don't wait for a knight in shinin' armor, your savior's reflected in the mirror

[perpend]

[That sure was a fucking thing. That execution was a fucking thing. Those secrets are a fucking thing.

Cabanela retreats to his room, but not for all that long. Everyone will get a note eventually, written in very neat handwriting

I do not plan on bowing down to threats and intimidation. If you did not act, it means you were, like me, aware of the risk, but decided against it. Your reasons are entirely your own.

Join me in the dining room if you agree enough is enough, and that you won't acquiesce to threats. I don't plan to let this stop me, and neither should you.

-C

In the dining room itself, Cabanela has set up coffee and tea for those who want it-- there's no food, because to be honest, he doesn't know how to cook. Two more candles have been lit-- he wasn't really sure what to do about the whole... parasite thing... so Fern's candle will have to make due.]

Comments

[explosivecombat]

I understand entirely.

[That said...today certainly has been a thing, hasn't it.]

Something on your mind...?

[hesperos]

Kinda a lot. The secrets and the trial helped facilitate that, I guess.

[ Yuri's still having a time digesting everything and he supposes he'll be able to more properly adjust to everything by tomorrow. Or, well, as much as he could. ]

I've seen some things, but what happened at trial feels like a fever dream. The aftermath seems a little more real--you know, with the revealing of secrets.

[explosivecombat]

...It does, yes.

[And you know, perhaps he shouldn't ask, but...]

It's fine if you don't want to answer, but might I ask you about the people mentioned in yours...?

[You know, the ones that ended up dead. Or nearly-dead.]

[hesperos]

[ Probably not!!

Yuri's giving it some thought. He'll give out the two names, at least, and seeing as he's focusing on those right now, he's not so ready to easily talk about the third one. ]

Ragou's the high-ranking councilman. He was a magistrate back in a town, and he had a high taxation rate for the people who lived there. When people couldn't pay them, he'd kidnap their children or other loved ones and threaten to feed 'em to monsters. He'd suggest that people'd go hunting this Rhybgaro monster and bring back its horn to him in return of paying their taxes. But, the monster's pretty tough to beat and it was practically a death sentence.

Cumore's another bastard--he was the knight captain. He came to Heliord, a town that was started up relatively recently, and he forced people to work for hardly any pay on false promises that they'd become 'nobles' for the town when everything was completed. The conditions were basically crap and anyone working there was treated like that too.

'Course, when he was ran out of there, he didn't stop pulling his cruelty there.

He managed to become a magistrate for a desert town called Mantaic, and once he got there, he started sending the townspeople on a search through a desert. That was basically a death sentence, since they have no idea where they'd find Phaeroh, and they weren't even given proper supplies or anything. Hell, he'd even send his own men on the same journey if they pissed him off.

The problem with both of them was that they had too much influence--when Ragou's crimes had been discovered, he got basically off with a slap on the wrist, and he was just about to head back to doing the same damn thing he was going to do before. So, I decided I had to take him out.

I knew the same would happen with Cumore, so when I got the chance, I did the same for him.

[explosivecombat]

[He'll listen to all that quietly as Yuri speaks; he doesn't try to interrupt, he just takes it all in before responding.]

I certainly can't fault you any for that, bluntly put; they sound like highly dishonorable individuals, and honestly, I likely would have done the same in your position.

[He's fairly lax in terms of morals and standards, but the general hypocrisy and lack of grace going on with both of these people would have needled him until he did something about it, probably.]

Of course, I don't think you deserve to forget either of them, or what you did to them. But I don't think it's worth Mr. Jericho trying to rile us all up over, either.

[hesperos]

[ Yeah, he's not forgetting any of that anytime soon. ]

No, and quite frankly, he can kiss my ass.

[ Because apparently it's time to be elegant today--well, no one would blame him for it anyway. ]

But while we're talking about my stuff here, you mind telling me what's going on with yours? Or what made you go along with that sort of thing anyway?

[explosivecombat]

[No jury of your peers, Yuri.]

I wasn't forced or coerced into it, if that's what you're asking. The secret is truthful in that regard - I've been doing everything both knowingly and willingly.

It's a matter of ideals, I think. The people I'm working with... Well, let's say that their thoughts and ideals are more in line with my own than humanity's ever have been.

[hesperos]

[ Wow, deja vu.

Jokes aside, Yuri's still thrown for a loop here. ]

So...you actually wanted to exterminate humanity with them?

[explosivecombat]

I wouldn't say that I wanted to exterminate them - it's more that I believe them to be a lost cause. I would actually quite like it if they proved me wrong.

[hesperos]

[ Huh. ]

Well, good thing there's still ample enough time for that.

[ To prove him wrong, that is. ]

Anyway, I'm guessing this is because of some bad experience with other humans? I'm not going to go around asking for any specific details, or anything, but I was just a little curious.

[explosivecombat]

[He has to think about it for a moment.]

...It's something like that. Nothing personal, just...a fair amount of what they do as a whole.

[hesperos]

Heh. Yeah, there certainly is a lot of stuff humanity can be better off not doing.

[ Exhibit A: The two people Yuri just spoke about just a scarce few minutes ago. ]