After her run-in with Qabian Grimfire né Amberlight, and the unceremonious way in which she was informed of his prison break, Jessalyn Redgrave, far from the prime of her life with greying hair and thick glasses, human, bureaucrat for the Kirin Tor's Council for many years, requested a transfer out of Dalaran. She hadn't encountered the blood elf since the day she had him packed off to Stormwind, but she had good reason not to be overconfident. She knew too well the long list of the Grim's crimes, and could not help but feel some small amount of guilt for the mage not having his head removed from his shoulders.
She did not feel at all guilty for turning him over to Stormwind, no matter how much it may have breached the neutrality the Kirin Tor had been playing with at the time. There were nights when she couldn't sleep, wondering just how he had managed the escape, but in the end always felt that investigating would only draw attention to her role, perhaps from Qabian himself, so it was safest to simply leave it an unanswered question.
It seemed like every time Redgrave started to feel comfortable again, stopped feeling the need to look over her shoulder all the time, something would happen to keep her wary. Between the addition of the void elves to the Alliance and the relatively recent higher profile prison break, her new position as one of the Kirin Tor's many liaisons to Stormwind began to show cracks in its facade of safety. While most of the void elves seemed honest enough in their new allegiance, there was just too great a chance that one or more of them had Silvermoon connections and she avoided them as much as she could.
====
Qabian paced through the disarray of his office as he wondered if he'd made the right decision. He wasn't entirely certain he'd let this particular revenge simmer long enough, but his own motivations to see it done were less important than the convenience of a single target, perhaps left alone long enough to let her guard down wherever she was. Whether they succeeded or not was less relevant than the exercise itself, he decided.
((Open for Traejan, Laeynna, and possibly Rona's goblin.))
Ties that Blind
Ties that Blind
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner
Re: Ties that Blind
I am not wholly certain that I am right for this task.
Laeynna frowned, though she did her best to keep it not quite as transparent as it genuinely felt to be. In hindsight, of course she was going to experience that kind of thought. How many people, after all, had she put an end to intentionally? None, naturally. Well, rather, not in her own solitude. Misadventures with the Grim, she'd decided, did not entirely count. After all, if it wasn't for their companionship at her proverbial back, she was almost wholly positive that she wouldn't have even dared such risks.
She packed lightly, realising that she didn't exactly have much to bring with her to begin with. That was sort of the problem with not having a stable living place. She travelled in light, with little more than the implements she thought were the most essential to her person. And when she had the convenience of demonic entities at her beck and call, it didn't exactly leave her defenceless as some might have mistakenly believed.
Carefully placing down a tome in her satchel, she took a moment to eye it. Its contents were ever consistent: rough sketches, observations of floral life cycles and breeding (and crossbreeding) notes, constructive properties, destructive properties, recipes for salves, for poultices, and even some on poisons. The latter, however, she had mostly tried to avoid diving into such things too much. Power, subtle as it may have been, tended to lead down that so-called 'slippery slope.'
Qabian seems to sometimes see something in me that I cannot tell is a manifestation he has created or a true thing that I am blind to, she thought as she hesitated before reaching out a hand to take a few of the flasks she had purchased just so for her excursion with Traejan. What is he truly testing me with here? If we should fail, what will be the consequences? What is, even, the definition of failure here? It will be no simply task to eliminate a member of the Kirin Tor's Council. I know not so much about them, but even I am no fool.
Perhaps there was something more to it. In fact, that was likely. Qabian had, after all, shown himself on a few occasions to be more than a two-dimensional antagonist in a poorly-written farce. The man was as multifaceted as a gem, Laeynna suspected, as were most people. Or so she wanted to think.
I must neither dilly nor dally. Perhaps Traejan will have the good sense to meet me at the meeting hall. I suspect we will not be there terribly long.
Pulling the drawstring of her satchel closed, Laeynna cast one look to the Orgrimmar sky. It would be a bit of an adventure to get there across the water. With hearthstone in hand, she held onto her breath for some moments before she found her words.
"Traejan, I am en route."
And so she was.
Laeynna frowned, though she did her best to keep it not quite as transparent as it genuinely felt to be. In hindsight, of course she was going to experience that kind of thought. How many people, after all, had she put an end to intentionally? None, naturally. Well, rather, not in her own solitude. Misadventures with the Grim, she'd decided, did not entirely count. After all, if it wasn't for their companionship at her proverbial back, she was almost wholly positive that she wouldn't have even dared such risks.
She packed lightly, realising that she didn't exactly have much to bring with her to begin with. That was sort of the problem with not having a stable living place. She travelled in light, with little more than the implements she thought were the most essential to her person. And when she had the convenience of demonic entities at her beck and call, it didn't exactly leave her defenceless as some might have mistakenly believed.
Carefully placing down a tome in her satchel, she took a moment to eye it. Its contents were ever consistent: rough sketches, observations of floral life cycles and breeding (and crossbreeding) notes, constructive properties, destructive properties, recipes for salves, for poultices, and even some on poisons. The latter, however, she had mostly tried to avoid diving into such things too much. Power, subtle as it may have been, tended to lead down that so-called 'slippery slope.'
Qabian seems to sometimes see something in me that I cannot tell is a manifestation he has created or a true thing that I am blind to, she thought as she hesitated before reaching out a hand to take a few of the flasks she had purchased just so for her excursion with Traejan. What is he truly testing me with here? If we should fail, what will be the consequences? What is, even, the definition of failure here? It will be no simply task to eliminate a member of the Kirin Tor's Council. I know not so much about them, but even I am no fool.
Perhaps there was something more to it. In fact, that was likely. Qabian had, after all, shown himself on a few occasions to be more than a two-dimensional antagonist in a poorly-written farce. The man was as multifaceted as a gem, Laeynna suspected, as were most people. Or so she wanted to think.
I must neither dilly nor dally. Perhaps Traejan will have the good sense to meet me at the meeting hall. I suspect we will not be there terribly long.
Pulling the drawstring of her satchel closed, Laeynna cast one look to the Orgrimmar sky. It would be a bit of an adventure to get there across the water. With hearthstone in hand, she held onto her breath for some moments before she found her words.
"Traejan, I am en route."
And so she was.
Re: Ties that Blind
For his part in the matter, Traejan had no doubt that he was fit for the task.
As far as he was concerned, this was business as usual. True, he was used to far more direct and destructive methods typically but he had no objections to a good challenge and something outside the norm. He couldn't quite recall the last time he'd been involved in someone's personal vendetta, though it was different even among those times in that he also had no real stake in it himself beyond the desire for a job well done. That simplified things quite a bit.
His partner in this was still a bit of a mystery as well. There were things about Laeynna that reminded him of others, a minor detail which could be potentially problematic if he wasn't careful. He didn't want to fall into the habit of making assumptions based only on that misplaced sense of odd familiarity. Ideally, however, he would have a better sense of things soon enough.
He'd already made the necessary calls, as it were, to set the wheels in motion in terms of his own networking and so to that he could only wait. In the time he'd had to spare he saw to some engineering work left unfinished in the Highlands, otherwise ready to head out at a moment's notice. Whatever he didn't carry on his person were stored in the saddlebags strapped to the undead drake that was presently perched atop one of Ar'Gorok's towers, leering down at the activity below in such a way that he could sense the unease from the goblins milling about around him. The ones he was less acquainted with also gave a wide berth to his pair of undead constructs which were standing nearby as always, looking off in opposite directions. The smaller of the two skeletons held his hearthstone, ensuring that he received Laeynna's message even over the noise of the area.
Wiping his hands on a bit of cloth, the skeleton ambled over as he pulled on his single gauntlet. Above, the drake unfurled its wings -- and he enjoyed the collective flinch of the goblins -- before the beast turned and moved down to wait on the ground outside the fortress.
"Understood. I'm not far, so I will meet you when you arrive.."
As far as he was concerned, this was business as usual. True, he was used to far more direct and destructive methods typically but he had no objections to a good challenge and something outside the norm. He couldn't quite recall the last time he'd been involved in someone's personal vendetta, though it was different even among those times in that he also had no real stake in it himself beyond the desire for a job well done. That simplified things quite a bit.
His partner in this was still a bit of a mystery as well. There were things about Laeynna that reminded him of others, a minor detail which could be potentially problematic if he wasn't careful. He didn't want to fall into the habit of making assumptions based only on that misplaced sense of odd familiarity. Ideally, however, he would have a better sense of things soon enough.
He'd already made the necessary calls, as it were, to set the wheels in motion in terms of his own networking and so to that he could only wait. In the time he'd had to spare he saw to some engineering work left unfinished in the Highlands, otherwise ready to head out at a moment's notice. Whatever he didn't carry on his person were stored in the saddlebags strapped to the undead drake that was presently perched atop one of Ar'Gorok's towers, leering down at the activity below in such a way that he could sense the unease from the goblins milling about around him. The ones he was less acquainted with also gave a wide berth to his pair of undead constructs which were standing nearby as always, looking off in opposite directions. The smaller of the two skeletons held his hearthstone, ensuring that he received Laeynna's message even over the noise of the area.
Wiping his hands on a bit of cloth, the skeleton ambled over as he pulled on his single gauntlet. Above, the drake unfurled its wings -- and he enjoyed the collective flinch of the goblins -- before the beast turned and moved down to wait on the ground outside the fortress.
"Understood. I'm not far, so I will meet you when you arrive.."
Re: Ties that Blind
It was a thing of irony, that Laeynna, a woman who had not held desire to work with others, was paired on assignment alongside another. She knew very little about Traejan. His name. Remotely what he was. She could venture a guess about what he once might have been. Other than that, like everyone else in the Grim, he remained a mystery. In that respect, Laeynna's secretive demeanour allowed her to fit in rather well.
Regardless, she suspected that she and her cohort would know one another minutely better when all was said and done.
Her own trek to the meeting hall did not end up as long as she had guessed it might be. And as silence fell between her ally and herself, Laeynna had only her solitude as intimate companionship. For a time.
Her arrival left a drake of stone and crystal who, much like his rider, looked as though he'd seen better days. And as she had come to rely on him, so too did he on her, which meant waiting for her to meet with Traejan before the journey would continue forward once more.
"Traejan."
Her greeting was careful and measured, sizing up the one who held her well being in his hands. It took a great deal of trust to assume he would not simply use her as bait to accomplish Qabian's task. Even as she stood at his side, she knew well enough that remained a possibility. She cast a momentary look over her shoulder to the scaled beast that awaited her before she eyed the elf once more.
"I trust I have not kept you waiting overlong." Dipping her head respectfully, she continued. "I am ready to depart. I have some supplies for us which we may find practical. As I do not possess any connections in Dalaran, I confess that we must rely on you for the time being. As such, I shall do all that I can to compensate."
After all, it could not be a properly balanced team if she did not do her share of the work.
Regardless, she suspected that she and her cohort would know one another minutely better when all was said and done.
Her own trek to the meeting hall did not end up as long as she had guessed it might be. And as silence fell between her ally and herself, Laeynna had only her solitude as intimate companionship. For a time.
Her arrival left a drake of stone and crystal who, much like his rider, looked as though he'd seen better days. And as she had come to rely on him, so too did he on her, which meant waiting for her to meet with Traejan before the journey would continue forward once more.
"Traejan."
Her greeting was careful and measured, sizing up the one who held her well being in his hands. It took a great deal of trust to assume he would not simply use her as bait to accomplish Qabian's task. Even as she stood at his side, she knew well enough that remained a possibility. She cast a momentary look over her shoulder to the scaled beast that awaited her before she eyed the elf once more.
"I trust I have not kept you waiting overlong." Dipping her head respectfully, she continued. "I am ready to depart. I have some supplies for us which we may find practical. As I do not possess any connections in Dalaran, I confess that we must rely on you for the time being. As such, I shall do all that I can to compensate."
After all, it could not be a properly balanced team if she did not do her share of the work.
Re: Ties that Blind
Even as Laeynna made her explanations, Qabian's voice came across the hearthstone requesting Traejan's urgent presence in the office of the Inquisition. As the call was audible to both of them, Traejan looked over at Laeynna, and she simply nodded her understanding.
She waited for him to return, but he did not. Instead, after a time, a second call requesting her presence was heard instead.
When Laeynna arrived in Qabian's office, before she could so much as greet him, Qabian informed her, "Traejan's been given another assignment, but I expect you will still be capable of finishing this without him. I'll simply have to put more effort into keeping my distance than I would if you were using his contacts, rather than mine."
She waited for him to return, but he did not. Instead, after a time, a second call requesting her presence was heard instead.
When Laeynna arrived in Qabian's office, before she could so much as greet him, Qabian informed her, "Traejan's been given another assignment, but I expect you will still be capable of finishing this without him. I'll simply have to put more effort into keeping my distance than I would if you were using his contacts, rather than mine."
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner
Re: Ties that Blind
Any concept of being called into Qabian's office was, in general, not meant to be a particularly positive experience. Or at least, it was not where Laeynna's insecurities were concerned. If anything, it implied that she had done something quite wrong.
...She hadn't, right?
Qabian's words, however, greeted before anything else did. After he finished, she simply stood where she had entered and found herself lost for words. Initially, anyroad. It was all a little perplexing, truth be told. Traejan being granted something else. Her still being given what appeared to be a rather great responsibility. Once more, Laeynna wondered what the cost was of failure. She could, in fact, hear her father's voice in her head.
Failure wasn't an option.
As she coerced her jaw to work once more, Laeynna gradually regained her ability to speak. Coherently, at that. "If that is your desire," she agreed with a subtle, respectful nod. She doubted her own capability, however. She knew nothing of assassinations. And she'd already been nervous about being bait, as it were. She supposed it wasn't so different from the original plan, however. It just meant she'd be doing everything.
Looking around his office for some moments, she straightened her posture, though didn't much look different than she had when she'd entered. "It appears then, that I stand at the ready. I do dislike to procrastinate."
...She hadn't, right?
Qabian's words, however, greeted before anything else did. After he finished, she simply stood where she had entered and found herself lost for words. Initially, anyroad. It was all a little perplexing, truth be told. Traejan being granted something else. Her still being given what appeared to be a rather great responsibility. Once more, Laeynna wondered what the cost was of failure. She could, in fact, hear her father's voice in her head.
Failure wasn't an option.
As she coerced her jaw to work once more, Laeynna gradually regained her ability to speak. Coherently, at that. "If that is your desire," she agreed with a subtle, respectful nod. She doubted her own capability, however. She knew nothing of assassinations. And she'd already been nervous about being bait, as it were. She supposed it wasn't so different from the original plan, however. It just meant she'd be doing everything.
Looking around his office for some moments, she straightened her posture, though didn't much look different than she had when she'd entered. "It appears then, that I stand at the ready. I do dislike to procrastinate."
Re: Ties that Blind
Qabian steepled his fingers, smirking across the ominous desk at Laeynna. "My desire... My desire is to snap the woman's neck between my own two hands, but that seems like a poor use of the opportunity. Traejan would have made a good buffer between me and someone who is rightly suspicious, but instead, I'll have to have my own people take extra steps. You, however, are not the buffer, but the bait, and the instrument of... mm, I wouldn't call it justice. From an objective point of view, she was in the right, but vengeance doesn't care how just it is, and I like to continue the pattern of people who cross me becoming victims of unfortunate accidents far enough down the line that it's difficult to accuse me."
He cleared his throat then leaned back. "We should address the methods now. How comfortable are you with poisoning? And how comfortable are you with... deception?"
He cleared his throat then leaned back. "We should address the methods now. How comfortable are you with poisoning? And how comfortable are you with... deception?"
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner
Re: Ties that Blind
At least he had the audacity to call her what she already knew she was. Bait. Laeynna was not at all pleased by the concept and the momentary glower in her expression betrayed that. Yet she knew all the better to hold her tongue and thus bothered not to address him on it.
Rather, she moved from where she stood, approaching his desk and letting a pale hand splay fingertips atop its surface. "Vengeance is its own form of justice, Qabian." She chose her words carefully, quiet, but not unsure. Simply cautious in how she laid out such concepts. He wasn't wrong. Most people didn't perceive the two ideas mutually exclusive, and for the most part, they weren't.
As he continued, she paused for but a moment and brought her fel tinted gaze onto his visage, not wholly certain on how to initially respond. How comfortable was she with poisoning? She was capable. Laeynna was quite confident in her knowledge on floral properties, both constructive and destructive. She only ever divulged her knowledge on the former, however. A clever individual could logically deduce that she knew both sides of the same coin.
"I was under the impression my actions were to persist under the orders I was given regardless of my comfort," she replied, knowing that was technically the right answer to give. "I am a woman of my word, if I am naught else. If your orders are for me to poison this woman in the name of vengeful justice, then it is my aim to do so.If your orders are for me to manipulate and deceive as necessary to achieve this, then so too is that my endeavour."
Rather, she moved from where she stood, approaching his desk and letting a pale hand splay fingertips atop its surface. "Vengeance is its own form of justice, Qabian." She chose her words carefully, quiet, but not unsure. Simply cautious in how she laid out such concepts. He wasn't wrong. Most people didn't perceive the two ideas mutually exclusive, and for the most part, they weren't.
As he continued, she paused for but a moment and brought her fel tinted gaze onto his visage, not wholly certain on how to initially respond. How comfortable was she with poisoning? She was capable. Laeynna was quite confident in her knowledge on floral properties, both constructive and destructive. She only ever divulged her knowledge on the former, however. A clever individual could logically deduce that she knew both sides of the same coin.
"I was under the impression my actions were to persist under the orders I was given regardless of my comfort," she replied, knowing that was technically the right answer to give. "I am a woman of my word, if I am naught else. If your orders are for me to poison this woman in the name of vengeful justice, then it is my aim to do so.If your orders are for me to manipulate and deceive as necessary to achieve this, then so too is that my endeavour."
Re: Ties that Blind
Qabian peered at Laeynna as she chose her words, almost able to see the wheels in her head turning as she made her careful selection. She provided a curious contrast to Traejan's enthusiasm.
"Correct. Your comfort is immaterial. Your confidence is not, as it goes to your likelihood of success. I should have chosen that word instead, although the first may imply the second," Qabian conceded. "I think, in this task, your quiet, thoughtful nature will serve you well. It will make you less likely to break the illusion."
He drummed his fingers on the desk, looking off towards the shelves along the side of the room as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "Your reason for poisoning this woman, though, should not be my vengeance, even if that is my reason for asking you to, and my reason for selecting her. Your reason is to forward the Mandate. She is human, and though her organization may make significant pretence at neutrality, their favor for the Alliance has been made clear time and again. She also has a certain degree of power that makes her a good target, an obstacle to peace." Qabian looked across at her again, smirking as he said the last, knowing he had confessed truer thoughts on the matter to her.
"Do you remember who you were before the Scourge?" he asked, seemingly changing the subject. "Have I already asked you that?"
"Correct. Your comfort is immaterial. Your confidence is not, as it goes to your likelihood of success. I should have chosen that word instead, although the first may imply the second," Qabian conceded. "I think, in this task, your quiet, thoughtful nature will serve you well. It will make you less likely to break the illusion."
He drummed his fingers on the desk, looking off towards the shelves along the side of the room as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "Your reason for poisoning this woman, though, should not be my vengeance, even if that is my reason for asking you to, and my reason for selecting her. Your reason is to forward the Mandate. She is human, and though her organization may make significant pretence at neutrality, their favor for the Alliance has been made clear time and again. She also has a certain degree of power that makes her a good target, an obstacle to peace." Qabian looked across at her again, smirking as he said the last, knowing he had confessed truer thoughts on the matter to her.
"Do you remember who you were before the Scourge?" he asked, seemingly changing the subject. "Have I already asked you that?"
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner
Re: Ties that Blind
Confidence. There was no denying that regardless how stone-like she seemed on the outside, Laeynna possessed a great deal of uncertainty regarding her ability to succeed. Somehow she thought confessing that to anyone in the Grim -- especially Qabian -- would only result in her being laughed out of the association as a whole. As such, the words remained rather tightly locked up, though she supposed her abrupt stop and silence might have betrayed her.
Neutrality. Not the word I expected to drop from his mouth, she thought as she eyed him closely. It seems a potentially nice idea in theory. As far as I'm concerned, it's one or the other. The Kirin Tor ought to be eradicated from top to bottom.
Laeynna might have addressed that too, except before she even got a chance to contemplate how to word herself, his question very much distracted her. So much so, in fact, that once more she was speechless. Qabian had a very frustrating way of doing that. Among other things that puzzled the botanist when she dared to give the magister any kind of passing thought. All the same, his question beckoned her to set mind to purpose.
"You have not," she replied, more cold than she meant to sound. Assuming it was rhetorical, she didn't bother clarifying or divulging personal details.
Once, Laeynna Emberflame, had possessed hope. Once she had believed in something like divinity. The Scourge, among other things, had utterly destroyed that and shaped her into the odd woman she was at present.
"I understand your meaning clear. Eliminating this woman may be under your command, but such things are mutually exclusive with what the Mandate would support. I may be acting on the behalf of one Qabian, yet so too do I act on the behalf of the Grim. For me, they are one and the same. You are Grim. Your orders are Grim."
There can be no question of this.
Although Laeynna did not forget the abnormal sentiments that welled up within her the last time she and Qabian had exchanged words in private. She had felt... Well Something, which seemed a feat in itself. There was no doubting that she may have allowed Qabian a kind of influence over her that she shouldn't have.
Neutrality. Not the word I expected to drop from his mouth, she thought as she eyed him closely. It seems a potentially nice idea in theory. As far as I'm concerned, it's one or the other. The Kirin Tor ought to be eradicated from top to bottom.
Laeynna might have addressed that too, except before she even got a chance to contemplate how to word herself, his question very much distracted her. So much so, in fact, that once more she was speechless. Qabian had a very frustrating way of doing that. Among other things that puzzled the botanist when she dared to give the magister any kind of passing thought. All the same, his question beckoned her to set mind to purpose.
"You have not," she replied, more cold than she meant to sound. Assuming it was rhetorical, she didn't bother clarifying or divulging personal details.
Once, Laeynna Emberflame, had possessed hope. Once she had believed in something like divinity. The Scourge, among other things, had utterly destroyed that and shaped her into the odd woman she was at present.
"I understand your meaning clear. Eliminating this woman may be under your command, but such things are mutually exclusive with what the Mandate would support. I may be acting on the behalf of one Qabian, yet so too do I act on the behalf of the Grim. For me, they are one and the same. You are Grim. Your orders are Grim."
There can be no question of this.
Although Laeynna did not forget the abnormal sentiments that welled up within her the last time she and Qabian had exchanged words in private. She had felt... Well Something, which seemed a feat in itself. There was no doubting that she may have allowed Qabian a kind of influence over her that she shouldn't have.
Re: Ties that Blind
Qabian smirked at Laeynna's declaration, but didn't counter it. It was something he'd heard before, several times, but the people who actually qualified to exemplify the Grim knew better. Still, perhaps it was best to get his impressions out of the way early. Let them learn later the ways in which he didn't suit. He found enough value in the organization to do what it took to keep it standing, and that made him a "good" Grim by most measures.
He returned to his question. "I did have a reason for asking you about before. Before the Third War, there was a, let's say, decent contingent of high elves in the Kirin Tor when Kael'thas was on the Council of Six. This Redgrave had friends among those high elves. They've all since been lost, because war does that to people. Your deception will be to connect yourself to one of those friends. That will draw Redgrave out," he explained.
"I have here a list of those she lost, with notes regarding which may be suitable for crafting a story around." He opened a drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper, which he placed on the desk and pushed toward her. "Now if you were a person of interest then, or if you are currently well-enough connected to have the falsehood easily refuted, then there may be an issue, but I'm guessing based on your lack of connections to the Kirin Tor on my first inquiry and your reticence overall, that anyone today would have difficulty proving you're not who you say you are, even if you lie?"
He returned to his question. "I did have a reason for asking you about before. Before the Third War, there was a, let's say, decent contingent of high elves in the Kirin Tor when Kael'thas was on the Council of Six. This Redgrave had friends among those high elves. They've all since been lost, because war does that to people. Your deception will be to connect yourself to one of those friends. That will draw Redgrave out," he explained.
"I have here a list of those she lost, with notes regarding which may be suitable for crafting a story around." He opened a drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper, which he placed on the desk and pushed toward her. "Now if you were a person of interest then, or if you are currently well-enough connected to have the falsehood easily refuted, then there may be an issue, but I'm guessing based on your lack of connections to the Kirin Tor on my first inquiry and your reticence overall, that anyone today would have difficulty proving you're not who you say you are, even if you lie?"
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner
Re: Ties that Blind
It was... an oddly solid plan, if Laeynna could pull it off appropriately. There wasn't anything in her history that she knew of that said she couldn't have been already connected to one of Redgrave's friends in question. Laeynna could not personally recall any discussions about the Kirin Tor or the history that included the High Elves. She had not been so old during the happenstance of the Third War to appropriately understand the fallout aside from the very obvious suffering and loss that her people (and Qabian's) had endured as a result. To say that she was absolutely certain she held no potential link to those people would have been a falsehood.
Therefore picking one and constructing a story around it may not have necessarily been a lie. In an odd turn of events, Laeynna felt her tension begin to wax and wane. Although if she could not be rid of her rather uncertain and fickle conscience, she could wind up a liability for the Grim. She could not question herself so oft. At some point, Laeynna would need to be absolutely certain about what she said, what she did, and what she believed. Those in the Grim could not endure on her behalf. Nor, did she imagine, would they ever do so voluntarily.
As he pushed forward his parchment, she reached down for it. "I don't personally recollect my family making mention of the Kirin Tor. Their interest for my future delved into the priesthood and the way of the Light. Perhaps to some degree, the lines intermingle and overlap." She shook her head, "Creating a role... That should not prove a challenge."
Perhaps she could do this.
"I've never had much difficulty acting," Laeynna admitted. "This should suit our needs well enough. I have flasks packed and prepared. I can send message once I have an appropriate story constructed and set out without delay."
Therefore picking one and constructing a story around it may not have necessarily been a lie. In an odd turn of events, Laeynna felt her tension begin to wax and wane. Although if she could not be rid of her rather uncertain and fickle conscience, she could wind up a liability for the Grim. She could not question herself so oft. At some point, Laeynna would need to be absolutely certain about what she said, what she did, and what she believed. Those in the Grim could not endure on her behalf. Nor, did she imagine, would they ever do so voluntarily.
As he pushed forward his parchment, she reached down for it. "I don't personally recollect my family making mention of the Kirin Tor. Their interest for my future delved into the priesthood and the way of the Light. Perhaps to some degree, the lines intermingle and overlap." She shook her head, "Creating a role... That should not prove a challenge."
Perhaps she could do this.
"I've never had much difficulty acting," Laeynna admitted. "This should suit our needs well enough. I have flasks packed and prepared. I can send message once I have an appropriate story constructed and set out without delay."
Re: Ties that Blind
"Good. Perfect." Qabian reached into the drawer again and pulled out a worn violet tabard and a small notebook. "This goes to the first name on the list, should you choose it," he said, tapping the book. "It would definitely lend believability to any story around her. How else would you get your hands on it, unless you were close to its original owner?" He grinned unpleasantly.
"The tabard can serve as inheritance from any of the names listed, and go to your rationale as for why now. With the war as it is, you're looking to the Kirin Tor for help, aren't you? Or some variation on that theme." He pushed the items across the desk toward her. "The story can go either way as you prefer. Either you seek her out, because of your false connection, or I can have the false connection simply hinted at by someone around her and send her looking for you. Then all you have to do is wait.
"Once you find her, I presume you can handle the rest?"
"The tabard can serve as inheritance from any of the names listed, and go to your rationale as for why now. With the war as it is, you're looking to the Kirin Tor for help, aren't you? Or some variation on that theme." He pushed the items across the desk toward her. "The story can go either way as you prefer. Either you seek her out, because of your false connection, or I can have the false connection simply hinted at by someone around her and send her looking for you. Then all you have to do is wait.
"Once you find her, I presume you can handle the rest?"
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner
Re: Ties that Blind
It wasn't required, but when he offered over the tabard and notebook, Laeynna accepted each with a careful reverence. Evidently it was never too early to start acting the part. Both belonged to the first name on the list? It was a little hard to turn that down when Qabian was just handing it all to her. Dipping her gaze onto the two priceless heirlooms, she nipped into her lower lip with a sharp tooth. Yes. She absolutely could do this.
"Mayhap a bit of both columns," Laeynna began, though she was mostly contemplating aloud to herself. "If I once had connections to the Kirin Tor through that of ancestry, I would know their history of lending assistance. If I confessed to needing their help, it would give two very strong reasons to bring me close to her."
And then... the real fun could begin.
Idly, she toyed with her hair in thought. A cosmetic change would likely not be a completely terrible direction to travel in. Laeynna would have need to do a little personal research on the council and the members of the past and present. Anything to give her an edge up against Qabian's opposition. After all, the errand would benefit the Grim, but it was mostly done in the magister's interest.
She nodded as she returned a cold stare onto him. "Yes," Laeynna agreed. "May she be gullible enough to buy such a story." And naive enough to trust anything coming from Laeynna's hands.
"Mayhap a bit of both columns," Laeynna began, though she was mostly contemplating aloud to herself. "If I once had connections to the Kirin Tor through that of ancestry, I would know their history of lending assistance. If I confessed to needing their help, it would give two very strong reasons to bring me close to her."
And then... the real fun could begin.
Idly, she toyed with her hair in thought. A cosmetic change would likely not be a completely terrible direction to travel in. Laeynna would have need to do a little personal research on the council and the members of the past and present. Anything to give her an edge up against Qabian's opposition. After all, the errand would benefit the Grim, but it was mostly done in the magister's interest.
She nodded as she returned a cold stare onto him. "Yes," Laeynna agreed. "May she be gullible enough to buy such a story." And naive enough to trust anything coming from Laeynna's hands.
Re: Ties that Blind
"Mm. I won't attest to her gullibility, given she certainly got one over on me, but playing on people's emotions tends to leave them vulnerable, and that's what you'll be doing, so I'm confident you won't have any issues. That being said, though I obviously can't be present without risking the mission, I will have eyes on you at least within Dalaran itself. If anything goes wrong, I'll know." Qabian tapped the side of his head.
"If there's nothing else?" he said, closing the desk drawer and pushing his chair back at the same time with an air of finality.
"If there's nothing else?" he said, closing the desk drawer and pushing his chair back at the same time with an air of finality.
"While our enemies remain, peace is not victory." ~Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner