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**Mhairi Ankaa** · Jun 8th, 2017 01:15 PM

"We'll have to wait and see. Nothing more can be done really, now that we don't have the Oath."

Mhairi sips on her coffee.

"We decided to do away with the Oath because of yes, Swearing to Sovereigns not your own, but the weight of the Oaths and Broken Pledges hanging on our shoulders." Mhairi gestures to herself and Sasha.

"I understand the Fear we have now. Without the Oath or a Pledge making sure these new Lost aren't our enemies, we really don't know. That's a thought that's kept me up at night." Mhairi freely admits.

"So if we ask of Pledges of Good Intent, how long would they last? A day? A week? A Season? What happens when the whomever we've Sworn this Pledge with leaves, you know that can happen, we'll carry the weight of that broken pledge. Whatever the Sanction, we'll be burned. The Wyrd will snap back at us."

Mhairi shakes her head,

"I'm not saying that I don't want a Pledge to protect us, and them, but I'm worried about what will comes of it."

Jun 8th, 2017 05:09 PM

It seems there is a little bit of a misunderstanding here.

"Like I said, I'm not proposing hiding in their lavatories, just a casual observation of them in action. How they handle problems, pressure, how much of a team player they are. Like a field job interview. Only lasting weeks." He smiled at the remark.

"And look, I know gun smuggling is a big deal." It appeared that the Italian elf might be a major talking point today. "But this kind of connections can come in handy, and to have some hardware on our side wouldn't hurt, too. Besides, Circe doesn't live or work here, so even if she is followed, she likely won't be followed here. And if she is captured and actually flips, do you think any self-respecting criminal would believe there is a secret society operating out of an amusement park?" Of course, there is danger, despite his joking comments. But in his mind it's not much greater than the one following each of them.

"That said, I may be wrong. And If I am, Circe is going to wish her competition finds her first." The mirthful attitude gone, replaced entirely by the awareness of this grim duty. Suffer not the traitor to live.

He is a little surprised at Mhairi calling Land "sweet". In his opinion, there is no such thing about the man - not because it is the Groundskeeper intention to disrespect him, it's just that... other aspects of his appearance and persona come to the forefront of one's mind.

"I'm going to trust your judgement on that one. But I reserve the right to an "I told you so" if he accidentally summons a tentacled monstrosity from Outer Space." Again, the true meaning of his words was masked behind a joke. But those who dabble in the occult rarely observe any proffesional ethics, and to make matters worse - after the dust settles it's usually them that are left standing.

Then the Notary speaks, and she, too, makes some interesting points.

"You may have been shy, but Brigid is... what's the word?" he turns towards Mhairi for a second. "Intense. Shyness can be worked on, overcome. But this woman wears her mannerisms like a shell, or an armor. Those are not inborn, they are artificial, and she might hide something beneath them... like a trauma. Or a vial of poison. This is why I think she'd be a good fit at the Note. Maybe you'll get a chance to deconstruct that shell over time."

Then, the topic of pledges, or to put it more broadly - a layer of protection around the community is brought up, and even Alexander's own vow is mentioned (how considerate!). A dark storm brewing behind his eyes, he grabs the cup of coffe with a full hand and takes one big sip, and then another.

"I completely agree that we need to have something in place, but it'd need to be a carrot as much as a stick. I also agree that a Vow of Good Intent would not be useful for our purposes, for reasons explained by Mhairi. This is why I came up with the idea of something of a more... mundane nature." Without waiting for their reaction, if any, he reaches out to the depths of his flat briefcase and pulls out a few pieces of paper, then quickly places them on a pad. "Like the Founding Fathers of old, I thought a written document was in order. For quick reference of how things are, sparing us the need to explain it every time someone new arrives. Outlining their - and our - rights and duties." He places the document in a spot where it can be easily read by the other officials.

"This is far from complete, obviously. Needs some work. So... what do you think?"

You're taking some liberties, pal. Certainly, he considered the possibility that it was something entirely new to the Lost of Sacramento, and they might be quite hostile to the innovation. But it was worth a shot.

Right?

Jun 9th, 2017 08:44 PM

Snickering, Outer Space, was oddly funny to her. Either there were underlying reasons, or she needed to break the seriousness of the situation. Whichever it was, the Onyx didn't apologize for it.

Sasha had to deal with the likes of Brigid's type for many years with the Winter's that came and left. Intense didn't bother her. Sneaky, mis-worded and false intentions certainly did. "Maybe I will get the opportunity to take pieces of the shell off later, but, for now, it will be handled with kid-gloves. It's not much different than dealing with many different people over the years." Spartan, Rick, Green and many more came to mind. "I guess you could call it a personal challenge." She grinned with hope in her violet eyes.

As the Autumn Queen noted the points of danger for these pledges, Sasha couldn't stop her head from nodding in agreement over and over again. "Perhaps that is why I am concerned with all these newcomers; there is nothing to tie their loyalty to us or the rest of the Freehold."

"But you're absolutely right Mhairi. The blow-back could be awful for any of us and all of us."

The Dancer took the document and moved next to Mhairi so they could both look it over. Oh my goodness, so many words, so much jargon. My eyes already hurt from this. But, the Fairest reminded herself that this wouldn't be the last of something very wordy. It was now her duty, and she would fulfill it as best she could. He must have a lot of time on his hands, or he really enjoys this stuff.

As she read it, so far, each chapter seemed, for the most part, well thought out. There were certain things that were a little questionable. One of the points stuck out to her. Her finger underscored Chapter II, point 2. "So back to what I said about a Sovereign asking you to do something that goes against your Court..." Looking at the two of them. "How do you wish to address this situation when it comes up?"

Because part of being a Notary were checks and balances, or at least the Fairest thought so.

"Something in Chapter V, second point isn't making sense to me either." Maybe she wasn't reading it correctly, which is why the Dancer brought up the question.

**Mhairi Ankaa** · Jun 9th, 2017 09:43 PM

An eyebrow arches over her one fell-flames eye. "We might be Autumns," remember that, 'we' "But we're not gonna try and summon Elder Things. I'd bet my spiked boots that they're connected to Them." and no one was going to be poking around Them on her watch.

Mhairi nods, "That and the Fear will still be there, clinging to us. Circulating and growing unless we figure out a way to deal with it."

Alexander opens his briefcase and passes them ink lined pages and when Mhairi takes a peek she unknowingly echoing the Winter Queen's unspoken thoughts.

"Hoe boy that is a lot of words."

But the Wisp was not only an Autumn but the Queen of Autumn and a few words wont have her running for the hills. Even if this sort of legal documentation gives her hives.

"Hmm, yeah'll have to be addressed. Like if I asked a Summer to do something, that might go against their Court. What would they do? Listen to me as Director, or not, because it would go against their Court." a blink, her fell-flames sputtering as motes fly off, "Not that I'd actively be doing that, but it's just an example." a shrug, "I don't know how it should be handled. I don't want to hand out a task or something and have someone tell me no because they disagree based off their Court, I might have actual reasons for handing out that task, but at the same time. I don't want the to blindly obey me for whatever reason. I'll feel a little too like Them if that happens. I don't want that."

A drippy finger pokes at the words, trailing burned glamour down the page.

"Maybe we each need to Pledge that we wont abuse our position of authority. that our purpose isn't to make the 'hold's Lost betray their Courts..."

Her mind turns.

"I wish we had a proper Pledgesmith in the 'hold. Maybe they could think up a way to reword the Freehold Oath so it wont lay so heavily...make it mesh well with what we want now, versus what we needed under the old Oath..."

Fell-flames spy the item that Sasha brings up, "Killing another member results in banishment?" her eyes go wide, "Is that the point you mean? Since betraying the old Oath, braking it by word or deed was met with Banishment, to coldly kill another Lost...." maybe it really spoke of how her Durance changed her, but Mhairi thought that the loss of a life should be met with another.

Jun 10th, 2017 04:22 PM

"Personal challenge? Fine by me." Indeed, he had no reason not to trust Sasha's instincts. How many Lost did she see come and go? Probably dozens and counting - Lucian and his sudden disappearance comes to mind, as he entered and left before the doors had time to close.

"I'm glad to hear it." The underlining of Mhairi's Seasonal origin does not go unnoticed, just like the Queen of Thieves wanted. Of course, he could hardly expect her to be suspicious or even highly critical of one of her own. It'd be hypocritical, too, in the light of him defending Circe the way he did.

As the conversation moves away from the new arrivals, and the attention of the Director and Notary shifts towards the document before them, he is anxious to receive their input. Las time he felt that way was in... middle school, perhaps? When he waited for his mother to return from a parents' evening at school. Good times. He prepares for the strike, but it never comes, instead giving way to curiosity and - obviously - some reservations. He hopes to address those properly.

"A situation? I don't see how that is any different from the muggles and the US government. You agree to tow the line, and in exchange you are granted a specific set of rights and freedoms, not just in relation to one person, but the entire community. I'd say that is a much better deal than having to be sworn to a complete stranger just to receive the privilege of staying and some measly magical reimbursement. I do agree that there should be some procedure of deposing a member of the Hierarchy unfit to rule or one who refuses to enforce those rights, but if someone is absolutely opposed to the idea of authority, he is more than welcome to take his chances in the Hedge." At this moment he wishes he'd listen more closely when the social studies teacher explained the Enlightenment schools of thought, and the representative books. He'd be able to throw some quotes or names. But as it stands - his own words must suffice.

"If you insist on us giving pledges not to abuse what power we might have, then I can live with that, but on the other hand: experience teaches that the heads of tyrants very often end up on pikes, and I'd rather keep mine, thank you very much." For his part, he had no intention of abusing his prerogatives, and he was comfortable neither do the other two persons in this room. Why would they? They enjoyed every ounce of respect there was to get.

"Oh, that. Well, I'm not going to staunchly defend that one in particular, but... are you familiar with the concept of judicial murder? The unjustified use of capital punishment? Well, this is me trying to avoid it - on one hand, we cannot let a killer go free, but what if we are wrong? What if someone misinterprets evidence or wrongly assumes intent to kill? The blood would be on our hands, and the faith in law and order would be undermined. Banishment, however, frees us of that burden, and allows the killer to make amends. Besides, this is a dangerous world for our kind - a lone Lost is not going to last, and it is very difficult to start from scratch." Granted, the specifics of this chapter need to be worked out sooner rather than later. The things at stake are too important.

Jun 11th, 2017 03:33 PM

"Let me try and put it another way." At least Mhairi knew what the Fairest was getting at. But Alexander had to be convinced a little more.

"So, you join the military. Someone asks you to fight, you do it. Because you signed up to do it. But, if you are not of the military, you were never trained to fight, you don't like fighting and it goes against your religion or something that you are extremely invested in, then you're punished for not fighting?"

"Do you see what I mean on how this could pose a situation?" Her hand rose calmly and easily up in the air briefly. All the while, the Fairest's voice was calm and diplomatic as she began to address the concern.

"Each of us in our Courts take up the ability to oppose something in a different manner than the other. Summers, for example, have the ability to take up Contracts to do hand to hand combat, fight fiercely, among other things. Winters, we are more subtle about battle, fighting, and anything to do with an enemy. If someone isn't capable of something, it's very difficult to tell them to do it, knowing the repercussions. Of course, we all want to serve and protect the Freehold. But if we're ordered to do something that is outside of our limitations or our Courts, are you then suggesting for them to meet an untimely death that could have been prevented if we would have taken some care and consideration in what they are capable of doing?"

"With all of this in mind, I agree with Mhairi that making sure that we as Hierarchy, or anyone that may follow us doesn't abuse that power. But that is why there is three of us and no one is allowed to hold more than one Freehold position. So that the power isn't abused." Which was reiterating the point that Alexander made.

"I guess that also leaves something else to table though. I know that Mhairi and I are Sovereigns, but soon, Spring and Summer will also have them. They may want to step in and voice their concerns privately to the Hierarchy if it is a dire situation of the Freehold."

On the other point, Sash wasn't sure her concern was conveyed. And yet, the Darkling took a long road to finally get the point straightened. "I see what you mean now. Correct that we wouldn't want the blood of an innocent person on our hands, if there were things that didn't add up. Granted, if many witnessed it, it's hard to question. I guess we could pose a timeline of banishment, depending on the situation. Aside from murder."

The Onyx really hoped they didn't have to face dealing with a murderer in the Freehold. "I too wish we had another Pledgesmith. We had one once, they were here for a great while, but, like many others, left the Freehold."

The Dancer finally took a sip of her coffee, her mouth was parched from all the speaking she did and the caffeine was doing wonders for her nerves.

**Mhairi Ankaa** · Jun 11th, 2017 08:06 PM

Alexander doesn't get it. Sasha tries to fix what Mhairi's words failed to amend. The wisp nods, then decides to turn their example farther away from the mundane and into the magic - as was Autumn's purview.

"If I were to order you to do something that goes against not only, your beliefs but against Summer. What would you do? Mindlessly act, even knowing that you're betraying yourself and Summer. Doing something like that....Summer wont care that you're acting on another's orders, Summer will only care that you've acted. You would have turned your back to Summer and so Summer would turn it's back to you. You're Mantle will leave you, and everyone will know you're not to be trusted. There are Loyalists and Privateers who've kept their Mantles because they haven't betrayed their Season even if hey betray other Lost." taking a moment, hoping that Alexander would have finally understood why this was an issue for the two Queen's in attendance.

On the other issue, "And to make sure we don't abuse our authority, a Pledge. Sworn on our Seeming, since this isn't about the Courts we shouldn't use a Courtly Emblem....Sworn at each Solstice and Equinox in front of the Freehold, so there's a....transparency there. We'd have to word it really well, I just want a promise made to make sure everyone know that we aren't going to make them betray their Court, and that we wont turn into something like Them....at least not without the Wyrd bitch slapping us in the face."

Mhairi offers a slow nod, "Killing someone who's innocent isn't something that I want to do. But letting someone who might be a murderer go...banished. Free to enter another 'hold and kill again...I don't want that to happen either. So, why don't we act like the Lost we are, and make the accused Pledge to tell the truth on pain of....death - a curse? Something! For the hour or from sun up to sun down. Then we'd have the wyrd-guarded truth."

Then, because she'd been speaking more and more of Pledges, "I'll look into it. Find something for the Archives, and maybe....see if I could make a Pledgesmith, or maybe you can Sasha, not the Archive part, but the Pledgesmith part, since you're the Notary."

Jun 12th, 2017 04:14 AM

Alexander's eyebrows rise comically high in puzzlement. He appears genuinely stupefied, as if he was just told the Moon was made of cheese.
Still, it's probably better they get on the same page now, rather than in a time of crisis.

"I do see what you mean, I just don't see why anyone would do that. Usually when someone is giving the order, he expects the person in question can actually carry it out - if they can barely hold a rifle they're of no use in the trenches, if they have the emotional intelligence of a shovel they will scramble any negotiations, and so on. Not only that, but as you" A nod towards the Director. "Rightfully pointed out, this would probably mean losing the Seasonal protection, which renders this person doubly useless, not just now but in the future as well."

He inhaled. Exhaled. It took a painfully long moment.

"This is why we meet one on one with the new arrivals. To know their strenghts, their limitations and ambitions. So that we may not send them to their untimely, and ultimately purposeless, death. This is not the military, we can't just hope to conscript more people to replace the fallen. A ruler not mindful of these facts would surely be mad, for assigning unsuitable tasks must lead to their own demise, if not by the hand of the enemy, then by popular wrath."

A little coffee disappears inside his mouth. The black liquid pours new strenght into his body.

"If you think a Pledge can augment these protections, so be it. I don't have much experience in crafting those, however. If the Archives of Autumn, or the memories of Winter hold something that could help us, however, then I'm all for it."

Aside from all the other things, Mhairi seems unconvinced by his explanation of the murder issue.

"A lone existence is death for our kind. The mind muddles, the body weakens. A banished Lost would have to find shetler within a community, and to do that, they need to conform to the rules. That alone, that lesson... I think it's enough to convince anyone of their wrongdoing. The perspective of having to start from nothing all over again, to constantly look for Them and Their servants that could come from any direction, to beg for food and roof over your head - it's a perspective far more terrifying than getting a bullet to the head." Turning to Sasha. "I suppose we could come up with a timeline. I doubt the ability to return would be used very often, though. It'd have to be sufficiently long to be relevant, and by that time the convict would be either dead or settled elsewhere."

Jun 12th, 2017 04:26 PM

Sasha really enjoyed how Mhairi had a way with words. Bitch slapping was the less than delicate way of stating how the Wyrd could come back on us and cause so many problems. The Elemental reiterated what the Dancer was trying to convey. "I know you don't see why anyone would do that Alexander." A dry chuckle before she continued. "But, I have met someone who would possibly do that who was a temporary Summer Sovereign at one point. You just never know." The preacher was mysterious, and for some reason, the Fairest found him perfectly capable of doing such a thing.

And it seemed that Alexander did understand. "Okay, well at least we all are on the same page. I think we now understand that a couple things need to be reworded before we announce it and have everyone swear to it."

Unfortunately the Pledgesmith necessity would have to be pulled to the forefront of her own desires. She'd waited this long for the other thing, more time was going to have to be expelled. "Yes, I will take up the Pledgesmithing. Since it falls into my purview."

Both Mhairi and Alexander had relative points about what would happen to a murderer. "You both make excellent points. I guess the other thing to consider is that if they are getting a trial, should the jury decide their options? Of course, we would give them the options. Maybe the person effected by the accused's wrongdoing should be the one to form that Pledge, that way they'd know if it was ever broken. It would also prevent any of us from getting overwhelmed. Plus, the victims would have more to gain, or at least to put them at ease?" The Dancer wasn't schooled in judicial matters, let alone trials and justice.

**Mhairi Ankaa** · Jun 12th, 2017 05:15 PM

"Yes, we'd all try our best to align those with certain skills with certain tasks, but sometimes those people...say an Ogre, warrior his Durance made him....isn't a Summer, but a Spring. Wishing to do away with the violence. We have a warrior who wishes to never pick up arms again....should we just order this fighter anyway, because we know they are the best?" Mhairi shakes her head, "Besides, we might need skills for one task but not have the bodies. The 'hold's small, it always is. We never have enough people. And our numbers are always in flux. Tomorrow we could find out that we have twelve new souls at our doorstep, or everybody except a few of us could have fled in the night."

Mhairi sighs, and sips at her coffee once more.

Setting her cup down, Mhairi nods, and smiles at the Winter. "Awesome. I wanted to look into it, because I'm interested in Pledge lore and crafting, but...I really haven't had the time. Not with moving Edna's, and trying to make Funderland run smoothly."

Mhairi shakes her head again,

"San Francisco, LA, San Diego. They're all places that have their own Freeholds, that I know off hand. There was a Summer, another Alex who came from Redding. There was a 'hold there. This just in California. There's then what I know. I know that. So Banishing someone to a lonely decline of their Clarity, and self, isn't going to happen. And unless They have already been watching whoever it is, snatching them up before they could get to somewhere safe...they can easily head to another 'hold and if they need to go farther they can. I know Vegas has a fairly large Freehold too. And from there, you can find out a lot about anything you really want, location wise. Since the Lost that head there aren't just ones who want to live there, but ones that are visiting because it's Vegas. Or they need the bodies to get lost around and loose a tail."

Mhairi takes another sip.

"But yeah, we need to figure something out, a trial. Pledge bound, to find the truth for the victims, and serve justice. The punishment should of course be equal to the crime...." Mhairi trails off, feeling like she was just repeating something she's heard before. Another head shake, "I like that, for the victim to form the Pledge with the accused, so that they know for sure if it's been broken. But we'd need a way to tell if the victim was crying wolf or not, they might say that the Pledge was broken when it wasn't, to whip the 'hold into a frenzy or something, so we'd come down harder on whoever it is."

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