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

[nepotism]

♬ 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!

Comments

[nepotism]

[ he doesn't seem to pick up on the attempt. which is a double-edged sword. ] I wish I could promise to kill him myself for all this. But I have a feeling I'll be standing in a very long line.

[daredtobelieve]

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.

[daredtobelieve]

Of course. Do you need to pack up anything here?

[telekinection]

Not much. Just give me a few.

[daredtobelieve]

Of course, dear. Take your time.

[She will just enjoy her tea in the meantime.]

[pathology]

You could so kill him yourself if you put your mind to it. You're like, a juggernaut.

[bowtimeandspace]

[ 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.

[daredtobelieve]

[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.

[bowtimeandspace]

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. ]

[nepotism]

It's probably not a question of whether I could take him. Just of getting to him in the first place.

[pathology]

Just teleport in front of him like "yo, bitch, kapow."

[^ wynn should have hired her as strategist tbh.]

[daredtobelieve]

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.

[bowtimeandspace]

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?

[nepotism]

If only. It's too dangerous to just go jumping around like that. Especially with some of our people in his clutches.

[succubestie]

Hey!

[She gives the young woman a bright greeting, though she looks a little apologetic.]

Sorry if we woke you.

[See, Bo can be polite when she wants to be.]

[daredtobelieve]

[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.

[badexample]

Wait, I know you. [Andrew squints.]

You made me sunscreen once, yeah? You're a cleric?

[graveflowers]

Yeah. Sure. [ myri is a cleric, vi is... pretending. ] Vi. [ a beat. ] Is my name, I'm Vi. Reedhym.

[cuivre]

[He laughs.]

I've been in London too long. It think it's starting to rub off on me.

[lastdragomir]

[ lissa may be catching on to something (sense motive 20 total) and her entire expression warms, pale skin looking lit by candles, as joy flutters across her face, lips parting in surprised hope and expectancy. she doesn't say anything, loath to break some kind of spell or stop max from elaborating, but it's plain as day that she fervently wishes he would elaborate. ]

[flyingsolo]

Maybe by the time we get back, you'll have thought of a better word.

[necessaryevil]

You make things feel right, you know. [ his hand ghosts up through her hair, delicately combing through strands as he studies her face. ] I don't know if I've ever felt right.

[socialgraces]

[ this is not keeping her mind off the subject, christos, but she'd actually much rather have a chance to talk about it, really.

she snorts humorlessly before drinking deep from her glass. ] Horribly... and quite possibly worse than last time. I can't say I've ever seen him quite so angry, and so frustrated that he couldn't manipulate me to stay, to get what he wanted.

Thankfully, you were in the forefront of my mind the entire time. [ for... oh so many reasons ] It left me little doubt I was doing the right thing, that this was what I needed to do, for me.

[nothingsodivine]

[He looks mildly uncomfortable. Maybe he was hoping she'd be like "no Des you can't ask me anything" or maybe he didn't think this through and he's regretting his decision. He opens his mouth a few times, trying to find the words, before it all finally clicks into place.]

Have you ever been in a situation where what you know is right flies in the face of what everyone you know believes to be true about the world? And you just know that if you ever tried to explain it, no one would ever believe you, if they listened to you at all, because it's just not how their worldview works. They can't fathom a world where... I don't know. The sky is red. Ice cream is poisonous. Cats are aliens. Anything like that.

[And also nothing like that, but if he didn't bring some levity to this, he's really going to sound melodramatic.]

[lastdragomir]

Oh. [ she manages to make it sound heartbroken (for max) and happy (for both of the now). she has a lot of feelings. ] I'm glad you feel right. You shouldn't feel anything less.