logsinthenight | That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

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That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

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...

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[ he's listening, but what he wants to hear isn't there. And it's obvious by how he hangs out in the back, not volunteering anything, or bothering to really show his face by lowering his hood. There's not really a plan, it just feels... reactive. Assuming a lot of things that may or may not be true. And he thinks Crowley has a point about talking about getting the hell out of there. He doesn't know what he was expecting, but this wasn't it.

After a while, he finally offers, ]

We don't know anything. We've got what Will told us, but there are what, about 50 of us here? And we lost over 20 last month? We can train everyone, but if we don't have a plan for figuring out what the fuck is happening, outside of what's being given to us on a silver platter, we're screwed.

There was no reason to hide the situation from us for two months. And unless we're proactive, we're always going to be behind the curve.

Just my two cents. Unless we're in a timeless void, I have things I need to take care of back home. People I need to help. I do not want to be here for 2 years.

[ oh, dear. someone didn't take their prozac today. he understands the outrage, even a bit of the venom, but for ever as catty as eliot tends to be, there's still a reason why you catch flies better with honey. ]

Granted that there's an obvious need for more action and less talk, don't act as if you're the only one who would rather not get axed or eaten alive by a monster in the woods. We all have better things to be doing, cause of death notwithstanding.

[ he checks his nails boredly. ]

If there isn't information here, then it has to be out there. And if it's out there, we'll still have trouble because it's pitch black and filled with things that would sooner eat us alive and dance on our corpses than help us. Anything else being readily provided is helpful, silver platter or not.

[ outraged would have been leaving the meeting early, the rest of them be damned, to do his own intel work. but there are a dozen different routes they could take, and as much as he hates it... he has a feeling he might actually need some backup. And his team currently is actually dead. maybe.

he's hoping it's not actually true. ]

I'm just pointing out the obvious: something that would've been good to know a month or two ago wasn't shared until after 20 people were dead. Even if it is handed on a silver platter to us, it might be too late to be of any use.

I don't want to only hash out what we do better next time. I want to stop next time before it happens and we all go home.

Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were Captain Obvious. Pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Captain.

I don't know what world you come from, but unless you have some means of predicting the future, what you've just described is. Basically impossible. You realize that, right? Things don't work that way, and hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Quelle surprise!

Better Captain Obvious than oblivious.

[something about his eyes flashes dangerously as he pushes away from the wall he’d been leaning against. Though he’s been called short and a child, he actually cuts a pretty intimidating figure, like he’s used to being listened to, or even feared.

It hasn’t shown so far, but after Dick vanishing, and his worst nightmare showing up? He’s tired.

He almost feels himself flashing back to that original threat that established him in the organized crime world: If this is what I can do in two hours, imagine what I can do with a whole night. ]

I’m pointing out that it’s stupid to prepare based on what’s previously happened, when there’s a lot we don’t know. And that the people who do know are willing to wait until we’re all dead. Or they’ll reset us anyway if we’re not useful.

I don’t know what that means. But I’m not interested in testing it out personally.

So, as Captain Obvious, I’m here to ask the obvious question. What’s our plan for finding out more?

Edited 2019-09-06 02:51 (UTC)

[ ah, he does quite enjoy when a big tough guy™️ needs to prove they're a big tough guy™️ by aggressively walking toward you like someone holding a brick between their butt cheeks because they think it exudes big tough guy™️ when it really just looks more like constipation. always a weird flex, but okay. ]

You do realize that preparation can only ever be based on previously acquired foresight, right? Maybe not things that have happened here, but evidential and empirical history that would otherwise indicate a need for the possibility of being ready for various circumstances, foreseen or not.

But so much for being Captain Obvious. You're starting to sound more like Captain Oblivious again. That answer should be pretty obvious to anyone with enough experience. Forming groups of reasonable strength and tenacity to run expeditions, to go out and find the information for ourselves rather than wait for it to fall into our hands.

[kids kids you're both right. Time for Cao Pi to step in, he thinks, even if he sort of relishes letting other people get snippy at each other. He's going to have to borrow that 'Captain Obvious' line.]

Precisely. And it seems to me we need someone to head up an organization dedicated to exploration, to make sure groups go out armed and supplied and have a means to report back or call for help. Would either of you like to do it?

[for real, Jason, he's also privately annoyed that it's taken so long to get just one crucial detail, plus Robin being all coy about what she'll tell anyone. It ain't fun but it also doesn't get them anywhere. He makes sure to look back and forth between both of them to assure that dude, he gets it, he really does.]

Oh, hey, glad you worked yourself to the conclusion I was pointing to... newbie. [ well actually he had another title in mind but starting a fight in the middle of a meeting-- even he could see how that would be gauche. ] Hopefully, you've got the skills to back up that talk, 'cause it'd be a shame if you ended up in the ever growing number of people killed.

[ he glances at Cao Pi, at least calm enough after their first conversation. Jason thinks most of the people stuck there are some level of useless, but... he at least seemed to catch on pretty quickly. And to have a healthy amount of skepticism. But, he asked a reasonable question. ]

You don't need a leader for that. You just need a system. We just watched our asses get pretty thoroughly kicked-- it'd be bad to have that happen again, and lose whoever decided to take that on.

It'd be better to have a system.

And we have half of one with the notes in the library.

[WELL...no that's actually a good point]

What good is a system when people will still willfully run off and do whatever they please whenever it suits them? A system is merely a framework, it takes leadership to encourage people to use it.

But, you have a point. What have you learned at the library?

[ god. this guy seems like he tells his friends regularly he doesn't want to be friends with them just so that he can have the last word. it's almost funny if it wasn't so sad. there's no real point explaining that people that actually know what they're talking lead with that instead of stating the obvious and trying to move the conversation there, but that also says plenty to eliot of what kind of person he really is. that's how manipulators work, after all. best to keep an eye on him.

he nods to cao pi's first point. ] Agreed. A system still needs to be maintained. If there is no one to lead or guide it, then there is no one to enforce the system at all. It becomes meaningless if it's not followed.

[ he doesn't know shit about the library though. that's more q's realm, so best to see what the self-proclaimed genius has to say about it. ]

Sure, it needs to be maintained. But it's better than a single point of failure. Get a group of people, whatever. Just keep it simple.

And off the network, unless we get something more secure.

[ that part was worth adding. ]

People are already keeping records of when they're done exploring-- logical next step would be getting lists of people who want to head out and putting together scouting groups.

All very good ideas. [no, really! personality conflicts and sniping aside, everyone here seems to be smart. Well, except for Crowley over there but that's a different issue] Off the network is precisely why I asked everyone to meet here. It doesn't stop someone with...well. Either nefarious or well-meaning intentions from using the tablet to report what was said here, but it at least slows that process down.

Very well. I agree entirely that we need a more organized system for scouting and reporting on the results. In my experience that was always done by a single general, so if you are so concerned about single points of failure, there is room for a better idea, there.

[ secure is definitely a good idea. if only he paid more attention in that one computer class he took instead of watching that cute boy two rows down and five seats over the whole semester.

to the guy with a stick up his ass: ] I don't suppose you would know anyone who might. Lock down? A more private means of communication? While there's not general harm in using it, it's certainly a means by which we are observed.

The advantage of technology should be the means to share, but if we can't do that without physically gathering every time, it would greatly hamper all of our productivity.

[ as much as he hates to admit it, Eliot's got a point. Will's got control of the network and him-- ]

Depends on who else knows anything about technology. I can hack things. You know. Take down firewalls and networks, but that's a different skill from creating something secure.

[ destruction vs. creation, etc, etc. he looks like he's taking this seriously as he thinks about it. but at Cao Pi, he has the more functional and immediate question. ]

Anyway, we don't have any generals right now. We don't even know who all we have here, or what they can do. There's a hell of a lot of information we're missing.

( After hearing all that Javert just. He cannot help but laugh. It's genuinely amusing to him, that there are all these people who think they can cheat death and go back home. You had things to do? Javert could care less. )

So what do you propose we do, then? Tell me, I would genuinely love to know.

( He would. He's not being sarcastic about that, even if the laugh was a bit offputting and a dick move. )

Or are you simply going to sit there and complain? Whine that no one else has offered an idea you agree with? I sympathize with your frustrations, believe me, but we need to prepare ourselves just as much as we need to collect information.

[Does she genuinely like him because he laughed? No, there are other reasons, but that absolutely helped holy shit.]

[ god he hates cops. they're so self important sometimes, and it drives him up the fucking wall. But he doesn't let it show, at least not yet. ]

I didn't hear it mentioned at all. Let me ask you, Javert, was it?

[ he knew what it was, but he could feign ignorance. ]

If we're in a war, do you just build your damn trenches and settle in for a few fucking years and hope the other side gets tired? Or-- [he appraises him for a moment] I guess in your case, until they run out of people for the firing line.

Or do you start thinking about all the information you don't know about your enemy? What their strengths and weaknesses are, and how to circumvent them?

( Javert turns a little more toward him, when he's mentioned by name, his haughtiness still present in his posture. He already knows he's an asshole, he doesn't care if anyone hates him for it. )

Perhaps that is not the best analogy, as military-men must first be trained before going off to war.

( But Javert's not here to argue analogies. Here's to make constructive plans, and this boy has the right idea, even if his delivery was a bit foolish. )

It is possible for us to do both, to strategize and prepare. There are enough of us here to do it, to have groups out searching for information while others stay behind, readying for another crisis. I am an inspector. I know the value of information. You do not need to lecture me on it.

So I ask you again. What do you think we should do? Explore, yes, I understand that. But we cannot throw ourselves blindly into the woods. We need to be smart about how we go about it.

[ oh boy, he can't wait to introduce him to the first world war. because it's going to blow his mind. But at the same time, if he's moved on in the point, Jason's not going to argue analogies. ]

Yeah, we need to talk about it, period. I'm suggesting low tech, we get the list of people who are willing to throw themselves out there and send groups out.

And also think about what information might be here, honestly. This is home base, for better or worse.

( He'd welcome the discussion if Jason ever feels like having it. He doesn't know much about the first world war, other than the fact that there was one, some a hundred odd years into his future. Javert looks pleased by his suggestions, though, and nods once he's finished. )

So you would wish to see more coordination and effort?. I have to agree. A list would not be a bad place to start, either. Perhaps we should even take note of everyone's skill sets as, but that would require all of us to be honest with one other, and we are not yet at that point.

( Which is a whole other issue, but you know. )

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That One With the Meeting [OPEN]

JASON TODD | ota

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