Round 2 [open]

[pure_havoc]

characters: Cao Pi and everyone who wants to show up
location: town hall
date/time: Dec. 8, starting at moonrise
content: Community meeting, take 2! After the Dreamer/Defender incident, there's a lot to talk about and Cao Pi has encouraged everyone to come and publicly share what they learned while asleep or what ideas they have to make the next massacre less massacre-y. Feel free to handwave catching his post or hearing about it from a friend.
warnings: none likely but lmk if that changes. Threadjacking likely; if you don't want to be threadjacked, make some sort of indication.

As before, Cao Pi arrives ahead of time to ensure the town hall is ready for a session, righting any chairs that might have been thrown about in recent melees and checking the logbook for recent information. When a fair amount of people have arrived and he can see the waxing moon rising through the leafless trees outside, he rises to begin with a short intro.

"By now we know that those who succumbed to the food at the feast had a strange experience - they shared dreams with each other, in which they found themselves seeing Beacon as it was in the past. I encourage all those who dreamed, and remember it well, please tell us all what you saw. There may be considerable clues to our purpose and progress in even the smallest detail.

"The rest of us, well. We managed to make it through and I believe those who were killed are whole again, but for our part we can go over what worked and what didn't. Defending ourselves isn't merely a matter of being trained to use weapons. The spirits which attacked were formidable, powerful. We will need more than just our strength to outlast another attack. Ideas are welcome, as is any new information we have on everything from communications to threats."

That's all he'll ramble about this time, he'll take a seat and allow others to have the floor before he makes any more grandiose speeches.

Comments

Cao Pi | open

[pure_havoc]

This time, Cao Pi waits until discussion about the dream visions drifts off before changing the subject, to the one more near and dear to his heart: defense.

"I will begin by acknowledging that during this attack, we had approximately half of our population out of commission. I'm sure things might not have been quite so dire if everyone was awake with a weapon in hand, but by the same token, I cannot say without taking a survey whether all of them can hold a weapon, let alone use it. So, I will not waste time talking about how things might have been, or might be if we simply have more fighters on hand. Numbers are not the main difference between life and death, here."

He pauses to nod deeply toward Riku. "I want to take the spirits at their word, that they will hold off attacking us if we don't do exactly what they want in the time they want it done." Oops maybe a little shade, sorry not sorry. "In time, perhaps we can build on that agreement and our communications. Until then, we cannot neglect our defenses and preparation. Inspector Javert's training sessions are going well, and the initial agreement to designate the Invincible as our fallback position worked. Yet, we clearly had no idea just how powerful some of the spirits are. We saw more than we had before - bigger, stronger, and with abilities we hadn't imagined. Then, there are the spirits with green eyes, which affect the mind rather than the body, and we currently have no way to stop those.

"My instinct is to want a wall, they've always served my people to keep invaders out to a point, but this location doesn't support one. That, and alienating the spirits by implying we don't want them entering the town could prove worse. But we must have better defenses than simply being armed and ready to fight. The Invincible is a prime location but it has too many entry points. The armory is an important resource but so far out from the square that people may die trying to reach it. I am open to any and all ideas, as well as further volunteers to spearhead our efforts."

[pearlstrings]

It's not the first time he's heard this man about town. Bruce has known his share of politicians and by extension has come to view them with a measure of skepticism- all people have their own motives, he can't fault anyone for that. But in his experience, those motives require scrutiny when the individual in question is rallying others. Mobilizing them to a cause.

Bruce is not an anarchist. Instead, the comment he offers comes from a preference to investigate before he acts. Cao Pi is not the first to suggest fortifying themselves against the spirits or preparing for acts of hostility. But Bruce continues to consider it a waste of time and resources.

"Things might not have been so dire if everyone had eaten first place."

[pure_havoc]

Cao Pi would not have been the first emperor of Wei if he didn't know how to handle doubt. He smiles so very slightly; he really meant it that he didn't want to go over what-might-have beens but if someone asks...

"Things might have not been so dire if the spirits had waited until everyone had done so. I personally had my cup to my lips when everyone next to me slumped over. Would you condemn a man who was but seconds away from eating? What if such a man was used to watching others be poisoned at dinner by a political rival? Can you, perhaps, forgive that man for deciding not to drink?"

He shakes his head, then, doing his best not to pace or make a fuss. "What happened cannot be undone. We can second-guess ourselves after the fact all we want, but in the light of information provided by both Commander Rosinante and Master Riku, it still seems in our best interests to protect one another and prevent further death. That is the real matter, here, not whether or not anyone should have eaten at a feast."

[pearlstrings]

"You ask the wrong question." It is a very familiar smile that's been bestowed upon him, and Bruce can admire the careful turning of the conversation. He is, in many ways, the last person that could find fault with someone one's attempts to manipulate- a situation or another. The necessity of controlling the world around it in the hopes that he might better protect himself and others was a lesson learned from a very young age. One that has been reinforced through experience.

Bruce doesn't return the smile but he doesn't scowl either. If he were in another mood, if he were capable of anything around the yawning emptiness in his stomach, perhaps he would have played along. Instead there is a kind of perpetual impassivity that settles over his shoulders, that he wears like a shroud.

"My forgiveness is irrelevant. It is the spirits that were offended."

[pure_havoc]

What a formidable opponent in debate he's found! Cao Pi is all in on this conversation, it's one of the more stimulating he's had around here since arriving. Ideas, thoughts, not practical matters - forgive him, everyone else, for pausing to indulge this for a moment or two.

"Perhaps, but they were also the ones to make the first mistake. To attack rather than wait." He nods toward Riku again. "Master Riku made a breakthrough, he managed to convince them that we meant no offense and only had to defend ourselves. They are trying to tell us something, but as with any difficulty translating between languages, they made some missteps. We had no choice but to dance with those missteps at the time. Now, we know a little more than we did. But next time..."

Zihuan would like to believe that just by making some kind of truce using the network, everything would be smooth sailing from here on out. But he's a pragmatist and doesn't think it will be easy at all. "They could be manipulated. Forced, as we were when we all hallucinated phantoms. It could be no fault of their own. But just as one cannot reason with a rabid wolf that has lost its senses, 'oh please Lord Wolf I am not your enemy do not bite me,' we will still have to defend ourselves. And that is what I would like to collaborate toward. I have no interest in continuing to talk about what might have been. Let us move forward, or else lay down here to die so that we don't offend the spirits any further."

His last sentence is said somewhat sharper than the rest, his usual mellifluous tone evaporating rather rapidly. He's entertained the philosophical long enough, it's time to talk concrete solutions instead.

[pearlstrings]

"Can we call it a mistake?"

Bruce does not separate the philosophical from the pragmatic, not because he fears action but because he knows that any choice will come with a cost. He would rather know precisely what he is to pay for before that happens. His hands fold into his pockets and though the other man nods in Riku's direction, Bruce's gaze doesn't move from his face. "After all, their numbers haven't suffered nearly as much as our own."

With anyone else he might experience some measure of hesitation before laying such a summary out. He's found that in broad strokes, people within Beacon tend to fall into two camps- those quick to adapt an Us-vs-Them mentality that promises to perpetuate fighting into the foreseeable future, and those who have begun to shake off the rules and expectations of their own world in an attempt to better analyze another. The way that Cao Pi chooses to respond will at least allow Bruce to solidify his understanding about which camp he chooses to publicly identify with.

"Surely you can see the wisdom in knowing your enemies." His hands remain at his sides, empty and still, but a single brow raises. Bruce too considers himself a pragmatist though there are many ways one might model the concept. "Talking about what might have been would better inform our actions in the future. As they've demonstrated many times already we are hardly their equal in strength, and what else would they conclude from a group that begins fortification and patrol except that we're prepared and willing to fight again? History is full of wars and skirmishes started this way."

It doesn't escape his notice that the capstone of Cao Pi's explanation has ended on such a fine point, but Bruce doesn't rise to meet it because it isn't in his nature. He isn't here to lecture or to spar and that's the reason his cadence remains so even and quiet.

"With your experience, I'm sure you've seen the adage hold true several times. Discretion as the better part of valor."

[sunborne]

[ day knows it’s impossible to stop a fight but he’s gonna try and give his hopefully peaceful two cents— ]

To be fair— It’s hard to get a read on the spirits. After, um, what happened a few months back… [ he falls quiet here, crossing his arms over his chassis as if to protect himself from something or someone. ] I get why some of others weren't eager to eat. I mean... Don’t take candy from strangers and don’t eat offered feasts foods from spirits. Things like that. It's practical but I think that's the issue.

We're not, um, completely jiving with the spirits, you know? But it's possible! Ms. Luna and Riku proved that when they spoke with the spirits.

It’s why I want to make contact with them after this meeting. To see if we can make further progress with them if we’re, um, on the same page and we're on the same grounds, so to speak.

[pearlstrings]

[It is impossible not to recognize Daylight. He's a very distinct figure in both shape and size, and he's made himself consistently available to help others. To serve the interests of the group. Time will tell if his viewpoint is optimistic, but despite Bruce's reservations with looking at anything through that particular lens- he appreciates that it exists in others. It's valuable, and worth protecting.

His gaze lifts.]

Make contact how?

[sunborne]

... Go into the woods and say hi?

[ okay. no. seriously. ]

-I attempted to make contact with them by sending them a package and a letter, letting them know I plan to go to a particular area and I'd like to speak with them. I saw on the network that someone - Ms. Luna, I think? - gave them a name. So I addressed the package to that spirit in particular.

Still waiting to see if something happens so... [ he shrugs, trying to look hopeful with his sheepish smile. ] Thought it didn't hurt to try and show we're willing to help. They're just... scared, you know?

[pearlstrings]

[Fear is a response all creatures feel, human and otherwise. It isn't unreasonable or unfounded to believe that the spirits are acting from this perspective, or reacting for that matter.

Further- as far as stances are concerned, Bruce believes that their significant prospects will lie in communication and cooperation with the spirits. They've demonstrated their abilities several times; the residents of Beacon are unmatched in every conceivable way, it would be a waste of time, resources, and energy to pursue a military strategy.]

And if they don't reply?

[callada]

All good points which Rosinante nods along with. He and Cao Pi and Kuai Liang have spent so much time talking these things over in the last few weeks that it's no surprise many of his thoughts, and their discussions, have been so swiftly put forward. But he's had a few additional ideas come up that the rest might be able to weigh in on, so he looks not at Cao Pi but at the rest of the people assembled around them.

"One thing I spoke about some time ago with both Eliot and Ambrose was the idea of magical wards. Invisible walls that could serve to defend us. What would be most helpful would be if these could be placed either around the majority of Beacon or, if that's too much space, a key location like The Invincible, but only activated when needed. We don't need to keep spirits out all the time, and sure, an initial attacking group would make it past before we knew to trigger them, but it would prevent them from receiving backups. Is this possible? Placing wards but keeping them inactive until the time comes?"

Who knows, and he'll leave that an open question to be answered by someone with more magical knowledge than he has.

"I also want to stress that part of the reason we lose people in these attacks is because we don't know where people are. If someone is stranded at, say, the Museum and needs a team to bring them to safety, we won't know that unless they speak up. I want to make sure when people flee to either The Invincible or the Armory that someone at those locations is appointed to keep track of who's there. Keep a list. Make sure people check in, or out, or whatever you need to do to know who's on patrol and who's supposed to be present so that if someone goes missing, you know when they were last seen."

[notthatjason]

It's been bothering Jason as of late as well. Jason has remained quiet for most of the meeting, he'd fought and returned from a particularly rough voyage. He didn't have much new information to share, but he could weigh in on this.

"I agree. A wall is a nice idea in theory, but we don't have the supplies and it would likely send the wrong message. We need to concentrate our limited supplies. The Invincible may have too many entrances to protect right now, but that doesn't mean we can't convert it to a more fortified location. At Camp Jupiter one of our war games was called Siege. One team would defend a fortress while another attempted to breach it. I can pull from what I remember of those designs, they were created to be taken down and put up quickly. We could construct pre-made barricades, stash weapons, and maybe even put together some defenses along the upper floors or even the roof that could be saved for emergencies."

And, if not against the spirits, then whatever else might be coming for them in the future.
Jason shifts uncomfortably in his seat. His arm is wrapped up tight, his back was mostly healed up but now he's got bites out of his lower half that he'd rather not get into but are by no means comfortable to sit on for any length of time. Still, you wouldn't be able to tell from his stoic expression.

He looks over at Rosi. He didn't know anything about barriers or wards outside of the one activated by Terminus around New Rome. It would be amazing if they could establish something like that, but it wasn't in his wheel house. However, his other suggestion catches his attention, "You mean like a buddy system or something bigger like establishing cohorts? I've noticed I'm not the only one who goes on patrols around here...it might be time to start making that a more structured and official kind of thing. Maybe even setting up a job board or schedule that people could check off."

He'll stop himself short of suggesting barrack checks since everyone is so spread out, but even within the village maybe someone at each group of cabins could be in charge on checking up on their neighbor in times of horror.

[callada]

"If you like. I'm not going to tell people they can only go out in organized groups." He can only be so hypocritical after all. He knows he's most effective on his own when scouting, even if the spirits' variety and numbers mean a solo patrol should only be for surveying their locations or making supply runs, and not for combat.

"Mostly I just meant that I want one person at The Invincible and one person at the Armory, or wherever we retreat to, to be responsible for keeping an eye on who comes and goes. Those two people would then report to each other, or send runners if the network is down, to make sure everyone is accounted for. It's when people are left alone and isolated that they tend to vanish permanently. But if you know who you work well with and want to get a patrol group together, and keep tabs on each other, then please. That's helpful too."

[pure_havoc]

Cao Pi nods his agreement to both of them - what a good, healthy discussion. "There are things that can be set up officially," he acknowledges, "and other things we simply need to remind everyone to pick up as habit. For example, I admit that it isn't my habit to check in or make a report, if only because others always made their reports to me. So someone like me ought to learn the habit of picking up their tablet and reporting in."

Maybe by phrasing it as something he, too, would need to remember to do, he can convince others to do it. It is rather disturbingly telling that no one grabbed their tablet and put in a call on the network this last time - again - but they also had a pretty good read on where people were.

"Patrols are one thing and an organized sense of who is doing it when would not be bad. But the Commander has a fine idea: to have a plan that would only go into effect if someone called an alarm. Both the barricades, and the manpower, or whatever other form it takes."

[policier]

Javert, for his part, has been keeping to himself through most of the proceedings. He's installed himself somewhere in the back, and has been observing everything keenly. He agrees that there needs to be some sort of a check-in system, something so that he and everyone else does not have to run all over town looking for people. It is the first comment that draws his skepticism, and he cannot keep quiet about it as he scoffs,

"Come, now. That is our solution? Protecting the town through superstitious nonsense? Shall we draw a ring of salt around our homes now, too?"

It's nothing against Eliot, of course. Javert has all the respect in the world for him, but he's still quite intolerant of magic. Unless someone explains, it's not much of a solution to him.

[scarsolderthanyou]

"You don't believe in magic?" Asks the guy who magically turns into a big, winged, scaled monster. He looks skeptical of Javert's skepticism, to say the least. Maybe a bit amused by it. "When we live in a town where we come back from the dead and spirit things put people to sleep for two weeks and give them intelligent dreams?"

[callada]

Rosinante nods at Stone's commentary, then looks over at Javert again.

"I know. Magic like what I'm describing isn't something I had at home either. But people here have abilities that can't be explained by any science I'm familiar with, and they do work. Whether you want to call it magic or search for a concrete, nonmagical explanation, their spells and wards are still real things. Why not use them to our advantage?"

[mindofathief]

Duster does like this idea, but something has been bothering him since learning about this strange world.

"Can't we get the spirits to help us protect each other? They'll also be killed by the World Eaters if we don't stop them, so they should also want to find a way to stop them."

[pure_havoc]

Cao Pi gestures vaguely toward the logbook, whether it's sitting where it belongs or is in Riku's hands at the moment. "There is much we do not yet know about the spirits, and whether they actually fear or welcome the World Eaters. You have a point, though - if they want to, how can they help? How do we learn from them what they can do? Are they capable of ideas? The only way to know is to figure out how to communicate, and then do so."

[mindofathief]

He sits back and thinks back to Osohe Castle. He thinks back to the Seven Needles. How does he know if the World Eaters can even hurt the spirits? Are the spirits are already working on protecting the island?

"I don't know if they care if they die, if they're already helping, or if they're working with the World Eaters. From experience, it could equally be any of those. We can try writing to the spirits working in the village first. Give them gifts, maybe?"

[pure_havoc]

"Perhaps." Cao Pi shrugs noncommittally. He really, literally, has not done a thing to attempt communication, talking a big game but focusing most of his personal followup on the defenses. "Ask others who have tried, what works best. There were a few last meeting who mentioned attempting to use the flutes gifted to us to learn a musical phrase or two that might work."

After the meeting

[worthallthis]

As other people file out, the Soldier waits patiently for the face attached to the voice that had doubted the spirit intel, from Jason and from Misty. They're standing in the shadows while the bulk of the people pass by-- not that this is hard to do, when it's dark everywhere-- with their lantern shuttered tight and tied on their back, but step out into what passes for light when Cao Pi starts to walk by, giving enough space to hopefully not startle him.

Reminds them of approaching Javert after the last meeting. Only then they had been only the normal kind of nervous, afraid of everything. Now they're afraid specifically of being doubted, being mistrusted, not getting their message across clearly because of their stupid issues. Owl Friend deserves a better messenger than something that can't even make themselves walk into a building with a group of people, let alone speak in front of them.

"Sir," they say, stopping out of reach but wanting Cao Pi to at least wait to acknowledge them. Cao Pi will recognize the guy from around. The Soldier doesn't hide away, and was in fact very visible during the spirits' recent attacks-- and actually pretty helpful, too: doing supply runs and patrols at all hours, very skilled in battle, and, maybe weirdly, constantly trying to feed people. But he'll also recognize that the Soldier wasn't in the town hall meeting proper.

[pure_havoc]

The polite interjection catches his attention all right, and Cao Pi drifts to a stop - more like a pause, his body language radiating confidence and a lack of fucks to give if anyone tries wasting his time. But he's willing to entertain an interruption, for now.

"Yes...?" he responds coolly, turning his gaze on the shadowy figure lurking up beside him.

[worthallthis]

"You wanted more than a third-hand account," the Soldier says, settling into a standard parade rest, for reporting. "Of the intel on the spirits. I can give that." There was the information they gave to Jason to share, and the information they gave to Misty to share. It's a lot of information, quite possibly hard to swallow, especially some of the implications. The Soldier just wants to make sure the superior officers all understand it to the best of their ability.

They promised their owl friend they would.

[pure_havoc]

"Ah, so you're the soldier he mentioned, earlier." Accustomed as he is to military life and command, Cao Pi finds it very easy to accept this stance, his whole demeanor. He gestures as he steps to one side to let others pass the two of them by, giving them a small bubble of space in which to have a little private chat here.

"Very well. You can say for certain, then, that the spirits are not all of one mind? That the reason they behave differently toward us is because there are different...factions, let's say."