Five Star Balconies

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods, "Something like that." He agrees with the military analogy. It'll do well enough.

He listens to Jack seem to say that he has faith in Horatio, but then perhaps is ceding the possibility for argument's sake, and asks Dirt Nap what his intentions are if Horatio is not successful.

"Well, I suppose that would depend on how unsuccessful we're talking about." Dirt Nap says after a long, silent pause.

"I don't mind so much myself if the Dragons aren't the top dogs. As long as they aren't actually forbidden or banished or anything. The thing is, dedication to your studies is the first loyalty in the Dragons. In my experience too much success in politics can be as much or more a distraction from my study as not enough."

[Jacque]

Jacque responded with a short burst of laughter, "Yes, I suppose that's a fair qualifier." He patiently listens to the rest of Dirt Nap's explanation, taking another drag of the cigar as he absorbed the details, "I wonder just how different my path would be today if you had been Grand Wyrm and not Moretti."

"I came to Sacramento looking for the Dragons, you know?" he affirmed as his eyes followed the lights of a landing aircraft. "I was absolutely thrilled by the prospect of joining a group of scholars dedicated to a higher understanding of this thing that afflicts us." He shook his head, "That wasn't what I found here unfortunately, or at least saw among the membership."

"Except for you," he added. "You didn't seem interested in joining the public outrage and sparking up political squabbles. I assume you viewed it just as you say- a distraction from the great work?"

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens intensely as Jack seems to be in the mood to reveal some small hints of his past and motives.

"Oh I had to eat some crow over that alright." Dirt Nap confirms. "I actually liked the Harpy. She seemed at the time to have the same way of seeing things as I did, more than the other Dragons."

"I was, though, Grand Wyrm I mean. I even had a student. " Dirt Nap says thoughtfully. "I told him to be careful not to stir up any trouble, to keep a low profile and not even tell people that he was a Dragon, except for The Prince of course." He recalls. "I suppose I wouldn't have made much of the Dragons, if I were still in charge. I kinda liked being the only one in town, to tell the truth."

Dirt Nap chuckles.

"If you don't mind my asking, seems you have done pretty well where you're at; what had you interested in being a Dragon in the first place?"

[Jacque]

Jacque huffed at confirmation. Dissent being actively dissuaded solidified what Moretti's dragons were to him, "Simmons wasn't without her own faults, but really none of us are. All in all she was... good."

He nodded, "I'm talking about when I first came to Sacramento. If my initial interactions had been with you as the Grand Wyrm instead of Moretti." He shakes his head with a grin, "You keep assuming that making a covenant strong is done by making them politically charged."

Another drag of his cigar as he reflected on the question, "I'm a scholar, through and through. When I was presented with the offer of embrace long ago, my hubris overtook me." He flitted his fingers in the air, as his tone shifted to self-mockery, "'I'm a biologist, know it all smarty pants' I thought to myself. I can live for an eternity and rid myself of the affliction with my understanding of science." He chuckled ruefully, "Obviously nobody has tried any of that before, right?"

An exhale as he recomposed after the depreciating humor, "The Dragons seemed like they could have a collection of the eternal knowledge gathered about the curse through their work that has never ended. I wanted to join so I could continue that work and not stumble over the same results many have tried and failed." He shrugged his shoulders, "With the Dragons found here being nothing but muscle bound to Moretti's political stunts, the Invictus presented an alternative path to my goal."

He grins as he glances towards Dirt Nap, "They say no doors remain locked with the Unconquered."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens, and chuckles softly when Jack deploys self deprecating humor, or sarcasm or irony. It can be hard to tell.

"That's real interesting." Dirt Nap says. "I don't know that much about the other Covenants, not really."

Dirt Nap is silent for a while, and then abruptly, he says, "I met a Dragon once, at Court, he didn't stay too long, but he had money, a lot of it, and he was pretty much horrified at my approach to things, studying on myself without books or rare manuscripts or even a library. We aren't much like modern scientists, sharing our research and publishing for anyone to take further what we figure out. I tend to think any of our kind are like herding cats, each going our own way."

"You seem to me to be a little bit of a puzzle. You sound like you have a realistic idea of what politics can and can't do, and you sound like you think that it can't do what you want, Change yourself. And you are in a Covenant that I thought was all about changing everyone else, not themself." Dirt Nap muses.

[Jacque]

Jacque puts out his cigar in the ashtray as he listens to Dirt Nap, "Perhaps what I expected and what I found were two extremes on either side of the spectrum where reality is closer to somewhere in the middle," a grunt of amusement as he repeats, "Herding cats."

"Playing politics is often a double-edged sword," he smirked as he explained, "Too little or too much can be a hindrance to your goals. Sometimes it can be completely detrimental." He contemplated a moment before continuing, "Your surprise visit regarding your intentions with the Dragons was a proper amount." Contemplating once more he adds, "Your public advocacy for Mable..." he let his voice drift off for a moment, "Avoiding politics too much, in my opinion."

He chuckled, "Oh, I wouldn't say the Invictus is concerned with changing anyone. More like creating structure and harmony through rules and etiquette." He shrugged his shoulders, "Most of those are directed within their own ranks though. If they required just a quarter of the private etiquette, the barrens would probably be overflowing." He grinned at the thought before adding, "They certainly love power and influence though."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap chuckles, "Oh I'm not smart enough to do the math on the political effects of everything." He says.

"At least not smart in that way. I figure, being consistent kind of makes me a known political sum without me trying to keep up on everything and pick out winners and losers. I'm loyal to those I think have done well by me. Everyone knows that. Some will look down on me for it. Some will think well of me for it. But everyone will expect it, and figure it in when they're doing something political. So I shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It's been my experience that people are most dangerous when their surprised."

"On the highway of politics, where people are swerving all around and changing lanes and cutting people off and such, I aim to be the guy driving the harvester in the slow lane. They might not think much of him, but they don't worry too much about him getting in their way neither."

[Jacque]

"Well," he considers his explanation, "Consider the bigger picture. Some may not necessarily think less of you for your generally cavalier optimism towards someone you view as an ally, but for this offense that was so widely and publicly witnessed your reaction was to mainly ignore the gravity of her mistake."

He thinks a moment on phrasing, "In doing so, you demonstrate to the Domain that you speak to where your bias' lie, and that you may not be capable of being objective when it comes to encouraging proper and non-proper decorum. Even though your words appear to support someone who has done right by you, your approach has limited the weight of your words and subsequently your ability to actually do her some good."

"Any Kindred in their right mind would not feel betrayed by being held accountable for such a clear cut error," a flick of his wrist, "When you demonstrate that you can hold decorum above personal bias', the Domain may recognize and heed what your opinion is on a particular person. In turn, you can help your allies better rebound from their mistakes through your own improved influence."

He chuckles at the Savage's analogy, "You're not wrong, and I imagine your actions outside of the political arena will keep you under the radar. I just hope you at least consider the advice since I'm certain you wish you could do more than church a friend up." A dismissive wave of his hand, "Or feel free to ignore it if you prefer; I certainly won't be offended."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens. "Well." He says.

"Since I just said I am no kind of expert, and I also just said that you have done pretty well for yourself in the same field...it would be pretty foolish of me not to consider what you have to say." Dirt Nap says. "At least the implications of it." He ponders.

"I suppose when you come right down to it, the big picture seems that I'm not as nice a fella as people might thing. Namely, I have and idea of who I am, and lines I won't cross, even if it were more helpful to a friend than if I would try to be something else." Dirt Nap says, slowly.

"I won't say something wrong is right. If anyone asks me if I think she did something wrong, or if I think it's dangerous that she didn't know better by now, I wouldn't argue the facts." Dirt Nap says. "I will pick and choose the positive facts, when I have a choice, though."

"If it comes down to the Law, I won't defy it. If a friend of mine had a Blood Hunt called against them, I'd do my duty the best I could even though it was hunting a friend." Dirt Nap says.

"If it's not a firm requirement; it just costs me personally some credibility, I'll leave the pointing out of a person's failures to others; I have no doubt what has to happen will happen just the same; I just personally am not one to cast the first stone."

[Jacque]

"I suppose that is fair enough," the Lord mused after another sip of his drink. "You have a decent enough head on your shoulders but you're quite the enigma yourself."

The Lord counts taps a finger as he bullets out his list:

"You don't engage in politics. In fact, you avoid it at all costs,"

"You don't care to lead..."

"You wouldn't choose to grow the Dragons if you did lead them..."

"I'd argue that you wouldn't make a wave if it would save your life..." he shrugged with his final point, "So what does drive you? What brings you joy in this eternal damnation? What motivates you?"