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@Gallows
The house that Gallows has the address to is a rather ordinary tall residential building. Alfar's apartment is on the second floor from the top. The door is a heavy metal one with a reasonably sophisticated lock. There is a doorbell under which there was previously a nameplate, but right now only an empty spece remains.
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Gallows couldn't help but wonder at the tendency of mages to congregate in high places. Maybe it was the tendency of Hallows to appear in higher elevations...or maybe they all just really liked the imagery of a wizard's tower. Regardless, he decided to take the elevator up to Alfar's apartment.
Looking at the door, Gallows briefly expected to see the name 'Alfar' on the door before realizing that Alfar probably didn't want to advertise his presence. A lot of the Arrows Gallows had met were similarly security conscious. He supposed they would have to be, given their constant exposure to all the threats out there. Clearing his throat, he reached out and rang the doorbell.
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A few seconds pass and the door opens wide. Alfar stands in the doorway, motioning Gallows to come inside.
"Good day, Gallows. Please, come in."
The apartment is a studio. There are shelves along the walls loaded with books on the topics of medicine and the occult. The furniture is functional and shows just enough taste to show that people actually live here and it's not some sort of a government institution. In the middle of the studio is a dining table with an apple pie and two sets of cutlery.
Alfar motions to the table.
"I find it easier to talk when there is some food involved: keeps the brain from overheating and jumping to too many conclusions. Can I get you anything? Water, tea, milk?"
The doctor's own cup contains milk.
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"I'll take some milk please," Gallows said, looking around. Like anyone, he couldn't help but try and see what he could learn from the place that Alfar lived in. Normally he would have gone with the tea, but it seemed wrong to drink anything but milk when there was pie involved. It was interesting to see what books the man thought were both worth reading and keeping on display, but there was no time now for such obvious snooping--and it would have been rude. Besides, they had matters to talk about.
"So, you wanted to talk about Kite, and the Thyrsus meeting?" asked Gallows. "I'll admit that all of my knowledge is second hand, but I have a rough image of what happened. I would like to hear it from another viewpoint though, if you don't mind." He had the feeling that Alfar would be the sort to appreciate getting down to business immediately. He kept his tone relatively light, though--he wanted Alfar to know he was taking this conversation seriously, but was still friendly.
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Alfar notices Gallows looking at the bookshelves and comments with a smile:
"Mostly, Medicine and the Occult. With biology, martial arts and fiction thrown in."
When Gallows suggests to get down to business, Alfar takes half a minute to bite off a piece of the pie and wash it down with some milk. Also, it allows him to collect his thoughts.
"First of all, thank you for coming and even more so - for wanting to hear my side of the story. I know you are Kite's friend and I'm sure the impression he got of me wasn't very good. Not that he'd lie, but he is a bit prejudiced about me at the moment, I'm afraid." - there is a sour smile on the doctor's face and a hint of regret in his voice as he continues. - "Bear with me, this will take a few minutes. I just came to Sacramento after spending many years in Africa at a hospital for the poor. I awakened there and after several years of running with the local Arrows, I decided to come back to my hometown. Just as I came back, a Thyrsus meeting was called. Of course, I came. Apart from me, Animus, Triquetra, Kite and Idun were present. There were introductions and then a few moments when everyone got distracted and there was silence. Kite fell asleep. Triquetra was about to whistle the hell out of him, but I thought I had a better idea. I decided to tickle him awake. I took a feather I carry with me for communing with spirits, put a simple spell on it to enhance its tickling properties and did it."
He pauses to catch a breath before continuing:
"First of all, you need to understand one thing about the Thyrsoi: we don't usually mind body contact unless its something extremely arrogant. Like jumping on another's back and screaming "Go, pony, go!". Hell, Vaeltia once punched me for a very idiotic reason, in my opinion, and I'm not mad. I didn't know Kite, so I just assumed it would be fine. First of all, I thought it would be funny. Second, I considered that it would probably be better to wake him up by a prank, than have him reprimanded by his superiors. And it worked. After Kite awoke, everyone was distracted from the fact that he fell asleep during a Path meeting. I said I was sorry for the coffee he spilt on himself during his rude awakening, but noted that it wasn't the best time to sleep. Things started getting worse later."
There is another pause, during which Alfar sips some more milk:
"There was some more talk and I asked some questions concerning the state of affairs and the security of Concillium before Triquetra announced the next order of business: appointing a Provost. Idun remained silent, I told of my skills and the willingness to serve the Concillium and Kite - of his. He also noted that he was the best candidate because no one really knew me. Triquetra thought about the situation and chose me. I don't recall the exact order of events after that. I remember Kite voicing his concerns about my very bad sense of humor and the fact that I basically just came into town. I offered to swear an Oath to an Acanthus to prove the seriousness of my intentions. Eventually, Triquetra gave the reasons for her decision. She pointed out that I was concerned about security, while Kite was asleep. She said that I wanted the job, while Kite just said that he was the only candidate available and would bear this cross or something. She said that me being prone to playing pranks wasn't such a big problem. Somewhere around this point Kite looked stupefied and stared at her really hard. From outside it sure looked like Scrutiny. And I'm not sure Triquetra could tell under the stress of the moment. Animus almost immedeately stepped between Kite and the Councillor and asked whether it was a challenge. Kite backed down and the sentence was passed."
He takes another pause.
"You must understand the Thyrsoi, Gallows. Our Supernal Realm is a place of constant struggle, where beasts and spirits of unimaginable power constantly feed off each other for the sake of producing offspring and forwarding evolution. Hierarchy is big with us. Nature isn't a democracy: it is a ruthless hierarchy where nothing goes to waste. Kite's questioning his superiors without having more status than them was extremely rude. It's like a dog telling the lion what to do. This is how the Supernal touches us, and how most of us are. Certainly, it is how Animus is. Kite got his sentence because of his disregard for status and extreme rudeness, as far as I'm concerned, not for Scrutiny. And his sentence wasn't harsh: all he had to do was go to Rosh and convince him he wasn't crazy and that he knew Awakened etiquette. He could have his position back withing a week if he wanted to. But he chose not to."
His smile turns a little brighter as he finishes:
"I can repeat this account of events before anyone while under any Oath. It's the truth as far as I can remember. By now you must wonder why I think Kite's sentence needs to be lifted and we'll get to that in a minute. But first: do you have any questions? I may have left something important out."
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Gallows nodded at the appropriate moments in Alfar's story. It was true that as a Moros, he often had trouble understanding the Thyrsus--it seemed like they had a completely different outlook on life than him, and Gallows was considered particularly jovial for a Moros. At least they were less flighty than the average Acanthus, though. Still, this wasn't an issue of Path stereotypes, not really. As far as Kite was concerned, it was a matter of honor and Consilium law. Gallows was still figuring out where he stood.
"As far as the tickling thing goes," said Gallows, "I can't say it was the best idea, but I believe you when you say there was no ill will meant. I think there's a decent chance Kite is only upset about it because of everything else that happened as well." He frowned. "However...you say that I need to understand things about the Thyrsus. I know that I do, but it also sounds like everyone else needs to understand things about the Free Council." Gallows shrugged. "I mean, I'm a Thearch myself, but I know that Libertines do not place the same importance on heirarchy as other people. Questioning decisions is not a crime, and I can' say that I'm entirely comfortable with doling out such harsh punishments for questioning a superior's decision. Especially if that decision is not some sort of wartime or emergency matter."
"No disrespect meant towards you," Gallows said to Alfar placatingly, "But I can understand why Kite might question the selection of a provost that no one had met before. That doesn't mean that he might not have been rude about it, or that Triquetra made the wrong decision. I'm only saying that I can understand Kite's point of view. There is one thing he mentioned, though, that I did not hear in your accounting. He mentioned something about Animus threatening to have him executed as a Seer." Gallows' face still held a polite smile, but it was slightly less warm at this point. "Before we go further, I would like to clear up that point. Even if Kite had scrutinized Triquetra, which seems fairly unclear at this point, I still believe that threatening an execution would be a gross overreaction. I wanted to hear how this happened."
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Alfar nods to the Gallows comment about the tickling:
"Although at the moment it seemed like a fun way to defuse the situation, I've regretted it since for various reasons, but we'll get to that in a moment."
When Gallows mentions the Seer execution part Alfar looks stupefied for a moment, before furrowing his brow, closing his eyes and trying to recall the details clearer.
Remembering success
His meditation training kicks in as he remembers the park, the smell of grass, the splashing of water. After about half a minute, his eyes open.
"Sorry, I needed to concentrate. It was a long time ago and there are words that stood out more. The part where he said that I would soon screw up so badly the Councillor would regret her decision is quite burned into my mind..." - Alfar's expression changes to a bitter smile.
"However, Animus didn't threaten him with execution. God, no. What he said was that the way he behaved showed that Kite didn't know a single thing about Awakened etiquette. Which implied that he either was honestly ignorant or was a Seer plant. The Hierarch said that if the latter was true, his disapproval would soon be the least of Kite's problems. There were conditionals everywhere and no direct threats of any kind were uttered."
He pauses for a few seconds thinking.
"The words the Hierarch used were harsh, but not without basis. Kite wasn't Awakened the day before, but he behaved as if the entire Concillium was the Free Council. Still, there were no threats of execution. No specific threats at all, actually."
Having finished with this, Alfar relaxes visibly, not having to recall that day as clearly as possible anymore:
"I understand Kite's point of view also. And if he questioned Triquetra's motivation just once and accepted it we wouldn't be having this conversation. But he kept badgering her until things escalated. For the record, I believe that Kite might be more capable than me as an individual. But he is also much prouder and posesses the decided inability to let go." - the doctor shakes his head in disapproval. - "These are not very good qualities for a Provost. I am glad Triquetra made the choice she did, and I'm trying to live up to it."
At this point he sips his milk and bites off another piece of the pie before continuing with a warm smile:
"Anyway, we are not here to discuss how good a Provost I am. I hope I've answered your question. Will you hear why I think Kite's sentence needs to be lifted or at least less severe? We can then compare it with the reasons you have."
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Gallows listened to Alfar's explanations of the events that had occurred, and had to admit that he found what the Provost said to be much more likely than the idea that Animus had openly threatened Kite with execution over a matter of scrutiny. This really was a mess.
"I think I understand," said Gallows, nodding. "I'd like to hear your reasoning for why Kite's sentence should be lessened." He was curious to see what Alfar had to say--it sounded to him like this was a classic example of Libertine values clashing with the Pentacle's heirarchy...specifically the militant mindset of the Arrow. This was exactly the situation the Catalyst had been created to handle. It was time to see if the concept of his cabal really would work.
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Alfar takes a little time to eat and get his thoughts in order. He wanted to be as clear and impartial as possible.
"As you can no doubt already understand, I think there wasn't any significant abuse of power on Animus' part when the sentence was passed. Was it a weighted thought-out decision? No. Would I have made the same one after careful consideration with all the information available? Yes, probably. It seemed like a viable solution to the problem." - the doctor sighs. - "However, since then new information was introduced to me, creating a foundation for Kite's behaviour and thus mitigating the need for sanctions."
Another bite, another gulp.
"First of all, Kite is insomniac. When I first met him, I thought it was his problem that he couldn't get a few days of sleep before a Path meeting. However, I have seen him since and I am a doctor. I know the symptoms. If you cannot sleep properly your nervous system needs to keep you awake by making your normall state a lot more agitated. And if you can finally get a good nap, it's heaven..." - Alfar smiles apologetically at Gallows. - "I couldn't fall asleep after my Awakening myself. Too much energy in my body, too much excitement. The emptiest room filled with life and spirits... But I digress."
It takes him a few seconds to formulate the next phrases:
"Basically, by waking him in such a manner, I antogonized Kite severely. If I knew then, I'd have tried something much more careful. Second, there is the 'being tickled by a complete stranger' issue. This is also my fault, although in a different manner. I haven't been back for long and in South Africa, where I Awakened, there was much more kinship between members of the same Path. Seers were about as powerful as the Pentacle, the threats were constant. Couple that with typical Thyrsus psychology, and you get the fact that no one would have minded what I did to Kite. As far as I understand, most Shaman here are more or less the same way. But Kite isn't, and that served to get him off balance even further."
The pie definitely was a good idea. When you need to think, just take a bite...
"Kite is still responsible for his own reactions and he could have handled it much better. But what basically happenned was that a person who hasn't slept in god-knows-how-long was woken most rudely in his opinion, making not the best first impression of me, to say the least. And then he saw me being chosen as Provost. Him being a Libertine, I can understand his reaction perfectly."
"What happenned that day was discrimination. Kite has a medical condition and it wasn't taken into account, because no one knew, and, I think, Kite wouldn't admit it himself. We allow the Free Council to be a part of the Pentacle, yet we forbid them from expressing their beliefs in a matter that has nothing to do with the other Orders. Simply because there are four Atlantean Orders and one of them, doesn't mean we can impress our philosophy upon them whenever we like. And Kite isn't a useless addendum to the Concillium. He is resourceful, compassionate and willing to help others while expecting little in return. The truth is, we need him to be a part of this Concillium. And while Kite was quite rude that day, in my opinion, what was done to him was unfair. The best thing to do now would be to lift the sentence. Kite's line of behaviour will keep him from associating with some people, who mean him no harm at all. That is an inconvenience enough for his rudeness."
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Gallows listened to Alfar speak, surprised. He wasn't sure what he had expected to find upon meeting the man, but this was the first lengthy conversation they had shared. While Gallows still wasn't entirely convinced that Animus had been within his rights, he found that Alfar had made a compelling argument. Also, he had not known about Kite's insomnia--at least, not in detail. Anyone with eyes could see that Kite had been having issues lately, though.
"If I recall, you weren't at the Consilium last time it gathered," Gallows began slowly, after taking a bite of the pie. "But I announced there that I am in a cabal known as The Catalyst. One of our main goals is to facilitate inter-Order cooperation. From that perspective, I could not agree more with your assessment, and am looking for ways to help. I agree that it is unfair to punish Kite for having Libertine values--we are not a police state, and the mitigating factors certainly seem to make punishing Kite for speaking his mind into an unnecessary action." He poked around at his piece of pie with his fork, not really eating it as he spoke. "I have been speaking with Kite, as well as the Heirarch, and am trying to bring about a peaceful settlement that everyone can be happy with." He looked up from his pie at Alfar. "It might make you feel better to know that, while I don't think Kite is exactly happy with you, I don't think he primarily blames you for the incident either. His main issue is with Triquetra and the Heirarch, and I am managing that as best as I can." He chewed up a piece of pie, and swallowed. "Can you think of anything that might help the process along?"
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