RP:Protest or Pizza Party?

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc

Summary: The pro-Witch resistance in Larket meets in an abandoned warehouse to discuss recent indignities suffered at the hands of the monarchy. Tychus and Valrae tell the group that the resistance will stage a protest/strike in the witch labor camp. Afterwards, attendees make protest signs and otherwise mingle and eat pizza. Notable attendees included non-witches Meri and Pilar.

The Abandoned Warehouse in Larket

The warehouse, on the outskirts of Larket, is alive with people, the vast majority of them women, likely witches. There's a table heaped with pizza and beers, and the background noise preceding the start of this meeting is 50% the shuffle of people serving themselves and 50% the chaotic hum of pleasantries. People are seated on blankets on the floor. Tychus and Valrae are milling around the raised platform at the front of the room. As he'll be speaking and doesn't have the luxury of eating and listening to himself, Tychus quickly snarfs down his pizza folded. Still licking the grease off of his fingers, he attempts to hold his other arm up to collect everyone's attention. "Thank you for coming, hey everyone," he says, once the volume of the room has sank to a low hiss. Tychus is a wiry and young guy, and he gestures at himself, "I'm Tychus. Lot of old faces, some new faces. If you're new, welcome, we're here because we're pissed off about the anti-democratic, fascist monarchy. Since we last met, a couple of things have happened." A murmur of asset rises. "Tonight, I want us all to agree on a course of action to respond to this stuff, but first I'm gonna pass it to Valrae to just take us through some of the bullcrap that's happened."

Valrae |The witch stands toward the side of the platform speaking in whispers to a group of older women, side-eyeing Tychus jealously as he makes his folded piece of pizza disappear, until the younger man calls for quite. She makes a somber figure, in a dress with skirts that moved like water and a modest collar of delicate lace, in shades of inky black and stormy gray. Her hair is pinned away from her face in a twisted, stylishly careless way that's somewhat of a trade mark. Her eyes are lined dark and her lips are red. She smiles to the crowd as she's introduced. "Many of you already know me," Valrae starts, her dark eyes searching for a pair of pretty blues in particular. "For those of you that I haven't met, I'm Valrae and a I am a witch." Her chin rises proudly, "I won't whisper when I mention who or what I am. I won't utter it as a curse or an insult. I will not speak it in shame." She moves a little further toward the crowd. "Something the crown of Larket seems to demand these days. They put our names on lists and call us dangerous, untrustworthy. They strip away our humanity. They vandalize the places we work or remove us completely. They corral us like diseased in 'work camps' not fit for human life and call it a gift. They kill our sisters and our mothers." Valrae pauses here, for Hanna. "Witches have walked this land longer than Larket has stood. Witches helped bring The Hard City from the dirt and have thrived here in peace for as long as history has been made. Why is only now," She emphasis the word delicately. "That we have been deemed 'dangerous'? Why is now that we're no longer fit to reside in a society we were intrical in creating?" Another small pause. "Tonight is about how we'll respond these actions. Tonight we draw the line on how far we allow the crown to degrade us. They've taken our jobs, our lives, our safety and our homes. How much more will we allow?"

Meri is not typically found within Larket, Valrae could be given credit for Meri's presence within the warehouse today. Not that Meri was going to make show of that, she was at this point nothing more than a face amongst the crowd. Just another one of the people contributing to the background noise, she was adding to the whole shuffling around portion of it. There is a smile here and there with this person or that as eye contact is made during Meri's hunt. It was not the pizza she was after but the beer, which she procures just in time to hear Tychus call the meeting to attention. Beer is cracked open, the top is set next to the container she got the beer from, and then Meri finds herself slipping closer to the raised platform just to get a better ear on what is being said. Silence from Meri, who is more than content to sip on that beer while listening to what both Tychus and Valrae have to say. That being said, while her ears remain fixed on the two of them, her eyes do not. Blue eyes settle on them only for limited moments, they otherwise seem to be scanning the faces of the crowd to discern how they are taking in everything said. Without a doubt Valrae's passionate speech will cause a number of people to speak out their responses to the question of 'how much more will we allow', though Meri's own voice would be absent from any answers. Instead those red lips would curve smoothly up into a familiar smirk.

Pilar stayed near the back of the crowd, near the door. She abstained from both pizza and pleasantries, preferring to focus on business. It struck her as odd, having refreshments at a resistance meeting; this was not a party! When Tychus began to speak, she stood up a little straighter and gave him, then Valrae, her attention. As Valrae listed the atrocities of the crown, she frowned. The crown may not have been directly responsible for much of that, but it was true that they'd created the atmosphere of fear and hatred that led to the troubles the witches now faced. Pilar had told Tychus she was in, but she wasn't really, not yet. She was waiting to see what course of action they wanted to take. The graffiti and effigy burnings did not speak of peaceful protests on the horizon.

Tychus drinks from his beer as Valrae talks, his gaze fanning out over the crowd. He doesn't interrupt, but rather waits for an opening to pick up after her. That is, he waits for the murmurs of agreement and more impassioned 'YEAH!'s to die down. "It's witches now," continues Tychus, "but who's it gonna be next? Vampires? Lycans? MAGES?" He waits for the crowd's wave of agreement to fall, holding up a hand for quiet before continuing: "We gotta all stand shoulder to shoulder on this. We're come together and we're gonna protest the work camp." Scattered shouts of approval follow this suggestion. "We're not gonna work. We're gonna go in there with signs and disrupt the place, and if they try to arrest us WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN." Tychus is stereotypical of revolutionaries in that he is young and impassioned, and his face burns red as he says this. He gesticulates as he talks. "Who's with us?"

Valrae watches Tychus further rile the crowd with a small smile. His passion wasn't yet tempered by age or even the violence they had already seen. Her recent use of magic had shifted something in her though. Valrae was far less eager to incite more violence, even far less certain of their cause than she had been, though she wouldn't show it here in front of the crowd. They were clearly ready to answer the all for action now though. The crowd was alive with movement and cheers and shouted suggestions. Even as animated as they were, looking hard into the crowd would show you a people that had been down-trod. Most of the faces looking to her were thin, worry-line and dirty. If it hadn't been for the funding from Hudson, though his involvement was obviously a close guarded secret and only known to herself and perhaps Alvina, some of them would have gone to their camp beds with empty bellies. Valrae waited for the crowd's noise die down before speaking again. "Those of you who wish to participate in these protests need to be cautious. Our goal is to remind them of our humanity, to change the ignorant idea that we're dangerous and predisposed to acts of evil or violence." Her mossy gaze sweeps the crowd. "If we work together, I know we right the injustices of our people."

Meri would be in agreement with Pilar, to some extent, if she were the sort of psion that had the ability to read minds. She does not! Meri and Pilar differ in their opinions in the sense that while Meri can see this could easily turn into a protest that is far from peaceful, she does not really care. At least if one were to consider the attitude of Tychus, who seemed so easily riled, or so Meri at least presumed by the way he turned red in the face while he spoke. Valrae seemed far more tempered in her wants for this endeavor, even if she felt equally as strong about the message to be sent. Despite the pleas of the blonde, all it took was one wrong move and things could go horribly awry. None of those bothered Meri one little bit, she seemed more than willing to throw herself into the thick of it despite it all. Maybe Meri's voice would carry loud enough, maybe it wouldn't, ultimately it's not like it would bother the blonde that much if she was not heard. There were a number of people here and some felt like shouting, other's did not and Meri was amongst that bunch of people. Still, her volume was not meek and voice was projected, "So when are we doing this thing then?" IE: she is in. At least to those who hear her.

Pilar relaxed slightly. Protest. Not burn. Disrupt. Not destroy. Change the idea that they were dangerous and prone to acts of violence. She could live with that. She joined her voice to the crowd's as they roared their support. She was pumped, and ready to get out there and fight! Her vampire hearing caught Meri's question, and, having recognized the voice, she looked over her shoulder. Well then. Small world.

Tychus nods slowly along with Valrae's plea for peaceful protesting. He would be fine with, perhaps idealizes, an inadvertent move toward violence, martyring their cause, but he recognizes that she's speaking the right words aloud. We'll see what happens day of, of course. He's open to other, more dangerous suggestions 'in the moment.' Meri calls out for more information, and he nods, like he'd been expecting it. He looks to Valrae as if to confirm that he's allowed to make this announcement. He thinks so. He speaks again: "The strike and protest starts an hour after noon at the end of next week's work week," official time/date TBD. "Be there. Bring signs. Wear black."

Valrae gives Tychus the nod he's waiting for without moving her eyes. She's finally spotted Meri and a smile has curved her lips. It was good to see her here, even better to see her support. "Those who wish to help prepare signs and have any further questions can head toward the supply table." She gestures to a table in the corner, away from the pizza, and where the older women she'd been whispering to earlier stood. The white haired ladies were stern looking and stooped with years of age. "Our Crones have graciously volunteered to spearhead the sign-making process and will help you get your feet planted in the right direction. For any questions or suggestions Tychus and I will hang around as long as we're able. As always, help yourselves to as much food as you need and don't be afraid to take some to those you know are in need."

Meri issues a wink and a wide grin toward Valrae when the two ladies make eye contact, but that may very well be the extent of their interaction on this night. So far. Maybe? For while it seems like 'break' in the sense that Tychus and Valrae are doing leading this meeting, it does not seem like this little shindig is over. There is work to be done, signs to be made, things to be arted upon. Why yes, Meri would like to color something! Or a few somethings. And so Meri and her beer would make her their way over to the supply table while Valrae and Tychus are presumably bombarded with questions? While it would be supplies for her own sign she takes advantage of gathering first and foremost, she's probably willing to lend a hand with...basically whatever those Old Crones tell her to do. For awhile at least.

Pilar understood now why there had been food, but... beer? Really? Her attention left Meri for the duration of Tychus's and Valrae's speech, and then her eyes turned to the sign-making station. She had no idea what to make for a sign, but perhaps someone could inspire her. She joined the crowd, gathered a few supplies, and began to work.

Tychus breaks away from Valrae so that they can answer questions independently and cover more ground. He keeps to the party line of 'nonviolent protest' and asks those who report living in the labor camp to describe the conditions. He eventually makes his way to where Pilar is drawing her sign. He approaches her, beer in hand, and bobs his head slowl, as if to acknowledge what it meant for her to be here at long last. "We need people like you to knit it all together," he means non-witches, of other magical user groups. "Feel free to take the lead for a bit at the protest." His gaze briefly follows Valrae. "This isn't a monarchy either, I'm not possessive."

Valrae has been cornered by a crowd of middle-aged mothers. With tired eyes and threadbare clothes, it was easy to assume they came from the camp. Her eyes are wide and empathetic as she listens, nods along with them and touches the arm of one who has stared to break into hysterics. There is a sickness spreading through the camp, the old and the young are the most effected, and they've been cut off from most supplies. Most store owners have been encouraged not to sale to witches and their own herb stores have been vandalized or were left behind in the move. Valrae assures them that she'll focus her attention on the issue and presses a heavy coin purse into the crying mother's hand. She catches Tychus' eye and shakes her head sadly. After a while, maybe halfway through Meri's sign making, Valrae manages to wiggle free and walks toward her. "I'm glad you came!" She chirps.

Meri was busy with her sign making when Valrae approaches, though the artist had really not gotten all that far with it -- only so far as gathering a variety of items she thinks she may want to use. "Hey! Look at you," she grins toward Valrae, in the sense of 'look at you helping to lead this whole pro-witch protest'. "Of course I came. And I will be there next week too," AKA the the TBD Date. Valrae is given a once over now that she is up close, casual and just to see how the woman was holding up because things definitely did not seem pleasant or comfortable around this place. "How are you holding up? How is everything?" Blue eyes would briefly find Tychus but her words would still be aimed for Valrae. "Who's the kid?" Maybe he was not really a kid, maybe Meri was just throwing that term around loosely as she was assuming Tychus was a few years younger than her. Judgements made by appearances are often wrong though! And it seems that Meri is not yet done with firing off an array of questions, as if Valrae did not just break free from a range of questions/complaints from those middle-aged mothers. Meri's were mostly harmless though. "Finally, if there is anything else you need, you know you can just let me know, yeah?"

Pilar was in the middle of the “for” in her JUSTICE FOR HANNA sign when Tychus approached her. “I... I just want to make sure what happened to my people... my family... doesn't happen again,” she said meekly. At the mention of her taking the lead, her eyes widened. “Me? Lead? I, I couldn't, I'm not, not a leader...”

Tychus' gaze draws away from Valrae to return to Pilar as she protests. He squints comically, appraising her with a pretend critical eye, the corner of his mouth tugging up in a roguish grin. "I think you're a leader," he says playfully, giving her a thumbs up before peeling away. He continues to make the rounds after that, and the inside of the warehouse keeps on spinning in a hive of pizza-eating, sign-making, and political-gossiping activity.

Valrae is holding up. She'd put herself together well but under her makeup her eyes are bruised with sleeplessness. Her dress is beautiful and well-made but ill-fitting on her shrinking figure. But her shoulders were straight and her chin was high. The witch makes herself comfortable near Meri and gives her a returning smile. She doesn't seem bothered by the questions. "I'm glad. It's really cool of you, considering." Her look shifts from simple joy to gratitude. "You don't have to be here, you're not a witch I mean. I- we are all really grateful. We could use all the support we can get." She glances at Meri's supplies. "I'm holding up pretty well. I could really use that break you were talking about though. I'd love to visit you soon and talk about that tattoo." Her eyes turn back to Tychus again when the topic shifts. Thoughtfully she answers, "Tychus. He's a good kid, really. A little... Exuberant maybe. He means well. He started all this for democracy, actually. He didn't waste anytime turning his platform around for us though." A smile curved her lips. "I'll keep that in mind." People had started to group near the women again, waiting for her to stand again and answer their questions. Valrae gives Meri a wave and a sigh. "Duty calls. I'll see you soon though. Thanks again." The witch retreats back into the crowd, answering questions and putting out fires. Eventually she finds her way back to Tychus as the crowd thins and they leave together talking animatedly about resistance plans and the moral ambiguity of folding pizza.