(1612) Bea and Will
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He offered another small shrug, followed by a grin.
"Nothing I wasn't expecting, or prepared for."
He was glad she had approached him, he had wanted to speak to his fellow Carthian at some point in the evening.
"So, how are you finding Sacramento so far? Is it what you expected it would be?"
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"I hope you don't find me rude," Bea rejoined with a small smile, "but, if that's true, then I would advise you re-evaluate your expectations."
Regardless of what his intentions had been, she doubted that annoying the current power structure would do much to help the Cause. Of course, judgement was easily passed when one had yet to do anything that could be commented upon.
"And, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I think of Sacramento yet. It seems...a bit torpid, at least to what I've become accustomed to, but that's not necessarily something to complain about. Oh, and please excuse me," Bea added, dipping a hand into her pocket, "I must have forgotten my manners."
The card she produced next was identical to all the others she'd already distributed: a bold, black B on one side, a Los Angeles phone number on the other.
"Pleased to meet you," she finished, handing the card to the other Kindred.
His grin broadens, and he says. "That's probably true, but sometimes you find the pieces on the board have been arranged to one outcome, no matter how you might move your own."
He imagined he would be getting lectures about his conversation with the prince for nights to come. But, well, he wouldn't have done anything differently if he had the choice.
"Aha. Well, I suppose it could certainly be that way, depending on what you're interested in here."
After all, the movement was as good as dead. Will was so used to being the only member in a domain that cared so little for the cause, he had simply grown accustomed to being something of an outsider.
"I don't think you'll find anyone else here, besides present company of course, receptive to our shared ideology. Believe me when I say I've made the rounds."
There were still a few Kindred he hadn't approached about the Movement, but most of them were already members of the Invictus.
He accepts the card, and then produces one of his own.
"My manners seem to have left me as well. Dr. William Matheson. The pleasure is mine."
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"If you say so," Bea replied, accepting the other Kindred's card, her lips quirking with pleased amusement.
"And I do believe you, Doctor. I'm sure you've done better than I could have, were our positions to be reversed. Of course...that's assuming something very important for our purposes: that you and I share the same ideology. And, it is very possible that we might.
"However," Bea explained, her voice falling closer to a whisper as she stepped closer to the Ventrue, "it's also possible that we might not. My question is, how do we find out?"
Safely, of course. She omitted that word, even though it was by far the most important. The crux of it was, it was a word that couldn't be spoken aloud without, quite ironically, voiding the intent behind the word.
That was also what made conversations like this so fun, however. At least, for Bea.
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That was very true. Some Carthians were, unfortunately, morons, to put it bluntly. He either didn't expect that out of her, or was just so pleased to have new company that he wasn't willing to acknowledge the possibility.
"Well, that's an excellent question," He says, matching her tone and adding a wry grin. "I suppose much of it comes back to what the Movement means to you, and to myself. I prefer the, ah, constructive side of the movement. I've never held too much worth in persistent threats or outright terrorism that some Carthians seem to favor. To me, the movement is seeing laws that help uphold a domain, not, uh." He lowers his voice a bit further. "One's that are simply the whims of the few."
"Of course, this may not be the best place to speak of the what the movement is, to you. I understand if you'll chose not to do that here. Perhaps I'm simply in a bad mood due to prior interactions." He opens his palms and chuckles drily. "And the movement is so much more than that. But I don't want to bore you with my views."
"It seems most of our fellows are distracted with that new arrival, however." He adds, watching sidelong at the scene unfolding.
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"But what is a law, Doctor?" Bea countered, her brow furrowing as if in puzzlement.
"Is it simply a clause in the social contract, intended to provide the greatest protection for all, or is it just another delineation of power among society? Power which is created by simply acknowledging it? Or maybe you have another definition. I'm very curious to hear what you think.
"Maybe use the recent Kine election, if you're looking for an example to help illustrate your point," Bea suggested, knowing that, out of any topic of conversation, Kine politics was likely something most other Kindred would consider uninteresting.
"That is, of course, unless you feel the need to embrace your inner historian," she added, acknowledging his point about the reinforcement the Invictus just got.
He nods lightly and goes on. "The laws, again, in my own personal view, are what hold Kindred society together. A very base definition perhaps, so I'll go further. The Invictus has the concept of the "Masquerade" as a core tenant and I don't think there are many sane Kindred who disagree with it. The ramifications of being discovered are too high. It is a law that is therefore sensible and agreeable to most, if not all, kindred that holds our society together."
He pauses for a moment, smirking. "Funny that I am able to use the Vic as an example, however the problem with that power structure becomes, simply, that it is a power structure. The Masquerade is something most Kindred can agree on. But what of laws that say, ban affiliations or bloodlines from a domain? What purpose do they serve? But I'm getting off topic."
"It's never so easy as for an entire group to agree on something, as with the recent elections. And perhaps not even the majority will agree. But if the whole can at least see the sense, the logic, the need for a certain law, then I believe it is an effective law."
"But the Movement isn't all about law. It's also about freedom, and striking a balance between the two. Far too many Kindred consider themselves virtual gods above reproach. And certain roles and power structures do naught but reinforce that. It therefore becomes imperative that the movement enables freedoms among the society while still limiting activities that are damaging or detrimental to the whole."
"So now I've spoken about law, and, as the Prince complained, effectively avoided your question." He chuckles. "Because it's a question that I don't believe has one solid answer. At least, not when it comes to the Movement. So let me ask in return, what is the law to you?"
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"To me," Bea replied, "the law is just another adaptation. A mechanism for survival. Humanity evolved because they were social animals. Social groups where communication allowed them to thrive. And, from communication, we gained the capacity for abstract thought. Hence civilization.
"The difference, however," Bea continued, "is that Humanity has now developed to the point where selection pressures no longer impact us from the natural realm; or, not to the same degree they do any other species. That means that now, instead of competing against nature, all that's left to compete with is ourselves. Or, to put it in another context, now that we've conquered the chain of predation, our predation has turned inward. And society, instead of being the means for our survival collectively, has become the means for our survival individually. It's become a tool that we use to position ourselves above others.
"In short, the Law is just another means of predation. Just another means of ensuring that the strong eat, and the weak help them do it. Ironically, who is strong and who is weak is not always determined by who is fittest any longer. Those who should fail sometimes do not, and vice versa. Of course, that's getting a bit far afield, I suppose."
He considers her words before speaking, letting the brief pause hold a moment longer before he says. "Your definition of law is how I see the Invictus. That much is certainly true. Those in power stay in power. Stay full. Stay where they've decided they belong." He glances over to the rest of the congregation, his statement literally placing him in the presence of enemies, but he continues unabashed. "But the Movement must still have laws. It must have laws that defy your definition. We, as Kindred, have to respect certain boundaries. We have to control our predatory self. Otherwise, are we even still human?"
"It's a funny question, that one. Most Kindred would say we are not, we have evolved. But are we something beyond human, or simply a different state of humanity?"
"But again, that's an entirely different conversation."
He smiles and offers. "Your view might be different from my own in some ways, but I don't think it's enough to stop us from working together."
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"The preservation of power is not the same thing as predation," Bea disagreed, a hand rising to lightly touch her chin, a gesture that had yet to fade.
"The Invictus only care about preservation. A side benefit of preserving their power base is an advantage when it comes to predation, but it's not explicitly for it. At least, not to my understanding. They like their manners far too much for that. Their control, if they will. Of themselves as much as anything, I believe. But that's...probably beside the point," she continued, the hand leaving her chin to wave stray thoughts away.
"Let me ask you a different question. Are you more concerned with ideals, or with the form those ideals take? Because if you care at all about the form then I don't think you can deny that, at least in this country, predation is what matters. The founding fathers drafted the constitution and formed this country to avoid undesirable tax laws, take advantage of unrepresented and unrecognized people's land, and set themselves and their brood up in positions of power. Fast forward a few centuries and what do we have? A supposed billionaire whose policies are designed to benefit the interests of people that own corporations, people just like him and his children. Do you see what I mean? This entire country is a lie. Every single proclamation of ideals is false. It's a cover for the true purpose of this country: predation. We're standing in a nation built on consumption, of land, of people, of everything.
"So," she added, "I guess my question is, are you interested in theory, or in practice?"
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