Call me out!

[knightess]

【the ❝CALL ME OUT❞ meme】
a roleplay meme to inspire muses.

♛ refer to this list for active muses. ♛ post "calling" one of them out — you can do so by putting their name in the subject line! ♛ can be informal/formal/comment spam/crosscanon/explicit/whatever tickles your fancy! ♛ feel free to make up a scenario at the start, or wait to see where things go. meme code.

Comments

okay friend let's do this thing

[ichabodd]

[lifescratched]

It was the secrecy of this mission that had caught Connor's attention, if nothing else.

He had been called to Commander Washington's encampment with the message that his skills were desperately needed for a specific mission. Infiltration, stealth, assassination, he supposed, and yet when he reached the camp, it was only to be informed that one Captain Ichabod Crane would be working alongside him, and he would lead the way.

What their task was, Washington had said, was of vital importance not only to the cause, but to the security of all the colonies and beyond, and could have dire repercussions if left unchecked. He had not specified what the threat was, and hinted that Connor might have to suspend his disbelief in order to undertake the mission, but nonetheless Connor had accepted immediately. The hints, the secrecy, the fact it was a threat to the whole colonies-- it reeked of the kind of work of the Templars, even if Washington did not know it. Whoever their target was, Connor imagined he would get some answers on the road and away from listening ears around Washington's camp.

They'd journeyed east for a day's ride, making camp at nightfall. He'd grudgingly had to accept the unpalatable military rations shared around -- according to Crane's men, this mission was so sensitive that even hunting in the area could compromise the whole expedition. So the Assassin sat by the fire, waiting for the good captain to finish organising the camp for the night before Connor could draw him aside for questioning: Where were they going? What was their aim? Why was there knowledge that Crane had been entrusted with, but Connor had not? All of it troubled him, and he would go no further with the mission when they set off at daybreak, unless he had an exact idea of what he was getting into.

[ichabodd]

Ichabod had been, perhaps, rather more easy to find than his sudden partner. Living and fighting as he did within the so-called regiments of the Patriots, it was the work of a day for couriers to bring him back from the outlying encampments more conductive to his research. From what he had been led to believe by his men, contacting this independent agent was rather more of a trial... but a rewarding one. Washington had had little to say on the man's character, but talk about camp had unearthed no small number of rumours and myths already.

The men settled down, the perimeter organised and the watch assigned, Ichabod returned to the fire. The agent - Connor - seemed amiable enough, and, more importantly, his distaste for their meal spoke volumes for his sanity.

"I apologise for keeping you waiting," he offered a hand once he was seated. "Ichabod Crane."

[lifescratched]

Connor looked to regard Crane as he seated himself, and there was the tiniest of hesitations before he took the proffered hand to shake it.

"Connor," he answered curtly, quickly releasing the other man's hand. He was never one for pleasantries or banter, so he leaned in, cutting straight to the heart of what he wanted to discuss. "Washington trusts you, and so I have been patient. But after journeying for so long I must know what it is you intend, who you seek, and why."

...Good first impressions were not particularly high on his list of priorities, either.

[ichabodd]

He didn't recoil at the barrage of questions, but it was a close call. Not even a pretense of small talk. Well. Straightforward answers, then, for straightforward questions. His own curiosity would have to wait.

"Your second question I can satisfy immediately; we seek a woman by the name of Esmee Dreyer. One of ours, late of New York, but since abducted to parts unknown by the British. That leads to an answer to your first, our intentions are to find Miss Dreyer and ascertain whether she has been compromised. The third..." He paused, and glanced down at his hands with a frown. How much did the man know about the second war behind the first? "I do not suppose you would be content if I merely told you it is vital to our cause that this mission succeed."

[lifescratched]

"If it was not vital, I would not be here," Connor responded simply. It was not a response of arrogance, but of truth-- Washington would not have called upon him, nor would Connor have assisted, if the mission had not been of paramount importance. Connor was not of the Continental Army, at their beck and call to do grunt work. He was an Assassin, and he struck only where needed, be that to protect his people or to further the cause of the fight for independence.

"This woman... What makes her different from any other woman, man or child held hostage in this war? Supposing that was Commander Washington's only concern, he would be negotiating with the British for a ransom, not sending us."

Or, quite simply, leaving her to the mercy of the British, if she was deemed too unimportant. That was the reality of the war, as the Patriots were desperately short on funds and men to spare as it was.

[ichabodd]

Ichabod nodded, accepting that at face value. If even half the rumours were correct, the man was being modest. "I suppose that is quite true, regrettable as it sounds. Well, then. Put bluntly, she is an extra-ordinarily powerful witch."

The decision was a snap one, but trust went both ways. Even so, there was the faint spark of - apprehension, defiance? - a man who expected to be called a liar. It didn't matter, of course, they were committed to the mission.

"One we cannot afford to lose. She has, I hear, been content to remain neutral, but even excepting her own abilities, she is privy to the locations of several powerful devices. Until we find her, I cannot say whether she is in danger or simply is the danger."

[lifescratched]

Connor didn't immediately respond, looking thoughtfully to the fire for a moment. "A witch," he repeated evenly, eyes flicking back to Crane. There was nothing disbelieving or sceptical about his tone. Curiosity, if anything. It explained the fear he had seen in the eyes of some of the soldiers, their cautions not to stray away from the group or the camp. "And what would Commander Washington know of witches? He is a man of reason, not one to easily believe rumours or flights of fancy."

Which wasn't to say that Connor believed or disbelieved him -- he wanted to know how Washington had come to believe such grand claims were genuine.

[ichabodd]

"Far more than you or I know of them, I'd wager," His smile was wry, "The disadvantage of being a man of reason is that you cannot deny what you have seen with your own eyes."

Though he did prefer not to mention them... Which was sensible, given how important his reputation was to the efforts of the Patriots.

[lifescratched]

Connor gave him a long, searching look. Templar conspiracies were enough to deal with. But witches... This added a whole new element to the situation.

"I trust the commander's judgement, but what I need are details. What exactly is this woman capable of that she is considered a witch? Where is she being held? How many guard her?" He was used to working in improbable, if not downright impossible situations, enough for many to think him mad. Yet even he needed more information before he could formulate any kind of plan of action -- unless Ichabod already one in mind.