Trying to Adjust(Saber)

[Mani4c]

James crossed his arms and listened as Kate told him what had happened. Internally, he was scowling, Mary had told him that there had been disagreements over philosophy, but he wasn't aware of how deep the problem ran. "I can understand why you'd quit, as someone who was in charge of a team myself, having that happen to me would have pushed the limits of my patience."

James paused, Adrianna knew that he was about to add something. "However...having your mistakes thrown back at you is, unfortunately, part of the job Kathryn. Putting aside all of the other shit for a moment. Back-Talk and insubordination are part and parcel with any position of authority after all. You are their leader, so when you do something, and then tell them not to do the exact same thing, or something similar, it comes off as hypocritical. Now, I know you're not a hypocrite, and I'm sure the others do as well, but the fact of the matter is that as a leader, your mistakes will haunt you forever. There will ALWAYS be some asshole who stirs up old wounds to try and prove a point, and sometimes, it's a good point, sometimes it isn't. What matters is how you react."

James paused for a moment, of how to phrase his next question. "Okay. Now back to what you told me regarding why you quit, the reasons for how you acted...did you ever explain it to them like that? Or did you just tell them that what they did was wrong?" Coming from anyone else, it would have sounded accusatory, but James' tone made it clear that he himself had made that mistake before. "Because...and Daniel can probably back me up on this, communication is the most important thing when it comes to a commander and their men. If you communicate poorly, or not at all, things go to hell fast, and not just on the battlefield."

[Saber]

Daniel had his arms crossed and nodded himself, agreeing with James' statements "He's right. Delegating to your teams is important, and so is disciplining them, but if you're not helping them understand why, then you're no better than a second rate teacher sending your work back with a simple "needs work" at the top. If they undertand why you discipline them the way you do, maybe they'll all come to respect you, not just the ones who understand your methods."

Kate sighed and rested her head on her hands. They were both right, in both regards, she had only been painting half of a picture when she was disciplining everyone for their mistakes. "...I still have a lot to learn about leading a team, it would appear...But now what? If I go back, how do I know some of them won't simply think of me as a coward who runs when things got tough?" "Well, why not do a public speech to the entire precinct?" Kate looked up at Daniel when he suggested this, not quite sure of what he meant "...How should I put this...You know how the commissioner sometimes has to do a public statement to reporters when something happens with the police department that could affect the public? Think of it like that, only you're addressing everyone in the precinct that works under you, and not a bunch of people with pens and papers that will make your words public to the world."

[Mani4c]

James nodded, "That's a good plan, but...you have another arrangement to attend to first." James looked at Adrianna, smirking. "You think you can keep Kathryn out of trouble while Mary and Sam arrange for the "press conference"? Alexi's switched his terminal's communication program off."

Adrianna giggled, "I'm technically a registered weapon, I think I'd be a capable chaperon."

[Saber]

Kate spoke up while everyone was making plans around her, as if she was ready to get right back in the thick of it "Wait a moment here! I never said I was ready to re-join the force yet. I still need to patch things up with my the friends I've hurt before I can make a statement to the entire precinct." Daniel raised an eyebrow when he heard KAte object to everyone planning right away, a bit confused "...Did we miss something before walking in?"

[Mani4c]

Adrianna nodded, "She had a...disagreement with the others, Mary included, when she left. It sounds like Mr. Richards-" James held up a hand, "Please, just James." "Sorry- James, was told about this. He probably figured that Kate would want to speak to Alexi privately given their relationship." James nodded, "Yeah, once that's done, we can arrange for the others to meet up at Mary's place, it's closest to the precinct."

[Saber]

Kate closed her eyes, thinking over what the best option was at this point. Alexi was important to her, yes, but what she did wasn't directly to him. For the purpose of her apology being on a professional as well as a personal level, their planning wasn't going to work "...No...We call all of them up at the same time. This isn't something that should be addressed in a certain order. Relationships aside, this is still a police related issue that I need to correct, so I cannot prioritize anyone with apologies based on my personal status with them."

[Mani4c]

James sighed, "Alright, you have a point. But I still think it would be prudent to speak to him as a lover, as well as an officer. But that can wait until you've apologized to everyone. If only for what was said and not for why you left."

Adrianna nodded, "I agree, Alexi needs to hear not just Captain Kathryn Bale, NPD officer, apologize. He needs to also hear Kate, the woman he loves, reassure him that she's sincere. Once he hears this, he'll snap out of it for good."

James pulled out his terminal, it was a bulky looking device, almost retro in design, he pressed a button on the side of it and spoke, "Call Mary, no video." The device let out a small beep and and contacted Mary, <Yeah pops?> "Mary, I have an idea, but I need your help." <Name it.> "I need you to have the police in the precinct, and any net ops operatives out and about in the city to assemble in the precinct's meeting room in an hour and a half." <Alright, You manage to convince Kate to come back? I miss that hardass.> James just chuckled, "You'll see, just get that done alright?" <You got it old man.> James cut the connection and looked at Kate. "So, we've got an hour to plan, and a half hour to prepare or the speech. Let's get started." ((If you want to have a timeskip to the speech, feel free Saber.))

[Saber]

Kate, sighing as her words were misinterpreted once again, pulled out her own terminal, and started to open a communication line for Jake's terminal <Kate? Wow, this is a surprise, I wasn't expecting to hear from you.> "...Yeah, I've had a lot of thinking to do for the past month. Listen, I need you to call our old group together at Reggies in half an hour...It's time I cleared the air, and made things right..." <...Kate...Are you sure about this?> "I can't just let this fester and get worse, Jacob...I have to make things right with the ones I've hurt..." <...Alright...I'll try and get everyone to show up...But I can't promise everyone will...> "...That's more than I could ask for...Thank you, Jake." <No problem Kate...See you at Reggies.>

Jake cut the connection and Kate got up from her seat, walking to her bedroom "Daniel, I'm riding with you, let me get out of my house clothes and into something more appropriate." When she had finished, she came out wearing her precinct garb, minus her badge and sidearm. "It should take us half an hour to get there without breaking traffic laws. And since I'm making an attempt to rejoin as captain, that's what we're going to be driving at. I trust you'll agree to this?" Daniel chuckled and pocketed his hands "Hey, I'm no stranger to playing it cautious. you want the speed limit, you got it. Let's move out everybody!"

<25 minutes later>

Jake was sitting in Reggies bar, waiting for everyone else to arrive on scene. <You think this is going to work, Jake? She's basically going all in with this move.> "...I hope so Saber...We need her back, but we have to fix whatever damage has been done to the group, before she can come back as captain."

[Mani4c]

Samuel and Adrianna were the first to arrive, with the Cyborg woman walking over to Jake and sitting down next to him. "Hey Jake, how's things?" Samuel sat in a booth opposite the two, he took out a small whetstone and his Kukri and began to run the edge of the blade against the stone, sharpening it obsessively, showing a nervous tic that a few in the group had come to notice.

The next group to come in was the trio of Erika, Mary, and Sam. Mary looked haggard and worn down, but otherwise none the worse for wear. Sam however, was visibly stressed, looking like she was ready to snap if pushed even a tiny amount. Erika was the least worn out of the three, leading Mary to a booth and snuggling up against her girlfriend once she had sat down, wrapping her arm around Mary's bicep.

Predictably, the last one to arrive was Alexi, who looked about as pleased as a man walking to the gallows. The large Russian officer walked over to a booth on the far side of the bar, sitting down and avoiding everyone else.

Adrianna looked at Alexi and sighed, sending a text to Kate letting her know that everyone was present. "Let's hope this works."

[Saber]

Jake shrugged when Adrianna asked him how he was doing "Eh, not bad...Probably better than some of us are doing." He waved as each group walked in, giving Alexi enough acknowledgement to at least be friendly, before letting him walk away and do his own thing. He sighed as well and nodded "...Agreed...They should be here soon."

A couple of silent minutes had passed, and the doors pushed open. Daniel and James walked in first. The last one to walk in was KAte, who was moving and presenting herself in a humble manner, hands pocketed as she spoke softly "......Hello..."

[Mani4c]

Samuel looked up from his blade, his head tilting in curiosity, Adrianna had been mum about the details of this meet up, making it sound like she simply wanted the group to meet up because her efforts had failed. "Kate...you're doing well it seems." Samuel placed the whetstone on his table and slid His Kukri into it sheath, locking the blade in place with a click.

Mary looked up at Kate, raising her free hand and giving the former Captain a tired wave. Erika was more vocal, nodding and speaking in a friendly tone. "Hey Kate, good to see you. How's the retired life treating you?" Sam, who was sitting near Adrianna and Jake at the bar, stiffened visibly at Erika's choice of worse, a slightly sharper intake of breath betraying her unease.

Alexi's response was the most harsh, he did not respond verbally at all, his eyes flicking to Kate and his gaze turning hard instantly. His mechanical hand clenched, the mechanical fingers digging small tracks into the table. Mani4c, bristling at Alexi's response, decided to respond. "Hey Kate, don't mind Alexi, it's his time of the month." Alexi did respond to that, he reached over and shut his terminal off. muttering angrily to himself "Shut up for once Mani4c..." 

[Saber]

Kate smiled when Mary waved over weakly, acknowledging Samuel's comment, and replying in kind "I could be better, Samuel...To be honest, I've gotten tired of the retired life...That's why I've asked Jake to call for this meeting...I've hurt many of you unintentionally, and I wanted to clear the air and make amends..."

She closed her eyes, trying to think of the best way to say this. Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder, speaking softly "Just speak from the heart, kiddo, we'll back you up." Kate nodded softly, before raising her head and opening her eyes, a soft, yet determined look in her gaze as she knew what had to be said "This past month has given me a lot of time to think about what I've done...What I've said, and how it's hurt all of you in different ways...I never meant to make it seem like I never trusted any of you. I have developed different levels of trust among each of you, and some-" She spoke up, so that she knew Alexi could hear her "I would trust with my very life. My words were never aimed at you individually, it was made for my concern for the precinct as a whole...I am as tough as I am with all of you, because I have made the mistakes that some of you make or have made, and I am harsh with my punishments because some of you may not get as lucky as I was with my mistakes. My respect for the law also comes out of fear, because it can condemn the innocent just as easily as it can the guilty, even when someone does something with good intentions. She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself from getting emotional "I am such a bitch to those who work under me, because if you screw up too many times, or if you deviate from the law too far, I cannot protect you from an internal investigation...If IA gets involved, I cannot stop them from ruining your careers and having you end up nothing more than some minimum wage security guard...That is why I quit, I couldn't trust my own ability to lead just as much as I couldn't trust the majority of the precinct to obey the law as equally as they would enforce it..."

[Mani4c]

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Mary began to chuckle, "Shit Kate, if you needed to state the obvious, why not just pull us aside?" Erika looked at Mary, "MARY! She just poured her heart out and you're making fun of her!?" Mary shook her head, "No, no...I knew that you didn't mean any of what you said, at least, it wasn't aimed at us. I'll admit, I was fucking pissed at you at first...but it wasn't because of what you said, it was more that you quit because you thought that you weren't able to do the job." Mary nudged Eirka, who got up to let Mary rise. "Kate, I may not agree with you when it comes to following the rules, but if there is one thing you aren't it's incapable. You're a hard ass, the queen bitch of the NPD in my opinion..."

Mary walked up to Kate and placed her hand on her shoulder. "But I never thought for one second that you were in the wrong for disagreeing with me. Hell, I knew that I was breaking the rules, I just didn't care. Because I was raised to chuck out the rule book if it made it so I couldn't do what was right. But you manage to do both, and I admire you for that."

Samuel nodded, "I agree with Mary, despite my dislike of the written law because of how easily it can be abused, I have nothing but respect for your faith in it. When I brought up your mistake, I was trying to say that we weren't so different when things became extremely dire. But instead I shook your convictions and caused this whole mess, and for that I apologize Kathryn."

Sam was silent for a while before sighing. "Considering there's a fucking civil war going on, with more than half of the precinct defending you, you don't have to worry about the other officers following you, and as for the others...well, if they want to try anything, I'll burn them so fast their heads will spin." Sam stood up and looked at Kate, "The men need their captain back, and I don't think anyone could fill your shoes in their minds Kate."

Adrianna spun around in her chair looking at the others, "I'm not an officer, but I DO think that you guys should all agree that next time you get into a disagreement, you should talk it out before getting angry. I've already talked to Kate about this, and I told her the same thing. This whole fiasco was caused by the fact that everyone involved was either too proud, too paranoid, or too stubborn to talk things out. You're more than just a team, you're friends, you need to communicate, otherwise this is just going to happen again later on down the line."

Alexi was still silent, mulling over what Kate had said, he had known that Kate was more than likely speaking in anger a month ago...but it didn't make the words hurt him any less, nor was he any less angry about what she had said.


 

[Saber]

Kate smiled sincerely when everyone started to forgive her, thankful that they were so accepting of her apology...Well...Everyone except for one. "Thank you, all of you...Please excuse me." Kate maneuvered around everyone until she was standing behind Alexi, who was clearly not ready to face her yet "I'm sorry I've betrayed your emotions with my words, Alexi, I should have thought them out more before I said them...I don't expect forgiveness, nor do I want it. I've hurt you more than anyone else in this group, and that is unforgivable...But I've put my life on the line numerous times, and you've always been there to back me up. You are the one I will trust my life with...No one else...I just wanted you to know that..." She waited a couple of seconds to see if there was any reaction from Alexi, before turning away and returning to the others.

[Mani4c]

Alexi grit his teeth and watched as Kate walked away, 'You know what? Fuck it, I'm tired of being angry.' Alexi stood up and strode over to Kate, grabbing her by the shoulder and spinning her around, he gently grabbed Kate's chin with his mechanical fingers and pulled her into a kiss. Alexi pulled back for a moment, locking his eyes with Kate's, "I'm sick of letting a misunderstanding ruin our relationship. I love you Kathryn." Alexi pulled Kate into another kiss, wrapping his organic arm around her shoulder and pulling her into an embrace as he did.

Mary let out a whoop and pumped her fist. "Atta boy Alexi! good to have you back!" Erika let out a childish squeal and laughed, glad that Alexi had snapped out of his funk. Adrianna just smiled. Samuel, stoic that he was, only had a ghost of a smile on his face, but it was clear that he was pleased as well. James nudged Daniel and spoke in a faux weepy voice. "It's a Kodak moment..." 

[Saber]

Kate was surprised by the first kiss, but when Alexi stated he was tired of being angry, she smiled and leaned in to Alexi when he kissed her again, pushing herself up onto her toes so he didn't have to lean down as much. After breaking away from the kiss, Kate lightly batted at Alexi "No more stubbornness?"

Daniel, amused by James' quip, decided to walk over to the bar and pull up a stool "Reggie, pour up a round of drinks for everyone who wants one, my treat." "...Thank you Daniel, but I think I'll pass. I need to be mentally prepared for the speech in an hour."

[Mani4c]

Alexi smirked, "Well, I never promised anything about not being stubborn." Mary started laughing at that. "You'd have a better chance of dressing Jake in a Tutu than getting Alexi to drop his hard assed behavior...but I think that it compliments your personalities." James nodded, "Alright then...If we can't drink until AFTER the speech, do you wanna get that done and over with?" Samuel smirked, "Yeah, then you and Alexi can snuggle up in the bar, maybe go home and f-" Samuel's lewd joke was silenced with a slap upside the head from Mary, "OW! Bloody hell woman I was joking!" Mary just rolled her eyes, "At least Alexi has a chance of getting some, you need to pay someone to get laid." Alexi blushed slightly at that, scratching the back of his head. "Eh-hehe..."

[Saber]

Kate blushed when Samuel started joking about Alexi and Kate's private lives, rolling her eyes and smirking when he got his just desserts for talking about it "Well Samuel, if she matures enough, maybe you and Adrianna could be an item, since you're being such a gentleman and helping her and her other half get better mentally. Jager actually seems like your type; rough around the edges, got an attitude, and gets off on tormenting others."

Jake stretched and got to his feet "Well, since this was basically a slimmed down of the speech, can I be excused from it?" "Why? Got somewhere you need to be?" Jake froze when Dan called him out, scratching his head nervously "...Not at all...I was just thinking of heading out to do some practice rounds at the arcade..."

[Mani4c]

Samuel rolled his eyes, "She's mentally an 11 year old Kathryn, and she's also confided in me that she can see everything that Jäger does, it'd traumatize the poor girl." Adrianna let out a huff, "It's not like I'm ignorant to that kind of thing! I've...well." Erika blushed, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "She...walked in on me and Mary once." Alexi snickered at the mental image of Mary and Erika shrieking in surprise and trying to explain to Adrianna what they were doing. "Mood killer."

When Jake mentioned having somewhere to go, Mary leaned in and started sniffing the air near Jake, a wry smirk on her face. "Ladies and gentlemen, I smell bullshit!" Mary sat next to Jake and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, nudging the Net-Ops agent in the ribs gently. "C'mon man, who's the lucky girl? Or guy, I don't judge." 

[Saber]

Jake blushed as Mary was starting to badger him about his little story, ducking under her arm and backing out toward the exit "Woah! look at the time! I'll see you guys at the team meeting!" Before anyone could catch him, he walked out of the door and hopped on his bike, riding off with a mild screech in his wheels.

Dan simply chuckled and shook his head, enjoying how he was busting Jake's chops like this. "Ah, nothing like young love."