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[justice_is_blond]

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[justice_is_blond]

My research room, next to the infirmary. What's going on?

[sunshinethroughgrey]

I need to speak with you about something important.

[her steps are shifting direction, towards his research room.]

[justice_is_blond]

I'm here for all of your important topics.

[It's said lightly as he starts to clean up what he was working on.]

[sunshinethroughgrey]

[She clicks off the crystal, and in a few minutes is walking into his research area, her jaw set in a familiar Hawke-stubborn state.]

Did you know that Templar Coupe was trying to get another Division leader fired from her position because she tried to help us?

[justice_is_blond]

[He looks up at her at the question and contemplates for a moment before shaking his head.]

I did not, but I'm hardly surprised. She helped mages, and Templars are Templars, with few exceptions. Were you speaking with Coupe?

[sunshinethroughgrey]

No, I was speaking with Madame de Cedoux over the crystals.

[Bethany exhales, although her arms are still folded around her stomach in a gesture of self-protection.]

Is there any way we can get Coupe out of power?

[justice_is_blond]

[Anders snorts humorlessly as he leans against his desk.]

Foist a Templar from power? No, Bethany. That's a battle we can't win, and one that would take far too much energy to be worth fighting. And even if we got Coupe out of power, Rutherford and Penterghast are still holding their particular line up in Skyhold.

[He shakes his head again.]

Removing people from power is a... temporary measure at best in this political climate. Rather, removing the sorts that are pro-Chantry, pro-Circle, and the like. What we need to work on is the common people. Get them more welcoming of mages and Rifters and elves, get them used to us and wanting us around and not relying on the Chantry for everything.

Break the Chantry's hold over people, and you'll find the Templars getting weaker even as they're not officially with the Chantry anymore.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

[She exhaled slowly, before looking over at her.]

I ... oh it is so very aggravating. So very aggravating.

[justice_is_blond]

It is.

[She'll find no argument from him on that.]

I'd love dramatic progress toward freedom and full rights for all and equality, but at best we can only tiptoe toward it, it seems, and every step forward requires steps backward as well.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Three steps forward, one step back. Great Maker - this is my life as a Hawke, a mage and a Warden all in one.

[Her dimples flash wryly, before she sighs.]

We can't let her get away with this. Or at least, not anything else.

[justice_is_blond]

What do you propose?

[Getting away with it is likely exactly what Coupe will do. She's a Templar. She has power. They do not.]

Save you trying to become the new Diplomacy head, I can think of nothing we can do.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Great Maker, as if anyone would let me taken over?

[She smirked over at him.]

We just barely got out of the pariah status, we Wardens. No one is going to want one of us in Diplomacy.

[justice_is_blond]

I'm not hearing any suggestions,

[he replies with an eyebrow raise. No, they're not likely to appoint a Warden to something. But she came down here wanting to depose someone and he's going to use this moment to challenge her to try to think strategically for a change.]

What would you have done?

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Honestly ... found someone more open-minded to take over Forces, and used the fact that Coupe is blackmailing the other Leaders to have her ousted. I know Cullen wouldn't stand for it, and neither would Cassandra. [Her lips twist.] Leliana might ask her how she's done it - but considering how she feels about mages? Coupe might have gotten the boot right then and there.

[justice_is_blond]

[He shakes his head.]

And these are still things we've not the ability to do, Bethany. With more power at our disposal, certainly we'd remove a Templar and replace Coupe.

This is the problem. We've plenty of dissatisfaction, but nothing we can actually do.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

[Bethany sighed. Deeply, folding her hands together.]

You know what we need? We need another Mage Council. We've got the opportunity to take the power now ... so we should take it. Get ourselves set up so something like this can't happen again. Or ever again.