briefing ♔ just caught in the undertow

[wynn]

  Au Revoir - OneRepublic

WHO || Wynn, Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike, Kat, Gar, Archer, Des, Rafael, Fred Jr., Dumage  [Closed]
WHAT || Andres Mission Briefing
WHERE || Knights HQ, lobby etc.
WHEN || August 14th [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

Ceding to the demands of psychotic despots isn't exactly something the Knights prefer to do.

Perhaps this is why Wynn has taken his sweet time in arranging the group that Dimitris Sarandis has insisted on speaking with, the 'only ones' to whom he has agreed to deliver his demands for the safe and secure return of Dragon's Claw Sir Thomas Bancroft.  The meeting is finally scheduled, and as promised, Rafael has flown in from America to participate, picked up by Des en route to the castle.  Kat, Myri, Buffy, Finnick, Archer, and Spike had one of Myri's 'family failboat dinners' together, and as such, have wandered out of the dining room together in the direction of the lobby after Buffy received a text from Rafael that they were there.  Raf and Des are just pushing open the doors as they make their way across the tiled floor.

Comments

[slay]

Truthfully? I think you had good timing.

[ Buffy is also lingering once everyone starts shuffling. Kat and Gar are her people, ok. ]

I mean, he's got Sarandis to project the scary dragon rage towards, and that's kind of more important than dealing with ... uh. This.

[ At least she bit back a congrats gurl. ]

[rationalizes]

I'm not worried about him directing it at-- at me.

[nothingsodivine]

He oughta leave the poor bastard alone. [he is still scowling.] Enough shit has happened that his fucking protocols ain't worth a dime. Sooner he realizes that, the better off he'll be.

[dragonsclaw]

[ jack exits at that moment, so he gets to hear... probably all of that. he glances at des with an inscrutable expression, before heading after them all without a word. ]

[slay]

[ Buffy's eyes follow Jack, then she looks back at Des, Kat, and Gar. She shrugs. ]

Man's got a point.

[ With that, she turns to follow towards the round table room. ]

[romanticidal]

[ raf leans closer to Buffy as they walk to ask:] What protocols does he mean by this?

[nothingsodivine]

[Des shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket and since he's close by, he answers for Buffy, heading in the direction of the round table room.] Dragon's Claws aren't supposed to get involved.

[He sounds faintly disgusted and spares a glance at Gar, his anger dissipating into sympathy.] But you can't help what you feel. It's one thing if you can hack the monk life, but he's asking people to reject their feelings if it comes up.

[rationalizes]

[ gar squeezes her eyes shut, and mumbles a strained enteaty: ] Des, please.

[slay]

It's not just relationships, either. It's everything. They're supposed to be impartial—like no one knight is closer to them than others. The way Wynn is.

[ she shakes her head. ]

And then they go out all the time, risking their lives on the most dangerous missions—I mean look at where Thomas is right now. Why wouldn't Jack be sick of living one that's not even much of a life at all?

[ Because a life without love is just sad and bleak and Buffy doesn't want it. She thrives on her connections to other people, even if she sucks at it a lot and isolates by choice to a certain degree. ]

[nothingsodivine]

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[But after that, he goes silently grim for Gar's sake.]

[nepotism]

[ Rafael looks viscerally upset by this philosophy, but notes how uncomfortable gar is looking and bites his tongue from saying more on the matter right now, at least.

Fred Jr is leaning against the wall beside the large mural and straightens up when he sees Wynn leading the others. His easy smile melts into concern when he notes the look on his ancestor's face, as Wynn moves to open the secret passage without a word. ] ... Did something happen...?

[witchwoman]

[Myri doesn't really know Fred, but she already feels bad for him coming in to the middle of... this.]

You could say that. [She keeps her voice small, trying to offer him an apologetic smile.]

[bigbad]

Forbidden love, secret trysts... [He looks back over his shoulder at Gar and Jack.] But on the bright side, no one's been murdered or tortured or ran off with the enemy in the past hour. So really, could be a lot worse. [Talking to you, Wynn.]

[shootfirst]

[ Kat scowls at Fred's presence, hanging back to say: ] Make even one comment, and I will uppercut you right in the dick.

[nepotism]

[ fred raises both hands defensively ] Hey, whoa, I wasn't saying anything. [ and he crit failed his wisdom check so he gets the completely wrong idea of who spike is looking back at, i guess. ]

[slay]

Would it really be an uppercut ... ?

[ She's assessing their heights right now like Kat are you going to crouch just to uppercut his junk because he'd probably get other ideas and this is A VERY IMPORTANT TANGENT. ]

[65]

[he tilts his head to one side, like he has completely moved on from thinking about jack and gar's torrid affair to the logistics of kat punching fred in the dick. thanks buffy.]

[nothingsodivine]

[Well, Kat and Fred's "flirtation" breaks Des out of his grim mood. He gives Kat a knowing look and then goes eyes forward again, though he still can't bring himself to look at Wynn. Even the back of his head is disheartening.]

[wynn]

[ wynn's footsteps echo down the hallway ahead of them, and he walks to the far end of the round table while they file in and take their seats. kat sits next to gar, and jack sits on the opposite side.

wynn doesn't so much as look at any of them, jaw tight as he waits for everyone to grab a seat before he finally raises his gaze to sweep across them all. ]

The severity of our current situation and the unfortunate events that have transpired of late are no excuse for breaching the protocols that have held this organization together for centuries. If anything, these difficulties only reinforce the necessity of holding onto them in the face of what would seek to tear down this edifice, to dismantle our Knighthood from within.

[ his eyes dart to sir chessing, narrowing momentarily ] But we will speak on that after discussing the terms of your mission to the Isle.

[slay]

[ Aight no. No we will not speak on that after discussing any terms, because Buffy doesn't know how to stop herself when she's feeling righteous. ]

I think your attitude's a lot more likely to dismantle things than one kiss.

[ Fucking drama queen over here.

It doesn't seem to occur to Buffy that maybe she should have held that in, either, because even moments later, she's still looking baffled and perplexed that Wynn is for fucking real right now rather than meek and apologetic. Hell naw. ]

[wynn]

[ gar looks absolutely horrified by buffy's outburst, while wynn looks unshaken in his angry resolve, cutting a look over at her. ] This is about much more than that, Sir Summers. This is about a commitment Sir Chessing has made, to his position, and his duties. He's sworn a solemn oath, one he seems to have decided to ignore, despite understanding precisely why it was taken in the first place.

[slay]

[ can't stop won't stop. ]

I wasn't there the day Jack became a Dragon's Claw, but I remember my oaths. To be generous. To listen to and respect everyone. Not just the people who agree with me, or do what I tell them to. I don't see a lot of that going on here.

[ in fact she is not sitting down at the table quite yet because she's not here for this bs. ]

No one is getting hurt here. No one's in danger, no mission's been jeopardized ... [ she gestures loosely in front of her abdomen with her hand as she lists those items off. finally, she looks up at wynn and shakes her head. ] You're not mad because of some oath or because he's not doing his job. You're mad because you're not controlling him.

[ at least, that's how it reads from here. ]

1/-

[wynn]

This is neither the time nor place to have this discussion, Sir Summers. [ the words carry a certain emphasis, the title a reminder of her position in this room. ] If you wish to say something, I am more than willing to hear you out, following your briefing.

[dragonsclaw]

[ ♬ numb - linkin park

jack, who hasn't said a word since all this went down, straightens up finally, at buffy's insistent diatribe, and says in very measured tones: ] I've something to say on the matter, if it's all the same. [ despite the politeness of the words, jack doesn't sound as if he's willing to take 'no' for an answer here. he raises his eyes to look very firmly at wynn. ] Something, perhaps, that should be settled before you proceed.

Wynn is right, Buffy, about the oath of the Dragon's Claw office. I knew what it was upon accepting the position, and thought myself capable of fulfilling every article of it, at that time. I agree with Wynn that the integrity of the office is important, that whether or not this particular... transgression, as it were, is damaging or dangerous is not the point at hand.

A Dragon's Claw is meant to be a manifestation of an ideal, a limb of the Knighthood whose sole existence is to meant to further its aims. [ he looks back to wynn ] But given that you are the leader of this organization, it is obviously within your right to set the standards of this office. If you truly believe, however, that what I have done mars the integrity of those standards in some way, then I can only conclude one course of action.

It seems that my selection for this position was not the fit we both wished it could be. I will not have my decisions or the repercussions due to my position fall upon Sir Gar in all this. I will accept full responsibility for what I've done.

[ gar's eyes go wide across the table, but jack still doesn't spare her a glance, as he says stiffly, fixing wynn with a stare that's almost challenging: ] Rather than be asked to remedy what's been done, or face censure or demotion, I wish instead to tender my formal resignation from the position.

[65]

[finnick hesitates before attempting to employ his superb diplomacy skills, because ~a life without love is hardly a life at all~ and he can respect jack's decision if he really does have feelings for gar. BUT. they kind of need him right now. so.]

At the same time ... our numbers are already less than ideal. We're missing Violet and Elena. [and mark, but fred is kind of an upgrade??] We need you, regardless of your actions. Your skills and expertise are second to none. And what kind of message would it send to Dimitris if we showed up without you? [he's kind of talking to jack and wynn at the same time tbh. (diplomacy 26)]