"I'm not fishing for anything Anumus. I'd like to think that my question was both simple and direct. I wanted to know if everyone was okay with the current set up." He shrugs as all the other shaman just... ignore his actual question. So he answers Animus' question. "Cabals can be trusted by their membership, sure. Since every cabal is in some degree of competition with every other cabal in the city, I'm not going to trust anyone but mine. But I guess you all seem fine with the system as it stands, I'm not going to try and change your minds." He had strong opinions on this, that it fostered an air of distrust between cabals and independents, that it took a position that was supposed to advise the Hierarch on the point of view from the other Paths and dragged it through more politics than was strictly necessary, but if everyone was fine with the situation as-is, he wasn't going to waste his breath trying to convince them otherwise.
Burgers go on the grill and they sizzle on the hot metal. "Other than making sure everyone met everyone else, that's all I wanted to ask about. Anyone have anything they want to talk about while I deal with these?"
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Trust?
Striker considered Animus's words. Trusting had always coming naturally to the Australian. He gave everyone a fair go until their actions showed if they truly could be trusted. Or not.
Trust?
He'd met Autolycus first out of the gathered mages and the Mystagog left him wondering who this man would join a cabal with. Maybe a pacifist? Idun he'd had a chat to at the Field Day and he'd gone away impressed. She seemed decent, helpful and friendly. Striker hadn't had much of a chance to talk to Animus, but it was clear from what he'd heard that he was a well respected Arrow. Striker liked to make his own judgements but he didn't have a lot to go off from his own experiences with the man. Kiko seemed endearing and obviously had close ties to Animus.
S'funny. Auto's the only one who I don't know if I can trust.
"Seems everyone in Sacro's a bit cautious ay. And I dunno, that's probably a good thing considering. But we're all mages, all just tryin' to figure the world out right? So we should have each other's backs." He opened one of the bottles of beer on the side of the BBQ then passed it to Idun before opening one for himself. "I'll go along with the whole Path Counsellor thing if it goes ahead but I don't care either way right now." He looked at Autolycus and continued "Oh and if it helps, the Archangels are back up to 5 now, so ya don't have to worry about Leo's position any more. It's good an' solid." His tone was friendly, but he wasn't hiding his dislike at what he'd heard Autolycus had been saying about Leo.
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Huh. Maybe they had different ways to measure good manners in Australia. Auto had planned to just let the Archangel and Leo thing stay off the table, since it wasn't Thyrsus business. "Cool story brah," Autolycus says, affecting the speech pattern of the wild Caliornian beach bum and throwing up a Shaka sign at Striker. "When you all go back in time so he can be legit in the past too, you can drop me a line to not bother showing up that night?"
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The elder shaman watches Auto through guarded eyes. Disappointing. Virtually any answer would have sufficed. But a retraction? Perhaps he felt he had little choice, but that too betrayed weakness.
"If you care deeply about something, you should fight for it. Otherwise you will never reach your true potential." Eyes flick to Striker, before settling once again on the Mystagogue. "And if it is increased barriers between cabals you fear, why do you now act to reinforce the same?"
Movements have long since stilled, leaving only an owl-like cant of the head and unblinking stare. The gauntlet is thrown. Will you rise to the challenge, or break and fall?
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Striker raised his eyebrows in amusement at Autolycus' response, not knowing quite what to make of it. He's still upset about that? It was, what, a month ago now? Two? What a dick.
He threw back some beer as Animus spoke. True potential ay. This fella knows which way's up. The one armed shaman swallowed his beer and was about to open his mouth to ask what Auto's damn problem was anyway when Animus continued, putting the same question to him in a much more tactful way.
The sizzling of the BBQ and the delicious smell of the food wafted past, reminding Striker of the hook that made him come in the first place. Damn that smells good. It'd be a shame if this comes to blows. I'm hungry. If he'd had two arms he would have crossed them. As it was he simply stood relaxed, wondering if the response to Animus would be as flippant as the one he had received.
Real Life is a.. Well you know
As one of the youngest among the gathered simply watched quietly, and listened to each persons words and hated the fact she felt so distant as she usually did.
She nods at Animus' remark first "My Brother's words are very true in that if something is important to you you fight for it, even if you dislike fighting. I for one care deeply for those I love and care for and would reduce the whole of creation to ashes if it came to showing people exactly how much I care."
At Idun she looked and nodded somewhat following, she'd placed certain barriers before and it was something she wasn't proud of but it was in the past now and hopefully, if things progressed better, could be changed "I'm not sure I was there for that gathering.." she frowned some as she tried to think on the memory.
But it was overshadowed by Strikers statement which gained an almost enthusiastic "I agree" before she fell silent and continued to listen before she to fell silent once again.
But Trust? Animus had almost enunciated the word and it rang full in her mind as well as her heart. There were a handful of Mages she trusted without recourse or reciprocation and it gave the small woman a feeling of something worthwhile in the hell that was The Fallen World.
She cast a glance at Autolycus and his tones and inwardly shook her head as she thought Oh this meeting will be such a wonderful event.. please let it be OK and not have things annoy me.. I'll.. make a cake or something?
She had a horrible feeling their meeting would be about as memorable as wanting to eat a car battery, but it might taste OK..
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Idun moves to the cooler, she picks out a beer and finds a place to sit, near Kiko. She considers what people have said. "I think people expect that those speaking for the Cabals are advancing their Cabal's goals and opinions." She states with a shrug. "It also means that those who do join Cabals are more likely to stick around then those who haven't so they should get a say in how things are run."
Auto tisks at Animus. "Look, dude. I'm not an arrow or a libertine. I don't get off on fighting. I like solving problems and I have concerns about the system that's grown under the care of pretty much everyone else here right now. So I figure that the best way to start working on what this problem is to invite people who I already share something in common with to a kind of informal meeting, provide free food and beer for you all, and then ask you also see a problem. What I get," Autolycus points at Animus "is you trying to jump right to a debate and everyone else ignoring my question. So it's obvious that you all are either fine with the system or you just don't care. I'm not a thearch either, I value my time too highly to waste it trying to convince everyone else to agree with me."
He nods over at Striker. "I'm also not going to sit by and be someone's bitch when he's giving me shit about something I said about his buddy while he drinks my beer and eats my food. I wasn't going to bring it up, since it's not Path business, but I'm also not going to let it slide. Especially when it's from someone who's got his own problems with our society. So if you want to pretend that's me making things difficult between Cabals instead of me not taking any shit from someone slinging it, you go right ahead Animus."
Oh look, burgers are done! Autolycus grabs the buns, getting them set up for everyone. "Yeah I don't really believe joining a cabal means you're going to stick around." Autolycus responds to Idun as he handles the food. "There's what? Something like nine or ten abandoned cabals that used to live in the city?" Autolycus didn't mention that three of the five Thyrsus here were part of those former cabals. He didn't really see the need. "And even then, just sticking around shouldn't be an automatic seat in any kind of government. Having whoever is the most in tune with their path as Councilor means that, in theory, they'll have a more enlightened point of view when deciding how the Consilium needs to be run. When it's just Cabals? It's like everyone's just decided to dispense with enlightenment as an ideal and wallow in politics because it's easier."
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Kiko's comment about reducing the world to ashes scored her an unsure and slightly worried look from the one armed mage, but it was replaced by disbelief as Autolycus began his rant about how everyone was wrong except for him.
Striker set his beer down next to the sushi.
"Bloody hell. For someone who doesn't like fighting you sure know how to talk your way to an ass whooping." Striker replied casually to Autolycus, watching him prepare the food. He had no reason to actually want to hit the guy, yet. But jeez he was asking for it.
"Look mate. I don't know what your problem is with Leo. I'm just letting you know that what I heard you'd been bitching about, about Councillors which is what you're talking about, isn't an issue any more. But apparently you still just want to bloody complain about it. Good for you wanting to do something to improve this place but if you're gonna bitch about me eating your food too then I'll piss off."
Striker turns to leave, his half finished beer still on the table.
"I bloody well know when I'm not wanted." he mutters to himself.
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