(2025-01-21) A Book and An Archbishop (Dance Dance Side Scene)

Details

Author:	Athena
Summary:	Siamus shows Mordecai and Colson a book; he also questions them further on what they know about Archbishop Benedictus and the Cathedral in Stormwind for what they have all begun to suspect is a Twilight's Hammer corruption at the very top of Azeroth's most widespread religious organization. This is fine. 2300~. Plot Relevant RP.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: Twilight In Stormwind

Chain: Dance Dance Day

Chain: Morson

Siamus follows the Aspenwoods out of the library at an unhurried pace, and turns right toward the foyer. "This way," he says. He directs them into a side hallway; they emerge in the back foyer of the house, and Siamus leads them across the large, open room between fireplace and garden doors, to a door set to one side in the back. He opens the door to usher them in.

It is a pretty, private office space that doesn't seem much-used. Siamus crosses toward the desk, but as he does he takes a book at random from the bookcase he passes. He lifts this to show it to the Aspenwoods before dropping it negligently on the desk. "There," he says. "I've shown ye a book." He props himself against the desk, facing them, his arms folded across his chest.

Colson, obediently, looks at the book. "Ah," he says. He has been shown a book.

Mordecai straightens up gradually as they walk down the halls, and he squeezes Colson's hand once. It's better out here.

Mordecai is still not quite used to being asked to a different location under a pretense, and it shows, because he walks blankly over to the desk to look at the book.

The book is A TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE MAINLAND: STORMWIND AND THE WESTFALL COAST, WITH DETAILED INDEX AND 36 FULL-COLOR PLATES.

Mordecai picks the book up. "Um," he says. "I'm sorry about earlier." Which earlier?

Siamus tilts his head. "Ye — what? Sorry for what?" He looks genuinely baffled.

Colson does not have any insight into the cause either, as he looks at Mordecai.

Mordecai bites his lip. He opens the book and begins to flip through and admire the 36 full-color plates. "Earlier," he says. "When I couldn't talk."

The 36 full-color plates definitely appear to be the work of someone who has never been within a hundred nautical miles of either Stormwind or the Westfall Coast.

Siamus shrugs amiably at Mordecai. "No cause for ye to apologize. I do understand, aye? I'm sorry if I made ye feel chased, there."

Colson strokes his thumb over the back of Mordecai's hand soothingly. He looks to Siamus. "You wanted to speak with us privately about the situation with Archbishop Benedictus," he confirms. "What can we answer for you?"

"How much time d'ye spend in the Cathedral District these days? D'ye come and go regularly? Work at the Cathedral? Have friends there?" Siamus pauses, possibly because he realizes that firing a bunch of questions at Mordecai after trying to reassure him might un-reassure him.

"We are currently renting a room in a residence in the Cathedral District. We regularly use the opportunity to pray in the Cathedral when we have it, particularly in times of greater need for the solace of the Light, which is not unusual for how we have done so for the past several years since our discharges from the army. We have many friends and acquaintances among the brethren of the Light, both those who have occupation in the Cathedral, as well as other places, such as the Northshire Abbey, the draenei, and within the Argent Crusade," Colson replies calmly, comfortable with answering questions.

Siamus does such a good job not making a face at any part of that answer. He does such a serious job of not making a face that he kind of stops making a face altogether and goes weirdly blank through Colson's answers.

When Colson is finished, it takes him a moment to remember how to do natural faces again. He nods politely.

Mordecai carefully puts the book down. He has by now figured out that this isn't about the book. He turns towards Siamus. "I'm there often," he says. "More than Colson, because Colson's being sent out to Uldum. I do. Work there. Part-time."

"D'ye hear much about the Archbishop?" Siamus asks. "Do people… gossip about him, or whatnot? Or does the… Light… frown… on that?"

"Ah, well. The Light's teachings tell us that we owe respect to all people, and we strive towards compassion and patience. There is nothing that specifically prohibits gossip, or teaches us to elevate any one person beyond our mortal infallibility. We are all equal in the Light," Colson says mildly. "Social morality is often a product of interpretation of the tenets of the Light, and can vary from regional church to church. Which is to say, theologically, we are allowed to gossip in the Light, but we may find it frowned upon in specific Cathedrals populated by mortals who use power to construct rules." He lifts his right shoulder and drops it in a shrug. "I am afraid I cannot say I have overhead anything in specific about the Archbishop, but few find a paladin a desirable recipient for gossip. We have something of a reputation."

"Aye," says Siamus, maybe a little more fervently than he meant to. He couldn't help it; Colson's response kind of drove the point home.

He clears his throat and looks to Mordecai. "And yourself, Mordecai?"

Mordecai bites his lip and considers this. He continues holding Colson's hand as normal, and there is no signal that anything is amiss. He's just thinking.

Finally, Mordecai says, "Archbishop Benedictus is very well-liked. Many priests have a story about him helping or guiding us. I do too. He speaks to a lot of people. His reputation is incredibly positive." He looks directly at Siamus. "Which is part of why I'm afraid no one will believe me."

"Well," says Siamus genially, "lucky for you you're friends wi' the only cynical pagan on the House of Nobles. I was considering the thing in the other direction — whether I was being too hasty to see the man's actions as off — but I think when two men like yourself and your husband are of a similar mind, then we're looking at… something, for certain."

"I would have called him a good man, before I heard that speech," Mordecai admits, fidgeting idly with Colson's hand. "It really unsettled me. It didn't sound… like he used to sound. And then he didn't heal the king…"

"A past of walking steadily on the true path of the Light does not guarantee the future of it," Colson says softly, drawing Mordecai's hand over his heart. "All it can do is make us at times overconfident in our own strength of faith until it blinds us to when we have strayed. The Archbishop is still a man under the cloth, and the methods of Twilight's Hammer are insidious. He is not exempt from that fall, and his position makes him more likely to not be around anyone who would question him if he began to stray."

The paladin nods to Siamus. "There is cause to be wary, as there always is when matters of the faithful step towards zealotry. Dragonblight and where the dragon flights are in unification would not be expecting an attack from within, or have reason to question the Archbishop, if that is where he has gone. Twilight's Hammer has used the tactics of infiltration to sow chaos and conflict to disastrous effect, as seen in Deepholm. An overabundance of caution will be far less harmful than underestimating them. If we can help in rooting them out, we will do so."

"If that is where he's gone," Siamus says, and nods at Colson. "I've no particular reason to think he didn't, but I've got no particular reason to believe he did, either. We'll look into that, obviously. But — ye say the speech was the first time ye felt something was wrong?" He returns his focus to Mordecai. "Once ye did feel it, was there anything in his earlier words or behavior that now in retrospect looks off as well?"

"No." Mordecai doesn't have to think about this - he has clearly already done so. "That's part of what frightens me."

Colson shakes his head, gently pressing Mordecai's hand closer against his chest, and the [Fear Ward] tattoo beneath the cloth.

"I spoke to him earlier in the day, in the throne room," Mordecai recalls. "He seemed… distracted, I think, but his memory was intact - he remembered who I was."

Siamus watches Mordecai steadily for a moment. "If your Archbishop has gone to the Twilights," he says gently, "I don't think it happened between that morning and afternoon. I would expect… with what we know of the cult and their methods, I am afraid I expect he's been in place some time, and ye only glimpsed suspicious behavior from him when he thought it was safe to show it. Because he believed His Majesty and Prince Anduin dead."

He flicks a look to Colson for confirmation. "But naturally, all of this is hypothetical. We can't confirm or deny any of it until we talk to the man himself, or dig a little deeper into his business at least."

Colson nods. "We must give him the benefit of the doubt. That does not mean inaction, however, and we owe the world in its state the protection of investigating without bias or assumption that a man so holy could never be corrupted. What would you ask of us to do at this time?" He's a Doer, this paladin.

Mordecai opens his mouth to say something and closes it.

Siamus, who had tilted his head in thought at Colson's question, catches Mordecai's movement and looks to him, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Nothing important," Mordecai says, shaking his head.

Siamus regards Mordecai a moment longer, and then nods genially. "As ye like." He studies the priest. "I wonder whether, for now, ye might just — keep your eyes up and ears open round the Cathedral or at… church sorts of things. See if ye can get further word on what the Archbishop is doing in Dragonblight, or collect odd rumors, or other… strange things anyone else might say, now that ye know what you're listening for."

He pauses, and then adds — gently again — "I'm afraid we can safely assume, of course, that if your Archbishop has been corrupted, there will be others. The cult's seductive and the man's influential. So… be careful, as well, aye?"

"Always," Colson promises, although he is looking at Mordecai when he makes it.

Mordecai nods. "I'll keep doing that." Does that mean he's been doing that already? "If I find anything worthwhile, I'll let you know. Should I write, or…?"

"Ye can, aye," says Siamus. "If it's urgent, write to me care of the House of Nobles, up at the Keep, it will get to me faster. And if it's a thing ye don't want to put in writing, ye can find me at the Keep most weekdays, or at the — d'ye know the Crowned Lion? Pub in Dwarven District? Half the House is there after sessions let out."

"At the Keep most weekdays." Mordecai nods solemnly. "All right." He may or may not know of the Crowned Lion.

Siamus nods at Mordecai.

He considers for a moment, looking between Mordecai and Colson and back again. "And just so the both of ye are aware — as I know neither of ye knows me as well as he could, but ye know I'm not a church-man — if for any reason you're wary of telling me a thing because ye don't know how I'll take it or whether I'm to be trusted with it, ye can tell Ference. I'd trust him with any of it, and I won't take offense if ye want it to go through him. Fair enough, these days."

"Of course," Colson agrees mildly. It's difficult to tell if he has any extra thoughts on the matter. That's probably just his face though.

"Thank you," Mordecai says softly. "Sir Ference is trustworthy. I… don't think you would take bad news out on the messenger. You don't seem the type."

Siamus doesn't blink at Mordecai, but his expression does a little shift, swiftly covered. After a moment, he says, "I don't think I would either. I should hope not, at least. But I won't make ye take my word for it if ye don't feel easy."

Mordecai smiles faintly. "I believe you. It's… nothing to do with you. Speaking up is… difficult for me, but I've been getting better." He glances at Colson.

Siamus nods equably. He starts to straighten from where he's propped against the desk, and then pauses and settles back again. "What was his name? The Kul Tiran ye sent off?"

"Masters," Mordecai says immediately. "Private Sean Masters. His brother Ryan is also in the army - well, he was at the time. I don't know what's happened to him or what his rank is now. Or if he's also… I don't know."

Siamus nods. His dark gaze is somber. "Thank ye kindly, Chaplain. If it's all right with ye, I can see the bell rung for Private Masters here at Starm Rock. Just in case."

"Thank you," Mordecai says, and his smile is genuine. "I'd appreciate that."

Siamus nods once and straightens. "Shall we rejoin the tea, then?"

Colson raises his brows at Mordecai. "Would you like to go back in, or would you like to go home?"

Mordecai exhales in relief. Colson has given him the options. "I think I'd prefer to go home. Thank you for having us, Fallon."

"Of course. You're welcome at any time, aye? Glad to have ye." He offers out his hand for whomever would like to shake it.

Colson is currently holding Mordecai's right hand, so he offers his own right hand to Siamus for another appropriately strong grip handshake, held for the correct amount of time as if he has a timer in his head for the Rules governing length of time for shaking hands with people, and he is abiding by it exactly.

Interestingly, his mother shakes hands the exact same way, when she does it.

Mordecai actually lets go of Colson's hand to shake Siamus's hand as well, when Colson is done.

Siamus smiles at him.

"Gentleman," he says. "Let me show ye out, aye?"

And then he does that.