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[willing_sheath]

[A standard pre-recorded message starts:]

Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. [There are a few long moments of dead silence before someone draws a breath speaks in a stiff, uncomfortable tone:] Himura Tomoe... [and another long few seconds of silence where she apparently didn't realize how to stop the recording.] is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options. To leave a callback number, press five.

[BEEP]



[ooc; for action spam to be counted as log activity feel free to comment to my annual log under the appropriate month]

Comments

[arkfall]

I would avoid crossing him, if I were you.

[willing_sheath]

I have no intention to.

[She also keeps trying not to even cross his path, but it's like the fucker is FOLLOWING HER OR SOMETHING]

[arkfall]

Yes, but you're already at a terrible start. You're human, after all.

[willing_sheath]

There is little to be done about that.

[arkfall]

I know. That is the curse of being what you are.

[willing_sheath]

Perhaps.

But it isn't so black and white.

That would make it easy.

[arkfall]

You don't think so? Explain to me how you see it.

[willing_sheath]

[Her reply takes a while, partially because she has a lot to say and partially because she wants to be sure the wording conveys exactly what she means.]

Nothing is black and white. There are only varying shades of gray, some darker, some lighter, and still constantly changing. There are no good sides and bad sides, only people. There are truly good people out there and truly bad people. But then there are good people who do bad things and bad people who do good things. And then there are just people who coast along, neither good nor bad, just trying to live their lives as well as they can with what they know.

Labeling entire groups by the actions of a few makes it far too easy. 'Us' and 'them'. It makes it easy to hate. It makes it easy to rationalize terrible things. I am sure it is part of what lead to the creation of your sisters, this notion of 'us' and 'them'... As I am sure it is how you were able to do everything that you did in your world as well...



I won't pretend that I always had this view. If you had asked me this four years ago I would have given a very different answer, but four years ago I hadn't experienced civil war. I hadn't been caught between the sides of said war three times over. I hadn't died because of it then brought back to life to dwell on it every second I still breathe here.

Black and white is too simple. With black and white there is no room for error, change or forgiveness.

[arkfall]

You sound like Vash. There always will be an 'us' and 'them' when we're speaking of two different species, one of which was made to be exploited. Excusing that behavior by saying 'well they're not all bad' while every single one of them benefits from the exploitation ignores the suffering of my siblings.

[willing_sheath]

Do I?

I don't necessarily disagree with you. If anything that just strengthens the point that it isn't simple.


But we aren't in your world. Your siblings are thankfully not here to be exploited and the people here have likely never even heard of a Plant, much less benefited from one, so that argument doesn't really apply here.

[arkfall]

Instead, we are in a world where humanity had divided half of themselves into a subgroup and exploits that instead. Proof that they never get better.

[willing_sheath]

I am not about to waste words on this wretched place other than the same--it is not black and white, but I'll be the first to admit there seems to be much more dark than light here. And there are the people who have been brought here. What of them? Or the non-humans who have been brought here?

[arkfall]

Victims of humanity's whims. Some deserving, some not. There was a time I would have said it would be better to kill them all than let the suffering continue.

[willing_sheath]

You and your brother are more alike than you think. You both have taken things to the extreme--either kill everything or kill nothing. I won't say that the path he has chosen is easy, but it's no less flawed.

[arkfall]

Perhaps that true. Two sides of the same coin, mirror reflections.

I don't want to kill everything anymore.

[willing_sheath]

Perhaps.

I remember.

I hope your brother can curve his idealism before it hurts him. I respect his view of not killing but it also isn't realistic for what he throws himself into. He has managed to protect without killing because of his strength and skill but one day he'll be faced with a situation where it's a matter of killing or letting someone die. I worry for him when that day comes.

[arkfall]

Oh, he kills that person. At least in one reality. In the other, it's more that he lets them die.

[willing_sheath]

[She reads that over several times... and then several more.]

[Really... Knives is from after their final conflict, whatever that entails... with whoever else following him besides Legato... it's not surprising...]

[Though that just ramps her worry up.]

[She has no idea that the person in question is Legato.]



Do you know how he handles it?

[arkfall]

In the reality where he kills the person, no. Bluesummers' memories can't extend past his death.

[willing_sheath]

[It's a good thing that she is already sitting down because reading that just made her knees weak. She reads it several more times again. She can't tell... if Knives is saying that Legato is that person or if Legato died before he could see the aftermath.]

[With the dread she feels every time she has a run in with Legato coupled with Vash's caution... she can see it. She doesn't know what Legato is capable of... but if he is the type to target allies to get to Vash... then yes...]

And in yours? It didn't happen?

[arkfall]

In mine, a lot happened during the final battle...

I... I don't know much of what happened after that. If he felt guilty for not saving everyone or if some of the death was excusable to him. I'm afraid my memories do not extend past my own death either.

[willing_sheath]

I see...

[arkfall]

If he ever gains those memories we may have to keep an eye on him.

[willing_sheath]

Yes... I imagine we will.