Meeting of the Minds

[breakfastmetaphors]

Who: Everyone who chooses to participate
Where: Breakneck Cay
When: December 5th
What: A summit to get down to business and get this situation sorted out, L-Elf-style
Warnings: Possible violence?
Style: Any
Status: Open

Upon arriving on Breakneck Cay, if you can navigate the shoals safely and find safe mooring, you'll notice that the beach is more or less abandoned unless you count the countless shipwrecks an snarled piles of debris strewn across the shore. If you approach the jungle, you'll notice a makeshift sign pointing towards a path leading into the trees. There's a lengthy note tacked to it with a detailed map, an exhaustive list of rules and etiquette for participating in a military summit, and probably more if anyone actually got past the part with the map.

The meeting is to be held in a strangely silent clearing. Upon arriving, you'll find L-Elf sitting on the huge stone in the center, fast asleep. It's immediately obvious that this is not a social occasion or it at least wasn't planned by someone with any idea how to make guests feel comfortable. There's nowhere to sit except on the ground and definitely no refreshments. It might be a good idea to send someone back to the ship to pick something up if you want to make it through this thing.

Comments

[youhearthebells]

It'll be a cold day in hell...

[right now Marco's Spades are right up there with Wei and anyone surnamed Cao on his list of People I Will Never Ally With, No Way No How]

[redcinemareel]

Hmm? For what? Being polite?

[She's not sure what he means, since she made no mention of being his ally. She's pretty picky about whom she allies with, and if he's going to act that way at Marco and his crew, there'd be little point of her expecting him to be an ally.]

[fierybluebird]

[A fun advantage to being a bird is the hearing. When you're equipped to pick up on the tiniest cheep three miles away, a full loud argument isn't difficult at all.]

[The phoenix is uncharacteristically tense throughout the initial stage, and it does take effort to remain stoically deadpan, as if he's just an exotic parrot, not someone with a very good reason to be emotionally vested in this.]

[Worse, he's more concerned about Thatch, and that tends to make Marco overprotective to the point of blatantly genocidal, and several worlds over know it by now.]

[But because Grell handles it so deftly, Marco calms down almost immediately and quietly whistles appreciatively to Thatch.]

If I could steal Grell to our world, I would, yoi.

[thatched]

[she would have fun there, no doubt about that. He comes a bit closer to the discussion, trying not to loom over everyone though it's so damn hard. Still...]

Grasping for a place is a pirate's way, mate. But whether we want to stay here or go home, there's no denying the Navy will be after us whichever we decide. I don't see why we can't all work together against them, if only to keep what's ours.

[youhearthebells]

[looks up, and whoops again. He's fairly certain this guy is a Spade. So they did show, after all.

It takes a lot of effort for someone like Gan Ning to steer his expression away from a scowl, but he manages. Mostly.]

That's all fine and good. I ain't got a problem with that. But I seen what happens when people united against a single enemy suddenly find that enemy gone. They're starin' at each other across an empty expanse, and all of 'em wanna fill it their own way.

[thatched]

That's as may be. It might happen, it might not. But the alternative is...what exactly? Scrabble around for these pieces? Be at the mercy of what Navy there is? It's small now, Aye, but they'll find a way to come after us and when that happens--if we don't have a strong united front--they can just pick us off whenever they want, going after the weaker guys first.

[not that he's saying you're one of the weaker guys.

...and he's not saying you aren't, either]

[youhearthebells]

It ain't like those things are mutually exclusive. Lookin' for shards means yeah, we'll all have to go against the Navy and anythin' else that wants to stop us.

Guess what really matters is who wants to own up to how many shards they got, and if everybody can be convinced to share when it comes time.

[fierybluebird]

[Speaking of people who can't hide their expressions well, Marco might be a bird, but this bird rolls his eyes.]

Keep 'em. He's welcome to them.

Doesn't anyone wonder why Straw Hat suggested giving the marine all his shards? You couldn't pay me to hold onto them.

[But then he fidgets. He's got a burning question, but he has no means to get it answered either.]

Thatch... I don't understand something.

Aren't they concerned with disrupting this world? Isn't seeking those shards out going to do just that?

[thatched]

[he doesn't think anyone would know the answer to that question but Straw Hat, his crew and the Marine in question. None of whom are here.]

Either way you're looking at war, at the very least a skirmish if people don't agree. I can see it getting bloody.

[not that it bothers him much, it's just facts]

It seems like no matter what we decide, we'll definitely going to leave an impact on this world.

[he hopes that's good enough, Feathers. It's sort of a difficult topic to work into the conversation]

[fierybluebird]

Thank you.

[Yup, you done good Thatch. And since Marco can't be too obvious, he just slightly curls his tail on Thatch, looking off in different directions around the room.]

[youhearthebells]

[eyeballs the bird, but he's none the wiser for now. His answer is for Thatch.]

Yeah, that's my concern. I don't wanna see another war, but I also ain't gonna roll over and let some ugly ghost or anyone else stop people who want to get home from gettin' home. 'S all I need to make known, here.

[thatched]

Aye, well until we know what exactly we can do and our limitations, it's not a very strong stance at present.

[not to say it might not turn out strong later]

In the same vein, I don't see why we can't work out a way for everyone to get what they want.