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for spellshatters
He tries to tell himself it's not a deliberate insult. It would be so much easier in the long run if he could believe that the advisors don't mean this as a deliberate statement of mistrust, and yet--why assign him a templar escort now? They'd been more willing to send him on solo missions when he was fresh out of the dungeons. Perhaps it had been with the unspoken thought that he'd be as likely to die as come back with intel, thereby ridding them of a troublesome apostate and freeing up a cell even in the worst-case scenario, but nonetheless, they had until now been trusting him well enough not to run off. They had given his loyalty to the Inquisition the benefit of the doubt, and been rewarded for it in kind.
The only difference now, so far as he can tell, is that he and this unknown quantity of a templar are being pitted against the Venatori.
So they'll trust him, it seems, with any foe they don't think he's in danger of trying to join. As if any self-respecting son of Hasmal, even a human one, would lower himself to lick Tevinter boots for the sake of some nebulous idea of mage supremacy--to think that an elf would be remotely vulnerable to recruitment by the slavedrivers responsible for filling his childhood home with broken refugees is beyond the pale.
(And yet, somehow, this still seems a more plausible thought process for Vandelin to assign to Leliana than the simple idea that templars are more useful than solo mages, when fighting vast hordes of other mages. Why let logic interfere with righteous indignation?)
It is not an auspicious beginning to his working relationship with this templar, but Vandelin is nothing if not skilled at maintaining a pretense of professionalism. He'll even give his new partner a thin smile, as he arrives at the stable to be outfitted with transport to the Hissing Wastes.
"Ser Etienne, I take it," he says. "A pleasure. Call me Vandelin." With other people, under other circumstances, he might insist that 'Enchanter' be appended to his name, because there's no point in earning a title if you don't get to use it even after the Fraternities have gone up in literal smoke--but in this case, the rejection of any Circle-based appellation is deliberate and pointed. He may even find an excuse to drop the 'Ser' if he can manage it.
"Is this your first time being shipped off to the desert?"
The only difference now, so far as he can tell, is that he and this unknown quantity of a templar are being pitted against the Venatori.
So they'll trust him, it seems, with any foe they don't think he's in danger of trying to join. As if any self-respecting son of Hasmal, even a human one, would lower himself to lick Tevinter boots for the sake of some nebulous idea of mage supremacy--to think that an elf would be remotely vulnerable to recruitment by the slavedrivers responsible for filling his childhood home with broken refugees is beyond the pale.
(And yet, somehow, this still seems a more plausible thought process for Vandelin to assign to Leliana than the simple idea that templars are more useful than solo mages, when fighting vast hordes of other mages. Why let logic interfere with righteous indignation?)
It is not an auspicious beginning to his working relationship with this templar, but Vandelin is nothing if not skilled at maintaining a pretense of professionalism. He'll even give his new partner a thin smile, as he arrives at the stable to be outfitted with transport to the Hissing Wastes.
"Ser Etienne, I take it," he says. "A pleasure. Call me Vandelin." With other people, under other circumstances, he might insist that 'Enchanter' be appended to his name, because there's no point in earning a title if you don't get to use it even after the Fraternities have gone up in literal smoke--but in this case, the rejection of any Circle-based appellation is deliberate and pointed. He may even find an excuse to drop the 'Ser' if he can manage it.
"Is this your first time being shipped off to the desert?"
no subject
He's finishing attaching a saddlebag to a horse when Vandeiln arrives, and his expression doesn't waver from the same unflappable calm as when Vandeiln came in.
He nods at his name, replies with a "Pleasure to meet you, Vandeiln,", his own origins instantly clear if one didn't get his name with his Orlesian accent audible even to one untrained in looking for them.
Vandeiln said how he wants to be addressed, and so far Etienne has no reason to second guess that. Just a name, that's fine.
"For the Inquisition, yes," he says "I was sent to the Western Approach a few times from the Spire when I was still in service there."
There's neither pride nor shame at that. He is somewhat preoccupied himself, admittedly. He doesn't think Ghislain would seek the company of Venatori, but he's coming up with plans in case he makes a terrible discovery.