hadriel | 012 [Video]

[It's a nice, quiet day in Hadriel, at least as far as city-wide things go, but who knows how long that'll last. So Lance is taking advantage of it, both in terms of going out for a walk to get some fresh air and also making a post on the network; he has something important to talk about, after all.]

Hello everyone. I'd like to preface what I'm about to ask by saying that I understand some here may have concerns regarding speaking about this subject over the network, and so if you would prefer to talk in person I'm willing to meet with you.

[Another reason it being a nice day is helpful.]

I'm interested in hearing opinions on the issue of the Null that posted to the network a few weeks ago. In such a complicated situation it's difficult to consider all information and every possibility, and the people here have such vastly different experiences that can lead to unique conclusions and insights. The more ideas and reasons we all have to consider, the better informed our choices can be.

[Including, potentially, ideas of what to do about the situation other than the obvious two of 'kill it' or 'let it live happily ever after'.]

If you were not here for the last battle with the Null your opinion is just as important as those of the people who were present, as you're providing a viewpoint that, although lacking in specific experience, makes up for it with objectivity.

[In other words, they may not have a personal grudge against the Null that affects their opinions.]

I'd also like to note that this is all completely voluntary, and if you don't want to share your opinion that's fine; I'm just interested in hearing what people think and why, particularly due to experience and insight I may not have on a subject like this. Additionally, individuals who are still undecided in where they stand could benefit from hearing points and arguments they may not have had a chance to consider before.

Thank you.

[Considering this is such a serious topic, it can't hurt to be a little extra polite when asking people to do something potentially dangerous, right?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[she looks up when the door opens and Lance comes in. she's currently sorting bandages, so nothing she can't put off]

Hey. Over here.

So what's up?

Hey.

[He moves over to where she is, both so they can hear each other easily and so no one else coming or going can pick up on their conversation.]

I'm just being careful what I say on the network; if the gods have been paying close attention they already know what I think, and same with anyone else, but if they haven't it's better to not make it any easier on them to figure out.

[But that said--]

I'm with you on this, though. I want to find it and try to help it; the least we can do is figure out if it's telling the truth.

That makes sense. I bet that the gods would just love to find out what we're planning to do with the lost Null. And then beat us there so they can kill it without even talking to it.

Yeah. I mean, it's only fair? And it seems to be on the level. And if not, better to find out now.

That's presuming they find out and can get there first, instead of us finding the Null and then the gods learning we have it.

[He's not sure what they might do.]

Yeah. Acting now to destroy it seems like jumping the gun; not only would it be wrong to kill it if it's telling the truth, but we could be giving up a potential chance to learn something that could give us an advantage. It's not like the Null have given up on finding us.

[So it's going to come down to a fight again, and right now they're no closer to having any new advantage that might help them in it.]

[she laughs and slaps her hands against her thighs]

Holy shit, they're gonna be pissed if we find it first. But what can they do about it, really? They can't smite us. They can make us feel something really hard, but that's about it.

Well, other than maybe get their groupies to bumrush us and kill it. That would suck.

[she has her ideas and few of them are pleasant]

Definitely. For both parts. I do think it's telling the truth, though. It seemed. . . surprised that I was nice to it. Like it was expecting all of us to be assholes. I know that feeling and it's not a pleasant one. And if we're all nice to it, maybe it'll help us on its own? Without having to play the whole good cop bad cop thing.

And I know that the rest of the Null are still out there. And that they want us dead. They'll want it dead, too.

[definitly a fight. and one that they'll be on their own with]

[Lance grimaces a little at that first part; he doesn't necessarily want to scare her, but he can definitely think of a lot worse the gods could do than that.]

Some of the events have been really bad, especially the ones early on, from what I've read.

[And he doesn't doubt the gods would recycle some of the worst ones if it was for a reason, like trying to find out where the Name is.]

Yeah. I doubt we could--or should--convince it to fight the other Null, but it might be willing to give us information we can use. But mostly I just... I think it's telling the truth, too. That means it's scared, and alone, and feeling emotions that it doesn't know how to handle for the first time.

[And so he's very sympathetic.]

[George hasn't heard of the worse events from earlier in Hadriel's history, so she's ignorant as far as how far the gods are willing to go if angered]

D'you think they'd do shit like that again, if some of us are caught helping Name?

[George's worst run-in with a god was Rage. Rage threatened to feed her to the Null, then tried to act like she'd never said any such thing. so as far as George knows, the gods are all talk]

Yeah, and that's got to be really hard to deal with. Emotions are hard enough for everybody else, I can't imagine what it's like to all of a sudden have emotions. And not know what to do about it. So, yeah, I feel bad for it. And would like to help it, if I can.

[so is George. she has a hard enough time dealing with emotions even with eighteen years of practice. she can't imagine what it's like to all of a sudden be overwhelmed with emotion]

I think it's entirely likely, yes.

[It's, at the very least, a risk. He doubts the gods--with the possible exception of Hope--care how far they have to go in order to get answers, especially about something this important.]

Exactly, yeah.

[He feels the same.]

[she meets his eyes squarely with no hesitation]

Then, you know what? Fuck them. We're helping Name anyway.

[George hasn't cared much for the gods since Rage's threat to feed her to the Null. she doesn't give a shit about what they'd do to her. she figures she can take it]

Yeah. Then, lemme know what I can do to help when it's time, okay?

I definitely don't intend to let the risk stop me, and I'm not going to say it should stop you either, just... Be aware of what you're potentially getting into.

[She's an adult, and can make her own decisions, but he wants to make it clear it might be dangerous. Not just the threat that Name might be faking, but that the gods might retaliate and that's not something to take lightly; he appreciates her bravado and determination, but isn't sure if it's confidence or recklessness underneath it.]

I will.

I am. I figure the gods will fuck with me. Rage already threatened to feed me to the Null once. And I've heard about the time where people were buried alive.

[it's a little of column A and a little of Column B. she's confident that Name should be helped, but she's also a little reckless about what might be done to her by the gods. she's counting on her Reaper body which doesn't need to eat or drink or even breathe and which heals killing blows in a hurry to see her through whatever retaliation the gods would have in mind]

Okay, thanks.

You should try to avoid that, if at all possible.

[The gods fucking with her, he means; he doesn't want her brazenly making herself a target. And yeah, that event is one he's definitely had in the back of his mind, because--]

There was a serial killer we dealt with at home who did that. Even when people survived, serious harm was still done mentally.

[He knows it was an incredibly traumatic experience for both Brennan and Hodgins, and the two of them are very resilient people by nature to begin with.]

I know. It's not like I'm gonna make a big, ol' public network post going "nyah, nyah, I'm helping Name, or anything like that. And I avoid the temples because it's not like I need anything from them, personally.

[she knows that getting the gods' attention would be A Bad Thing]

Seriously? When will I not be surprised by the fucked up things that people do to one another?

[she's seen all kinds of stupid ways to die, from getting one's head stuck in a revolving door to being skewered by a taxidermied swordfish]

012 [Video]

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

Re: action

action

action

action

action