War Camp, Glacia, Autumn,

[glacial_queen]

Between what Dinah and Momoko had found and the fact that winter was very, very close now, it was time to take serious action. There had been skirmishes up and down Glacia ever since they had fled the capitol, but nothing definitive. Karla still held the north, Hobart the south. And with winter practically breathing down their necks, things were only going to get harder.

That morning's light dusting had melted by the time lunch had ended, but it was still pretty cold out, so Karla called for a conference in the large tent she and Warren shared. It was split; a small sleeping and private are in the back, with plenty of room in the front for a table, multiple braziers, and a mountain of maps. Mulled wine was available for people to drink and warm snacks to eat while they were planning.

Wearily, Karla pushed her hair back from her eyes. Maybe if she concentrated harder, she could make the map show her what she wanted to see.

[For them in Glacia that want to show up]

Comments

[furnaceface]

"Karla, I love you. I do. But you're an idiot."

Jono was helping!

"You really think she's going to listen to you if you break into her bloody room? Honestly?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla threw up her arms. "At least I'm contributing ideas!" she said. "Why don't you lot try it?"

...Okay, Dinah got a pass for that.

[heromaniac]

Momoko had been chewing this over. "Can we do what Hobart's doing? Spread stories and stuff about you, but in the south? Break his hold?"

[wwiii]

"At least do something down there to try to raise Karla somewhat in the people's favor. Right now, the people that are loyal to Hobart... I'm pretty sure are being bought out. He's taking half-decent care of the South. Of course he is. That's where he lives."

Warren pursed his lips, thoughtfully.

"But we have the favor of the Province Queen of Sidra itself. That's... at least something. A starting point. It means not everyone in the South is against us."

[heromaniac]

"Although she wasn't very much in Karla's favour, as I recall."

But she nodded. "It's the people we have to get now. They're the only ones that can defeat Hobart."

[glacial_queen]

Karla was thinking. No, more than thinking. Karla was downright pondering. "What if we could combine both that idea and Dinah's thoughts about Robin Hooding?" she asked slowly.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah blinked, and straightened from her slump. "Seriously? Combine, how?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla was still mulling it over. "What if I sent you both into the south. Maybe a few more people with you. Send you into Hobart's territory. Have you hit up some of his most ardent supporters. Give what you get to people in need. Stuff like that, you know?"

[heromaniac]

Momoko was interested but confused. "Won't it be a bad thing if we break the law?"

[glacial_queen]

"Well, yeah, if you get caught."

[heromaniac]

"Caught?" Momoko was offended. "No, I mean, if people hear that your people are stealing."

[furnaceface]

Jonothon gave a little smirk from the corner he'd staked out.

"I believe that's what Karla's getting at, luv. People won't hear that our people are stealing, because nobody will know it was us if we play our cards right. Or, as she said, if we don't get caught."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah gave a wicked smile. "No worries. This is what masks are for. And quick getaways."

Swift would probably a little concerned that he was now their getaway driver. Maybe Momoko should do that?

[heromaniac]

Momoko was fairly sure she was missing something here. "So we steal in secret, but pass out the stolen goods in public and tell people it's from Karla?" Blame it on her being an ex-cop, but that was just weird to say.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Stolen goods passed out privately," Dinah said. "Word gets around, that's good press. Word doesn't get around, we're even safer. And if we don't say our names, well, people who get stuff from us can't be forced to turn us in. They'll probably stay quiet about it except to people they really trust, anyway."

[glacial_queen]

"Make sure you help the most downtrodden," Karla added. "The ones who won't say or even care where the money comes from."

Even if they wouldn't be the most useful in turning sentiment towards Karla, they were the ones that would need help most of all.

"In Sidra, I know, there were plenty of poor Blood families with daughters that had been...harmed." She figured the others could read enough in that pause. "Landen families, too, most likely. They wouldn't have to worry about their daughters being targeted specifically to be broken, but they're vulnerable and voiceless. Someone just looking for fun would see them as easy prey."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah sobered, and looked a bit more grim. "Any, oh, recommendations, if we happen to come across those guys?"

She was thinking crowbars, truthfully.

[glacial_queen]

"Don't engage unless they're actually about to harm someone and only with backup," Karla said immediately. "You're not there to pursue vendettas. If you think you can take someone out with minimal danger, you can try, but otherwise engage for rescues and emergencies only."

She met and held first Dinah's eyes and then Momoko's. "This is non-negotiable."

[furnaceface]

"We have more pressing matters to see to than chasing people like that down anyhow," Jonothon noted, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest. "When we win this war, we can hunt down every bloody prick who hurt a female in cold blood that we please. Right now, we need to focus on very specific priorities, or else this whole war is going to get away from us before we ever get a handle on it in the first place."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah grimaced. "Fair enough." The system to punish those guys wasn't completely in place yet; first things first. Weaken Hobart's support, build up Karla's, try to keep things from getting worse.

[heromaniac]

"So Dinah gets to corrupt the hero into stealing, and I get to talk the vigilante out of vengeance?" Momoko chuckled softly for a moment, then sobered. "What level of Craft are we allowed to engage? I mean, preferably none, I totally get that, but since we won't know going into a situation, can we judge for ourselves?"

"We're going to have to deal with it eventually, the fact that Dinah and I are pretty much Landens in this war."

[heromaniac]

...

"Actually, I think Ludmilla is, uhm, well, not really, hmmm. Quick enough? to think it was weird or bad that Karla suddenly appeared in her rooms."

She held up her hands, quickly. "Not that I think it's a good idea! It's totally not! But that's because of Hobart, not Ludmilla. I don't want you near him without all of us armed to the teeth and right beside you."

[glacial_queen]

"She's in love with Hobart," Karla grumped. "Momo's right. How smart could she be?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Smart enough to say, 'Karla! When did you get here?'" That was kind of a scary Ludmilla voice. "'Why didn't someone announce you? OoOoo, let me order cake. And tell Hobie! He'll want to be here!'"

[glacial_queen]

"And since my Jewel outranks hers, I can put up aural and psychic shields so she can't tell anyone I'm there..." Karla trailed off, listening to how that sounded.

"Okay, so it might not be the best idea."