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]

Instead of what? Dragging out a fight that nobody's gonna win? He's too pissed to listen to anything even remotely resembling reason. His priorities are all over the place right now! [ She can only assume he's talking about Wynn. After that little rant is out and she's done gesturing back inside, she leaps to another possibility. ] Or should we—should we start singing Kumabaya and pretending we're not all mad about how he's digging his heels in?

[witchwoman]

[Myri lingers behind as the others leave, edging towards Wynn, glancing over her shoulder but not minding who might be in earshot.]

Are you... alright? [There's no right word for what she's trying to ask. The one she picks falls flat. But she's never seen Wynn look as he did in the library or in this briefing. She knows he's upset and knows that her friends don't agree with that. But she knows how Wynn feels about his knights, knows how much he cares. And he has a reason to feel as he does about this situation, she's certain.]

[wynn]

[ wynn stands at the table still, hands splayed across its surface as he leans on it with tightened shoulders. he doesn't look up as he responds: ] That is not quite the word for it.

[witchwoman]

No, I- I suppose it wouldn't be. [She should leave. She really should. But she doesn't. Not yet.] I'm sorry. For the things that were said. They didn't mean it.

[Sure they did. Also Myri, you can't apologize for other grown ass adults.]

[wynn]

On the contrary, they meant every word of it. Of that, I am certain.

[witchwoman]

Perhaps. [She glances down at her hands in front of her.] I'm sure you have reasons for the rules you set in place for them- Sir Chessing and Sir Bancroft, the others before and the ones... [Well talking about successors to that title seems in poor taste right now.]

I think it's just hard to imagine what they might be. Especially for us. It's the way we care for one another that keeps us moving forward. And you don't owe us any explanation. Stargods know I would never think that. I just... I wish I understood. And then maybe I could help them understand as well.

[/delicately takes on more responsibility than she actually needs to take on.]

[wynn]

I've made exceptions before, and they've only ever served to remind me of precisely why I implemented the rule to begin with.

[witchwoman]

The previous Dragon's Claw-- the one who was captured before we ever arrived, he had a daughter who is a Knight, yes?

[Thats a pretty big exception...and it clearly ended poorly. At least that's where she thinks this is going.]

[wynn]

Tia Ellison, yes. I made exceptions for her family twice: her father, Byron, was the the Dragon's Claw you speak of, and his father before him was the Claw he replaced.

It is often, usually even, a short life for those who accept the position. I cannot afford to have my judgment, or theirs, compromised, in where they are assigned, and asking them to set aside their duty to family to likely die for our order...

I will not do it again.

[slay]

That's not your call.

[ Interrupting cow.

Well. Buffy. But close enough. ]

I mean—It is your call, appointing them. But if someone with a family or loved ones is ready to take that on, to make that choice even knowing what it might mean, it's their decision to make. They don't have to accept the position or the oaths or any of it.

But expecting anyone to isolate themselves like you've tried to get Jack to ... especially now. [ How could he not need a little comfort tho, seriously. She shakes her head. ]

Asking him to distance himself, to not form connections—that might make it easier for everyone else to let them go, but it's walking them into a death trap while denying the chance to even live before they get there. No one fights harder than the people who have loved ones to fight for.

[witchwoman]

Buffy... [Myri trails off, not certain what side of the argument she should stand on, or if she should even stand at all. She had hoped to talk to Wynn, to understand his side of things a bit better without conflict and tension filling the room and choking off reason.

Her voice fades, though, leaving a lingering, pained look. She wouldn't ask Buffy to keep her thoughts to herself, to not say what she thinks needs to be said, but it's difficult for her to not feel trapped in the middle here. Probably because she physically is between them...]

[wynn]

[ wynn turns at buffy's interruption, and for just a moment, he doesn't look thrilled by the fact that she's apparently come back for seconds on this argument so soon. but perhaps myri's interlude has calmed him down a bit - or maybe he was simply telling the truth about being willing to continue this conversation now, because he looks between the two of them, takes in buffy's expression and seems to decide something, and then turns to place one hand on the large golden doors behind him. ] If you wish to have this discussion, I'd prefer to do so in private. [ the doors open, that sliver of golden light appearing and erupting into something nearly blinding, as he turns back to say to them both: ] Come along.

[slay]

[ g...roup sex ???? ]






[ Briefly, Buffy looks bewildered. The blinding light room is like the promised land, ok. The Elephant Graveyard's nobody. After a beat of hesitation, she looks to Myri and, wide-eyed, follows after Wynn. ]

/forks this thread

[romanticidal]

[ rafael looks over at her a little sharply at the sarcasm. ] Reason in front of all those he is trying to lead is one thing. Perhaps he would be more willing to listen in private.

[nothingsodivine]

It don't matter right now, Fluffy.

[Des's expression is grim.] Jack did what he had to do. He chose her. I'll give the man props for that.

[romanticidal]

This organization should not lose such a man merely because he followed his heart.

[slay]

[ The look silences her somewhat, and Buffy drops her gaze. Nothing's going to change if they just let themselves get steamrolled and choose to stay mad instead of fighting it out. She knows that. But she's tired. They've got enough enemies without fighting each other.

She rubs her fingers against one eye, glancing in towards the round table room with a heavy sigh. The urge to go back is there, but she feels like she got knocked out in the first round.

It's definitely not that Faith's appearance and news has her on unsteady footing all around here. Definitely not. ]

[romanticidal]

It will mean more from one of us his own, Buffy, than from either of us. [ he squeezes her arm encouragingly ] You know this, yes?

[nothingsodivine]

He won't listen. [He sighs, but if Buffy has to do it, she has to do it, so he goes on ahead, calling over his shoulder.] They never do. I've seen it all before.

[He pauses long enough to give Buffy a meaningful look.] But good luck, Blondie.

[slay]

But what if that’s not me?

[ She blurts it out only in the face of Rafael’s wheedling, because the already present paranoia, that round-peg-square-hole feeling, becomes aggravated in the face of Des’ discouragement. ]

What if Wynn’s not the problem? What if I am?

[ Well. It’s a little bit ‘duh’ because yeah this is Wynn’s house, girl. But it’s pretty evident in the pitch of her voice that this feeling that she might not belong isn’t newly prompted by the outburst in the round table room.

Faith seemed level-headed, go-with-the-flow-y. She probably would have let it go. Buffy couldn't. ]

[romanticidal]

Standing up for what you believe doesn't make you a problem. Isn't that what the Knights are all about?

[nothingsodivine]

[Des whirls, looking grossly offended by that.]

Why? Because you spoke out against what you believed in? Buffy, if you let him get into your head like that, you'll go nuts. This is why I won't join up. Wynn's great. I love the bastard, but I can't abide by rules like this. And neither should you. Duty don't always come before passion. Sometimes you just gotta find a balance between the two, and if you can't, then maybe it's time you went a new direction.

But don't let him make you think you're wrong because you followed your heart. Don't do that, Buffy.

[slay]

[ It feels impossible.

The fact that most of this is informed by knowing that she died and got replaced by someone who’s now here and squired and able to do exactly what she can do doesn’t help, because that’s not really the kind of issue that this conversation can work through.

But it’s hardest because the Knights are all she’s ever known. She hardly had a life at all before she joined them—at least, not one that she can remember. A new direction might sound easy to Des, who’s lived 400 years, but to Buffy, it’s uprooting herself from the only security she has and asking her to go against her constant.

And yet she’s still not sure he’s wrong.

The sense of alienation has only grown worse, but it was there before she even met Faith. That question of whether she’s the same as them, or if this isn’t fitting the way it should. The trial had been what started it all, really. That’s what makes it feel like it’s on her most of all.

It’s not that the Knighthood is different from what it was when she joined, but she is.

Her eyes squeeze shut and she raises her hands like excuse me I need a minute because this is a lot at once and it feels very pressure-y. She’s feeling pressured. ]

In theory, yeah. But we’re supposed to believe the same thing. Value the same things. Be on the same team. Does this look same team-y to you?

[ And like how do you even quit is this like the mafia. Do you have to pull an Elena and hit the ground running. Wow that makes it pretty apparent that she’s actually seriously considering this that her thought process went that far. ]

[romanticidal]

It has been very seldom that I have seen your team agree on much. But the things they do believe in - these are the same for all of you. They are strengths that you share.

The things you have disagreed on do not change that.

[nothingsodivine]

And he hasn't thrown you out yet. [Des's opinion on this is just so complicated. HE DOESN'T LIKE PEOPLE FEELING LIKE THEY HAVE TO CURB THEIR EMOTIONS AND DESIRES. LIFE IS TOO SHORT. ETC.]

But Fluffy's right. You've been cut off from Wynn and his rules so long, it's hard being back here, wondering if you fit in with everything. Once we're all back in the game, we'll know what to do. We always do.

And after that... [He shrugs.] You'll figure out what you really need.