Pen is:
not drinking yet from her cup (chalice [it should be in her fingers, call it even a goblet anything but a glass; mirrors should be glasses where Penelope is, not cups]) of wine, other than one symbolic sip to wet her throat, and another (whett her throat) just after Margot and Ned mention blindfolds. The cant of her eyebrows up up at this or at that under the rakish fall of bangs is wondering, rather than cynical.
When Ned so definitively settles the question of Unity and War on her, Pen looks at him, clear-eyed and considering. There is a stitch between her brows now and her regard (and 'clear' here is synonymous with 'water,' and with 'witching,' and with the air at bat-tide, even-gloam, with tempered metal, your face in a sword) is very careful for a moment. For a Flambeau, Penelope is:
No. This is what Penelope is. She belongs to House Flambeau. Make up your own mind. Hawk or dove.
The stitch loosens. Her voice is clear, too. And low, and easy to listen to. "Listen. The war didn't end: it went cold. We couldn't crack their hold on the world, they couldn't crack the spine of our spirit and bring us down to less than the height of a shadow. But there were wounds, deep ones. Does 'lost' now mean nothing more definitive than 'not yet won'? The only way this war can end is as other wars between traditions have ended - alliance. Until then, sometimes it is cold, sometimes it is hot.
(Ardor) "Always you have a choice.
"One of humanity's most graceful attributes is to want a choice. It's that want is why there is this war in the first place.
"We won't lose because we must not. We have, as you just pointed out, a great bredth of diversity on our side, people with firmly held convictions that do not always agree with one another and yet still we must find common ground. What common ground is there? What do you want, Ned? Margot? What do you hope for the future? What do you want to be able to do? War is because of hope. That's what we fight for and that's what we hold to. The Nine Mystic Traditions have said 'No, I will not settle for what is handed to me by those who settled for what was handed to them by those who settled for what was handed to them and so on. I will not settle for thoughtlessness when perhaps I could be great. I will not settle for a lack of wonder when there might still be wonder in the world. I will not settle - I will be."
"What can unite us, what often unites us, is human spirit and common cause. We mostly want our Will to matter, even if what we have chosen to Will for ourselves is service to some greater purpose. We are united by the hope that we might live and do what good we can do, if only we were unfettered. Here is an easy analogy for you: Against the Technocratic Union, we have been the Resistance in Occupied Territory. They are recklessly without compassion. We must be generous with ours."
"I could go on about this, or about war. If either of you have questions about the subject feel free to ask me. Perhaps," and she sounds grave, "you have been told that the House of Flambeau specializes in war. But look - in fairness the Union doesn't need to be your enemy, but if it is not you don't ever get to say a word and fly. You haven't actually been drafted. Maybe if cold turns hot you'll find you can't stay out of the thick of it. War isn't just fought with fire and sword, but words and intention too - and that's where it's important, get it? But I know any number of Magi who have never had to fight the Union." It is worth noting that Pen is careful here, because she doesn't know any Magi who have never had to fight.
"You two are Awake now. What have you done with your Wills thus far? What have you seen that is different from the way you thought reality worked? What would you like to do in the future if you had the power to do it?"
ooc: I am so sorry. (hangs head) I suck at staying on top of forums posts.
not drinking yet from her cup (chalice [it should be in her fingers, call it even a goblet anything but a glass; mirrors should be glasses where Penelope is, not cups]) of wine, other than one symbolic sip to wet her throat, and another (whett her throat) just after Margot and Ned mention blindfolds. The cant of her eyebrows up up at this or at that under the rakish fall of bangs is wondering, rather than cynical.
When Ned so definitively settles the question of Unity and War on her, Pen looks at him, clear-eyed and considering. There is a stitch between her brows now and her regard (and 'clear' here is synonymous with 'water,' and with 'witching,' and with the air at bat-tide, even-gloam, with tempered metal, your face in a sword) is very careful for a moment. For a Flambeau, Penelope is:
No. This is what Penelope is. She belongs to House Flambeau. Make up your own mind. Hawk or dove.
The stitch loosens. Her voice is clear, too. And low, and easy to listen to. "Listen. The war didn't end: it went cold. We couldn't crack their hold on the world, they couldn't crack the spine of our spirit and bring us down to less than the height of a shadow. But there were wounds, deep ones. Does 'lost' now mean nothing more definitive than 'not yet won'? The only way this war can end is as other wars between traditions have ended - alliance. Until then, sometimes it is cold, sometimes it is hot.
(Ardor) "Always you have a choice.
"One of humanity's most graceful attributes is to want a choice. It's that want is why there is this war in the first place.
"We won't lose because we must not. We have, as you just pointed out, a great bredth of diversity on our side, people with firmly held convictions that do not always agree with one another and yet still we must find common ground. What common ground is there? What do you want, Ned? Margot? What do you hope for the future? What do you want to be able to do? War is because of hope. That's what we fight for and that's what we hold to. The Nine Mystic Traditions have said 'No, I will not settle for what is handed to me by those who settled for what was handed to them by those who settled for what was handed to them and so on. I will not settle for thoughtlessness when perhaps I could be great. I will not settle for a lack of wonder when there might still be wonder in the world. I will not settle - I will be."
"What can unite us, what often unites us, is human spirit and common cause. We mostly want our Will to matter, even if what we have chosen to Will for ourselves is service to some greater purpose. We are united by the hope that we might live and do what good we can do, if only we were unfettered. Here is an easy analogy for you: Against the Technocratic Union, we have been the Resistance in Occupied Territory. They are recklessly without compassion. We must be generous with ours."
"I could go on about this, or about war. If either of you have questions about the subject feel free to ask me. Perhaps," and she sounds grave, "you have been told that the House of Flambeau specializes in war. But look - in fairness the Union doesn't need to be your enemy, but if it is not you don't ever get to say a word and fly. You haven't actually been drafted. Maybe if cold turns hot you'll find you can't stay out of the thick of it. War isn't just fought with fire and sword, but words and intention too - and that's where it's important, get it? But I know any number of Magi who have never had to fight the Union." It is worth noting that Pen is careful here, because she doesn't know any Magi who have never had to fight.
"You two are Awake now. What have you done with your Wills thus far? What have you seen that is different from the way you thought reality worked? What would you like to do in the future if you had the power to do it?"
ooc: I am so sorry. (hangs head) I suck at staying on top of forums posts.
