knew_anyway: (So tie me to a post and block my ears)
Nathaniel || John Mandrake ([personal profile] knew_anyway) wrote2011-12-28 12:45 pm

Thirteenth Summoning [Accidental Video] || Overworked and Underpaid

[The feed clicks on to show Nat in his study- but unlike his public addresses, he's not sitting calmly at his desk, or even looking at the camera. Instead, he has his back to the device, reaching up to get a book from his top shelf.

His study is nothing short of painfully organized chaos. Stacks of books and loose papers seem to reach the ceiling. His walls are covered with chalk marks, very few of which are English. He has Japanese characters, foreign words, and even a hieroglyph or two- and of course, lots and lots of Latin interspersed, with dark, angry lines connecting words together or crossing sentences out entirely.

It looks very much like he's lost it, especially as he opens the book he'd just gotten, turning slightly so his face is profile to the camera. He hasn't slept in days, his hair is messy from the times he's ran his fingers through it, his shirt is untucked, tie loosened.

With a negative mutter, Nathaniel snaps the book shut and turns to cross out another line of foreign writing, letting the book drop to the floor by his feet in frustration.

He continues working tirelessly, unaware that he'd being recorded, until the feed shuts off.]




[[ooc: SOOOO to anyone who can speak a foreign language, the words he has written are all regarding names- names of deities in that language's culture mostly, but also little scrawls on statistics and probabilities and things relating to alternate worlds, dimension hopping, and Other Places.

I am JUST returning from being internetless as well, so all of Nat's, Rome's, and Regulus' tags will be done shortly <3 <3]]
flameandpassion: (Rei: Toushirou's on the roof again.)

[personal profile] flameandpassion 2011-12-30 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
No.

[Rei shakes her head slightly, frowning to herself.]

If this goes wrong, I'm going to take my share of responsibility. I'm not going to lie to him and place the blame on someone else. That's going to hurt him more than leaving him out ever will.

[Castiel has so many trust issues as it was. She isn't going to be the one to make them worse.]

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2011-12-30 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
[He shakes his head with a sigh.]

It doesn't matter. It's not going to go wrong.
flameandpassion: (Rei: Rolling in the deep.)

[personal profile] flameandpassion 2011-12-30 07:54 am (UTC)(link)
[She opens her mouth to argue -- because he can't know that for certain -- and her intuition is screaming at her that they're missing something -- but Rei closes it slowly, to close her eyes, to focus silently, before nodding to herself.]

-- the scientists are there because the Animus forced them out of the city. It fell to them.

[Quietly.]

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2011-12-30 08:03 am (UTC)(link)
[He nods.]

Did they say why?

[It's easier to focus on this. Nat can't muddle through his emotions any easier than he can fly- but this? Spirits, tactics, politics, potential danger? He was an expert at this.]

[identity profile] feel-nevermore.livejournal.com 2011-12-30 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Well I reckon it had a possible impact on our duty within the protection squad, but I trusted the members on my unit to be operational without my assistance over such a short lapse of time.

[A pause. And then she adds in a less business-like tone.]

We were all sworn to secrecy. Had it not been the case, I'd have told you.
flameandpassion: (Rei: Your moment of zen.)

[personal profile] flameandpassion 2011-12-30 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
They've been trying to contact us about the Animus for months, I guess, but their communications have been down. They don't trust the Animus, for obvious reasons. I don't know how much I trust their intentions or their goals.

[She's quiet for a second or two as she keeps her eyes closed.]

I felt anxious around them.

[identity profile] wingsandwill.livejournal.com 2011-12-31 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
She did?

[Story, Nat. Now.]

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2011-12-31 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
The scientists? I don't blame you.

[He glances off.]

It's their fault that everything is this way to begin with. I don't blame the Animus for feeling anger toward them.
flameandpassion: (Rei: Serious Business.)

[personal profile] flameandpassion 2011-12-31 03:40 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't, either.

[Finally, Rei opens her eyes, but she's staring aimlessly at the wall. For as much Rei doesn't trust the scientists, or their goals, or what they said to all of them -- and for as much as she wants to punish them for the suffering they've caused -- something keeps sticking, in her mind.

They did not refer to the Animus as spirits, or gods, or creatures.

They kept referring to them as monsters.]


I'm afraid, Nathaniel.

[She doesn't quite mean to say that, but once she does, Rei doesn't take it back. Her fingers press together tightly as she lets out a breath, before her jaw sets.]

I need to see this through until the very end. I haven't been trapped here for a year and a half at their mercy for nothing. So -- when are you doing this?

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2011-12-31 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
You're not giving me another choice?

[He turns back, looking at her sharply. She'd just admitted that she was afraid, he knew that- he had to quell his bitterness and let it go. But still, her insistence to come along could complicate things, even if she did help him with the summoning.]

-I haven't found out its name yet. I won't know until then.
taijiya: Any icons without credit are mine. Feel free to use, but please credit <user name="taijiya">. (What the fuck are you talking about.)

[personal profile] taijiya 2012-01-01 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
[video]

[Having caught a glimpse of a name or two of a kami she recognizes, Sango frowns.]

Exactly what is all that?
flameandpassion: (Mars: Give her back her dreams!)

[personal profile] flameandpassion 2012-01-01 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
It's a fire spirit of war.

[Even stare.

She's going.]

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 09:11 am (UTC)(link)
[He tilts his head- the bruise is still reddish on his cheek.]

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
[He stares at her right back for a moment, before shaking his head.]

Fine. But we need ground rules. This isn't some pompous djinn.

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
And you didn't see fit to tell me that half the force would be gone for days?

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
...research.

[He barely glances at the screen.]

[identity profile] feel-nevermore.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 10:36 am (UTC)(link)
John... I just said I couldn't tell you. [Tellingh him would have meant betraying the others and compromising the mission. And if he knew her just a bit, then he knew she'd never do that.]

Also I hardly believe that four people missing [Usagi, Rei, Hitsugaya and Raven.] can be called as "half the force".

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
A quarter of the force.

[Excuse him, he's still angry.]

That could have been a huge security breach. Even if you couldn't tell me where you were going, if you could tell me you'd be gone, I could shuffle the other units and prepare for it.

[identity profile] feel-nevermore.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I told you: I trust all the members of my unit. They could have answered any call in my absence.

[She doesn't feel responsible for the others who took part in the exploration of the Undergrounds. And yes, she knows there was no one left from Raphael's unit.]

And you know very well that I couldn't have told you I'd be gone without telling you were I was going.

[She's not your not!girlfriend, John. So why are you angry with her?]

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, you could have. It would have been very easy to inform me that you and three other members of the squad, including the entire power containment unit in Raphael's death would not be here.

[Sharply.]

It's not about trusting your squad, it's about putting them through additional work and danger because I didn't know to make it easier on them to make up for all four of you not being there.

[identity profile] feel-nevermore.livejournal.com 2012-01-02 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. So now I should also have told you about Rei, Usagi and Hitsugaya as well, is that it? Well excuse me, I didn't know I had been appointed responsible for the containment unit while Raphael's unavailable.

[She's glaring at you now, John. What's wrong with you?]

I did not put them through danger.

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-03 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
[He takes a deep breath, watching her evenly.]

By forcing them to operate without key people? Without a leader and without a backup unit?
flameandpassion: (Rei: Louder louder.)

[personal profile] flameandpassion 2012-01-03 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
Lay it on me.

[At once, without hesitation. Rei is all business.]

[identity profile] feel-nevermore.livejournal.com 2012-01-03 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
Trusting people implies that much.

...Also since when did this become my trial? From hearing you, one could think the whole operation was my idea.

[She snorts softly.] I'm glad to see you weren't too worried about my well-being at least.

[identity profile] knew-anyway.livejournal.com 2012-01-03 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
There is a difference between trusting someone to battle a giant and making it so they don't have to in the first place. Perhaps I was mistaken to trust all four of you.

[He shakes his head.]

This is getting us nowhere. Is there anything else?

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