026 -- [Voice || Written || Action]

[endgames]

If I see another mountain again, it'll be too soon. Did any of you know that sirry means "ridiculous"? [He snorts.] Explains a lot. Avalanches. Yetis. More freaking snow. Man, that mission was a pain...

[/whine and complain]

Anyways. I'm back. [Technically has been for two days albeit not in town, so he'll make it official.] Anything interesting hap- [His disinterested tone gives way to irritation as he turns his attention to something off-screen.] Oi that's not for you-

[The journal snaps shut with a sigh. He never finishes speaking, but about an hour later the post is transcribed... minus the interruption, and now with complete sentences.

If you're out today now that the heavy rain of the few days is finally letting up, you might spot Shikamaru coming back into the village from the North... closely followed by a deer much larger than Luceti's usual fare ((think five feet at the shoulders, six at the head, and eight feet with antlers)). The stag seems pretty content to follow him around - even into town or just standing around when he sits - despite sticking to the tree-lined paths when he can. Shikamaru talks to him sometimes.

Yes, talks, shut up.]

Comments

He can't eavesdrop on non-journal conversations!!

[markofthewise]

I'm going to guess, with how long he's been around, that it's a lot more than that.

He could if he bugged everyone with little boomerang transmitters!!

[endgames]

That's the hope. It spells trouble for everyone if it's not.

[If anyone from Luceti runs into him again, which they might. If the time Buffy killed him was a lucky break, and he's that much harder to defeat.]

[markofthewise]

Except he apparently just gets stronger. It makes me wonder if... killing him actually helps.

[endgames]

As if it worked in reverse.

[...could it? For people born in this world?]

[markofthewise]

So... we've been making things worse killing the cultists? Because that's not a development I'd be happy to know.

[endgames]

Seriously. If it were though, it could be why they gave the option for capturing them.

[Better reason than the idea that they're using their brains for those new droids...]

At the same time, the Malnosso have been fighting them much longer than any of us have been around. If it were true, they'd have probably caught onto it.

[markofthewise]

Yeah. I mean, as much as I'd like to call them idiots, the Malnosso tend to know what they're doing.

[endgames]

Public relations aside.

[markofthewise]

I think you mean 'residents perceptions'.

[endgames]

[He thinks they just slapped that name on it to get out of the other one. 8|]

Whatever.

[markofthewise]

[No, they did it for the pun!]

Either way, I don't think the cultists would hesitate killing each other if they actually got stronger from it.

[endgames]

They don't have much problem with it as is.

[markofthewise]

What do you mean?

[endgames]

On occasion, I've seen and heard of them taking out each other if it meant getting to one of us. Using one as a human shield does no good, for example.

[markofthewise]

Well... that's different than just gutting each other for the heck of it. That's just them being monsters without any empathy for each other.

[endgames]

Thin line between the two.

[markofthewise]

Maybe. But on the Moon, the MSF did the same thing to their own if one of those dreamer cultists got them.

[endgames]

Never said they were better.

[markofthewise]

Well. I am. They've saved my life more than once.

[endgames]

Some of them have. Me too, but other times they've nearly killed my friends.

[He shakes his head.] I think the mistake everyone makes is judging them as a whole. Nothing is so black and white.

[Cultists too, maybe. Who knows anymore.]

[markofthewise]

That's what we get here. People find out the bad guys may not be so bad. That's pretty hard.

[He figures a lot of people are used to things being more clear cut.]

[endgames]

Yeah. You wouldn't think so much effort goes into keeping an open mind. but it does, and in spades.

[It takes time to fix that line of thinking. When you think about it with the Malnosso and the cultists, it's no wonder progress is slow. They've built this perception up over a thousand years.]

[markofthewise]

It's never easy sympathizing with the ones holding you captive. Though sympathizing isn't really the word I'd use for how I feel about the Malnosso most of the time.

[endgames]

[It'd probably be easier if that kind of reaction wasn't classified as Stockholm Syndrome.]

What word would you use?

[markofthewise]

Is there a word for getting why they're doing it, understanding why they do it, knowing it makes sense, but still really disliking them for it? Because that's the general sort of word I'd be using.