(mini-event) THE COALITION OF REFUGEES

[natha]

THE COALITION     On the day of the council, there are markers tied with ribbons in the colors of both Olympia and Wyver that line the paths from the cities to the South Outpost, meant to guide anyone with an invitation to the first meeting of the Coalition of Refugees. While during the previous festivities of the gala the Great Hall was sharply divided between Olympians and Wyverns, the differences between the factions are not so apparent now. Inside, the hall is decorated with a more subdued mix of the white and gold of Olympia and the red and black of Wyver. Banners, pennants, and bunting drape from the ceiling and wind around wooden pillars. To one side of the hall, there are tables set up with drinks and finger foods — refreshments for the guests, for after the opening speech. A raised platform has been set up at one end of the room, flanked by contingents of both the Royal Guards and the Knightryders standing at attention side by side, differentiated only by the make of their armor and the colors they wear. Ashti, Shenya, and Heryn stand waiting for the arrival of their monarchs, pointedly ignoring each other; notably, Raysc, Shanrian's son and the leader of Mythi's Fangs, is conspicuously absent. Staff members cluster to the side of the stage, waiting for the speech to begin. A whisper drifts over from a woman in one of the Olympian groups: Do you really think the Empress will try to negotiate for Nithor's skull? The man she's speaking to shakes his head and scoffs, answering: Ha! Not a chance. She thinks it's too soon, who knows if this peace will last. Besides, there's no way she's willing to give up Ysevrai's heart. A horn sounds, and the staff members subside, glancing around to see if anyone's overheard. A moment later, and Simwe and Shanrian make their appearance, walking together to the stage for their speech. Aha… we have quite the gathering here, do we not? All of our heroes in one place… This may be an unprecedented meeting, but it seems as though it will be a productive one. Let us begin by thanking all of you for your contributions to our cities in recent times. Since your arrival, you have weathered the plague that swept through our cities and aided us in finding its cure; you have withstood the scorn of those who were meant to shelter you turning against you, and helped us quell riots in the very hearts of our homes; you have been taken right off the streets and endured hardships too terrible to tell, and have proven heroes in bringing our people safely home. You have done much for us, and shown yourselves loyal beyond many who were born within our walls. We will allow your voices to go unheard no longer! Today— Today, we will hear you. You have demonstrated both strength and valor in equal measures — it follows that you will be wise as well, and it is that wisdom that we wish to hear brought in council to our cities. You are gathered here to look beyond our history of violence and hostility, to see beyond the prejudices we hold. We hope that with your clearer sight, you'll keep in your hearts the betterment of both of our fair cities, rather than allow pettiness to hold sway and lift one over the other. Those gathered here are deemed worthy by action and by the trust of your brethren: a council. Amongst yourselves, decide what matters most to you about your lives within the cities. Discuss what changes you wish to see, and how those changes should come about. Reach an agreement, put your motions to us, and should they be feasible, we will see what sort of effect your ideas will have. The two proposals with the most support among your fellows will be those we implement, so argue your reasoning most convincingly! And remember, this is your chance to impress us. If your advice is sound, we will look to you again. At this, both rulers fall silent, and withdraw to a balcony to oversee the proceedings. This is not their meeting, after all — this is something that only the refugees can determine the outcome of. FINAL OOC NOTES     Welcome to your first chance to have a voice in the NPC governments, Players! Your task is, as a group, to decide the two most important IC issues you would like to see Olympia and Wyver address, and then put forward a plan of action for how to improve whatever those problems are, which will then be implemented in May. Since these are strictly Olympian and Wyvern issues, topics should still adhere to the Natha's policies of not revealing anything about the Storm or the Natha's existence, but beyond that, you're free to propose any topics you think should be addressed about your characters' way of life in the cities — after all, haven't the Orbiters sent you here to make a difference and improve life on El Nysa in their stead?

Comments

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[wondie]

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[webdesigned]

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[webdesigned]

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[webdesigned]

[eaudevamp]

Oh, not at all. It's quite situational, actually.

[ He folded his arms, a small grin forming until the hints of his sharp fangs poked out. ]

I can still be a reigning terror if I so wish, but I choose not to.

[notsolomon]

So killing two birds with one stone then...

[He liked this idea actually.]

News would also travel more quickly, so we could find out about problems faster. And false perceptions could be more easily dispelled.

[Granted, rumors could also more easily spread, but that wasn't something one could easily control.]

Do you think travel should be completely free, or that some identification should be required? I only ask, because I am not sure how quickly Olympia and Wyver will allow their barriers to drop.

[ukase]

[Since he had met Jones, he had been drinking more than he usually did and that was a problem in his mind. He otherwise had lived a life of being on call all the time, ready to suit up or at least provide the necessary cover up for someone in need. He drank with STRIKE and that was about it.

However, he took a small sip of the offered drink, not about to be rude when the night was winding down and the need to stay on his toes was going with it. He had found what useful information that he could tonight, and now he was all about watching the comings and goings of the slow dwindling crowds of people that remained.] If they know what they are about, of course they are blending in. That's the name of the game, and they would be rewarded for any and all information that they brought back. Part of being a good agent is being too good to be considered bad.

[Normally, he wouldn't dress up, but he had been to enough high level meetings to understand when a suit was necessary. It helped his cause greatly to have a gorgeous woman on his arm, one that was plainly self-sufficient so no one could ever accuse him of having little more than arm candy.]

Is that what you're doing, hmmm? Putting on all charm? [He smirked over the rim of his glass and then looked beyond her to a group of people for a moment. They were engaged in deep discussion.] Well, I know how to dress up. I've had years of practice being under cover.

+1

[braidedwonder]

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[braidedwonder]

[ukase]

And there is nothing that we can do for age old feuds; when they get that old, no one is actually paying attention because it's so deeply ingrained. However, we can try to get out of the way of their wars and not be used as play pieces.

[Clearly that was why they were all here in the first place. It was all talk though, and from his experience, talk only went so far. Sometimes a war of action was necessary.]

Of course. You're never going to get away from that.

[assholic]

Exactly. Which is why there needs to just be another place. Or maybe places. Not like there isn't the room for it. Sure, one city might be a target, but five? Or a handful of villages? Something that isn't in these walls that force people to pick a damn side.

[assholic]

But why would both of them come together to do that. Then we're back to square one of 'pick me'. This whole thing is just... stupid.

[Jessica needed a drink. Like, now. More so when he made that remark, and she rolled her eyes at him.]

Buddy, you have no idea.

[krasnaya_vdova]

[She murmurs in quiet agreement to his commentary on the subject of the extremists. They have similar views on the subject, and even if they didn't, she actually trusts his judgement over her own on this particular topic. She figures he knows it better than she does, given that what knowledge she has from Natasha is weakest when it comes to social interactions. So it's not just about the fact that he was HYDRA and probably knew more about how those sort of elements operated than most.] Anyone stick out to you? I don't have a whole lot of connections yet, so it's hard to pick out the unfamiliar faces.

[On the surface, to most people, Ava would claim to have no interest, that she wasn't the sort of woman that cared about dressing up for a party. And honestly, there was even truth in that. She'd never been one for raves, parties with too many exits, where all the bodies were too close and the music was too loud. She'd never been a fan to begin with, then Sana had been dragged off to a back room by some jerk one night when she'd been sixteen and it had been validation of everything she disliked. But for one, this gathering is a little more sedate, the music isn't too loud, and there's enough personal space to believe she'll see the knife coming.

And also, she trusts Rumlow to be able to take care of himself. She wouldn't be quite as fond of him if she didn't, honestly. Not these days, not with how much she's lost. At the question she smiles, a little bit crooked, a slight crinkle at the edge of her blue eyes.]

Well, not all the charm. Not yet, anyway. [She smirks back, playfully, but enjoying the banter as she sips at her drink. Not quite old enough to drink if they'd been back in the states, but it was a strange thing for her. One part of her was very accustomed to using alcohol as a way to put a target back on their heels, the other was a girl that had split a six pack of beer won in a poker game with her best friend out by Coney Island and laughed mercilessly when it had made her sick.]

[eaudevamp]

[ Reign nodded and hummed softly as he listened to Phoenix's arguments for and against his opinion. It made sense that such matters had to be dealt properly, perhaps in a small scale before opening up to the local natives. ]

You've a point. A sudden change may not actually go well and might cause backlash. A gradual change, to test the waters, sounds like the more rational option.

[notsolomon]

Well yes, of course. I guess it depends on whether or not this is more than an attempt at good publicity. Not that they do not need it. But politicians don't always have shame about the right things...

So either they shall be forced to stay honest, or they'll just refuse entirely to avoid the whole matter.

[impavid]

Maybe one of them suggested it, and the other side didn't want to be outdone?

[ He shrugs, raises his drink. ]

I'm just glad there's a free bar. Stupid and free drinks is better than stupid without.

[ukase]

[He shook his head in reply to her question, his eyes scanning the field. People of their trade were good at hiding even from each other most times; HYDRA had developed certain hand motions that would seem random in normal conversation but to another agent, it was telling of their association.] It's too soon to tell. We would have to have more of these little gatherings to see who continually showed up and asked certain questions or just plain listened only.

[Rumlow sipped his drink, always on the look out for a knife that might be coming for his back. He had long ago realized that he could be a target, and it was naturally to protect himself. He wasn't someone that enjoyed being protected when he knew he could take his knocks and walk it off eventually. So the idea of an attack hadn't bothered him at all; it was too soon for a terrorist organization to move. They would wait and watch first.]

Oh, there's more to come? I suppose I should prepare myself for that. [He smirked back at her, reaching out to give her shoulder a playful push.] You better keep that charm all nipped and tucked. I don't want to have to threaten all your suitors if they hurt you, you know. I have no problem breaking their thumbs by the way.

[ukase]

Another place doesn't solve the problem. It just gives momentary peace before everyone wises up and exterminates the place.

[He had been to enough countries where there was literal exterminations of people. Mass graves weren't a common happening in the US, but in other countries? Prosecution was the name of the game.]

You can build as many as you like, but the fact remains that perception of us has to change first.

[assholic]

You're thinking of home. This place isn't exactly packing any nukes. And for the record, their 'perception' is supposedly of people from other places in this world. For all we know, building another city might just be what calms their asses down. Then it's not on 'their' turf.

[assholic]

Can't really argue with that one. Speaking of...

[Jessica was going to look around for that free bar at the moment.]

[ukase]

You think nukes are the only way to decimate a population? You clearly haven't traveled much. [He snorted and took a sip of his drink.] Isolationism won't do anyone favours. We're going to be under scrutiny wherever we go.

[assholic]

You're just a ray of sunshine blaring out of an elephant's asshole today, aren't you? It's the suit, right? Makes you all 'perky'.

[She scoffed at him and finished her beer, moving to set down the empty glass and reach for another.]

There's no quick fix to any of this. But if there's a place I can go that isn't one of these two shitty cities who have been utter dicks to newcomers, then I'd like a goddamn option.

[ukase]

That would make me a huge ray, now wouldn't it? Elephants have massive assholes.

[He wouldn't say it was the suit or not because the attire had to change some of how he acted. He felt it was best for people to listen to him rather than discount him as nothing more than a soldier about to follow orders.]

If that's all you want, why haven't you pushed more for that? Too busy or too much work for you?

[assholic]

Because I'm not a goddamn leader, Rumlow. Or haven't you picked up on that yet. I'm a loner. Not really good at following orders, either. Guess your little SHIELD squad would have hated me.

SO SORRY for the delay, rl got real

[revlon]

[ A familiar accent doesn't necessarily mean a familiar country but there's a comfort in hearing it, all the same. Peggy glances to the gentleman at her side and her lips quirk — not necessarily amused, but an acknowledgement of his response. And she can't help but think back to the previous wave of refugees, how they were welcomed with open arms as this crop had been, although there's no telling which group this man was with.

She doesn't recognise him, but she doesn't know most of the people in this room, even with being here nearly a year. ]

Not always, [ she replies quietly, tapping a manicured nail against her glass of untouched whiskey. ] They did shoot down airships of refugees a few months ago. But I suppose they've since changed their tune, given all this. [ Then she turns towards him and extends a hand. ] Peggy Carter.