knightsoflegend | debriefing ♔ in the emptiness there's a solution

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debriefing ♔ in the emptiness there's a solution | just look within yourself for absolution

♬ locking up the sun- poets of the fall

WHO || Wynn, Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike, Gar, Archer, Des, Vi, Rafael, Fred Jr., Dumage, Mark, Rocket, open! [Closed]
WHAT || Andres Mission Debrief & Aftermath
WHERE || Knights HQ, lobby etc.
WHEN || September 18th [forward dated*]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

There are plenty of missions that return to the castle a success - most of them, even. The defeated air of the solemn group that returns from their diplomatic mission to Andres Isle to hear the demands of dictator Dimitris Sarandis makes it quite clear that this wasn't one of those.

Starting with Sarandis' actual demands - for all Knights to withdraw from Andres under penalty of death, or for Wynn to offer his own head in return for Thomas' safe return - and ending with the unexpected, disturbing confession from Kat that she intended to stay behind on the island because she had "fallen in love with" the dictator, the events of the island made it very clear that Sarandis was cannily playing his hand to get the Knights where he wanted them.

Fred Jr. shoves open the doors with his unnatural strength, stalking in ahead of the group into the lobby. Whoever's on desk duty isn't going to have to roll a high wisdom check to see that these people are pissed... and distraught... and a myriad of other emotions on the bad end of the scale.

*I am changing the date of the briefing log and Andres log/live session to have taken place in September, to avoid us being in backdated hell forever, and to allow for a September squiring ceremony before apps are closed. Carry on... in the future!

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[ It's in a random corridor that the Doctor crops upon Helen. He looks more than a little bit uneasy, all this talk of war. He's seen war, he doesn't want to see it again, though it looks inevitable. He's standing with his back to the wall when he sees her step by, and he pushes up, a little taller, a little more alert. ]

Helen?

[She's trying to do too many things at once, checking on old files, trying to out things in order. The sound of her name stops her, causing her to turn suddenly.]

...John? Sorry. [She looks a bit flustered.] Hello. How are you?

[ Oh you know, fan bloody tastic. War tends to make you feel that way.

Only that's not what he says. ]

Oh you know, never been better. And you, Helen? [ he looks almost concerned, but then, well, war is concerning so it does that. ]

Keeping busy. [She says, holding up the file she's bringing back to her lab area.]

Making sure to tie up loose ends on a few cases.

[y'know... In case she does.]

[ He's used to doing something. Helping. Or at least he did that once. He's not really sure where his place is in all of this, or if he should be here at all. But he knows he needs to try. ]

Can I help?

[That takes her a bit by surprise. She knows so very little about him, and she already knows he's lied about some things, but that hardly matters now. His name doesn't really change anything. Studying him carefully, she gives a small nod and gestures for him to follow her.]

Come along, then. Do keep up.

[She could use an assistant for the night. A companion, if you will.]

[ He's trying not to be himself. Or at least trying not to be all the terrible things he thinks he is. Still, he wants to help, even if he doesn't quite realise that that is who he is really. Maybe he will eventually. As soon as she agrees, he's following after her, trying to get his feet to keep up. ]

All this. Do you really think it's a good idea?

[Casting a wary glance at him, Helen is quiet for a moment after he speaks. She could lie, of course, but she shouldn't. Even if she knows he's lied to her, "John" is entitled to her honest opinion.]

War, by definition, is never a good idea. But it is often an necessary course of action. [Which isn't really an answer. Helen's with Wynn on this, and she will remain optimistic that they will succeed, but it's difficult for her to keep from thinking of all the lives that might be lost- on both sides.]

If we don't act first, Sarandis will find the opportunity to strike when we least expect it.

[ He watches her as she speaks, and really listens. Maybe he values her opinion, though he's not really quite sure why. ]

And you think war is the best way to go about that?

[ He's dubious, it's clear. He's seen enough war to give him apprehension. ] You don't think there's another way?

[ He doesn't know everything that'd led up to this, of course. What measures or steps they've taken before getting here. ]

I don't think the oppressed people of Andres would be too keen on us sitting on our heels to come up with a plan B. [She doesn't mean it to be harsh. In fact, she looks incredibly sad about it.]

We've waited ten years to find another way, John. At some point, we simply must take the plunge and deal with the consequences as they come.

It's never worth it.

[ The response is quick and more than a little insistent. He barely notices quite how much. ]

War doesn't win anything. It never has. War just leads to death on both sides.

Think of it less of a war and more of a very forceful assassination attempt. We're looking to overthrow a dictator parading as a Prime Minister.

[Her conviction is firmer on this.]

Lives are being lost every second that man keeps breathing.

[ Those words shock him, and he stalls, looking at her as though she's just offered to go and murder a few children. Possibly a slight overreaction, yes. ]

Words of a dictator if ever there were.

[She looks as thought he's slapped her, unable to hide the way that those words strike her (will save 10).]

Yes, well- No one's forcing you to join the cause. If you're nearly through telling me whether or not I ought stand up for what I believe in? I've got quite a lot to do.

Well given they're apparently gleefully signing up a pile of teenagers then someone needs to go and look after them.

[ Possibly the most hypocritical of comments? Yes. Given his penchant for whisking away young women and thrusting them head first into danger. But maybe it's because he sees that fact, sees his own mistakes, that gives him such strong conviction. ]

Knights and squires who believe in the cause will be assessed and placed in missions appropriate for their skill sets. [Her normally calm tone seems to rise in pitch and intensity. She's got a lot of feelings about trusting Wynn and knowing that he's not sending young baby squires to an early grave.]

Do not presume that you are the only one here who worries for those young lives. I have two squires who will be presented with this choice, two young women who are too new to really understand the weight of what we are asking them to do. But I will not discourage their bravery, should they choose to come to the council. Nor will I mock them as cowards if they choose the safety of the castle. We are all presented with a choice here today. A choice that is nearly impossible to make and you would do well to respect mine.

Blimey how many times you parroted that one back?

[ He listens to her, yes, but he still bristles at every word. Maybe it's simply because he sees a lot of himself in the way she speaks. All talk about giving them choices, giving them chances to be brave. And he knows what happens after that. The cycle is so often the same. ]

And let me guess, they want to be brave for you, right?

[She lets out a bitter laugh.]

Talk to either of my squires and you'd see why that's the furthest from the truth. Some people do things simply because they're the right thing to do.

And why do they think it's the right thing to do? Do you really think they came up with that idea all on their own?

[ He's not meaning to be disparaging of her squires, far from it. But he has no real doubt, not here anyway. ]

Let me make something clear, John. [She steps closer, something dangerous in her eyes. Questioning her methods, her mentorship- Well, she wasn't going to stand around and let him drag her name through the mud.] I'm not the one being dishonest about my motivations. So if you're going to continue to stand here and preach to me about what we should or shouldn't do to save lives, you can have the decency to be honest about who you really are and why you're really here.

[ He can hear that tone, the way she says his name (well, sort of his name) as though it's a lie. It bristles him, and likely because she's right. ]

Save lives? [ he scoffs ] Sorry and here I was thinking we were talking about sending children to war. [ Not quite children, but close enough. ]

And trust me, you really don't want to know who I really am. [ He doesn't mean it to sound like a threat, but then after he's spoken realises that perhaps it might just have come out that way. ]

[She glares at him, silent for a moment. She knows that a lot of this is stress talking, maybe fear. But Helen has dedicated her life here to this organization and will defend it to the end.]

No, I suppose I don't. [She grabs her things and shoulders past him, not in the mood to argue when she can spend her last few hours here helping someone who isn't quite so infuriating.]

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debriefing ♔ in the emptiness there's a solution | just look within yourself for absolution

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