Dirt Nap's appointment with the Prince

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap knocks on the office of the Prince at the appointed time, the appointment he asked for, and was granted. He's dressed in clean workman's clothes, denim dungarees and a calico work short, all cleaned of any dirt or stains, though obviously worn from hard, manual labor nonetheless.

[Alessandra]

Gabriel would open the door and step off to the side to allow Dirt Nap to enter. Looking over to Ale, who nods, he quietly leaves the office and closes the door.

There was nothing new about the office to take note of.

The Prince was dressed in black dress pants with a deep red silk button down shirt and a black suit jacket.

Dark eyes look to her Cousin, who thankfully didn’t have a Beast for her own to angry over. It was really quite annoying to have to constantly keep the leash tight on it.

“Mr Dirt Nap,” she greets, “please, come in.” gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk, an invitation for him to sit. Closing the file she was looking over. "What can I do for you this evening?"

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap enters. "Thank you for seeing me, and also helping me with the Discipline of Celerity, Your Grace." He says, bowing and accepting the seat that she offers.

"I needed to update you, Your Grace." He says slowly. "First off, Covenant business has been taking my attention, and I am going to have to work on it full time to build it up from scratch, Your Highness. So because of that, I want to tell you clear I am not pursuing the Reeve position any further, not that I was necessarily really in the pack of the race for it as it was."

"I need to tell you to, that I am Grand Wyrm again, Priscus Durant having stepped down and left the Dragons to boot."

Dirt Nap is silent a long while and then says, "Also, it might come up, but probably not.. I think I got everyone in the Covenant higher up on the same page, accepting it without any kind of trying to cause her trouble over leaving...but she knows enough to come under the Covenant punishment if she teaches anyone. She swore not to, but I just should tell you, if she does, the Covenant is bound to send Guardians to try to apply the punishment, that being to force her to drink the blood of her teacher, or else be impaled and left out in the sun, her choice."

He pauses again and then says, "Oh. Also I burnt down the Chapter House, the one that Grand Wyrm Moretti moved the Dragons to in Florin, to try to get more political real estate out of the deal. I intend to restore the old Chapter House. I found the deed to it. It will take a long while, as I intend to do the work myself, and I need to learn how by taking on construction jobs and such."

[Alessandra]

A nod, “You’re welcome.” She was always happy to help Family.

But then her face hardens, “What would lead you to believe you were not in the race? You had expressed an interest in the position, and I had intended to offer you the role.” Her words tight, her jaw set. “So you came to me wanting to be considered for the position, then left, then Miss Durant became Grand Wyrm, now she isn’t, and you no longer wish the role of Reeve?” was she getting this right? She rests her elbow on the arm of the chair, resting her chin on the hand, watching Dirt Nap. “If it was possible to get whiplash, I would.” Lame joke, doesn’t care.

“Do you think it reflects well on you take such actions? There have been those who would say you lack ambition, lack any type of drive. Yet I was willing to take chance on you, give you the chance to prove them wrong. And now you,” pausing, “don’t want it?” seriously?

“Tell me, are you content in the Domain with people brushing you off to the side and not taking you seriously?” because she wouldn’t be.

Then she rubs her forehead, what the actual fuck.

“What people swear and what they actually do are typically two different things.” But forcing her to drink the blood of her teacher? “I’m not the type to step into Covenant business, but at this, I will. I decide who bound by Vinculum, I decide who receives Final Death, my Laws are clear. If those Laws are not clear to you or anyone else, we shall have a refresher on them.” Her tone firm, not wavering.

Oh, and burnt down a piece of property in her Domain. Fucking wonderful.

“So let me get this straight.” She begins, “Instead of selling it, and taking the money to invest on a different location, you,” pausing, “burned it down?” really? “A bit extreme don’t you think? Why was that the only option to you?” what was his line of thought. She made many avenues open to her in this matter, but a few facts were needed.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens intently. He hears out the Prince fully without any impatience. He is obviously not just waiting to respond.

He is quiet for a long moment after Alessandra has finished speaking, apparently pondering her words.

"I apologized already for leaving." He says slowly, as if reviewing his own memories, not reminding the Prince.

"I apologize for giving an impression of disrespect, You Grace. It's not a fact. I can see how it could seem like I don't have respect for the Office of Reeve to the Domain, and for your support and encouragement towards me doing it." He says.

"I can understand how it could seem like I am not having the right respect for your Laws, knowing what they are and telling you about a Covenant situation that might end up sideways to them."

He pauses, and says, "I can understand how it could seem disrespectful my destroying property that is in a place you gave permission to the previous Grand Wyrm Moretti to take ownership of."

Dirt Nap takes a deliberate breath and then sighs.

"My Covenant has been a mess since at least when she was running it, and I haven't done all I could to put it right." He says.

"Part of that was a lack of the authority. My Covenant took care of that now, though. I am now recognized by my Covenant as one of the Sworn. That means I'm not just a place holder until someone like Horatio shows up. I can actually do things right now." He 'explains'. "I can bring some steadiness and being consistent."

"When Quinn Durant was going to be Grand Wyrm, it looked like she was a good candidate to put things in order, maybe not the way I would, but she could do the job. Now...I do apologize Your Highness. I don't believe I can do the job of Reeve justice when I am putting everything I got into the Ordo Dracul. When it was just a decision between my own Studies as a Dragon and taking a responsible role in the Domain, I was in a place I could step up to it. Now though, I would not be able to do the job right, being active instead of just reacting."

He looks at the Prince. "I do respect the Office and the Domain. I am withdrawing from being a candidate for Reeve because of that respect." He says.

"Likewise, I do respect your Law. I fought real hard to make sure there wouldn't be anyone in my Covenant from out of town trying to do anything about Quinn Durant leaving that would break your Law, and I will keep fighting to make sure that doesn't happen." He says. "I feel my responsibility to you as a subject of your Domain is to face you and to tell you straightt about the possibility, in case somehow I'm out of the picture. I don't want anything coming as a surprise to you, Your Highness. I haven't said anything to Priscus Durant about my making sure they won't come in here trying to enforce Covenant Law, only you. I think it best if she's thinking the full penalties of her oaths will happen to her if she breaks them, even while I'm trying to make sure it won't, at least not while she stays in your Domain."

He takes another breath and sighs again. "Burning the house down could have had some emotion in the choice, and I apologize if it was foolish and inconveniences you, Your Highness. I believed it had been too compromised, and that I didn't know enough about Moretti's secrets to be sure that just selling it off would be enough. I wanted a clean break with an end of the trail, with nothing to tie the property to the Ordo Dracul, even a bill of sale. I thought about consulting someone like Mister Northbridge, and honestly, I don't trust him enough to be sure the trail would be all the way cleared, the way I needed it to be."

"I found the deed to the original Chapter House, and believe hardly anyone knows anything about it, except people like you and the Archon, and I want to restore it."

Dirt Nap is silent for a long time and then abruptly says, "Your Highness, I am grateful to you. I know I am strange. I know my ambitions don't make much sense or demand respect in a normal kind of way. I have a lot of ambition...it's just that the things I am ambitious for tend to be more doable not less in the shadows, without people paying attention."

As he speaks, it seems almost as if Dirt Nap is literally in a shadow, a trick of the light, like his Mask isn't just hiding his Beast, but like the whole man is someone less remarkable, less noticeable and less memorable.

"I am genuinely sorry though, for the inconvenience. I did come to you and tell you I wanted to be Reeve, and now I am saying my responsibilities to the Ordo Dracul are increased, and I don't believe I would do the job right if I got it."

He pauses again and then says, "I already owe you a boon from when I first got here, and didn't know a lick of how to behave in Court and insulted you, Your Grace. For the time I wasted and the disappointment, my pulling out of consideration for Reeve, I offer another boon, a major one, since you had a Reeve picked out, and now you don't, so I am costing you a Reeve by pulling out. If you call me on it, I will do what you say, even taking up the position until you find someone better."

"For me, it's about responsibility, not ambition. I will answer any call up for you or for whoever you choose as Reeve, Your Highness."

[Alessandra]

Over and over. How sorry he was, apologizing. Over and over.

“Stop apologizing.” Says the Savage.

“You say a lot of lovely words Mr Dirt Nap. Every time we sit down and speak, you have many things to say. Most of them being apologizing to me. It’s not something that needs to be said over and over.” Trust her on that one.

“Should it be a possibility, then consider yourself the one I would hold responsible should any harm come to any Kindred in good standing in my Domain. It’s now brought to my attention, and my attention will not wavier.” She issued punishments.

Dark eyes level on her Cousin, “I do not want a Boon, and I will not be asking you to fill the role of Reeve. You have proven yourself to be someone I cannot depend on, and having you even fill the position temporarily, puts my Domain at risk.” He had such promise.

“Remember when rebuilding the Chapter House that you follow the Laws.”

A hand was waved, “We’ve discussed all that needs to be discussed.” She was done with him.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap takes in what the Prince is saying. He bows at the dismissal.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will try to rebuild your Trust, Your Highness." He says softly.

He backs out, pausing only a moment with a thoughtful look. "If it was me, Your Highness, from the investigations I been in on in your Domain, and who I've been in on 'em with...I would ask the Lady Hazelton to be Reeve. She keeps control, and doesn't fly off the handle, and she doesn't miss much, if she misses anything at all."

Having dared to say anything at all, he prepares to back all the way out and close the door behind him, if the Prince seems agreeable to him leaving.

Whew! Thank you for the exciting scene! I am good to close if you are, which seems to be where we are at in the scene, but up to you!

[Alessandra]

The Savage simply watches him leave, not making any more to stop him.

A nod at his words, she heard them.

“Enjoy the rest of you evening.”

Sorry for the late reply, and thank you for the scene

[Dirt Nap]

Thank you! I look forward to future hopefully happier scenes! This was thrilling though!