voice;

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Will hasn't really been around much at all. Finding small comfort in escapism. Fishing was too obvious a choice as was the spot down by the river he'd made for his Fenic fox and Nugs. No, Will had been living low, hiding out in various God's temples and small nooks and crannies not so deep inside the tunnels, practicing how to most efficiently take out some of the monsters with or without a weapon.

His voice is raspy like he hasn't spoken a word in weeks... which is partly true. ]

My mind has been a busy mess of blur and motion. Thoughts buzzing past like worker bees, endlessly in their endeavor... Nauseating- I er, I know a lot of turbulent occurrences have swooped down and splattered, most ungracefully so, all over this shithole of a cavern we have no choice but to call home. It's been testing, to say the least...

[ A moment of silence as Will recalled the fires, the mirrors and so on. That wasn't what he wanted to be focusing on right now. A heavy sigh before he continues. ]

... Such has been out of our control, true, but what about the things that aren't? There's no death here, no justice either, no real justice. Sure, we have the illusion our City Guard like to cast over us, that we're safe and looked after. Frankly, since Jill vanished I can't for certain say I'd trust any of them with my life- Ah, but what does life matter here, huh? No death, no crime. Murderers and monsters are our neighbors. Friendly Mr. Rodgers in his bloodstained sweater...

[ He's rambling, emotional and tired. ]

We need justice. We're ruled by our emotions, literally! God's? What God's?' He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.' Isn't that what a God does? No, all this death, killing, darkness has to stop. We need a system of order, a place to hold the dangerous, a means of judging and sentencing them... How many times can we be revived before it's too late?

... Well, I'm gonna be trying to do something about it, even if I have to do it alone.

Comments

[text]

[circumitus]

[Oh no. Rey was worried that this sort of thing would happen eventually.]

"a place to hold the dangerous"? really? there's no predicting which people such a place would even be able to hold in the first place.

who would be in charge of deciding what laws are laid down here? what about the feeble-minded idiots who let themselves kill while under the gods' influence?

and do you expect several people from varying corners of the multiverse to come to the same consensus on what brand of "justice" should be made?

[permavoice] he's too tired to type.

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ And so she should be! ]

Mmm, actually I'm pretty sure there are ways and means. And it's really quite simple... Don't kill and expect to get away with it.

I'm not talking about a whole legal system here, all we need is somewhere to hold and punish those who do the unspeakable. Don't go around killing confident that it's okay because we have Hope. We're trying to live like civilized beings here, yet there's no order whatsoever.

And yes, I actually do believe we could work something out.

Voice, Private

[tablewithoutpity]

[Hannibal listens very closely to the recording, trying to pick up any hint of Will's location. Perhaps it's because he's concerned about his friend's mental state. Perhaps it's because Will sounds like he's about to make life difficult for Hannibal. Dropped forgiveness indeed.]

Will? Where are you?

Voice, Private

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Making life difficult for Hannibal is something Will is just naturally good at. However, on this occasion, it's not about his dear friend, or well, Will doesn't know it's about Hannibal yet? He just still wants to see some kind of justice for his own murder. ]

The one place I never thought I'd find myself again. Hope's temple, or well, behind it.

[ He had no reason to hide from Hannibal. Other than a few wounds that still need licking, there's no real bad blood between them. ]

[audio]

[synthedick]

Might be good if you got to know most of us before judging us and putting words in our mouths.

[Because boy, is he tired of this "the Guard is useless" song and dance they have to go through. They're either useless, or they're tyrants, with no middle ground.]

[audio]

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Hard to say 'it's nothing personal!' when he's openly saying that he has no faith in you, but it's not? ]

I know a handful of you. Very mixed opinions. Sorry.

[ Be nice Will, they're doing the best the can? Maybe if he wasn't so drained it might have come out a bit nicer? ]

I get it, it's all voluntary work. You don't have to protect us but you do. All I'm saying is it's not enough, there's not enough of you.

voice

[so_dark_a_road]

I'm a Guardsman, Will. I have never tried to convince anyone that they are safe, or that the Guard can keep us safe. The monsters are out there, the murderers are out there, and the gods are out there. We do the best we can, but who believes it's enough? Not I.

But if we institute a system of justice, where is the guarantee that it will in fact be a just one? What if the murderers put the innocent in jail instead of the other way around?

That said, I agree it's a sad situation, the way it is. One of those murderers you speak of recently nailed two friends of mine. I share your frustration.

voice

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Oh Curufin, Will actually likes you, don't make him feel bad? ]

Then what are you actually doing? When I arrived, almost a year ago now, I was told the Guard are here to help, you call on them when you're in need. Maybe my own experiences with them have been let's say, unfavorable at best. So I might be a bit jaded but my concerns are valid and real.

Screening helps. We make sure that the right people are calling the shots. We do it ourselves, all of us. The cook, the elf, the alien, robot, child. We make judgment calls for the greater good. It would be an effort but it could be done.

I'm sorry for your temporary loss...

audio

[toiletseat_girl]

[there's concern in George's voice; she remembers him from the happy suburbs and wow, he sounds exhausted]

What kind of something are you thinking about doing?

audio

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ George is a sweet girl, Will recalls helping her out when the suburbs was a thing too. He's kind of at the end of his emotional limit right now. Definitely not his best. ]

Depriving them? Detaining them? Heh, community service.

[ A hint of amusement at his last comment. ]

audio;

[pellameno]

[ This is a rambling rant, and Pell's not sure what to make of it. Will's been... different, since he returned. ]

What are you going to do, Will?

...

I'm sorry about Jill.

audio;

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ He'll let Pell in... Someday. It's been one hell of a ride for him since he left and was dragged back. Setting back into Cave-life has been hard on him, now that he knows things about certain people. ]

I haven't decided yet. Tempted to just round up the wicked and see where that goes.

[ There's a crack in his voice, one that he tries to hide with a long pause. ]

... Me too.

voice.

[citytraveler]

[ Kyrii hasn't been here long. But he knows the way of things by now: The gods feed off all emotions surrounding life and death. Once they had eliminated the guilt of death and the euphoria of another chance at life in this city... There isn't much going back to make rules for it. And no reason for accountability. ]

Wanted. Not needed.

voice.

[feelslikeimspilling]

I'm sorry, but, I'm finding it hard to understand how people are still so content to play make-believe civilization here.

[ Being dragged into this war is bad enough and knowing that people's opinions on death and murder are so slack here, just makes it all the harder to swallow. ]

voice. i'm sorry about him.

[torrefied]

[Dry as a goddamn desert:] If you think the City Guard ever stood for justice, you're a bigger fool than I thought.

voice. never be sorry for mello! I adore him.

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Just as dry back at you buddy. ]

Nah, but I did assume they would give enough of a shit to try and stand for something other than what they are.

[Voice]

[elegant_and_proud]

[She's not exactly someone who tends to concern herself with justice, but she still has some residual maternal feelings despite being well aware that the fake life was just that - fake.]

Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes justice.

[Voice]

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Will feels the same, that pull of wanting to do well by her like he would his own mother... Not that he really got to know his biological mom that well. ]

Then maybe we should all pull in and see what would work? Look, I'm not asking for a miracle here, just for people to give a shit about what they're doing to each other.

... we go unchecked for too long, we become decivilized... We lose ourselves.

[Video]

[mismanagement]

Whatever you think this is going to accomplish, Will Graham, it is not helping.

[Video]

[feelslikeimspilling]

Yea well at least I'm bothering to try something, anything. I recall you not finding this to be a bad idea at one time? What happened?

[ Though it was a private matter, Will remembers having a conversation about detaining a suspected psychopath with her approval. ]

voice

[am_i_a_monster]

[There's worry in her voice.]

Your life matters, Will. What are you going to do? Who's the Mr. Rogers that you want to judge?

voice

[feelslikeimspilling]

[ Oh, Abigail. It pains him to hear worry in her tone. Letting his own voice fall softer, gentle even. ]

Doesn't really feel like it. Someone murdered me in cold blood... Sure, Hannibal, Jill a few others were there when Hope revived me but not a single thing was done about finding and judging whoever slit my-- Whoever killed me.

[ Hesitation, he doesn't want her to be reminded of what she's already been through. ]

I don't know who did it. What their motive was if they had one... It's not even just about me, Abigail... It's about making sure others are safe like you.

[ And Hannibal, their messed up little family. ]

[text; private]

[aroundthecoroner]

You want to punish a murderer?

[Hello, potential new friend.]

[permavoice; private]

[feelslikeimspilling]

I do. Not just a murderer... All of them.

[ You definitely have Will's attention with a text like that. ]

Voice

[filmthenight]

Well, I'm certainly all for plans to make this a better place for any and all involved. Dying isn't fun. And I can't imagine it's any more fun, regardless that we get resurrected.

But aren't we all from alot of different worlds? It might be harder to implement any solid rules if we don't have any common basis. Did you have anything stronger in mind than simply detaining criminals?

Voice

[feelslikeimspilling]

You know, I keep hearing that? That we're all from different places... I just, I er, struggle to see how that's some kind of problem? The pool of knowledge and ideas we could draw from would be such an immense scale if that's the case.

I'm just looking for ideas here, yet I keep coming up against brick walls.

[ He remembers his voice. The gentle stranger with the kind eyes who helped him escape the Colosseum when he was brought back here. ]