"Listening to others, considering well what they say" (Part 3: Maingate Hotel)

[cityship]

The Maingate Hotel was pretty extravagant, and an entire section of it had been eked out for the crew's use during their stay. They had several suites, three communal areas, a conference room, their own kitchen with a chef on call if they required her.

They were all teleported from the main teleport pad of the hotel into the conference room, which was a large enough room to be able to hold a group their size and had plenty of chairs arranged in a circular pattern so they could mostly all face each other or whoever was in the middle of the room.

Everyone had to settle down so they were all able to talk, and the meeting itself would have to be carefully controlled so they wouldn't all talk over each other. But they were up for the task, right?

[ooc: Guardian Setup, General Mingling, Clone Checkup, Newbie Briefing, General Briefing, More Mingling, Back to the Meeting, and The Idea Guy sections are open. Backup characters introduced to the plot can join in the mingling subthreads if they want. The opening of new subthreads will be announced here and the ooc. Please read the linked OOC post for a plot timeline.]

Comments

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

As soon as Fate heard that familiar voice, she stopped trying to readjust her hair. And as soon as Nanoha was close enough, she got up, pulling the other girl into a tight hug.

She already vented, so she didn't need to say anything. What she needed the most right now was the comfort only her family and close friends could provide right now.

[starlightace]

Nanoha had been about to do the same thing before Fate had beaten her to it - but she didn't complain. Instead, she pulled her into that hug fiercely, one hand coming up to run through soft blonde hair as she buried her face in Fate's shoulder.

She knew how Fate felt about this sort of thing. What she'd been through must have been unimaginable.

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

Fate stayed like that for a long time, clinging to her fiancee almost desperately, like a lifeline. And when she finally pulled back, the hurt was so clear in her eyes, it didn't take a perceptive person to notice it right away.

"I feel horrible for saying this, and I know we need what they're offering... but there's no way we can go through with these negotiations. Even if they didn't do this--" she gestured to the glowing mark on her forehead. "There's no way I'm going to help those monsters."

It was obvious, of course, but she still had to say it.

[starlightace]

Nanoha wasn't about to let Fate go, either - her hands stayed on the girl's shoulders, as if she was afraid Fate would vanish where she stood. "I know," she said quietly. "I'm not going to negotiate, either. There's something else going on that we can't ignore, no matter what the stakes."