[ That isn’t a smart-ass answer. It’s the beginning of a real one, and then a pause to order the required words that lasts a bit too long. ]
Because they are making all of the decisions, when it matters, in a room none of us are invited into, and none of them give a shit what happens to us after this. Except Thranduil, perhaps, but only if he does not have a plan to avoid being thrown in with us.
[But neither does Matthias, not properly. Or at least, not the way he trusts other mages. Kitty had warned him about Flint, and he'd listened, taken that into consideration, weighed it up against everything else he knows about his boss. And he'll remember it. Enchanter Averesch coming to him, with this--well, it gets immediate notice.]
But that makes it good that I'm there, doesn't it? 'Cause I can tell you what goes on, what they talk about and what's coming down the path for everyone.
It's good you are there. [ A little grudging—not because of Matthias, just because he hates admitting anything might not be terrible. ] Just not that you are the only one, and that you do not have any real authority.
Yeah. No. I know that. [I might someday sounds even stupider than claiming some hold on Flint, which would sound pretty bloody stupid, as it wouldn't be at all real. Matthias hesitates, and chews on his lip, before he hazards instead--] If something happened, and they--Riftwatch--didn't go for us. We could leave. There's a load of us, and they'd miss us.
There was a strike, like, before. Yeah? I wasn't here. I heard about it.
Well, yeah. If it's important. I don't mean I want us to act like, I dunno, kids having a fit, or anything. Just that--
[He hesitates, then decides to just go for it--]
We've got power. Right? There's quite a few of us, and we're useful. Helpful. We can do a great deal, and we do, for Riftwatch. And we can cause a great deal of trouble as well.
[Superiority isn't a concept Matthias is comfortable with. Especially not now that he's been among non-mages for so long--people he likes, people who are just as good. So that's not what he means. More... a threat, maybe. Or the hint of a threat.
Lovely Gallows you've got here, it'd be a shame if someone... set it on magical fire. That sort of thing.]
We could. If we had to. I do not know that we should, no matter how bad—
[ He sighs. ]
Unless the plan is for us to retreat to an island somewhere, [ which sounds increasingly fine to him, ] we have to be able to live in the world, after this. We need people to let us. If they think we would let them die if we did not get what we wanted—you are not wrong. We just need to be careful.
Well... Why? I mean, there's loads of us. And we have got an awful load of power among all of us--not only amongst ourselves, right, I mean all of the mages out there--and the only reason we've not been able to do anything with it, properly, is 'cause we've been kept down. 'Cause they knew what we could do and they were afraid of it and wanted to control it, so they could keep on in control.
[Well, wait--he rushes to add an important caveat,] I don't mean I want us to become sodding Tevinter or anything, just... Well, we've got this freedom. What's the use of having it if we can't exercise some control over our lives and fates and all? We'd let them die if we didn't get what we want. That's true. And other people do that all the time. I mean, Maker's bloody teeth, it's what they'd be doing to us, isn't it? If it went the wrong way?
Maybe. But we can’t—we were losing the war. If we go back to that, we will go back to losing. The only way things will change is if we convince enough people that we deserve to have them change.
[Well, then, they weren't beaten. Or were they? Of the two of them, it would be Enchanter Averesch who would know. Matthias was there, but not the way that he was. He looks down at his hands, the rough callouses on his fingers and the long old scar that runs just above the knuckles, curved like a thin smile.]
People have to know better by now. Mages've done a great deal. Without the Circles.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-11-21 12:15 am (UTC)[Which he says immediately, probably too quickly, and with a great deal of sincerity. Er.]
Why's-- Why's it not good, then? [Serah, he nearly adds, and swallows the word just in time. Idiot.]
no subject
Date: 2019-11-21 04:46 pm (UTC)[ That isn’t a smart-ass answer. It’s the beginning of a real one, and then a pause to order the required words that lasts a bit too long. ]
Because they are making all of the decisions, when it matters, in a room none of us are invited into, and none of them give a shit what happens to us after this. Except Thranduil, perhaps, but only if he does not have a plan to avoid being thrown in with us.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-21 10:31 pm (UTC)[But neither does Matthias, not properly. Or at least, not the way he trusts other mages. Kitty had warned him about Flint, and he'd listened, taken that into consideration, weighed it up against everything else he knows about his boss. And he'll remember it. Enchanter Averesch coming to him, with this--well, it gets immediate notice.]
But that makes it good that I'm there, doesn't it? 'Cause I can tell you what goes on, what they talk about and what's coming down the path for everyone.
no subject
Date: 2019-11-24 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-11-26 08:07 pm (UTC)Yeah. No. I know that. [I might someday sounds even stupider than claiming some hold on Flint, which would sound pretty bloody stupid, as it wouldn't be at all real. Matthias hesitates, and chews on his lip, before he hazards instead--] If something happened, and they--Riftwatch--didn't go for us. We could leave. There's a load of us, and they'd miss us.
There was a strike, like, before. Yeah? I wasn't here. I heard about it.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 02:17 am (UTC)[ Mostly Nell. He has a feeling, and a very short sulk, and then he starts over. ]
If it is something important. We can't threaten to quit every time something small doesn't go our way.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 05:08 pm (UTC)[He hesitates, then decides to just go for it--]
We've got power. Right? There's quite a few of us, and we're useful. Helpful. We can do a great deal, and we do, for Riftwatch. And we can cause a great deal of trouble as well.
[Superiority isn't a concept Matthias is comfortable with. Especially not now that he's been among non-mages for so long--people he likes, people who are just as good. So that's not what he means. More... a threat, maybe. Or the hint of a threat.
Lovely Gallows you've got here, it'd be a shame if someone... set it on magical fire. That sort of thing.]
no subject
Date: 2019-12-08 08:28 pm (UTC)[ He sighs. ]
Unless the plan is for us to retreat to an island somewhere, [ which sounds increasingly fine to him, ] we have to be able to live in the world, after this. We need people to let us. If they think we would let them die if we did not get what we wanted—you are not wrong. We just need to be careful.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-10 11:08 pm (UTC)[Well, wait--he rushes to add an important caveat,] I don't mean I want us to become sodding Tevinter or anything, just... Well, we've got this freedom. What's the use of having it if we can't exercise some control over our lives and fates and all? We'd let them die if we didn't get what we want. That's true. And other people do that all the time. I mean, Maker's bloody teeth, it's what they'd be doing to us, isn't it? If it went the wrong way?
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-13 04:09 pm (UTC)We weren't losing.
[Were... they?]
no subject
Date: 2019-12-17 07:11 pm (UTC)[ Or, well— ]
I hope.
It was that or make a last stand.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-27 04:10 am (UTC)[Well, then, they weren't beaten. Or were they? Of the two of them, it would be Enchanter Averesch who would know. Matthias was there, but not the way that he was. He looks down at his hands, the rough callouses on his fingers and the long old scar that runs just above the knuckles, curved like a thin smile.]
People have to know better by now. Mages've done a great deal. Without the Circles.