That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

[pure_havoc]

characters: Cao Pi and OPEN!!!
location: the town hall
date/time: appx moonrise Sept. 2, for a couple of hours
content: Cao Pi proposed a meeting for everyone to talk about what ideas they have for organizing, protecting the town, and safely exploring their confines. This is that meeting. Newcomers are welcome as well! Assume characters have heard about it through the grapevine, but especially on Sept. 1 as Cao Pi makes the rounds and tells people this is happening. He will have a moment to orate but after that the floor is open, threadjacking is encouraged, and whatever comes of this is a complete free-for-all!
warnings: probably some discussion of character death. lmk if I need to edit this.

Despite the fact that Will Ingram's messages providing further information were yet to come, Cao Pi had made a public promise and he would hold himself to it, carrying out his meeting as described. At moonrise on the 2nd, he is already present in the town hall, hoping to see not just those who told him they would be there, but also some of the unfortunate newcomers freshly thrown into this situation. He had done his best to prowl around the Invincible and the bonfire, mentioning that the meeting would happen, but he still had to rely on word of mouth to do its work.

When he decides there are enough people present to begin, the Lord of Wei steps up before the assembly, clearing his throat importantly. "For better or worse," he begins, "we are a community. A town, if we are not a country. The hints and cryptic comments from the Lighthouse Keeper have suggested that we have a job to do, but we're still waiting on information as to what it is and why - why us, why the dead stolen from their worlds or their respective afterlives. But the recent mission to connect the Keeper to the network our tablets can access has shown a number of weaknesses that may hamper our ability to do any job, let alone the one which will keep us all from being permanently obliterated." Is that harsh? Too bad. He doesn't care. "We know a few things for certain. One, that we must carry out the purpose which the Keeper understands and encourages. Two, if we fail in any way, she will kill us all by ordering the spirits to destroy us. Three, the spirits deep in the forest are not just her weapon against us, but they have their own will and may attack or destroy anyone who simply wanders out too far. Our explorations have uncovered a number of things but not everything, by far. If you are new or simply haven't kept up on the recent developments, the record is here." He holds out a hand to the logbooks kept there in the town hall.

"I've asked you here to discuss the issues facing us in Beacon, and to offer up any ideas for how to solve those issues. There are quite a few of them, some that even I, perhaps, haven't considered yet. Please be orderly and take your turns, but I should like to hear from everyone. Whether you have questions, or have an idea you wish to share, please. Speak up. We will all be better for the sharing of ideas and discussion of pros and cons, rather than just waiting and hoping that someone will take charge and give us orders."

With that, he steps aside, inviting anyone and everyone to come up and speak. Or simply rise from their seat and speak. The floor is open, Beacon, use it to say things that you might not want anyone connected to the network to overhear. Sass the Keeper, gush about the Postmaster, whatever you want. Hopefully by the end of it all, someone might have some plans that can be brought about. For his part, Cao Pi is not putting himself up as any sort of authority or the one actually in charge, he literally is only there as organizer and moderator and nothing else. At least, so his cool half-smirk and perfect manners would suggest...

Comments

javert | ota

[policier]

( When it's his turn to speak, Javert cannot do so informally. He walks up to the front of the room, immaculately dressed in his uniform, buttons done up to the collar, arms folded over his chest. )

My name is Javert. For those of you who I don't know, I was a police officer back in France. There, I was known as an inspector. You may call me such if you wish.

( Even though that's not technically his title anymore, what with him being dead and all. But getting more to the point, )

There's been talk of committees and emergency plans, and that is all well and good. But we must also remember to better ourselves. Those of us who don't know how to fight must learn, and those of us who don't know how to heal must also. We cannot be reliant on others to do it for us.

( So says the man who never relies on anyone for anything. He paces over to one side of the room, stops and turns his attention back to the crowd. )

There is a gymnasium across the river. Before the lighthouse expedition, there had been talk of using it as a meeting place for classes. I believe this idea still has merit. We just need to find volunteers, people who are willing to teach. I, myself, am willing, so long as there are others who agree it is worth pursuing.

[colonists]

[ she hasn't forgotten the man who'd helped her during the attack in bonfire square, and clarke smiles in appreciation that javert has stepped forward to speak up. ]

Training in the gymnasium is a good idea. We're going to need every available person who's willing to get others up to speed in basic defense techniques as we possibly can.

How long were you with the police, Inspector?

[policier]

Fourteen years. Before that, I was fifteen years a prison guard.

( He's pleased to see her, too. He may not have had much of a chance to see her in action, fighting against the spirits, but the fact that she chose to stay behind to help? That earns his respect. His expression softens and he nods. )

What about you? How did you learn to shoot so well?

[colonists]

[ clarke's eyes widen a bit at his answer. ] Thirty years worth of experience is more than most of us have, I'd imagine.

[ then the corners of her lips curve up again, at his praise. ] I didn't do as well as I probably could have. It's harder to shoot under pressure. But I've had some practice with it, where I came from. [ it's a long story, and will probably sound far-fetched to someone like him, but since they appear to have all the time in the world: ] I was part of a re-colonization effort, on a post-apocalyptic Earth. We all had to become proficient with weaponry, to deal with the survivors we found.

[withsadness]

I wanna learn how to fight!

[Not that it would really do her much good in the long run, but she's enthusiastic about it nonetheless.]

[policier]

Very well.

( It's not as if Javert can refuse her. Mary may be a child, too small to fight, and too young for it to sit well on anyone's conscience, but she still must learn how to defend herself. Javert seems to consider it for a moment before saying, )

I shall teach you, but not with weapons. You are much too young for that.

[withsadness]

Okay! Weapons when I'm older!

[It's a funny joke because haha she's never getting older. It's fine, she'll get someone to teach her how to play with knives, surely.]

When can we start? I'm excited!

[pure_havoc]

[Cao Pi lets others have their say before piping up to agree.]

An excellent idea. Yet, that brings up a related concern. Can Master Rastus procure additional weapons for us, or would we be on our own to somehow...craft them? I don't know enough about firearms to know how those are supplied, and I doubt there's a smith here, but arrows and clubs are easy enough to make.

[bullets and other ammo, totally not his forte. Someone else can handle that]

[policier]

We won't know unless we ask.

( And Javert will ask, if he has to. It may be a little disconcerting, having one man come up and request a near arsenal of weapons, but Javert doesn't care. He's a police officer, it's fine. )

He has procured weapons for people before. As far as firearms go, though, we can make the bullets ourselves. We only need the proper casts and materials. Do you know how to use a bow, monsieur? I admit I have never learned.

[pure_havoc]

I do. [quite naturally proud of it, too] I've been trained in archery as well as swordsmanship, both mounted and on foot.

You are correct, though, inspector. First step is to ask Master Rastus. If he says no, then we can deal with how to make things ourselves.

[with builders and crafters coming out of the woodwork, that may not be as daunting a task as he thought at first]

[originallutece]

You aren't wrong.

I'd like to learn. I know a bit already, and I can wield a gun, but that isn't enough. I should think you'd have a fair few students.

[policier]

It would seem so.

( He's honestly a bit overwhelmed, but in a good way. It means people are taking this seriously, and he's thankful for that. He doesn't want to witness another pointless massacre, not again. )

If you wish to show me what you know, I can show you how to improve. Practice is just as important as learning, and both of us can benefit from that.

[originallutece]

Shall we start tonight?

[The bonus of rooming with her teacher: she can just bother him 24/7 for lessons.]

I'm accurate. I'd like to learn more hand-to-hand combat-- how to defend myself, yes, of course, but offensive as well.

[notthatjason]

[Jason, who had been quietly listening to the proceedings, speaks up now. He was new, so he wanted to defer to those with experience he, but he also knew better than anyone how fresh eyes and a fresh mind could be a great asset to solving a problem. For the most part he was processing, but this was a good idea and something he could quickly contribute to.]

Getting more organized is a great idea, as is learning skills that we aren't normally used to having to use. I can help teach combat and some basic first aid...it's something we were all taught back at Camp.

[Usually they relied on Apollo campers or ambrosia, but in Camp Jupiter it was decided that a cohort and a legion would work best if every soldier could do the basics of every other soldier. He wasn't sure what sort of weapons they had available here, but if nothing else he also had an understanding of hand-to-hand techniques as well.]

[policier]

( They have... sledgehammers, and that may work in a pinch, but it's not something you're going want to carry into the forest. Javert, himself, only has his cudgel. He hasn't asked for a gun or a sword, mostly because rarely ever uses them.

But that may change. He seems pleased, at least, that Jason has spoken up. )

That is well. What sort of combat are you trained in?

[notthatjason]

[Jason supposes that with having died most people are a little more open minded about things. He had steeled himself for facing some denial about who and what he was, but so far no issues had really emerged.]

Roman legion predominately, which is mostly about fighting as a unit. Although for the past year I've been getting schooled in a more adaptive style of fighting. We're trained in most standard weapons of war as well as hand-to-hand combat.

[unpredict]

[ kol shrugs, but it isn't out of any lack of belief in what javert proposes. it hits a little too close to home. if he wants to be better, then this is one of those opportunities to be better, isn't it?

arms crossed, ] I know how to fight with weapons and without. You'd be doing yourself a favour if you learned both. You won't always have a weapon in your hand when fighting something bigger and stronger than you.

[ he's often that thing that's bigger and stronger. perhaps viking dad mikael did actually teach wily troublemaker son kol something after all. ]

You should also learn outside of the gymnasium. You won't always be on known and even ground.

[notthatjason]

[Jason looks over to Kol and nods in a agreement.]

That's not a bad idea and with it being always dark, unfamiliar terrain can be even trickier. It'd be to our advantage to at least get more used to maneuvering that way.

[He almost suggests a method similar to Camp Half-Blood's training using capture the flag, but he's hesitant since most people here will think of the game and not the intense combat practice it actually was with the Greeks.]

[policier]

( He should suggest it anyway, because Javert would absolutely support it. He listens to both of them carefully, and nods. )

Each of these are valid points. There is also the matter of our lanterns, which need to be kept close and safe during a fight. It may do us all a bit of good to practice sparring that way, experience or no.

( Then, looking more to Kol, he says, )

I have not seen you around before. What is your name?

[itselbitch]

[ ah. it's jarring seeing javert there, a real person claiming to be who he is, and eliot has to pause to make sure he's hearing and seeing right. but even jarring, eliot knows better than to say anything. he ruled a kingdom that was described in fictional children's books, after all; there are just some moral lines that one should never cross.

the fact piques a different curiosity, actually. because eliot knows that fiction is fiction, and that's not the same as the real thing. he knows the musical back and forth, having been cast as valjean in high school. he's read the book more times than he can count. he even tries to forget how margo used that against him to cast music magic that helped everyone in the kingdom prepare him for an untimely duel.

but none of those actually share who this real person is, in front of him, especially with the very real questions he has that he doesn't know the answers to. ]

What kind of training do you have? If you're an inspector, wouldn't your talents better serve explorations?

[policier]

( Funny that he should mention that, because Javert's job description is anything but realistic. He's not just an inspector, but a commissaire, a police spy, and every branch of the police rolled into one, for plot convenience. When the younger man speaks, Javert levels him a cold stare. )

You speak as if I cannot do multiple things at once. Rest assured, I can.

( The more he has to do, the better, to be honest. Javert cannot stand idleness. It may be his job to investigate leads, but it is also his duty to protect the public, and this is how he is going to accomplish that. As for the other the question, )

I am proficient in hand-to-hand, swordsmanship, and firearms. ( He addresses that to the rest of the crowd, as well. ) And yes, I am looking to go on an expedition, but that's a conversation for another time.

[itselbitch]

[ heart, be still. yes, he just looked at you. yes, he is real. yes, he just looked at you angrily it, and it was kind of hot in a way you should never let him know about, so chill the fuck out.

but, god, what a real live badass. ]

Are there swords around here? I could definitely do better in that avenue, at the least. Guns would probably do more harm than good in this darkness, and. Well. I try to avoid hand-to-hand combat whenever possible.

[ it's said like a preference, even though it's more a reality. ]

after the meeting

[worthallthis]

[The Soldier has been watching and listening to the meeting from outside, because no way in hell is it going inside with all those people all crammed together. That's a recipe for a knife outbreak, right there.

But the Soldier does like Javert's idea. And when the inspector is leaving, it's waiting outside in a military-style parade rest, lantern at its feet, metal arm reflecting a little in the light.

Without preamble, it reports,]

I can teach. Hand to hand, knives, knife throwing, guns. How to fall, how to block, how to dodge. Just tell me when.

[policier]

( The meeting a bit of an ordeal even for Javert, who normally prefers to keep himself more isolated. But he manages to muddle through, and slip out the door once the chatter is beginning to wind down. He doesn't seem startled when the other man speaks. He just raises an interested brow. )

Were you a part of the service? ( It makes sense given all the experience he has. Javert can't help but ask. ) You must be one of the new arrivals. I have not seen you around before.

( Shame, too, because they could have used someone like him, earlier. )

[worthallthis]

Sniper and assassin. Worked with military sometimes.

[A pause. Not sure where that came from, so it adds,]

I think. But outside the official chain of command.

[Javert is also officially the first person the Soldier has been so straight-forward with about its actual job. (Also, it picked up that Javert is speaking in French, for all everyone else seems able to understand him, so the Soldier is also speaking in French. It's only polite.)]

Codename the Winter Soldier. Asset.