Veilguarding - an open post for DAV AU shenanigans

[smartass_captain]

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Masterpost for Dragon Age Veilguard AU overflow + psls

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[the_other_dellamorte]

[ No one should be surprised that the majority of servants in The Winter Palace are elves. But he doesn't comment on the fact, merely accepts the fact that he can get in as a guard. He gives a nod, it will serve his purpose well enough.] 

I was taught that being a bored guard is better than being a busy guard. I'll take the coin if I just have to stand around and look handsome in a uniform for a few hours.

[It gets him into the palace. Illario knows they will be too busy with the party to keep an eye on every guard.

Thus, he can sneak around where he needs to.

He takes a finger, dips it in the foul muck they call coffee, and draws a wet path on the dry table. A little map of the Winter Palace, glancing up at Jim's face to see if he recognises it. When it is clear he does, Illario's fingers draw a route to the royal apartments.

Then his sleeve drags over it, wiping the evidence away. ]

[smartass_captain]

Ain't that the truth. The coin ought to be enough to be comfy for a good few months until better work comes along. I can put a word in with someone else I know who's landed a post.

[Jim has been slowly sipping his milk coffee while they talk but pauses to watch the scrawl Illario traces on the table with the liquid. The glint of the light off the coffee traces out a map of a floor plan James has learned by heart. He gives a faint little murmur of assent as though they were simply engaging in small talk but stops Illario from wiping the map away at first so he can add in a second route from the inner garden up rather than the longer route up and around.

Then he pulls away and lets Illario do as he will.]

Any word on the folk back home?

[Updated orders from Josephine or the Inquisitor he ought to know about, Jim means.]

[the_other_dellamorte]

[Jim's little addition is news to Illario- the last time he went to the Winter Palace, he'd not been able to get to that inner garden, but this time it could be a real possibility. One he would not have considered without Jim's input.

He considers the other man across the table, far more experienced now than the boy he first met, competent and capable, now working for the Nightingale. The lady has a reputation and Illario does not question Jim's skill.]

Oh, they are the same as always. Busy, but they send their love. Your sister gave me a letter, actually-

[ And he pulls a folded and sealed parchment out of his inner pocket, handing it over. Josephine has lovely handwriting, and the letter is clearly addressed to "her little brother".]

I'll take any letters back of course. When I go.

[smartass_captain]

[If Illario is going to be getting work as a guard then he'll be spending a lot of time in the courtyards and gardens patrolling or keeping watch for any unsavory types who aren't authorized to be unsavory in the area. No doubt both Celene and Gaspard will have their own snoops. They'd be fools not to. But Illario ostensibly will just be there to be a grunt.

His work as a snoop for the Inquisition is much more disavowable.]

And here it's not even harvest season yet.

[Jim puts on a soft smile, though his blue eyes are sharp as daggers as he accepts the letter to glace over.]

She put you up to it? It's always like this with her. Getting everyone and their mother to run her errands, honestly.

[The code is one they've used before. Jim knows where and when to meet the Inquisition ahead of the event to get his day-of orders. Which drop off point to use to leave his reports until the day of. How best he's to assist Illario.]

You know... [Jim says conversationally.] There's a spare bunk at the workhouse I'm staying at these days. I'm sure if you batted your eyes at the landlady she'd let you stay until you've gotten settled. I can vouch for you.

[the_other_dellamorte]

[ It is certainly something the Inquisition would never want to admit to, spying on the Empress. Not only could it completely ruin all diplomatic links between them, but cause a lot of issues with other existing and potential new allies. Hence why they have sent a Crow, someone who is not openly working for the Inquisition. It is simply good sense. ] 

Not for a little while. But I think it might be a good year. It's what we all need after all.

[ As for running Josephine's errands, he shrugs. ] 

Ah, your sister has a pretty smile, what am I meant to do, refuse? She wouldn't be pleased with me if I did.

[ He lets Jim skim over the letter, finishing the coffee. It's certainly not good, but it's pnly polite to give Jim a moment to digest whatever his instructions are. Illario could guess, but he think he'll probably find out soon enpugh anyway. They're working for the same ends, after all, and Illario is going to make himself helpful.] 

You would? I won't say no, if you mean it. I don't want to put you to any trouble, but somewhere to stay just till I've got some work and more coin... it would be kind.

[smartass_captain]

[To Jim's trained eye, Josephine seems quite pleased with herself to be pairing Jim up with Illario. He should have seen this coming, he realizes. Why wouldn't she want her two hidden agents directly assisting the Inquisitor in the shadows working together? Illario most often stalks the Inquisitor these days. One of her closer companions but always trailing ahead or behind in the shadows. Jim remains in Orlais where he can do the most good.

Not a skilled enough fighter to be used as the Inquisitor's inner circle. A pawn instead best kept sequestered on the board where he can do the most good for the cause. In this case, helping Illario get into position for his next job. He'd sigh, but of course she's only doing what makes the most sense for the Inquisition. It's not like she knows Jim and this Crow have history.

(Surely she hasn't seen Jim watching the Antivan from the balcony, pining after he's had one too many ales....?)]

No, she wouldn't. [He tucks the letter away to burn later where he can be sure no one will see him.] You'd owe me a favor, but I seem to recall you being good for those. Once we're done here I"ll show you where I'm staying.

[the_other_dellamorte]

[ She can't know about thwir history. But Josephine is an incredibly clever woman. If she's seen or heard about Jim's pining, she might just consider it a crush. But if she's aware that Illario has been ordering in more coffee from home, if she's aware of those few times they've shared a pot on the roof at dawn, perhaps she might think to push them together. After all, when agents are out on the field sometimes things happen. ] 

I'm finished here.

[He indicates the coffee cup, only the dregs left at the bottom.]

I'd like to get a look at this place. Get settled in before I find myself some work.

[smartass_captain]

[It's true. Illario has worked very hard to stop rumors of James Kirk's summer in Orlais the summer Lord Lambert and his daughter lost their hand at The Game. But Josephine has sniffed out quite a bit of intelligence about young lord Kirk in learning how he could best be used to further the Inquisition's aims.

Whether she Knows anything or not these wo have no way of knowing.

In the moment all Jim knows is that he has his orders. And it's going to mean bunking with Illario for the next few weeks. He hates the little thrill that curls in his stomach for the thought.]

Right. Let me pay and we'll get moving.

[He leaves the proper coins on the table as he slides out of his seat.]

It's nothing to write home about, but it'll do until you find a place of your own. [Until this job is done, Jim means. He just needs to keep his mind on the work. That's all.] I'm in one of the worker's housing just up the road overlooking the central market.

[the_other_dellamorte]

[  And if she does know any details, Illario will be extremely disappointed with himself. More so that he will have to try and track down where those leaks came from and then deal with them. Jim does not deserve for that knowledge to become public and if Josephine discovered it, others will too. ]

You are too kind, my friend. I'll return the favour and buy us a decent meal come the evening.

[ He gestures for Jim to lead the way, as if he doesn't know it himself from that very brief description of a location. Thabkfully it is one of the places seversl strangers are not all in one dormitory but smaller more private little rooms, if memory serves. That will suit their business here very well. ] 

I appreciate it. I will repay you once my work is done. I may be able in some way to help with yours?

[smartass_captain]

I'll hold you to that.

[A 'decent' meal in an Orlesian city. In the capital even. A familiar smile shining in familiar blue eyes. Cheekbones Jim could never forget the contour of. It was just a summer fling he tells himself, even though James Tiberius Kirk had been ready to run away and marry the fabled Rio Mancini come that end of summer. His heart flutters to think about sharing a dinner with the man again.

Fuck. Jim hates how weak he is. He manages to keep his expression friendly, mindful of their surroundings as he always is these days, and leads Illario into the side entrance hidden in a dark alley so no one has to see the general Help going into the otherwise stately facaded building that hosts the row house.]

Just here. I'm up on the third floor. Second door from the last on the left.

[Into a small room with two bunks, only one of which is in use right now. Illario knows any of Jim's incriminating items will be hidden in either the floorboards or behind a wall panel somewhere. To the untrained eye there's nothing unusual about the room, save for perhaps the stack of journals piling up on one corner of the small bed.]

Once the lady of the house is in, I'll speak to her about arranging for you to take the other bunk.

[the_other_dellamorte]

I hope you will.

[Illario gives him a wink, easy and free. While there are a lot of people who would think that decent food in the capital of Orlais must be expensive and snooty, but that isn't the case. Illario knows a lot of little hole-in-the-wall places that the locals go to, where the food is delicious and there's no stuffy nobles.

He follows Jim easily enough, making idle chitchat about the weather and the changing fashions. They walk down the little dark alley, and Illario wonders briefly what it would be like to press Jim against the stone wall and kiss him. Does he still kiss like a sweet lordling, or is there something more behind it now? He desperately wants to know.

But he forces himself to stop, to follow Jim inside and stop fantasising about the man he loved and lost. Upstairs they go, into a bare room and he glances around, nodding in appreciation.]

Thank you, Jim. Is it... safe to speak freely here? Or better not?

[smartass_captain]

[The scout tips his head and offers a wry smile. He sets down his pack and rummages through it, but keeps talking conversationally while he goes.]

Of course. [While shaking his head. He hands over a journal and a charcoal pencil with both eyebrows raised.] It's a bunk house not the royal quarter.

[Jim kicks off his boots and settles into a casual sprawl sitting up against the end of his bed watching Illario. The idle talk that passes between them is meaningless. But the little scribbled notes they pass back and forth while they do is far more honest.]

Best not. I've been told to assume spies from every side of this conflict including Corypheus within the capital. The proprietress will give us rooms as a favor to Josephine and has given herself plausible deniability for not asking if we're with the inquisition or personal friends of hers.

[the_other_dellamorte]

[Illario raises a brow at the notebook that is drawn out, but he supposes the pages are easily ripped out and burned, even if they are written in the common tongue. As he reads what Jim has written, he responds out loud with some made-up concern about Jim's "sister" and her budding romance.

Of course there are, this is Orlais. I had hoped that Corypheus won't have vipers in this nest. Better to be safe than sorry. I go to the palace tonight to look around. Do you have duty of your own to fulfil? Or you can come with me after supper.

Passing it back for Jim to read and reply to, Illario slips off the pack that had been on his back, some clothes bundled up, and then a small pouch of what seems to be various little bottles, jars, tiny glass vials. He checks all of them for damage before setting them back. They are nothing more than cosmetics- he's not fool enough to carry his poison kit around in such a poor disguise.]

I remember you used to have trouble near various blooming flowers- does that persist?

[smartass_captain]

[I remember-- Illario says and Jim's gaze snaps up to the other man so fast. They were barely more than boys then and Jim had been so in love. Fool. He had been a fool. Nothing more. He tips his head to the side in a 'so-so' sort of gesture but nods.]

It does, yeah. Thankfully we're past the worst of pollen season.

[From where he sits on the bed, Jim drops his gaze so he can see what he's writing.]

I'll go with you. My work isn't time sensitive at the moment.

[the_other_dellamorte]

[If Jim thought Illario would ever forget some of those important details about Jim, who he is, the things about him, rather than his family, his homeland. The problem with flowers, how well he danced, his love of knowledge and learning, as well as his joy of coffee. He remembers so much of that summer with joy, and some of it makes him angry as hell for people who are long dead.

He can't change the past. But in moments where he needs to think past pain, think of better times, it's that summer that he often thinks back on.

But Jim does not need to know that. He probably would not welcome it. He's clearly moved past that time, and good for him.]

I am glad of that. The place I was thinking of going for supper is beyond the flower market- but that should be closed by now.

Wonderful. I could do with a second pair of eyes.

[smartass_captain]

As long as I don't linger it shouldn't be an issue even if it were open. But it's sweet of you to remember.

[He passes back the journal idly.]

Reconnaissance tonight then?

[the_other_dellamorte]

There is a lot I can not forget. Especially when it comes to making sure you are safe.

[A gentle shrug, because they don't need to go over it, ground long since walked, and no doubt best left well alone. So he takes the book and glances over the book, giving a quick nod of agreement.]

After we eat. I want it to be dark before we head to the palace. And I need to collect some things.

[smartass_captain]

[The tips of Jim's ears turn pink but he manages to keep a straight face otherwise. That vow feels so familiar and his heart Aches. Damn Josephine and her good sense for assignments. This would be so much easier if he were working with anyone else. But the Inquisition's mission is more important than his history.

He's a professional now. Best act like it.]

Alright. So there's this shift captain on the Eastern gardens--

[Jim scribbles out all the information Illario will need to talk himself into a post at the palace if he indeed wants to stay in some official fashion until the big event in a few weeks' time.

When the landlady comes back from her market stall James introduces Illario appropriately. Illario is welcome to stay but they'll have to bunk together for a few nights' time. A local lord is staying downstairs and has demanded a spare bed for his young son. She'd been planning on collecting the unused bed in James' room since it's the only one she's got. Of course it's fine, Jim says, even as he sighs internally. He'll help her take the bed apart and down to the other room.

By then it's beginning to get late so he comes back to fetch Illario for their evening meal and whatever comes after.]

[the_other_dellamorte]

[Jim has tasks to preform, as does Illario. There are people he must see, things to prepare, and some messages to send back to Skyhold, and to the north. He won't use the same channels as Jim, too much to risk. But he works with efficiency, as he always has, and once it comes to the evening, he's already back in their shared room, fastening the last few buttons on a dark blue-grey shirt, the same colour as distant mountains, when Jim appears at the door.

He looks to the space the second bed had been before, raising an eyebrow at the other man before he moves to put his hair into a long tail, out of the way of his face. His expression is faintly amused but professional, as he shrugs on a worn cloak, mud-splattered and frayed at the edges. Once it settles on his shoulders, the Antivan poise all but disappears, and he relaxes into a far more labourer-like stance. ]

Am I not allowed to stay? That seems a very stern "no".

[smartass_captain]

[Jim snorts. He has to laugh about it else he's apt to reply through grit teeth and that would just make things all the more awkward. So he shrugs like it's no big deal. And it's not. They've certainly shared a bed plenty of times before this.]

You are, we're just bunking together for a few days. I didn't realize she had filled up all the beds already before I'd asked. Once one of the guests leaves we'll get the bed back.

[Jim moves aside a loose floorboard to pull out a second hidden pack. He takes up a few items from it. Illario will spy his Inquisition's scouting cloak tucked in amongst the things there.]

Now come and let's get a meal. I'm starving.

[the_other_dellamorte]

I believe you, but thousands wouldn't, Jim Kirk.

[But it's a gentle tease as he waits for Jim to collect what things he needs, and a moment later they are out in the streets of the capital, still alive and vibrant even in this latter part of the day. They fall into step together, even after all these years; there's not much difference in their gait. Or perhaps Illario is simply matching his to Jim's.

The Flower Market is empty at this time, its stalls packed up, with only a few broken petals on the cobbles to hint at how vibrant it is during the day. A vibrancy they might have blended in to, those years ago, but now in his greys and deep blues, Illario could melt into the shadows if only he changed his stance. But that is the entire point. ]

Are you going to tell me about the adventures you've been having? Not in detail, of course. But I'd like to hear about what you're enjoying about this work.

[smartass_captain]

Then it's a good thing you know me, isn't it?

[A sardonic quirk of his brows and then they are putting on their roles once more. Walking the streets in the guises they were given. A pair of working class men slogging off to a meal after a long day of labor.

The empty stalls of the Flower Market carry scents on the breeze that make Jim's nose itch but only briefly. The scent itself is far more lovely than the scent of dead fish wafting in from behind it off the water not too far past.]

I think You're the one who gets to go on adventures. I've been afforded to head out on locations with Lace Harding before though. She could find a needle in the entire Dales if you gave her long enough. My skills in cartography have helped map out some potential routes for the Inquisitor's party to take, so the two of us make a good team. They like to send her to every corner of the South though it feels like. I'm kept much closer to Val Royeaux. So it's a lot of keeping my head down and taking notes of what I hear.

[He shrugs lightly. Meets Illario's gaze with a sideways glance of his own.]

I prefer being out in the wilds with Harding if I'm honest. But so long as I'm being Useful it all needs doing.

[the_other_dellamorte]

I have always believed I have been a better man for having met you, yes.

[Said so easily, without any hesitation or pause for consideration. Illario doesn't even change his gait. The words are, it seems, simple fact he came to the conclusion of long ago, and feels able to share. At least with this man.

They walk and Jim says he thinks Illario is the one off having adventures, and perhaps there's some truth to that. But they aren't like this. They aren't saving the world sort of adventures. They're doing the dirty work of rich bastards sort of adventures. And while sometimes that is just fine, there are occasions where it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.]

I'm glad that those map-making skills are being put to use. And if one of the senior scouts favours your work, that's high praise.

As for being stuck in Val Royeaux... It is early days, Jim. You might yet get called to the wilds before all this is over.

[smartass_captain]

Still with the flattery, even after all these years.

[Jim doesn't sound annoyed or disgusted by it though. The comment is a touch nostalgic though he'd been trying for casually friendly. Something in him aches to reach out and take Illario's hand. He doesn't, of course.]

Lace and I are about the same age you know. She's from a farm in Ferelden. I think from all my questions she clocked I wasn't a farmhand myself. I felt guilty not sharing much about my home. But I like being just 'Jim the Marcher'.

[He doesn't mind Josephine knowing his full name and title. It's allowing him to fill a niche the Inquisition needs. But around the other scouts? It's. Nice. To feel like he belongs for a change.]

Ah. I've heard some wild stories already. I feel like I've got the cushier gig here for the time being. But I take it seriously.

GASP- DESSERT!

[the_other_dellamorte]

Would you rather I start lying again?

[He says, soft amusement in his voice, not at Jim, but for the strange situation that has them working together again, back in Orlais of all places. But needs must- and they have a collection of skills the Inquisition needs.]

Senior as in rank, bello. Not age. I would never presume a lady's age. [He grins, and pats Jim on the shoulder.] You have always been Jim the Marcher. This is just a side of you that was not at the fore until it had the opportunity. Frankly? It suits you.

I know you take it seriously. I don't think anyone involved in all of this can help but take it all... well. Perhaps not The Iron Bull. He seems not to take all that much seriously. But you truly want a story?