Please stop using <<>> in text, Woland Alexander Brown .
Historically that's been used to denote First Tongue* and should stay that way for consistency.
* Plus I don't think anyone has a clue what sort of emphasis <<>> is supposed to denote
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Please stop using <<>> in text, Woland Alexander Brown .
Historically that's been used to denote First Tongue* and should stay that way for consistency.
* Plus I don't think anyone has a clue what sort of emphasis <<>> is supposed to denote
There was about to be some steam in the small waiting room, and not the pleasant type. The one that happened when the heat of tempers that were on the brink of flaring amidst the cool and palpable conversation that had now fallen over like a wilted flower.
Hopefully the disagreement over the Hedge was finished. Her violets looked between the two of them. "We are here to discuss the Freehold at large, please. Not to have a clash about Seasonal issues." The Dancer's hands moved gracefully into a cease fire move whilst looking at both of them calmly from one to the other again.
"If there are words that are questionable in a pledge, or even in our constitution, then we'd best find solid words that have no cleaver double meaning. That can be difficult, but I'm sure we" Looking at the two of them again and drawing a circle in the air to encompass all three of them, "can obtain this."
She knew this wouldn't be easy. They never had a constitution before, probably for good reason as she was beginning to see. Maybe they tried it long ago, but that conversation never came up with anyone through the years.
"I have Mhairi." She said with a long drawn in breath. "Except, they aren't always happy wishes. Sometimes they are a last hope or prayer before all is lost."
I really wish I could have downloaded Katrin's wisdom before she left.
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WillpowerSasha's trying to keep the peace. In some distant part of of her mind, Mhairi realizes this, and realizes that her temper isn't helping anything.
But lately she'd been trying to accept herself, and that meant accepting the fire.
So Mhairi ground her teeth together.
"'Limiting my merry jaunts' is telling me what to do. And it's not from a security stand point, which is you only purview. But because you'd rather not deal with it. There is only one other Autumn in this Freehold, yes. But as long as I am Director, then this 'hold you've been calling home, will be painted in my colors. Just like the 'hold would be flavored by Winter is Sasha was the Director instead of the Notary. Be lucky, that I don't want my home to turn into Miami. If you don't like this, then you need to either find a Courtless to take my place, or forswear Summer and do it yourself."
The wisp takes a breath, she doesn't know if it's to calm her temper or to get more air so she can speak.
"Yes, I admit to still keeping my words vague, my intentions likewise, lest I become truly specific and draw the attention of the Wyrd upon this meeting!" She snaps, "It's not my fault your have an aversion to make any sort of Pledge. And yes I remember Spring. When you didn't make that Pledge." With the Ogress all fire and flash, disappearing before anything could be done, and Lucian's words for the Crown only to having him flee the 'hold too. She wasn't surprised no one remembered that the mirrorshin - the self admitted spy never Swore the Pledge of Good Intent. "You, being so adverse to Pledges, Pledges that would protect us, and our home....it makes me wonder." The Fell-flames flicker and burn. "You've already admitted to spying on us..."
She stands, the force toppling her chair to the floor with a loud thunk.
"Swear to me now, upon your own life for the length of it, that you are not a Loyalist, nor a Privateer. And that you have never been and never will be. Or, you will be introduced to very special Autumn Tradition."
The Notary's attempt at calming the atmosphere is noticed and appreciated. They won't be any good to anyone if they spend most of their days bickering. On the other hand, understanding can only take you so far...
"Issues? I don't recall having any until someone here decided to create some. For the last time, Mhairi." He hopes addressing her by name rather than title can cut some distance between them, create a more pleasant atmosphere. "The Autumn Court can be up to anything it wishes, and you as its Monarch have the sole discretion to decide what it is. But the people elected you to lead everyone, not just the Leaden Mirror, and you have to consider everyone's position on such a decision. What I'm saying is very much a security concern. You cannot guarantee everyone's safety there, and neither can I." The Darkling truly, deeply hopes they are done with this ridiculous discussion.
What comes next, however, he couldn't expect in his wildest dreams. He sits there, silent, his grip on a cup of coffee strengthened to the point of knuckles turning white. He speaks slowly, in a mostly successful effort for his voice to remain leveled, his face indifferent.
"Do you even hear yourself? We are bound to be thankful you don't turn Sacramento into a dictatorship? Is that what you're saying? We chose you to be our leader. Not our ruler."
She comes just short of calling him a traitor, and the instinct is to explode. Grab something - anything! - sharp and stab at the witch until either of them lies dead. If Alexander is good at anything, however, it is holding the instinct at bay.
"If you want to call me a traitor, you are very welcome to present concrete evidence to that effect. If you'd rather make threats, then I ask you to remember this is a place of Winter. We are guests here, and such low methods are simply disrespectful." From this point, the Mirrorskin thinks, she can either back down or claim direct ownership of the Freehold territory. In his mind, either will serve the purpose of putting the audacious Wisp at a disadvantage.
Right now, there was only one thing that the Fairest was thankful for - that the rest of the Freehold wasn't here to witness this.
The two of them bickering sent her past irritation level and into wicked winter. The room got colder than one would ever expect and when Mhairi flipped the chair, it only got worse. If her words weren't about to say 'cool it', her Mantle's high flare certainly would.
Sasha stood up and between them, her hands rising up to both of them. "Stop it, both of you. This is utterly ridiculous that we are bickering over something like this."
"I want you both to stop and think about this for a moment. Words. We are hinging on words and distorting it all. I do not take lightly saying someone can't go into the Hedge, nor do I take it lightly calling someone a Privateer. Stop low blowing each other, please. If we want the rest of the Freehold to be copacetic and be mindful of each other and our home, we have to lead by example."
The Dancer didn't sit. She stood, looking back and forth between the two of them. Her face took on a twisted form of seriousness. "I would like us to come to an agreement, and have things squared away before we leave tonight. And most of all, I would like us to leave as trusted colleagues at the very least." There were not any vapors from her breath in the air, the Onyx's breath was already as cold as the air surrounding the small waiting room.
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Fashion Willpower Willpower"Yes, I lead the Autumn Court, and the Freehold elected, me, Autumn's Queen to lead it. Like I said, my Court will color the Freehold I lead, it's my nature, and that of the wyrd. And I didn't say that everyone could freely wander in and out of the Hedge with no regard of the danger - What I did not like, was your words about my movements." the women takes a breath, "Be thankful, that I'm not the sort to do that, with our numbers so low, and the residents so new, it would be very easy to warp the face of the Freehold into something horrifying." a breath, "For us who mimic Them even as we want nothing to do with Them....Leading and Ruling, are the same. I lead Autumn, and Rule it too. If you cannot understand this, I wonder why you are a part of any Court."
Mhairi feels the cold of Sasha's mantle like she'd been splashed into ice water. She could almost see the steam rising from her skin. The wisp nods, "Sorry." and tries to refocus on now, Mhairi rights the toppled chair, and is entirely ready to return to actual work, but. The Mirrorskin deflects. And Mhairi's eyes narrow, she shakes her head. That tone. He clearly didn't understand the seriousness of this, or maybe be was just used to everyone falling for his silver-tongue.
"I'm sorry Sasha. But I do not trust Brown, and I never have. If he will not do such an easy thing...to Swear that he is," the wisp turns, "That you are not a monster. A slaver that steals us, and sells us. That you are not so twisted to love that monster that Kept you....with me, and Sasha - Winter's own Queen - as Witnesses...." Silently she apologies to the Dancer. This is not how she saw today going. "Unlike you, I give my word and keep it."
The Dread Queen, the Ashen Wisp closes her eyes briefly, and tries to center herself.
"I remove you from your office. You are no longer the Freehold's Groundskeeper, and I name you, Darkling, Mirrorskin, self-admired spy, known to me, and the Freehold of Sacramento as Alexander Brown, Traitor. I give you until sundown on this day, to leave Sacramento, and if you do not..."
The Wisp smiles then, soft and sweet. The light of her fell-flames cast an eerie glow, transforming the twist of her lips into something sinister.
"Autumn will host a hunt, everyone will be invited. And you, traitor. Will be our prey."
It's no fun when a Mantle of the Winter Queen pierces your skin and bones like a thousand daggers. He's experienced this before, but this time it was intentional, prolonged, triggered for the specific reason of turning Mhairi's and Alexander's attention away from each other and towards Sasha, who stood there, arms raised in a "cool it" gesture.
Well, it worked.
What he'd done up to this moment clearly hadn't worked, so maybe a change of tactics is in order? Obviously, there is no negotiating with Mhairi, at least not right now. She's drunk on power, and waving it around like a baton. The sentence she dishes out is unexpected, but raging about it or begging is just about the worst thing he could do right now. Alexander came with a knife to a gun fight, and the only way he sees of resolving this right here and now is to appeal to someone with even bigger firepower.
"Sasha, for God's sake, don't tell me you're going to stand aside and watch as she is banishing me for something I didn't do! She's calling me a traitor without giving any reason for it. My loyalty to the Freehold is known to you - please, stop this madness!"
The concern in his voice is clear and genuine. First, he's concerned about the Director expelling him. Second, he's concerned about what he'll have to do if this way does't work.
Because he's not leaving, and he's not being commanded like that. If it takes the entire Freehold to bear witness to these facts, so be it.
The Onyx thought it was out of control before, now the Ashen woman took it to the next level.
"Mhairi." The Dancer turned, bewildered that this completely blew up faster than anything she'd ever seen. "What is going on with you?
Sasha's voice remained calm, yet still in a shocked and confused state. "Could you please state what lead you to believe that he's a Loyalist or anything else?"
The Fairest had no idea if what she said had any merit. She and the Summer hadn't gotten that in depth into any sort of conversation yet. "Do you think that perhaps Alexander warned you about the Hedge because it's possible he fears it and doesn't want anyone else lost to it? Or that maybe he wants to keep us all far away from it because he's not a loyalist or anything of the sort?"
The Dancer remained calm, other than the extreme irritation in her voice. Although, that may have been putting it mildly.
"I don't understand what had gotten into you, Mhairi. Would you have liked to be treated this way not long after you arrived? Are you going to think this of ALL our new Changelings that arrived recently? Has anyone given you cause to think they are doing work for the Fae or Keepers?"
Her long finger quickly pointed to the ceiling. "Also, would you swear a Pledge to someone who just threatened you to prove something that you didn't do? Of course, there is that question of 'but if you didn't do anything then swearing a pledge shouldn't be difficult.' Yet we just discussed in our constitution that we want to lay down that they are innocent until proven guilty."
While she was speaking, something else occurred to her. The Elemental may have thought she was trying to protect them,
but who else would think that? Perhaps not many and maybe she would be seen and feared as a dictator.
"Do you think the rest of the Freehold would like to know that you are a loose cannon and are quick to snap judge anyone with a Hunt with only a hunch that they may be a loyalist? Thomas only recently joined the Freehold and an Autumn, he was given a title quickly. Do you think he may be wheedling his way into something as well?"
"If you are going to snap judge every single person that comes into this community and threaten them, I don't think that is healthy for our Freehold. Driving a wedge into things and constantly forming speculation isn't going to pull us together. And a Freehold that isn't together is in more danger of Them."
The Fairest realized something quickly. That there were good and bad points to having a singular leader. Currently, it was on the lines of bad... very bad. If the Leaden Queen couldn't get her anger under control, and stop on her path, their Freehold didn't stand a chance. Sasha was suddenly starting to question if Mhairi was actually a loyalist, one that had been lying in wait.
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Fashion Willpower WillpowerHer heart is racing. Thudding against her breast. Sasha's mantle doing much to calm her, as the Dancer speaks, asking questions and not just siding blindly against her.
"This isn't about the Hedge, or my or other's movements, it's that Brown didn't want to take me seriously. Deferring to you, and regarding me as just a--I don't know. HR. Maybe I am quick to anger. But everything about him has invoked my Wrath, I applaud him, as a Summer for that. Around him, all I feel is threads of that anger which curl and snarl into something stronger then paranoia. A genuine Fear that gnaws upon my bones!
"I am not like this!" the wisp shakes her head. "Never!"
"You do this to me, you make me feel like this! That shouldn't happen. I loose my reason." Mhairi shakes her head, and turns back to Sasha, "When I arrived, we had the Oath. When I arrived as soon as that was Sworn I knew I could trust everyone else who'd Sworn and that they could trust me. That's the difference. That's why I want us to have another Pledge like that, but to have a Pledge like that, it needs to be Sworn. And me badgering Brown....he wont even Swear that he's not a monster...even with the threat of banishment and his possible death...." the Wisp sighs, fell-flames flickering.
"I do not trust you, and I will not until that Pledge, or another of the same meaning. Passes your lips and is witnessed and sealed. So I know that your loyalties do not lie with Them. Or against us." Again, she turns to the Dance, "He hasn't denied it. He's called me crazy, and defected, and called for your help. But he hasn't even said he's not a slaver - a Privateer - or a Loyalist. And I don't mean a Pledge. That is why I think of him as I do. He's trying to get around speaking a plain truth, loopholes to work around a Pledge. If he's ever made a Pledge....those things, the way he speaks....and when we first met he said he'd been spying on us. Not to check us out before approaching to make sure we weren't a horrifying trap or whatever, but actually spying. His information might have been months old, but he still knew things that he shouldn't have."
She nods, "Sure, innocent until proven guilty. I'm just trying to use the most expedient way to find and prove his innocence....but his continued denials to say one way or another and his refusal to Pledge....has me firmly believing that he is guilty." his actions were not those of an innocent man.
To Brown: "You will not be Groundskeeper. That I will not budge on. You making me a raging inferno, and I can't lead and be what this Freehold needs if you continue to make me crazy." The wisp takes a breath, "Now tell me, in plain English that you are not a Traitor to the Lost."
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He is relieved to hear that Sasha is willing to stand between him and Mhairi and try to make her see reason, but it also means that from this point onward he needs to watch himself more closely than ever. If the Winter Queen has the slightest impression he's used her to gain power, have the upper hand in this conflict... well, then he might find himself abandoned in the next situation like this. So the plan for now is to be kind, polite, conciliatory. Cool this ridiculous argument down.
"I deferred to our Notary." He spoke after a prolonged moment of silence, his voice calm and warm. "Because she is the most experienced person not only in this room, but in this city as well. I would never bother someone so much higher up than me if I didn't take you and the threat of banishment seriously." A beat. Another one.
"And my point stands that a Pledge is unlikely to cover all the aspects a constitution does. We can blend the two and devise a simple allegiance to the written laws or you're welcome to prove me wrong and present a pledge that is as clear as what I brought here today is." It's what? The third time he has to say this? He hopes it's the last one, lest he'd become a broken record.
"You demanded a Pledge that would stay with me for the rest of my life and hang above my head like a sword on a hunch you pulled from the way I speak. I'm sure you can understand why I was reluctant to swear it." Or can she? Has the lust for power dissipated, at least for today? "But fine, I'll humor your suspicions. First of all, if your memory of the evening I arrived is as vivid as you say, then you must remember I didn't use the word 'spying'. And even if I did, do you think I'd admit to being a snitch from day one, literally in the first sentence I speak? You must also remember that it was me who tried to calm Cynthia down when she refused to swear, and it was me who swore a Vow of Good Intent - it didn't stick, true, but you and Sera and Sasha were there to witness it." Does Mhairi really want him to say he's not a Loyalist? Does she also want him to swear he's not a maple tree? "You want plain English? I'll give you plain English: I am not, never were or will be, a Privateer or a Loyalist, and I despise everything these people and their likes stand for." He eyes the Ashen Queen, wondering if she's finally convinced. It appears, however, that she's adamant on at least one thing, though.His voice is polite and didn't lose anything from its warmth but the tone makes it clear that it's the final say on the matter as far as Alex is concerned. "Still, lesson learned. We need to further adjust to one another, build a partnership this Freehold needs. I'm willing to make that happen." He extends his hand towards Mhairi in a friendly gesture. "Are you?"
"Respectfully, me being a Groundskeeper or not is not your call to make. It was the people that elected us to our offices, and it is only up to the people to remove us from them."
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Last edited by West; Jul 1st, 2017 at 02:37 PM.
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