[IP] Uncaring Stars Options

[Thanee]

Nova also introduced herself.

<< @bnc: I actually already gave him his backpack like two minutes ago. >>

[Gilga]

Anna comments >> Yes, give Carl his toy back. @bnc I was surprised too about how being outed as a 'vampire hunter' means you are on the run. I mean, there are open bounties for vampires back home.

[Volker]

<@team <that was indeed unforeseeable. im angry bc he/u exposed us & our participation in this thing. we had the adv. of surprise>>

[Crossbow]

Taurus will take the anger he is feeling right now and try to use it constructively. He will be visibly more angry and tense as he stares a hole in the dwarf. Anyone close to him can hear his teeth grinding.

>>When this is done, we will have a conversation about our roles and responsibilities.

[Volker]

<@all <fine by me>>

[Gilga]

Anna listens to the conversation, but makes no attempt to take any side between bnc and Taurus. Instead she tries to make up her mind if she trusts Lizzy and Carl. Things seem to fit their info, but sometimes things are not what they appear to be. Then again, the recent chain of events seems very random too random to fake it.

Might I ask what were you planning to do at the gallery? Clearly you did not plan to face possibly 13 vampire mages all alone.

[Jack_Spade]

"I told you - I was reconneutering the place - a task that I couldn't finish by the way. I had the vague idea of sabotaging the leyline at a critical moment and make the ritualists enjoy some backlash."
Lizzy replied, still a bit acidly, but all in all friendlier than before.

[Thanee]

"As I said before, sorry for how it all went down. I hope, you understand our position as well. Either way, we are going to stop the ritual and would be happy to hear from you, so we won't hinder each other. Other than that, I believe we are running in circles here, so let's just part with that for now. We can put our energy into way more useful things than this."

[Jack_Spade]

"On that I can agree." Lizzy replied. "As I said, I'll research the information that you have given me and contact you again if I come to the conclusiont that this isn't an elaborate setup to infiltrate and destroy the Hunters."

[Thanee]

"Right. Guess we'll hear from you soon then. See ya."

[Volker]

"Vše nejlepší! Uvidíme se!"

[ Spoiler ]

"All the best! See you!"[/color]

[Crossbow]

Taurus will watch the dwarf and the boy leave, then turn to look at bnc, he never changes expression.

[Gilga]

Anna waves, and then once the dwarf leaves says "These vampires do not sound so easy to handle, for once the hunters are afraid of the vampires rather than the other way around. Fighting in the gallery would put us at a disadvantage as the statue will make their magic stronger and mine weaker, so we need to be very smart about it."

[Volker]

James turns towards Taurus, ignoring tactical talk for the moment.

"So, what is is you'd like to discuss?"

[Thanee]

"It sounds like those vampires have a pretty strong position here, which makes them scary, of course, as that gives them more confidence. You would be pretty dumb, to not at least give them a healthy dose of respect."

[Crossbow]

"When we started working together, I made it clear that I came from a more structured and professional environment. I was told that we wouldn't be functioning that way so I have done my best to use my talents to the benefit of the mission. I do expect though, that at a minimum I can count on you for respect and professional courtesy, to include having my back against others. If that is a problem for you we need to address it here and now, so I know what to expect of you and I will not be caught off guard again."

[Volker]

bnc lets that think in for a split-second (an eternity for her), then James replies in the same formal manner: "I understand that my indication of disapproval in front of a possible ally can be regarded as a breach of etiquette, and apologize. I'd like to point to point out, however, that my frustration persists. You are right, unfortunately, that we lack a proper command structure. Would that it were different - I tried to establish such structures, and not with me on the top, if that's what you fear.
Given that at neither Anna, nor, I believe though I didn't ask specifically, Nova appear to be inclined to integrate themselves into such structures, there is a need to find a modus operandi that comes closest to a structure. The minimum requirement for that, I believe, is to double-check actions that might or are going to drastically change our situation with the team. Charging off without coordination, outing us or allies in public and such are things you should not do on your own. That said, I am going to show you the proper respect, but I expect you to do the same - id est, including us in decisions that affect us."

James' voice is perfectly calm and polite. There is no hint of sarcasm or sneer in it, but also no affection.

[Crossbow]

"Well, here is the problem with that line of thought. I did talk about making contact with them and the only response I got before you all ran off was that you, personally, wouldn't be good at it. Apparently I am supposed to, by that logic, put your authority over my actions which we have never determined previously, and by your displeasure at your own inadequacy, do nothing. Sorry, I couldn't read your mind, but that isn't going to happen."

Taurus is not threatening anyone, but he is angry.

"Apparently I am not only supposed to be a mind reader, but I am also supposed to understand some niche fear that a vampire hunter is something bad in Croatia, when I have no reason to know that. I said we should make contact, in my position as the walking target, I assumed it would be me doing it unless someone else volunteered. I pulled the trigger, it went badly, shit happens. If you catch a bad break doing whatever it is you do on the web, I am not going to hang you out to dry, we just deal with the cards as they fall."

[Volker]

James neutral expression turns into a glare. "You know, Anna, why I keep bullying people? Because everytime I try being civil, one of those drekheads will be sure to try and bully me.

Now, listen, you dim-witted piece of muscle. First, keep your fucking passive-aggressiveness for yourself. That suits a twelve years old girl and not a shadowrunner. If you refuse to be professional and keep your petty insults to yourselves, then at least don't try to mask them like one gay dandelion eater. If you lack the self-control to be civil, don't try to make it up with brains you don't have.
Second, we're in the fucking Czech republic. How the fuck do you presume to make decisions if you can't keep track of the run?
Third, you were not being critized for outing the vampire hunters but for outing us. I feel like talking to a stubborn youth, really. You have no idea what the grown-ups are talking about but you just talk back because you feel you must.
Fourth, you don't need to be a fragging mind reader if you understand the term "shadow them unnoticed" - which was the current approach in discussion.
And fifth - can you not just fill your role? They are the faces, you are the muscle, I'm the decker. They do the talking, you do the shooting, I do the decking. Is that so fragging incomprehensible?"

[Gilga]

Anna tries to concentrate, though she struggles with the heated debate between James and Alex. She says "We need some sort of plan, or equalizer. Perhaps we can rig the place with gas grenades and trigger them when the ritual starts? I am not much of a planner but brute force seems a bit of a starch in this particular case."

Looking at Taurus and James she comments When you lovebirds finish the foreplay, we'll appreciate your thoughts on how to finish the job

[Crossbow]

"Being a bully is pretending like you are a badass when you are really weak, I am not bullying anyone, and I am certainly not weak. That is something you should really remember the next time your remote-controlled mouth insults people."

Taurus turns to Anna, as well as Nova, and replies, "I appriciate this attempt try and mitigate this conflict, but your input at this point is required. I am not moving forward without an understanding of how things are going to operate. If you two believe I am simply a hired gun for you to point at people, I can take that role, with everything that entails. If not, then you need to deal with this situation as it stands, because I will not going to sit here and be a verbal punching bad for an overpriced tinkertoy and let that be the end of it."

[Thanee]

Nova sighed. Then she tried real hard not to laugh at the constant mentioning of bullying in context with a minotaur. With her level of self-contol, she managed that pretty well.

"Alright. My point of view. We are all equals here. This is not a corporation. We all took the job, noone is above anyone else. Everyone should work as part of a team and do what they can to help each other and ensure the success of the mission. Now, I tend to accept when another person's expertise in a given situation is above my own, like Anna knows more about magic and bnc knows more about what is going on in the 'trix. So, if they think something has to work a certain way, they probably have a good reason for it, when it comes to their area of expertise. Does that mean they are always right? Certainly not. Tasks should be assigned to those best-suited for them. That is not always possible, but it is the ideal we should strive for. That thing in the gallery, it happened. We cannot turn back time. Noone really understood the reverberations of it back then as we do now. Obviously, these hunters have a pretty hard time here, so it is understandable, that Lizzy didn't take that too well. I guess, we should just all try to be a bit more subtle with situations like these in the future. No point in dwelling on it. Learn from it, that's what mistakes are for. The ones you still live afterwards, that is."

"One more thing, bnc, did it ever occur to you, that when there is some tension, it always involves you? I'm not saying here, that anything of this is your fault. But you really have a talent to get yourself into these kinds of messes, girl."

[Gilga]

Anna sighs impatiently, but she takes a deep breath and speaks her mind without any form of judgement "bnc is a control freak, she needs order and works best with a plan. She gathers data, orders it neatly, analyzes it, establishes team channels and examines the teams equipment. She looks for the team first and tries to get it working as a whole, but she lacks the social skills to make following her lead pleasant. Which explains why the conflicts are always with bnc. She tries to fill a role that she technically can do - but we cannot let her do because of the way she makes us feel.

Nova and myself are a lot more social, but we are more improvisers, we adjust within the situation and are more comfortable when someone else has a masterplan. Taurus is inflexible from a lifetime under managers that all received the same training, and follow the etiquette, patterns and rules of the cooperate world. He is used to well defined roles, and sets of responsibilities, and to rules, discipline and commitments. He probably sees us as a bunch of misfits that cannot hold a real job.

Taurus you are not a bodyguard, you play a very lucrative, and dangerous game you do not punch a clock, there is no need to trap you in a strict definition of what you can and should be doing. bnc there are was to critique that allow you to make your point more briefly and with less friction. Use them in the future or at least let me enchant you before you enter a volatile situation that distracts us from what we should be doing to how we all feel about one another.

We are very different people but we are in the same boat together, friction between us is inevitable. There is a real problem at hand, and we need to be talking about ambushes and vampires rather than bicker about who is better at their job."

[Volker]

Somewhere, in the safehouse, bnc stirs and applies a silvery patch to her neck. She sighs in relief, unheard, then James replies in a calm, even relaxed way.

"We don't bicker around who's doing their job better. He's doing his job better, I'm doing my job better. There's no question about that. Again, it's also not about him revealing the vampire hunters, though I would argue that outing people who are working in secret usually is a bad idea, if we wouldn't have more important discussions at hand.
We're not being on the run, so we can take five minutes to sort out social dynamics here.

Yes, Nova, I'm aware that it always involves me, and has, long before you joined our group. And the answer is what Anna says: Because someone must care for the team and not just improvise their way through a fucking shadowrun. You act like all that counts is your own performance and whether we as a team go to hell doesn't matter drek. Reckless actions have put us into danger more than once, and you leave the drek for me to address. Frag, that would be your task. You're the faces. Socials is your responsibility. I'm jumping in because you're not doing your job. Do it, and I'm more than happy to just shut the fuck up. But do it properly. Being a face doesn't always mean to just smile, ignore issues until a tower with horns forces you to take up position, and pet everybody's feelings. It's also about showing presence, and stand in for something.
Oh, and by the way, that also affects myself, too. I know I fucked up pretty well, too. As, for example, when I announced us to the first set of blood mages before you were on site. Or maybe it was even a bad idea to kidnap Lizzy, I don't know. Confront me. Push me back. Do your goddamn job."

James cranes his neck and rolls his shoulders, but doesn't stop speaking, still in a quite but relaxed voice.

Now, Taurus, I said it and I'll say it again. I don't see myself above you. But I also don't see you above me, and at the moment, you're acting it. I apologized for insulting you in front of Lizzy, then tried to discuss this in a very civil and polite manner. It says a lot about your character that you replied with more insults, and would probably bite your dick off before you'd apologize to anyone. Fine by me, keep your pride if you must. I'm above this kind of pettiness. Let's move on. I will agree to keep insults to myselves and doublecheck with the team before I do any rash actions, if you do the same. And that goes for you, too, chicas. I want your word on it."

[Crossbow]

Taurus looks utterly confused "This would be me insulting you, for future reference, you are a complete headcase and you need a lot of therapy as well as needing to learn just a bit more social ability than a malaria carrying mosquito. You drove off the face that you had for the team, no one else here really qualifies. Now that you have that straight, and I know I am not the only one who is annoyed with you, I think we can move on."

The minotaur shook off the look and straightened his clothes, "So it is said, though I couldn't have possibly known this and don't really think it happened, I am sorry if approaching the dwarf was a bad move. And I really don't like it that you all seem convinced that she is suddenly helping us, but since that was the original goal, I will go along with it."

"I am not opposed to a brute force approach, it worked pretty well the last time. No offense to Anna, but when the mage is dead it is hard to do magic."