<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 Rookery ---> Skyhold Great Hall ---> Skyhold Garden<br/><strong>Tags:</strong>Juliette, Kain, Alec.<br/><br/>It doesn't take long for Kas to reach the base of the tower that is home to the rookery, Alec's "base of operations." Whilst it's never been made formal or official to the best of Kas's knowledge, the location at the top of Skyholds main tower has always been where the Spymaster's office resides, all the way back to the first Spymaster of The Inquisition, the fabled Lelianna. There is never much furniture up there, the majority of the space belonging either to the ravens or the supplies needed for the care of said birds, but from what he's seen, there's enough; there's the inevitable shrine to Andraste some way around from the stairs, there's a desk next to the window facing the stairs and there's a door to the balcony...and that's really all that is needed in an office, he supposes. He did wonder, once, why the Spymaster would locate themselves at the highest point of a tower that very few people ever actually wandered through, seeing as how the main entrance to the Great Hall is always so much easier to access, and how the side door to the kitchens is located directly above the stables. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised that it was the perfect place for a Spy to set up shop; the height allows for the storing of the birds, obviously, and the door to the balcony allows for quick, easy release for the birds. Similarly, the balcony offers an excellent view of most of Skyhold itself and much of the valley below, and is almost inaccessible except to a very determined infiltrator...and infiltrator who will inevitably be spotted scaling the tower if the guards are doing their jobs. Besides the balcony door, there is only one method of entry - the stairs - which the Spymasters desk is usually directed towards...and, the tower being fairly infrequently travelled means that any suspicious individuals walking through it are that much easier to spot and deal with if they become a problem. And even if they do succeed in an attack on the Spymaster, they still must walk through the majority of Skyhold whilst avoiding suspicion in order to escape, which is much easier than simply walking to the front gate from the tavern, for example.<br/><br/>So, after some thought, the Spymasters position in the rookery makes a lot of sense, if the Spymaster can handle the inevitably unceasing rustle of feathers, cawing of crows and the stench of bird waste. Though he understands that with how regularly servants clean the cages, it rarely becomes an issue for the Spymaster, at the least. Entering the bottom of the tower, Kas turns his head skywards, squinting a little in an attempt to discern movement from the rafters; Alec is known for taking breaks when his writing hand becomes tired, and those breaks frequently take him away from the Spymasters unofficial "office..." understandable, given the noise and smell, but it does make locating him difficult sometimes. And honestly, whilst Kas is more than capable of doing it, he would rather not climb two flights of stairs, then turn around and come back down because Alec is not there. If he can discern some kind of movement up there, at least that would give him some indication as to whether or not Alec is presently in his office. Whilst he can't see any movement, the shadows are thick from where he's standing, so....it's entirely possible that Alec is simply at his writing desk, out of sight. Again, that makes sense; if he was visible at his writing desk, anybody with half decent aim and a crossbow could assassinate The Inquisitions Spymaster without even having to climb the stairs.<br/><br/>Just as Kas is about to resign himself to ascending the two flights of stairs to see whether Alec is currently in his "office," one of the servants - a young elven girl, perhaps nineteen summers old, lithe with slightly tanned skin, typically angular elven features and short-cut auburn hair - that has been bustling about the room making it clean speaks up. "E-excuse me, serrah," she says timidly. Kas turns towards her silently, eyebrow raising quizzically. "I-if you're looking for Spymaster Alec...I saw him depart some time ago. I-I haven't seen him return yet."<br/>Kas nods slowly...yes, that would make sense. As he noted earlier, Alec tends to take walks during his breaks. "I see. Do you happen to know his destination?"<br/>The servant girl nods. "I-I believe he was headed towards the gardens, serrah."<br/>Kas nods again. Yes...Alec always did like the peace of the garden. "My gratitude,<em>Athlok.</em>* You have spared me a pointless climb." He inclines his head in gratitude, and moves past her towards the door leaving her to resume her duties. See what he means? If you are polite to the serving staff, you can save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run.<br/><br/>The walk to the garden is not a long one, though it does take him through the Main Hall. He never did like it; too open, too exposed...and anybody storming through the main doors is going to have a direct line of sight at whoever is unfortunate enough to be sitting on the throne at that time...but then, that would suggest that they've breached the main gates, in which case, he supposes that they would have far greater problems than somebody being able to potentially fire at The Inquisitor. And before anybody suggests that The Inquisitor could handle it, he probably could, but...well, it doesn't matter how much training you've had or how powerful you are. The Inquisitor is mortal, just like everybody else, and a crossbow bolt to the eye is a crossbow bolt to the eye, no matter who you are. He slips into and out of the Great Hall as quickly and quietly as he can - though he does register the presence of the Ambassador and the Inquisitor himself addressing an unfortunate 'Vint emissary - you can tell them by the way they stand arrogantly posturing in their rich, pointlessly extravagant clothes; he may not be Qunari any more, but he still harbours a distaste for the 'Vints...they've done too much to him for him to ever really shake that habit - and makes a mental note to seek them out later; both of them will need to be appraised of the changed situation in The Free Marches, and Ostwick in particular, after he has debriefed by Alec. That's the order: Spymaster, then give the Ambassador and Inquisitor the cliffnotes. So, slipping out of the Great Hall as quietly as he entered, he enters the garden.<br/><br/>After blinking a little in the sunlight - a change from the dank candlelight of Skyhold's interior - it doesn't take him long to spot Alec, sitting on a bench and apparently drifting off to sleep from the way he is holding himself with his eyes closed...of course, Kas knows better. Alec is an accomplished spy and infiltrator, despite his role as a primarily "Scout Spy," and when he appears to be dozing off is the time you are least likely to catch him off guard. It seems like a contradiction, but any spy that has remained alive for any length of time has mastered the art of relaxing but never becoming complacent or too secure in their safety. It's paradoxical, he knows, and unless you're a spy as well, you won't understand. He and Alec go back a surprisingly long way...about a year or so after Kas joined the Inquisition, and a short while after the whole business with the Ben Hassrath had been resolved for good or ill, Alec was recruited into The Inquisition as an intel-Spy. Basically, Alec would survey the local area, gaining intel on terrain and local factions, and would then pass it on to the Agents and soldiers operating in the area for their commanders to use as they saw fit. Kas was assigned to Alec during his probation period in order to keep an eye on him in case he was attempting to infiltrate or betray The Inquisition, and to evaluate his prowess...and he has to say, Alec impressed him. He is a skilled scout and spy, and is almost as good at disappearing into the shadows as Kas is. Almost. Not quite, though. That was five years ago now, and honestly? Kas can see why Alec was chosen as Spymaster. You need somebody who is good at analysing and applying intel, and who better than somebody who used to gather a large variety of intel in the first place? Who else are you going to choose; an assassin? Possibly, since an Assassin is usually required to gather and utilise their own specific intel, but an ex Intel-Specialist is a far better option.<br/><br/>Regardless, he does hesitate for a moment; Alec is evidently enjoying a break of some kind in the fresh air, and Kas is always loathe to disturb him in these quiet moments. He understands how the job can get to you sometimes, and that's just from an Agents point of view...obviously, the Spymaster has a much, much harder job with far, far weightier consequences. And, unfortunately, it is those consequences that pushes Kas to approach; he must deliver his report soon, so that The Inquisition can act on the new advantage they possess quickly. Obviously he dispatched a raven to inform of his success in Ostwick, but there are always some issues with raven messages...they can't be overly long, since the size of message that the ravens can carry is inherently limited by their relative size and flying ability, it can't give any details other than cryptic comments or coded assurances just in case the raven is intercepted, and sometimes the birds never arrive at all due to bandits, enemy operatives, bad weather or the bird just getting distracted and flying off. The latter is rare, but it does happen. Ravens can be trained, but they aren't the smartest of birds. His message only read a coded<em>"It is done. O is secure. Returning posthaste. K,"</em>but Kas must still make sure that the message arrived. If it didn't, well, they could have a problem. And if it did, Alec will want more details for his inevitable report. It seems that a lot of what the Spymaster does is just paperwork. Important paperwork, but even important paperwork is still paperwork. That is one thing from his days in the Ben-Hassrath that Kas does<em>not</em>miss.<br/><br/>"<em>Shanedan,</em>** Serrah Alec."  Though he is Spymaster, you don't exactly go around addressing him as such. It isn't quite like "Ambassador" or "Commander." There isn't exactly a publicly broadcast rank...at least, not that he is aware of. They do things a little differently here on the Mainland...back in Qunadar, they address each other by their roles, or ranks. Here, everybody has a unique name as well as a rank. It took him some getting used to when he first arrived. Now? Now it's like second nature, though he still slips into Qunlat occasionally. "Apologies for disturbing your rest, but I assumed that you would wish to debrief as soon as I arrived back in Skyhold." He stands before Alec, straight backed, legs set a little apart and hands behind his back....conveniently close to a pair of his small throwing knives. Tiny things, but still useful on occasion. It's an assassins habit...always have a weapon close by, just in case. He stays out of arms reach of Alec, too...he doesn't think that Alec will try to kill him, but that is another old assassin habit; never let anybody close with you unless necessary. The key to hand to hand combat is getting close without putting your target on guard, and he does not intend to get bested, ever. In his line of work, he can't afford to. One mistake could mean death...or worse. "Ostwick is secure. May I assume that you received my Raven?" Not that it matters much if he did or not...but a missing raven could be indicative of something more, so informing the Spymaster that he dispatched one is a precaution that takes maybe a couple of seconds to take, so better safe than sorry.<br/><br/>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>*<em>Athlok:</em>Worker.<br/>**<em>Shanedan:</em>Respectful greeting. "I'll hear you."