briefing ♔ i will never know myself until i do this on my own

[wynn]

This is War- 30 Seconds to Mars

WHO || Wynn,  Jack, Hasmed, Lis'sa, Dovan, Solace, Koraith, Christos, Tia, Nessa, Grant, Buffy, Myri, Finnick, Spike,  Gar, Archer, Des, Fred Jr., Dumage, Mark, Alainn, Zero, Colin, Lan, Eric, Val'drin, Risa,  Anastacia, Faith O., Max R., Belle, Kadir, Edain, Sydney, Zatanna, Aurelius, Jaina, Erky, Davin,  Riddick, Jordan, Henry, Leia, Willow, Kate, Allison, Francesca, Bo, Han, Aedan, Rocket, Drax, Nathan, Maxwell, Sam, Faith L., Cora, Dimitri, Alanna, Jaime, Klaus, Gus, Andrew, Stiles, Lydia, Gold, Jackson, Adam, Miles, Penelope, David, Derek, Andie, Kali, Cara, Nels, Taradiddle, Abigail, Astrid, Bambi, Frankie, Rose, Helen, Alaric, Alice, Lissa, Alex, Emma F., Cordelia, Zoe,  Sebastian, Malina, Alcide, Phineas, Fiona, Arthur, Faye, Mars, Kate, Lila,  Jameson, Felicity, Thoster, Adi, Brantley, Hook, Emma, Eleven, Alisha, Will, Dean, Grimrot     [Closed]
WHAT || Andres War Briefing
WHERE || Knights HQ, Round Table Room
WHEN || September 19th [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, please call dibs in the dibs plurk!

On the eve of battle, an impressive array of Knights gathers in the Round Table room of the castle.  The usually cavernous room seems tightly packed with this many bodies, and places at the Table are reserved for Wynn, the Section Heads, all those who have had any hand in the Talisman mission, including New York, and Christos, but who's going to argue with him, really.  The air buzzes with a mixture of impending dread and on some fronts, excitement.  It's hard to deny that there are those in the room who have wanted to make a move on Andres for years.

Wynn waits for the appointed hour, before nodding for the doors to be sealed and calling the meeting to order.  

"Before we begin, I'd like to thank each and every one of you, many who have traveled an extensive distance at a moment's notice to join us here today.  I understand that many of you have little idea what you have agreed to, but I hope that before the end of this meeting, you will come to understand what we are doing, and why it must be done.

Andres' Isle has been held under the sway of the man who calls himself their "Prime Minister" for nearly a decade.  In these ten years, he has turned what was once an idyllic country steeped in tradition into a tightly controlled fascist nation disguised as representative of its people.  

Andres is far from the only country to fall to such a fate over the course of history, and it has never been the prerogative of this Knighthood to enforce our own personal vision of some sort of world order onto any nation.  We are protectors of justice, and our enemy has always been both that which comes from the darkest depths of Shadow, and intolerance and prejudice that stems from this world. 

But Dimitris Sarandis has proven to be an exception, an embodiment of all the ideals we stand against, who has aspired to systematize the kind of violence and hatred that threatens the welfare of countless innocents under his rule.  He has used his position to exploit Shadowkind on the island to the point of conducting torturous experiments on them, designed to help him accomplish his goal of forcibly enslaving non-humans, so that they may serve what he sees as the superior race of homo sapiens.  

As if this were not enough, Dimitris knows of our existence, and wishes to tear down our organization, understanding that we pose a threat to all he seeks to accomplish.  To this end, he has conspired against us, kidnapped members of our organization and subjected them to brutal and vile torture, and attempted to blackmail us through detaining Sir Thomas Bancroft and now Sir Samcelot, into complying with his whims - to leave his regime alone entirely, to turn over our most ancient, powerful artifact, and for me to submit to death at his hand.  

Killing Dimitris alone will not stop the system he has created, and will not help free the people of Andres.  Most citizens of the country remain innocent, terrified into compliance, or completely ignorant of what Sarandis does behind closed doors.  These people deserve our help, and the only way to do so is to show them the evil that lurks at the heart of their government, gain their support in uprooting that evil, and assist them in stabilizing their country thereafter.   

To do this, we will need to go beyond the usual parameters of our missions, with a militant, strategic push into the island designed to seize the castle, and take down Sarandis' rule."   He pauses there, letting that sink in.  "What I will not stand for is a callous attitude towards the innocents who we seek to protect on the Island, during this insurgency.  Their safety will be paramount to our operation, and as such, speed is important to what we will be accomplishing.  Dimitris expects retaliation, but he also underestimates our tactics.  As such, rather than attacking the castle with an army, you will be deployed about the Island in a number of small teams, each with an objective that will help us cut off Dimitris from contact with his supporters, secure Sir Bancroft and Sir Samcelot's safety, free those who are imprisoned, and confront Sarandis, taking the castle in the process.

Details of these individual operations not withstanding, I imagine there are some questions.  I open the floor to you to speak."

Comments

[familybusiness]

What is it you think I am, Dean? A demon? Cuz all it takes is a little holy water to prove that theory wrong.

[Or at least...that's how it works on his side of the Veil. He doesn't know about here. Whoops.]

Hell, they have mind readers here. Go get one if you don't believe me.

[slay]

[ Wait.

She twists to look back at Sam, incredulous, and then at Dean like

he is the biggest idiot she has ever seen. ]

That's what this is about? You think he's a demon?

[ And she starts laughing. #reasonablereactions. ]

If there were a demon in that room, I woulda known about it.

[ Hellooooo, Slayer? ]

[likedillinger]

Somethin' worse. [ and he slowly turns to stare at buffy like she's on fucking crack ] Know about it? What do you know about demons?

[familybusiness]

And what's worse? Because if it's out there, I haven't met it yet.

[Gee, maybe it's fucking Lucifer. Who the hell knows anymore this shit is cray.]

[slay]

I have.

[ Buffy’s met a lot of bad shit in her very short remembered life, ok. Azrael is garbage. ]

And you’re not it.

[ In case Sam had any insecurities about that ??? ]

That’s kinda the job description. Professional champion against evil. And not just in the Knightly sense. Believe me, I’d feel it. [ Or she would if she … concentrated. Which she is now just quietly doing. Just in case. But, you know, total faith in you, Sam. ] And right now all I’m feeling is kinda ticked off.

[ That would be at you, Dean. ]

[likedillinger]

I don't give a crap how you're feeling about all this. [ he jabs a finger in sam's direction ] That thing? Used to be my brother. And I was there for the whole thing, so believe me when I say I know exactly what the hell he is.

[familybusiness]

[Fucking ouch. No, really. A will save of 16 keeps his face crumpling like paper, but jfc before he came here, he remembers almost everything. And he knows all about the visions and the other psychic children and he knows there's something wrong with him.

But he doesn't know what it is. And he doesn't know if the person Dean saw become something else is the same as him.

All it does is bring up the fact that he's felt off for a long time, and he knows that timelines can get fucked up around here. Maybe he's not so different from whatever thing Dean's talking about.

It might not be him at all, but he doesn't know. He doesn't know anything.]

[slay]

Gee. Calling people things. Where have I heard this before?

[ She purses her lips, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders with some put-upon cluelessness. ]

Wait. That’s right. Sarandis.

That’s exactly the kind of attitude we’re here to fight. [ She steps forward, raising her voice. ] I don’t care if he was your brother or your cousin or your boyfriend, he’s a Knight. And as long as he’s one of ours, you aren’t getting anywhere near him. If that’s gonna be a problem for you, then maybe you’re fighting on the wrong side.

[likedillinger]

[ he looks right past her, leaning to the side so that he can watch sam, anger and hurt warring in his expression ] So was this it? Was this the big plan? Come here and convince a few hundred Knights to protect your ass so you could get away with whatever you're trying to pull this time?

[ he finally looks back to buffy, and says bluntly ] Word of advice? You might wanna run background checks before you go hiring straight outta the Pit. But hey, you wanna start a civil rights campaign for Satan's cheer squad, you go right the hell ahead.

[familybusiness]

[Anger rises back up behind his eyes, even if it's still pain and insecurity at the fore.]

I got dropped into Chicago with nothing. No idea how I got there, no money or ID's, and just the clothes on my back. I came here looking for you. That's it.

[He gestures around him.]

Why wouldn't I want to stay? Do you even know anything about this place? They save people, way more than we've ever managed to do on our own. So you go ahead and think whatever you want, Dean, but you're wrong. Whatever happened to the brother you know, well I'm sorry, but the Dean I know wouldn't have just assumed I was a damn monster without even looking into it.

[slay]

[ As a rule, Buffy doesn’t really consider herself good at a lot of things. Like … making friends, or knowing the right thing to say, or making plans (thanks Spike), or, you know, smart person stuff. But the one thing she’s really, really good at? Monster brawling. Taking down demons. She has fought giant worms and spiders (what’s with the bug theme? Seriously.) and acid-y demon assassins and she is not gonna stand here and swallow shit from Dean fucking Winchester. ]

Anytime you wanna get your head of your ass, feel free. He’s not a demon. [ She throws her arms out to her sides, fed up. ] How many languages do I have to say it in? [ Hopefully only one because that’s … all she speaks … :) Speaking of things Buffy’s bad at. ] Not a demon, not an archdevil—a person.

And you can sabotage your relationship with him, or embarrass yourself with assumptions, but you cannot act like you’re better at my job than I am.

[ Faith already makes her feel sensitive about that, ok. And, perhaps more to the point, she finally really looks him over, judgmental as hell as she points out: ] I mean, seriously. Do you even go here?

[likedillinger]

[ W O W dean is fucking over this chick's entire life. ] Your boss hired me to track down a monster. Because that's what I do. So don't go acting like you're some special snowflake because you've taken down a demon or two. [ he gestures towards sam with an angry hand ] Do you even know what a fiend is?

Because, spoiler, they look and sound just like a damn person.

[familybusiness]

It's another word for demon, unless that's different here too.

[Frustration seeps into his tone, which brings a bit of sarcasm too.]

What do I have to do to prove it to you? There has to be something.

[slay]

You don’t have to prove anything.

[ She’s quick to make that note, because no matter what a fiend or demon can look like, Slayer sense doesn’t lie. She picks up on the vampires in the area, and on a number of other Shadow creatures, but Sam? Clean. Dean’s disbelief doesn’t do away with her certainty. ]

So you’re the hunter.

[ Wow the way she says that word is not remotely flattering. Her voice is tight, and her nose scrunches in a sneer. And, truthfully, it rubs her the wrong way that he knows more about fiends than she does. While she’s heard the term before, she pretty much maxes out at ‘non-demon, powerful servant of Hell.’ Even taking his word that they’re shape-shifters like Elena, she doesn’t believe that’s Sam. ]

You’re right. [ She shrugs simply, eyebrows arching briefly. ] Maybe Wynn should run better background checks on who he lets in the castle. [ Like you, actual garbage human being Dean Winchester. ] Great job finding Elena, by the way. I’m so glad to have her back, safe and sound.

[likedillinger]

Maybe if your boss hadn't insisted on slowing me down by sending the idiot brigade along, I'd actually have been able to get somewhere wait. 'Cept wait. Still did. Who do you think clued him in that they're on their way to Andres right now? [ eye. roll. back to sam, he's done with u buffy ]

There's nothing you're gonna do that I'm gonna believe.

If I didn't expect to get more than a cryptic runaround, I'd call one of those dicks from the other team around to settle this.

But I said I was done with this shit, and I meant it. I'm out. So whatever this is about? [ his gaze shifts to buffy ] You're on your own. Good fucking luck. [ and with that, he'll reach down to pick up his knife, sheathe it with a glare at sam, and then turn to start walking away ]

[familybusiness]

[Sam starts forward too, because hahahaha no.

Still, as he passes Buffy, he puts a hand on her shoulder, giving her a grateful look, but it's sad too.]

Thanks.

[He says it quietly to her before he starts walking after Dean.]

So that's it, huh? You're just going to walk away? You're just giving up?

[likedillinger]

[ the words have a visceral effect on him, and he slows for half a step, shoulders tightening. his voice is steeled with angry determination as he says: ] I can't do this again, Sam. Once was too much.

You made your choice. You did this.

[familybusiness]

Look, whatever happened, I'm sorry. But I didn't choose this.

[He didn't choose to get stabbed, to show up here. He didn't choose a lot of things, his upbringing. His only choice was school, and that didn't last.]

Veil or no, I'm still your brother. Don't do this.

[To him. Or to himself. (Diplomacy 23)]

[likedillinger]

[ stupid magic words. his will save of 13 means he stops entirely, expression contorted with angst. ] My brother's dead. [ his heart isn't in the words, which are clearly painful for him to speak, and it sounds more like he's trying to convince himself of something than anything. ] Sammy, I-- [ he catches himself using the name and winces ] How the hell am I supposed to do anything else?

[familybusiness]

We fix it. We've done it before.

[As much as anything that involved the two of them could be fixed...]

[likedillinger]

This isn't something that gets fixed, Sam. [ he still won't turn around, still won't look at him. ] Believe me. If there was some way to save you, you don't think I would have done everything in my power to do it?

There's only one route to savin' you now. And that's freeing you from this thing he's turned you into.

[familybusiness]

[Sam swallows hard, his voice tense even as he tries to keep it steady.]

Is this about what Dad said? That you might have to kill me?

[slay]

Whoa, what? No one is killing anyone!

[ Yr dad??? Really??? What fresh hell did he go to parenting school in?? ]

You don't know what you're talking about. [ Dean doesn't, that is. ] Just take a step back and think!

[likedillinger]

Will you butt the hell out already? [ that was 4 u, buffy. ] Trying to tell me I don't know anything, when you've no freaking clue what you're dealing with here.

Must be nice, not knowin' what the world's really like, and thinking you've got it all under control. Well, I hate to shatter your picket fence idea of evil, but the worst of it? Doesn't have fangs and claws and spines coming out of its eyeballs. [ he looks back at sam, face hardened again. ] The worst of it's the kind that bites you in the ass when you're not looking for it.

[familybusiness]

[Sam's expression hardens in response, because he's getting sick of some of this, and he's hurt and angry and this is not at all how he wanted this to go.

Thanks Obama Wynn.]

If you're accusing me of something, you could at least come out and tell me what it is.