[Action] House Meeting: October 5, Friday, 1pm

[mysterium_npc]

[At around 1pm Elias and Taylor can be found in the drawing room, along with an older gentleman with iron gray hair, a hawkish nose, and wire-rimmed spectacles. He is smoking a pipe which he seems to be in the habit of tapping nervously against the palm of his hand

Comments

[open]

[sandnsky]

Sorry t'sound rude, but 'm not sure I'm interested in fightin' your war for you unless I've got no choice.

[pushing away from a back wall and taking a step forward, spreading his hands.]

Sure, those ghost things were damn creepy an' if they keep comin' back it'll be a pain in th' ass, but I think you're coverin' up a lot with flowery words. I realize 'm not th' smartest, but I prefer things t'be said plainly, so let's be blunt.

If y'don't know what's goin' on, how're you expectin' us t'do anythin' about it?

[ideograms]

[Elias opens his mouth to answer but then has to pause--it's not the tone of Daisya's remark that catches him off guard but his choice of words.]

I don't think--

I'm sorry, but I might not be understanding you. I don't know what "war" you mean.

There is a threat, yes. A threat which involves all of you as well as ourselves. The forces of which we're speaking clearly entail no small degree of risk for us all.

We may know very little about what is going on, but if we are to find a way to send you all home then we are going to have to learn quite a lot more. That doesn't mean that the forces at work here will wait patiently in the wings while we uncover all the answers.

[disinters]

[Taylor, who until this point has been rather content to let Elias and Henry Armitage do the talking (because they do a much better job of it than he does) shifts a little where he stands and interjects.]

Whatever we're up against here we are out of our depth in a big way. [He shoots a sort of nervous look between Elias and Armitage.] Er... Well. Not a big way. [Another pause, a rethink, then he frowns and shakes his head.] No, I was right the first time, at least in part: we are out of our depth here in a big way

[sandnsky]

[Daisya looks from Taylor to Elias and back to Taylor. His expression is uncharacteristically grim.]

If I hadn't stumbled upon George when I did, I dunno if he woulda made it. 'm not sayin' he's a slouch or can't fight or anythin', I'm sayin' you can't fight those things with fyin' pans an' kitchen knives.

[He shakes his head, then, lifting his hands in a gesture of peace.]

'm not sayin' that your concerns aren't real. Obviously they are, I saw 'em myself. ... but you're askin' us t'fight for you while we're here, while you try t'find us a way home... an' who's gonna guarantee you're gonna do that? That's why I say I don't know if I wanna fight this war for you.

[With that he turns to Elias, eyes hard.]

You can call it what y'like. I said 'm not a fan of flowery words, so you'll hafta excuse that. This's just th' beginnin' of somethin' that's gonna be a long, drawn-out fight... so yeah, 's a war. Maybe 's on a smaller scale than what you or I're used to, but don't disguise it.

[He stops, then, and makes a frustrated sound. He's

[ideograms]

[Elias sighs rather heavily.]You seem, if I may be blunt, to be misunderstanding the situation, Daisya

[sandnsky]

[Daisya just shrugs. He doesn't particularly care about the specifics.]

Whatever y'say. If it takes protectin' you t'get us home then that's what we'll do. ... but 'm not gonna be used by anyone. [He shrugs again.]

[disinters]

[Taylor shifts a careful look between Daisya and Elias, noting Daisya's prickledness and what he had come to recognise over the years as Elias steadily losing his patience. After clicking his teeth thoughtfully and trying to come up with a way to express things differently he pushes a hand through his hair and gives it a shot.]

I think what we're saying isn't as one-sided as just asking you to protect us, though I do get the caution, we are pretty much strangers to one another.

Instead what we're saying is that working together as a unit may benefit all of us. We have skills you don't, you have skills that we don't. We're not trying to use any of you, and we won't force you to agree if you say no.

[He gives the boy a firm look, his 'teacher look', if you will.] But to turn the question around, why should we help you if you're not interested in returning the gesture?

[sandnsky]

[Daisya shakes his head.]

Don't misunderstand- 'm sorry if I haven't been clear. I don't wanna get caught up fightin' here an' not be able t'get back home in time t'be of any use. I don't wanna end up bein' useful here an' havin' you decide that it might be better t'keep me around, if that makes sense.

[He's visibly frustrated- he's never been good at speaking his mind and this is why he typically just lets Kanda or Marie talk for him. He can't keep relying on them, though, not when Marie isn't here and Kanda- well, Kanda is Kanda.]

Whoever's causin' this t'happen, an' I'm sorry I mistook it for you, is gonna hafta be dealt with. ... that could take a lot of time. [He trails off and then shakes his head. He's not even sure where he's going with this, he just knows he wants to go home, because this place is unfamiliar and the weapon he's come to rely on so much barely works at all. He feels rather helpless and he doesn't like it.] Heh, I don't even know if I can go home, so I guess I may as well be useful t'you here, yeah?