undergrounds | Pieces on a chessboard

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Pieces on a chessboard

1) For Kyle Sutton – Redbright Institute, 17th March
It's St. Patrick's Day and some enterprising student has given Sylvia a shamrock brooch to pin to her blouse. They're also handing out party invitation flyers in the dining hall, though thankfully the party is taking place off-site. She can't condone a night of drinking at the school, after all.

Sylvia takes a look at the flyer on her way out and lifts an amused eyebrow. "Of course, you're still planning to come to school tomorrow."

The student grins back. "Oh, absolutely. One hundred percent."

She's about to reply when another student interrupts them. "Ms Redbright? There's someone here who wants to talk to you..."

Sylvia hands back the flyer with an apologetic smile. "Excuse me." Her smile becomes a frown as she turns around to see who wants to speak to her. She doesn't recognize him, but he might be a new student. "Do we have an appointment?"

2) For Abigail Widdowson – Redbright Institute, 18th March
Abigail Widdowson has been a thorn in Sylvia's side ever since the girl emerged from that derelict mansion of hers and declared herself the leader of a new Midnight coven, but she never thought it would come to this. A Midnight witch, the Maiden representing all witches. Oh, they've tried to discredit her. To search for a loophole, some excuse to deny Abigail's claim and begin the search for a new Maiden all over again. Thus far, they haven't succeeded, and Sylvia knows when to give up. If she can't oust the girl, she'll have to bring her into the fold instead.

So she invites her to afternoon tea. It takes place on the outdoor pavilion in the school grounds, with an unobtrusive spell surrounding them to keep out the wind and maintain the temperature. A couple of young witches serve them tea, finger sandwiches, cakes and scones. Sylvia dismisses them with a brief thank you, leaving the two of them alone.

She rearranges the cushions on her wicker chair before giving Abigail a warm smile. "So how are you feeling about it all? You must be rather overwhelmed."

She's being friendly, for now. As the Mother of Witches, Abigail is in some sense her protégé.

3) For Eames, Finnick and Illya – Redbright Institute, 23rd March
It isn't often that one is asked to meet with a lord of both the Seelie and Unseelie Court, even for the President of the Night Council. Sylvia has to wonder, after their failure in Lambeth and the vampire attack in Bromley, whether the fae are ready to wave a metaphorical white flag and withdraw from the human world altogether.

Of course, that's probably too much to hope for.

They must want something. The fae always do, even if they pretend to offer a gift or favour. She will hear them out today, even if she dislikes striking bargains with fae, because if there's a chance to ensure that they don't disrupt the upcoming election, she ought to take it. The evidence so far is that crushing the fae has proven near impossible. Making some sort of peace could be the next best option.

She meets them in her office at the Redbright Institute rather than the Night Council headquarters, because fae are barred from entering Night Council territory. The school on the other hand welcomes all supernatural types and so should appear more welcoming. It isn't really, of course, because this is still Sylvia's domain and she makes sure that her visitors know it.

There's a salt circle around her desk. It has been spelled to keep out anything originating from the Other Realm, so her visitors will not be able to cross it. They can enter the office, but they can't reach her. As a further deterrent, Sylvia is wearing a silver locket around her neck. And finally, standing quietly in one corner, out of the circle, is Illya Kuryakin, werewolf, Guardian and today Sylvia's personal bodyguard. Tonight is a full moon, which means he's at his peak strength. She has no doubt that he'll use it if necessary.

Sylvia stands up behind her desk when her visitors are shown in. She offers a smile. "You must be the fae. Please, come in."

Trust nothing when it comes to the fae, she knows that. Something Sylvia will bear in mind for the entirety of this meeting.

4) For Faolan – Night Council HQ, 24th March
It would be fair to say that Sylvia isn't happy when she learns of Faolan's involvement in the Bromley dispute. Not only did he choose to ally with the fae, he also encouraged other members of Hillingdon to do the same. Why, she can't fathom. Perhaps the hunters among them hate vampires so much that they see fae as the lesser of two evils, but Sylvia can't agree with that. More importantly, his actions raise questions about his loyalty to the Night Council, and to her. There's an election coming up. The last thing Sylvia wants is to have anyone questioning her or the loyalty of her Guardians.

So she calls him into her office, early in the morning when there are fewer people around to notice that he's there. When he enters, she taps her pen against her fingers, regarding him for a second or two before speaking.

"Good morning, Faolan. I appreciate you coming here at short notice. There's something important that I'd like to discuss." There's a pause, then she launches right into what she wants to say: "What were you doing in Bromley?"

She makes it sound like she's merely curious, but the intensity of her gaze says otherwise.

5) For Lancelot – Night Council HQ, 29th March
By the end of March, the fae will be free to pass through Night Council territories. Sylvia is staring at a document that will authorize this. It's one page, printed on their best paper, and carries a faint scent of magic. She sighs and puts down the paper for a moment, rubbing her eyes.

There's a knock on the door and she calls her visitor in. "Lancelot, thank you for coming. I trust the fae will no longer be bothering us in Lambeth?"

Perching on her desk, she offers Lancelot a smile. At least here is a Guardian she can trust.

[ooc: Would you like a thread with Sylvia? Plot with me here!]

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Sylvia walks around to greet them as they approach, clasping her hands in front of her. The hair on the back of her neck prickles. The Night Council building is steeped in old magic, but these fae have brought their own magic with them; she can sense it like a haze around them. They might be smiling, but their eyes are sharp. So she won't reach out to shake their hands, even though she's close enough to. That would mean breaking the salt circle and she doesn't intend to do that.

"I'm glad you think so," she replies. She doesn't need to look around at Illya; she knows he'll have her back. "So who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?"

Names, ranks, whatever silly faery airs and graces they like to give themselves. Names would be a good start.

Silly faery airs and graces come in the form of a name and his court. Eames doesn't truck with all the pomp and facade that some of the more old-fashioned fae like to throw around.

"Eames," he says, "I'll be representing the Unseelie, I suppose."

"And I'm Finnick, representing the Seelie," he continues. "We're lords of our respective courts."

Although he says it because he feels like he has to justify his presence here, his tone is still genial and calm. Sylvia's a force to be reckoned with, Finnick can feel it in the air, but that just makes him more resolute about the fact that he has to keep his composure.

Finnick. Eames. Names and faces he'll remember. Even if there isn't trouble, he likes to know those he deals with. Especially since he has to be involved in this. Now and later. Knowing the players is important.

For his part, he offers no introduction. He is, after all, part of the furniture. A piece of the scenery. Just another security precaution.

Finnick and Eames, Seelie and Unseelie. So whatever it is they want, they're asking on behalf of both Courts. Interesting. It isn't often that she gets an insight into the politics of the Courts. The fact that they're working together probably doesn't bode too well for London in general; it would be better if they were occupied with petty squabbles in the Other Realm.

"Eames and Finnick." She acknowledges each of them in turn. "I'm sure you know that it's not often we meet with any of your people. We haven't had much reason to until recently." Meaning the fae taking over parts of London. "What is it you would like to discuss?"

"I'll be honest with you," a novel concept, right. Eames gestures broadly, "this... War of attrition bores me. I've never had any interest in claiming land in this realm."

He looks to his side at Finnick, waiting patiently for his penny's worth on this issue.

Finnick watches Eames, waiting for him to take the lead. When he's done and he looks at Finnick, Finnick shrugs one shoulder, almost noncommittal.

"My primary interest in claiming land has been to ensure safe areas for fae in the mortal realm," he says reasonably. "I have no interest in ruling any territory in London and the Seelie Court doesn't either. Only it seems to be a necessity lately, for those of us that spend most of our time in this realm, if we want to continue doing so."

She raises her eyebrows. Well, this is a surprise. And very different to the aggressive moves the fae have been making over the past few months.

"If you have no interest in claiming land, then why bother doing so? There is a safe place for fae in the mortal realm. Right here."

The Redbright territories are a safe space for all, including fae, as long as they play by the rules.

"And the rest of London?" What a bullshit statement, as if she isn't a driving force behind barring them from Daybreak and Council territories. It takes a considerable effort on Eames' part not to scoff and roll his eyes, but he manages to keep it down to a raised eyebrow instead. Expression and tone little more than conversational otherwise. "We can dance around it, but our hostilities only began because you took away our freedom of movement."

Finnick's just as annoyed as Eames, even at the insinuation that they're welcome in territories that she controls. She who draws a salt circle around her desk when they come to meet her. Still, he remains calm and cool, his smile fading a little as Eames speaks.

"I'm sure you might see how we would feel backed into a corner, so to speak, even if we are technically free to come and go here," he says, gesturing as if to indicate the building around them, and the territory it's on.

One to lead, he thought, and one to back up those words with a prettier version. Not a bad strategy, but they played it rather obviously. Which might be part of a larger strategy. Not knowing those with the pieces made the game much more interesting to follow.

Still, these were opening moves. Stroke by stroke to see what the opponent would do.

And he? Didn't matter. Which was what made it so very interesting and so easy to observe.

They're talking about the wards put up by witches to prevent doors being opened to the Other Realm in Daybreak and Night Council territories. It's this by their account that seems to have provoked them, a response that took her by surprise when she first heard of it. But then of course fae get touchy when they can't do whatever they want.

"You are free to come and go here," she says, because it's important to emphasize that. "As for elsewhere in London, when we put up barriers to the Other Realm we didn't do that to keep you out. We did it to prevent other witches from summoning and enslaving your people. That single measure dramatically reduced the amount of dark magic being performed in the city, saving hundreds of fae who would otherwise have had their freedom taken away. The barrier keeps you safe."

Security vs liberty. It's an age-old argument. Maybe she can at least get them to understand her point of view, even if they don't agree with it.

"No. It keeps you safe." He can appreciate the pragmatism, but he can't appreciate her words. Eames has been summoned before, and past his bewilderment at anyone finding his True name was the anger, how insulting it is to have some witch try to call on him in such a way. If his request hadn't been so laughably pathetic, things likely would've gone a lot worse for him.

And if he'd tried to bind him? Or if he'd managed and he'd escaped, Eames shakes his head. He can't believe Sylvia has the safety of fae in mind so much as she cares for her lofty position and totalitarian idea of what's 'safe' for witches.

"A witch with a fae under their control is far too powerful to be easily dealt with, and one who fails to keep a fae under control has unleashed a terrible fury." Eames is quiet for a moment, eyebrows raised questioningly as if to ask her if he's wrong, before he continues. "And even if you did have the safety of our sort in mind, did you or the rest of your Council try to consult with us? Or did you simply take matters into your own hands as though you alone are the arbiter of what's best for all and sundry?"

Finnick will never separate his own experiences from how he feels about witches and their ability to summon and bind the fae, and it's never occurred to him that he should. It's a vile practice in his eyes, and he'd do anything to make it stop, but this is useless, a transparent excuse to keep the fae out. He doesn't know if it's how she truly feels, but to him it feels like a veil for something a lot more vindictive and hateful.

"It's far easier to police us than it is your own kind, isn't it," he says, tilting his head and fixing her with a cold look once Eames is finished speaking. "We are only the victims and tools of the witches who practice dark magic, but instead of punishing them more harshly you take away our freedoms."

"It keeps us both safe," she corrects Eames. He isn't wrong about the rest of it, and she won't pretend otherwise. "My interest is in protecting my country and my city, and that is what this measure does. And we have other laws in place to prevent the use of dark magic and to punish those who practise it. Are your people aware that they are very welcome to pass through any area of London that is cared for by my school? Perhaps there is some work to be done there."

Her tone is mild. That's as diplomatically as she can put it. She's close to telling them to stay in the Other Realm where they belong, but she can guess how well that will go down.

Eames shakes his head, passing over the topic of Redbright territories. That way leads recursion, and Eames is fairly certain that just trusting Sylvia when it comes to areas that she alone controls will only lead to having the rug pulled out from under them.

"That's a nice speech, Ms. Redbright." Eames doesn't know how much he believes her, but she clearly believes herself. That's enough. "Practising for the coming election, are you?"

Rude, and practically a threat. Sylvia has to bite back a sharp retort. She at least will not rise to childish insults.

She folds her arms, offering a tight smile. "Why did you come here?"

Time for the fae to put up or shut up. If they want something, they'll have to ask for it.

Finnick smirks when the topic of the election comes up, and he almost lets out a cold laugh at her expression now. It's easy for him to be smug, even if they've come here because they don't know where else to go.

"You know we're not satisfied with the status quo, and we aren't going to give up until we get what we want." That almost slips out like a threat, but Finnick tilts his head and digresses, "However, we also suspect that you'd prefer to keep the focus on yourself until the election's over, rather than the problem of the fae. We've come to make a deal."

Fae and their deals. The smile remains switched on, frozen. She will have to choose every word even more carefully from now on. Promise nothing.

"I don't make deals with fae."

Not least because they're often magically binding.

Of course she doesn't. They never make deals until they do. Eames laughs and shakes his head, looking to his side at Finnick with his eyebrows raised. Totally disbelieving, "of course not."

He takes a thoughtful pause and starts like he's suddenly had a great idea, "fancy kicking up a bit of a ruckus in Lambeth next month, Finnick? Maybe rattle a few coffins in Lewisham?" It's obvious what he's doing, intentionally so, but the act is still important. When he looks back to Sylvia, it's mostly an afterthought. Like checking he hasn't double-booked himself, "oh. That won't interfere with your campaign strategy at all, will it?"

Finnick huffs a laugh and nods, raising an eyebrow as he rolls the idea around in his head. "It would be quite distracting, wouldn't it?" he says, tilting his head in faux-sympathy at Sylvia. "But it seems as if we don't have much choice, if there's no room for negotiation."

God, they're smug. They seem to think they've hit upon the one threat that will persuade her to give in to their demands. The problem is, they're not wrong. Sylvia would like nothing more than to set Illya on them and wipe the smile from both their faces, but she refrains.

Instead, she takes a breath, keeping her expression and tone as measured as possible. "Do you think I care about my campaign strategy when you threaten innocent people? My campaign strategy would benefit from another fae attack. Perhaps this is an alien concept to you, but people value security. When they're afraid, they vote for who they know. And if you are the cause of that fear, they will support striking you down." She shakes her head. "Neither of us want that. Why don't you tell me exactly what you do want from me, and I'll see whether I can help."

Edited 2016-03-24 21:12 (UTC)

Eames snorts, it'd be kind of interesting to see which way it goes for her if they did stir up a ruckus. She could build a campaign on dealing with the fae threat, but she's had her seat for so long; how could such a threat even come about on her watch.

But he won't push the topic, it's enough that Sylvia knows they're willing to make her life significantly more difficult than it already is. Eames shrugs a shoulder, glancing to his side at Finnick before he speaks.

"We simply want to be allowed to move freely, as we always have."

Finnick's expression is a little more sober now, seeing their deal on the brink of falling apart. Maybe they've pushed too hard or been too cocky, and maybe she has a point. He knows they could certainly make a fuss about her incompetence in keeping the fae threat at bay, but that would be a hail mary that they don't want to have to play.

"It seems like a small request to me, especially if it really was for our own good as you say," he says evenly. "We're even willing to stay quiet until the election is over."

She shakes her head. "Even if I wanted to, the other Council members would never allow it. Daybreak witches would never allow it. There would be protests in the street. I can't undo these spells without the backing of my covens." She pauses, thinking. "If we shifted one or two of the Daybreak territories into Redbright protection, then we would lift the barrier spells in those territories. I could make a case for that, but it won't work if your people continue to cause trouble, election or no election."

The fact is that it isn't a small request. It's a seismic shift in how the witches protect themselves; it would be like stripping away the roof of a house, leaving the people inside exposed to the elements.

So if they want their freedom, the fae have to earn it. Start with one territory. If they behave themselves, then she can make the argument to convert another.

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