Peony Min (blackmagicks) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-04-23 08:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, merrion priddy, peony min, toku matsudaira |
Who: Merri, Peony, and Toku
What: An emergency meeting
Where: A private room in a clinic in Commoners’
When: Backdated: Saturday 4/19
Rating: PG-ish
Status: Complete
The location was not ideal, but then many things about this situation were so far from ideal. All three of them were battered, bruised, broken, with scars physical and emotional that had not yet begun to heal. And yet duty brought them together despite all of this, in this small, sterile room at the back of a clinic overrun with wounded. Their fault, many would say. Peony would even have to agree, partially. They ought to have known. (She thought again of the librarian; there would be time for questions later, she hoped, for the woman had been found to be unconscious but stable.) Merrion had taken the examination table, Peony the chair, and Toku leaned against the counter. All three faces were pale and worn, and the mages sported bandages in various places. But they were alive, and their guild -- and its sudden catastrophic problems -- were their responsibility. And so, Peony, who so rarely took the lead unless there was no other choice, spoke first, quietly: “We must decide what to do and say something, soon. I do not think the public is well-pleased with us, and I would prevent further violence, if possible.” That there would be violence, Toku had no doubt. He hoped efforts could be focused on reconstruction but knew, considering Vivian’s role in the tragedy, that some form of public backlash was inevitable. “A public apology would be in order, though there shall no doubt be many who refuse to accept it. It would be best to have it ready post-haste, however.” He suppressed a sigh, and crossed his arms. “I have not yet heard of any significant violence against our guild members, but perhaps it is a matter of time.” For a long time, Merri said nothing, trying to piece together his own thoughts amidst the worries, fears, guilt, memories, and heartbreak. He hadn’t had time to contact Ran yet, for which he would have to apologize to her profusely later; truth was, he hadn’t had time to contact anyone yet. He hoped everyone was still alive, and okay, but he knew it to be a futile thing to wish for. For now, he could only focus on the guild. It was all he had any semblance of control over, for whatever that was worth. “Yes,” he murmured to Toku’s suggestion. “Have we warned our guild yet that this might…” The stupidity of the question halted him from saying more. The guild might not need to be warned. They might already know, might already fear it. So, he dropped the inquiry. “If… I mean, we’ll do our part to help heal and rebuild, as we always do, but… would it help if we… made it more well-known, somehow? If people saw us actively trying to make things right…” “We will do what we can,” Peony said. “I think, as in matters of piety, those who make too much show of their assistance may be considered… less than genuine.” Just because she did not like politics did not mean she did not understand them; on this rarest of occasions, she knew they would unavoidably have to play this game. “We will assist, and give as much as we can, but we are better off less visible, I think.” With a small frown -- from Peony Min, a show of great concern -- she added, “I believe we will have visibility enough.” She did not think that would be for the better, but it could not be helped, either. “Similarly, whether or not we apologize, we will be blamed by many, and I cannot entirely fault them.” She looked at the men sharing the room with her, asked quietly, “Did you suspect? I knew she had been quiet recently, but I saw no sign of this. I knew nothing of the beast -- she said nothing when we brought our concerns about the docks to her, nothing again regarding Hippolyta.” To Toku, “You knew her longest. Was there something we missed?” She did not ask, where must we look to prevent the next catastrophe? She had known it would be Earth, had put out the warning as best she could, but still it was as though she was a child running after a cart drawn by a pair of young chocobos -- too slow in her deduction to do the good she wished. After a moment, Toku spoke, “There must have been, but I missed it too.” He had given the matter plenty of thought, but thinking about it now did not do anything to take back the damage done. “I knew she was under quite a bit of stress, and that she had not been… well, for some time. I never imagined that something like this would be the cause.” He shook his head almost imperceptibly. “Perhaps that monster was at the root of everything; I cannot know for sure. The Vivian I knew would not have initiated such a massacre, but from all that we have heard and seen, it appears she was not in control of herself.” The next words were difficult, but he spoke them anyway. “Hippolyta has mentioned that her guardian, Asura, speaks in her mind. Perhaps the two were similar.” The thought of Hippolyta leading the guardian on a rampage of destruction through the city he did not like to consider. Merri shook his head, considering his very few interactions with the Sage, and none of them more recent than as was needed for Council meetings and business. Perhaps, if he had been a better councilor, he might have spent more time with Vivian, deduced something was off quicker… but no. If neither Toku nor Peony suspected, what chance did he ever possibly have? What concerned him more, now, with Toku’s connection, was Flynn, and Tlisa, and Liyal, and maybe even Ari though he was still unsure (and, after this, he wasn’t sure when it would stop being too soon to broach the question). Merri didn’t dare imagine they could succumb as Vivian did, but then, had he known about the Sage, he would never have dared imagine something like this. Was Vivian the exception, or the rule? Have faith. But it still scared him, and to that end, the public knew about Flynn and Asura. What if… “If it is similar, do you think… do you think Flynn might be in danger? From… everyone? Asura heals, but didn’t she fight against Flynn and everyone once, too? What if… what if people forget that?” He wanted to have faith that people wouldn’t, but for as idealistic as he was, Merri had read enough books and seen enough plays to know that life didn’t often work out that way. “Shouldn’t we do something to protect her from them?” And Tlisa, and Liyal… “As I recall from the conversation you had with her, Toku, she stated quite clearly that Asura was opposed to the creature that accosted the Tower some time back,” Peony mused. “I would say our most recent threat seems, in behavior and appearance, more similar to that beast than the one that Hippolyta holds. There need not be only one variant. Although perhaps it might do us good to speak with her; she is the most experienced of those we know about.” Nathaniel was far away now, Uoluono lost to the wilderness, and Tlisa… She thought Tlisa might have bigger concerns just now, with her sister’s death. “She will require protection even if she does not think so,” she finished. “People quickly forget the good done them and focus on the potential for harm.” “It is a priority. Her power is not exactly a secret; many in the city know, after Asura assisted with healing the plague. I am also concerned,” he paused, suppressing a sigh, “about her temper, if she were to be provoked on a regular basis or even attacked. She understands the gravity of the situation our Guild is in, and would no doubt try not to worsen it, but that does not change the fact that she is easily provoked. Furthermore, I do not wish for her, or any of our Guild, to come to harm in any way.” On that, they were all of one mind, but he knew they may not be able to keep every guild member safe from any kind of backlash. Not every mage could be assigned a fighter to protect them; not only because the other Guild would not have enough members to spare, but also because there was a possibility many among the Fighters’ Guild, who gave their lives to protect the city, would also hold grudges against the mages for their Sage’s rampage. “Hippolyta’s power would indeed seem to be different from Vivian’s, though we know so little about it, it is difficult to say how,” he added. “It is a matter for investigation, however. We must do all that we can to know more about these beings. There have been several attacks by similar monsters in the past year; we need to learn more about them, if we wish to have a chance at stopping the next attack.” Merri cut in, "I've done some research, for whatever good that might do us. Every time we've come under attack, and whenever those with summons have come to me for help, I went to find whatever I could. You know everything I've found already, though, but these bigger monsters, there isn't much of anything to be found in our library." The mysteries that haunted him, and will continue to do so. "I wonder if..." Merri let that thought trail off. Even if looking for information outside the city walls wasn't inefficient, nobody in the guild, and the guild itself, was in no state to try to track them down. Instead, he decided to take blame. "I could have tried to look harder than I did." “We will all look,” Peony said, soothing despite the situation. “What is left of the library will require organizing -- we may as well allow it to serve a dual purpose. There is a great deal that will need to be organized.” She was quiet a moment before saying, “Someone will have to coordinate these efforts. I am certain you have thought of this, too. We cannot remain leaderless forever -- the members will need someone to look to for guidance, and we cannot seem weak right now.” She looked at her former mentor, a gentle smile the only way to soften the blow, for she did not think he would be pleased to hear this, even if he would no doubt see the wisdom in the idea: “Toku, although I am certain I speak for Merrion as well as myself when I say we will give every possible aid, I am afraid that the ultimate responsibility to lead what remains of the guild should fall to you.” Peony’s prediction was accurate. The suggestion was seen as far from ideal, but the necessity was undeniable; the Guild needed somebody with a certain degree of experience in a position of leadership (which, in such dire circumstances, might not even be enough) and Peony and Merrion were perhaps too young for the role. Toku looked at the other two Councilors and gave a small nod before speaking again. “A temporary solution. The matter of leadership is one the Guild should be consulted on. It cannot be an executive decision; now more than ever, the Guild needs a leader they are willing to put their faith on.” Yet for the time being, there was nobody else for that role and, while he would have preferred to remain in his current station, he saw where his duty lay. “Once things have calmed down somewhat, an election would be in order.” “You’d be great at the job, Toku,” said Merri softly, but not without sincerity. Under different circumstances, he would have sounded genuinely enthusiastic, but the price was too large to comprehend still. “I know the rest of the Guild will see it. I know they know it.” And who better for the role, if not Toku? True, the elections would tell, but there was no time for it now, and the need for a sage, even if temporary, was immediate. “Peony and I will do all we can to help and support you. We’re here for you.” “Yes,” Peony said. “We will be. And I never intended to imply that this is a decision we can make alone. But, as you say -- for now.” He would know as well as she did that ‘for now’ had a tendency to become permanent before one could blink, but it couldn’t be helped. "Very well, then." There were still many issues to be addressed, but attempting to broach and solve them all in one meeting would have been ambitious to the point of foolishness. "There will need to be a public address from the Guild, and the investigation into these monsters, as discussed, should be a matter of priority," he said. "For now, I believe we would all benefit from getting some rest. We will need to be at our best if we are to get the Guild through this." He nodded at them, a sign of thanks and acknowledgement of their presence and support in such a difficult situation (carrying the weight of their own worries and yet unfaltering in their duty). There was much to be done but, at least, they knew where to start. |