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

[darkeyed]

Looks like you're right about that. _{[He shifts his weight from foot to foot, restless. Long-ingrained mistrust of organized authority makes his presence here feel a bit like spying on the enemy--or the people he might come to butt heads with. Lowly:]} That's going to be a problem.

_{[A predictable one, but a problem nonetheless. Though he looks out at the crowd, he keeps his voice pitched for Scarlett's ears only.]}

I'm wondering how many times this has happened already. How many groups in the past had this idea. If spending time talking about how to run things had worked, there'd be more of them left to show for it--and you notice who's not here?

_{[Will. That's telling to his inner cynic.]}

[kungfuey]

Yep. [ Scarlett not even trying to conceal the fact that they're on the same page. She could see some sense in it; Trying to be more organised. Trying to unite everyone in a common goal but she's also run across too many communities that were brought to their knees by ambitious fools. She had no doubt that there were people present who cared more about power than they did about everyone else. The kind of people who would sacrifice every person in this place if it meant they'd survive just one more day.

It doesn't take her more than a heartbeat to realize who he means, Scarlett's head cocking to one side as she rolls that answer over. Will wasn't here, which said as much as it didn't. He was something of an antisocial ass and while she could see him being against this for all the reasons she and MK were... she also didn't buy him choosing ignorance either. ]

If I had to bet money? I'd say he's listening. Probably for all the reasons we are.

[ He was smart enough to create apps for the devices they used. She'd bet he was smart enough to create a backdoor that would allow him to eavesdrop as he saw fit.

Listening, but not here to lend support. That was the telling part. ]

[darkeyed]

_{[He doesn't even have the excuse of his armor this time to explain why his limbs feel heavy. As someone who had lived and died exhausted to his bones by such communities, ambitious fools, and struggles to survive, M.K. watches with the lead-weight of faithlessness making him feel tired just standing there.]}

They're all listening so they can report back to her. _{[He turns his head toward Scarlett at her reply. No need to spell out who her refers to, either. She's already become more infamous than Will in a short span of time.]} They haven't bothered to hide they're watching and listening. Waiting to see what move we make.

It wouldn't much matter to them--they have the game rigged.

[kungfuey]

[ She doesn't miss the derision in his voice in reference to the Keeper, Scarlett's eyebrows scooting up her forehead as she turns her gaze back on M.K. She was hardly a fan of the Keeper, for exactly the same reasons M.K. probably wasn't. She just knew better than to say as much to her face and give the temperamental woman another excuse to reset them early. ]

They? [ Her head canting to one side as she considers what he's suggesting. ] The spirits? Yeah... no doubt.

[ She'd kept her distance from the Spirits for a reason. She didn't believe these resets impacted them. They might only be good to the people here if they actually believed they had a shot at saving this place.]

Will, though? [ She understood the suspicion where he was concerned, but she also understood Will better these days as well. ] He hates the Keeper.

[darkeyed]

The spirits, and the bird. _{[Confirmation. But as for their errant scientist--]} He's still working with her, though.

_{[And that says plenty to M.K.]}

He'll do what it takes to survive--he's said as much. Someone like that's not going to stand on principle.

_{[By his own admission, Will Ingram is on his own side, and whatever side happens to keep him alive that day. That's not necessarily something to disparage--this is, after all, survival of the fittest on a bewilderingly cosmic level. But someone willing to work with anyone is really no one's friend at the end of that day.]}

[kungfuey]

[ She's not entirely convinced that he is (working for Robin), but rather that he's doing what he has to do to survive and while Scarlett might want to find fault in that, she finds it's not so easy for her to do so. She's done plenty in the name of survival that other people would frown on, but arguably the difference is that Scarlett won't do things that throw innocent people to the wolves. ]

Maybe not. But he still might be the best shot we have at getting out of this alive.

[ Mostly because Scarlett is banking that Will's desperate desire to survive, will be what makes him do whatever he can to get out of here. ]

Just need to make sure that shot doesn't come at the cost of others.

[darkeyed]

_{[He didn't take the armed woman for a comedian--but given the timing, her remark is unintentionally funny.]}

I think we're a little past that. Don't you?

_{[Twenty odd dead or missing, and all entirely preventable, if Will, Winters, and Robin stopped dressing their tight-lipped agenda up as life-saving measures.]}

[kungfuey]

[ That's where they differ. Scarlett is of the opinion that people die. Plenty more will die and there's not going to be shit they could do about it. It was the way the world worked. This one included. Knowledge doesn't always prevent it but yeah, it sure as shit helps. ]

How's that? [ Arching an eyebrow but there's nothing in her tone to suggest she's mocking him. More like she actually wants his take on it. ]

[darkeyed]

_{[He waves a hand, taking in the breadth of the room and everyone in it--more to the point, who isn't, and who hasn't been for some time now.]}

The people who died or went missing to get the Lighthouse Keeper re-connected to the network might say differently. The doc can't tell us he didn't know there was a chance that could happen--he obviously knew who she was all along. His group would've had to have done the same thing if it's true she has to be connected each time she wipes the slate clean.

They all knew, and they let those people go in blind anyway. I bet you push comes to shove, he throws the rest of us under the bus the same way if it means a chance to save himself.

_{[For all that, he doesn't dislike Will Ingram. But if he's their best ally in this fight? They have their work cut out for them.]}