Royal Flush
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
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#15

Now no one respects one another, yay.

At least she is transparent and clearly laid out her reasonings. He, however, continues to miss the point. “Nah. I read the field and took a gamble. Came to offer myself as an Advisor, ended up a Queen. All because you said no.” So really, he has only himself to blame for this. Well, himself and the poor behavior of his friends. Actions matter. There are consequences for things, and this all literally could have been avoided by one single thing.

Their world will be better than when she left, Wessex vows. She shakes her head, disappointed in his nearsighted vision. Can't see past his goal, cause it's all gonna end in flames if he's not on the throne, apparently. What bullshit. “It’s not like we’re gonna make shitty laws. The enlistment is already off.” Her eyes roll, unable to fathom what the group thinks the two of them will do? Start a war with the Fae? Burn shit to the ground? Ignore everyone and fuck constantly? At least one of them is responsible. And they have skin in the game.

But this Jigano thing… she can hear the rage in Edy’s voice. And when fire shows up, Wessex decides to keep her mouth shut. This part ain’t her problem.

WESSEX
come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts
unsex me here
Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#16

Ronin blinked and tilted his head, wondering if the Ascended just... made things up on the fly often, or if this was an exception to the rule. "Actually," he said, "I didn't get a chance to be asked. I didn't say yes or no." He spread his hands and rose to his feet - because seriously, creeps and dying. He didn't have time for this.

Besides - Edrei hadn't given a definitive answer about what would happen when Zariah returned. And Wessex hadn't said anything in response. Which was all he really needed to know. "I don't know what he was thinking, honestly." he said to Edrei, shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe he thought we would rule alongside each other. Maybe he thought he would step down when I accepted. All I know is as soon as he realised people were unhappy about it, he decided he wanted to abdicate. Some wanted to stop him, so he could lead because he accepted it. Others wanted him to go. You know as much as I do now." He tucked in his chair.

"I didn't have to come here. You can't step down, Edrei, and Wessex clearly wants this more than she wants to listen to anyone else. So please. Best of luck to you. But we'll be ready when Zariah returns - or I don't know. Maybe you'll arrest the lot of us for having a different opinion. It wouldn't be the first time."

RONIN
Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.
Edrei Launceleyn
the Rapacious


Age: 28 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#17
Edrei the Rapacious
& I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em
"Right, because you were too busy being a dick for me to ask. Just like now." Edy watched Ronin stand with the haughty and angry reluctance of someone who probably should stop him, very much wanting him to stay, but far too hurt to do anything about it. She was sick of people just leaving her, discounting all that she was because she was a bit harsh around the edges. She loved them all fucking fiercely, and they abandoned her all because of her last name, because of things they understood but didn't have the time to be sympathetic about.

"Wow. Just shutting things down again, huh captain. You've changed. And not for the better." Edy scowled, the barb meant merely to keep Ronin where he was instead of walking away. If he was fighting with her, he wasn't leaving.

Violence was just about all Edy knew, after all.


Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
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#18
WESSEX

Go
deep throat
a cactus

Really? That’s what he’s going to nitpick about? Her eyes roll. Ok. So she got it wrong. Big fucking deal. “Excuse me for not knowing the intimate details. Whatever happened - you put yourself into a position where it didn’t pan out.” Leaning over the table towards the man as he stands up and tucks in his chair. “I’m listening. I’ve heard exactly what Edy said about Zariah. But the only thing I’ve heard from you and yours is ‘you’ll be bad at this’ and ‘this group of people doesn’t want you.’ No reasons. Just opinions. No solid examples of why I’ll be so terrible.” Her gaze is frank and measured, hands out in front of her.

And that’s the crux of it, isn’t it? A knee-jerk reaction, a guy feeling that very well might be solely because she’s Ascended, rather than incapable. You don’t survive for thirty eight years in Caido by being incapable and dumb.

She can’t quite follow his logic. Why he thinks she’s going to be unprepared is baffling. Just because she can’t say it here doesn’t mean it isn’t in the works. It doesn’t mean she isn’t training and working to make herself faster, stronger, and all that jazz. The Wraith just shakes her head with a tight-lipped expression. Always underestimated.

“Arrest you? For fuck’s sake, now you’re just being dramatic.”


Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#19

Ronin squeezed the back of the chair tightly, taking a few deep, measured breaths through his nose. ”No, you’re right - no reasons, just assumptions.” He shrugged. ”Everyone thought the same about Zariah, including you. Some of her suggestions might have been reasonable, but who cared? All that mattered was that she put herself into leadership without warning, without testing the waters, and with only the firm belief that she was right at her disposal. Just like right now.”

Especially with all of this you and yours business. That was a divide that would doubtless only grow. Hissing out a breath that wanted to be a snap at Edrei, Ronin shook his head at her. ”I am nobody’s captain. I’m nobody’s king. I’m just a guy who fell out of the sky and into this mess. Now, by your leave Your Majesties - may I go home to my family?”

RONIN
Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
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#20
WESSEX

Go
deep throat
a cactus

Wessex laughs harshly. The martyr rises again. He's really gotten quite good at playing that role for everyone. "Don't play that game, Ronin. You walked in here of your own free will. We're not keeping you from anyone or anything." Well, Wessex isn't. Edy might be, but as the older, more responsible adult that he's been portraying himself to be, he shouldn't rise to the occasion of her barbs.

She's done. Done with his assumptions. Done with him knowing everything about her. What good will more retorts do, other than prolong his departure?


Edrei Launceleyn
the Rapacious


Age: 28 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#21
Edrei the Rapacious
& I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em
Edy wants alcohol. So, so very fucking much of it. She also wants Ronin to stay, wants this all neatly wrapped the fuck up, and desperately wants someone else to be the adult there.

"Here's how it looks to me." The Rapacious said, giving it one more hail fucking mary. "You won a popularity contest. Fine. Whatever. But if you want that to mean something, you gotta come get the throne yourself. So either you rule on your lonesome because that's what you and your basement buddies decided, or you stop being such a whiny tit and do it with us. " Edy folded her arms, fire smouldering from her fingertips.

"Not a captain? Not a king, either? Then the fuck are you doing here Ronin? Think what you want, but at least we're over here trying. If what you really cared about was doing what's best for this place, you'd help instead of skulking in and then storming out five minutes later." The word democracy wasn't in Edy's vocabulary. It wasn't a concept where she'd come from, and so understandably, the ex-captain and not-king harping on and on about some vote meant very little to her.

"But if you leave, that's on you."


Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#22

Ronin blinked, his expression one of mild confusion as he listened to Edrei. Was he... had he lost his mind? Had he not come in here precisely with the intention of working with the two of them only to receive a brattish So. No. from someone who called herself a monarch? He opened his mouth to speak, changed his mind, pulled out his chair and sat down again. Insanity it was, then.

"So are you offering now, then?" he asked. "You want me to stay, and you're asking me to do this with you?" He pointedly ignored Wessex at this point (and it wasn't lost on him, that he was finding Edrei to be the more sensible one in a situation - which didn't happen ever).

RONIN
Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.
Edrei Launceleyn
the Rapacious


Age: 28 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#23
Edrei the Rapacious
& I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em
To be fair, Edy hadn't said no. Hadn't said he didn't have the throne (did she? She couldn't remember actually). She'd just stalled because her feelings had been hurt by Ronin's tantrum the day before, and by Jigano's apparent backstabbing.

As Ronin sat, Edy felt something quiet in her stomach and her chest. The only thing was, this dog and pony show wasn't just under her control anymore. "I want you to stay, but I also want this rebellion bullshit to stop. I mean, I get it. They didn't like Zariah, didn't like how it all happened, blah blah blah. I was at the meeting, I heard. They weren't wrong about everything, I will say that. But if this is going to move forward, then you and team we vote because we're srs need to like..disband, or whatever. You want to bring them on board to help out? Fine. But so help me Frey if this is just some more Jigano-style bullshit manipulation with your pretty face on it, I swear to the gods I will punch you right in the dick, Ronin."

So saying, Edy glanced towards Wessex. The Rapacious was only 50% of the current leadership after all.


Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
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#24
WESSEX

Go
deep throat
a cactus

Catching Edy’s glance, Wessex purses her lips and comes out with it. “I agree with Edy on most points, but I’m not inclined to say yes. You came in with a shitty attitude, trying to dictate what would happen. Done nothing but insult and ignore me. Who’s to say that won’t continue to happen? If we can find a way to work together, great, I’ll say yes. But I haven’t seen much that says we can.” Which means they either need to get it all out in the open or forever hold their peace.

Folding her arms languidly across her chest, she flashes the not-teengager a look that she hopes says, let this play out, and leans back in her chair. “So. What’s your problem with me?” Like adults, right? They even have wine, somewhere with the food on the back table. Wessex won’t be partaking, for obvious reasons, but with an expectant look towards Ronin, she gives him the proverbial floor and an olive branch. If they can hash this out here and now, all the better. Then they can get back to work.


Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
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#25

Ronin spread his hands and nodded at the notion of disbanding the rebellion, as if to say that it was a perfectly reasonable ask. After all, if he was doing what they had asked, there was no need to conduct any further business from the shadows. "Manipulation was more Archebold Cobb's bag of tricks," he said, shrugging to Edrei. "I was more of the inclination to punch my problems in the face."

Tactfully moving on to Wessex. "Don't you think that's my line? What's your problem with me?" he wanted to know, tilting his head at her. "One minute we're united together in a rebellion. The next I'm being told to fuck off, essentially, because you got here first. It's not a game of capture the flag." He rolled his eyes.

"That, essentially, is my biggest issue with you. You don't care about them - or at least, you don't seem to. You made an 'us' and a 'them' the second Edrei gave you power, and you're convinced it's a popularity contest because you didn't get your way. What is this about? You're a difficult woman to get hold of and often independent, and you didn't get to sit in on one secret clubhouse meeting? Forgive me but that is petty, even for a queen."

RONIN
Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.
Edrei Launceleyn
the Rapacious


Age: 28 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#26
Edrei the Rapacious
& I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em
"Well, maybe you should get back to the captain that solved problems with his fists. I'd much rather fight you if you're mad at me than all this yelling and storming about." Her tone suggested that she knew full well she wasn't guilt-free either. Ronin had been a friend once, and a mentor longer. Even Edy could tell she was on the verge of losing both if they didn't smarten the fuck up.

The back and forth was now between Wessex and Ronin, and so Edy sat back in her chair with her legs dangling over one of the arms, sipping her wine and wondering how many crowns there would be at the end of all of this.


Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
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#27
WESSEX

Go
deep throat
a cactus

Wessex shakes her head and says softly, almost sadly - because it actually does fucking hurt. “You didn’t hear a thing I said earlier, did you? It was never about popularity. It was about knowing that 'friends' had my back. That when you talked about ‘doing things the right way,’ it meant with all candidates present and accounted for and able to speak for themselves. If you hadn’t been there, or Amalia, or Deimos, someone would have been alarmed. I missed both events and no one gave a damn.”

She looks away and chuckles ironically. “I actually would have given you my vote. I just wanted to do something I knew I’d be good at - fighting Zariah. But from my perspective - why should I give people loyalty who have shown me none?” She shrugs. Wessex has no problem with Ronin. She has a problem with grandstanding that they did things the right way, that they’re correct and blah blah blah.

“Maybe it is petty. Maybe it isn’t. But I almost died and only Rory’s asked where I’ve been and if I’m ok.” So yeah, this is a case of hurt feelings. But the thing is that words and actions matter. Ronin has to learn that. Disregarding one person can blow up in their faces.


Ronin Taliesin
the Supernova


Age: 34 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Torchline
Level: 14 - Strg: 58 - Dext: 70 - Endr: 58 - Luck: 79 - Int: 3
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#28

Ronin clenched a fist on the table, and for the first time in the meeting it wasn't out of anger. "It's difficult to connect two versions of you together when you only portray the one," he said, shaking his head. "I appreciate your candidness - and that we can speak like I know we've been able to previously. But as I said - when you're used to a person coming and going like the wind and making a point of going it alone... alarm bells come, but not instantly." Ronin sighed.

"And even if we had raised the alarm - we wouldn't have been able to search for you further than the Outskirts." Not until now, at least, when the ban over the Greatwood had been lifted. As for pettiness and hurt feelings and checking she was okay...

He nodded. "You're right," he said. "We could have done more. We always can. But let's be honest - I've told you both quite frankly twice tonight that I am dying, and no one has really batted an eyelash. I didn't say it to be dramatic - I am. I have the blight, and it's killing me." He slouched back in his seat. "But there are bigger things to worry about than hurt feelings. The fact that I might not be around for very long is all the more reason to make the most of this while we have the chance, right?"

RONIN
Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.


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