[Closed] from the table in the corner

[alittlesweptup]

Date & Time: November 14th, Evening
Location: Storage room off the east end loading dock
Characters: Super Secret Mutineer Club
Summary: The first and likely only group meeting of the mutineers.
Warnings: Plotting nefarious deeds
Notes: If you're on the mutineer team for the upcoming plot, get your revolutionary butt in here.

[A: SHOP TALK & TACTICS]
[While it's a slow trickle in - arrivals are staggered to keep from drawing too much attention - by the time everyone's assembled in the storage block off the east loading bay, it's begun to feel cramped and slightly less secret than it ought to be. But Charlie supposes that might just be a side effect of getting twenty odd people in a room meant for spare parts and a general anxiety about someone running their mouth when they ought not to.

He's not necessarily happy with everyone in the room - shares a few hissed words under his breath with Chloe about 'Those are children; who the hell dragged them into this?' - but it is what it is. So time to make the best of it.]

Oi, heads up. [Already a tall man, Charlie's hard to miss as he climbs up on one of the crates in the storage room. He raises his hand, snapping his fingers a few times until the low murmur of the room falls quiet.] Alright, I'm not going to waste anyone's time here. We all know why we're here - we deserve more than the Initiative's been giving over to us and can’t waste time sitting about while they come to the same conclusion. So-- [Charlie pauses; those are a lot of faces looking back at him.] --let’s not make a mess of it, shall we?

Which means [Chloe's quick to step in from behind, taking at least some of the pressure off Charlie's impressively diplomatic start.] we all know what it's gonna take to pull through this without making it any harder than it has to be. [She glances at Charlie briefly, goes back to staring out at the gathered crowd. Just as casual as ever. ] We need to slip in, grab the transporter and hold onto it for as long as it takes for us to get what we want.

What we deserve.


[B: ~*~MUTINY MIXER~*~]
[It's not much of a party without snacks. Sure, rebellions aren't all about punch and pie, and most revolutionaries prefer to starve for their ideals, but most revolutionaries aren't Chloe and Charlie. A few crates have been stacked against the far wall to lay flat as something of a makeshift table, and once the discussion winds down Chloe heads over to set out a wide variety of-- food. Sort of. Stale cookies and bottled water, left over MRE packs with the moon's sorriest excuse for silverware.

Whatever, she tried.] If anyone's hungry and needs a quick bite before heading out the door, help yourselves.

[Seriously for the love of god, someone eat the cookies. They’ve been growing slowly stale and crumbled in their room for over a week and Charlie can’t stomach the idea of trying to haul them anywhere else.]

And no one leave all at once. Twos and threes at a time.


((ooc: All responses to A should go in the shop talk sub thread; anything to do with option B/post meeting schmoozing and CR building can be individual threads!))

Comments

*~*~*~*Mixer*~*~*~*

[hellosailor]

[Victor's at a disadvantage here. He doesn't know any of these people, not really. Isn't sure who he can rely on and who he can't. He needs to figure it out, and quick. So he's stuck here but-

God.

He rubs his fingers against his foreheads, can't quite bring himself to look up. Chloe'd assured him she was a thief, said she'd worked with him, but... Look, this isn't a goddamn PTA meeting. They were supposed to be professionals. They had a job, they did it, then they got what they wanted and parted ways. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am. This was not professional.

He was beginning to think he'd gotten himself mixed up with a bunch of amateurs with stars in their eyes and big dreams in their hearts. This was a bad idea. But honestly he didn't have a better one. This situation was unacceptable, and while he'd normally just oh, fly under the radar, he couldn't very well with this opportunity dropping into his lap.

So, cookies.]

[deadlybanker]

[Giovanni probably looked like one of the 'amateurs', what with his lace trimmed clothing and old style tunic, but that was purposefully deceptive. He was an assassin, trained from a young age in the skills and tenets of the Brotherhood.
He slipped through the crowd silently catching the snippets of conversations the others had. There were some doubts in the crowd, others who were ready for anything... and then the gentleman with the cookies.

He seemed, pensive... or perhaps hungry?

With a friendly smile this man was the one he chose to approach. ]

Those cookies must be very good? You have been standing near them for some time.

[hellosailor]

[He doesn't hear the guy until he's right up next to him, and the shock puts him in a worse mood. He starts- his hand leaving his face and a little tense through the shoulders. But he's supposed to be playing nice so-]

That's because they're giving me a bad feeling. I've been to uh- more of these things than I'd like to admit. A lot of them are pretty ragged but I don't think I've ever seen anything as bad as this.

[You know, a surprising number of clients turned out to be "secret organizations", clandestine groups of self-obsessed rich guys. Handshakes. Robes, on one notable occasion. But this was still worse. The cookies speak for themselves, a little sad and desperate.]

Victor Sullivan. Friends call me Sully. [He offered his hand, all charm again] How'd you get roped into this disaster?

[deadlybanker]

[Clandestine groups of secret organizations with robes... nope, he would no nothing about those. It seemed Victor was rather destined to work with such people, but at least the assassins were trying to free the transports and had no evil intentions.]

The result of the sad state of rations on the moonbase. Fortunately I believe the cookies are optional.

[This said with a light smirk before accepting the man's hand for the greeting. ]

Giovanni Auditore. I knew a few people who intended to join and met a few others who would later speak of this to me.
But, why call it a disaster? Do you feel we do not stand a chance of success?

[hellosailor]

Thank god for that, if those two [he makes a short gesture in Chloe and Charlie's direction] made them they're probably poisonous.

[He's willing to bet their total culinary skill amounts to macaroni and cheese. At least Chloe's. He shakes the hand quickly, and nods.]

Pleasure. Ah yeah, sounds familiar. [Other people could get you in a bind, that's for sure]

Oh it's just you know... cookies. Code names. Badges. It's very uh, optimistic. I'm not saying we won't get it done [he's certain they will], I'm just not sure that everyone here is prepared to be villains, if you catch my meaning. Lotsa bright, wide eyes.

[deadlybanker]

Then I had better avoid them as well! It would not do to be poisoned before a conflict.

[He teased but the conversation soon took a more sombre whispered tone. It might not do to have concerns overheard by too many when there were some already uncertain about this.]

Capisco.

[(I understand)]

And I agree there are many here who might be found unprepared for the backlash this could result in, but is it naive to hope this action might help usher in a new way of thinking? If the reasons behind our revolt are made known it might inspire others to think outside of what the Initiative tells us. Even if we fail we might still succeed.

[He sighed though as his eyes scanned the crowd. So many of them were young and clearly untrained... this revolution could certainly have benefited from more time and...]

But, I do wish there had been more time to give them some instruction. We are not really a trained fighting force and I doubt we will be able to hold our positions without some skill in that area.

[hellosailor]

[Sully sucked his teeth, seemed to consider the proposal before shrugging] I'm not saying it's hopeless. Hell, obviously I think there's enough reason here for me to get involved. But I'm not doing this for the good of everyone. I'm doing it because I'm not happy with the whole damn situation. Can't guarantee everyone else is the same.

[He laughed at that. Yeah, amateurs. He'd seen a kid. Like, a real kid. To say this was an untrained force was an understatement.]

Well, dunno about that. I don't think fighting is going to be the ticket here. Even if our little rebellion didn't look a little bottom-of-the-barrel. You know they've got vampires? I can't fight a goddamn vampire. Nah, trick's going to be subtlety. Tricks. The less people know the better. At least until our glorious leaders solve all of our problems.

[deadlybanker]

[That was an understandable position, but it was not why Giovanni fought. ]

I share your frustration with the current regime. I never agreed to come to the moon, in fact I had made other plans... That is reason enough to act. But, for me working for the freedom of everyone is the even greater goal.

[Sully had been kind enough to share his reason for joining the rebellion with him it only seemed fair to share what he wished to gain from this as well.]

I wonder how many play chess. When I mentioned being a trained fighting force I meant also when it comes to strategy. I am certain there will be fighting, there are very few rebellions that go entirely peacefully, but traps and tricks might help to prevent some of that.

[Vampires? It was the first he had heard of them but he smiled wryly.]

I had thought the dragons might give us more trouble.

[alittlesweptup]

[Satisfied that the whole lot of the room isn't going to go flooding out into the loading dock (because that wouldn't be suspicious at all), Charlie cuts his way over to Sully. There's a no nonsense sensibility to the angle of his shoulders, the flat line of his mouth. Now that he's square on where they stand - because you can bet your ass that Chloe forwarded him most of that shared conversation, Victor -, he isn't half so cagey.]

I see you managed to track down a pair of trousers.

[hellosailor]

And aren't you grateful. Some fella who thinks he's James Bond gave me a spare.

[And look, Sully liked James Bond but he knew damn well he was both fake and also didn't look like that. He had a personal fondness for Sean Connery, and he didn't look anything like him. Or that new fella, what was his name, Dalton?]

Well, you think you're ready for this? Have to say, I don't envy the weight on your shoulders.

[alittlesweptup]

[Charlie opens his mouth to correct him-- and then thinks better of it. Or at least puts a temporary hold on it because what's to be ready for? Which isn't to say he's stupid or that thinks there won't be consequences, but if he thinks that far ahead--]

That's sweet Sully, but you don't have to worry about me. [A beat, then like it's an afterthought and not something he's been waiting to say:] And Bond's genuine by the way.

[Because let's be real, he can't keep off correcting Sully (or anyone) about James Bond given the opportunity.]

[hellosailor]

[Sully smiles with too many teeth. It's not sweet at all. He doesn't know how this is going to go down but he does know that while a lot of people'd be able to dodge the flames that might result, Charlie Cutter wasn't going to be one of them.]

You're kidding me. He's shorter than I woulda pictured.

[Still, pretty impressive. He looked like a brawler, actually Different than Sully would have pictured. But he did seem plenty dangerous] Well, now I'm real grateful he's on our side.

[He didn't fancy the idea of going toe-to-toe with James Bond. That was a man who knew how to fight dirty. He'd much rather fight some heroic asshole with an overblown honor complex.]

[alittlesweptup]

[Charlie smiles back at him, equally broad and just about equally genuine. Which is to say: not very. He knows a thing or two about fire and jumping out of it (though without the direct experience of what comes after - and maybe that's the part that's important).]

He's no Connery, but we make do.

[And James had better be out of the room at this point, because Charlie'd prefer not to have the man overhear them waxing poetic.]

[hellosailor]

Aw hell, who is?

[He felt reflexively in his pockets and then stopped himself. He was burning through the damn things too fast. Wasn't likely to turn up a crate full of them anytime soon. Would sure as hell need them if they got caught.]

Well then, you got any last minute advice? Still a little in the dark here you know. There's no, I don't know, creatures from the black lagoon I should be watching out for or anything? At this point I wouldn't exactly be surprised but I would like to know.

[theflyingone]

[ Altaïr himself has misgivings as well. This is a man who removed his ring finger in order to use the hidden blade in his bracer, who swore oaths to the Assassins, who keeps their Creed at the risk of his own life. How much conviction do each one of the people here have? Will they even stand a chance against the Initiative? Will they turn and run if things turn bad?

He has taken to wandering around, sizing up everyone here. His step is quiet, and if it wasn't for his robes (antiquated, here in the future) he would have passed unnoticed. But it seems his façade as a well-armed scholar is more out of place here than back home. ]

If you are worried about something to do with this mission, now is the time to speak. No one accomplishes anything sitting and rubbing their head.

[hellosailor]

[Ah, one of those fellas dressed like Shakespeare. Great. At least he sounded armed.]

No one likes a negative Nancy. If you're not worried about this mission you're doin' it wrong pal.

[He sighed, shifted himself into a more upright position, shoulders back, before offering his hand]

Victor Sullivan. I've just seen enough of these things go south. I don't even know which way is south on the moon.

[It sounded like a fine bit of nonsense and to an extent it was. Look, he'd done plenty of, ah, spontaneous things in his life. Dangerous, stupid, poorly planned things. But he liked to have a handle on them when he could. He liked to know the worst thing that could happen was, oh, getting shot at or banged up in some two-bit jail. He did not like to know the worst thing that could happen was being shot into space.]

[theflyingone]

[ He approaches the offered hand. Antiquated is right; Shakespeare is after his time. His clothes are a mix of 12th century European and Levantine scholar's robes. Abstract lines in the old style twine on the metal of his bracer and the fastener strapping a long knife to his back. The sword at his hip gently curves and sports a golden handle. There is dust on the hem of his robes and nicks on his metal. A host of small throwing knives can be seen on his belt, shoulder, and greave. ]

Altaïr.

[ His calloused fingers give a firm but measured grip as he shakes his hand. He nods in agreement and lightly drums the fingers of his other hand against his sword hilt. He's still restless after the meeting... He doesn't understand all Victor's idioms, but he gets the gist. ]

If we do not expect something will go wrong, we cannot adapt to unfavorable surprises when they occur. So what is it about south that is bad?

[ Idioms. ]

[hellosailor]

[Guy's got a good firm handshake, so Victor trusts him to be about as crooked as he is. Which is good, he doubted straight shooters were gonna fly well in these twisted halls. And he seems dangerous, like a string pulled tight, which Victor usually welcomed in his cohorts but, well- they were trying not to hurt anyone. He hoped this guy, and a few other well-armed sorts, got that message.]

True enough. You're with me right? I figure we're going to need a fall-back position in case our back-up plans don't work.

[He laughed. Good job Sully, turns of phrase to a guy from the past who is also not American.] Aw, it just means down. Poorly? Doesn't matter.

[theflyingone]

[ Only a month in, and he's restless. Many people had been here longer, but birds don't do well in small cages. Especially birds of prey. ]

Down, yes, as on a map. Speaking of maps, it would be wise to obtain a few for our teams if we haven't already. I have one [ he gestures to his head, ] but I do not have information such as where the control... cabinets? ...are located. As for a place to hide, where better than among the people? Simply fade back into the crowd as if nothing has happened...

[ It works for him, anyway. ]

[doubleoohbaby]

[James has been lurking. He's good at that, surprisingly so considering how unsubtle he can be.

There'd been plenty for him to listen to and not much he felt the need to be vocal about. His presence was enough of a show of support. Now was merely the time to be scoping out the 'team' that'd been set up. And what a bunch they were.

But hell, at least there were a few familiar faces.]

Feels more like a Woman's Institute meeting than a rebellion. [Slipping in beside Sully quietly to stare at the cookies in company. His tone, despite his words, isn't negative. Amused if anything; the ridiculousness of it all rather appeals.]

[hellosailor]

James.

[The greeting is level-enough but he can't quite keep the edge of a smile off of his face. Turns his bad mood right around. It's too much, no amount of poker face really prepares you to greet James Bond by his first name.]

Yeah it's a bit [he waves his hands around vaguely] knitting circle, isn't it? Well, at least you're here, gives me a little more confidence.

[It was a good sign. He'd pegged him for dangerous before he knew who he was (or claimed to be, he's still not one hundred percent on that one). If he was half-as capable as movies made him out to be they were getting a real asset here.]

You know though, I'm kind of surprised. Aren't these initiative people supposed to be royalty or something? Whatever happened to Queen and Country my friend?

[It's clearly a joke, but he is actually a little serious. He knows why he's in this game, he's not so sure on everyone else's reasons. Sure he'd say his were universal enough to start shit, but apparently not everyone agreed. If the small size of the group was anything to go by, at least.]

[doubleoohbaby]

[He grunts at the idea of installing confidence in anyone, but he's not going to complain about it. This group needs every bit of confidence they can muster.]

This Initiative don't stand for anything of what Great Britain once was- Although it's better for both of us if I avoid going into Churchill-esque ramblings on the matter. There's a time and a place for patriotism, and anarchy on the moon seems very much bad timing for a lecture on the greatness of a virtually non-existent country. [For a guy as generally stoic as James, he has a lot of feels about Queen and Country, okay. Don't even get him started.]

[hellosailor]

[QUEEN AND COUNTRY.

That was a lot of British-ness, Victor thought. Pretty good reasoning though, besides, those guys had managed to get what was left of the GB blown off the damn map anyway so he supposed he couldn't blame Bond's dislike.]

You're right, we'd need a lot more hooch for that little conversation.

[He shifted, turned to face Bond more face-on. Leaned his hip against a nearby crate to perfect a look of utter indifference.]

So, what's your role in this whole thing?

[doubleoohbaby]

[Oh so casual. James can't help the slightest quirk of his lips at the casual leaning and general air of disinterest. Gotta appreciate a bro who can manage that.]

Defence. Of the physical kind, I imagine. [Caaaaasually rolling a broad shoulder.]

[hellosailor]

Can't say I envy you then. Sounds like you'll be in the thick of it.

[Victor hadn't exactly asked for a cushy side-mission but he certainly hadn't turned his nose up at it. Staying out of trouble seemed like a smarter plan by far.]

I hope for your sake you only run into normal people then.

[Rude Victor, don't be such a speciesist.]