On the Corner of Paranoia and Prudence

[Varyx]

Varyx smiled, catching the twitch to Avis' lips before the other woman answered. Her tone was almost playful, and Varyx suspected this was about as light and teasing as Avis ever got, if her attitude otherwise was to be assumed normal.

So... Avis liked her enough to rib her about joining her own cabal, then? Interesting. And, frankly, quite complimentary - Varyx got the impression that Avis was a naturally suspicious person, so the fact that she was warming to Varyx so quickly, at least enough to make that kind of off-handed comment about becoming such close allies, struck her as a strange sort of compliment. Which wasn't to say that she expected Avis to drop all suspicion now - far from it. She could still sense the tension in the other woman, enough that she still felt like this strange sort of comfortable back-and-forth was fragile. But still, she got the sense that the fact that there was any sort of rapport at all meant something, when it came to a woman like Avis.

Varyx chuckled and winked at her before responding, "Perhaps. I intend to make full use of the information you've provided me today to find the right place for myself in this city, so I'll be contacting all of the cabal leaders, but suffice to say that I'll plan to give the Veiled Threats a fair chance to impress me. Somehow I feel that you're a difficult woman in impress. So am I. It may or may not give your people a bit of an unfair advantage."

Then, a wicked smile spread over her lips, and she found herself considering her next question. It was perfect - Avis would get a chance to sell her own cabal to Varyx without coming off as pushy or gossipy, and Varyx would get an idea of the politics between the current cabals from the perspective of someone who had been in the city a long time. "Would you mind giving me your opinion on the various cabals?" She was careful to keep her tone innocent, but her wicked little smile hadn't disappeared yet. She winked again. "I promise, whatever you have to say, if it's somewhat less than positive, it won't leave here. If you don't want it to, I mean."

[Avis]

"Well, I appreciate the discretion and all that, but I don't have a problem making my opinions known, so you won't be hearing anything secret," Avis replied with a shrug.

"Basically, I don't think much of the other cabals. The Fateful Watch is basically...just sort of there, and Temoins du Sud is filled with the most infuriating people in this city. Truce, the Moros Councilor, is too busy digging his nose up the Hierarch's ass to do anything else, Einstein is so fucking convinced she has the intellectual and moral high ground I'm pretty sure she's actually delusional, and Crowley, for whatever fucking reason, has convinced himself that I'm the Consilium's most terrible person. Or some shit, I honestly don't understand what his deal is, but he's blown up at me when I've been minding my own business twice now. It's gotten to the point where I'm considering challenging him, but he's not really worth the effort."

Another shrug. "Of course, I'll be curious to hear what you think after you've had a chance to talk to them and judge them for yourself."

[Varyx]

Varyx had to work to suppress her snicker at Avis' little rant. She didn't want the other woman thinking that she was disrespecting her opinions or her means of expressing them - the contrary was true, and even if it wasn't, she wouldn't have wanted to offend her.

She could appreciate someone so blunt and open about their feelings. Whether it was the smartest way to go about things was another question entirely, but at least she had the balls to do it. Better to be blunt and brave enough to speak your mind than be too cowardly to speak up for fear of repercussions. Of course, it was better still (in Varyx's opinion) to hold one's cards close to your chest in order to manipulate things to your own advantage; keep one's friends close and one's enemies closer. Still, keeping one's friend close and one's enemies away with a sharp tongue was better than grovelling for everyone's approval out of fear. She could respect that.

On the other hand, there was something rather amusing about the little burst of anger the spilled from Avis' lips. Perhaps it was that Varyx simply hadn't expected that kind of open vitriol. Regardless, she had to swallow a chuckle by the end of it, especially after she seemed to drop all the venom from her tone in an instant, to ask Varyx for her own opinion on the other cabals. Somehow, the sudden jumping between attitudes made the whole thing even more absurd and therefore even more amusing.

Was it strange that this little episode was making her enjoy this conversation with Avis even more? She's appreciated the help from the Mastigos Councillor, of course, but if she was being honest with herself, she'd assumed, from the first moment she saw the ratty hoodie and her otherwise utilitarian-to-the-point-of-blandness appearance, that they weren't going to get along. What an unexpected turn of events.

"Well, you're certainly not painting a particularly positive picture of them. I'll still give them a chance, of course, but if they're really as bad as you say..." She paused, shrugging. "Maybe I'll be back to see you sooner than I'd imagined."

To tell the truth, Varyx was already beginning to feel like The Fateful Watch had lost their chance. She's still speak to Miach, but he'd have to present a compelling case to overcoming the damning evidence that Avis had - perhaps unintentionally - supplied. It was clear the other woman disliked Temoins du Sud much more avidly, but that was rather the point; she felt something about them. Even if she didn't like them, that at least suggested they carried influence in the city.

The opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference.

Perhaps Avis' thoughts on the matter differed greatly from the rest of the Consilium. Perhaps the influence of The Fateful Watch was subtle, and Avis wasn't paying attention. Varyx somehow doubted that, but it was possible. She'd speak to the others about them, but unless they told a vastly different story... It seemed her choices for cabal had been narrowed down to 2. Or perhaps the greater solution was to form a new one... But these were thoughts to be considered later.

She smiled at Avis again. "Anything else you think the new girl should know?"

[Avis]

"It's rude not to mention where you're from," Avis replied bluntly. "Also, you should speak with a Herald as soon as you can. They're the only way to become recognized as something besides Outlaw. Well, aside from bugging the Hierarch, I suppose. Either way, once you've done that, I'd start giving the cabals a call, but it's up to you."

[Varyx]

"Thanks, I will." Then there was a pause, as Varyx decided on how to deal with Avis pushing for information about where she's from. "I came here from Los Angeles," came the answer. Strictly speaking, not a lie. After leaving San Francisco, she'd dropped one of her girls off in Los Angeles and got her set up with a contact there because she hadn't wanted to come to Sacramento.

Avis was going to kill her when she found out, but that could be something for future-Varyx to deal with.

[Avis]

Most people that imagine oaths and binding words understood them as Lawyers did. As puzzle pieces that could be re-arranged and re-combined, turned over and obscured until meaning had shifted, but that wasn't how the Adamantine Arrow viewed the world. For the Talons, intent was the whole of the law. It didn't matter if something was technically 'true'. It mattered what the speaker of that 'truth' thought of it, and what their intent was in speaking it.

Hence why Avis simply nodded, a mild, "uh huh," greeting Varyx's declaration. "I'd be more forthcoming with the Herald. Penalty for lying to them is steep. But, other than that, I think that's it. You should know enough to be off to a good start. Just call the Herald, stay away from the University, and start talking with more folks."

   spot dat lie! 3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2015-10-15 00:14:37		Avis rolls 6 to oh no you di'nt (wits3+subter3) (10 Again)		6, 3, 9, 3, 7, 10, 9		3 successes

[Varyx]

Well shit. The Talon was a lot more astute than Varyx had given her credit for. She winced at the clearly disbelieving "uh-huh" and then again at the stab about her lying to the Herald. Astute. Not subtle.

Worse, Varyx didn't actually like the idea of giving Avis a reason to mistrust her. Weird as it might seem, she actually kind of liked her Councillor, and at this point, having Avis know she was lying was almost as bad as Avis knowing the truth. And since it was just going to come out eventually anyway...

She shot the other woman a near-petulant pout, and crossed her arms. "I should have given you more credit. Fine. But when I tell you I'm from San Francisco, will you promise not to kill me?"

[Avis]

A beat. A blink. Then a smirk.

"If you're from San Francisco then I'm not surprised you think I'd want to kill you. That's what the Golden Consilium does, after all: kill anyone that disagrees with the status quo. Fortunately for you, that's not how we do things here. So don't worry. As long as, ya know, you're not a spy." The smirk softened. "Just see Arthur. And don't lie, and we'll be alright."

[Varyx]

Varyx relaxed visibly. Inside, she was still pulled taut as a bowstring. Just because Avis said she was alright didn't mean she actually was. She had no reason to disbelieve her, but a lack of caution was not exactly how she had survived this long. Just, clearly, it was a different kind of caution than what Avis espoused. But hey, maybe they could learn from one another.

Varyx made a noncommittal humming noise, and lifted a single, sloped shoulder in a shrug. "Mmm. Well, I wouldn't know, since I didn't interact with the Golden Consilium much. Didn't even know that's what they were called. I Awakened, they showed to tell me not to go around enslaving mortals unless it was in the confines of their rules, I told them I lacked interest in their games, and they left." She returned Avis' smirk. "So the short version is no, I'm not a spy. And I'll call Arthur the moment I'm out of here. If we're going to be such bosom buddies as you seem to think, I don't think I'll need to worry about lying to him anyway." She couldn't help being a little bit of a tease. Best way to show you were unflappable.

Ready to close the thread?

[Avis]

Bosom buddies?

Slang she didn't recognize. That was strange.

"Good. Then don't," Avis replied sternly, hoping that the other woman had actually received the message.

Only time would tell, however.

"In the meantime, though, take care. Like I said, the city is a dangerous place. Now come on, I'll show you the back way out," the Talon continued, standing to lead the newest Warlock back out to Sacramento's streets.

End Scene