dragonwarder | (no subject)

[The dilemma is clear. It suddenly occurs to her how fortunate she had been that it was Jon Snow and Melisandre who had come to New Amsterdam and not...Viserys.

Or Drogo. Gods, what would she even —

But this isn’t about her. With knowledge of how Catra views Adora, she knows well that this is not an easy decision she needs to make. Daenerys does not reply until she returns to the table with the teapot and two cups.

After pouring herself a glass, she leans back and decides to try and prod some.]

Are you asking for my advice?

[Her tone suggests she has an opinion already.]

What? No. I can make my own decisions.

I'm asking if you if you want a new housemate.

[Daenerys raises an eyebrow in confusion. She cannot tell why she is asking her, or if it just happened to be a convenient way out of her situation. She believes it to be the latter.]

I prefer to keep to myself, and the occasional familiar company.

[Of which Adora was neither. Politely, she passes a cup of tea in Catra's direction for her to take or to leave.]

That means no.

[ Catra takes the tea held out to her, but almost as an afterthought, like she's not really thinking about it. ]

Yeah, I figured. Tch, it's not even why I came here, really. But Adora is kinda similar to your ex-housemate, so, y'know. Two birds with one stone, all that. It was worth a shot.

Rey and I are very different. But we have been through quite a lot together, here.

[Which is why they live together. She spreads her hands, as if expecting Catra to find her way to that conclusion herself, before taking a slow sip of her tea.]

Why did you come here, then?

[ Catra isn't stupid-- she can put two and two together. She takes a sip of her tea and looks away, digesting that, before looking back at Dany. Enough said. ]

... Last time we met. You said you were a queen or something, didn't you?

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, yes.

[A curious topic, and one of much discussion as of late. She thinks of how Jon had pressed her, and frowns slightly.]

What of it?

How do you stand it? Doesn't it drive you crazy? Living like this?

[That was not the question she was expecting. For a few moments, she has to think about her answer.]

Some days. But not for the reasons you might imagine. My youth was fraught, and so I am used to moving around and less decorated areas. A roof and heat is what is most important -- not how lavish it is.

I'm not talking about the accommodation! I grew up in a Horde dormitory, I don't care about stuff!

I'm talking about the hiding. The cowering! The way we have to "lie low" and "not attract attention" and all that crap! Why should we have to hide who we are?!

Ah. You are talking about survival.

[Daenerys smiles then and leans on the table some.]

It isn't cowering if it benefits you. But it would certainly be foolish to lift your head in a den of wolves where they outnumber you ten to one.

We're stronger than they are!

No, we are not.

[Her voice is a little firmer here, and her smile fades away.]

The UNA has vast resources that we do not. They have access to funding, support, and information that we do not. And unless you get every Displaced on board with a riot, which you will not, then they win in a game of pure numbers.

[ Catra opens her mouth to object, and for a moment it looks like she's really going to argue. But then she closes her mouth again and goes quiet. Frowning. Thinking.

Finally, after a few beats, she smiles and speaks up again-- ]

So... what I'm hearing is-- we need someone inside the UNA.

—what? No.

[Daenerys has the grace to look startled. It isn’t as if she hadn’t considered it before, but — she had seen what they had done to Rey and those other Morningstar agents. Sending someone in there would be a death sentence.]

I mean — it would help, but others have already tried to break one of their soldiers and their programming. Sending someone to be recruited would not only be sending them to their death, but would likely endanger the rest of us.

Why? Think about it. We have people here who can shoot water from their hands, spikes from their skin. Why not someone with mental control? Maybe resist brainwashing, control what other people think of them?

It's just a matter of finding the right person for the job.

People have failed to convert their soldiers before.

[But she cannot deny that she hadn't thought of it herself. She certainly had no mind altering powers, but she did have something else: the power of fear. The power of being a large, flying, fire-breathing lizard.

The egotistical part of her believed she could frighten them into submission, if she really wanted to. But she doesn't want to. What of all the citizens who had no say in the matter?]

It is very risky. And they have done terrible things to our people before, when they have managed to subdue them. Would you imagine such risk to be worth what we might gain, if anything?

Who said anything about conversion?

The reason we're struggling is because we just don't have enough information. Of course our previous efforts have failed. We don't know anything about them. How they think. How they operate. How they brainwash. Their desires, their weak spots. We just have to get someone in there to spy. That's all. Nothing dangerous. Just intel. We can't even think about taking them down from the inside until we have that.

You have to play the long game.

[Well. That is a solid idea, but Daenerys has a different sort of concern. One more easily mitigated, perhaps.]

That would be a sound plan, if I trusted any of the Displaced with matters of discretion.

[Her tone is rather deadpan when she offers this.]

Perhaps you know of a suitable candidate?

[She would offer herself, but...her defense mechanism is too dangerous.]

People can be pretty motivated to stay quiet when it's their life on the line.

[ She shrugs. ]

I'd send myself in, if I could. My power would even come in handy, but... well. Most people on the street here just think I'm some kind of augmented human, but all it'd take is one physical exam and the jig would be up.

I am not certain it is about motivation. More to do with lacking in the ability.

[Daenerys nods along appreciatively at Catra's commentary, finally taking a moment to sip at the tea she had made.]

My own power is too volatile to risk such things as well, I'm afraid.

[ Catra goes quiet for a moment, tapping the side of the mug, seemingly deep in thought. ]

... Well, I've never let limitations stop me before.

I'll just have to find someone.

[Daenerys is thoughtfully silent, tapping on the edge of her mug as she runs through various names in her mind.]

I will explore some options as well.

[Though she may need to lower her standards to actually make this work.]

There is one other option we might pursue.

Edited (grrr typos) 2020-03-05 06:00 (UTC)

Oh?

[ Catra looks up, a smile on her face again. ]

Do tell.

An election is on the horizon. I do not believe it is likely to insert one of the Displaced as a candidate, but it may be possible to gain the favor of one of the others.

[She had considered doing it herself, once. Other things had taken priority -- but that was not to say she would not still be open to the idea, especially now that her core network had dissolved some.

She could do with a bit of populism and social clout.]