Contemplations on the Soul

[Garrett Prosper]

If Lina is approaching Garrett, he would likely be in his room.

The place could have been its own bar, though the organization was tidy. Where one would expect a desktop, everything is kept in files and paperwork with modern amnesties and furnishing as a strange dichotomy. A case has been pulled out with various hand written texts of different levels of being worn, a few random objects peaking through the stack. Whatever task he was getting up to, the Savage was on the deck and apparently watching something in the distance. His head swivels when he senses the familiar Beast, blinking a couple of times before he snaps back to the present.

"Grand Wyrm! Congratulations on your recent Oath," he says with a grin, though cocks his head a bit with the unasked question.

[Garrett Prosper]

He nods at her thanks. It probably helped her feel more like her promotion had been earned over just circumstance with the voting pool.

"Right this second? No, mostly processing," it was a nicer way of saying he needed a break. Meeting with a bunch of Kindred closer to their Beast and almost having to fight off a frenzied Ventrue was a bit much. Probing Elettra had been a hard reminder of cognitive dissonance. One's humanity didn't mean much when tainted with time.

[Garrett Prosper]

All right, guess she was just feeling social. Not that Prosper minded, getting more used to the local Kindred pinging him first.

With Lina's attention she would note his posture relaxes a bit, making it noticeable that he was anticipating something less than pleasant. As she speaks on her observations he nods along, either uninterested or the information wasn't new or surprising. His expression glazes for only a flicker, having analyzed the pieces many times already and finding nothing enlightening. Mostly he is just confused, like he had been handed a math problem with a typo.

"Court. Right. Honestly...from what I have seen..." he trails off. A small shrug, "Has Sacramento ever had any internal issues beyond an obvious outside threat? Has the Praxis under Alessandra ever dealt with social disagreements or political ideological differences? She levies this bastion of moving parts where all covenants enjoy equal recognition and she recognizes no clan, age, or station above the other. A pure meritocracy. So why is she not unaligned? Hell. Carthian even. Did something happen to draw her into the First Estate and now the cracks are showing with her own brand of practice? I might also just be ignorant to this region. I have only dabbled in a couple of American Courts."

He taps the palms of his hands along the rail as he hums to himself. "Like, I knew most of what was going to happen as I nudged some pieces. Different aspects of a puzzle for the bigger picture, but if your focus is on Simmons' scandal, I knew flicking Thomas and Jack was the right choice, being on clearly opposite benches after their polite sniping with Arturo.

I also anticipated you would react either on behalf of decorum of the Domain, due to your dedicated office to Alessandra, or for the simple fact that like the rest of the Dragons here you understand the Beast. Idealistic too. I was curious if you were testing boundaries due to your unimpeded success, but you seemed to react to the Prince's demand for submission appropriately...so..."

He grinned at her, "Sorry about the fallout. I have no idea why you were thrown under the bus. That did not add up for me. It plays into my theory of why I keep my blood so thin." Beasts sniffing challenges, and Garrett flew under the radar.

[Garrett Prosper]

"Insecurity can be anyone's downfall," he said nonchalantly. He had seen Kindred ash competition for stupider reasons and justified under the lens of their panic.

"Just an idea for fun. Anecdotal evidence and some recorded observation over a few decades, so I would not jump to undisputed evidence," he says, turning to look at her properly,

"As a predator becomes more potent, I have frequently noted an increase of aggression, both from themselves but also drawing attention from other dangerous figures. The numbers start whittling down as you go up the ladder, mostly because the chances of you getting ashed actually increases faster than the careful nature developed by Elders. They take on natural positions of leadership in the pecking order, but that also paints a massive target on your back of expectation and challenge from fear. Your peers take notice of your action. Small disagreements are now viewed as intense and dangerous exchanges. One cannot shake the feeling you want to kill them. And we all know you do.

While a Kindred will argue that apparent age means nothing, the blood does. I walk into a Domain and I can set my own standard of how I am perceived because quite frankly most are immediately confident that they can crush me. The trade off is, of course, that there is always a temptation to destroy those weaker than ourselves, but then you just need to be smart enough not to trigger that rage," he smiles, "Or have the ability to shut it off."

[Garrett Prosper]

Prosper barks a laugh, "Exactly! You will start noticing heads will swivel even if you are just getting out of your chair. Your allies start distancing themselves more as pieces that fear of drawing your ire, and their compliments are really just placating the Beast...then your Intel falls apart. Then the leadership shifts." He shrugs.

The Savage tracks movement in the sky, blinking from her question. "Oh. That makes things...more novel, I suppose," he sighs, brow pinching. The fuck was happening with his cousin?

"Depends. That is a vague statement but you would need to understand her emotional state. It does not really matter how intelligent or capable the Prince is if their decisions are being influenced by a perspective you do not understand. And from where we are standing, we definitely do not understand it. Her signalling mainly pertains to how she is above bias and favourtism, which no one buys, but she wants it to be the truth.

Unfortunately in this stance of purity to please everyone, she pleases no one. She thinks telling her Clansmen that she does not give a single fuck about being Gangrel because she is Prince places her above criticism, when really, it just burns many opportunities to connect with the covenants she wishes to maintain balance with.

I watched her insult Mable and freeze when her cousins pointed out that she had done nothing wrong, choosing to remain stoic under the impression that she came off as strong. She said "here, I am not Prince" and yet chuckled with condescension when Madcap started questioning Court events, rather than engaging in dialogue. Maybe she did not like his tone?

I literally laid out what may have sparked the chaos, once again setting the stage for her to connect with her Domain among family in a casual setting, and instead she withdrew further so her imperiousness oozed as she turned up her nose. Even Mable was annoyed when she was left out of those officers she trusted to maintain order. The Keeper she just appointed. Clearly just an extension of assets and not the protector she wished to be. Got played, feel bad for her," he snorted.

"This is not about Gangrel politics, but like with the Harpy it provides a snapshot of the problem you are dealing with: Alessandra mistakes apathy for strength. A bad ass who does not need to please anyone. And her peers are not steering her otherwise. Not sure if Judex Twist is out of touch, or secretly wants her to lose her Praxis within the year. Vivian York appears to just appreciate her as an ally, and that is the extent of her political assistance. But I cannot speak for what happens behind closed doors.

For you to get what you want, she needs to like you. It is as simple as that. Her preference for agreeable personalities and extreme prejudice towards aggressive personalities, with the total disregard for performance is the evidence I have collected so far. I think this is why Atticus checked out, as he is not in the business of being Alessandra's friend."