July let the statement wash over him. Yes Emrys was an asshole, but he wasn't a traitor. "You're right about that. He hasn't done anything to make me think he'd back stab us. He seems capable enough that I could trust him enough." July paddled along slowly with the group as he thought on it. "I guess we can't expect to like everyone we work with, as long as they do their job."
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"I don't."
The paddle slowed, trailing a small wake as droplets fell from it.
Never volunteer information. If someone has an opinion? Hear it before adding to it. It's like playing cards. Your hole cards are yours, but as soon as the flop comes, everything changes. Then everyone is making something. Adding, subtracting. Truth is a funny thing.
"He ambushed Einstein. I don't, like, care where Consilium is held? Or who holds it? But I didn't like that. It's, you know, different if people disagree. I think. Like, if he pitched it, and she disagreed -- but he just did it, and you could tell she was legit surprised." Surprised, yo. That's how ambushes work.
"And it doesn't matter if I like or don't like either one of them. Or what it was about. But, like, aren't they in the same Order? I dunno. It makes me wonder if he'd do that to one of us. One of his caballies, if he'd do that to his own Order... Orderly? No, uh. Order-mate? It's super dumb to think everyone doesn't have their own, like, agenda. Or won't chase it. But it looked like he chased it without trying to work it out first."
Shoulders twisted, turning the mop to fix greenish eyes with an unspoken question on Ermac.
Because former Libertine and shedding light.
Ermac's paddle halted, coming to rest in his lap. Hearing Star say he doesn't trust Emrys and supporting rationale was a surprise to him. He let out a sigh, the breath whistling past his teeth.
The former Libertine had to admit his side. "If there was any discussion, it was after I left the Free Council. He should have spoken to the others about hosting."
Casting his mind back to that night, "Disclaimer, I'm horrendously biased against both of them. At the time, I thought she was making a mountain of a mole hill, as per how she normally operates."
Brown eyes matched up to the green pair, "But, that makes sense. She genuinely could have been blindsided. I believe that Emrys does possess more political acumen than both Crowley and Einstein put together."
Surprise feelings and statements. That's the Guardian way. July always struggled with holding things close to the chest, which is why he was always more of a tool than a leader in the order. Also why he brought Star in when talking to Erma about the order itself. "I took it to be that he never informed her of the plans, though she shouldn't of had shit to complain about since the Free Council is supposed to be a part of the whole. If you decided to hold Consilium at Hostel HI I wouldn't imagine you asking my permission and I wouldn't imagine me getting bent out of shape about it since we're both Guardians and this is what the orders do, hold Consilium. But I guess I took him to be more of an asshole than traitor, though you point out he did blindside a fellow order member."
July floated along side the two of them thinking. "I think a concern I've had with him ever since he was 'elected' as councilor was that he's not always on the same page as us, or at least what I took VT to be about. Like he's more focused on power than dealing with the current threats, like they're secondary."
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"Like hand-jobbing the Books because of Miach , instead of backing us?"
Genuinely curious eyebrows furrowed as they turned toward July.
It's one thing to stick to your guns -- it's another to flip-flop. It would be totes different if Emrys hadn't originally advocated destruction, yo. For reals. Because it's a two way street. You roll with your crew, then fight about it later. Except there hadn't been any rolling.
Well, except for the buses that people kept getting thrown under.
Maybe they hadn't seen it. Maybe they had. Two and two usually make four, and when it doesn't, you're asking the Wrong Question. Sometimes, all roads lead to Rome. Right, clones?
"This... isn't a political crew. You're right. That's not, like, what we're about. But, I think that's what Emrys is about, and he doesn't really care how he does it."
It's not easy. People go out on limbs for other people, and part of trusting someone is trusting the people that they trust.
"...I'll talk to Avis ."
It made sense. All the evidence pointed to one thing - Emrys placed his agenda above all else. Ermac remained silent, thinking the matter over. "July, I understand your perspective. She told me outright, she was "just paying her taxes." She has not officially been stripped of Recognition nor has she renounced it." Glancing to the Obrimos, "As Star pointed out, being an asshole isn't a crime. She hasn't broken any Laws that we know of, yet."
A shrug lifted his shoulder, "I'd be so happy if the raging cuntrag left town and never came back. Until that happens, she's still a Recognized member of Consilium."
Regarding July with a supportive look, "As for Emrys, his political ambitions ought to be monitored and if necessary, quashed. Preferably by us. That will probably happen sooner than later."
July just continued down the river as they talked, not much more to add. "Yeah I guess it's kind of a wait and see kind of situation."
Star had already said he'd talk to Avis and after the first dinner when July and Emrys argued it'd been made clear that Star and Avis were the top-tier members, and what they said went. July wasn't sure if things had changed since then, but he figured what Avis decided would be the one that really mattered.
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See?
No one listens. However much things change, things stay the same. Maybe Change is an Illusion, too.
"Shoot, man, Einstein's friendly compared to Zoey..."
Good to wrap / end scene?
Fine with me
Good to close
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