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[Greetings and Salutations, fellow turtle-dwellers! Some may have noticed Zatanna's silence until now regarding certain events, but today, she greets the open console network with an unusually contemplative look. Eyes still slightly turned upward, arms folded over her chest, she leans back into her chair and allows herself a deep breath before sitting up and forcing the best attempt at a diplomatic smile she could muster.]

I had a very interesting conversation recently with Odyni.

This isn't really something we bring up much...mostly because there's no reason to...but the Welcome Center? Jokes aside, it hasn't just been running on my charm and magic all these years. Once upon a time, we were funded by the Emperor. After they both died, we struck up a deal with Aroyan, who was cool enough to vouch for us on behalf of the Merchant's Guild and help keep us going. Then after he was gone, Odyni made the choice to keep that relationship open. Which she really didn't have to do, so I've always been pretty grateful to her for that.

[Little backstory for everyone. The more you know ==✰]

There's been some ongoing talk about these new Guilds forming, which makes sense, but for a while, I wasn't exactly sure what that meant for us. I mean, our job is mainly to help newcomers adjust to life in Keelai. Help out with any questions people might have about things. Give directions. Provide resources. That sort of thing. So it made sense that a bunch of people have already assumed we'd just sign up for the Foreigners' Guild. Except if we did that, I wasn't sure how it would affect our funding.

But here's the thing: Odyni is still willing to help, even if we did. Which I think is great news on a bunch of levels, because it means we can all keep playing nice with one another even if we're in different Guilds. I mean--and these are her words, not mine--she did mention something about liking us to have a "preferential relationship" between the two Guilds, keep communications open, that sort of thing. Which I don't think sounds too unreasonable, considering. That was the only string attached.

What do you guys think?

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Seeing as I will not be a member of the Foreigner's Guild, perhaps my two cents should be taken lightly, but I do not think that showing higher preference for one guild over another is a good idea.

Edited 2017-04-28 01:34 (UTC)

[She didn't seem surprised by the initial reaction in the least, and in fact gave a lighthearted shrug to dismiss the initial notion:]

You don't have to be a member to weigh in on the notion. I don't mind.

And yeah, you do have a point. [One of the reasons why she hadn't given Odyni the full okay just yet.] I was kind of thinking it wouldn't seem so bad considering we're not going to be doing anything we haven't been. We've been working with them for years, so I would think it'd be worse to completely cut one another off now, just because of the new system.

It's not really a black and white solution, you know what I mean?

I do.

[Nothing was black and white]

Her wording is what bothers me. Having a working relationship is different from a 'preferential' relationship. It sounds to me like she expects you to side with her over over another guild should an issue arise.

[And that was a problem]

Or to give her guild special consideration that you wouldn't give another guild. We need to be careful with our power.

[Ah. Semantics. Somewhat. Fortunately, if there was one thing Zatanna was fairly comfortable with, it was words. Because she knew what kind of power they held. Their importance, and their potential. Which is why she gave a knowing nod at Valdis' statement.]

If it eases your mind any, nothing's been made official yet. I told her I would talk it over with others, and she was fine with that. We can always get back to her with a bit of rephrasing. Make it clear of any conditions of our own.

[And here, her shoulders slumped and her eyes shone of an awkward sympathy]

The way she feels about Aroyan still...I can't imagine she'd want to risk something that meant a lot to him.

I know. I never thought you one to jump into something without thinking it through, Zatanna.

[Zatanna was one of the few foreigners whose judgement she felt she could rely on on a mostly permanent basis.]

Attachments make people vulnerable and unpredictable, just because she doesn't want to risk it, doesn't mean that she won't.

[You didn't know me when I was younger.]

[And, as a testament to just how much she had matured over the years...she actually kept that quip/thought to herself. This time.]

Maybe. Maybe not.

We don't really know anything for certain right now. I mean, you could already say the same thing about these individual Guilds. That people aligning themselves with this one or that one could obligate them to side with a certain matter in the future. Or maybe we'll all continue as we had been before, just with color-coded t shirts.

[At Valdis' line about attachments, though, her brows furrowed.]

Why would you think that?

That is true, but we are acting as individuals, not as a group.

[Valdis hesitated at the question, not really wanting to answer it.]

Experience.

[Ah. Speaking of words with power, that told her a lot right there.]

Funny enough, mine's taught me to think just the opposite.

I am who I am now...and as strong as I am now...because of all the attachments I've made.

I never said they made you weak.

[Quite the opposite in fact, as long as those people were there.]

Just vulnerable. People act irrationally when it comes to those they care about.

To be fair, people act irrationally half the time anyway, no matter what their motives. [Or lack thereof]

True.

[But even that was predictable to a point]

Well, whatever you decide, I'm sure it will turn out just fine.

Thanks. Always nice to hear another vote of confidence.

[ Hooray!! That answers several questions she'd been meaning to ask, especially the part about funding the welcome center.

BUT, it also complicated her own, personal plans because... well, it sounded like Zatanna was the contact person between the Welcome Center and Odyni. So what role did that leave for Sonja exactly in this guild? ]

If the Welcome Center being beholden a bit to the Merchant Guild is the cost of them funding it, then that's just the way it is. Honestly, keeping positive relationships with all the guilds seems to be ideal. The system isn't really about competition, its about organization.

[ Actually... well, Rosyn had asked if there was anything she could do for her. Maybe there was. ]

So... as the person that kind of is the Welcome Center, does that mean you'll be taking on a leadership position in the Foreigner's Guild?

[Zatanna...wasn't really thinking so much of who had what position where. Aside from Odyni being the Merchant Guild representative, if only because that was already established.]

I wouldn't say that. And don't forget, Jack's here too. Technically, he was here first. [If not by much.]

Right. Sorry. It's just... the lack of hierarchy is kind of... bugging me.

[ She disliked all this ambiguity, but she also didn't want to step on toes. ]

I haven't really gotten any feedback on my Foreigner's Guild ideas, which leaves me thinking there's not really any interest in them at all... and since you and Jack have the Welcome Center running so smoothly, and it's already beholden to the Merchant's guild...

Well, it really questions what purpose the Foreigner's Guild has at all, except as a default checkmark on paperwork for newcomers, before they pick something else.

But why do we need a hierarchy?

[Especially right then.]

[Which wasn't to say Zatanna didn't understand the importance of leadership. It had been years since she'd seen any of them, but if a member of the Team were to show up today--mainly Robin or Aqualad--then of course Zatanna would look to them. Maybe not in the same way as she had back home, but as someone who might have answers in certain situations. To her, however, this situation was different, and with things the way they were...she didn't feel nearly as frustrated over the situation as Sonja seemed to be.]

This is still new for a lot of people. Let them stew it over for a while longer. I mean, it took me this long to figure things out on my end. There could be others with complicated situations too.

And maybe it would help if you stopped thinking them of Guilds so much and start thinking of them like...I don't know...maybe like Teams. It doesn't always have to serve a specific purpose, but sometimes, just the thought of belonging to something can bring comfort to people who might otherwise feel alone.

[ Frowny face. Why do we need air or food or sleep??? Order is important. Even if they decided to do something like Devin suggested, with a collection of peers, there needed to be a charter to determine how things worked. ]

Is it 'stewing' or 'ignoring'?

[ UGH, that was too hard a stance, Sonja. Stop defaulting to being so combative. ]

Sorry, I- [ Deep breath. Her plans were falling apart before they even started, and it was disheartening to say the least. ] I wanted it to have a purpose. Is that so wrong?

[She...didn't quite frown in return, but there was a slight tenseness to Sonja's reaction. Which relaxed (for the most part) at the subsequent apology.]

It's not wrong, no. But you can't blame others just because things aren't working out the way you want them to. This isn't about you any more than it's about me or any other one person.

I wasn't blaming others!

[ Dot dot dot. ]

Mostly.

[ Sigh. ]

[Yeah, you kind of were.]

[Not for the first time that afternoon, Zatanna widely held her tongue.]

If it really bugs you that much, why don't you look into joining one of the more heirchy-like Guilds? One that's already sort of established, so you know what the deal is.

[ Because she wouldn't be at the top of those ones >:[ ]

It's not a bad suggestion...

Think about it.

Who knows? It might work out way better for you.

I will, thank you.

[ Mumble mumble unasked for wisdom mumble. ]

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