Michaela tells you, "I've been thinking about the guild lately."
You tell Michaela, "Have you, now."
Michaela tells you, "Mhm..."
You tell Michaela, "You know, I asked for opinions, status reports, comments, whatever-
and not a single person has spoken up or taken the time to send a message saying 'yes
it's good' or 'no, fix things'."
Michaela tells you, "I must have missed that..."
You tell Michaela, "So, evidently, did everyone else. But if they don't read news posts
or listen when I speak up, I'm not sure what is likely to work."
Michaela tells you, "Well, I do check every news post and read the logs every month, but
I am talking to you now, aren't I?"
You tell Michaela, "You are indeed."
Michaela tells you, "I find there is way too little activity in the guild most times. But
I am struggling on finding ways to motivate peopl."
You tell Michaela, "Unfortunately, the first is the standard for the Cabal, and the
second is the eternal problem."
You tell Michaela, "I'm hoping that a more dedicated partnership with the SRS may stir
things up, but when it comes down to it, people only get involved if they want to, and
inaction speaks louder than words."
Michaela tells you, "I think at the core of it, the guild is just way too quiet."
You tell Michaela, "That which you're getting there is pretty usual, unfortunately."
Michaela tells you, "And sadly, some people are just rude when they do speak."
You tell Michaela, "Now and then there's some noisy sorts, but a lot of the other people
who join the Cabal just prickle if you try and get in their faces with conversation."
You tell Michaela, "Pitfall of being a studious profession, I suppose. Profusion of
bookworms."
Michaela tells you, "Lately I've been feeling that it's less of a guild and more just
myself."
You tell Michaela, "That is not an uncommon complaint. I try to keep the bridges of
communication open, but there is only so much that one- or even a handful- of engaged
people can accomplish."
You tell Michaela, "Terribly disheartening at times, I can tell you."
Michaela tells you, "I try to be active and help out, but it only works if there are
others."
You tell Michaela, "You're right on that account."
Michaela tells you, "Just look at how many people have joined the guild to never be seen
again..."
You tell Michaela, "Breaks the heart, doesn't it."
Michaela tells you, "It really does."
Michaela tells you, "Know what also makes me sad?"
You tell Michaela, "What else."
Michaela tells you, "I am the highest ranking active member of the guild."
You tell Michaela, "Considering that there's myself, the boys, the Doctor and Kaetriela
about, I wouldn't call that a terribly accurate claim."
Michaela tells you, "Excluding officials, then."
You tell Michaela, "Kaetriela isn't an official, and the Doctor only freshly so."
Michaela tells you, "Also, I haven't seen Kaetriela in a long time, saying that."
Michaela tells you, "Nor the Doctor...that said."
You tell Michaela, "I see her quite frequently- might be a function of your waking days."
Michaela tells you, "I'm generally awake for more than half the month, but possibly."
You tell Michaela, "And the Doctor is about most months too. Complaints of inactivity do
tend to come more frequently from those with oddling waking hours, I've noticed. There
was a girl some years ago now who managed to somehow miss everyone's waking hours
entirely."
Michaela tells you, "Heh..."
Michaela tells you, "The guild -is- inactive, we can say that."
You tell Michaela, "And that's no fault of the individual, but it doesn't make it any
easier for me to try and remedy."
You tell Michaela, "This time of month, and the days following it, tend to be rather on
the quieter side, even for the Cabal."
Michaela tells you, "This is the most people I've seen in a while."
You tell Michaela, "Mm, this end of the month is usually rather empty."
You tell Michaela, "That isn't really remedied by encouraging activity, though. That's
something that would hinge on simply recruiting people who make a habit of being awake at
these times."
You tell Michaela, "Which sounds easy enough on paper, but..."
Michaela tells you, "Heh, yes, though I was asked to join the Sentarii."
You tell Michaela, "Really. Was that the incident where the fairly uninteresting
duiranite tried to convert you, or am I thinking of another time?"
Michaela tells you, "'twas an Enorianite."
Michaela tells you, "Was enemied to Enorian for being a 'vampire'."
You tell Michaela, "I got the enemy badge for being a necromancer."
Michaela tells you, "Perhaps a Cabal hosted event?"
You tell Michaela, "For the city?"
Michaela tells you, "Potentially."
You tell Michaela, "The idea has merit as a concept, but crafting the meat of it tends to
be the stumbling block. Did you have anything in mind?"
Michaela tells you, "I've been mulling over either a ball or a science fair."
You tell Michaela, "Both ideas that have been rolled around before. I believe there's a
ball called for in the festivities coming up, that ser Xenia is calling the shots for-
I'm yet to sit her down and get verse and chapter on that, but if you wanted to aid in
the arrangement of that I wouldn't say no to the help."
You tell Michaela, "Mind you, that does little for the Cabal. Likewise with the science
fair, I or you or someone else could pull the weight in that regard but there's little to
hook in the other members unless you delegate jobs onto them, and unfortunately I can
guarantee that most of the help would evaporate if you tried to do that."
Michaela tells you, "It is disheartening..."
You tell Michaela, "It is. I was Conduit for fifty years before the Helios incident, and
it was a long slog of trying not to fall into discouraged apathy at what you're feeling
now."
You tell Michaela, "Still, if something doesn't work, all we can do is find something
else. I usually seem quiet, but I'm always grinding through the backstage work for -
something- new to try."
Michaela tells you, "I wish to help, in any way I can."
You tell Michaela, "And that is very appreciated. I'll try and keep you in the loop in
regard to new developments, and let you know if there's opportunities to pitch in. It'll
be good for you to speak up with any ideas you have- and to not despair when I spend most
of my time shooting them down, ahah. I speak from long experience."
Michaela tells you, "Anyway, I feel frankly awful right now."
You tell Michaela, "Why's that?"
Michaela tells you, "Just...lonely."
You tell Michaela, "I know that well enough, though for a different reason, I imagine."
Michaela tells you, "I'm sorry."
You tell Michaela, "What for?"
Michaela tells you, "I just am falling into depression lately."
You tell Michaela, "Keep your chin up, eh? The wheel turns."
Michaela tells you, "I know..."
Michaela tells you, "It has been feeling more and more like no one cares."
You tell Michaela, "The world can be tough like that. Lot of the time, nobody's going to
care unless someone else makes a song and dance about doing so."