Non-Negotiable

"Non-Negotiable" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
As the sun began to set on the fifth day of Liam and Deo’s disappearance, and Lila bent over her collection of maps in the Great Hall, she saw an odd ripple in the paper, as though water had started leaking upwards through the table. It soaked wetter and wetter, into a puddle that started to grow and drip off the edges of the table. It suddenly glowed, and with a final rush of water, a figure wearing a long, heavy trenchcoat pulled themselves up onto the edge of what was now recognizable as a portal. They sat and peered at the Commander of the Rebellion from underneath a wide-brimmed hat, with very pale eyes framed by white, curly hair. Then they glanced down at the maps they were now sitting in the middle of.
“Sorry about that,” they said through their scarf.
Jul 2, 2020
Lila looked up from her maps with a scowl at the intruder but her blade remained in it’s scabbard. “What can I do for you, River Nix?” She asks, attempting to at least be cordial.
Jul 2, 2020
They blinked in surprise, but it quickly passed. “Hey, so listen…I’m not supposed to be here. I’m really sticking my neck out for you, so I want you to hear me out.” They took a deep breath, their leg bouncing slightly as it dangled in their portal.  They had a smell about them, scents trapped in their heavy coat–singed hair, tall grass, dragon smoke. “I’m gonna cut right to it. I think I found someone you’re looking for.”
Jul 2, 2020
She raised an eyebrow at this. “Let me guess. Tortoise shell cat half-breed. Lots of attitude.”
Jul 2, 2020
A gloved finger pointed at Lila in confirmation. “Just add ‘captured by the Conclave’ to the end of that, and that’s probably him.”
Jul 2, 2020
She hums. “And how… Pray tell did you come across this information?”
Jul 2, 2020
He’d only wanted a place to rest his feet for a moment. The Great Hall was usually quieter this hour of day, but he quickly noticed the pair conversing upon his entry. Vox didn’t want to pry on their discussion, but a set of unmistakable words hit his ears like a burning arrow.
…tortoise shell cat half-breed…
“Excuse me, I’m so sorry to interrupt…” He approached with caution, not knowing if his presence was welcome. “…did I hear you right? Did you say ‘captured’?”
Jul 2, 2020
The stranger’s leather-covered fingers were hypnotic in their fluidity; they snapped once or twice and fluttered in a wave before sliding up behind their head to scratch their neck. Their eyes, cut and glittering like fresh quartz, moved over to Vox before returning to Lila. The rest of their face was still hidden. “Ah…yeah, captured…I might’ve seen him there because…I live there.”
Jul 2, 2020
Vox felt his legs move before his mind had a chance to catch up – he approached the two with a newfound sense of urgency.
“Please, tell me everything you know. I think you may be speaking of my son.”
He turned to Lila, nearly forgetting her presence in the moment.
“Pardon my intrusion, I really am sorry… I just- I saw Liam not too long ago, and if he’s in danger, I need to know.”
Jul 2, 2020
As soon as Grey and Brandt heard the Nix talking with Lila and even Vox, they walked over to listen in, and when the Nix mentioned a certain cat-half-breed being captured by the Conclave…Grey felt her heart break.
She had a search party ready for Liam, but there was no sign of him. Now, they finally had some answers as to where he was, and Grey couldn’t help but reach over and place a hand on Vox’s shoulder. Both she and Brandt knew what it was like to have a child kidnapped. She silently reassured the former scout that she was there for him. 
Jul 2, 2020
She nods at the pair before turning her eyes to the Nix “Then why share this with us? It seems you could be comfortable there, you are, for all intents and purposes, human. Why risk the wrath of the Conclave for Rebels who have given you nothing.”
Jul 2, 2020
“Because I want you to give me something,” they responded. “I’m sick of them. Being human-passing doesn’t cut it any more. But you’re right. They’ll have my head. I’m gonna need your promise that you can help me out of working for them before we get any further.” Their face was steely. 
Jul 2, 2020
“Should’ve known there’d be a catch,” Grey thought to herself as she looked to Brandt.
Her husband nodded encouraging her to go ahead. The Chief took a deep breath with firm expression on her face. “We can do that,” Grey finally said after a moment. “If you give us the Conclave’s location and the name of the Jarl and what they want from Liam, I can assure you that you can stay on this island under my protection. If not, we can help you get on your feet and leave the island.”
Jul 2, 2020
“Not so fast.” Lila says, putting her arm out in front of Grey. “Before we make any sort of promise, we should probably talk to one of our resident lawyers.” She says, giving Grey a look and hoping she understands.
Jul 2, 2020
The Chief nodded at the subtle mention of the Changling. “Bring him here,” she replied, “immediately.”
Jul 2, 2020
She nods. 'Bold of you to assume they'll look male but go off.' She thinks but goes to fetch the demon in question.
Vox didn’t even pretend to understand the subtleties of their back-and-forth; there were obviously things at play he hadn’t been privy to. He needed some semblance of a grip on things.
“Excuse me, stranger…” He looked to the refugee with concern, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. “What is your name?”
“Nio,” they said shortly. “And Nio doesn’t talk to lawyers.” 
“Then we don’t have a deal.” Lila says as she walks back into the Hall, a smartly dressed looking female behind her.
Nio twisted their nose and leaned over, looking the female figure up and down. “I don’t want to get caught up in some awful contract again,” they complained. “This is a favor for a favor, safety for safety. Is there a problem with that?”
“I mean no offense, but honestly I can’t trust you. You come from our enemies with convenient information at just the right time. It sounds like a trap if I ever heard one.” She says as she crosses her arms. “If it is truly such a pain you two can just make a verbal contract and shake on it, and the terms can be simple.”
At this the Changling pipes up. “Yeah, just like a, promise not to intentionally or unintentionally hurt the Rebellion and in return we give you protection.”
They squinted for a few seconds, their scarf shifting a little as they worked their jaw. Then they put out a gloved hand, the move short and choppy. “Fine. I’ll try not to get you guys in hot water.” In response, their portal bubbled a little before quieting down.
They giddily grasp the Nix’s hand and suddenly there is a sudden burning sensation runs up their arm to their shoulder and down their side, stopping where the arm meets the rest of their body. “Fucking gottem coach!” The Demon yells excitedly as they rapidly shift through various forms, laughing hysterically.
Nio yelped and pulled their hand back like they’d grabbed a hot pan, and they hurriedly patted down their side. They finally pulled down their scarf, showing pale lips and flushed cheeks. “Alright, what the Hel is your issue? Demons? Are you serious?” they demanded.
“My issue, is that we’re at fucking war.” She says sternly. “You arrival here is suspicious, to say the least, so a little insurance was required. Not to mention the fact that you were able to teleport in here, which in and of itself is setting off many, many, alarm bells.”
Nio put an elbow on their knee, looking hard into Lila’s eyes. “Do you want this Liam kid or not?” they demanded. “You’re really not convincing me this is the right side to be on.” The water splashed like it had been rocked sharply from side to side, and it was softly steaming.
“Okay…” Grey said with a feigned smile on her face, “well, let’s put it this way. It’s either us or those lowlives over there in High Central. If you don’t comply with our intentions to make sure this isn’t some trap, I will personally have my Night Fury drag you all the way back there, and I will hand deliver you to them myself. This might not resonate with you, but I have a whole island of innocent people–humans and half-breeds alike–including my family to worry about. And I refuse to let anything happen to them in a war. So,” she held her hands out shrugging, “the choice is yours. Us…or High Central.”
“No, the deal has already been struck, and we will abide by the terms, so long as Nio does.” Lila says as she crosses her arms. “I am sorry that this was necessary but to protect all of us it was. However, if you’re telling the truth, this is easy contract and it protects you more than it does us.”
Rolling their eyes, Nio used a quick whip of water to pull a pencil off of Lila’s table and suck the water from Lila’s map and scrape a rough X into the Scrublands near the coast. “I’m not in this for any of you, but I guess I’m damned if I don’t, huh?” They tossed it end-over-end at them, not expecting anyone to catch it. 
Vox had heard plenty at this point; the narrative had shifted from a rescue operation to a hostile argument about semantics, contracts…
“Can we please address the entire reason we’re here? Liam is in very real danger, and I’m not exactly enjoying standing around listening to the two of you quabble relentlessly.” He stepped forward, visibly concerned. “I’ve heard enough about your contract, and not nearly enough about what we need to do here.”
“We’re going to send a small strike team to extract Liam. We can’t commit a large amount of our forces so we’ll need to be quick and quiet.”
“Agreed,” the Chief said to her niece. She then turned to the Nix. “Tell us everything about where Liam is being kept, please, and the Jarl. I’ve heard that they have a Jarl in charge, but I’m afraid I’ve never really interacted with him personally.”
“I don’t know exactly where he is,” Nio grumped. “I still have to go back and find out. I saw him when the slaving convoy landed; I stopped him from running and Jarl Vidar figured out he was a rebel from his backtalk. That’s where I saw my chance. Then they took him in. Maybe an isolation cell.” They jerked a chin at the map, pulling their scarf up over their face again. “I gave you the site of the Jaw of Fenrir. This is where they bunker down. And the Jarl…I really don’t know what to tell you about him that would help. He was born for the Conclave. Brutal, sadistic, grossly nice. Anger issues. Oh, no sense of personal space. Too handsy with me. Don’t know your kid that well, but Vidar will have a field day with an attitude like his.”
“You… you stopped him from what?”
Vox stepped closer to Nio, feeling his fist clench tightly. This had to be a nightmare.
“You saw my son trying to run, and you stopped him? Are you insane?!” His elevated voice nearly scared him as the words fired rapidly from his mouth. He had to keep himself composed to some extent – this was his only shot. “…I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to come across like this, but I just need to know that he’s alright.”
He turned to face the small group before him. Faces he’d known for years, and some he’d never seen before. He had to place his faith in all of them, for better or worse.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I won’t lie to you all, I’m absolutely terrified. For myself, for you… for Liam. I would never ask any of you to put yourselves into harms way for my sake, but I know my son. He would never go quietly.” He looked towards the ground for a moment, trying to find the right words for the moment. Nothing felt right. “If this is what we are doing, we need a plan. Nio seems to be the only one of us who has any inclination as to what we’re up against, and from what I’m hearing, it’s going to be a fight.”
“And we will, Vox,” Grey said quickly trying to calm the concerned father down. “I promise you we will. Liam is one of us, and rebels never get left behind. We can’t go in blindly, and,” she looked to Lila, “my niece is right. We can have too many men go after him. We would risk too much bloodshed and harm to Liam. If we can send a small team, like she said, to go after him, we’ll have a much better chance of getting to him.”
Lila nods. “Let’s get the information we need, get our soldiers and head out.” She turns to Nio. “Please tell us every thing you can.”
“I don’t have a lot of time here, sweet cheeks. They’ll be looking for me.” They pointed another finger at Lila. “I’ll send you a packet tonight, so I don’t get in trouble now. It’ll have what you need to know.”
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Events
Category:Act II
Category:Lila Ericson
Category:Nio Icewalker
Category:Vox Arnason
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:The Changeling