[Library Entrance] Let's get this revolt rolling.
by Asher Tallow
To plot: to conceive and arrange the action and incidents of; prearrange secretly or deviously.
To conspire: To plan together secretly to commit an illegal or wrongful act or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.
To scheme: A systematic plan of action.
And to borrow from Gwen's vocabulary-
To revolt: An act of protest or rejection.
Asher especially liked that last definition. What she had in mind was no simply prank, done simply for the prank's sake and to earn a few laughs. No, it wasn't that at all. Her grand plan was something on a much higher level than a prank or a trick- it was up there with the invasion of Normandy and the Battle of Hastings. Those battles were the things history books were made of, and Asher wanted the nighttime assault on the Crotalus First Year Girls’ Dorm to make it to the same pages. She wanted it spelt out in grand, bold letters how in the year of our lord, 20–, there rose up a revolt in the Crotalus House, made up of those daring few who refused to be battered down by the malefactor Hens.
She leaned back against the smooth adobe of the wall, the coolness of it stretching into her fingers and up through her arms. This evening’s meeting would mark the inaugural gathering of SASUH, and prove to be the first step in taking down the potentially tyrannical Hens. All previous wars she’d been involved in had taken place in the loft of the feed barn where her father stored all his various fertilizers. The giant vats he kept made for great battlements, and on more than twenty occasions, she and Jamie would launch attacks from behind one of the huge containers. Of course, on those instances, the wars had been all-out-in-the-open sorts of affairs. This raid would take finesse, would take subtlety- it would take a great deal of sneakiness.
Asher liked sneaky. Sneaky was good. Being late, however, was not.
Sure, she hadn’t actually specified a certain time for Earl to meet her. The note had merely said something along the lines of ‘come after dinner.’ Still though, she had been waiting for nearly five minutes which is always too long to wait for anyone. Especially a boy. Already, three students she didn’t recognized had passed by and given her the strangest looks. Was it so odd to be seen standing outside the library?
The thought that the looks might have something to do with the fierce scowl she had leveled at the floor never occurred to her. Instead, she glanced once more at her charmed wristwatch and began counting the spots on the floor. At 297, someone finally stopped long enough to make her aware.
Without glancing up to check who it was, she griped sotto voce, “Took you long enough.â€\n\n
0Asher Tallow[Library Entrance] Let's get this revolt rolling.1466Asher Tallow15
Laura walked slowly from Cascade Hall toward the library, where Asher had instructed her to meet her after dinner. Though she had never specified the time, leaving ‘after dinner’ completely open to interpretation and how fast the invitee decided to eat. Laura, rather hungry after a long day of classes, had chosen to take her time eating supper. However, she thought that maybe she should have eaten faster when she saw the scowl on Asher’s face as she approached and the curt greeting she received.
“Sorry,” Laura responded through a mouthful of the roll she had taken with her from dinner. Swallowing, she added, “so who else are we waiting for?” before taking another bite.
Laura knew the meeting was about teaching the preps a lesson, but that was as much information as Asher had disclosed during their Care of Magical Creatures class, but it was all Laura needed to hear. She had an inborn dislike of preppy, snobbish purebloods thanks to the Sanice side of her family. She had spent most of the last six years trying to conspire against her Sanice cousins and their pureblood egos, hence providing her plenty of practice against her dorm mates. Of course, most of her family attacks had involved water balloons, super-soakers, and the wonderful invention known as paint balls; Laura, however, had a feeling that Asher was planning something much more devious.
OOC: I just wanted to give you a heads up that I am leaving for 7 weeks overseas on June 13th. Hopefully we can get this thing rolling before then. \n\n
Earl headed over to the library after a large, leisurely dinner. Stuffed to the brim with Sonora's delicious food, he came upon Asher a tad slower than he had wanted. She was fuming, and her friend - can't remember her name - was standing next to her not looking nearly as peeved.
He sauntered over to the two girls standing in front of the library door and let out a small grin before letting out a slightly larger burp. "Sorry," he muttered. "for burping and for being late. So...why aren't we in the library. A chair would be good right now." He motioned to the door and waited for the girls to go in before entering himself. Suddenly a thought occured to him.
Gwen had taken her time over dinner, but not because of the food. She had barely eaten at all. She had been thinking about the situation she had gotten herself into and how best to handle it.It hadn't been an easy thing to work out.Even now that she had made up her mind, she was still thinking over the issue.
Until Sonora, there couldn't have been a girl in the world more sure of her place in life than Gwenhwyfar Elaine Carey. She had considered herself as well-versed in the ways of the pureblood world as an eleven-year-old girl could reasonably be, and it had been a nasty shock to find out she might as well have arrived on another planet. These girls had been more than happy to teach her that she wasn't worth their time of day. Now she was caught up in a struggle that would make her either break with her friends or break with her world. No matter which way she turned, something blew up in her face.
It was not a position she liked being in.
The preps wouldn't have her on a silver platter. She didn't know how far Asher and Laura really trusted her. She hadn't even met Earl Valentine yet. She had considered all of that before she made up her mind about what she was going to do. Her new strategy was to wait.She would let things happen as they happened and seize opporotunites as they came to her, unless something forced her hand.
She counted this as an opporotunity. Thinking as Gwenhwyfar, it would prove her loyalty to her friends. Thinking as Gwen, it was a chance to get back at those snobs who really did need someone to deflate their swollen heads. As she approached the library, the Gwen part was predominant. She really did want to teach them a lesson, the same lesson they had taught her: blood doesn't mean everything or make one infalliable.
She forced herself to stop thinking about it as she drew nearer, and nearly laughed at Earl's reference to her as 'That Gwen chick.' "No, you're not," she said pleasantly. "I'm already here. Gwen Carey, pleased to meet you. Sorry I'm a little late-I got tied up." \n\n
0Gwenhwyfar CareyReporting for duty...63Gwenhwyfar Carey05
Asher's grimace broke into an easy grin once she realized that it was Laura and not Earl who had arrived. Laura was her bud, and Earl had yet to earn himself back into her good graces.
"Don't worry about it; you're not late at all. Just waiting on Earl to get over here." No sooner were the words out of her mouth than said boy strolled on over and released an obnoxious burp. The wince was reflexive, as was the step back and away from the mouth where those gaseous fumes had been expelled from. Earl excused himself at least, which was more than could be said of Asher's brothers.
Gwen inserted herself not a second later, and Asher couldn't help but grin at the group the four of them made. This was it. This was the point of no return, where SASUH would at long last make its feeble footprints on the groundwork of Sonora history. Many years from now, fledgling first years would whisper to each other of how, once upon a time, four students just like them had taken down the pureblood faction of the Crotalus house.
The smile still exultant, she led the way into the library, pausing only once to scout out the darkest cavern of the book infested room. Speaking loudly enough for others to overhear, she created the cover story smoothly. "Okay, so, what we do is divide the homework into four way, make duplicates of each other's notes, and then trade. The right section's back here." She pointed toward the west, where the shadows were most prominent and continued leading the way.
Eleven corners and fifteen towering bookshelves later, she brought the group into a small alcove, hidden from view by a curved book shelf that held all manner of dusty texts and other equally untouched materials. A table lay in wait for them, as did five chairs, none looking particularly stable or attractive, yet to Asher's eyes, they were golden.
Placing a hand down on the table top, she grinned up at her friends- and Earl. "The first official meeting of SASUH, the Society Against Stuck-Up Hens, has started. Let the revolt begin." \n\n
0Asher TallowSASUH: the first ever meeting.1466Asher Tallow05
Earl followed Asher through the library into ever deepening shadows feeling as though he were a pawn in her giant game of chess. It wasn't a good feeling, but getting rid of the prissy hens blocked that feeling out. Plus, he had to. Asher got him out of trouble. It was only fair to return the favor.
After stopping briefly, the four continued onward until they reached the darkest, most secluded library corner Earl had ever seen. Earl sat at one of the rickety chairs and began writing in the dust on the table as Asher began the meeting, but looked up at the word 'revolt'.
"Ok, Miss Asher Tallow. What exactly do you have in mind?"\n\n
0Earl ValentineConfused and excited67Earl Valentine05
SASUH: the first ever meeting. Part 2.
by Asher Tallow
Asher settled into one of the chairs before answering Earl's well timed question. Gwen was in 'the know,' however Laura had the barest of details and Earl knew absolutely nothing. It was time to lay out her scheme and reap in the ideas. The war plan was mapping itself out in bold reds and blues in her mind, and golden star marking their base of support- Earl's dorm, of course. All evidence would be kept there in between strategizing sessions. Laura was good with books, which probably meant she was a quick study; all the better.
She swiveled in her chair to regard the one true turncoat of their group. While the Carey name meant absolutely nothing to her, apparently it was a family whose notoriety carried onto the darker shades of the spectrum pool. Gwen knew how the Hens thought- would know how they might react, or how they might become suspicious. Gwen was absolutely crucial to the plan's success, for without her, they had no insight into the 'true' pureblood mind.
Not to mention chances were fairly high that Gwen had more than the normal pocket's full of knowledge when it came to spells. Knowledge in any form was a handy thing.
"It's simple, Valentine. On the night before the winter holiday starts, we're going to run a raid on the Hens- the Hens being, of course, Jordanna and Skyla Howard, Catherine Raines, and Nicoletta Dupree. The reason being, aside from them being complete snobs and absolutely loathsome, is that it's best to strike first. So we either get them now, or they'll get us later."
She paused to take a breath, her cheeks flushed with the excitement of her role. She loved this sort of thing: the planning, the strategizing, the placement and consideration of each and every tiny detail. What would happen should A come in contact with Z at L hour? Or would X react in the same way if J were moved to B? It was like a grand chess game, only the characters were real and the parameters were limitless. And she- she was like the general, planning it all out, seeing it all come to life.
"Your job, Earl," she said, using his first name in sign of good will, "will be to hide our notes and supplies. At least, for the meantime. Girls can't get into the boys' dorms, and you're all by yourself up there. You're absolutely crucial to the plan's success, because if any of the Hens catch wind- that's it. Game's up. All over."
She folded her arms up under her chin, and laced her fingers slowly together. Perching her jaw over the bridge of her joined hands, she gazed over the table solemnly. "It's us or them, guys. And we have a lot of work ahead of us."
OOC- don't mean to post hog or anything, but I thought we'd best get this thread moving quickly, so I jumped in with my part 2. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
0Asher TallowSASUH: the first ever meeting. Part 2.1466Asher Tallow05
Laura obediently followed Asher into the library, deep into the library. So deep and secretive that Laura was starting to wonder what she had gotten herself into. For a second, she got the Hollywood image of New York mobsters meeting in a dark back corner of a dimly lit restaurant, arranging to have someone killed. What exactly was Asher cooking up?
That question only continued to echo inside Laura’s head as Asher mentioned a revolt. Prompted by a question from Earl, Asher continued to sort of answer Laura’s question; attack the Hens, as Asher called them, and hide any incriminating evidence in Earl’s dormitory. Apparently, it was ‘us or them’ as well, which made Laura worry if she should be sleeping with one eye open. Personally, she didn’t think the preps had enough brain cells between them to cook up a scheme, but Asher must have though differently.
“But where do Gwen and I fit it?” Laura asked slightly tentatively. “And when you say a raid, what exactly do you have in mind?” \n\n
0Laura KeatonA raid? Like steal their makeup?0Laura Keaton05
Gwen kept very quiet for the first part of the meeting, including the part where Asher stared at her for a moment. She wondered what the other girl was thinking. If it had been her, she would have been thinking 'will the leopard change its spots again?', but all the evidence said that Asher's way of thinking was drastically different from hers. Even if Asher was thinking along those lines, Gwen could reassure her that she didn't need to worry on that front. Even if she had wanted to use what she knew about the plan to get back into the fold, she was perceptive enough to realize that she had blown her last chance that night in the common room.
A brief silence fell after Laura's question. Gwen cleared her throat quietly, deciding she had kept her mouth shut long enough. "We loathe and are loathed by the-er-Hens, in general," she said. "And we both have skills that will be useful. You're what's called 'book smart' where I come from. You can find spells, do research. For something of this nature, what we know is important. Me..." she hesitated, then went on. "I haven't always been one of the good girls," she said shortly. "Until the day I left Georgia, I was the Queen Bee and I was surrounded twenty-four-seven by a crowd of devoted sycophants. I lived Jordanna's life. I'm here because I know what makes them tick, how they think, how they'll react." And stand in judgement on me if you wish, she added mentally. I did what I had to then, and I'll do what I have to now.
"As for what the raid entails..." nothing dead certain had been decided, but the general idea had been established. "They'll be going home to Mama and Daddy the next morning," she said. "Imagine their sort. Hair shining, clothing immaculate, makeup all ready. If things are anything like the way they are in Savannah, they may fix their hair that night and sleep on wooden blocks. I've done it often enough. Our job is to see that Mama and Daddy don't get four shining pictures of pureblood perfection the next day. Mess them up, basically. Did I get it mostly right, Asher?"
She looked around at the all. "I admit the chances of being caught seem astronomically high," she said. "I'm working on that. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve for a rainy day. We don't have much time before they work out that something's up." She held her hands barely an inch apart to show how little time they had. "It'll be Dupree or Raines who does. Jordanna is too certain that she's invincible and Skyla's too stupid. Dupree is smarter than she looks and Raines would do anything-and I mean anything-to stay in the clique. I believe they've taken in her in wholeheartedly, but she may not realize it." She paused for breath.
"Asher had it right. It's us or them, and they're not going to give us much more time. It's probably less that it would have been because of my stupidity, but there's no use in crying over spilt milk. There's two ways they may go if they find out. They may take what I call the legal route and rat us out, though I doubt it. They've got no proof. If they don't do that, they could deal with us as they would a rival clique. It would become a turf war, which I seriously doubt we could win." There was absolutely no emotion in her voice; she was merely stating facts and letting them take them as they would.
"If they don't find out, then it stays the same, almost. They could rat us out- which I find very likely-or they could treat it as a matter of honor where they would mount a counteroffensive. It could go on for years, and I can't tell who would win that affair. I'm banking on them trying to rat us out, which is why I'm working on ways for us not to get caught-a way to do it so they couldn't prove it." She sat back in her chair and linked her hands loosely in her lap. "There's my two cents worth," she said. "Sorry for interrupting, Asher." \n\n
0Gwenhwyfar CareySomething like that.63Gwenhwyfar Carey05
Earl listend attentively and each second of talk increased his frown. It's not the getting in trouble part that distressed him...it was the fact that this was extremely complicated way to get in trouble, and involved so many twists, turns and subtle nuances that it made his head spin. Plus...when did Asher stop calling him by his full name? He subconsiously missed it and wasn't sure why.
Back to the current situation. Luckily, so far as he knew, the only thing Earl had to do was stash their stuff and keep his mouth shut, but with the way Gwen and Asher were talking it sounded more like a military assalt and Earl was in charge of arms assimilation. He shook his head...he was starting to sound way too much like his Uncle Andrew - a retired Navy Seal, who spends his retirement reliving past missions.
He cut in before one of the other girls began another round of tactics talk. "So what you're saying is that these...Hens are vicious, evil, coniving, pureblood prisses and that they are likely to attack you guys if you don't do something first? What would they do? Try to scratch you with their perfectly manicured nails, and then cry when they break one, is all I can think of," he stated in a rather huffy and childish way.
He had stopped tracing things into the dust on the table and began drumming his fingers instead. The steady rhythm helped him relax a bit and he stared at the three girls around him very carefully, wishing that his hands held a pencil and some paper in which to draw.
"What I mean is, is that are you guys sure you want to do this? It seems so so..." he trailed off, not being able find the right words and looked down at his lap.
"Anyways...I'm doing whatever you decide to do...or else Asher's likely to hurt me." he added with a forced laughed.
\n\n
0Earl ValentineI'm not so sure about this...67Earl Valentine05
Asher's lips turned wryly; for all that Gwen seemed so different from herself, the girl sure thought the same way. Gwen paid attention- a very esteemable quality in person. It was those little details that were the most important, the average, every day ones that would secure a victory, and the southern girl seemed to have that point covered perfectly.
"Wasn't an interruption at all- you explained it perfectly." She leaned forward, hands still bridged and cradling her chin. "We need you Laura, just like Gwen said, because you're smart- book smart and probably great at putting what you've read into practice. We'll need that 'cause for this to work, we need to find some kind of sleeping or stasis spell. And then, of course, master it."
She grimaced and puffed up at her bangs. "I'm not very good with my hands, so I don't know how good I'll be at spells. My dad didn't like for me and my brothers to use magic growing up, so I've never tried anything beyond the few garden charms my dad allowed- and what good is a spell that makes grass grow in this sort of thing?"
Earl's sudden interjection made her lean back into her seat, hands parting to play with a loose thread along the seam of her striped tee. She listened, slightly incredulous. Did Earl really know so little of the pureblood ways? Sure he was a half-blood, but even she knew how horrible things could get if the Hens were allowed full reign. Her father's school day stories were rare, but he always fingered a vivid scar that ran up his right bicep when mentioning his old House. If a strong front wasn't shown now, early on, none of the Hens would fear a backlash and so, there would be nothing to hold them back.
It really was like chess- the other player had to be shown that there was reason to be cautious. Caution begats hesitation, which in turn, can begat a stalemate- which, by her reasoning, was the best sort of situation to hope for. If a line was drawn this early on, then perhaps the Hens would fear to cross it long enough for the line to grow into a wall. The Wall of Jericho perhaps...
Asher shook her head, clearing her thoughts with the physical gesture. "It's not that I'm afraid they'll get in a huff and try to scratch out my eyes. I'm thinking about the future. Truth is that if a show of strength isn't made early on, then those girls will have no reason to fear retribution. It's a mental thing, really. We have to psyche them out, and that's why the plan is so bold. The grander the gesture, the larger the impact. You get it?"
She squared her gaze into Earl's dark brown eyes. "The line has to be set now, Earl Valentine."\n\n
Earl took a big gulp of air...and a mental note. Asher was scarier than she looked, and to mess with her meant to mess with a lot more than what meets the eye. Earl was smart enough to know he didn't want to mess with her. He nodded his agreement for a second before regaining his ability to speak.
"Yeah...got it. The bigger the better, the sooner the better." He looked at the girls sitting around the table once again. They looked very determined to show themselves. It felt like an episode of Wild Kingdom.
"I just have one more question," he stated slowly. "Can I have a more active role in this than just storing your stuff? If I'm going to part of this, I'm going all the way." He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, staring intently at Asher.\n\n
0Earl Valentine*crawls into fetal position*67Earl Valentine05
I don't know about him, but count me in
by Laura Keaton
Laura listened attentively as her part in the coming raid was explained, by both Gwen and Asher. She was the brain, the one responsible for the book work, finding the spells they would need and learning how to use them. And the best part was that she knew she could do that very well. Earl, however, seemed to be having second thoughts about Asher’s plan, and after voicing them, then declared that he wanted a bigger part if he was going to be a part.
“Well, you can count me in,” Laura cut in, making sure her position was well known. “Finding a sleeping or stasis charm shouldn’t be too hard; I think they teach them to sixth years. So the library should have plenty of books about them. As for you, Earl. The actual attack is apparently taking place in the girls’ dormitory, which as a guy, you can’t get into.” Laura broke into a sarcastic smile. “Though I’m sure I could figure out how to transfigure you into a girl, if you really want a bigger part,” she flicked her wand at him, managing to produce a few meager, but not menacing, sparks. “Though, as long as Gwen and Asher don’t disagree, I don’t have a problem with you helping us plan. And you could be stationed in the common room during the actual raid, ready to snap a picture of the preps when they come dashing down the stairs in a fit. I’m sure I could get my mom to send us her magical Polaroid camera.” Laura’s grin got bigger. She knew exactly what she would do with any pictures she got her greedy little hands on. “In addition to finding a sleeping spell,” she continued, “I’ll see what I can find about anti-eavesdropping charms and secrecy spells.” Laura peered at the racks of books around her suspiciously. It seemed far too easy for someone to follow them into their dank little corner and spy on them. \n\n
0Laura KeatonI don't know about him, but count me in0Laura Keaton05
Don't worry, there's enough jobs to go around.
by Asher Tallow
"Okay. Right," Asher stated as she stood. "You can help with the planning if you want, Earl Valentine, but remember, once you're all in, you're all in. No babying out later with some lame excuse."
She flicked back at her bangs and began to pace, her thoughts always better vocalized when in motion. "So, we need that sleeping or stasis or whatever spell. That's one. Two, we need to decide what to attack. I'm all for applying some kind of skin salve that'll make them spotty for a week." She paused to give Gwen a glance. "Me and Gwen talked it over some in class, but we could alter their clothes- temporarily, of course," she made sure to add, even though she preferred the idea of permanently destroying every article of clothing those four girls pranced around in.
"But what we really need, even more than all that, is something to finish it. That final cherry topper. Like your idea of taking a picture, Laura. I like that- something to wave around and threaten exposure with." She paused again, an idea suddenly giving birth in the back of her mind. "Wait a minute... what if- what if instead of exposing them, we make it so they never even know? But everyone else does!"
"No, really, think about it. We go along with the sleeping spell, hex out their skin, meddle with the clothes and hair- and then take a picture of them, but not wake them up. We get copies of Hens de-feathered to everyone in the school, and just imagine how they'd react the next morning. Everyone would have seen them at their worst- it'd be priceless."
She turned, hands flayed wide. "Well, come on guys. Is this a brain storming session or what? Feedback- I need feedback. If we can decide on a definite attack today, then all the rest will be preparation, things that won't necessarily need group meeting and thus be less suspicious." She tapped a foot impatiently. "Any thoughts?"
\n\n
0Asher TallowDon't worry, there's enough jobs to go around.1466Asher Tallow05
Earl sat there dumbfounded. What had he actually gotten himself into? I mean the Hens were annoying, but they never hurt him. He listened to Asher's plan in silence. It was secretive, slimy, and would make prissy girls scream in horror. It was a pretty good plan...for a girl, but did he really want to be involved?
He thought for a second before mentally shrugging his shoulders. He promised, and Earl Valentine was not one to go back on his word...it's why he sitting in this dusty old library listening to Asher's plan. He wouldn't baby out as Asher had said.
Earl had no idea how to fight like this. He was more of a just-jump-out-and-attack-while-screaming-your-head-off type of guy, so Asher's question on whether he had any ideas was beyond him. He decided to break the silence anyways.
"Maybe we could just, like, make humiliate them in Cascade Hall, when everyone is eating. That way we don't have to bother with pictures or sleeping spells." It was a bad idea, but it was an idea and that's what Asher had asked for.\n\n
Asher bridged her fingers, her mouth taut in a pensive frown. Maybe we could just, like, make humiliate them in Cascade Hall, when everyone is eating. Earl didn't get it; this wasn't about humiliating the Hens- this was about showing them what's what. That Asher thought to use humiliation as the means by which to procure this end- that was just tactics. If this was only about humiliating them...
She shook her head. No, this wasn't about humiliating them. This was about something entirely different. It didn't matter that ever since Jordanna Howard had snubbed her at the opening feast, she'd held a grudge. Asher was not a girl who, after making the effort to socialize, took lightly to being ignored. The embarassed flush that sent her in a flurry to another table had quickly turned to resentment.
Her feelings had not let up since. But that didn't matter- it was only a side point in the grand scheme of things. What mattered was proving that the four of them- the other half of the Crotalus first years- were not be walked on or looked down on. They were a force to be reckoned with. Who cares if her motivations were slightly more superficial than she let on? It wouldn't matter in the end.
Okay, so perhaps this was more personal than she wanted to admit. Perhaps this was more about returning the favor to Jordanna and her sycophants. Perhaps, all she wanted was to get even. And as long as it wasn't her sole motivation, then again, what did it matter in the long run?
She glanced at Earl with guarded eyes, wondering if it had been intuition that made him take that leap, or if it was just random luck. Either way, she needed to be more careful, not to let on that this was personal. If Laura or Gwen thought she was in this just because of a slight at the beginning of the year... Asher didn't think she could pull it off alone.
"Okay," she said finally, her voice edged with determination. "Laura, you can be in charge of finding a spell that'll put them under for a good hour or two. Earl, you need to start hanging out in the common room near curfew, maybe even pretend to fall asleep down there a few times so it looks normal for you to be there. Gwen..."
She trailed off, wondering how the aristocratic girl would take her idea. "Gwen, I need you to distract them. Antagonize them whenever, take their attention off of me for a while. While you're doing that, I'm going to do some investigating of my own. I need to find out what kind of wards they have on their trunks, things like that."
She took a deep breath. "If you're all game with that, then I move to end the first official meeting of the SASUH."
OOC- Okay guys, obviously poor Laura's out of action for a while. I've talked things over with her author, so we'll try to work things out that way. In the meantime, we'll act as if Laura's diligently working to find that spell, and when the time comes, that she found it, we practised it, etc.\n\n
0Asher TallowAnd now for a break.1466Asher Tallow05
Gwen shook her head silently when Earl made his proposal. There was no way they could get by with that. For one thing, there was no way they could deny they did it if they just ambushed the preps in Cascade. For another, it showed a total lack of class, which would only prove the girls right-that they were less than half-civilized losers without anything better to do than get offended and go to war. Not that it was that far from the truth for her...
Raines had made their fight personal. Gwen would admit, at least to herself, that she had fanned the flames more than generously, but that was beside the point. She didn't care one way or the other about Jordanna, she felt sort of sorry for Skyla, and Nicoletta was a threat, but it was Catherine who had insulted her and her family and it was Catherine who was going down if Gwen ended up having to go it alone.
She started paying very close attention to Asher when she hesitated before giving Gwen her instructions. Antagonizing them was certainly easy enough. As long as she could keep a control on her own emotions, then winding them up like tops would be pretty easy, too. A suspicion about why Asher might have hesitated flashed across her mind. If she was obviously tormenting the preps in the weeks before a sudden attack on them, that made her look like the obvious culprit. Was the supposed to be the one who took the fall?
She pushed the thought aside impatiently. She was being stupid. Wandering into the whacko-paranoid world of her dear mother. Just to be on the safe side, though, she was going to watch her step and her back on this mission. The grimly amusing thought that her father would be so proud of her if she was doing this from the other side of the lines came and went before she replied.
"No problem," she said. "I seem to have a talent for getting their attention and making them hate my guts. I'll keep the bad feelings focused on me so you and Laura can pull off the research."
This could be a chance to climb or a chance to get knocked down another rung on the ladder. It was also a chance to mess with some heads, play some politics, and test her skills one last time in the big arena of the non-Southern world. If she failed again, then she was done. If she had any success, anything that could even be related to success, then she would worry about it when it happened.
Asher moved to close the meeting. "Second the motion," she said absent-mindedly, as if she were at a Family Council meeting. She had only ever been to one, but she remembered about making and seconding motions. She was thinking it might be time to write a letter to Clarissa.\n\n
Earl listened attentively to Asher and Gwen. Ok, so maybe he wasn't the best when it came to surreptitious behavior -minus hiding his drawing abilities - but, he could do what Asher had said. He thought about this for a moment and blimked. He's taking orders from a girl! He didn't even take orders from his sister, who was rather bossy, but extremely wise in most matters. This was a new thing for Earl and it was rather unsettling.
He nodded his head absentmindedly as the girls talked amongst themselves and only stopped when the subeject of ajourning the meeting was brought up. "That's the best idea I've heard today." He stated as he got up from his chair. "Well, ladies, I'll go do my part...and you'll do yours. See ya later." He waved a bit as he walked out of the dusty library. There were places he's much rather be right now...like flying or drawing, or almost anything.
Before he turned a corner, he looked back at the girls with an odd sense that something was mingling around in his brain that had yet to be known.\n\n
0Earl ValentineThe best idea ever.67Earl Valentine05