it from him. ]
[ She opens her mouth to talk about how lovely that sounds, how she would love Kirkwall to have such a public garden--and then promptly closes it again. ]
--That garden, with the swan pond...is your family's? No one else uses it?
[Of course a Dalish wouldn't know. Bene's eyes flit over the markings on Beleth's face as though confirming it to himself; some elves would know how things work, but clearly not the savage ones.]
The gardeners take care of it. And grow flowers and things. [All decorative, farming is for the poors.]
[ Decorative gardens aren't beyond Beleth's understanding, she's seen plenty by now. But they were all open to the public, for taking walks with your friends, picnics, people watching. The idea that she's having trouble wrapping her head around, is why someone would make one of those, and then forbid anyone but their family from enjoying it.
She doesn't miss the way he looks at her face, though it's hard to tell if it's her tattoos, or maybe her eyes, or maybe he just thinks that she looks nice. Or ugly. The look on his face isn't particularly positive. ]
Well, I suppose...it might be nice to have a private place to take your friends? So you can enjoy the scenery, and each other's company, without having to worry about other people ruining the moment...?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Yes. [Might as well be honest, no beating around the bush here. It's rare enough that his requests are heeded, if someone is asking a direct question he might as well take the opportunity.]
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Having accomplished that, she turns to Benedict, and smiles. ]
So, I've heard that you've been speaking to one of my scouts, Kithan Gandir. I hope that he's been treating you well?
[ And Kostos, but she's not going to bother asking how that went. She can only imagine. ]
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What's that?
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It's a sending crystal. You can use it to speak to others who also have crystals--for example, I just asked one of my scouts to fetch you something warm. They're very useful. A stash of them had been found deep within Skyhold, I'm told...?
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That sounds fake, [he decides, perhaps just to be contrary.]
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Well, you're welcome to believe whatever you want.
[ It's not like he's going to be getting one anytime soon anyway, so. Whether or not he believes it doesn't exactly affect anything.
In the meantime, a scout--some scout or another, maybe there's a Scout Gareth to complete the trifecta--comes up to Beleth with a sweater, and leaves. She promptly hands it over Benedict. It's no fashion statement, but it's sturdy and fairly comfortable, and most importantly: warm. ]
Let me know if that fits.
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It fits, [he says defeatedly.]
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I'm glad. So, Benedict. Tell me about where you're from, in Tevinter.
[ He's dodged--or more accurately, ignored--all her questions so far. Maybe he'll be more interested in talking if it's just about him. Or about his home. ]
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Minrathous, [he says dully. After a pause, he glances at her for several moments then pointedly away, subtly rolling his eyes.] You wouldn't do well there.
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I dare say that you're correct. There's a reason my people don't venture far north. Is that where you were staying, before you...came south?
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Minrathous? Yes. My family lives there. [He talks to the table.]
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Your family? Tell me about them. Do you have any siblings? Do you usually live with your mother and father?
[ This part, at least, could be vaguely useful. ]
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I have no siblings. I lived with my mother and father, before I was put under your keep and left there.
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Well, far be it from me to keep you here. Let me know if you need any more sweaters or blankets, or if anyone has unduly mistreated you.
[ She takes a moment to finish her tea, sets it down, and then back to Benedict, with that same smile. ]
You're dismissed.
[ Still, she supposes, he hasn't done anything wrong, besides be obnoxious. And if that were a crime in and of itself, she'd have half the Gallows put away. ]
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[The fear washes back in the moment Beleth dismisses him. Back down into the darkness, the cold, the smell;]
I can...
[What can he do? He's stalling and they both know it.]
....I can answer more questions.
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Ah--Alright, if you'd like to, certainly.
[ She places her hands together, thinking a few moments. He didn't seem fond of the personal questions, so-- ]
As you noted, I've never been to Minrathous before. Tell me about it. How big is it?
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[He answers quickly, rashly, his enthusiasm genuine if only because cooperating means he gets to stay outside a little longer.]
Spires and shops and-- and color everywhere, flags and things. Very clean. It's kept clean. Around our estate anyway.
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Is there a lot of nature in the city? Trees, flowers, things like that. Kirkwall barely has any, it's so dreary. I don't know how people stand it.
[ Part of her wants to ask about the situation of the elves there, if there are alienages--or if there are even enough free elves for that. But she doubts she wants to hear the answer, and she knows she doesn't want to hear it from him. ]
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[That's probably a given, but continuing to talk is important at the moment.]
Gardens. We have a big garden, with a swan pond and flowers and things. I haven't ever been to the public ones.
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--That garden, with the swan pond...is your family's? No one else uses it?
...Is that normal in Minrathous?
[ What the FUCK. ]
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Yes, it's ours. People can't just wander onto the estate.
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...What do you do, with all that space that's just for you? Do you grow things, or have animals--besides swans.
[ Do they eat the swans? Swans are a lot of hassle for not a lot of meat, but maybe it's a Minrathous delicacy? ]
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The gardeners take care of it. And grow flowers and things. [All decorative, farming is for the poors.]
It's for walking around. And looking at.
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She doesn't miss the way he looks at her face, though it's hard to tell if it's her tattoos, or maybe her eyes, or maybe he just thinks that she looks nice. Or ugly.
The look on his face isn't particularly positive. ]
Well, I suppose...it might be nice to have a private place to take your friends? So you can enjoy the scenery, and each other's company, without having to worry about other people ruining the moment...?
[ She's trying to understand, here. ]