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.
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timeasmymeasure
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.