(Those Cast Aside) Tenure and Extension

[Saber Sloth]

Xadun Rhodes Cassandra Reeding Shenanigans Anatole Yumyumcrow le bump!

Titania can I get a Manip+Persuasion

[Titania]

She rolls her eyes at the Winter's puny attempt at social manipulation. Perhaps he'd be more successful if he didn't drip blood all over the floor.
Time to show him how's it's done.
She tilts her head to the side, her lush mantle flaring and blooming with the rich bouquet of a Spring's harvest.
"As I was saying before I was so unceremoniously interrupted: you're among friends now."

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-19 19:27:57	Titania rolls 13 to Manip + Pers + SL 2 + DV 1 + Hearth 2 (10 Again)	5, 3, 4, 1, 1, 5, 4, 9, 10, 10, 6, 6, 3, 1, 7	3 successes

[Anatole]

Anatole was rolling his eyes again. Staring at the ceiling and then across the space more generally, he laid his hands on the table.

"How about we call it here. We have laid out our case and I'm not sure pressuring someone is in anyone's best interests. As... Buttercup has pointed out, Oliver here is in no shape to do anything. And we have pretty much figured out what Anne's ploy was. If my Winter colleagues would simply stop fantasising about something that was never there, so we could focus on more pressing - and practical - matters, we might be able to do something productive with this."

He smiled a brittle, knowing, smile. Oliver was done: a useless and broken Lost; little more than an extra mouth to feed - thank you, Anne! He doubted C-16 would ever willingly work with them; but she might be tempted into not helping Anne. If they were lucky, they might even convince the telephone to let sip a few more choice tidbits regarding Anne's loyalists.

To underscore the point, he shot Rhodes Xadun a focussed stare.

Oddly, given the increasingly tense situation, Titania received a sly smile.

[Saber Sloth]

Glaring from where she sits, Buttercup scoffs, "No. You cannot. Say. What you have. Said. Then. Attach. Justifi.cations." the Wizened women, stares down the Lost on the other side of the table. "Trying to. Wheedle our-my-help. Holding healing hostage. So we pledge. To a cause not. Stated. Someone. Else. Dose that. Too." the modulated tone, growls out as much as it can with the artificial nature of her voice. "No. I am not." she says to Titania's repeated words.

Buttercup, pats Oliver's shoulder, even as the piggy professor, filches and continues to blubber, "He will be. Reset tomorrow. You can try again. With him. But. I will. Remember. Even if He. Does not." she says as a warning.

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-21 12:32:07	Phone Lady rolls 4 to Resist Persuasion (10 Again)	9, 10, 6, 9, 8	4 successes

Are y'all wanting to pause here, ending this Scene and regrouping/reopening another Talking Scene in a bit? Or are you guys done with Oliver and Buttercup? Do y'all want to keep them around or are you going to cut them loose?

[Titania]

I'll go with the majority. Titania can just use her Spring contracts to overwrite their desires, so either way, both options you listed are viable

[Gerrit]

Gerrit isn't done with either - he'd either try to get through to Oliver or get on Buttercup's good side. So definitely voting for following this up (except if I'm alone).
Also voting for keeping them around.

[Anatole]

Anatole doesn't particularly care for Buttercup and definitely thinks Oliver is a waste of space.

That said, if other people Aeolus want them around for RP purposes - and there is a rich vein of RP waiting to be mined there - then I, the player, won't mind them hanging around as NPCs (assuming Saber Sloth has the time to run them / wheel them out as needed).

Anatole personally thinks Anne's ploy was a simple trap and we have fallen into it. He'd be happy to simply ignore the library and the hollow, figuring to try and tame them would divert resources from the pursuit of the renegade Queen.

[Saber Sloth]

I'd have time for them in Plots, but I don't know if I could run them around as full out of Plot NPCs, so I can definately bring them around for another round of interrogation polite chitchat. I can close up this Scene and check interest for another Scene, and we can go from there?

[Rhodes]

Rhodes has lapsed into silence. Thoughtful, considering.

Titania, for all her airs and graces, lacked that human connection. Intriguing? Yes, but you don't say it if you want to win someone over. You don't empathise with the captor right to their face.

Tempers were frayed, and this had not been as smooth as anyone would have hoped. Gerrit looked ready to strike, Buttercup was digging in her heels, and Oliver was useless.

"Anatole is right," He intoned, cutting through the discussion. "We should leave this for now. We have a place for you to stay, Enda's, if you wish it, or you can find your own place. Trust is earned, and there is only so much we have shown that earns it from you." He added, looking to the couple of former captives. The Flowering reached into the jacket and pulled out a card, sliding it across the table. "For if you want to discuss anything else."

He looked to the others. "Similarly, Anne even suspecting we would arrive makes it far less likely she would let anything worthwhile slip through her fingers. We will be better served trying to root her out, rather than trekking deep through the Hedge to scabble through her discarded scraps."

He rises, not much caring either way. They were done here.

I'm sorry for letting this one die a little - I thought people would leap ove rme and then it was hard to get inot the mindspace.

Rhodes would like to try again with them both. I'm struggling OC for how to approach this, short of yeeting a heck-load of dice at them until they submit. Maybe tomorrow will give more ideas.

[Saber Sloth]

They were done here.

Maybe Buttercup was right, maybe things would be better in the morning.

Okay, closing things here. I'll get something up for Plot Check in a bit!