<div class="floatleft">(http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/ninjabreadman1993/Dragon%20Agetrade_%20Inquisition_20150128001607_zpsyvaq12th.jpg)<br/>(http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/ninjabreadman1993/Avvy1_zpsqbjmr9np.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Kas.<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Skyhold Garden ---> Skyhold Interior<br/><strong>Tags:</strong>Alec, Juliette.<br/><br/>Kas inclines his head as Alec passes him by, but doesn't otherwise move; the dismissal is about as clear as can be without a phrase such as "begone," "leave us" or "piss off" being added into the mix, so he has absolutely no desire to follow Alec back to his place of work. His report has been given, and even though Kas had perhaps hoped for a moments conversation to catch up with the Spymaster - they are, after all, fairly old friends from before Alec even became a high-ranking Agent of the Inquisition - he can understand that the job is extremely high-pressure and that only the occasional short breaks are allowed. The chances are, Alec has a mountain of paperwork to get through, and Kas's own report simply reminded him of his duties that required attending. He has no doubt that Alec will seek him out later for a further chat, or that he will soon be given another mission, so he doesn't take the abrupt dismissal all that personally. He watches Alec leave the garden and, for a moment, muses over Alec's suggestion that he might want to unwind; Alec<em>does</em>know Kas, right? Kas's idea of relaxation is ensuring that his quarters are as assassin proof as he can make them, and then settling down to maintain his equipment. Being an assassin isn't a profession, it's a way of life, and "switching off" the instincts of the craft - trust nobody, never let your guard down, watch all the access points and plan an escape route for every eventuality, regard those around you with healthy suspicion etc etc - is next to impossible when they've saved your life as often as they have for Kas. Of course, he won't deny that a chair in a semi-warm room doesn't sound too bad after weeks of driving rain and snow on horseback...whilst he prefers a slightly-below-body-temperature room for its lack of relaxing elements (it is far, far too easy to drift off and become lethargic in a warm room), he'll take a slightly too warm room over the freezing temperatures of the Frostback wilderness. Both scenarios could result in mistakes and death, but at least the too-warm room means that he's comfortable and not in danger of losing his fingers.<br/><br/>However, he can't retire to his quarters and await further orders<em>just</em>yet. He's delivered his Mission Report to Alec - who will no doubt pass on the relevant information to the correct parties - but given Alec's likely mountainous volume of reports to wade through, he thinks it prudent to inform the Ambassadorial Advisor, Madame Juliette, of his success and the alteration of the political landscape in Ostwick sooner rather than later. At least then, she won't have to hear it second hand in a weeks time, when the information is perhaps less valuable. Alec likely passed on his news of success from his raven, but considering the lack of details in that message, he thinks it sensible to clarify some of the finer details with the Inquisitions head politician. He obviously won't share any of the finer details of his mission - the details that are to be passed on to the Ambassador is up to Alec himself - but Madame Juliette should probably be informed of his return as soon as possible. If nothing else, she should be aware of The Inquisitions new standing with the Viscount of Ostwick before any Ambassadorial overtures are made by either party...if she knows that they negotiate from a position of strength, he imagines it will be easier in the long run. An even-ground envoy is far, far different to an envoy from a position of strength, or so he understands. In that way, at least, politics is a lot like warfare, or espionage; you behave very differently if you're acting from a position of weakness. To that end, he turns his back on the direction that Alec departed in, and makes his way back inside Skyhold proper. He slips through the passageways easily - he long since memorised the layout of the fortress - and soon finds himself climbing the stairs from one of the lower levels to Juliette's office, located just outside the War-Room.<br/><br/>He turns left at the top of the stairs, pushes through the door...and finds an empty office. He frowns momentarily; is she not done with the 'Vint ambassador? From what he understands of Juliette's temperament, she doesn't hold much love for the Northerners, and usually doesn't make much time for them unless absolutely necessary, let alone a lowly-ranked one such as that snivelling bureaucrat. Oh, he doesn't know that 'Vint's position for certain, but spend enough time in Espionage, and you tend to get fairly skilled at reading people...the agents that don't get skilled get dead instead. It was in the way he held himself; puffed-out chest, as if he thought himself important, but leaning on his back foot as if intimidated or getting ready to flee at the first sign of danger. Always looking up at Juliette and Kain, and from what he could see, playing reactionary to their movements. A high-ranking Magister of the Imperium would have better form in a political duel, Kas would imagine. At the least, he would stand tall and not give any ground to the Inquisitor or the Ambassador, as preening and arrogant as the 'Vint Magisters tend to be. After a moments pause as he takes a few steps into the office, Kas resolves to turn back and investigate to see whether Juliette is still in the Great Hall; if she is, he will simply await her pleasure off to the side, and intercept her when she disengages from whoever she is verbally sparring. If she isn't in the Great Hall, he will see if anybody within knows where she was headed. He turns to leave her office...when he hears the door he just came through opening. He takes a small step back to set himself in case of a rush-attack and his hand goes to his waist, ready to draw one of his knives. The room is too small for a bow to be used effectively, and if the new entrant to the room desires to close the distance quickly, he wouldn't have the time to knock and fire an arrow with any great precision and would then be at a disadvantage using a range weapon in close quarters; in an environment like this, a knife is what you need. Kas coils himself as the door creaks open...<br/><br/>...and forces himself to relax as the elegant form of the Inquisition Ambassador steps through the doorway. He straightens, his hand falling away from his dagger - though not all the way; you never know what magical illusions an intruder<em>could</em>be using; there was this one time in Antiva where a Mage had managed to cast an illusion on herself to make her look like a free-standing lamp in order to hide in a disused store-room - as he stands at attention. He takes a small step back and to the side, just in case...besides, he doubts she wants to have to walk through him to get to her desk. "<em>Shanedan,</em>* Ambassador," he begins respectfully. Whilst not the head of the Spy network or commander of the armed forces, she is still his superior and deserves the same level of respect as the other two Advisors...besides, Juliette is adept at eviscerating people with words as the Commander is with swords and Alec with poison and subterfuge. Best not to annoy her. "I was just intending to seek you out." He stops there. He doesn't doubt that Juliette knows of his mission in Ostwick, and the fact that he is here already tells her that he has returned, so to tell her that he has just returned from Ostwick would be extremely redundant. Instead, he finishes with "Might I have a moment of your time, if it pleases you?" Whilst the tone is characteristically flat, to the point and rather gruff, it is said with an appropriate level of respect and deference. It might surprise you to hear such manners from an assassin, Kas has learned from experience that you should always be polite to those in power above you. He is usually relatively laconic with his speech, but if a few extra words earns him some goodwill from his superiors, than it is worth the time. The Mainland is not like Qunandar; back home, you greet somebody, say what you need to say, then leave. Here, it's all pomp and circumstance...whilst he may personally find the flowery dialect distasteful, the occasional diplomatic language has its place. He is, after all, requesting she make time for him. The least he can do is to ask<em>respectfully.</em>