03-17-2015, 10:22 PM
[Our scene is as follows, Serafine, Kiara, Dan, and Kalen are in the kitchen at the Chantry. Dan is making reubens. Kalen thinks that Dan is secretly an alchemist, because those are complicated sandwiches, but alas there are discussions about what to do about vampires to have instead of investigating the elemental composition and transformation process of delicious foods. Reposting the last few posts (and adding one, Jacqui). Should anyone wish to pounce in, by all means do. I dunno that we'll manage a strict posting order, but let's try not to bury anyone.]
Serafíne
"Right but - " Dan exhales, softly. Takes the first of the reubens off the griddle, finally. Checks the second one, then goes back to the first, cutting it in half with the edge of his spatula. Some of the sauerkraut starts to ooze out.
"You understand what I'm saying, don't you? If the corporation is providing the structure and the means and engaging in the criminal behavior to which you object the most and you want to do something to disrupt their systems, that's smart. It makes sense. You do it in the most hands-off way possible. Then, you don't have to worry about firemen dying in a fire Grace set: just about figuring out how to create the sort of cybertrail that would entangle them in investigations and litigation for years to come.
"There, you've acted. You've acted in a way that brings a spotlight back to them and impedes their ability to function with the impunity they have come to count on."
--
Sera, quiet, shoots a glance at Dan. THIS IS ALL FUCKING GREEK TO HER, OR KUMQUATS, but her eyes are liquid, quiet, changeable, and they swing back to Kalen listening as he remarks with some passion that part of him wants to wrap his hands around a new and incomprehensible world in hopes that it will have more light.
"I'm sorry Kalen I don't - " pause, glance. "I don't really understand what she was proposing, except she wanted you to join her and act like her ally. Because you sound pretty fucking idealistic you know? Almost mournful, too. Like we're leaving something on the table that might make shit better and I just want to get that - understand it, you know?"
Kiara
Kiara's shoulders flex a little under the give of the jacket she's wearing; its leather but wholly newer; far less vintage than Kalen's own. Cinching in at her narrow waist; the boots Kiara is nearly always seen in offer her some scant few extra inches but she's still a slender thing; more lean lines carved through years of running than anything.
"It depends, when people pass on they don't always recognize it. They can't always - " Kiara's frowning down at the apple in her hands; wiping a thumb over a bruise near its base. She presses down on it, just enough to lacerate the skin. " - I talked to Alex - " this, with a look to Kalen; a beat; her eyes skirt back to Sera; Dan. "From what he says I'm not even sure trying to remove them is an option. They died violently, some of them maybe even willingly. Exsanguinated, a lot of them. Best case scenario?"
She straightens; setting the fruit down and crossing her arms over her chest. "We open a line of communication, ask them if they want to leave. They say they do, we try and get them beyond that threshold. Help them understand what's happened to them. Worst case scenario - " Her mouth twists into something thinner; a bittersweet, aware thing. Framed and molded by who knew what experiences.
"Well, it can't be worse than an eternity in the place you were murdered."
A beat, then. Tentative. "As for the vampires - " There's a hiss of breath; Kiara's focus cutting between Dan and Sera; Kalen. Back. "I think you probably already know my thoughts on that. I think, I feel as if, wedging ourselves into this is more trouble than it's worth. I'm not sure I'm the best to judge for anyone but myself, though. I don't trust them. Over and above what they are I just - can't see the benefits of putting our necks out there for them."
She sweeps a hand out; cutting through some unheard objection. "For the record, I don't dismiss anything you've said, Kalen. I agree there's a lot that we can learn from them, probably a lot we can also benefit from by agreeing but the long game - I just see so many ways this could fold back on us."
Kalen Holliday
"I think I want it to be good. But I wanted to save Lucia and Victoria too. And we saved a lot of people from them, in the end. I can live with what became of them. I can live with the people who came when I called and died fighting Victoria. I have done...a lot of things. They were not always the things I most wanted, but they were, all of them, things I can live with. I might do some of them differently now, but not because I know how they ended. I am...no longer the person who made some of those choices."
He smiles a little. Glances over at Kiara. "You'll note that when I acknowledge my unbridled optimism is generally unwarranted, I agree with that decision. I think that if we do this, it should not be so open. Boldness...I do enjoy it from time to time, but some sleeping dragons should probably never know who woke them. If we let them know we've made alternate shows of support, if not united as they offered, we may yet be able to learn from them. Possibly to get into that club to see what might be done about the ghosts. Derrick seemed not to have issue with that idea beyond his caution about what we might do beyond see to the ghosts."
Kiara
"Compromise is a beautiful thing." This, a wry addition from Kiara as she moves around the kitchen; claiming a bottle of water; uncapping it and taking a deep draught from it. It leaves lipstick stains around the rim and she wipes them off absently before recapping it and setting it on the counter; drawing her body up beside it in a stance not so dissimilar to Serafine's while she painted her nails.
She unzips the jacket; it folds open to reveal some white and black shirt beneath; the bold lettering denoting it belongs to some designer or other; half hidden as it is by the flaps of the jacket and the female's dark hair where it lays, wild and heavy against her shoulders beneath that cap. "Look, I think Dan has a point. I think doing nothing feels really not okay considering what's in the balance, but - " Kiara's fingertips rap against the counter; her legs, where she's crossed them, tap, one ankle against another.
The perpetual motion of Kiara Woolfe.
" - I like the quiet alternative. We don't have to walk away from everything, although obviously," a flex of her mouth; it brooks a smile; vaguely there and gone. "I'm not against doing that in principle. If we - you - take back the idea of something that doesn't give away our hand entirely, I could support that. I think it's the best option in a messy situation and at least it gives us a chance to do something for those poor people that are trapped in there."
A beat; Kiara sobers. "If there's anything to be done."
Kalen Holliday
Kalen nods. "I think that quiet alternative may still allow for that. And, if at some point we feel it is warranted, to cautiously explore what a cautious peace with creatures that may not be monsters looks like. But cautiously and carefully and not because we felt backed into a corner and responded.
"I also have trouble with the thought of doing absolutely nothing. Less than I could, perhaps. There are a lot of things we could do. The world needs a lot of things. There is no shortage of things that further that goal." There is a little shrug. "As to the ghosts...I know nothing of what will help them or how. I only know that they are there. That is all you and Alexander and Elijah...and anyone I don't know of offhand who can reach them."
Kiara
"I do think the idea of taking them down by subversive means has potential, too." Another sip of water; Kiara's legs swinging a little as she watches Dan with the sandwiches; silently admiring his culinary skills, no doubt. "Grace has the know how with technology, it wouldn't be much to start gnawing at their foundations. It could be done slowly, so there's no direct or obvious connection.
If you want to kill a weed, you have to find the roots or it will just keep coming back." The Verbena's focus shifts back to Kalen after a pause; she sets her eyes on his; scans and studies his features for a beat and then offers: "When - if - it comes to dealing with the ghosts, I could go in with both of them. Elijah would be useful for his ability to communicate even beyond ways I can. I can reach out, even get the attention of one or two if they're feeling charitable, keep us safe inside a circle while we try and work something out."
A beat; Kiara runs her tongue over her lips; shrugs. "Maybe we reach one or two. It would be one or two less stuck there. It would be something." Pause; the Verbena's expression shifts a touch; she sits straighter; lowers her voice. "If you go back to them with a compromise, I'm assuming this won't be in person but via other means, right? This Iris hasn't seemed volatile yet from what you say but hearing a less than total agreement might not be what brightens her night."
Kalen
"I'll leave that to you to figure out. All of you. But I will let them know." Kalen smiles. "I am glad that there are people who will help them."
He shifts. Resettles in the chair. Watches Kiara for a few seconds. "Iris? I will probably not tell her in person, but less for fear and more for expediency. My impression of her is not that one that indicates I would need to fear an immediate response if she were displeased. Iris...strikes me as much more controlled than that. If she was moved to lash out for our refusal, and I doubt that she will be, it would be cautious and calculated. I do not expect it would be instant. And I doubt that she desires two wars right now. She already is motivated to ask for our help with this one. As it stands, she'd likely just lose both."
Serafíne
"Right but - " Dan exhales, softly. Takes the first of the reubens off the griddle, finally. Checks the second one, then goes back to the first, cutting it in half with the edge of his spatula. Some of the sauerkraut starts to ooze out.
"You understand what I'm saying, don't you? If the corporation is providing the structure and the means and engaging in the criminal behavior to which you object the most and you want to do something to disrupt their systems, that's smart. It makes sense. You do it in the most hands-off way possible. Then, you don't have to worry about firemen dying in a fire Grace set: just about figuring out how to create the sort of cybertrail that would entangle them in investigations and litigation for years to come.
"There, you've acted. You've acted in a way that brings a spotlight back to them and impedes their ability to function with the impunity they have come to count on."
--
Sera, quiet, shoots a glance at Dan. THIS IS ALL FUCKING GREEK TO HER, OR KUMQUATS, but her eyes are liquid, quiet, changeable, and they swing back to Kalen listening as he remarks with some passion that part of him wants to wrap his hands around a new and incomprehensible world in hopes that it will have more light.
"I'm sorry Kalen I don't - " pause, glance. "I don't really understand what she was proposing, except she wanted you to join her and act like her ally. Because you sound pretty fucking idealistic you know? Almost mournful, too. Like we're leaving something on the table that might make shit better and I just want to get that - understand it, you know?"
Kiara
Kiara's shoulders flex a little under the give of the jacket she's wearing; its leather but wholly newer; far less vintage than Kalen's own. Cinching in at her narrow waist; the boots Kiara is nearly always seen in offer her some scant few extra inches but she's still a slender thing; more lean lines carved through years of running than anything.
"It depends, when people pass on they don't always recognize it. They can't always - " Kiara's frowning down at the apple in her hands; wiping a thumb over a bruise near its base. She presses down on it, just enough to lacerate the skin. " - I talked to Alex - " this, with a look to Kalen; a beat; her eyes skirt back to Sera; Dan. "From what he says I'm not even sure trying to remove them is an option. They died violently, some of them maybe even willingly. Exsanguinated, a lot of them. Best case scenario?"
She straightens; setting the fruit down and crossing her arms over her chest. "We open a line of communication, ask them if they want to leave. They say they do, we try and get them beyond that threshold. Help them understand what's happened to them. Worst case scenario - " Her mouth twists into something thinner; a bittersweet, aware thing. Framed and molded by who knew what experiences.
"Well, it can't be worse than an eternity in the place you were murdered."
A beat, then. Tentative. "As for the vampires - " There's a hiss of breath; Kiara's focus cutting between Dan and Sera; Kalen. Back. "I think you probably already know my thoughts on that. I think, I feel as if, wedging ourselves into this is more trouble than it's worth. I'm not sure I'm the best to judge for anyone but myself, though. I don't trust them. Over and above what they are I just - can't see the benefits of putting our necks out there for them."
She sweeps a hand out; cutting through some unheard objection. "For the record, I don't dismiss anything you've said, Kalen. I agree there's a lot that we can learn from them, probably a lot we can also benefit from by agreeing but the long game - I just see so many ways this could fold back on us."
Kalen Holliday
"I think I want it to be good. But I wanted to save Lucia and Victoria too. And we saved a lot of people from them, in the end. I can live with what became of them. I can live with the people who came when I called and died fighting Victoria. I have done...a lot of things. They were not always the things I most wanted, but they were, all of them, things I can live with. I might do some of them differently now, but not because I know how they ended. I am...no longer the person who made some of those choices."
He smiles a little. Glances over at Kiara. "You'll note that when I acknowledge my unbridled optimism is generally unwarranted, I agree with that decision. I think that if we do this, it should not be so open. Boldness...I do enjoy it from time to time, but some sleeping dragons should probably never know who woke them. If we let them know we've made alternate shows of support, if not united as they offered, we may yet be able to learn from them. Possibly to get into that club to see what might be done about the ghosts. Derrick seemed not to have issue with that idea beyond his caution about what we might do beyond see to the ghosts."
Kiara
"Compromise is a beautiful thing." This, a wry addition from Kiara as she moves around the kitchen; claiming a bottle of water; uncapping it and taking a deep draught from it. It leaves lipstick stains around the rim and she wipes them off absently before recapping it and setting it on the counter; drawing her body up beside it in a stance not so dissimilar to Serafine's while she painted her nails.
She unzips the jacket; it folds open to reveal some white and black shirt beneath; the bold lettering denoting it belongs to some designer or other; half hidden as it is by the flaps of the jacket and the female's dark hair where it lays, wild and heavy against her shoulders beneath that cap. "Look, I think Dan has a point. I think doing nothing feels really not okay considering what's in the balance, but - " Kiara's fingertips rap against the counter; her legs, where she's crossed them, tap, one ankle against another.
The perpetual motion of Kiara Woolfe.
" - I like the quiet alternative. We don't have to walk away from everything, although obviously," a flex of her mouth; it brooks a smile; vaguely there and gone. "I'm not against doing that in principle. If we - you - take back the idea of something that doesn't give away our hand entirely, I could support that. I think it's the best option in a messy situation and at least it gives us a chance to do something for those poor people that are trapped in there."
A beat; Kiara sobers. "If there's anything to be done."
Kalen Holliday
Kalen nods. "I think that quiet alternative may still allow for that. And, if at some point we feel it is warranted, to cautiously explore what a cautious peace with creatures that may not be monsters looks like. But cautiously and carefully and not because we felt backed into a corner and responded.
"I also have trouble with the thought of doing absolutely nothing. Less than I could, perhaps. There are a lot of things we could do. The world needs a lot of things. There is no shortage of things that further that goal." There is a little shrug. "As to the ghosts...I know nothing of what will help them or how. I only know that they are there. That is all you and Alexander and Elijah...and anyone I don't know of offhand who can reach them."
Kiara
"I do think the idea of taking them down by subversive means has potential, too." Another sip of water; Kiara's legs swinging a little as she watches Dan with the sandwiches; silently admiring his culinary skills, no doubt. "Grace has the know how with technology, it wouldn't be much to start gnawing at their foundations. It could be done slowly, so there's no direct or obvious connection.
If you want to kill a weed, you have to find the roots or it will just keep coming back." The Verbena's focus shifts back to Kalen after a pause; she sets her eyes on his; scans and studies his features for a beat and then offers: "When - if - it comes to dealing with the ghosts, I could go in with both of them. Elijah would be useful for his ability to communicate even beyond ways I can. I can reach out, even get the attention of one or two if they're feeling charitable, keep us safe inside a circle while we try and work something out."
A beat; Kiara runs her tongue over her lips; shrugs. "Maybe we reach one or two. It would be one or two less stuck there. It would be something." Pause; the Verbena's expression shifts a touch; she sits straighter; lowers her voice. "If you go back to them with a compromise, I'm assuming this won't be in person but via other means, right? This Iris hasn't seemed volatile yet from what you say but hearing a less than total agreement might not be what brightens her night."
Kalen
"I'll leave that to you to figure out. All of you. But I will let them know." Kalen smiles. "I am glad that there are people who will help them."
He shifts. Resettles in the chair. Watches Kiara for a few seconds. "Iris? I will probably not tell her in person, but less for fear and more for expediency. My impression of her is not that one that indicates I would need to fear an immediate response if she were displeased. Iris...strikes me as much more controlled than that. If she was moved to lash out for our refusal, and I doubt that she will be, it would be cautious and calculated. I do not expect it would be instant. And I doubt that she desires two wars right now. She already is motivated to ask for our help with this one. As it stands, she'd likely just lose both."