hadriel | voice;

Entry tags:

voice;

[ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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...

[ Curufin can't see the expression on Will's face, but he can hear the tone of his voice. He realizes he spoke too quickly, without considering Will's feelings. ]

I haven't seen you around for a while, and you don't sound well. What's been happening?

As for the Guard, mostly we kill the tunnel creatures. It's better if there aren't so many of them. Fewer people get torn apart and have to experience the worst of the resurrection experience. The Guard was out during the fire, getting people our of burning buildings alongside the Fire Brigade, and taking people to shelters that weren't in danger of burning down. Death by fire is very unpleasant, and I'd rather my friends and acquaintances not go through it, even if they are brought back to life.

What do you mean by unfavorable experiences with the Guard? [ No defensiveness in this question. He just wants to know.] And I'm sorry about Jill Valentine. She was a friend of mine, too. We'll miss her, won't we?

It sounds like you are talking about something like a jury system? [ Elves didn't have that in his world, but some of his mortal allies did. ]

[ Small, unhappy laugh. ] Temporary loss, yes. What an irony. When people die, they come back. But sometimes they don't die, they just vanish without a trace, without even a chance to say goodbye.

[ That's the problem with being an empath. You're always picking up other peoples feelings that your own are easily missed. ]

I've been indulging myself in the art of avoidance. Ever since we all got cast in an episode of Happy Valley I've just not been feeling the same here as I once did.

[ The mirrors were eye-opening and he's still mentally getting over the burns left from the fire. ]

I sound ungrateful, that wasn't my design. Look, the Guard does some good work, great work even but helping people avoid monsters and being the local services really just isn't enough. You're all we've got in comparison to law and order or armed forces but some things just get passed over like there's nothing that can be done about it.

[ He pauses. Now is not the time to get into his and Maketh's insidious relationship but what he says about Jill almost had him chocked up. So, he avoids the question and focuses on their friend. ]

She was more than a friend... She kept me afloat... We were partners... Is it wrong to hope that she'll return? Selfish I know but... I never got to say goodbye to her.

[ Small laugh. ] Yes, that was a most interesting experience. An ordinary, boring life in a tiny, ordinary community in which nothing ever happens. For me, it was surprisingly satisfying. The kind of life I've never had and can never hope to have. But what was it like for you, Will? Did you find something for yourself there?

[ The mirrors were horrible! But Curufin hadn't even known that Will was injured in the fire, and he would feel guilty about that. ]

All right, I see what you mean. It's like. . . well, like the world I come from, in that respect. People get angry and kill someone, or do it for even less reason than anger. Sometimes merely out of some sick and twisted need to overpower and triumph over others. And the murdered person has no recourse, unless they are adept at combat and can find the murderer and get revenge, or have friends that can. I agree. It's not fair, and it's not right. [ He's a former murderer himself, so he knows whereof he speaks. ]

I am glad for you that you were that close to Jill. She had much to give, and those who received her gifts in any way were fortunate. No, I do not believe it is wrong to wish she would come back. I wish she would, too.

[ Selfish of them both, perhaps, but human beings need those whose love or friendship they have had. The feeling is natural. ]

I had that life, back home before I was brought here a second time.

[ Running his thumb over the wedding band that sat like a reminder on his ring finger. ]

It was hard enough in the first place, being here, having our emotions toyed with. I just think having some kind of order would benefit us all, even the parasites that call themselves God's here.

[ A fellow murderer huh? Not that Will would ever confess to what he's done of course. That's strictly in his past, between him and Hannibal. ]

Heh, sure she'd find us pining over her like this to be amusing at least.

You seem older than you did when you were here before. [ He sees the wedding band. ] It was a good life?

We definitely need something. If you or anybody else can suggest a way to implement order in some way that promotes justice and is difficult for unjust people to pervert to their own purposes, then I am on board with it. I only. . . well, as I said, in my world, we Elves did not have institutions for that purpose. The closest we came to it was our public assemblies, convened when there were great events afoot, or the community was faced with a crisis of some kind. Anybody could speak at these assemblies, but it was the aristocrats who made the decisions. But you're speaking of the decision-making power being retained by the people, I think?

[ Just between you and me and the fencepost, as Curufin's mortal allies would say. Our murders are in the past. ]

[ He chuckles. ] Yes, I suppose she would laugh at us.

Almost 3 years... Is it that obvious? ... I was a slow life, a life I wasn't used to and even then I-

[ He stops himself before he says too much. Sniffling softly then coughing to clear his throat. ]

A public assembly isn't actually a bad idea. I think most people would find it easier to get behind than some kind of police or law enforcement. Giving the people a chance to cast their vote and be heard. Maybe put it to the Gods in a vote for them to take action? I dunno.

[ Will returned the chuckle right back at him. He misses Jill, when she vanished, so did most of what remains of the light inside of him. ]

[ Mortals age more quickly and more obviously than Elves do. Curufin notices. But as Will stops himself from speaking, the Elf notices this as well and respects his desire to keep his experiences to himself. ]

I think I agree with you on the public assembly idea. It would get more people involved because they'd feel like they had a say. . . a real say. . . in events. I'm ambivalent about asking the gods to take action. As soon as the gods become involved, it will raise all the usual issues for those who do not trust them. Which is most of us. However, that said, I don't know exactly how the assembly would go about it, if they did decide that someone was a criminal and thought something ought to be done, and they had to do it themselves. Obviously the death penalty would not work. And if we built a jail or a prison, then we'd have to keep people in it, and that would be problematic, too.

Although, there might be other options. One of the reasons people get to harm others and get away with it here is that they are never confronted by the entire community, never told that what they have done is wrong, and that they won't be allowed to do it again. I say, never underestimate the power of social pressure. Also, of social support. Some of these people might in fact turn out to be useful members of society if they had people helping them figure out how, and if these people stuck by them, encouraged them, and didn't take no for an answer. I know this may sound naive, and back in my own world, I would have laughed at the idea. But no longer.

[ Curufin was not as close to Jill as Will was, but he feels her absence. It is a grief to him. He hopes that Will can find some other source of light. ]

Edited 2017-09-28 23:01 (UTC)

[ It's nice and Will appreciates that Curufin respects him enough not to press on the matter. His time married to Molly, living the simple life with her and her kid was slow... Too slow. Will secretly longed to find Hannibal again, to make the absent part of him whole once more. Something he's not comfortable enough to admit to anyone just yet. ]

That's the problem I'm coming up against too. I feel the Gods would be useful in helping us judge and punish any criminal, yet no one would want them involved. We couldn't do it all on our own... I'm starting to feel like I've wasted mine and all your time with this, Curufin.

On second thought, we have a great many Doctor here, ones that work in the line of therapy. Maybe a none aggressive aproace would work best? Find the ones committing the crimes and offer them some kind of session to work through why they do what they do?

[ He feels her absence every day. However, spending more time with Hannibal, uninterrupted is starting to fill Will with a darker kind of light. A dangerous light that shines blindingly bright. ]

[ He does respect Will. And we all have our secret longings! ]

I'm not so sure we couldn't do it on our own. I say, never underestimate a powerful desire for justice as a motivator for autonomous action. You haven't wasted anybody's time, Will.

The doctors might be able to help. I'm sure they'd be willing to. We'd just have to make sure we didn't dump the whole responsibility in their laps, because I think this kind of thing would work best with a lot of people involved.

[ Alas for the darker lights of our souls! They never really go away, because they are part of us, and they can awaken in the absence of the brighter lights. ]

Edited 2017-10-05 22:36 (UTC)

Thanks... For humoring me at best.

[ Curufin was of another world, as was his partner and Will was curious about them both. The trouble was, he'd met them both when he was in a very different place. Now, now Will had changed yet he didn't want anyone to notice too much. ]

Hmm, I'll have a word with the few I know, see if it would be something they would be into at least. Still, it's good to know there are likeminded people here and I agree, the more behind us the better chance we have of actually making this work.

[ A moments hesitation. ]

My timing is off is all. Don't think the Gods or the denizens would be even interested in anything of this sort just now.

[ A small, kindly smile. ]

I'm not humoring you. You've brought up a very important issue, and it deserves to be addressed. And you deserve credit for bringing it up.

Yes, let's see what the doctors say.

The gods have their hands full right now. But I'm not sure they'd be interested anyway. I think they benefit from the emotions that are generated by having a serial killer or two in our midst. That's one of the reasons I don't think this is a project for them.

And the citizens of Hadriel have a lot on their plate right now as well. But that doesn't mean that none of them would be interested. Besides, it's the kind of project that gains momentum as it goes. Don't worry about your timing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

voice;

voice

voice

voice

voice

voice

voice

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject