Catching up with the Dragon

[Jacque]

The Seneschal's office was lightly furnished to match the tastes of the Lord. In what little decoration existed in the room, there was an impression of wealth in the quality of each item. Two low-back velvet chairs trimmed in gold leaf sat before an aged, hand-carved hardwood desk. The desktop had a fresh lacquer finish, though below that possessed the original and unrestored wood. Aside from tidy folders of paperwork the Lord was engaged with, the surface of the desk was clear of items or other decorations save for a brass inkwell and pen. A keen eye might notice that the chair behind the desk was an unremarkable, plain wooden chair. A small shelf was mounted to a side wall, currently occupied by a mere three books. The quality of the bookends securing two of them in place might suggest the Lord held them in high regard. A third lay on its side near the edge of the shelf. The wall behind the desk was empty, save for an antique, ornate mantle clock.

The Lord was working through some files, reading and making notes as each page turned. Glancing at his Rolex, he made sure his cabochon amethyst cufflinks were in proper order on his attire and glanced towards the open door in anticipation of his guest this evening: Mister Dirt Nap

Ruach

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap arrives promptly and cleaned up if not extravagantly attired. He is wearing a clean work shirt and clean work pants and clean and shined work boots. And a black cowboy hat.

He knocks softly and says even more quietly, "Hello the house." such that only unnatural hearing would pick it up.

[Jacque]

Jacque rose after the knock, expecting Dirt Nap's arrival. He gave a quizzical look, not being certain he had heard what he said correctly. "I hope the evening is finding you well. Feel free to close the door behind you and have a seat," he gestured to one of the chairs.

"It's been quite some time since we had a chat... though from your correspondences it doesn't seem like it takes much time for change to occur," he jests but with a tone that is matter-of-factly.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods silently, entering and having a seat as directed.

He nods again and says, "It's been some exciting times for sure, Seneschal Sir."

He is still for a moment and then says, "I had worked things out with the Priscus Durant to put her in the position of Grand Wyrm, and she accepted on condition I send those letters. Not too much later, she quit the Dragons." He explains.

"I reported to my superiors in the Ordo Dracul, and ended up taking the Sworn position that Priscus Durant left. I aim to bring stability to the Dragons now, no matter who comes to town, like Mister Horatio, for example, I am still the recognized Grand Wyrm."

Best to get most everything out on the table. Seneschal is a smart man and pays attention. He probably knows more than I'd think anyway.

He is still for a minute and then says, "Taken on that responsibility, I also withdrew from the running for the Office of Reeve. The Prince seemed a bit disappointed with me when I told her."

[Jacque]

Jacque sat as his guest did, "Did she provide any reason for quitting? I can't imagine it being the stresses of responsibility."

"Tell me..." the Lord remarked, leaning forward slightly. "Why now? What has motivated you where nothing else in the past years has?"

The last bit of news he simply absorbed. There was thought animated in his face, but he clearly wanted to know the answer to his prior question before engaging further.

[Dirt Nap]

"Well. She had her reasons." Dirt Nap says slowly. "I got told some things, some history she had with my Clan and my Covenant when I was out of town a while back. As to what she told me when she left, well, I can't say I really understand but that she seemed to feel I had let her down somehow. Either way, it's hers to tell, sir."

"Truth to tell, I think my ideas as to her reasons wouldn't line up with what her ideas of it are, even to herself."

Dirt Nap is thoughtfully silent for a long minute after Jack asks, 'why now'.

Then he takes a breath to sigh. "Well, sir. Nobody seems to believe me when I tell them; I always have had ambitions, just not the kind people expect or at least I don't go about it the way people would recognize." Dirt Nap says as if he fully expects Jack to disbelieve as well.

"You might remember how things were a while back. My ambition then was just to keep upright and moving without compromising my own ethics and morals. That was a challenge in the Dragons I ended up with here at first. Grand Wyrm Moretti and her gang."

"Almost from the beginning though, I been angling on a plan to get the authority to make things right in my Covenant here in Sacramento, just in a patient, round about way that no one could see. I had a lot of false starts. I had to become Sworn, you see, and there were only three ways to do it, and one way, being all in on the warrior trail, was counter productive to my goals. The other two ways were to discover a special kind of place that is a prize to my Covenant, or to be voted in unanimous by the local Chapter. I worked almost from the beginning on finding one of those places. I had Alder Davis set up to teach me the underground, and you know what happened to him, before he could do it, and then the last Seneschal was agreeable to letting me look in the underground her Clan had authority over, but I needed to learn the discipline of Auspex to be able to find it, and one teacher after another pulled out before I could fully get the knack of it."

Dirt Nap shrugs, "So you see, sir, I've been working towards this for years. That last time I was gone, well I took on an assignment that had something to do with finding out whether Priscus Quinn was really in the Covenant for the long haul or not, and when I reported back, I got the rank of Sworn recognized by the higher ups, so that now, whenever someone else comes to town my authority won't be undercut easy as that."

[Jacque]

Jacque listens as Dirt Nap shares more of what he had been doing behind the scenes and beyond the reach of his knowledge. He was always thankful to Clayton for that- his willingness to share. A part of him still wondered how his own requiem would have unfolded if it had not been for the ambitious Moretti. Her influence shifted the Lord's trajectory away from the Dragons for what felt like could be forever, yet the small crumbs of knowledge offered by his guest always kept him to some degree enthralled with the prospect of what could have been.

His brows furrowed as his mind instinctively scrutinized details. As he concludes the outline, Jack reaches down and opens a drawer to produce a familiar letter. "Just one thing you could clear up for me then," he turned the letter to face Dirt Nap before gently sliding it across his desk. "Why did you undercut yourself then in the case of Priscus Durant?" After all, it was his vote that made all the difference in who would have led the dragons a mere 3-4 months ago.

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap takes a breath and sighs at Jack's question. "Well, there the Priscus might have a good complaint against me. You see, sir, I could vote her in, but I couldn't make her vote me in charge and anyway, it came down to needing to find out if she was really committed to the Covenant for the long haul. I don't like to tell her story, but you might know, she was being groomed to be Invictus, and the way she ended up a Dragon instead was...sketchy, let's say. There was a question in my Covenant as to if it was totally her own free will, and whether it would stick. I tried to discourage her and get her to quit while I prepared her for her first Change--which to be honest I do with everyone at least since Blackbird, because it is even odds or better to get them changed from what we are to dead instead of whatever Change they're hoping form--but I noticed the more I told her she should quit the more determined she got. So I pitched it to her to promote her instead, up where there was no higher she could go and no resistance and nothing more to prove. She accepted on condition I wrote those letters, and then after I did, she quit. I reported back to my Covenant that I had successfully proved our her true loyalties without too much damage to the Covenant, and they promoted me. There's actually a lot of ceremony and swearing oaths, none of which the Priscus knew anything about, so her promotion wasn't ever completed official like anyway. It would have been a lot bigger problem if it had before she walked out."

He explains.

"Up til then, my authority was a weak thing just hanging in the breeze until someone like Horatio showed up who outranked me. Now it's set and stable, and I can act on it without getting replaced when someone shows up on the next bus."

[Jacque]

"Allow me to paraphrase that back, just to make sure I'm of a sound understanding," the Lord requested with only the briefest pause. "So in order to prove whether a rather new person to the Ordo was truly loyal, you used the circumstance of being the only other Dragon of value in Sacramento to put her in a faux position of power- after you failed to discourage her from pursuing the Change."

"Whatever occurred somewhere between her accepting this position of power and quitting seems to be a bit of mystery, but nevertheless as a result of you successfully voting Priscus Durant as a sworn and her leaving the Ordo was viewed as an... accomplishment and resulted in your being promoted to the Sworn." He leans back in his chair, the back creaking from age under the movement, "What would have happened if she stayed? What would be the gain of having such a new student of the work be in such high ranks?"

His brow furrowed as he thought further, "And then, in your pursuit of solidifying your power and position... what do you gain from turning down the position of Reeve in the Domain? Arguably, accepting that position and living up to your potential would have solidified your authority for the foreseeable future even beyond the Ordo."

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap listens carefully to what the Seneschal says.

When Jack is done and asks his question Dirt Nap nods slowly.

"That all hangs true except for one point." Dirt Nap says quietly. "My ambitions are for the Covenant."

He is quiet a moment and then explains. "Priscus Durant was already a Dragon when she got here. She was pretty strongly recruited in other parts, because the Dragons, at least saw her as being a prize. Her being prepared to join the Invictus and her general natural talent showed she was going to be a real catch as a leader. The only question was, was being a Dragon really her own idea, or was she prepared to betray the Dragons in the crunch, without her knowing. Her promotion was not a fake. It was real, just incomplete. If she's been truly called to the Dragons with no divided loyalties, she would have had the ceremonies to make it official, and I have no doubt at all that she would have led my local Chapter here in a way that would do the Covenant proud. I was absolutely ready to follow her. I believe if she were in it with a whole heart, she'd have restored our local Chapter here faster and farther than I could, if maybe in a different directions and maybe not as deep as I aim to go."

"It was a loss when she left, but also it happening here, with it just affecting me, the damage was all about losing what could have been. It could have been a lot worse if it happened back where she first joined up."

Dirt Nap pauses, "As to me choosing to put my whole effort and attention into building up the Covenant instead of looking for a Doman position, well, I believe influence and power isn't exactly like money in that different kinds are useful for different reasons, and the kind of power and influence that suits my own personal goals best is inside my Covenant, sir."