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[rehandle]

@stephen.strange | ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

For Aerie AU event texts.

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[rehandle]

[ "have you been practising?" he wants to ask, because everything about this message is the most polite, professional thing he thinks he's seen from Hafid so far, and it's good.

but one wrong word could be the easy undoing. better not. ]

I am. Where's convenient?

[batricide]

[ Good. Because an inflammatory comment like that would've just ignited his temper. ]

Your place.

[ He needs to get out of his apartment. Out of the safehouse. Out of his head. ]

[rehandle]

[ it's a good job he's still just about clinging on to his apartment, huh. ]

I'll be here.

[batricide]

[ Stephen. Stephen get a job.

Damian turns up soon enough. He, unlike Stephen, is a working man and he's got a nasty cut on the side of his face from his work. Cheap shot, was distracted, gave it back twice as good as he got.

He's just straight to business, sending the file his way the second he's allowed in. ]

[rehandle]

[ he's got a family (unhappy collection of interuniversal misfits) to feed (vaguely attempt to corral into a safehouse), he doesn't have time (yes he does) for a job.

speak of one of the devils— Stephen's waiting in the lounge this time, remembering Hafid's distaste for eating or drinking at times of serious business. and immediately, a fileshare. ]

Hello to you too.

[ but he's opening it up, ready to take a look. which obviously isn't going to stop him from also commenting on other things from where he's already staring into the open air in front of him at the file. ]

I'll take a look at that, later, too.

[ a gesture made vaguely in Hafid's direction indicates his face. ]

[batricide]

It looks worse than it is.

[ in all honesty he probably shouldn't have been cocky enough to try to multitask, fighting at this point is 90 percent muscle memory, but it's fine. it makes the fights better if he allows himself to get a little roughed up. ]

It's a rough draft. I opted leave it rough so others can have their input. [ "have their input" might as well be in airquotes, but he'll take a seat where available. ]

[rehandle]

[ how bad it is can wait for after, the file taking his focus for now. the discussion he'd had with Markus shortly after speaking with Hafid had given Stephen time to think about the whole thing in more detail... but this, honestly, isn't a world away from that revised thought.

given a tweak or two, it's everything he and Markus discussed a need for. the coverage of the committees is wide and places no precedence, at least on "paper", on any one of the groups. all matters of life here equally important. ]

This is good. Discussion amongst specialized committees to bypass public debate, an opportunity for everyone to be heard included in the process, single voices left to tighten up the specifics.

[ a question, though - ] With that all in place, what's the need for the ambassadors?

[batricide]

Better to have this mess under control and under one umbrella than deal with a bunch of separate factions. "Ambassadors" keep everyone synced up.

[ The world worked better when it was just "the world" in his opinion. But his opinion shouldn't be counted. ]

And we'll be exposed sooner or later. These things tend to do better with a friendly face at the helm.

[rehandle]

Sure. But once we've gone through a process that allows those with the most expertise in an area, and the group as a whole, to come to a collective conclusion about the best solution to a problem - why then hand the friendliest face the option to send it back to the drawing board?

[ he understands. Hafid's got Markus at the helm in his head and while that's sensible on the one hand, a good choice, he's designed a system that really doesn't call for a leader. and one that is, in Stephen's opinio (and Markus', he knows), better for them. ]

We can have a spokesperson and someone in control of keeping the system oiled without handing them the reins to the whole operation.

[batricide]

[ It's indoctrination into dictatorship at its finest. The need to have someone at the top, telling everyone else what to do, to ensure the system is running smoothly. Because how else do things run without a leader?

Badly. Terribly. People are dead and everything you work for is in ruins, and you're in jail for making the world a better place.

Stephen makes a good point. But it clearly gives him pause. Sets the logical part of his mind in a heated argument with the more dominant emotional side. His brow furrows. ]

... You raise a point.

[rehandle]

I do. [ and it's clear that it's one which has set some cogs whirring. Stephen allows him a few seconds for those turning gears to catch hold before pressing. ] What are you thinking?

[batricide]

[ That it doesn't actually make sense to defer to someone because they're the one in charge, especially when you know better. And things like this were the reason they'd dismantled governments and rebuilt them to function better. ]

Keeping the ambassadors, remove veto power. [ Not a total lie. ] They should still present the idea.

[rehandle]

[ hang on. ]

Present what idea?

[ the idea of the displaced, the ideas discussed and settled on, or this idea? because if it's either of the former, fine, we can discuss that going forward. if it's the latter... ]

[batricide]

Any finalized plans to the collective group.

[ He knows he's not weaseling out of doing a show and tell in front of the class. He's been trying. ]

[rehandle]

Okay.

[ an obvious release of tension as gearing up for a battle on the merits of telling this himself no longer proves necessary. ]

In that case, I think you've got a sound working draft here.

[batricide]

[ His arms cross none the less, though. ]

There are areas to improve on but that can be done after it's been presented and additional feedback has been given. This probably won't go smoothly, and a lot of the trust in it will be banked on the faith they have in the people stepping forward and supporting it.

[ and again why him ]

[rehandle]

Yep.

[ agreement and no comment on the unspoken. he hears it loud and clear, and he's not giving it the time of day. ]

So. Have you got a battle plan in mind?

[batricide]

No.

[ Sullen. ]

[rehandle]

Alright. [ okay. time to initiate mission: don't let sullenness become a full-blown sulk before it's too late. ]

Describe to me what this is and why we need it.

[batricide]

[ He asked for this, he asked for it and he still hates every single second. ]

We need it because as we currently are, we're barely surviving on our own. We aren't surviving on our own, actually. If Morningstar cuts us lose we're screwed. This is a plan to make us self-sustaining and ensure that we're thriving as best we can, given circumstances.

[rehandle]

[ as Hafid talks, Stephen translates it into something that's both true and positive. the result is entered into a shared document, open for Hafid to view and edit. ]

This is a plan to make us self-sustaining and ensure that we're thriving as best we can, given circumstances.

As things stand we're reliant on Morningstar to survive in the world. This worked while things were new, while there was still a chance we were just passing through, but some of our number have been here for months and as we grow it's important we find a way to handle ourselves, both for our own sake and the sake of the agency we've been depending on.

Carry on.

[batricide]

[ He stops short. ]

And how exactly is this approach going to work when I have to answer questions?

[rehandle]

[ oh. ]

If you're comfortable with this part, I was planning on just being with you on the day to help live. I can coach a little now, but beyond that experience and a guiding hand is the best medicine.

[batricide]

I don't need a ghost writer. I can come up with the speeches and present what I have to anyone. I've sat warring countries down and forced them to sign peace treaties. I've brought tyrants to their knees and forced them to submit to a better world. [ under penalty of just, y'know, killing their self-serving leaders. ]

But I can't deal with morons who fight against what's good for them.

[rehandle]

I know you're more than capable. But the key word being "forced" in both of those contexts is what's going to have this fall on its face if you're not careful with the way you spin it.

It's the same principle when dealing with the "morons". You need to take what you want to say and put it forward in a way that makes it taste better to whoever you're speaking. Deliver the same plate back again with a different flavour applied - shows you've been listening, doesn't ultimately impact on your proposal.

[ not that Hafid's not already aware, but Stephen Strange is no people-pleasing saint. it's just easier to get your way if everyone else thinks they're getting theirs too. ]