Time to step up

[a magical taco]

The past several days had revealed a lot to Richard about himself. He remember the as the Alpha wolf had walked forward he was already moving when Rebecca pushed him towards the center of the clearing, he hadn't even hesitated. It was nice to be out in the field again. The fear of standing in front of a potential enemy and staring it in the face without the safety of the scrying pool. It was exciting, something he had not felt in a long time but now realized he missed. He also recalled how the wolf had called him an Alpha and that for the first time he had embarrassed the idea. Richard had never wanted to be a leader, he didn't want to be responsible at all much less responsible for the lives of 6 others. His pride was still swimming from the compliments from the wolves in recognition of his strengths and the strengths of his friends.

Then it was Rebecca's turn to step up and she had made them all look foolish. She had antagonize the leader of the wolves and ignored Richard's words to stop. More so, she did this in front of them. It had made him look weak, not like the leader the other alpha expected him to be. Richard found it odd, the feeling of pride he now had for him cabal and the disrespect he had been shown not only during the encounter with the wolves but also before hand with Simon. Richard may have let his mouth get the better of him with Simon but the prank he had pulled was over the line. It needed to stop. Richard was finally ready to be a leader and he planned to start with Rebecca.

He knocked on Rebecca's door and after a moment she answered it. She created him kindly and invited him inside. She spent a moment playing the host, offering him a drink but he politely declined and asked he to sit though he stayed standing.

“I’m going to speak, please do not interrupt, I promise to give you your turn.” he waited for her to agree before continuing. “I don't know what happened with you out there with the wolves. Not only were you disrespectful to them for no reason but you were disrespectful to me in front of them. I expect that had it not been for the trials you would have started a fight with them and to achieve what? Were you trying to ruin Kira’s chances to learn from them? Did you want to prove that you were the Alpha out there instead of me? You have asked me to step up and lead this cabal numerous times and when I finally try to you do everything you can to sabotage it.” A flash of pain came across Richard's face. He turned away from Rebecca and rubbed his eyes. He started to stay something but hesitated before coming in a weak voice. “Rebecca, I am finally ready to do what I need to in order to lead us but your actions out there with the wolves cannot be considered acceptable. I realize that I have not been a proper leader but that ends today. When we are finished here we are all going to sit down and we are going to discuss some serious ground rules and the consequences for ignoring them. But I need you to be on board, none of this works if you don't back me.” he key out a heavy breath and looked at Rebecca.

[Akirapryde]

The visit was far from unexpected. She had a lot to get off her chest and had been planning on letting him have it with both barrels. However, Richard’s visit came before she had time to really collect her thoughts. ‘No problem’ she thought as he set down and started to speak. She moved to a chair directly across from him and set down as she listened carefully.

Richard spoke calmly and steadily. “I’m going to speak, please do not interrupt, I promise to give you your turn.”

She knew that he was using a spell to control his emotions. The flow of magic around him was a big flag but it was really the lack of any emotions on his face that told her what was going on. She made a mental note of it as she nodded and waited for him to continue.

“I don't know what happened with you out there with the wolves.”

‘That’s okay big guy. I didn’t really know what was going on either. It just kind of happened that way’ she thought as he continued to speak.

“Not only were you disrespectful to them for no reason but you were disrespectful to me in front of them. I expect that had it not been for the trials you would have started a fight with them and to achieve what? Were you trying to ruin Kira’s chances to learn from them? Did you want to prove that you were the Alpha out there instead of me? You have asked me to step up and lead this cabal numerous times and when I finally try to you do everything you can to sabotage it.”

His words cut her like a knife and burned her heart. She had thought that since that day. That horrible day of weakness when she betrayed Simon to Mr. Black that she had been improving. That she had been more supportive. She hated the idea that he was in charge but she never wanted to sabotage him. She wanted to earn leadership, not steal it away from him. She gritted her teeth as the emotions grew from deep within as she watched him turn away from her. Her eyes watched every movement, every flow of magical energy.

Richard continued, “Rebecca, I am finally ready to do what I need to in order to lead us but your actions out there with the wolves cannot be considered acceptable. I realize that I have not been a proper leader but that ends today. When we are finished here we are all going to sit down and we are going to discuss some serious ground rules and the consequences for ignoring them. But I need you to be on board, none of this works if you don't back me.”

Rebecca didn’t know how to answer his statement. “Richard” she said then paused. “Stop being a wuss!” she said with attitude dripping from her lips. “Look at you” she said leaning forward as she rested her hand on her knee. “Scared to yell at me? Is that way you are hiding behind your spell. Scare you will upset me?” she snapped up to her feet, “come on Richard. For the love of Christ, I really screwed up.” She said waving her arms, “be mad. Heck! I was mad at you for putting me in that crappy situation.”

She had no problem showing her anger, “Go find that spirit. What the heck are we, dogs to go play fetch with!?" she knew her statement was insulting to the people they just met, but she was really upset with the whole thing. Including her own behavior. "Still that didn’t give me any right to act that way.” She leaned forward towards him, “BE MAD! SHOW ME SOME EMOTION! BE TRUTHFUL FOR A CHANGE!” she demanded as she raised her voice.

[a magical taco]

Richard had come into this conversation wearing a mask of normalcy to ensure he kept his emotions in check but he didn't need it. As angry as he was he could keep his emotions in check without it and so he dropped the spell. He had hoped Rebecca would respond to a plea for compassion but she was obviously to angry or his acting want good enough today. Fortunately, she had showed him her cards. She was angry at him for making a bad call but she was also feeling guilty for screwing up. He decided he would not yell at her, he would work on her guilt instead.

Richard kept his voice calm, “I am angry Rebecca. Your actions were so far beyond skewing up they bordered on betrayal. Maybe I should yell at you but that would only encourage you to yell back to make yourself feel better and you don't deserve to feel better and so I won't. I'm sorry for making a decision that made you uncomfortable. You are obviously not the most cunning of our cabal and I know that but your actions were appalling and completely void of anything that even resembled honor. And in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't give you an opportunity to answer the question of how YOU brought imbalance to the spirits in this area. You might have burned down the forest after an accusation like that.
I could have given you renown but none of us could have done better with that trail than Kira did not even me and I dare you to say otherwise.
So tell me Rebecca what makes you think I'm such a bad leader that you needed to show your ass like you did? Is it that I put my faith in you to take on the most difficult scenario? Or that I didn't trust my brother who has been missing for weeks and has returned a completely different person to take on what I thought would be the most difficult task? And might I add, returned to us incomplete, but sure let's test his limits when your sisters biggest personal quest is on the line so we don't make you uncomfortable. I mean she never asks us to do things Like this for her so why not shit on her the first time she does, that will teach her a lesson.”

[Akirapryde]

Rebecca decided to take her seat again instead of looming over him. But she was anger at the whole situation. She didn’t what to do or how to handle it. ‘uncomfortable’ she thought, the decision placed her in a position that was nearly hopeless. But when he uttered the words ‘completely void of anything that even resembled honor’ her anger boiled. While she admits that her behavior wasn’t prefect, calling her dishonorable was a step too far. She allowed her anger to show on her face, but kept her mouth shut.

Rebecca set there boiling her in anger. It was clear that his words were sinking in, but he had once again placed his ego before the situation. “I never once” she said dripping with venom and anger, “accused you of being a bad leader.” Her mind was racing so fast with everyone she wanted to say. Everything she needed to say. She could barely keep them in line and she was sure that it sounded like that as she spoke. It was clear that she was holding back her anger, just barely. “Your problem is, you make bad choices, like that one. Then you try to lie your way out of it Richard. You had no grand plan when you made those selections. You didn’t even give it a thought until after it had started. In fact, I am willing to bet that you didn’t even care until you sent Simon in. Then and only then did you try to make the best situation out of what had already been done.”

“At least I can admit what I did was stupid, NOT BETRAYAL” Rebecca forced herself to stop talking. Her anger was getting the best of her. She had to get her anger under control. But his accusation burned her deeply. She really tried hard to keep her anger under control but it was becoming hard. After taking a deep breath she resumed. “Let’s talk about being a good leader compared to a bad leader. I screwed up. No doubt. I won’t deny that. But stop lying! There was no grand plan here Richard. There was just you trying to cover for your mistake and placing everything on me. Which is fine, I got broad shoulders I can bare it. But you don’t get off with this pile of crap. You want me to be responsible, then yell! Then be mad! Show me some gosh dang emotions, Richard!”

[a magical taco]

Richard listened to Rebecca as she spoke. He nodded attentively until she accused him of lying and he simple shook his head. For once he wasn't trying to lie.

"You don't have to call me a bad leader Rebecca, your refusal to act accordingly does that all by itself. You always talk such a good game about following me but when push comes to shove you do what you want, when you want. You always have. Simon with the vampires and now with the werewolves. Kira has worked for weeks to make this meeting happen and you did everything you could to sabotage it. Does the fact that no one died make it less of a betrayal because if that is the only stipulations that you need to write that alpha wolf a thank you card for not taking the bait. You stepped up looking for a fight for the get go just so you could look like an alpha too.

Now you are right about one thing, my bad decisions. I Should have considered my options more carefully before choosing who took which trial, absolutely, but there wasn't a single task set for us that each of us couldn't have accomplished and arguing otherwise is bullshit. We are mages, Rebecca, what trail is a werewolf going to give us that we cant do? At least that's what I believe," he said raising his hands to the same level of his head in a position of surrender, "I feel sorry for you if you don't have the same confidence in your friends. But please, go ahead an call me a liar again, go ahead and tell me I don't have confidence in this cabal.

But regardless of my bad decisions since when do you feel the need to step up and act like a spoiled child when she is asked to do something she doesn't like. And something we are doing for your sister, your sister, not mine and not Simon's but yours. You were going to let my bad decision ruin her goals? You know, I still remember when you told me I needed to grow up, I think maybe its time you take your own advice.

And if I wanted to play the big bad alpha and dump this on your shoulders we wouldn't be having this conversation in private. I'm our leader and its failures fall on me not the rest of you but I assure you this is the last time we will look like fools because of my inability to lead or your inability to follow. In the future there will be consequences. Life has become to dangerous for us to continue on like we have been." Keeping his anger in check was annoying but not difficult, he leaned back and waited for Rebeeca to explode again.

[Akirapryde]

As he spoke she hated the idea that she couldn’t even tell if he was lying or telling the truth. It was one thing about their relationship that she hated more than anything else in the world. But over the past few weeks he earned her respect. Which is why she felts so bad about her recent actions. She did betray his trust and that unto its self, hurt. Still this was not only about her mistake. There was something else going on. She didn’t have to be a master Mind Mage to see it.

She set there and listened to him preach about how this was her fault and she knew it was. She didn’t even deny what she did was wrong. But what she was looking for still wasn’t found. She drew in a deep breath, “Richard, you keep wanting to draw the fire on my actions. Which I know was wrong” she said holding everything she could to keep her voice matched at his. It was so dang hard, but she needed something from him. “You got up on your high horse about this. Yes, Rebecca screwed up and now you don’t look like the big bad Alpha anymore.” There was venom once more dripping from her voice. However, this time the anger was missing from it.

“Clearly Richard you think that you are speaking the truth about how you made your selections….” She trailed off. ‘No’ she thought, ‘this won’t work’ A smile crossed her lips, “Let me ask you something. How did it feel when that big powerful werewolf called you an Alpha? His equal…” she said then leaned forward in her chair. “Then to have me show my ass like that” she added then paused for a second to make sure that this wasn’t misunderstood. “Don’t get me wrong Richard. What I did out there was wrong. Nothing of what I am saying now is meant to justify that nor make you assume I had some greater plan. No, I want to know these answers because you think I don’t trust you to be leader. That you don’t feel I see you as an Alpha.” She leaned back, “So how did it feel?”

[a magical taco]

This is what Richard had been waiting for, for Rebecca to start speaking like an adult. He would appease her now that she had gotten her attitude in check. "It made me what to be a leader. For the first time it made me want to take responsibility for this cabal. Then you started to speak and I wanted to put you down. To grab you by the throat and force you to submit or be crushed under my shoe. See, I don't think you doubt my ability, not really. I think you have a hard time keeping your anger in check and in doing so you simply, in those moments, refuse to let me lead. I have never been a fighter and I don't particularly want to be. I'm a talker and until recently little more than a prankster but you seem to respond to violence and aggression. Is that how I need to respond in the future?"

[Akirapryde]

She almost laughed at his words. “maybe, but why wait for the future. Show me” she said slowly standing up, “show me how much you want to take responsibility for this cabal.” She knew that toning down her voice would do the trick but she still hasn’t seen what she was looking for from him. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you don’t have what it takes to lead us.” She moved around the coffee table and stood right in front of him. “I stood before a werewolf over twice my size with no fear. Do you have the same resolve? Stand up to me” she said then did the unthank able. She leaned down and poked him in the chest with her finger. It was a clear challenge. “Stand up to me Richard. Stand up like a man and confront me,” she dared.

[a magical taco]

Roll intuitive

[Akirapryde]

(OOC: Rolled, 12....your turn)