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ximilialog2023-08-07 07:03 pm
MISSION: GOLD SAILS, RED SKIES
● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 6 . 1
As the day draws to a close, the Orbers will hear the tell-tale ping of their earpieces, alerting them to a new mission file — just a few days after their arrival back on the station, just as Viveca and Degar promised.
With the relatively short time frame to familiarize yourself with the available information and gather all supplies you need, a suitable set of clothing included, the night may prove a little bit harried for you… or perhaps you’re one of those who makes it a regular habit of having everything ready to and can thus have a decent night’s rest regardless.
Whatever the case may be, as soon as the morning arrives you’ll be expected to join your fellow crewmates at the teleportation platform. And when you get there, Viveca and Degar will be standing by already, the latter handing out humanoid potions for those needing them.
The hum of the platform will finally grow almost too loud enough to make out the last of Degar’s words but they sound optimistic at least. Soon enough you’ll feel a familiar tug at the pit of your stomach and be whisked away from the station and towards your destination. But for a moment that seems to take no time at all while also seeming to stretch out into the forever, you hear it: whispers, echoes, voices that speak to you in several tenors at once, all providing you with a goal in exchange for their help.
Before you have a chance to answer, your surroundings clear and you notice that perhaps someone who had been standing next to you on the platform isn’t there anymore. Whichever of the three ships you’ve been sent to … that’s where you’ll be.
Welcome to Hhial.
You find yourself instantly land-bound, on your way to boarding one of the three ships — The Blue Dawn, The Hawking or The Silent Plunder. The first mate of the ship never pauses in their explanation of what you ought to expect from life as a pirate; indeed, it seems as if some magic is at play, and they will treat you as if you had always been there about to join the crew. Maybe it’s best not to ask too many questions though, to avoid giving anyone a bad impression right off the bat.
1.0 On The Blue Dawn, Jilleh Rahtar seems like more of a force of nature than a woman in her thirties; the crew’s feelings towards her range from gratitude to admiration, as all of the women on board have her to thank for their current favourable change in life circumstances. Among the crew, asking someone what they used to do or who they used to be is taboo — “let your old life die and your new one start” is a phrase often heard from the captain’s mouth, or echoed by her first mate, Lai. Everyone on the crew receives equal treatment, and no one is mocked if they don’t know how to do something. Jilleh herself is frequently seen showing the ropes to the newer arrivals.
Meanwhile, Bess and Bowin run The Hawking with a firm yet gentle hand: those on the crew all share a love for knowledge, history, and what they all call “the truth”: searching for whatever exists in history that the current world may be trying to hide. It seems as though the twins have ended up with a career in piracy less because of a love for working outside the law, and more because what they are searching for seems to be easiest to obtain while working as a pirate; this is reflected in the crew members that they choose, and strategy games and philosophical discussions are a more common form of entertainment over drinking and dancing during the evenings. This isn’t to say that Bess hasn’t been known to play a sparkling tune on her violin every now and then, with Bowin’s deep singing voice accompanying her, but it isn’t a frequent event.
If life on The Hawking is nearly free of violence and attacks on other crews, that hardly seems to be the case on The Silent Plunder. Greybeard is an imposing figure and an unforgiving captain, but he inspires confidence in his crew, and often leads them through successful attacks on other ships, pirate and merchant alike. The crew often enjoys the spoils of these skirmishes, wine and fresh food and gold for everyone to share. Pulling your weight has its merits, too, as you often receive more, the more work you put in.
2.0 Once you’ve been indoctrinated onto the ship Viveca has assigned you to, you’ll be shown the ropes as it were: where to eat, where to sleep, the rooms in which you have no access to (the captain’s private quarters, for one), as well the rooms that you do. You’ll be given clean water to drink and stale bread and dried fruit to eat, and you’ll be set to work almost immediately. This may include: ship maintenance, scrubbing the decks, hoisting the sails, preparing meals, and tending to the washing. After all, no matter what ship you find yourself on, every person on the crew is vital in keeping the craft running.
But there is some downtime too. When the wind picks up and fills the sails of your ship, there are moments in which you can rest and admire the scenery that moves past you. The cloud cover is cool and a little wet and refreshing; you can make out the very tops of the tallest towers and darkest lakes. The tops of the trees if you sail over a forest are deep green and lush and feel impossibly small from where you stand. The days are predictable and filled with hard work and laborious tasks, but the sunsets are unspeakably beautiful, and depending on which ship you’re on, the nights are often filled with drinking and singing and maybe a little dancing.
This is your home for the next little while, and you may find that even during the times when your ship has docked on land for a job, you’re welcome to spend the days in the city and return to the ship at night – it’s completely up to you. The only caveat they will reiterate here is that you’ll be sworn to secrecy on the exact docking place of the ship as their way of life is and must remain separate from that of the regular land-loving folk.
Once you settle into daily life onboard the ship and crew you’ve been assigned to, you’ll be immediately whisked into the world of what makes each ship and crew tick. Whether you’re on the hunt for new artifacts and tidbits of history, or more riches to share amongst your crew in the midst of your captain’s ultimate goal to look for Dracness, eventually your travels will take you in and through the three countries of Hhial. You might look forward to the destination, but the journey to get there makes up a large portion of the adventure and it’s best to embrace the routine and the travel.
3.0 Your captain may send you to Kellir on the hunt for a specific treasure, a clue that may have ties to a source with knowledge of Dracness or a direct lead to the mythical island in the sky. Either way, you’ve been assigned a task and allowed to leave the ship with some of your fellow crewmates, you will enter Kellir and be allowed to explore the country as part of your job. But before you leave the ship, you’ll be warned by some of the captain’s crew that you’ll need to exercise discretion and to keep your role quiet. Revealing the exact whereabouts of the ship will get you into some real trouble with the captain, or get you banned from the ship. There is no point in asking ‘why’ but you’ll quickly learn that Kellir has an especially unfavourable opinion on pirates and may even find ways to arrest you simply because you’re a pirate.
For centuries, Kellir has evolved its identity into a country of creative freedom and innovation, with its population largely made up of artists and writers, scientists and engineers in the arts and sciences. It begins with the architecture and the planning of the city: everything here is beautiful and intentional, each street and planter and building cohesively tied into the cityscape to lead its citizens and tourists in and out past its doors. The dead-ends have purpose; all roads lead somewhere. There are small parks and well-manicured trees and flowers that offer a picturesque snapshot of the building behind it. The fashionable are encouraged to look their best here with Couture Houses that encourage creativity and pushing limits in design made from all manner of fabrics available: from cotton and linen to chiffon and netting, leather and lace, and silk. Kellir’s regent, Lady Catryn Spiertower, is a large supporter of the fashion houses across the country and is always up to date on the latest trends.
There are advanced technological ‘factories’, and laboratories where the most intelligent minds are praised and celebrated, each sponsored by patrons that encourage them to run with their ideas to invent new technologies, and to enhance the lives of Kellirans on a day to day basis. These buildings are often situated near the schools and libraries (where the entire cataloguing system runs on steam-power and electricity, and the retrieval of a book itself becomes something of a performance) for easier access to resource material. Seeking knowledge, after all, is a thing to be celebrated and is accessible to all citizens of Kellir without restriction.
Some say that the best culinary experts get their education from Kellir before they move on to other parts of Hhial. Here you may find an abundance of test kitchens and eager chefs trying to work their latest dish on the locals. Try your luck with the latest spice, or sit down and dine on the latest fine wine. This is a country that bursts with innovation and redefining itself on a near constant basis.
4.0 Past the warm sands and the temperate country of Kellir, the clean whites and golds of the buildings barely visible through the fluffy cloud cover, your captain may steer you and their crew further towards the north where the weather is a little more brisk.The reason for this becomes immediately clear when you spot the looming snow-capped mountain range just behind the country of Muchter, where the colour of the cities is darker and heavier, more stone and lumber and warm glowing lights greet you before you land. Much like its regent, Lord Barrett Caron, Muchter is a country with a strong work ethic, and the abundance of natural, raw resources which allows the people to really put their determination and endurance to the test. While the people here seem a little rougher around the edges, they are wealthy and want for nothing and their disciplined manner means that they know full well that they reap what they sow.
Muchter isn’t all work and no play, however, and there are numerous venues across the cities to spend one’s hard-earned coin. While not as delicate and even intricate in its design, Muchterites have cultivated a pastime in whittling wood and stone into statues and carvings of various sizes. They love to drink in Muchter (but do so responsibly), and have alehouses established almost as frequently as they do factories and lumber yards, and the clothing here is thicker and made from simpler fabrics: there is more use of cotton and wool and leather.
In Muchter, the people don’t care either way for the pirates that often visit, preferring to maintain a distance from their dealings and to avoid them when they can. They may not be open to letting a loud-and-proud pirate into their place of business but they will not turn someone affiliated with a pirate away so long as they remain respectful.
5.0 Unlike Kellir and Muchter, Zefindam almost appears to be a country whose only purpose is seeking personal pleasure. As any local might tell you, Zefindam (before it was called Zefindam) was believed to have once been the glorious, and affluent capital of Hhial when it had been united as one kingdom under the High Queen. The nobles and their families made their homes here and while most of the architecture has been built on and replaced, new buildings sitting on the structure of the old ones hacked away, there are numerous traces of its complicated origins in the bones of the infrastructure.
Old, crumbled statues of noblemen and women fill the corners and crevices of several buildings that are badly in need of repair, some that may seem familiar to those who have rifled through the history books and studied the portraits depicting Kalain-like features. That said, its tumultuous history as a network for the most powerful politicians has been smudged away into the indulgent lifestyle of the country’s present-day citizens and is a sure escapist paradise for those who want to forget about their responsibilities for a day or two … or three. Zefindam’s regent, Lord Orwen Deeplake, only has a mild hand in the political affairs of the country, preferring that his citizens live with as much freedom as they desire.
Zefindam is truly the city that never sleeps with a myriad of activities to indulge oneself in. Much of its economy relies on its restaurants and pubs, serving some of the absolute heavenly foods and alcohols; but the backbone of Zefindam’s rocky wealth sits on the gambling parlours, substance dens, and brothels. The establishments here have mild opinions on pirates and piracy and so long as there is coin to be made, most will turn a blind eye on one’s affairs. The same can be said of anyone with magical abilities, of which the judgments seem to be lax here for more reason than the easy-going nature of the people who live here. While those with magic are not encouraged to flaunt their powers, they may be seen just a little more frequently in the streets of Zefindam’s cities. People may offer you a knowing glance or offer congratulations for ‘surviving death’ and ‘coming out of it the other end’ – whatever that means.
The place that you’ll find your crew looking forward to the most, however, lies beyond the continent of Hhial — and perhaps you do, too, for that is where you will find it the easiest to rendez-vous with your friends from other crews.
6.0 When a hard day’s piracy is at an end, your captain may direct the ship towards the Golden Haven, an island just past the southernmost shores of Hhial. It’s the sight of the single dormant volcano that marks its presence before you note the lush, hilly landscape that surrounds it. Each ship will land by air, or if your captain has decided to sail across the ocean, it will dock by way of the water and then you’ll be welcomed to roam the island until your next assignment. Walking along the path of wood planks elevated over swampy trenches and deceptively deep swales, you’re led into the main town where there are several low-storey structures that surround an open square. Here there are temporary residences for pirate-folk just like you, and trading posts for those leftover trinkets you may have managed to pilfer along the way. At the centre of all things are the drinking holes serving up all manner of cheap alcohol that’ll do nothing more than get the job done, and surprisingly fresh, clean water. And if you have a little bit of excess treasure, you can always join a group of other like-minded pirates in the gambling dens to boost your fortune – or lose it all in one poorly timed hand.
The Golden Haven is generally a little more quiet during the day, but at night it feels like an all-hours party. There is dancing and singing and copious amounts of drinking. Down by the beach you may come across bonfires, with lit torches stuck into the sand to light your way while also welcoming any pirates arriving late.
There is an assumed agreement, the moment you step onto the sands of the Haven, that so long as you’re here you abide by the pirate’s code: you respect everyone else here, you keep to yourself, and under no circumstances do you sell anyone else out. There is no killing in the city (duels can be had on the beach), and there are no discussions on Hhialian politics; every pirate here is seen as an equal and your wealth is what you bring with you, and is yours to do with as you please. Anyone caught breaking a rule will meet a violent (and bloody) end to serve as both punishment for a betrayal and an example of the seriousness of these codes.
7.0 Though discussion of politics is forbidden, you will find that pirates love a good story, and there is one story above the rest: the story of the Kalain line, the High Queens who used to rule over the once-unified continent of Hhial. If you show your ignorance, you will find an abundance of people willing to regale you with the tale.
Whether you believe the story or not … it seems that if nothing else, your captains do.
F Y I
• If you have questions about any of the prompts or the mission in general, please direct them HERE.
• To explore a specific location or speak to any of the NPCs, please submit your search request HERE.
• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪
no subject
Chishiya isn't actually terribly interested in helping Aleksander in general, though. In fact, he'd really rather make his life as difficult as possible. But, on the other hand, it seems like this is already difficult for him.
And Chishiya likes knowing things. If Aleksander is going to offer him free information about himself he's not inclined to refuse. Even if what he says ends up being bullshit, Chishiya might still learn something.]
All right. Fair enough.
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Perhaps it's trying to figure out how far I will go, to undo my regret. It could simply be having a laugh. The personal goals are... strange.
[Never centered about one thing, or one idea. Not the ones he's had nor any he had heard of in these past few years. The questions and acts seem chaotic, like a spoiled child making demands.]
But my thoughts on the goals were not a part of my mission- [confess, it said, your worst trait.] I fear I might hold grudges for far too long. That there is nothing I would not do, if it ensured that my people were kept safe.
[His worst trait, to live for as long as he had, and he still held hatred in his heart for all the Grisha he had seen murdered; hanged, burned at the stake or simply sold into slavery. The ones marched to Shu Han as part of negotiations and the bordering villages, razed and torched by Frejdans and there were never any actions taken against this.
No safety.]
That I would sacrifice that which I hold most dear to me, if it meant that my people would live free.
[Wasn't he here, undoing her whole existence? The only person like him. The other half of him, the second heart beating close to his own. The only one who could ever walk with him, and he would never have to watch her die - from sickness, from disease, from old age.
His last, final hope of finding a home.]
I'm ruthless-[confess, like a prayer to the Making.] and I am heartless. [a heart that doesn't beat in sync with another, not anymore. Not since Degar stepped in and quieted the tether.
The connection that binds them, both of them, to the Making and to each other.
He would have marched with her in times of war, been the blade in her hand and the weapon at her side. He would have waited for her, until the end of time. He had seen her face in the Making at the Heart of the World, and there was no one more beloved.] I have wants, and they make me weak yet I would deny it all to ensure that my people are enslaved no more.
I also like pickled fish too much, according to some.
no subject
That aside, nothing Aleksander said is exactly a surprise. He obviously carries anger with him, why not grudges, too. That he's ruthless and heartless is a given, as well. After this little confession Chishiya is fairly certain that whatever he did to Alina, it was something he justifies to himself as being necessary somehow. For his people. For what he views as the greater good.
He's reminded distantly of Niragi's final words to Arisu. Even by mistake, don't you dare call me evil. If there were seven billion of me, then you'd be the ones who are evil.
He feels like Aleksander is inclined to think the same way. Seeing himself as tragically misunderstood and persecuted. And maybe there's some basis for that, but it doesn't absolve him of anything.
He hums, tilting his head. He doesn't speak any of his observations aloud, instead he asks a question.]
So, if wanting something makes you weak, what makes you strong?
CW - child death
One that he'd been asked only twice, and both times after being brought on to the station. Wuxian, dark eyes and warm arms in a dance, his music ringing out like a calling through the still, wintery air of the station's gardens. Quick-witted and so much like him... and now Chishiya.
Who is everything but.]
No connections. [His mother's voice, never let them touch you, boy and all of her harsh lessons over the centuries. It's her stony face as she places his sister in the freezing, fjerdan waves, his own heart stopping in his chest from fear. It is in the lack of emotions as she cleaned his wounds and rode out to slay an entire city to ensure their survival.
He had seen it, mothers reaching for their dead children. Lovers, crying and screaming at the gallows or a crop of trees, branches swaying with bodies. Had heard confessions and betrayal, all to preserve a life, a loved one.
Odinakovost and how it twisted fates on the battleground.] Have no home, have no possessions. Hold nothing dear.
[Like Alina, and her face swims through his mind, the scent of her skin and how she always seems acommompaniet by sunlight. Always so warm, scorching against his own cold skin.
How close had he come, to undoing all the good he wanted for Grisha, just to keep her close?
Even now, the temptation to undo not the Fold, but to undo the night at the Winter Fete pulled at him. It was a nagging, itching feeling, just underneath his skin, it made his dreams sweeter. Cloying. It made him weak.]
Live only for the betterment of your people.
no subject
That's a romantic way to talk about a severe mental illness.
[Chishiya has, himself, tried having no connections and not caring about anything and it did not actually make him feel stronger.]
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[Chishiya wouldn't be the first orber to advocate for a softer touch, to forged connections and how everything would be better, if they only cared for each other. As if caring hadn't meant countless dangers and untold suffering.
It was human, perhaps, to want to save someone.
To be the hero.
But the man who looked a doomed man in the eyes in a cruel game, and walked away? Aleksander snorts a laugh.]
Do you believe that, that it is an illness of the soul to look beyond your own suffering and do what needs to be done.
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Not the soul. This isn't spiritual.
[Chishiya isn't even sure if he believes in the concept of the soul, honestly. This is something he and Jake have debated before.]
It's an illness of the mind to shun human contact. You can justify it however you want, but your mental processes are broken. Maybe you were born that way. More likely, something in your childhood fucked you up.
[He casts him a side long glance.]
Are you looking beyond your own suffering? Or are you romanticizing it and making everyone around you suffer with you?
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You would have to shun all contact to avoid making connections.
[It would be funny, if it wasn't so predictable. Soft hearted and still so young, too young to know how loss grated at your soul, how it beat you down and left you gasping.
Over and over.
Ever loss was a fresh, freely bleeding wound and you learn how to stop, or you were left a bloodless corpse.
Sankta Anastasia was a too literal example of this.]
I am looking out for the good of my people. [All Grisha, even those who fear him. Who would curse his name, or whisper it in the dead of night as if he was still the monster in their fairy tales.] Who are you looking out for, Chishiya?
no subject
He inclines his head slightly in apparent agreement with his first statement.]
Which would damage you, yes.
[Thst was his point. Though he's pretty sure Aleksander is trying to disagree, but it's fine. He's aware Ravka isn't especially progressive in many ways.
But Chishiya smiles at the question he asks, openly amused.]
Didn't you claim when you saw my memory that it was interesting that I don't feel the need to justify myself? Who says I'm looking out for anyone?
no subject
[And it seemed false. A lie, however subconscious, to avoid looking at his own actions and how little Chishiya might not care about the life of others.
Or, Aleksander could be looking at the product of a man, who had loved ones and lost them to the games. Someone who had everything to live for, and lost it along the way.
He rolls his head back, an drunken look - slightly exaggerated.]
Is that why you look for the broken pieces in me? Because you are broken yourself.
no subject
I wasn't looking for the broken pieces in you. You showed them to me.
[He literally asked to tell him these things about himself, actually. Though Chishiya won't say he's not broken, because he absolutely is, but it's also beside the point.]
And you're misunderstanding me. I'm not criticizing you for "bleeding yourself dry." Assuming that's what you're saying.
[Because that seems to be what he's implying. That he's like this because he cares too much. Chishiya doesn't really buy it, at least not in the way he assumes Aleksander wants him to. But he's willing to roll with the hypothetical here.]
I'm saying the "strength" you described to me isn't really strength. It's a weakness. A sickness.
no subject
[Using Chishiya's own words, because there are no words in ravkan - no concept of the topic that Chishiya mentions- that would suffice. There was doing, and there was dying.
If you went a little mad in the process, well. That was to be expected - soldiers, home from war to tend to the fields and flinching with every loud noise. It was the haunted look in the eyes of those who survived, the empty gaze that showed that while they breathed, they barely lived.
It was the blood-soaked dirt on the Vy and the hastily buried bodies at the borders. Mass graves and faded tombstones.]
You have watched people die. [He saw the memory, how Chishiya didn't flinch] Yet, you seem to claim that caring for others is the right way. To want. To connect. That choosing not to, is a sickness. See it as proof of a broken person.
How many people can you stand to lose, Chishiya, before you would see the value in not forming connections? Who could you lose, without losing pieces of yourself along with them? Friends. Lovers. Parents. Children.
[Aleksander snorts, signalling for another drink]
I never break, so I am not broken. There are no pieces.
[as long as he didn't want, didn't allow room for this weakness.
Alina]
no subject
[Which is to say, he thinks Aleksander is full of shit and lying to himself.]
I’m a doctor. Even before Borderland I saw death every day.
[And it did break him, but at least Chishiya realizes that now. His apathy never helped anyone, including himself. It was never about him being strong, it was about him not wanting to deal with his shit.]
It sounds like you don’t know how to handle grief. You can probably ask Viveca or Degar for some self help books about that.
no subject
[A step above butchers, useless poultices and herbs--] What sort of doctor, because there are the ones that I know from my own world, and then there are doctors like Doctor McCoy.
You know nothing about grief, and even less about mine. [Clipped, almost angry despite his relaxed sprawl in the chair] There is nothing they can help me with, that they are not already doing.
A doctor, whisked away to murdering madness and then you end up here. What did you do, to make a mistake large enough to take this deal?
no subject
[He doesn't expect Aleksander to know what that means, honestly.]
I work with McCoy in the infirmary, I guess you haven't been paying attention.
[And...ah. There it is. His patience isn't as endless as he wants it to be. The corner of Chishiya's mouth quirks up.]
I'm only going by what you've told me.
[Completely unapologetic. Aleksander straight up admitted he couldn't handle the grief he's endured, whether he wants to see it that way or not. He can be mad at Chishiya about it all he wants. He said what he said.
And as for the rest of it. Well. That's funny, too.]
I guess you'll never know. You were the one in a rush to tell me about your flaws, I don't owe you anything.
no subject
[As always, there's a touch of pride when he mentions his Small Science. What he is, always. It is as much him, as his heartbeat and the color of his eyes.]
I met doctor McCoy concerning other things. But I didn't tell you my flaws- [how easily Chishiya used that knowledge against him, though. Minutes, at best, and his words had been sharpened in to a weapon.] but my fears.
And you- medical opinion- is that, I am broken.
[Never. He was the demon in the woods, the deepening darkness of every corner and he was endless. The sun eclipsed and the embodiment of all fears.
There was no darkness without light, however.]
Alright, fine. Let's for a second pretend that I am-- broken. That it is an illness. How does it get healed? But, of course, you owe me nothing.
no subject
Which is why Chishiya may be a little surprised he even asked, even hypothetically, about fixing a mental illness. He absolutely expected Aleksander to blow him off completely. Though, he may still do that.]
Therapy. Years of it. [Centuries is probably more accurate, in his case, but Chishiya isn’t in a hurry to let him know he knows about his age.] You would essentially be rewiring your brain.
no subject
Pain.
Torture.
Drugs.
Everything to make sure the subjects were... loyal. Held the right ideals. Hold the right values. Praise the right rulers.]
I see, and this is something you do? As a cardiologist? Give someone therapy to-- improve their outlook on life?
[That would explain much about the man]
no subject
Absolutely not. Cardiology and psychiatry are different fields of medicine.
[But the medical texts he got from McCoy a while back had a lot on mental health. Seems the future cares more about it than even the present and certainly the past.]
I might be able to recognize the red flags, but I wouldn’t be qualified to treat you. And even if I was, I wouldn’t want to.
no subject
[It had happened a few times over the long years, that he had been seen by an otkazat'sya doctor. They could nothing to help and only ever left scars behind.]
To tell me that I'm sick and refuse to help. [But his face lights up in a smile, loop-sided and warm] But as you said, you can't. What does a cardiologist do, if not mend minds?
no subject
[He doesn't sound particularly apologetic.]
And you don't believe you're sick. It's impossible to help someone who doesn't want to be helped.
[Aleksander would have to be able to acknowledge he has a problem and follow through with wanting to fix it. Chishiya is pretty sure he's too high on his own bullshit to do that.
As to the last question:]
A cardiologist is a heart specialist. [And then to be clear, he adds:] The actual organ in your chest. Not feelings.
no subject
[Which is a very strange way to look at Heartrendering, but.
Turning away from his new drink slowly to look at Chishiya--]
Can you feel my heartbeat right now?
no subject
Depends on how old they are. Adults have the right to refuse treatment.
[Children are trickier. It's the parents that get to decide or else most of them would never get their vaccines or take medicine.
And at the second question Aleksander gets the flattest look. As though that might be the dumbest question he could have asked.]
No.
no subject
[A bit smugly, because Chishiya carries that air about him, the one that made catching Grisha and keeping them slaves all too easy. The disregard for suffering, the ability to help but to ignore it.
The true weakness to all Grisha, the inability to look at suffering and not help. So many martyred because they wouldn't look away.]
Does that happen often, that adults refuse to be of use and simply-- refuse?
no subject
Because I'm not one.
[His tone is dry. He's not angry or defensive. He's almost...bemused because this is the saddest attempt at insult and guilt tripping he's ever experienced. He says things and Aleksander just hears something else entirely.]
I guess consent is a foreign concept to you.
[Somehow he's not surprised.]
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