seventh; accidental video; canon move

[cravats]

It was you!

[The community seems to be watching some sort of Victorian detective parlour scene- only the participants here are only one Alexia Maccon and one Professor Randolph Lyall. Lyall is straightening his collar and looking rather guilty. Whoever ‘it’ is, it probably was him.

Alexia is waving her parasol rather wildly in his direction.]


You’re Agent Doom! How ninnyhammered of me not to have seen it sooner! You rigged the whole thing back then. The whole Kingair attempt. And that was the point, of course, that it should be only an attempt. It was never meant to succeed. The queen was never meant to die. The point was to convince the Kingair Pack to turn against their Alpha, to give him a reason to leave. You needed Conall to come to London so he could challenge Lord Woolsey. The Alpha who had gone mad.

[Lyall turns away and walks to the other side of the room, his head slightly bent. He appears to have chosen to address the wall rather than Lady Maccon.]

You have no idea what a blessing it is, to have a capable Alpha.

And you are Beta. You would do whatever it took to keep your pack together. Even arrange to steal another pack’s leader. Does my husband know what you did?

[Lyall visibly stiffens, though he doesn’t react otherwise. Alexia, fortunately, doesn’t need any response to answer her own question.]

No, of course he doesn’t know. He needs to trust you. He needs you to be his reliable second just as much as you need him as leader. Telling him would defeat the very action you took; it would disturb the cohesion of your pack.

[Lyall turns back towards her, looking tired- but there is no sign of pleading in his face or attitude.]

Are you going to tell him?

That you were a double agent? That you destroyed his relationship with his old pack, with his best friend, with his homeland, to steal him for Woolsey? I don’t know.

[Alexia looks just as tired as Lyall does, resting a hand on her stomach.]

It would destroy him, I think. Treachery from his Beta, his lynchpin. A second time. But to keep this information from Conall, to share in your deception? You must know that this puts me in an untenable position as his wife.

[Lyall winces and avoids her gaze. He has no desire to be the cause of that sort of deceit, but he can’t not ask it of her.]

I had no choice. You must see that? Lord Maccon was the only werewolf in Britain capable of taking on Lord Woolsey and winning. When Alphas go bad, my lady, it is sickening. All that concentrated attention to pack cohesion and all that protective energy turns rotten—no one is safe. As Beta, I could shield the others but only for so long. Eventually, I knew his psychosis would leak out, encompassing them as well. Such a thing can drive an entire pack to madness. We don’t talk of it. The howlers don’t sing of it. But it occurs. I am not trying to excuse myself, you understand, simply explain.

[Alexia’s still on the prospect of lying to her husband.]

Who else knows? Who else knew?

[At which convenient moment there’s a knock on the door and then it crashes open- and the video cuts off. That question, it seems, will never be answered. At least to the community at large.]

[ooc: Green is Alexia and blue is Lyall.]

Comments

[atadflamboyant]

Oh, my.

[cravats]

[Lyall will not be happy about the fact that this was posted when he returns to his computer. He's even less happy about the fact that Lord Akeldama is the first to respond.]

I would appreciate your discretion in this matter, my lord.

[atadflamboyant]

Of course, Dolly!

[cravats]

Thank you.

[chapter_behind]

Randolph?

[cravats]

...yes?

[chapter_behind]

I would appreciate an explanation.

[cravats]

[Randolph's voice is soft but unemotional.]

Some twenty years ago, I persuaded the Kingair Pack of werewolves to make an attempt on the life of Queen Victoria. The attempt was never meant to succeed- I meant it to be discovered by their Alpha, Conall Maccon, who abandoned his pack and came to Woolsey, as I had predicted he would.

He killed our Alpha, who had gone mad, and took his place.

[glimmerous_fop]

Oh...

[cravats]

I'm sorry that you had to see that, Mr. Gavin.

[glimmerous_fop]

No, no...I'm sorry...well not sorry, but I am...I didn't know this was the extent of your situation.

[cravats]

The situation under discussion happened more than twenty years ago. Hopefully it will... it will remain in the past.

[6collegecredits]

Sounds like you could use a mustache to twirl, Professor.

[cravats]

I don't believe facial hair would improve the situation in the slightest.

[6collegecredits]

It would be a distraction, maybe.

What is with people I know turning out to be evil masterminds lately?

[cravats]

I would hardly give myself that distinction. I am not evil. I was acting in the best interests of the Woolsey Pack.

[Video]

[material_guy]

So lemme get this straight here. You were a group's #2, and you fucked over yer #1 not 'cause you wanted to be #1, but just to fuck him over for the other #1, that chick's husband, who didn't even wanna be your guys' #1 at all. You just wanted him for your #1 no matter what.

[Video]

[cravats]

My 'number 1' as you put it, was a psychopath. I have no interest in ruling a Pack myself, but he was a danger to everyone around him. He had to go down and nobody but Maccon had the strength to do it.

[Video]

[material_guy]

No single person but him could do it. Hn, well, I can see why yer only a #2 no matter how much of an idea man you are.

How long ago was this little one-man revolution?

[carriesparasol]

But of course the community would see it fit to post such private matters.

[cravats]

Of course.

[carriesparasol]

At least Conall is not a member of the community to see this.

[quicktoreward]

Whatever that's talking about doesn't seem good.

[cravats]

It was an unfortunate situation for everyone concerned.

[quicktoreward]

From Maccon-san's reaction it seems to be a bit more than just unfortunate.