2024-07-10: The Result Itself
- Log: 2024-07-10 The Result Itself
- Cast: Elan Ceres, Secelia Dote, Guel Jeturk
- Where: Asticassia School of Technology
- OOC - IC Date: July 10, UC 0099 (2024)
- Summary: The Dueling Committee's work is never done.
<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.
With the advent of CANON and all the attention the new Holder's victory over the old one gained, duels have been more popular than ever. That means an increase in the duties of all the Dueling Committee members, from observing the duels themselves to the administration of the duelists's stakes and approval of the duel itself beforehand to the paperwork that comes after. There continues to be paperwork for certain individuals who refuse to accept any duels, for example. But today, this is not about that.
"The winner is Lawdy Gabrief," Elan announces at the conclusion of a duel between a couple of younger piloting students competing over who gets to ask the girl they both like out on a date. He doesn't know if the girl in question is interested in one or either of them, and it doesn't matter, because this is the extent of his involvement in the matter. The duel record numbers adjust; the wallscreen shifts away from the feed of the dueling sector and into a neutral display; and there is some time left for Elan and the other members of the Dueling Committee to have a breather before the next duel is scheduled to begin.
Elan doesn't move from where he's seated at the edge of the circular seat in between the semi-circular couches. He continues to gaze into the distance, an equally distant look on his pretty face.
If he has to be an observer, he'd rather be observing one of Suletta's duels... but at the same time, he doesn't want to cause her undue suffering, either. It's a thought that occupies his mind and keeps him from responding to anyone who might try to talk to him--until they shake him or raise their voice, at least.
Being uninterested in what goes on around him is typical Elan. Being inattentive? That's more unusual.
<Pose Tracker> Secelia Dote has posed.
"Lawdy? I don't expect him to last a week." The supposition that he'd be successful was left unsaid, leaning back on the sofa and crossing her legs with a general sigh. Sure, this wasn't technically her domain with Elan having to be the witness for these set of duels, but it helped for company. That, and the mountains of paperwork to confirm that yes, all the proposed duels were officially approved by the people overseeing them.
If nothing else, her attention is divided; One part paperwork, one part duel observation, one part 'keep an eye on the duelists in case someone needs a mental follow-up'. "He's going to be fine, though." As if covering for that exact same question, taking a few to take a long, loooong sip of the colorful Starbooks beverage. Flashy red cherries in a sea of bright cyan liquid with crushed ice. She can't argue with an energy spike right about now.
"So? How many love triangles does that make this week? Three? Oh, there was the contract dispute yesterday..." ...This was booming business, all things considered. The more people who used CANON, the more that arenas had to be prepped, the more that Demi-Trainers had to be used.
Win-win-win-lose. What more could she ask for?
<Pose Tracker> Guel Jeturk has posed.
After some speculation and rumour-mongering throughout Asticassia, it's been confirmed: Guel Jeturk is no longer permitted to participate in duels, a decree handed down by Vim Jeturk in the wake of his second defeat.
That said, he's still a member of the Committee and thus obligated to be present occasionally in the chambers, particularly as the frequency of dueling has increased. He's only been half-watching this particular bout - when Elan announces Lawdy Gabrief as the winner, he grunts, as though he'd expected that outcome from the beginning.
"Probably not," he agrees with Secelia, "but he's not bad." He leans back on the couch he's slouching on. "Not much in the way of surprises, though."
<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.
How many love triangles? That's a good question, isn't it? It has nothing to do with Elan--it should have nothing to do with him, but the issue keeps getting pressed to him, either directly or in getting mirrored around him. Like Lawdy, for example. He's not a bad pilot, but he probably won't last a week. It's unknown if that girl he wants to ask out even likes him back.
It should have nothing to do with him. But in Elan's case, he really has the opposite problem.
Secelia and Guel comment on it at his back. It filters into his mind at least in part, but he doesn't respond directly.
He does, however, finally glance over his shoulder, specifically at Guel. Not much in the way of surprises--unlike Guel, who surprised everyone with how he reacted to losing to Suletta Mercury.
<Pose Tracker> Secelia Dote has posed.
There's a light, happy sneer coming from the Gadfly of Asticassia, shifting over a few papers and putting her own signatures on them. Most of the papers were physical, ones specifically made for the wet signatures of the Dueling Committee. Sure, they'd be scanned and catalogued and forgotten about afterwards, but some people sure are a stickler for the actual movements.
"A surprise, Guel? A surprise would be the Holder losing. Two on zero, the uncontested Holder taking it all." Another signature down. "Still, they're setting all this stuff on us...At least people aren't idiots and fill these things out properly."
"...Che, and here's one that didn't even have two-party approval. Rejected." The blissful time of stamping that same designation down on the paper, pushing it away. "And? What's the overunder on another love triangle on the battlefield? Or off it, as it seems to be~?"
<Pose Tracker> Guel Jeturk has posed.
Guel grunts again as Secelia shoots a barb at him, folding his arms. "It won't happen again."
Certainly not if his father won't allow him to take the field, anyway.
"Anything unusual in the requests?" He asks Secelia, pointedly ignoring her inquiry about love triangles.
<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.
That's Secelia for you. She never hesitates to just say things. Elan can't say he understands why she goes out of her way to antagonize people, but he knows that sometimes people are like that. If she's going to antagonize anyone, it may as well be someone like Guel.
He seems... more reserved about it this time, though. He doesn't even acknowledge what Secelia says about love triangles, even if he does indirectly claim he wouldn't lose if he fought Suletta a third time.
Elan doesn't point out that what happens twice will happen a third time. Since Guel isn't allowed to duel for the time being, it's immaterial.
He turns back towards the wallscreen. Rather than address Guel, he remarks quietly to Secelia, "You're as invested as ever in trivial things. Why do things like love triangles matter so much to you?"
<Pose Tracker> Secelia Dote has posed.
"Oh~? Putting it all on her, Guel?" Won't happen again, huh? There's so many ways to antagonize him, but he gets off easy. There's no reason to prod someone who's collecting themselves (so she concludes). "They say that the best way to move on is to find something to push for. WHat's the next step, mmmmh?"
The requests...Her fingers score through a few inches of paper, pulling out a few of them. "Let's seeeee, there's one talking about proper shower rights and who needs the shampoo, this one is talking about debt repayment with combat, and this one is about lands right ownership of some bar over in one of the Colonies. Ah, there's this, this, and this, and that one-" She points at individual papers now, sticking out of one stack or another. "- and this one talking about 'the weight of dramatic seriousness on our respective intellectual properties during their movie collaboration team-up'. Aren't they so petty~?"
Even if their requests were mundane, they were still vetted. This was the Dueling Committee operating CANON, after all.
Quieting back down, Secelia's answer to Elan comes quick and true. "Because it's interesting. Two people being together? I'm the student counselor, re-mem-ber~? Though, patient confidentiality, you're not getting anything from me~"
<Pose Tracker> Guel Jeturk has posed.
'What's the next step', Secelia asks, and Guel frowns. "None of your business." This obviously means he has no idea.
Something to push towards... Moving forward...
"... It does all seem petty," he says, frown deepening. "Shampoo rights?" Something is bugging him about the recent instatement of the CANON expansion to the Dueling Comittee's remit, but he can't quite put a finger on it. With Secelia now directly engaging Elan, he sets aside the discomfort to put his attention on their conversation.
<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.
Secelia's teasing reply makes Elan's affect turn even flatter than usual. "I don't know why I asked," he murmurs.
He means it. He really doesn't know why he asked.
She and Guel are right about one thing, though: all of those duel requests are unimaginably petty. He can understand why Luanova doesn't care about them; why Leina refuses to engage with the duel system. Even simply observing is tiresome. But it's part of his duties. He doesn't have the option to shrug it off.
"It is strange. CANON was supposed to encourage resolution of court disputes and high-tension conflicts with duels." Elan thinks of the mission Trem had taken him on. "...It isn't doing that."
<Pose Tracker> Secelia Dote has posed.
"People are supposed to know themselves, you know. Both of you." A roll of her shoulders, another confident sip of her Starbooks drink. SHe might be the only one here that's in a chipper mood, and she'll be damned if she isn't going to dragon two people in their respective mires up...through a bit of mud, of course.
"If neither of you know what you're doing, then at least take some of these papers. They're not going to disappear." Scribbling in a few words of recommended fixes and tweaks before stamping another one to the spiritual graveyard. "And that's another one who just wants to fight someone stronger. Haaaaaa, couldn't they have just tried to make a fighting ring or something?"
"...Better than fistfights. Better than actual war, but. You think they'd just all step down and place their disputes in front of a bunch of kids like us~?" There's that mischevious grin. "I'd love to hear a higher-up in Britannia or a Colony or one of those Neo-Zeon idiots stand up and say their fighting needs to resolve here."
<Pose Tracker> Guel Jeturk has posed.
An extremely rare event occurs: Guel cracks a half-smile as Secelia admonishes him to take the papers, getting up from the couch and joining her at the desk. "Might as well. It's not like I've got anywhere to go right now, either."
He looks at some of the papers and grimaces, shoving a couple to join the others in dismissal before organising the ones that were not quite immediate rejections, and snorts a little when Secelia brings up Neo-Zeon. "Is it 'mature responsibility' or 'keeping us busy' they want, I wonder? It definitely seems unbelievable that they'd pay any attention to our ruling."
<Pose Tracker> Elan Ceres has posed.
"I do know myself. Far better than you do."
But despite Elan's cool rebuttal, when Secelia insists he and Guel help out with the paperwork, he gets up from his seat to take some of it and settle on one of the couches. That, too, is one of his duties.
He doesn't smile as he does it, but Guel's already flashing one of his own. Miracles stop being miracles if they happen all the time.
Better duels over fistfights and war... That much is true. But Secelia has a good point. Even if Delling Rembran brought down the hammer on the subject, people don't necessarily have to resolve their disputes through CANON. They could simply continue on with war horrors as they did before, just in private.
They could, and they do.
"They have to. President Delling Rembran made it so. But they may resent it," Elan comments as he reviews a paper, then signs off on it. He doesn't bother to say what it's about. Who cares? "We don't rule on anything, though. We only observe and speak the result."
And the result itself is the only truth.