Warlock Summit

[Avis]

"Well, I only spoke about my Order, so that would be why on my end," Avis replied with a careless shrug. "But if you want to hear my opinion on them, sure. I think they're an excellent Order. An essential part of the Pentacle. One that challenges all of the assumptions that have been made throughout the History of the Awakened and which examines more aspects of the Truth that can be glimpsed in the Lie than we'd likely uncover otherwise. But, that said, the Free Council seems to attract a lot of silly little fucks. So, if that's where you're leaning, good fucking luck. There's a ton of bullshit you're gonna have to put up with. Like, a metric tonne more than you'd have to put up with usually."

Issue was, Avis couldn't decide if that extra tonne was due to Crowley, or to Emrys. Maybe it was an even split. Or maybe she'd just low balled it and it was actually more like two tonnes. Either way, Varyx would have to figure it out for herself if that's where she wanted to go.

"Oh, and as for the Guardians, they're kind of similar to the Arrow in that they're based around their beliefs. Most of which revolve around the concept of Sacrifice. Doesn't seem like it would fit you, honestly," she added with another shrug, "but I could be wrong. You'd want to talk to Star if you're more curious about them. What'd I recommend you think about before that, though, is essentially this: now that you're in a town with psycho murderer's, how do you wanna deal with that? Do you wanna look for the answer in the Past, in the Future , in Conflict, in Community, or in Sacrifice?"

[Varyx]

Varyx had to smile. Faust was polite, almost to a fault. Not that she could blame him - she was much the same. Avoid giving offense when it was unnecessary to do so. She wasn't inclined to avoid it all the time, but "talking trash" seemed like a waste of potential goodwill. Of course, it also meant that he'd said a lot of nothing, leaving her with no particular idea of how he actually felt about them. Ah well.

Avis, on the other hand, was as blunt as always. Varyx was actually visibly surprised, her eyebrows drawing up as Avis expressed a shocking opinion that she thought of them as essential. And, actually, it made sense. One couldn't move forward when mired in tradition, and sometimes it took a different way of looking at things to even see when everyone was stuck doing something stupid. Of course, she followed that up with a clear distaste for the actual members, which made Varyx frown. She wasn't certain, yet, where she'd go. Conceptually, the Council seemed interesting, but she wasn't particularly keen on fighting every step of the way with her apparent fellows.

And then... her question. Varyx leaned back against the pew, looking up at the vaulted ceilings while she turned the options over in her head. "You really do have a way with words," she observed softly, shooting Avis a smile. So far as she was concerned, there was a place and benefit for all five of the options, which really only succeeded in muddling her thoughts on the matter even further. "It's foolish not to learn from the Past, but we're directionless if we don't also look to the Future. Conflict is necessary, but fatal without Community. And even with Community, sometimes, Sacrifice is necessary." She tilted her head back again, to stare at the ceiling while she considered.

So far as Varyx was concerned, the Past and Community were already well-looked-after in Sacramento. At least, comparatively speaking. Conflict was lacking, but Varyx suspected she would never truly fit the mold of an Arrow, no matter how much she might want to. Which left two - Future and Sacrifice.

Star had mentioned he was a Guardian because "someone had to be." That it wasn't fair, but it was the truth. Varyx had understood - sometimes certain jobs were required, no matter how unpleasant they were to perform. But in the context of the Guardians as representing Sacrifice? That just made his choice all the more impressive. Sacrifice, because someone had to do it, and no one else would. Out of a belief that it was necessary.

The Future, from what Avis had said (and from what little she had seen herself) appeared to be lacking in stewardship. She didn't know much about Crowley, but Emrys had already struck her as hot-headed and a little bit self-centered. He didn't exactly strike her as the type who would challenge the rest of the Orders out of a desire to see them grow as much as out of a desire to be contrary, and perhaps to increase his own political power. She was reminded, faintly, of the nastier members of the Silver Ladder she'd met previously.

So, the question seemed to be... wade into the shitstorm that was the Free Council and attempt to save what might already be a lost cause? Hell, wasn't that it's own kind of sacrifice? Not that it mattered. Star had already none-too-subtly implied that she should go talk to Truce about joining the Silver Ladder. Which also implied he was very much of the opinion she wasn't a fit for the Guardians.

"That's quite a lot to chew on," she said finally, her gaze finally leveling with both Faust and Avis again. "So, let me get this straight. You believe the Free Council to be essential, but an utter mess at the moment, am I correct? Perhaps Sacramento would be best served in trying to recover it, then..."

God. She was not looking forward to wading into that mess. And worse? Doing it alone.

[Avis]

"No, you're looking at this wrong," Avis replied, giving a rough shake of her head.

"I mean, you're not looking at this badly," she added, hoping that would soften the abrupt rejection, "but you're approaching this from the wrong direction. When it comes to choosing your Order you can't worry about what would serve your Consilium best. Orders and Consiliums aren't the same thing. A Consilium is just one place. An order is something that stretches across the world. That stretches across all Consiliums. You need to find which philosophy fits you best, because your Order represents how you wish to fit into Awakened Society. And I mean all of Awakened Society, not just the citizens of the Sacramento Consilium. I chose to focus upon Conflict because that was what fit best for me, not because of one Consilium's needs. Because, as much as I don't like to say it, Consilium's can fail. They can become twisted, or they can shatter. If you base your decision on something as Transitory as a Consilium you're going to have a hard time."

[Varyx]

Varyx was considering Faust's recommendation - because he wasn't wrong when he said she was the sort to want to forge her own way - when Avis informed her she was looking at it wrong.

She had to smile when the Talon tried to explain that it wasn't a bad way to look at things, but it made sense, too, once she explained herself. Orders were world-wide, and basing her membership on what the Consilium had needed at the time struck her as silly once she looked at it from that way. Perhaps it was because, amidst all the danger, the Sacramento Consilium was still there. She realized she'd been thinking about it as a battered bastion, one that wouldn't fall. But Avis was right - she had no reason to actually believe that.

She frowned slightly, turning over both of their recommendations in her head, and sighed. "Well. Hopefully if I become recognized by the Consilium via a cabal, that'll be all I need, for now. I hear what you're saying, both of you. But part of the reason I haven't made a decision is because I don't specifically feel an inexorable pull towards any over the others. There has to be a reason why I'm picking one, even if it is just because it's what everyone else needs at the time. I'm not going to join an Order because it just happens to be the easiest to join, or because it's the one that everyone else expects me to want. Your Order has to speak to you. And right now, none of them do. The problem is, maybe the Free Council would if they were such a mess. Or maybe it wouldn't." She offered them a smirk. Maybe it was something she was only interested in because she had a previously unknown, subconscious desire to fix it, the way women stereotypically made the mistake of trying to 'fix' the men in their lives. or maybe she really would fit in at the Silver Ladder, and the bad taste it left in her mouth was more the result of a desire to be something other than what people expect.

Neither of those were good reasons to make a decision, but she'd never claimed to be perfect. She needed to go somewhere, alone, and sort out the little tangle of feelings to sort out which were legitimate thoughts on each Order and which were the result of her own sometimes childish issues.

She sighed. "Thank you, both of you. You've given me a lot to think about. I'm really not any closer to making a decision, but I do think the path is a little clearer now, and I appreciate your advice. And I'm sorry for derailing the meeting to talk about me for so long." A quick flash of straight, white teeth in a grin. "Sorry. Is there anything else we need to discuss as a Path?"

[Avis]

"Nope. But I'm glad we had this chat. Just make sure you come to me if you have any problems or concerns in the future, alright? Great. In that case, I'll catch y'all later," Avis replied, standing and leading the way toward the door...

Good to end scene

[Varyx]

Varyx smiled as Avis told them to come to her with any future problems. "You got it, Councilor." Then she turned to Faust and dipped her head. "And it was nice chatting with you, Faust. Good to get to know each other in the context of our Path."

She slipped her sunglasses back on and followed the other two to the door.

"See you later."

Thanks for a fun scene!