Dawn Meeting February 2018

Dawn Meeting February 2018
"I've always liked the word 'whoopjamboreehoo.'"
Participants Adalbert, Dielle, Iris, Logan, Vorpal	26 February, 2018 Dawn meets, greets, eats, and makes plans.
Location MT07 - Phoibos House
Logan's ridiculously huge house is vast, but rather warm and cozy inside, thanks to the fire crackling in the fireplace in the living room. The meeting is taking place there, various comfortable and elegant couches and chairs arranged around a coffee table laden with refreshments, both healthy and junk food. There's various beverages, including hot coffee and lemon La Croix. Logan is on hand to meet anyone directly and guide them in, despite the fact that he has a household staff: perhaps they've been given the night off. The Fairest is dressed casually in a blue sweater over a denim button down shirt and khakis, and is ready to greet each and every Dawn with one of his radiant smiles. Iris doesn't seem to care that the weather outside is just above freezing, since the dragon is wearing a long rainbow tie-dyed sun dress, over which they seem to have given at least a passing nod to winter by including a shawl. It might look cozy, but it's certainly not sufficient. "Shalom!" the brightly feathered dragon says to Logan when he greets her on the way in, and she smiles with a cheerful array of dangerously sharp teeth. "This place is a ridiculous display of grandiosity. I approve. It could use more piles of treasure, but who wouldn't?" With a tug, the shawl slides free of the Fairest's shoulders, and Iris gives the feathered wings on her back a quivering rustle that helps settle the feathers. From the outside comes a cop a second later. A very good looking cop in a tight uniform that makes his curves very visible. He glances around and instantly looks impressed as he lets a very low 'oh' escapes from his thin lips. And at that impressive view, he kinds of lose track of what he was about to do and stays still in the entrance of the room. By the time the others arrive and Logan's making every arrival feel welcome, Vorpal's already made himself at home. He's sprawled himself comfortably into an arm chair, one arm dominated by a spiral notebook half-drowned in scribbled, loosely coded notes for the evening's proceedings. Logan's got denim up top, he's wearing it below, with a flannel button-up overtop and boots below. For a self-proclaimed God, it's pretty unassuming. Once Logan shows the others into the main room, he lifts a hand in greeting and flares a bright grin their way, rising to throw his arms open and sweep a bow to the collected Court. "Good evening, everyone! Please, grab some refreshments and get comfortable, Logan's done us the rather wonderful favor of opening his home to host us this evening, and put out a spread I think we all can agree is phenomenal." He SAYS that, but does he take anything to eat? Noooooo. Blame November. This is one paranoid little Wizened. "If anyone is in need of some more ethereal refreshment, I have a pretty decent selection of Hedgefruit cordials I don't at all mind sharing, if you need a little topping off before we get started. Otherwise, snag a seat and I'm going to get us started so we can get from business to comfortable socialization just that little bit swifter." Dielle comes in, wearing the usual cowboy hat and boots in brown. (The hat has a rainbow hatband and a peacock feather as decoration.) She's also wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt with a unicorn licking a rainbow that has a very startled look on its face. Over that, she's got a hoodie that's unzipped. She does stop to get some snacky bits and a glass of iced tea, assuming it's around. "Hey, y'all. Logan, thanks for hostin' this shindig. Or is it a hootenanny?" "Hi...Iris, right?" Logan grins brightly at the feathered dragon that is Iris. "Thanks. Who's to say there isn't treasure somewhere?" He winks, offering a smile to Adalbert as he comes in, attempting to greet him and show him the way. Dielle gets a laugh. "I've always liked the word 'whoopjamboreehoo.' It's a Mark Twainism." He isn't sitting yet, because he wants to make sure everyone is comfy before he does so. Oh, the perils of giving your staff the night off. Or at least making them shoo for a bit. "That's me!" Iris says cheerfully, but then gives Logan a jokingly reproachful look after that. "Treasure shouldn't just be somewhere, though. It should be /everywhere/." The dragon winks back, then heads over to the table to check out the spread where a couple of things are grabbed before taking a seat. "Howdy, Vorpal. Dielle. What kind of festivities do we have in store this time around?" Adalbert gets himself out of his stone like state and listen as Vorpal talks. When the other Lost suggest they all take a seat, the cop does just that and finds himself a place to rest and tries his best to ignore all the money that was put in that place and focus on whatever Vorpal as to say. "Ought to introduce you to Damion, Iris. I have it on excellent authority that he has a pile of loot literally big enough to roll around in," Vorpal adds as Logan escorts the arrivals into the meeting area. He gives everyone a few moments to snag snacks and settle before leading into the meeting. "So, most of us know each other from the last meeting or various interactions between then and now, but I want to go ahead and beat the proverbial dead horse- no offense to the unicorns in the room- and have introductions. Adalbert here," he says, extending a hand towards the brick shithouse that poured himself into police blues, "-is trying to be more present and accounted for, and that's a hell of a lot easier when you know who you're working with. Dibs on going first." Vorpal grins a touch wider before leaping into his own intro. "I'm Vorpal. I've got a shit-ton of names and titles that evoke everything from "do you really think you're a God" to "who put the crazy person in charge of the crazy people", but the important bits are mostly Harvestmen Lieutenant- third in command for those tracking the chain- Fate's Harvest's Agent of Awakening, and a Templar of the Bloody Rose. I also go by Johnny Drexel when I've got to be all normal and shit, though if you've seen my mask, you know normal's probably pushing it. But hey." He shrugs. "Heather Vale's our Councilor, but she won't be here tonight. She left me some messages to pass on to the court at large, which we'll cover later, but she's our most prominent member and deserves an introduction even if she's not here to give it herself." Vorpal gestures towards Logan. "If our host wouldn't mind continuing, we can let Adalbert wait until the rest of us have spouted all the hot air we can stand before we make him do the same." Logan has taken a seat in one of the chairs, close to the fire, and crossed his legs casually, hands folded on his knee. He listens to Vorpal speak with a pleasant sort of smile -- though he doesn't tend to stop smiling, does he? -- and chuckles a touch at that semi-introduction. "I'm not much of one for hot air myself, Vorpal. But introductions are necessary, I suppose. I'm Logan Brenner, and I'd say I'm more of a Saint in the Dawn Court than a Martyr." His grin widens. "I'm a Waykeeper and a Custodian. If you need a place to train in ranged weapons, I have a private shooting range that can be of use. And I've been away a lot as of late, but I'm looking forward to working with all of you again." A pause before he gestures to the room, reaching for his open can of La Croix. "That's all from me, at least for now!" "Logan, that's a damn fine word." Dielle beams, and then carefully puts down her glass so she tip her hat to Iris and Vorpal. She says, "Hey, I'm Dielle Henner, and I'm Captain of the Harvestmen, the local freehold militia. And I work at the Aspire Arena, thanks to Vorpal." She settles down into a seat, and starts nibbling at the jicama sticks she snagged. "What self-respecting dragon doesn't have a giant pile of treasure? Where do you think I sleep?" Iris responds, before falling back to just listening and devouring a few bites of various snacky bits. All of them seem to be ones made of meat. "I'm Iris Drake," the dragon says when it comes to be their turn. "I'm a Fully Automated Luxury Queer Space Communist. That's my motley name, which is why it's all in capital letters. I don't really do much of the group membership in general, so that's all for me." Adalbert stays quiet and listens to everyone, flushing just a little and grinning politely to greet those that mind looking at him when Vorpal calls his name. When everyone else is done with introductions, he takes a deep breath and smiles."Well. I'm Adalbert Garfield. A local and a cop. I'm not extraordinary in any way, but I'm here to help you guys in whatever you are up to do to make our Court more unite and stronger." His voice is firm, but warm and gentle and he says those few words while looking at everyone else's eyes to make sure people know he really means that. Vorpal grins Logan's way as the Custodian snags Vorpal's own self-deprecating comment on hot air to slide into his own introduction. Dielle's flashed a thumbs-up as he's name-dropped, and Iris? Iris leaves him blinking. "You know, I can't tell you why I didn't consider that before mentioning Damion's horde? It -makes perfect sense- and it just did not even strike me." He shrugs, though. No need to fuss over that! "And every time I hear that name, it makes me try to pronounce the abbreviation. I feel like it oughtta come out sorta like Fawkes, but I dunno." Adalbert introduces himself, and Vorpal nods firmly, though he snorts and adds in "There is no way for a Changeling to be "not extraordinary in any way," my man- humility looks good on you, but you already put yourself out there in the line'a duty all on your own, for the good of mortal men. That's pretty fuggin extraordinary in and of itself, and I'm sure there's more to you than that, my friend. SPEAKING of which," he says, glancing to Dielle, "If you could spare this good man a moment of your time when we're done, he's got an interest in the Harvestmen. Told him I'd put in a good word- not that I think I need to." "Alright! So, we're not everyone. Like I said, Heather ain't here, Lulu- she's probably the best dreamer Dawn's got- does her own thing, which is fine, and November is the resident -expert- at beating her own drum. Jon's headed back to Boston, and Gisa dragged Alonso back to Israel, which is simultaneously awesome and a bummer. Aside from that, only one of ours I've met that isn't here is Lucky, and I dunno where he went after the last meeting. I'll be looking in to be sure he's okay, though, and when I know, I'll spread the word." "Now, for Heather's notes. We'll start there, because they're pretty serious. She's gotten word that the local gossip monger- Enid Schmitt, of gossip column fame- may have been getting the wrong kind of publicity. Word is she may actually be in danger. It's not explicitly our responsibility, but Heather wanted me to make the court aware of it, because the -reason- she might be in danger is, unsurprisingly, she might know too much of the wrong things. Specifically, she mentioned abduction as a possibility, so while nobody is at all pressured to help keep an eye on her, anyone who's willing to volunteer won't be turned away. She's a valuable source of information in such a small town, and both we and the populace will be the poorer if something befalls her." "I know not everyone in the Court is also in the Freehold, but I want to keep the Court as a whole updated on what's going on with the major politics in the area. At the moment, Freehold attention lies on trying to secure allies in freeholds and Markets nearby besides the Wild Roses and the Soundless. Without going too far into the rumors regarding the latter, they've been enough to be a cause of concern and the Freehold's looking for support and alternatives wherever they can be found. So far, Logan and a few assisting him have located a possible freehold- a few Freeholders with some outside assistance have located a Market, though word is it isn't exactly Lost friendly- and the search for the Gentry that was seen in the Wild Roses market concluded with finding that neither it nor its followers are like to leave their home any time soon. If you want to get involved with either the market investigation or the freehold diplomacy, Logan's a good point of contact for the latter, and I can get you in touch with the group looking into the Market if that's more your speed." "Anyone have any questions about what we've discussed so far?" Logan is sure to smile at each person as they talk, and Adalbert in particular gets a reassuring glance. The dazzling light and shadow around him is somewhat tamed right now, so as not to overly distract, but it sometimes casts patterns over the assembled. He looks surprised and somewhat concerned at the news about Enid, and then offers a nod or two when Vorpal mentions the quest for a new Freehold, confirming himself as a point of contact. He does not, however, appear to have any new questions, content to sit there gracefully consuming his sparkling water. "I'm extraordinary in EVERY way, so at least we're helping to maintain the average," says Iris to Adalbert, after letting out a lovely but strangely inhuman laugh. She's a lizard woman covered in rainbow colored feathers, with horns and wings and a tail, so inhuman pretty much comes with the territory. Despite the commentary, she also seems content to listen when other people are talking a turn to talk. Even when it's Vorpal, and he talks a lot. That's what snacks are for: occupying your mouth when someone else is speaking. "Nope," she says when he finishes and asks if there are questions. Dielle says, "What kind of eye-keeping are we talking about with Enid? Dreams or physical?" asks Dielle. "Also, be aware, Iris is made of awesome and win. The only way she could be any better is if we could convince her to join the freehold, where she would inevitably outshine everyone." Adalbert grins to Iris when she tells him she's totally extraordinary, but returns to his serious face to look at Vorpal and shakes his head to let the other man knows he doesn't have any question. Though, Dielle's question gets his attention and he waits for a response from Vorpal calmly. "Nothing super intensive. At the end of the day, it's not a completely confirmed threat and she's not directly affiliated with the court, last I knew. Personally, I'd think that checking in on her a few times daily and a couple times overnight just to be sure nothing hinky's going down would be more than enough, at least until Heather's contacts suggest the heat's off. I'll be doing a bit of that myself- a pair of eyes or two to help out during the day would be plenty, I think." "Anyone interested in helping with that, just talk to me after. It's not gonna be some big stakeout, I just want to know if something happens so we can either get her out of trouble or maybe step in if we catch something going down in the act." "Now, aside from those more explicit issues, I'd like to discuss something most of us have already talked about in some shape or form. Winter's not going to last forever, and when it's over, I'd rather see a Dawn monarch than a Spring. These issues with the Soundless aren't going to be resolved immediately, and at the end of the day, I want someone with an ear to Hope and What Could Be, rather than someone tuned into the What We Want station, while those issues are being resolved. To that end, I'd like to do what we can to make Dawn more prominent in the coming weeks, in the minds of the Freehold and with the Wyrd itself. Iris, I know you're not a part of the Freehold proper, but the -method- I have in mind would benefit you, too." "What I'm planning, and doing on my own so far, is to try to help each of the members of the court pursue their own goals, their own Potential. Everyone I've talked to so far has some goals, or extant responsibilities they want to excel at- Dielle's leading the Harvestmen, Logan and Adalbert are both interested in being a bigger part of the Court as a whole, with Logan specifically interested in proving himself to have the skills of a Catalyst- Lulu is... being Lulu and doing her own thing, but Adalbert specifically offered his assistance in helping the Court further its goals. Visible success makes us more prominent and makes it more likely that when Winter ends, it's not Spring that gets the crown. Are there any other goals we have, individually, or as a group, that could use some extra attention? It doesn't have to be -specifically- oriented towards Dawn, that's the neat thing about Potential. As long as we're all seeking to make change and live up to What Could Be, it's all progress." Logan smiles and nods. "In addition to becoming a Catalyst, I'd like to put myself at the service of the community in general. Have more of a say and push my sleeves up, instead of just hiding here in my house." He laughs at himself a little, showing his perfect teeth. "Extended visibility and involvement can only help the Court in the end, as Vorpal pointed out. I'd like not only to be seen more, but to do more. Like Vorpal, I'd also like to help others with /their/ goals. It's an essential part of our Court." "I've been kind of busy," Iris says in a tone that's not dismissive, more... dismayed. "Gisa left me the bookstore, and I've had to learn how to be a business owner. Apparently it actually involves work. It's the worst." At least for that she sounds like she's joking. "But if there are specific things I might be able to do to help, let me know." Dielle opens her mouth and then closes it. She looks down at her snacky bits, and then decides to just eat them. Sometimes, the best thing one can do is keep one's thoughts to oneself, and she is doing that as hard as she can. It helps to keep busy by chewing. Adalbert listens and pays attention to everyone but when he has the opportunity, he lifts a hand humbly."Well. I think if you're looking for getting Wyrd'a attention, you, we should start talking its own language and I believe that a very clear way to do so is coming up with a Court place. Both in the mortal world and in the Hedge. I don't see a more clear representation of our Court unity and force as a group in the eyes of everyone that can see us. Enchanted Mortals, Lost, Hedge Denizens and whoever else that pay attention on us as a whole."Not sure on how we're going to accomplish that, though. It's not just a matter of money. To find a good stop within the city is also a political thing. And finding a place within the Hedge is a whole epic adventure." "It -is- the worst," mutters Vorpal. "Trust me, I've met Drowner-infested swamps I'd rather slog through naked than have to go through the paperwork to take over Aspire again. If I can help- even if it's just passing one of the bookkeepers some overtime to help with your books- come see me. I -get- it." Bureaucracy is anathema to the battleborn. This is known. "We're gonna be looking for chances for Logan to flex his muscle and show that he can handle what a Catalyst is responsible for. At the end of the day, that position is completely unfilled, and the Freehold will be the richer for it if we can present someone who can stand as either Catalyst, Dawn Herald, or both. If you're not familiar, the Catalyst advises the crown by looking for Potential anywhere it might lie- in the downfallen face of a visiting diplomat, in whispers of a hob uprising at a local market, anywhere a Catalyst can find the opportunity for change that benefits the Freehold and the Court, that's where they act. When it comes to the Dawn Herald, those people are responsible for helping to organize the rites, rituals, and observances, both of the Court and for the Freehold at large, when it comes to organizing events to keep Hope alive and Potential at the forefront." "As for a place within the city, Aspire is already run by two of our members as a bastion against hopelessness, both of the abused and of those needing to make changes in their lives to get healthy or, sometimes, just to -survive.- It wouldn't take much to make it into a more open Court holding. As for a place in the Hedge, I'd be happy to lead an expedition to find someplace suitable- I can carve trods through the Hedge to ease our passage, and I'm willing to put in a significant amount of energy into claiming a suitable place, should we find one. That's an excellent idea, Adalbert." Vorpal glances to the others. "We -could- establish a new holding in the real, if that's what folks prefer- what's everyone think? Do we want to invest in Aspire as a court, or try to establish something a little different? And who'd be interested in a trek to claim a Hollow for ourselves?" Logan studies Adalbert carefully, his eyes shining. He turns to Vorpal, listening to him intently before commenting, "A Dawn Hollow /is/ an interesting idea, particularly if we could use it not only as a safe space for us, but another way to encourage Hope and Potential in everybody." Dielle frowns, as if puzzling something out, then un-frowns. She says, "I assume you mean a Court Hollow that's not attached to Stoneheart? Although, I'm biased, I'd love to see the Aspire become something more than what it is now." Adalbert arches a brow, as pondering when Vorpal asks them further opinion on his idea."Honestly, this morning was my first time there at Aspire Arena, but it sounds a cool place. But, in my opinion, it could have some sleeping quarters. Just in case people need a place to crash in an emergency. If there isn't already something like this there, I mean." He says as he glances around. "I believe we're talking about a more developed hollow than the Dawn chambers off of Stoneheart, yes. Which makes sense, we're not all OF the Freehold." He glances to Dielle, nodding in agreement of both question and sentiment. "And there's -some- sleeping quarters upstairs, but we're talking like. One flat. There's another, but it's occupied. If we're looking for bigger room to board folks, we could convert the rinks- we've been trying to decide what to do with that space, as it is, it goes pretty much unused. If we did that, we could aim for a more complete sorta YMCA sort of deal, just in line with -our- beliefs." Dielle goes even more still at Vorpal's words about the rinks. She then nods very quickly and looks down to stare into her glass of iced tea, and let her hair fall down so that her face can't be seen. Iris doesn't seem to have strong opinions on any of this topic, since she listens but doesn't volunteer any of her thoughts on the Hollow thing. She did say earlier that she wasn't much of a group joiner, so maybe that's a factor in it. Logan glances curiously at Dielle, though he doesn't inquire. "Well, Aspire doesn't have to be all things to everyone. Why not have Aspire and an additional property, apart from any Hollow? They could easily be close to each other, maybe even next to each other." Logan smiles and shrugs. "I'd gladly put up the capital." Adalbert listens once more in silence as more opinions comes to the surface."I like the idea of having another place besides Aspire. But we're so few. The more scattered we are, the weaker we get, no?" He asks to no one in particular. Dielle looks up, pushing her hair back, and seems to have control of herself again. "Buying an apartment building or something might be a viable option. I ain't real fond of the idea of the paperwork involved in makin' the Aspire be viable for a hotel, too. And come to think of it, if we're gonna do that kind of a safehouse, it'll either have to be a hotel or bed-and-breakfast. Although, I'm wonderin'...if we want this just for Dawn, then doin' a Dawn Hollow might be better. Less damn paperwork." "In -this- particular instance, diversification isn't exactly dividing the forces. A lot of the work of maintaining places like this is done through mortal employees and such. A single individual can direct a lot of force for Hope by heading and directing a business. We'd just need an idea of what we could -do.-" Vorpal muses over this for a few moments, before nodding at Dielle's comment. "That's true. We don't have to decide on both issues immediately. It sounds like we're all agreed- save for Iris, who's been quiet buuuuut did mention she's not really much the Joining type- that a Dawn Hollow separate from Stoneheart would be an excellent idea. Let me do a little scouting and see if I can't locate a few possibilities for the Hollow, and I'll extend invitations to help secure it for our uses. If only the handful here contributed some relatively small boons to the Hollow, it will very quickly become impressive enough and secure enough to rival anything else in the area. Suitable for the court of the rising sun, no?" "I'll meet with each of you going forward and collect ideas on how we can expand our positive influence in the mortal world. When we meet next, we'll discuss precisely what it is we want to do, and- with Logan's generous pocketbook at our back- start making the preparations to make this happen, one way or the other." "Is there any other business to be discussed?" Vorpal turns from one Dawn to the other, opening the floor for whatever folks want to bring up. "Yeah, I second -- or fourth -- the motion. Let's do it," Iris says with a shrug, because the Hollow things no big deal to her. Not as big a deal as the snacks, anyway! "I don't have any other business to bring up." Hey, there are some mightily delicious snacks here. Logan, meanwhile, nods at Dielle and Vorpal. "I think a safehouse of some kind, be that a b&b, hotel or something else, would be ideal, and it could easily be connected to Aspire. Not literally," he adds with a smile. "But we can think it over. I have people who work for me who can handle every aspect of creating a business, if you're all adverse to such things. Don't worry!" He adds, "I don't have any other items myself." Dielle shakes her head, she's got nothin'. "I've got nothin'," she says. Adalbert shakes his head to show that he doesn't have anything else to contribute to the meeting at this point."Count on me to go out and find our court a nice spot in the Hedge. I'm not skilled in Hedge Navigation, though." He murmurs. "It's not a problem. We can pledge to shore up our navigation skills before the trip. Easy enough." Vorpal nods sagely, then lifts his hands and claps them together. "WELL THEN. Suppose that's it! I haven't got anything else, and it sounds like we've all got some ideas on what we want to do moving forward. Iris, I'd like to catch up with you privately sometime convenient for you- I really do get how crushing it is to both have someones close to you so far away, and to try to run a business. I'd like to help how I can. Adalbert, when you have time, you and Dielle should talk about Harvestmen. Logan, we'll meet later to brainstorm ideas about how to develop your skills, and Dielle- I'll see you later to talk some stuff over."