Cozy BBQ at the Farm

[Mable Wood]

Both Garrett and Mad Cap had been to the Farmhouse before. Mable knew it was not the opulence they were used to at the Ordo house, or so she heard rumors. But she had worked hard on revitalizing the farm and it was home.

Wearing jean shorts and a tank top, she sat on the porch waiting for the guys to arrive. The hens in their pen settling down for the night. The cats were in the house. Fireflies were lazily floating around the fields. It was a quiet and relaxing night. Hopefully it would stay that way. She didn't question why Garrett wanted a meeting, frankly she knew if he called a meeting it was important.

[Madcap]

Yet again Madcap's steel horse announced his coming some way off. He only hoped the meeting would be less upsetting the last time he came to the farm.

He didn't know what Garrett wanted, but the fact they were meeting with Mable told Cap it wasn't Ordo business. Something had pushed Garrett to look outward. To the Domain.

Pulling up, Madcap kicked out his stand and rose. A lit cigarette hung lazily from his mouth and the Bruja was dressed as he normally was. Black steel toes, a well worn pair of jeans, an aged, black leather jacket rich with patina, and an old, gray t-shirt.

Meandering toward the porch, Madcap would nod to the Valkyrja.

"Evening, Mable."

[Garrett Prosper]

Prosper eventually arrived, wearing a hoodie, jacket and jeans as he idly kicked the door of his vehicle closed with his foot as he eyed the other two Gangrel. Hop skip and a jump to the porch, fireflies swirling that caused a small amount of disdain as they got caught in various bits of clothing. Why did summer have to be so...ambient? Something about the season always turned him to a darker mood.

"Evening Whip, Mable," he said casually. He assumed the pair weren't going to be big on small talk.

"I want to talk about the Herald. And, you know, how he collectively shit on all three of us, and turned to the Daeva to fix his problem with prestation." He smiled brightly, though it was as razored as ever. "I am going to be upfront that I see this as a Clan issue?" he tilts his head. "From my assessment a shitheel unaligned Lord pranced around Court trying to make us all look like idiots. Despite his loyalty to Alessandra, he is also making her look like an idiot. And I do not like the Prince being more pissy these nights."

[Mable Wood]

Mable stands when Madcap arrives. "Howdy, Whip." Garret is right behind him, "Howdy, Priscus."

"That is a fair assessment of the situation." Mable tended to be a women of few words and liked directness.

[Madcap]

Madcap merely nodded.

"Jack's making the Prince look bad and trying to force us into his arena," he offers, "No matter which way you think about it, he needs to be dealt with."

[Garrett Prosper]

Garrett hoisted himself to perch on the rail as he watched the other two, Beast tugging him back towards the vehicle as instincts told him they were going to start swinging at each other. "Cool. So, I am not sure how they do things in Sacramento? When it is a matter of disrespect, usually it is solved between the two," he nodded at Madcap, "And Jack shit the bed on that front. We have also seen that the Prince will deny Monomacy unless we have done everything else. Well. To me that is Toporing his gentrified ass, and give him the time to think about his actions. The Ventrue know their Whip is like this, but they keep him swelled on that sense of leadership, so I am not confident they are going to reign him back. They might even be finding this entertaining after my spat with Simmons." He spoke about it casually. The Gangrel packs he came from didn't bat an eye at physical displays of oneness once prestation wasn't working, but the Priscus was clearly checking in if he sounded crazy, leaving the gap for the others to offer unseen alternatives.

[Mable Wood]

Mable had sat back down. She stretched out her long bare legs as she thought about Garrett's thoughts.

"Well, I believe the next step is mediation by a disinterested third party or the Prisci get involved and try to get the issues straightened out. Either way a meeting needs to happen. It should take place in Elysium with Elysium rules in place. We should do all of this by the book. Then if that does not work the Prince is brought in and listens to the issues and makes a ruling. Everyone should be able to have a say."

"As the Keeper I usually would be fine as the disinterested third party. However, I can't be impartial. Well, I can be but others would believe me to be playing favorites. Perhaps a panel of people would be best. Kinda like a jury or peers." Mable was spit-balling ideas now.

"Okay, I think next step should be a meeting with with the Prisci. Wait...who is his Priscus? Rebecca correct? And he is supposedly the Whip? Well, Rebecca has been missing from court recently. Is she still around or is she out of town? Because that may cause issues also."

"Well, fuck. this is a bit of a mess isn't it. So, Madcap, What exactly does Jack want for information from you?"

[Madcap]

Madcap's eyebrows raised at Garrett's blunt reasoning. It surprised the Bruja, but his expression spoke of his feelings. Madcap was more than receptive.

Then there was Mable. Poor, sweet Mable. A proud warrior seemingly reduced to a whipped dog when it came to matters of the Domain's stability.

The Valkyrja seemed intent on grasping on to the remnants of whatever relationship she had with the Prince. Again, she called for mercy and a want to do things as the Prince wanted, even though Alessandra had given her no reason for such loyalty, not as long as Cap had given her anyway. What was most frustrating was Madcap had heard she had fought for the Domain in the past.

As she concluded her thoughts on the matter, Madcap rolled his eyes.

"Mable, I like you, but we ain't in Court. Take off the leash," he said, his tone belying his great frustration with his cousin, "We can't follow a book when it keeps being rewritten and if you think the Prince is interested in fairness you need to open your eyes. If that was true, Arturo's request for Monomacy wouldn't have been deflected as quickly as it was, he would not have been Banished because of a slight, and the Ordo Dracul would not have lost the feeding grounds in Florin for bringing up the very real danger in her Harpy's degeneration. In a fair Domain, the Harpy wouldn't even be the Harpy anymore and that child that you seem keen on protecting would've never been the Herald. Jack is either too ignorant of how our world works or too arrogant to understand why he needs to abide by the rules because he, like his Priscus, is among the Prince's favorites."

Madcap had hoped by omitting his usual profanity the Keeper would finally start seeing sense.

"I ain't interested in a jury or a meeting because the reality is the Prince is either going to decree that it doesn't matter or manipulate things to keep her pet in place" Madcap continued, "And then Jack will go right back to making this place a powder keg waiting for a light. I don't know how you don't see that, but, hey, I don't know your whole history with the Prince. Maybe there was a time when she earned that loyalty and, if that's the case, that's your own business, but you don't owe anything to her Voice. He's already proven that he's trying to supplant you. He's already tried baiting me into frenzy. When do you think he'll try doing the same to you?"

The Bruja let the reality of it all settle in.

"So, you got a choice, Mable. On one hand, you take this for what it is. Prosper wants to prevent the tension Jack has caused from fucking with the Domain any more than it already has. Otherwise, if we 'play by the book' and it doesn't get settled, it could lead to a war and, contrary to what some might think, I don't want that," Madcap continued, "Jack has directly caused instability and Clan Gangrel are far from the only ones he's snubbed. He's proven he won't operate under the system of Prestation and he won't be swayed by comments unless they fit his wants. And we can't trust the Prince to step in for the Blood because she's made it apparent it doesn't matter to her. That leaves action. A couple weeks or months in the long sleep will give him plenty of time to learn from his mistakes. You may not like it, but that's the truth."

"Jack played it like he wanted to know my ideology, Mable," he said, "I refused to tell him anything because it was pretty damn clear he didn't want to abide by the traditions in place for resolution. He said he didn't understand my offense even when you, the Sheriff, and even an Invictus saw it pretty damn clearly. I'm not about to humor him by letting him dance around resolution just because he wants the Court to move to his beat. He can fuck himself."

[Garrett Prosper]

Prosper listened, swaying a bit as he crossed his legs and balanced on the rail. Madcap was angry, but he was pretty damn straight forward. His lineage was known to reject authority of all kinds, so the fact that he was with the Dragons meant something substantial, and likely the Brujah favoured control over himself in the truest form rather than railing uselessly against secular forces of power. It Garrett's eyes, it meant he was smart and saw the bigger picture, and continued to prove as much.

Who cared if he was rude? Prosper was rude. Atticus was rude. Alessandra was rude. They were Savages for a reason.

"We are making this way too complicated. Mable, I understand you are just trying to do your job. The nice thing is that it is not an issue of Elysium. None of this falls under your jurisdiction, and frankly the Prince made it clear your roll is not Law enforcement." Funny thing was, it was Prosper's.

"Consider this the mediation. I am not interested in another Kindred telling my Clan to get over the slight. I am not here to be babysat by a 'neutral party' like my Sire is still looking over my shoulder," his eyes pinned, "Jack insulted Madcap. Jack asked for an appointment, and Madcap was not in the position to trust him. He offered Elysium as the opportunity to hash it out, and Jack took him up on it. Madcap was pretty damn clear it would be settled with a Boon. Jack rejected this notion, which to any self respecting vampire meets 'jog on'. Ventrue can make you do things just by being allowed to talk," he had done some weird shit when hanging out with the Lords, but he wasn't about to admit it. The Clan inspired madness with their force of personality.

"The funny thing is, if Madcap had agreed to the meeting, I would have intervened. I have met Jack: I was tasked with vetting his membership to the Dragons. He asked for secrets three different times, and thought leveraging his rejection of joining would have me betray my covenant. That is how narcissistic he is. I met him in the woods so a pack would have eviscerated him before he was ten steps down the trail with Our teachings, and he was smart enough not to press my perspective." Garrett shrugged. If he was offended by the exchange, he didn't show it. Vampires would be vampires, and he would have been stupid to go about it any other way.

"I should let you both know that Rebecca Simmons has literally paid me prestation to enforce decorum in the Court by modelling the importance of the system she represents. I am obligated by a Major Boon to continue this either way," his mouth twitches. "And honestly I am going to win, either way. You think I am going to let that shit-heel laugh at us? If Simmons wants her garbage back once I have collected, she can pay me for it. She elected him as her Clan's driver," he shows teeth, "I know Arturo Garcia will pay for him."

At her parroting Alessandra's mantra about never favouring others, Garrett is clearly agitated as his expression darkens.

"There is no 'being impartial.' He insulted your ability to run your office, and it is your choice if you choose to let his Beast conquer you. If Jack keeps doing this he is going to die someday, Mable. Sometimes you have to let the kid burn their hand when they keep reaching for the stove. They fact that I am speaking with both of you about Topor is because I know Madcap has control of himself, and you have the proper temperament. Do you want to fix this poison, or let him continue harassing our Clan until one day Madcap rips his head off, or I decide his Haven is going to burn. He asked for opinions, he was not swayed," he gestured to Mable,

"The Dragons work to evolve because we understand stagnation of the spirit is a natural result of the Curse. Why do you think repeating this process, and allowing him to stack the deck in his favour, is not just a huge waste of time?"

[Mable Wood]

Mable had a look of relief. It was very obvious. "Madcap, I have always said I love the way you put things. And thank you, Garrett, hope it's ok to just use first names today. I had forgotten for a moment that I do not need to be Keeper when not in Elysium. Thank goodness for that."

"I agree, he won't play fair. He doesn't play fair. I'm tired of playing fair."

"Frankly, I am fucking tired of being trampled over. Damn."

"Madcap, it is no choice. Blood means everything to me. I do not plan to lose ... anyway, yes. I needed to state what was the proper thing to do. Now that is out of my system. We should continue. Sorry you guys needed to talk sense into me. I should have gone with my instinct."

"About loyalty, what makes you think she ever earned my loyalty?" Mable tilted her head. "My loyalty is to the domain, to the clan, and to my goddess."

"I don't understand the dragon way. I know you use science and research. And I appreciate and respect that. I would never ask for secrets. I feel insulted for you that he did. Jack had a ton of questions for Krieg about Crone also. I always figured he would go with Ordo or Invictus. Damn, sorry forgot where I was going with this thought."

"I'm sure I haven't addressed everything but you both get where my head is at now, I hope."