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

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

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."

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[This time something seems to click in Rose's head, whether it's Helen's choice of words, the way she's saying them or just the slight strain to her smile as she speaks, she knows she's busted and the struggle to not want to immediately try and explain everything is a difficult one (SM 19 // WS 15).

There is a flicker in Rose's eyes as she meets Helen's gaze, a silent acknowledgment perhaps, the 'I know and You know but we're not having this conversation right now', if you will as Rose suppresses a frown at the gentle warning she's receiving.

Anyone else, literally anyone and Rose would have been inclined to say something stupid but Helen fit into a very, very small category of people in Rose's life; People Rose sincerely respected and for once, she considers not only Helen's words, but her own in response before speaking again.]

It's probably not what you think... [Rose. It's probably exactly what she thinks.] But I will - If, you'll promise me to try and see more?

[Helen doesn't like this. At all. In fact, she would be so bold to say she greatly dislikes it. But if Rose is going to try to do as Helen asks, she should afford her the same courtesy.]

I'll try. But I make no promises. [She can't see what isn't there, and she has some severe doubts about what might be lurking beneath the surface of one Dean Winchester.

Raising a hand, she cups Rose's cheek, lips managing to twitch into a smile.]

How are you, though?

[Not just your love life. Or whatever mess that may be. She wants to just talk about Rose for a second.]

[Rose holds her breath, like maybe she was hoping for more but in the end, can only nod and accept what Helen was saying.]

That's all I'm asking. [Smiling weakly.

Her eyes all but close at Helen's touch, lips twitching into something close to a smile. It had been a while since anyone other than Dean had asked her that, asked her and wanted the truth rather than (in Rose's mind at least) just to be polite and if for no other reason, Helen's sincerity was why Rose stopped to think about that answer.]

I'm... [Meeting her gaze.] Scared? [That word surprises even her in a way but it's clear she's not done explaining.] Not about tonight but, what comes next I guess? [And no, she's not talking about whatever that mess might be.] It's just been, going non stop since New York and until today I hadn't stopped to think about what would happen when it's all done with. I don't know if I'm going to be relieved or just... nothing.

[This was probably the most honest Rose had been with anyone in a long time, with herself included because these were the things she tried not to think about, let alone say out aloud.]

Sometimes the idea of stopping is so much more terrifying than pushing forward. Once all of this is over, you'll have much less to distract yourself with. [So helpful, Helen, thanks.]

But you won't need the distraction, because we'll be here. For whatever you need, I promise you that I'll be here, Rose.

[Shush. It helps. It helps because it puts into words exactly what Rose is feeling which, in some way makes her feel like she isn't wrong to have that knot of fear.]

I don't know... Distractions been working pretty well for me of late. [Her tone suggesting that she's trying for a joke but it's expectantly forced given the topic at hand.

Rose doesn't meet Helen's gaze at first and even when she does, it's a little guarded, like she's determined not to show whatever it is she's feeling (WS 15.)]

I know... [And she does, if today has taught her anything it's that she doesn't have to carry any perceived burden alone.] It's the stuff I don't know that worries me. I've played out how this ends a thousand different ways and... I have no idea what's going to happen. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that almost doesn't want to know.

[Because she'd been slowly coming to the conclusion that there was no way this was going to end well, not her personal stake in the story anyway.]

Try not to think about what might be. We have no way of knowing, not truly. But one thing I know for certain? If the outcome is undesirable, it won't be your fault. And I know you won't believe me then, so I'll say it now, just in case I need a head start. [She smiles, a bit of sadness at the corners of her eyes. So many of the young girls in the castle remind her of her daughter, of Ashley. Perhaps she can save them like she never could her daughter.]

You've been a greater friend to Elena than most could muster the courage for. And I am so proud to see you keep fighting for her.

We'll just... see what that outcome is first. [Though she manages a small, grateful smile for Helen as she bobs her head. It may not show well but she does appreciate hearing that, even if Helen was right and it wouldn't change how she felt if things didn't end well.

Something close to guilt touches her features at hearing Helen is proud of her, not the warmth she expected to be filled with but a twisting of her stomach as her eyes drop away.

Rose had all but convinced herself that she wasn't doing any of this for Elena. This was about Kyp, only Kyp and yet, what she told herself and her actions were in constant contradiction; She lost it at Dean for talking about Elena and Kyp so lightly, she felt sick to her stomach at finding the phone, wet and broken in the trash can, she refused to believe that Elena would share a bed with Kyp (just to name a few). For somebody who wanted people to believe she didn't give a damn about Elena, she was doing a pretty bad job of not giving a damn. Helen had a better idea of what Rose was doing than Rose did herself.]

I'm still angry at her. [Though her words lacked the emotional lash that came with her earlier statements regarding anger and Elena.] I don't think I'll ever understand what she did and... I don't know that I'll ever be able to forgive her but - I don't know. I've never been much for the easy road I guess.

It's alright to be angry, good even. Because you're still out there looking for her, because you still know what's right. If you were too angry, you would have given up and just let her stay with him, would have told yourself that she deserved whatever fate being with him brought her. And if you were too blinded by your friendship, you wouldn't be able to see that she likely did play a part in all this. [Helen cares deeply for Elena, but she also knows that sometimes young people do make bad decisions. They do it for reasons that seem justifiable at the time. But that doesn't make them much better.]

Don't doubt your instincts, Rose. They've carried you this far. And don't let anyone tell you that you don't have a right to be angry. Because you do. Everything you're feeling is perfectly reasonable. And none of it changes what I said. I am proud of you, even if you may not be proud of yourself.

[Whether Helen knows it or not, every word that was coming out of her mouth right now was everything that Rose had been needing to hear, everything to anchor her within the walls of the castle after months of being away. Any time somebody seemed to blindly defend Elena she took it as a personal slap to the face and yet any time somebody slammed Elena, she felt the need to slap them instead. When her emotional roller-coaster had her constantly contradicting herself? Was it really any wonder she'd felt completely lost these past few months?

But then there was Helen, saying all the right things and once again showing that she really did know Rose, better than Rose knew herself these days and she pulled in a shuddering breath, swallowing past the lump that welled in her throat and moved into hug Helen again, waiting for a few moments to speak until she thought she could say it without her voice breaking.]

Thank-you. [That one word infused with all the relief and gratitude that she could muster as she felt like finally, there was at least one person who knew exactly what she was feeling and still thought it was okay. Myri got it but Rose felt like Myri gave her too much credit. Dean got it but he fed the angry side of her. Helen? Helen saw the good the bad and the ugly and was still proud of her for it. Sometimes a little validation went a really long way.]

[Helen's smile is small, sad, knowing. Rose isn't a woman of many words- and when she does speak, there's almost always an edge to it. Helen's used to that. She's dealt with that sort of communication with her own daughter for years and seems to find herself surrounded by strong willed young women who know what they want and how to achieve it.

But Helen has found that those sort of people are the ones who need a calm, supportive force in their life the most.]

If you need anything out there. And I mean that- anything at all. You call me. And I'll do everything in my power to be there.

[Rose used to have that, before coming through the veil, first in Lissa and then in Dimitri and while she had Dimitri here, it wasn't quite the same because while they still knew each other, they hadn't been through everything that made them a powerful force in each others lives, not like they had back home.

She'd lost the balance, the very thing that made her a better Guardian - or here, Knight, a better person but she was finding it again, in Helen and in other ways, even in Dean and while she had a long way to go, she was far more grounded now than she had been three months ago, maybe even more grounded than she had been since coming through the veil.

As Helen speaks, it hits Rose that these aren't just words that somebody says to try and offer support, it's not Helen doubting Rose's abilities, it's about as sincere as anyone can be and if she did need help, if something happened tonight and Rose called for Helen? The woman before her would fight tooth and nail to get to her. She'd probably burn the Castle down if it would help and though Rose was the kind of person who would insist she'd be fine, it was nice to know she had somebody who would do just that, somebody who would fight that hard for her. (SM 21).]

For the sake of anyone who might get in your way? [Offering up a half smile.] Hopefully I won't need to but - [Nodding, gratitude shining back.] Thank you. [Not just for the offer but for everything; for being in her life, for giving her a reason to want to be here right now, for making her feel as though, no matter how ugly things were going to get, it was still going to be okay.]

[She only offers a small smile and a nod in return for the thanks. She doesn't need to hear it to know that Rose is grateful for the gesture, but it is nice, nonetheless.]

When we get back, we'll all sit down for tea, and you and Mr. Winchester can regale me with your exploits on your portion of the mission.

[AKA fine I'll give him another shot because you seem to like him, Rose.]

[The true meaning of Helen's words are not lost on Rose and in return, there's another flicker of gratitude and warmth. She's not stupid, she knows that Dean rubs people the wrong way. He'd been doing that to her from the moment she'd met him but she'd also come to see that there was more to him, more than the gruff, smartmouth hunter who drank too much and needed to learn to think before he opened his mouth.

And then her smile takes on a slightly amused twist because... She sure is trying to picture Dean Winchester drinking Tea.]

I will, bring the donuts. [And nobody is shocked.

Aware that the time for them to head out is drawing close, Rose casts a look over her shoulder before refocusing on Helen for what she knew would be their final goodbye before they headed out.]

Be safe? Please. [She's not going to ask Helen not to be a hero. She'd already pushed her luck by trying to do that with Dean but that didn't mean she wasn't going to make it clear that she needed Helen to come back in one piece, or at least in pieces that could be mended.]

I will. And you do the same. [Hers isn't phrased like a question. Helen won't take no for an answer, basically. Rose will be safe or else? It's a mom thing. Reaching out, she squeezes the young woman's shoulder and nods.]

Go on. I'm sure your teammates are waiting for you.

[That earns a grin from Rose. She appreciates the concept of being safe and coming home alive being something like an order. ~~If only Rose were good at following those~~.]

I'm pretty sure they're dragging their asses doing other stuff so - [Grinning.] I better go hunt them down but I'll - I'll see you soon. [That much a promise that she plans to keep as with one last smile for Helen, Rose sets off to find ~~Sam and have a big fight~~ Dean and Will.]

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

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