A Council Assembled

[Phoenyx]

The Circle of Creation, as most Awakened in the city knew, had sections for each of the orders to conduct their own business. But what fewer people knew was one of them was permanently occupied by the First Talon of the Adamantine Arrow.

On one of the levels, next to a room of bunk beds, was a small kitchen and dining area, with a simple table with six chairs. A flourishing Jade plant is growing in the center, and a stick of jasmine incense is burning slowly on the worktop.

Phoenyx is preparing some tea for her guests, Aurora and Puck . She had called the meeting - it was only right she offered them some refreshments along the way. She was dressed in loose pants and a light top.

She was a little unsure how this would go, but if the three of them were going to work together, it might be best to at least know a little about what came before, and try at least be on a similar page.

[Aurora]

So…councilor meeting. Fun! Kind of. Well, depending on what you thought was fun.

Her? Not really. So she brought some of her home brew beer, a summer ale, light and refreshing. Also key to any good meeting.

Walking into the kitchen, she was dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved fitted shirt. She wasn’t dressing up for this, it was going to involve politics. And she needed to be comfortable for that, and buzzed. Or drunk.

Holding the glass growler up, “I brought drinks!” she might have had a drink or two before she headed over.

[Puck]

Trepidation would be the word of the day for Puck. Not only was he a bit over the top at the official meeting, but his feelings on entering the Arrow wing of the Circle were.... mixed....

He came in wearing jeans and a white t-shirt with a pair of sneakers. Like Aurora, Puck wouldn't be dressing up for this. Sacramento summer heat was punishment enough for him, he didn't need to add a button down and tie into the mix. Not that he'd wear a tie without serious coercion to begin with? That was a different conversation though.

"Heeeey." He lets' the word draw out as he enters the room, his head hung low like he was expecting a fire bolt to be flung at him for some reason. "So I appreciate the hospitality, but if any non-libertine enters the lore house I'm hexxing everyone."

The enchanter had come with three pizza boxes that he placed on the dining room table. Thanks to his favorite Fate ritual, there was guaranteed to be one pizza to each of their liking. If they didn't like pizza? Then it would at least be the least unpalatable.

"I brought food. Nothing fancy, but almost certainly edible if you're interested."

[Phoenyx]

The Obrimos smiles brightly as Aurora enters. "Oh yes! You said you would bring something. Um." She looks at the tea set and then glances at the growler. She previous experiences had shower her she was no beer drinker, but she trusted Aurora. Maybe it would be okay? But she wanted to keep a clear head.
Urgh. Social things are tiring.

"Well, I am sure we can prepare for either." That was diplomatic, wasn't it? Still, it was nice to see Aurora being all smiley. Phoenyx knew she didn't like doing this much.

Puck's somewhat defensive approach was not surprising, but the general threat was. "We all respect the sanctity of each Order's place of business. There is no need for threats. I invited you here and extended my hospitality. Should someone be invited into the Free Council's part of the Circle I would hope you would show more restraint than that." The retort is delivered calmly, but with a wry smile at the end. She had no idea of Puck's talents, or what he might do, but she wasn't afraid of him.

"Thank you both for coming and for your contributions," she waves a hand to the table. "Please, sit. First, I would like to apologise for the confusion. The Charter was disbanded some time ago, but it has left something of a hole in local structure. Given the fluid nature of the Concillium, I wanted to try and make sure that we all were on the same page for how we operate as the Council rather than operating under assumed parts of local rules and the Awakened law. At least before we hold another Official concillium, I thought we should meet properly, since we should be working together."

She slowly opens a box of pizza and peeks inside, smiling at Puck and taking a slice. "How did you know I liked Hawaiian?" She takes a delicate bite.

[Aurora]

It was hard to not note the carefree good looks of Puck when he entered.

An eyebrow was raised at his words, “Hardly think that would be appropriate.” Leaning back in her seat. Would he be able to get a spell off before she could? Be interesting to see. But there’d be no spells today.

Gesturing to the glass bottle, “And I brought some home brew. Figured everyone enjoys a cold beer every now and then.” And if not? Whatever, more for her.

A shrug to Phoenyx, “Beer always makes politics easier to deal with in my opinion.” Was she becoming one of those grumpy old mages? Maybe. Opening the growler, she finds herself a regular cup and pours herself a cup. Then offered the bottle to anyone who wanted some. She wouldn’t be offended if no one took her up on it. Leaning back once again and crossing her legs, she takes a drink while listening to the Arrow.

“There have always been problems within the Concillium when it comes to not only the Charter, but the Lex and how they are enforced. I was part of some Councilors that tried to rewrite it, to better suit the fluid nature of Sacramento. But it’s run into difficulties time and time with others thinking they knew better than those before.” A shrug, another drink, “But I’m all ears, maybe we can be more successful this time.” Or not. She was leaning towards not.

[Puck]

"Good to know." Lorehouses are for libertines, that being said? He couldn't help but crack a grin when he sees Phoenyx's own wry smile. During the Astral dive, he was so distracted by his irritation with Crystal he never actually stopped to appreciate the dry wit the Obrimos brought to the trip. Fate delivered a second chance, and now he was happy to sieze it.

"Booz makes a lot of things easier, so points for that." Sharing is caring, and Puck did enjoy a light buzz in friendly environs. He grabbed a glass and helped himself.

As the conversation turned to more serious business Puck simply sipped and listened. While he had been in the city for over half a year, he knew he wasn't the best suited to talk about it's history. He still had opinions though, and he did love to share those.

"Has anyone suggested just dumping the charter and sticking to the Lex and Tet? Like maybe the reason it had to be rewritten and talked about so much is because it was a flawed premise in the first place. If the city is fluid by nature, then any attempt to force a rigid expansion of it's ruling model would fail regardless right? So maybe the best path forward is a less is more approach."

Leave it to the Liertine to suggest tearing down the Diamond's social structure. Or at least that would be the argument if the charter was a part of that structure. The charter was a fabrication of some mages whenever it was written way back when. It was the Lex and Tet that stemmed from Diamond tradition. Which formed the concilium. Which constitute the terms the assembly agreed to when the Diamond became the Pentacle.

As for pizza flavors? They could see him pursing his lips, trying his best not to echo Kaze's laugh.

"Call it a hunch."

And by hunch he meant type. Apparently athletic Asian Obrimos have a soft spot for pineapple.

[Phoenyx]

The Arrow smiles to Aurora, and pours herself some tea. Her initial thoughts make her nod.

Puck seems to settle quickly, which helps Phoenyx relax. "That was what happened originally," she agreed. "I am not suggesting we try to re-instate the charter. It took too long to establish how our councilors were selected and I really do not wish to deal with those things, even if I am still unsure of if it is the best way. It seems to blend the tradition with the closest practical sensibilities." She takes another bite of her pizza, swallowing it carefully before continuing. "I am also not suggesting we force anything. As the Council we are looked toward to guide and provide authority when necessary. Confirm Concillium membership. Interpret the Lex Magica and Tetragrammaton as we oversee complains and accusations. We are all of not only different paths but different Orders. It is unlikely we will think the same on every topic, but I feel if we at least understand one another it can avoid accusations of failing to fulfill these duties to our fellow Awakened." She was still smiling. "None of these rules are set, any more. We assume that is a magus arrives, they will arrange to meet a member of their Order or path, that they will become membership of the Concillium. These are understood in the laws but the how was covered by the charter. I do not want to make things complicated, just to ensure we all understand the same and act as one in so far as we may."

[Aurora]

She raises her glass to Puck.

Taking a sip, she thinks over what he said, really hating politics, but, so goes life.

“The problem with the Charter has always been with having a Hierarch and all the other positions within. Once the Time War started, our numbers dwindled, and the positions went unfilled, with no one, except Campanella, stepping up to take them. I like what the Charter provides us, but at the same time, with our small numbers, and how Awakened come and go, I don’t know if it’s really needed anymore.” It pained her to say that, and that was clear in her voice. “The rules and Laws it lay out is important to things functioning in my opinion. The Charter and the Lex are supposed to work in unison.” At least, that was how it was taught to her.

“Making things less complicated has its benefits. And being on the same page does as well. If others sense discord among the Councilors, they lose faith in our ability to lead them and help them. Are we talking about completely doing without a Hierarch? Because if we are, we need a way to mediate and have a third party to help settle disputes.” She hated this. This was why she left the Ladder.

“But, open to suggestions.” So lay them out. The sooner they figured this out, the sooner she could get drunk.

[Puck]

Puck raises his glass in return and sips as he listens and takes a seat.

"I have zero interest in harmony, as you've probably already noticed." He grabs one of the pizza boxes and pulls it over. "When I criticize you in public I demonstrate sincerity and transparency to the concilium. When you respond with an even head you demonstrate maturity and fortitude."

He isn't naming anyone, but he's clearly looking at Phoenyx.

"What people see in those demonstrations is up to them though. If you want to use your positions for something worth while, I'd argue it's better to educate people that criticism isn't a personal attack. People have flaws, and pointing those flaws out to be addressed is the system policing itself legitimately. Questioning someone's judgment isn't necessarily a personal attack, it's an opportunity to show the concilium the reasoning that goes into the decisions that govern them and alleviate concerns that may not have been vocalized. I'd argue that insight from what we choose to criticize and justify is far more valuable then any illusion of harmony."

Eyes flick down to the box as he flips it open and sets his drink to the side.

"As for the charter I say consider it dumped. We agree it isn't in the best interest of the current concilium and we can bring it back if we decide it's needed down the road. Same with the Heirarch. I don't think it's right to pick the wisest of the paths if we can't even get a council of all five paths going. If we are in fact the wisest of our paths we should be able to come to an agreement even if the vote is tied for whatever reason. If personal disagreements arise, well, that's people being people."

Phoenyx was right they wouldn't always agree, and a council of three isn't likely to tie. Also? Time to stuff Puck's face with some meat lovers.

[Phoenyx]

Phoenyx listened. "They are supposed to act together, but we have been ignoring several of the rules for months, if not years. To my recollection we have had one short-lived Herald in all my time here, and some duties are tied only to that role. Improvisations were made, and we agree that the Charter was not fit for it's purpose. removing it," She looks between them, "sounds the most sensible." She looks back to Aurora. "I have considered this before. With so small a community, we could have either a Hierarch or a council, but as with Councilor Puck I see no need for both. A council allows the trust to be shared, even if selection can leave paths unrepresented. Personally, I would prefer a single Hierarch, but I understand I am in the minority in the Concillium altogether. As for mediation, if problems are brought before us, we will have to hear them out and provide ruling as we have previously. If we are involved in an incident as one of the parties, we should also not hold a vote on judgement. I believe the old rule was the appointment of a Provost for the incident." She folds her hands demurly on her knee.

"I had noticed," She looks to Puck, a small smile forming for a moment. "Though I hope that does not permanently extend to working with others, for not everyone will share your philosophy. I have no issue with criticism or growth through challenge. Nor transparency or sincerity, but I did not see why your comments against me brought either of those things. One thing I hoped to understand is why you suggested I might be unfit for my duty because I have additional rules I live my life by beyond the Awakened laws. Do you weigh your choices as Councilor against Free Council edicts? Or do you disregard those rules when inconvenient?" Her brow had furrowed slightly in thought, and she sips her tea. There was no smile at this point. It was not some manipulative bait, but a genuine question. "I do not know much on Free Council philosophy, Councilor. I am genuinely curious as to your thought process, particularly as you had just brought a claim of insult that you were not shown due respect as councilor, then suggested to another councilor they were unfit for the position because of what was, to them, a logical conclusion." Dark eyes watched carefully. Perhaps the the Libertine law was one of anarchy. She genuinely did not know. "I was hoping that we would all find a similar footing for local rules - which it seems we have - but I also wished a similar place for understanding. Councilor Aurora and I understand each other well, but I would like to understand you and hoe in turn you would wish the same of us."