Pieces on a chessboard

[brightwitch]

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!]

Comments

[akillersmile]

Kyle's not sure what to think about her laughter, but he's pretty sure he doesn't like it. He follows her silently into her office, closing the office door to a crack behind him and then moving to take a seat on the edge of one of the guest chairs. He can't help but feel pumped at speaking so directly to someone so powerful, knowing he's one extra stupid choice away from death, a curse, or something else entirely.

He's not the smartest, but he recognizes her immediately undermining his concerns. It reminds him of something a corporal once told him about that Sun guy - the famous general with his arts of war. Kyle's pretty sure whatever she's doing was one of the rules.

The soldier waits silently for her answers or elaboration.

[brightwitch]

Sylvia sits down too, clasping her hands in her lap. She's beginning to rethink this strategy of being nice to everyone. It leads her to absurd situations like this: sitting in a meeting defending her policies to a strange young man who knows just enough to have an opinion but not enough to have a well-informed one.

Well, too late now.

"You asked about Circle Midnight and vampires. Let's start with Circle Midnight. I have a duty to protect all witches. That includes protecting us from ourselves, and protecting others from witches who would use magic to do terrible things. Curses, human sacrifice, mind control. All of those things are what we call dark magic, and that is the magic practised by Circle Midnight. A lot of people have worked very hard over the past twenty years to end the practice of dark magic and to educate young witches to practise magic that helps people instead of harming them. Britain is a much safer place as a result of that work."

There's no hesitation or uncertainty in her answer. Sylvia has believed in this all her life.

[akillersmile]

Kyle listens intently and respectfully, not here just for show, but for an actual opportunity to learn something new. He's never been great about getting both sides of a story, all too keen to trust the one without fulling questioning. That's what got him into the mess with Cooper in the military and why he's more interested in getting more information now.

"Stopping sacrifices and mind control is good," he admits easily. "But if that magic's illegal now and Midnight's still practicing doing healing and whatever, doesn't that make them alright? If we take away the evil or malice from our enemies, doesn't that make them our allies? Or is it one of those 'you're with us or against us' things?"

[brightwitch]

Oh, the naivete. Does he really think making something illegal stops people from doing it?

"Have we taken it away?" she asks. "Making dark magic illegal doesn't make it disappear. We can't let that hard work go to waste or become complacent. We have to keep working, keep educating young witches, and keep putting a stop to dark magic wherever we find it. As long as Circle Midnight exists, we know that we still have work to do."

[akillersmile]

"Why? Why does calling it Circle Midnight automatically make it spooky evil?" He asks sincerely, though it's impossible to keep the frustration entirely from his tone. Not frustration with her, but with himself, his ignorance, the supernatural community. Cabals and factions, politics and guerrilla warfare. In spite of his time as a soldier, or perhaps because of it, Kyle misses the time when things were as simple as plays on a football field.

"And, for that matter, how do you know those illegal things aren't happening in Daylight too? ..Daybreak."

[brightwitch]

"Oh, we have measures in place to prevent Daybreak witches from using dark magic," she reassures him, "and they face the same charges if they do. I suppose when you hear the name Circle Midnight, it doesn't mean very much to you. It's..." She pauses, searching for an apt comparison. "When you hear the word "Mafia", how do you react? You know that they're a criminal organization, which means that anyone involved with them is likely to be involved in criminal activities. Of course you don't have to be involved with them to commit a crime, but you understand why the police would put in a lot of effort to monitor those they know to be members and to stop them when they can. Circle Midnight is an organization that doesn't just practise dark magic, it exists to encourage and promote dark magic as part of the craft. We know the people in it conduct illegal activities, because we have evidence that they do. Anyone who is a member of Circle Midnight is by definition supporting its values and activities, tacitly or otherwise."

She pauses, taking a breath, then shrugs.

"I don't believe that any witch is inherently evil. The real world doesn't work that way. But I have a responsibility to stop any witch who would harm another, and that is what I will continue to do."

She needs to draft some of this into her campaign speech, Sylvia thinks. This is good stuff. If she was in front of an audience, she would be getting wild applause right about now.

[akillersmile]

"Abigail isn't exactly a crime lord," he replies with doubt in his voice. It's clear Kyle's interested in her ideas and his doubt and confusion extend beyond Redbright's words. Those he's met from Circle Midnight have proven themselves to be kind, generous, and generally good. He's been given no reason to doubt them prior to now. The gravitas and authority that Redbright uses gives him pause in a way he never expected when entering the school.

Kyle shifts in his seat and leans forward, arms on knees, invested in clarifying the subject as much as possible. "Look, I get why you'd be worried if the old Midnight was like that. But why can't the new Midnight be different? You said yourself there are laws and I know there are Guardians. The government is paranoid and it constantly assigns monitoring of suspicious activity, but it's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Not sending Guardians in to ransack houses and laying down a forced treaty. If they're so bad, why the hell are you making deals with them anyway?"

[brightwitch]

Abigail? She raises an eyebrow. "So you've met Abigail."

Well, that explains a lot.

"I suggest you ask Abigail that yourself. The new Midnight isn't as different as she may lead you to believe. Ask her how many witches died when she led an attack on a peaceful community in Barnet. I stepped in to negotiate an agreement that would stop the violence from escalating–"

She stops then, looking up as she hears a knock on the door. It's her next appointment. Sylvia stands up, offering an apologetic smile.

"I'm very sorry, Kyle, but we've run out of time. Do speak to our staff or ask the Outreach team if you have more questions." Another knock, louder this time. Sylvia frowns, then calls out. "One minute, please!" She sighs, holding out her hand for Kyle to shake. "A pleasure meeting you, Kyle. Please pass on my regards to Faolan."

[akillersmile]

"I know about Barnet," he replies quickly as Redbright is distracted with the announcement of a newcomer, or previous engagements. Kyle frowns at the intrusion, knowing he's barely scratched the surface of a puzzle far too complex for a human of his background to understand without outright exposition.

He obliges her, endeavoring to be polite, standing from the chair with a nod. The smile is as shallow as the answers he's been given, but he can't blame her, coming to her home turf and accusing her of unfairness and prejudice. Kyle accepts her hand, giving it a firm shake. She's not his enemy, after all. He barely knows who is.

"Thanks for your time. Anyone else with Daybreak you think would take the time to talk to me?" He withdraws his hand. "You must have some appreciation for someone who's trying to learn what's right in this new world."

Kyle gesture vaguely to the room around them, indicating the whole school. A teacher should appreciate learning. Then he begins making his way out, waiting as long as he can for any recommendations or names she might give without entirely obstructing her prearranged meeting.

[brightwitch]

She's too distracted to consider his response, but when she reflects on it later, it will disturb her. He knows about Barnet and yet he still came here with a hostile attitude. Perhaps he doesn't know as much about the reality of it as he thinks he does.

Regardless, Sylvia smiles when he shakes her hand. "Try the Outreach team." She accompanies him to the door, as another thought occurs to her. "Oh, and we have an open day coming up in mid-April. There'll be lots of people around to answer questions– Alexandrie, sorry to keep you waiting..."

That's the Dean, her next appointment, waiting outside with a touch of impatience. Sylvia shows her in as she shows Kyle out. She probably hasn't had time to change his mind, but at least she might have made a start. For now, she has more important things to deal with.