HOUNSLOW TERRITORY CLAIM

[reticence]

As per this month's faction reward, the Hillingdon Clan will successfully take the territory of Hounslow from the Redbright Institute.

Here is how that comes to pass and the agreements made to make it possible...

Comments

[reticence]

He glances at the other man, more than slightly uncertain with himself, having to explain it when asked so bluntly. It's good to talk about it here and now though, he knows. Sylvia will undoubtedly ask the same sorts of questions, and she won't be nearly as understanding as Lancelot of his fumbling response.

"Hillingdon is running out of space," he says, simply. "The more the demand for hunters, the more hunters there are. The more hunters, the more need for territory we have. Especially in such a time as this -- Hillingdon can stand up against the vampires. But we can't do that hiding away in our little corner of the city. We aren't looking for an alliance, we aren't looking to step into politics exactly. We're just looking... To be taken seriously, I suppose. The way we should be. The way everyone else is."

[knightscode]

Running out of space? Lancelot considers what Faolan says seriously a moment, turning over the thoughts and feeding himself as he considers it.

"You're contradicting yourself," he says finally, carefully. "You can't claim to be staying out of politics and also ask to be taken seriously as a faction. That's a political statement. Hillingdon has stayed out of things before, even if... the move seems small in the grander scheme of things, it would be significant because it has not been done before. I would... not lean on that. Sylvia will want something from you. If you want her to give up territory you can't let her think she's arming a potential threat."

[reticence]

Faolan frowns slightly, shaking his head as he does. "I suppose what I mean to say is that we are not looking to form an alliance with Redbright, nor are we looking to form an alliance against her. As far as what we can promise..."

They've spoken about that somewhat, back at Hillingdon, he and Arthur, he and Daryl, before he had come to Lancelot. "We're a faction of hunters," he says. "There are vampires running rampant across the city. I'm sure that there is something we have that Redbright might be willing to trade for..."

[knightscode]

"You know what she'll want," he counters, as gently as he can. "If you won't be an ally for her she'll want you to ally against something she doesn't like. At the moment, that's Islington. You can't have something for nothing, but..."

Lancelot hesitates, tilts his head slightly as he thinks.

"You could try and force the terms to be temporary. Make it about Harris specifically, if you wanted, since I doubt he'll survive in this climate. Or... make it less about who you're allying against and more about protecting her students, since you're edging into their territory."

[reticence]

Faolan nods slightly. He is no great fan of vampires, as he's sure that Lancelot knows all too well. But at the same time, he doesn't suppose that a permanent alliance against the vampires would work in their favor necessarily either. He doesn't want to back himself into a corner, not with his people, and not together with Sylvia Redbright.

"Protecting her students from what, though?" he inquires. "We will have to both agree on who the threat is coming from, otherwise what good is our protection for them. But perhaps we could get away with making it broader terms? To protect them from supernatural threat in general?" He raises an eyebrow at Lancelot, as if to question whether even the idea of it sounds far-fetched or not.

[knightscode]

"That's up to you," Lancelot says more quietly. "She will want Hillingdon to commit, and if you paint too broad a stroke you make yourself deliberate enemies with people. You need to decide what you're willing to take as a cost for that space. Do you want to protect Redbright's people from any threat, even if it turns out you paint a target on yourself for doing so? Or do you want to limit the risk? I think we both know what she'd want."

She'd want as much out of the agreement as possible. Sylvia is a smart woman, and she knows Faolan has little other choice unless he wants to pick a fight.