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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 23, 2009 11:48:49 GMT -5
Rick was surprised at Rips's nomination. He had expected Rip to volunteer. He didn't know what Rip's profession was, but he carried himself as if he was familiar with combat and used to people listening to him.
Would Rip make a good leader? Would he want the job?
Rick thought about that for a moment, as most everyone in the group seemed to be studying him and waiting for his reaction. Did he want the job himself?
No. Not particularly. Whoever was elected leader was going to have to deal with a lot of strife and discord as the food grew shorter and tempers longer the more time they were on the island. He preferred to enforce the laws, not make them, to stay in the background and fill in as needed, not order people around, though it came naturally to him. Had his tribe survived, he would have probably followed in his father's footsteps and become the Chief by this time, so he had been raised to lead others.
He looked down at the ground for a moment, setting aside his personal feelings and thought what would be best for the group.
Rip was definately a possibility. The girl who had spoken up maybe, but he doubted she would have the fortitude to deal with some of the druken sailors, especially when they started drying out when their booze was gone. Though he could be wrong. She had revealed a hint of steel beneath the surface.
Malphorius had already assumed something of a leadership role. He seemed to be the eldest among them. That was good in that he had experience, but bad in that he would be more vulnerable to the harsh living. He was the doctor too. Would it be wise for the doctor to lead the people? Maybe. Rick could see pros and cons both ways.
He realized everyone was waiting for a response from him as he looked up and around the circle of survivors.
"I agree that we should have one person as leader, but a council would be a great idea. I think we should have a few people to choose from for leader and everyone should vote. I nominate both Rip and Malphorius." He pointed to each in turn. "Both of them have taken the initiative since we landed here to help get a camp going. I also think the young lady," He pointed to Angel, "should be a candidate. You seem to have a bit of a following already." Rick smiled at her.
Since no one knew anyone here, Rick thought the candidates should say a bit about themselves. "Once the nominations are over, I think we should each give a statement, starting first with if we accept the nomination or not and then, if so, why people should vote for us. Majority rule so whomever is elected will have the support of everyone. That ok with everyone?"
Rick waited to see how that suggestion would go over, and to see if Malphorius or Rip would decline the nomination.
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Post by ivory on Jun 23, 2009 15:04:06 GMT -5
Damn it. This wasn't working out well.
She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the ground before hesitantly rising her eyes to his mouth. "It wasn't my idea really. The girl, she found the water, I just grouped people to carry some back." She did a quick visible scan of the crowd, confusion lining her eyes. She'd spotted Ivory a few minutes before, though doubted a simple dressmaker would have the detailed eye needed to spot one who knew how to hide.
With such skills, she figured the girl was an orphan since she was hardly old enough to be a ranger. And besides she didn't have a bow, double scabbard, or one of those handy cloaks. Her clothes were the shade of the forest and Angel would bet she spent the majority of her life sleeping under the stars. And she'd grown up fast, judging by the age in her eyes. Angel didn't doubt that she knew how to handle herself too.
"S-she's not here," she said with a frown after another scan. "I saw her resting in the trees earlier..." She trailed off as her eyes went to scan the treeline, but though she saw her just outside the fire's light, she revealed nothing.
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Ivory gave an exasperated sigh before standing and stepping into the light. She kept her face masked though gave a single nod toward Angel. She wondered what the woman had to hide. The 'attack' in the woods earlier had told her all she needed to know. The woman was dangerous. She liked her though, so didn't say anything except, "I decline." She sat back down, though this time in the light of the fire.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 23, 2009 16:21:51 GMT -5
Malphorius shrugged, not surprised by the nominations but for his own. He looked at the crowd and said, "So be it. If you'll have me, I accept the nomination." He didn't stand to speak. His legs hurt from all the work he'd done during the day. People felt naturally sympathetic towards people of his age, so he chose not to explain himself.
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Post by Tandar on Jun 23, 2009 16:53:35 GMT -5
Rip feigned surprise when Rick nominated him. He nodded in thanks to the Ranger.
"I accept the nomination, but why don't you give the first statement, Rick?"
He needed time to make up a profession and some personal information. Cannon was thinking very much like Rick. He could see that Malphorius would make a valuable adviser if Rip was elected. He had wisdom that many of the others lacked. Rick's skill and experience would make him a good adviser too.
Rip watched Angel and Ivory curiously. He had seen the look that passed between them and wondered what it meant. Angel seemed to be acting rather stiffly and the assassin wondered if she was hiding something.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 23, 2009 17:38:13 GMT -5
Rick wasn't too surprised that the lady had declined, actually it seemed as if both of them had declined to accept nomination. Ah well, at least the other two men accepted and maybe he would not have to lead.
They had both accepted fairly quickly, perhaps they'd been thinking about it for the last few hours. Did that mean they were power hungry?
Rick studied Malphorius and didn't really think he was. He just seemed to be a natural leader. But he wasn't so sure about Rip. The man was a mystery. Rick didn't like mysteries. He always seemed to feel the need to get to the bottom of them. Rip would bear watching, no matter how this "election" turned out.
He gathered his thoughts for a moment, staring into the flames of the large fire.
"Well, first of all let me say that I don't particularly want to lead, but if elected I will do my best to keep us all alive and get us off this island." Rick looked around the group, a bit uncomfortable being in the lime light.
"Let's see, my background... I grew up in the plains in a nomadic tribe. I was the Chief's son and would probably be Chief now instead of a ranger if not for the Kalkara killing everyone in my clan except one other girl and myself. We were both kids at the time. We wandered for a while, living off the land until a ranger found us and took us in. I became his apprentice and my clan-sister ended up marrying into a wealthy family. Uhh..." He was getting off-track now, reliving the old memories. "I know how to survive in the wilderness and had some training in leading men from my Grandfather before he was killed.
I have had training as a ranger in settling disputes, of course and I have some skill with healing herbs too, though I am sure no where near the skill level of our Doctor here." Rick gestured toward Malphorius.
What else should he say? "mmm, personally I am generally an easy-going guy, slow to anger and enjoy the role of mediator. But I do have a temper that I find difficult to rein in once I let it go."
He paused again and looked around wondering if he would make a better leader for this group than the other two. "I guess that is all." He shrugged and sat back down cross-legged on the sand next to Kira and stroked her striped fur.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 23, 2009 17:41:40 GMT -5
As an afterthought, Rick realized he had not introduced himself.
"Oh, and my name is Rick Greenriver. Most folks call me Rick or just ranger. I don't stand on formalities though, especially in a situation like this."
He nodded to Rip and Malphorius that he was done. One of them could go next.
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Post by ivory on Jun 23, 2009 17:55:53 GMT -5
Angel assessed him with watchful eyes. He sounded sincere enough and she didn't doubt he'd told the truth about his past. He'd expressed way to much energy to be faking it. She guessed he could be a very good actor, but doubted it. It just didn't seem...right, at least not in this case.
He was honest too - at least for the moment and that was smart. Unless of course he was just an honest person and that wouldn't work much at all. As an advisor that'd be fine, the people woult love him, but as a leader...There were times when a leader needed to lie to keep the people together. When things looked their worst, they would need comfort from someone they trusted, even if it was a lie.
He knew how to survive and had experience since he was a ranger, another plus. And his hesitation hadn't made him look powerhungry, but like she'd thought before, he could just be a fine actor. She'd have to wait and see, but first, she needed to compare him to the other two and for that she needed to listen to the words spoken.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 24, 2009 12:47:04 GMT -5
As Rick sat stroking Kira, he studied the girl across the fire while the other two nominees spoke.
She was remarkably pretty, in a whispy way and Rick was always on the lookout for a pretty girl. He wondered what her story was. Hell, he wondered what her name was. She had acted a bit strange when he had nominated her and had seen a strange look exchanged between the two women. Was she trying to hide something? So many strangers thrown together, he thought, it would be interesting getting to know everyone and seeing how they all interacted with one another.
She was watching him and he gave her a warm smile across the flames. At least they had something nice to look at while they were marooned on this stupid island, Rick thought. He hoped she wasn't married. If they ended up being here for a very long time he knew that they would be pairing up eventually and there were pitifully few women among them.
Rick turned his attention to the other girl who had been hiding in the dark. She looked extremely uncomfortable, like she was a wild creature about to bolt into the woods. His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to figure her out. She had moved as if she was no stranger to combat too in the brief time Rick had seen her. He couldn't remember having seen her all that afternoon, so she was obviously good at going unnoticed. Another one to watch carefully, he decided and turned his attention back to Malphorius and Rip.
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Post by ivory on Jun 24, 2009 13:15:24 GMT -5
Though Angel was playing a commoner dressmaker, she was used to catching enough men's eyes to not have to play shy. A role she hated playing though was well enough at it, thanks to her father. She uttered a few heavy curses in her mind about him before smiling back at Rick. The smile was a little hesitant since he was a ranger and the commoners were weary around his kind, but he was handsome and she figured that that was reason enough for her character to flirt back.
She looked away after doing so, turning her attention to the next man to speak, though she flicked her eyes back once.
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Ivory refused to fidget. She didn't like being stared at, didn't like being seen at all, but figured that if she did he'd learn more than she wanted too. And the last thing she needed was someone to become suspicious of her. She needed to be out of the limelight so she could get away with that man's murder.
She let out her breath slowly as he finally turned away from her to face the other two candidates. She didn't really care about who would be elected since she didn't have plans to stay with the crowd, staying only close enough to see if they were being rescued. But if her plans ended up changing, she figured Malphorious would make a better candidate. As much as she wouldn't like to, it'd be easier for her to control him if she had to. The last thing she needed was to end up in prison to where she couldn't reach the last of the bandits that had slaughtered her family. And besides, Rick gave her the heebie-a-jeebies.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 24, 2009 18:06:54 GMT -5
Malphorius opened his mouth to speak, again very deliberately not standing up. His legs couldn't hold him up as long as they used to and he had no intention of pushing them any farther than he already had today. He noticed that it was almost fully dark now. The only light was that of the fire that they all huddled around.
"Well..." he began, unsure of what to say. "I'm about seventy years old, though of course I lost track awhile back. I am a physician, currently-" he interrupted his statement, amending it. "I was practicing back on the mainland. I've spent a lot of time in battle. I've seen some ugly stuff. I picked up on some of the military tactics they were using... if we should ever need them. You never know," he said, shrugging. "I can't do much physical work. Can't push my bones as much as you youngsters can. Might break something." It was his attempt at a joke, though his tone wouldn't belay it. He'd never been particularly good at humor. "I do know some things about leading. New physicians out in the field always broke down. Couldn't handle the pressure. Somebody needed to lead them and in most cases that ended up being me. I got things organized is all." He opened his mouth to continue, but no sound came out. He was done and had nothing more to say. He leaned back in his seat, indicating so.
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Post by ivory on Jun 24, 2009 18:49:41 GMT -5
What were with them and not even introducing themselves? Angel shook the thought away as she began to weigh and compare the two who'd already spoken.
Malphorious [OOC: so many varied spellings of his name, srry if that's not right] hadn't done as well as Rick. Because of his hesitations, cut-off, and that part at the end, he'd given the crowd the impression that he wasn't completely truthful. It could be that he just wasn't used to speaking to a crowd, more likely than not, but that impression couldn't be taken back. Iced over, half-forgotten, yes, but never completely so. It'd always be sitting in the unconsciousness and if the people decided to strike back, they'd use it against him. Trust would be a vital part for leadership and he hadn't given it - at least in her mind.
Then there was the other impression she'd gotten from him. That need to prove himself; given when he'd said, "You never know," before shrugging. Was that because he lacked acceptance during his younger years? Or because he kept messing up so much he needed to keep proving himself? Regardless if those failures had been because of him or outside forces, in such a situation they could prove deadly. And if he sought acceptance too much, he'd be a people pleaser and a leader needed to lead, not please. There would no doubt be situations where sides would be taken and whatever he did he'd never be able to please everyone.
Or that saying before the shrug could be more from being prepared than the want of acceptance. In which point, it'd garner votes. Unless he was the sort that wanted to be overly prepared and worked the people to past the average of weariness everyday. In which case, a mutiny was bound to form.
His age worked both ways. For him because some people were respectful of the eldery, against him because some weren't.
Then there was his lack of humor. A plus actually. If he was seen as different the people would probably be more relaxed with him as a leader. They were used to not knowing King Duncan [OOC: that is his name right?] and having a leader that was set apart from them might help in the familiarity of the scene and cause them less likely to strike back. Though there was also a chance of them not coming to him with their problems which would make the need of a leader a waste of time for a good deal of the part. She wondered briefly if they should have a kind of ranking, but then dismissed it, going instead for the council being made up of those the commoners were more relaxed with.
All in all, she was leaning toward Rick. He seemed to have a sense of honesty. Malphorious didn't. A plus in the favor of Rick. They knew Rick's name. Another plus for him. Rick hadn't given that sense of apartness from the commoners with his last remark, though he was a ranger. Malphorius on the otherhand had created a kind of 'rift' between them with both his age and weak joke. A plus for each. Rick did admit to a temper, which put a mark against him and also caused Angel to lean more toward him because of his sense of honesty - which as a leader might be bad, but for her was more than okay. She figured that if he did become leader she'd be able to pressure him into telling her something if need be. She grinned at her own joke with the pressure.
Shaking off her wayward thoughts, she focused back on the main topic. Who seemed to be more fit for the job? Rick obviously. She grinned again before biting her tongue and forcing herself to look back around. The crowd seemed more to be around fifty-fifty, a few nervous, a couple indifferent, but for the majority they seemed to be weighing the concepts of the words which was a good thing since she'd have to lean on them during their time here and would rather not lean on a group of complete idiots.
Waiting with the rest of them, she turned her thoughts and assessing eye to the last candidate up for election. The man with the tiger.
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Post by JezusBagels on Jun 24, 2009 23:21:59 GMT -5
((The correct spelling is Malphorius))
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Post by Tandar on Jun 25, 2009 8:05:28 GMT -5
Rip was already standing, with the fire behind him. To those in the crowd, the flames created an eerie glow around the assassin's silhouette.
"My name is Rip Barricade, but I'd like everyone to just call me Rip."
Rip scanned the faces in the crowd even though it was dark and hard to see them. He made sure that his voice was loud enough so everyone could hear him.
"I am from Araluen, and I'm currently working as a private contractor. In the past, I have worked with a small team, so I know a little about leadership."
He paused as he thought about what else to say.
"If elected, I would call on Rick and Malphorius to be my advisors, and I would make the safety and rescue of the survivors my top priority. Thank you for your time."
Cannon sat down.
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Post by ivory on Jun 25, 2009 9:14:43 GMT -5
Polite.
Angel stared mystified at him, shocked that even on this island in this dire situation, he'd said 'thank you'. She'd thought him distant - too distant to know anything about etiquette and he'd just proven her wrong, a concept she wasn't used too. She didn't believe that she knew everything, but usually after her wonderous thoughts, she was right.
A small smile curved her lips. She liked him for reasons that held no sense of logic whatsoever.
Angel blinked her smile away and forced herself to weigh him like the rest. Politeness wasn't all that great - especially for a ruler. If he did it all the time, nothing would ever get done because he would be trying too hard to not step on anyone's toes. That or they'd think him weak and themselves above him and then there would go the leadership role, sinking straight to the bottom of the ocean.
She wondered why he stressed the word 'am' but unable to figure it out, she put it off as a time-passer for a later date, and thought about the rest of his speech. He'd paused, not hesitated - a clear sign of a thinker. She wondered if his thoughts took a turn for the worst. Though he had elected Rick Greenriver first, he'd accepted his election as candidate quite quickly regardless that he wasn't much of a leader. So was he as powerhungry as she'd once thought? She hid her frown at the thought before moving on.
He'd included Rick and Malphorious in his 'victory' - if he got it - by saying he'd appoint them as his advisors - the signs of a peacemaker. Unless of course, he was just a darn good actor or worse, a smooth talker. And by his speech, he probably was one. That politeness was most definitely just another one of his techniques.
Keeping her face expressionless, she carried on. And what of having just those two on council? At least three people, seven at the most, should be on there. The crowd was quite large and needed more people to talk too to carry their problems. Plus, it'd take part of the heat off the leader since he'd be busy as it was. But then again, since he was such a smooth talker, they probably wouldn't feel uneasy talking to him so he wouldn't need as many people to replace that. She wondered once again if he really was power hungry and then took a deep breath as she forced her feelings aside.
All in all, regardless of her personal outlook on it, he was a good candidate for election and had her vote, regardless if she felt slightly uneasy in his presense. She hated the fact that she couldn't read him as well as the others - actually had two points where she drew blanks - the stressing of that word and what exactly his job as 'private contractors' really was.
She'd been reading people her whole life and was darn good at it, but this one was a little past her limits and she didn't like it, didn't like it at all.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 25, 2009 10:08:11 GMT -5
Rick listened intently to Rip as he gave his speech. It was getting too dark to see well, but the firelight did show Rip's face fairly well. Rick wasn't sure he had done the right thing by nominating Rip, the more he thought about it.
Rip's amphasis on being from Araluen set off alarm bells in Rick's head. He suspected the man was lying, or at the very least he was hiding something. All of Rick's ranger training told him it was so.
Rip gave a background without really telling them anything about himself. He didn't have much experience leading people, but had seemed to jump at the opportunity. During the afternoon Rick had tried to get information out of him, but the man was not much of a talker. He was smart, very smart, that much Rick had found out. He was no stranger to weapons either. He carried himself almost like a ranger - almost.
Rick thought back over his words; he said he was a private contractor. Contracted to do what? He had evaded revealing his profession, yet still answered the question. Just like a politician.
So, normally it was politicians who were the leaders. Did they want that here? Would Rip be the best leader for the group? Was he only going to have two people on the council and if elected how much would he let the council influence him?
Rick was beginning to wish he had only nominated Malphorius, but suspected that Rip would have nominated himself anyway. When it came time to vote, Rick was either going to vote for himself or for Malphorius. He wasn't sure which yet.
He studied Malphorius next and weighed the pro's and con's of the old man being the leader. Malphorius commanded respect already and had already organized many of the survivors into building shelters and salvaging the ship. People were already looking to him. His age and experience made him a logical choice for leader.
However his age also worked agianst him. It made him cranky and possibly prone to making decisions without looking at all the angles just to get someone to quite pestering him. He would be more susceptible to the elements and prone to injury and illness than the younger people. Still, he looked like a tough old buzzard, thought Rick, maybe that wouldn't make such a difference.
Rick thought he could follow Malphorius' lead. He wasn't so sure about following Rip. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about the man just put his guard up. Maybe it was only that he was a mystery and didn't seem willing to reveal that mystery. Between the two, Rick would take Malphorius as leader.
A bit after Rip finished, Rick stood back up, "anyone got any questions or discussion?" he asked and sat back down again. They should give people a chance to think and discuss the candidates if they wanted to.
They probably didn't have any paper, and most likely there were several that couldn't read or write, so they would have to do a vote by show of hands. That could be bad too. would the loosers take it out on people who didn't vote for them? It could definately reveal any splits that were likely to happen within the dynamics of the group later on.
Rick waited to see if anyone wanted to ask any questions of any of the three candidates before they voted.
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