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

[witchwoman]

Bring us-? [Genuinely confused face.]

Buffy what are you talking about? I needed to go back. I still do. The experiments being done there? Every second we sit here, someone could die. Thomas, Kat, Amaranth. Not to mention the poor prisoners Sarandis tortured to see how my empathy worked.

[slay]

Going back doesn't mean going back without a plan. I could have gotten everyone killed, charging in there. I nearly did.

[witchwoman]

If you hadn't? I would have. And I know you hold yourself to an impossible standard, but you've got no idea how badly I need to go back there, to set those poor prisoners free.

[slay]

Myri ...

[ Her eyes glisten, brimming with emotion. Relief and sadness war with one another, knowing what Myri's gone through, what she'll still go through, and how hard she's fighting. Knowing that she isn't responsible for Myri's life as if she'd just thrown it on the line back there. ]

I don't know what to do. I feel like ... like there's never a right answer anymore. No matter what we try, something screws up or someone gets hurt. Every way we turn, I feel like we're just trying to lost the least people. Are we really even saving anyone?

[witchwoman]

[it's hard for myri to be a voice of comfort when she's been wondering all the same things since they left andres.]

I think that's the problem. We're all so desperate to know what to do, so we decide that we know, that we must know, because we're all so afraid of being lost. But... if we could just admit to one another, not be afraid to be uncertain, maybe we could make decisions together... like we used to.

[slay]

Not that I'm not pro-the co-planning idea, but ... Did we ever really used to?

[ This sounds like rose-colored glasses, to Buffy. Which isn't to say it's not something to strive for, but she's not going to deceive herself about how much work it'll take for all of them to get there and start assuming best intent of one another, let alone admitting their own fears and uncertainties. ]

[witchwoman]

Maybe not. Maybe I was just more content to leave it to the rest of you back then. [She shakes her head.] If we keep going at it like we have, we're going to fail.

[slay]

I know.

[ Her gaze drops, any levity draining. ]

Something's gotta give. We can't fight Sarandis if we're busy fighting each other.

[witchwoman]

Should we talk to the others, do you think? [Would that make it worse? Myri had a hard time seeing any path that wasn't riddled with conflict. Guess that's war for you.]

[slay]

After the briefing. [ She nods. ] It won't do much good beforehand—we don't even know what our mission is yet.

[witchwoman]

[Myri nods silently, not really sure where to even start with all of that. She's not really the type to gather people around for a team meeting. But with Buffy there, she thinks they could manage it. They could balance each other and maybe get through to the others.]

It seems strange to know everyone will be coming with us. [They had been doing this alone for so long.]

[slay]

It'll be good. Like ... having a back-up squad for once. We won't have to spread ourselves so thin all the time trying to keep up with the hundred different bad guys.

[witchwoman]

It might help to keep us on track too. Since we won't need to try to do everything at once with just us. [Trying to be an optimist.] I guess we'll find out.