"Hmph. I don't know your full situation, but around here, any sort of disorder that might result in or from the use of these copies of oneself, I'd consider comparatively manageable. You met Gala... consider her your measuring stick of how far you are allowed to push your flights of insanity before it becomes dangerous to Mafia business and I am forced to intervene," Kismet responded, still frowning hard, even though it sort of sounded as though she'd been making a joke. "If you believe it would be best that I work without the helmet, then I'll do so," the mafioso nodded, proving agreeable enough on that point, at least. The constant grimace made it hard to think she'd seem much more agreeable without the helmet, of course.
As for the next CourseMan, he would discover that the other room had a little more in the way of furniture but nothing more in the way of comfort. Kismet had apparently gone all in on her measures to make certain that Mime didn't pull another fast one... Mime and Shok weren't separated any further than being set on either side of the rooms, but each was strapped onto a standing bed, with wheels currently placing them into a vertical orientation. Each woman was secured with an extreme series of harnasses as well as metal braces, restricting the entire movement of their bodies, including any motion of the neck or head. Only their faces could move, but even then, both women were wearing both gags (this was not atypical for Shok) and eye-masks. In this state, they couldn't do much more than breath, for whatever extent they needed to. They'd be able to hear, but that'd be about it... Neither would be able to catch his roguish wink, unfortunately.
Back in the main room, Kismet nodded, then gestured to the door. "Yes, please have your clone bring the two of them in," she agreed, since he appeared to be offering. She'd stand, regardless, likely waiting for Jury to enter so that she could begin with a handshake and take a seat when Jury did, as was polite.
Jury's face was mostly inexpressive, but as much as she wanted to be polite, it was hard for her to hide the disappointment in her eyes. "I understand, of course... But this is the Mafia. You can make your own judgment, but their interest is historically one-and only: self-interest. They already hold the prisoners... This negotiation isn't starting on even ground. You're sadly mistaken if you think that mafioso plans to yield anything to us at all in this conversation. I don't know why she brought you in... why she really brought you in, I mean... But I know that you throwing a wrench into her plan is the only way that we can come out of this with Shok and Mime freed. I'm probably just hurting my case... but you knowing this is important," she insisted.
BlessMan smiled in spite of that heavy talk, then waved one hand. "Now, now. If the man isn't ready to accept my Blessing yet, it's no concern! But young sir, I'm sure you'll come around when you learn of all the great things we Blessers can do to serve others and in pursuit of our stated goals, our great motivations!" he chuckled, seemingly unaware that he wasn't responding to anything anyone had actually said. "Mine, for instance, was to empower people with the strength needed to achieve impossible goals. That's my blessing: the First Blessing. The ability to grant other navis the power to... power to..." he trailed off, growing suddenly tired and leaning on his staff again.
Jury patted his hand again, then looked back to CourseMan with a grave expression and gave a small nod. He'd indicated to leave BlessMan behind, so she followed him out alone. The two exchanged some brief greetings before sitting down on either side of the table. Both girls nodded, one with an unsightly scowl on her face, the other with an unreadable frown. Jury wasn't tall, but compared to the hunched, already short Kismet, she seemed to have more of an impressive stature than she actually did. The stately woman cleared her throat, set her eyebrows into a firm line, then began. "The goal of the Blessers is to bring back both Shok and Mime into our custody. I understand that both have been involved in some heinous activity and we do plan to get to the bottom of that and punish them for it. That punishment will consist, first of all, of judgment in Blesser's Court, where I preside as judge. If found guilty, we will strip them of the blessings they've been provided. This always has a detrimental effect to one's health, in our experience, but it is necessary that those without the ability to wisely handle their blessings be deprived of it. After that, a former Blesser enters a period of redemption where they must prove themselves again true to the motivations which granted them their blessings. For Shok, that was the desire to study and cure disorders. For Mime, that was to entertain. They must first prove to be no harm to others, then to be true to their callings; if they do, then at some point in the future, their blessings may be restored." She made no mention of some of the details she'd given to CourseMan in private earlier, but if she was guilty about that, she kept her composure well.
Kismet, to her credit, had kept very quiet, but she was glaring harder than ever, with her gloved hands folded beneath her chin. She raised her chin, then began talking at some length, sounding as though speaking with a dry mouth. "Our goals are more straightforward. I intend to see them both punished fully. Now, I don't believe in anything as vulgar as 'an eye for an eye', but with each of these navis having multiple murders on their hands, as proven by the eye-witness of their Mafia peers as well as myself, and thoroughly investigated beyond that, I think capital punishment may be in order. If the Blessers will agree to deliver that punishment, then I will concede to hand over the prisoners. Otherwise, we will carry out the punishment here. Nothing less than execution will be sufficient. Besides their willingness to murder Mafia members, both navis have shown a craftiness and drive in their murders that makes their continued existence a threat to my organization. Letting them go would be negligent on my part as a member of the Head family. The idea of releasing them so that they can repent by working their way back up to god-like, powerful Blessers again is purely ridiculous." Animosity was clearly evident in her voice... it was certainly going to be an uphill battle finding middle ground between the two. She paused here to look back to CourseMan, then she took a chance at adding in a harmless comment of her own. "You may have heard of my superhuman 'luck' which is actually derived from computational skills. I receive rapid feeds of data while wearing that helmet. So long as I'm not wearing it, you can be assured I'm not... 'cheating.'" She spread her hands here and gave out a sigh like she was exhausted. It was possible she'd already guessed that Jury saw this as a no-win situation for herself.
Jury had her lower lip drawn up tight, as if she'd steeled herself, but her voice was still very calm when she responded. "In a similar show of faith, I've removed my armor for the proceedings. We can certainly solve this in a civilized way. It's not so different from Blesser's Court," she insisted.
"But you do wear your armor around your fellow Blessers. Funny," Kismet retorted, lowering her eyebrows critically, as though she actually found it more disturbing than she did amusing. It was clear that CourseMan was going to have to reign both sides in, or at least Kismet... No one could set the rules or decide how to enforce them but him right now, though. It would be hard for the average person to decide how much authority they actually had in this situation. It would be equally hard to decide if he ought to go in hard and try to apply a stranglehold on the whole thing, muscling over both girls to keep them in line, or if he ought to defuse the situation with charm and wit, lightening tensions.
Teksqp Jail House
last edited by
With the two contentious parties at the table, Courser let them both speak their goals, and was both surprised and relieved that they followed his requests so far. Small amounts of snipping aside, both Kismet and Jury had stated their desires clearly, and as far as he could be sure, honestly. that was a good start. He motioned briefly to both of them for quiet before they could snip and cat any further at each other, and began talking right away to back up the power of his hand motions. It didn't matter what the words were at first, so long as the dynamic of the situation was established and held.
"Thank you both. Now, each of you have stated your goals for these discussions, but you both understand that what we are here to do today is to negotiate, and to reach an agreement. You both understand also that this does not mean reaching a result that you are entirely happy with; in finding agreement, it is likely that the the result will be something that neither of you are completely happy with — the hope is that it is an agreement that you both find acceptable." He folded his hands in front of himself again, smiling in as reassuring a manner as he could manage.
"This means that the statements you have both just made are not likely to be the final result of our discussions, and in coming to this table to negotiate, both both understand that this is the case, as you are both mature and reasonable women, and adults. So, let us now begin to negotiate. Jury." courser turned his head to face the Blesser representative.
"On behalf of the Mafia, Kismet holds claim that both Mime and Shok have both committed several murders each — that they have, with extensive investigation witnesses, and other substantial proofs, ended the lives of multiple navigators. We make no judgement or claim upon the reasons or circumstances of their actions, but speaking just for the actions alone, do you dispute this claim? If so, on what grounds, and if not, what is your response to these established facts?"
Holding the open space on the table with small gestures of his hands, Courser allowed space for Jury to speak, while simultaneously indicating with his other hand that Kismet should let her answer in peace. When she finished, he didn't allow any chance for further snipping to to take place but instead turned his eyes to the smaller woman, inverting the position of his hands to gesture Jury to quiet while he addressed Kismet and let her speak in turn.
"Kismet. You state that your primary interest in this is the safety and protection of your organisation. You see capital punishment of these two navis as the only sure way to ensure that they cannot pose further threat to the navis that work within your ranks and are, for all intents and purposes, navis to whom you have something of a duty of care to, in this respect. If this is your goal, and it could be proven to your satisfaction that some other form of rehabilitation would render these two navis sufficiently harmless to you and yours, would you accept it? If so, what level of assurance and proof would you require to be satisfied of this, and if not, why not?" As before, he gave the table to Kismet to speak without interruption, and though he listened to each of their responses in turn, Courser's mind was working on its own.
He didn't doubt the sentiment behind Jury's goals; her ideal would see the two navis in a position where they genuinely were not threat to anyone. If they were, and genuinely so, he had little doubt that Kismet would be content to never see either of the two again, at this stage. The issue was that that result wasn't something that could actually be attained in the current situation — for all their efforts, he severely doubted that Jury and the other Blessers could rehabilitate Mime and Shok to the extend necessary to see them healthy and functional, and not a threat... and chances were Kismet was well aware of that as well, which, in turn, was likely why she was insisting on death as the only acceptable sentence. What to do? The infuriating bit of it was that they were all mostly on the same page, in the long run.
He stood to walk slowly around the room, listening to each woman say give their various responses, and after making a lap let one finger brush against the glass of Shok and Mime's cell, before returning to his seat and returning his focus to the negotiations. Inside the cell, the clone that materialised through the wall looked at each of the prisoners in their complete sensory lock-down. Regardless of the danger, it seemed uncomfortably barbaric to him. Silently, the decoy crossed the space to where Mime was bound and leaned in close to bring its lips close to her ear. With no sound of movement or body warmth, his whispered words would be the first sign she had that there was anything there at all.
"Hey there, Sunshine." He spoke in the quietest of whispers, enough, he hoped, to make sure Shok didn't hear anything, but he was confident that Mime would recognise his voice. There was a note of sedate worry in the tone that he couldn't quite disguise. "No-one dies today, if I can help it. That won't make you happy, I know, but for now you're a matched set, and I'll take you alive over her dead, if those are my only options." The decoy drew back, watching. There wasn't a lot to be read on the woman, given her restrained and muffled state, but he watched for some sign of how she took the sudden whisper.
After a moment, he slipped over to where Shok was restrained and whispered to her as well, keeping his voice just as low.
"Hey there, Sparky." There was less worry and more professional seriousness in his words to this one, but Courser himself didn't notice the difference. "This might matter. You treat Blessers, stall the madness and the break own. You haven't ever stopped it completely or cured it though, have you? Have you worked on BlessMan himself?" Treatment was all well and good, after all, but unless there was a cure in the offing... to be blessed was to be doomed in the end.
"Thank you both. Now, each of you have stated your goals for these discussions, but you both understand that what we are here to do today is to negotiate, and to reach an agreement. You both understand also that this does not mean reaching a result that you are entirely happy with; in finding agreement, it is likely that the the result will be something that neither of you are completely happy with — the hope is that it is an agreement that you both find acceptable." He folded his hands in front of himself again, smiling in as reassuring a manner as he could manage.
"This means that the statements you have both just made are not likely to be the final result of our discussions, and in coming to this table to negotiate, both both understand that this is the case, as you are both mature and reasonable women, and adults. So, let us now begin to negotiate. Jury." courser turned his head to face the Blesser representative.
"On behalf of the Mafia, Kismet holds claim that both Mime and Shok have both committed several murders each — that they have, with extensive investigation witnesses, and other substantial proofs, ended the lives of multiple navigators. We make no judgement or claim upon the reasons or circumstances of their actions, but speaking just for the actions alone, do you dispute this claim? If so, on what grounds, and if not, what is your response to these established facts?"
Holding the open space on the table with small gestures of his hands, Courser allowed space for Jury to speak, while simultaneously indicating with his other hand that Kismet should let her answer in peace. When she finished, he didn't allow any chance for further snipping to to take place but instead turned his eyes to the smaller woman, inverting the position of his hands to gesture Jury to quiet while he addressed Kismet and let her speak in turn.
"Kismet. You state that your primary interest in this is the safety and protection of your organisation. You see capital punishment of these two navis as the only sure way to ensure that they cannot pose further threat to the navis that work within your ranks and are, for all intents and purposes, navis to whom you have something of a duty of care to, in this respect. If this is your goal, and it could be proven to your satisfaction that some other form of rehabilitation would render these two navis sufficiently harmless to you and yours, would you accept it? If so, what level of assurance and proof would you require to be satisfied of this, and if not, why not?" As before, he gave the table to Kismet to speak without interruption, and though he listened to each of their responses in turn, Courser's mind was working on its own.
He didn't doubt the sentiment behind Jury's goals; her ideal would see the two navis in a position where they genuinely were not threat to anyone. If they were, and genuinely so, he had little doubt that Kismet would be content to never see either of the two again, at this stage. The issue was that that result wasn't something that could actually be attained in the current situation — for all their efforts, he severely doubted that Jury and the other Blessers could rehabilitate Mime and Shok to the extend necessary to see them healthy and functional, and not a threat... and chances were Kismet was well aware of that as well, which, in turn, was likely why she was insisting on death as the only acceptable sentence. What to do? The infuriating bit of it was that they were all mostly on the same page, in the long run.
He stood to walk slowly around the room, listening to each woman say give their various responses, and after making a lap let one finger brush against the glass of Shok and Mime's cell, before returning to his seat and returning his focus to the negotiations. Inside the cell, the clone that materialised through the wall looked at each of the prisoners in their complete sensory lock-down. Regardless of the danger, it seemed uncomfortably barbaric to him. Silently, the decoy crossed the space to where Mime was bound and leaned in close to bring its lips close to her ear. With no sound of movement or body warmth, his whispered words would be the first sign she had that there was anything there at all.
"Hey there, Sunshine." He spoke in the quietest of whispers, enough, he hoped, to make sure Shok didn't hear anything, but he was confident that Mime would recognise his voice. There was a note of sedate worry in the tone that he couldn't quite disguise. "No-one dies today, if I can help it. That won't make you happy, I know, but for now you're a matched set, and I'll take you alive over her dead, if those are my only options." The decoy drew back, watching. There wasn't a lot to be read on the woman, given her restrained and muffled state, but he watched for some sign of how she took the sudden whisper.
After a moment, he slipped over to where Shok was restrained and whispered to her as well, keeping his voice just as low.
"Hey there, Sparky." There was less worry and more professional seriousness in his words to this one, but Courser himself didn't notice the difference. "This might matter. You treat Blessers, stall the madness and the break own. You haven't ever stopped it completely or cured it though, have you? Have you worked on BlessMan himself?" Treatment was all well and good, after all, but unless there was a cure in the offing... to be blessed was to be doomed in the end.
last edited by
Although both navis nodded along with CourseMan, their expressions were unchanging... both girls had certain sections of their wishes that were diametrically opposed to the other's, so he had a point: both couldn't get what they wanted. At this point, though, it was hard to imagine that either one of them was planning to surrender much ground in the debate, considering the stakes on either side... both girls seemed to represent their whole factions in this.
Jury listened to CourseMan's questions, furrowing her brow slightly but otherwise remaining expressionless. It was hard to tell if that was an expression of heavy thinking or if she objected to the line of questioning, but regardless, it wasn't as frightful an expression as Kismet wore on a regular basis, and she did answer the question plainly enough. "I do not have facts to dispute or support the claim. I only wish to re-examine all relevant details in Blesser's Court," Jury insisted, keeping her hands folded at her lap.
"Huh. If they were your eye-witnesses it'd all be okay, but you can't trust the Mafia's?" Kismet asked, her frown turning up a little on one side. It was hard to tell if that was a smirk or some other expression... it certainly wasn't a smile, regardless. It was also pretty hard to stop either side from snipping with only intention... he'd need a specific plan if he was going to stop the sassy banter, even if that was just raising his voice to talk over them.
"... Correct. The Mafia is an entity that, you will admit, has its own interests in mind. Each of its members, presumably, will act according to those interests. You talk of eye-witnesses, crimes that occurred, and so forth, but aren't all of those witnesses mafioso? Would not all records of those events be Mafia records? I hate to be contentious this early on, but we will need a Blesser led investigation to determine the validity," Jury answered, keeping her eyes locked on Kismet's.
The mafioso on the other side shrugged, then leaned on her fist and rest the other palm against the desk. She kept quiet now and listened to Courser's next line of questioning. She shrugged again, gazing sidelong and away from either party as she answered, like an irate child; her reserve of expressions seemed to be limited to only those that made her look very impatient and unfortunately petulant. "Yes, I would be willing to accept some other means that rendered them harmless. However, you must understand that I've seen Mime's keen resourcefulness firsthand. The only way I'd be willing to accept that she is no longer a threat, apart from her deletion, would be to see either her cognitive functions locked or deleted or her powers somehow completely stripped from her. I don't know how you'd visually present the power removal to me, so it would have to be either killing her or making her braindead," Kismet answered coldly.
Jury didn't make any counterpoint this time, but she did narrow her eyes. Was she thinking about the possible fate of the former Blessers, or was her mind on her organization as a whole? Or possibly just her father? Her eyes, as well as Kismet's, turned to CourseMan as he momentarily paced the room. The silence in the room, apart from the clap of his own feet against the hard floors, was deafening.
Inside the room with the captives, another CourseMan clone was holding an interrogation away from the debate. Mime's face reacted for a moment, with telltale movements of her lips around the gag and her eyebrows behind the blindfold, but there wasn't much else she could do to respond; she couldn't even nod or shake her head as is. The surprised look on her face made two things clear: one, that she hadn't been aware he'd be here, and two, that she didn't know the details of the debate going on outside, as her expression remained confused well into his statement of his own intentions.
For her part, "Sparky" was pretty capable of answering CourseMan, even while gagged. She had some experience in talking around one, probably, based on her usual costuming of restraining belts. "Nmph. Ysh," she responded simply, presumably meaning to say no and yes respectively. As usual, her expression was stuck in the grotesque expression of someone mid-electroshock, so she perhaps didn't lose much from having her eyes masked. "Mrr hrph trfrrphruh mr?" she asked, sounding vaguely curious. There was only so much she could really communicate with her lips still bound... of course, there didn't appear to be any key on anything restraining the two girls. He would be perfectly capable of loosening up the gags, or anything else he might want/need to loosen up.
Jury listened to CourseMan's questions, furrowing her brow slightly but otherwise remaining expressionless. It was hard to tell if that was an expression of heavy thinking or if she objected to the line of questioning, but regardless, it wasn't as frightful an expression as Kismet wore on a regular basis, and she did answer the question plainly enough. "I do not have facts to dispute or support the claim. I only wish to re-examine all relevant details in Blesser's Court," Jury insisted, keeping her hands folded at her lap.
"Huh. If they were your eye-witnesses it'd all be okay, but you can't trust the Mafia's?" Kismet asked, her frown turning up a little on one side. It was hard to tell if that was a smirk or some other expression... it certainly wasn't a smile, regardless. It was also pretty hard to stop either side from snipping with only intention... he'd need a specific plan if he was going to stop the sassy banter, even if that was just raising his voice to talk over them.
"... Correct. The Mafia is an entity that, you will admit, has its own interests in mind. Each of its members, presumably, will act according to those interests. You talk of eye-witnesses, crimes that occurred, and so forth, but aren't all of those witnesses mafioso? Would not all records of those events be Mafia records? I hate to be contentious this early on, but we will need a Blesser led investigation to determine the validity," Jury answered, keeping her eyes locked on Kismet's.
The mafioso on the other side shrugged, then leaned on her fist and rest the other palm against the desk. She kept quiet now and listened to Courser's next line of questioning. She shrugged again, gazing sidelong and away from either party as she answered, like an irate child; her reserve of expressions seemed to be limited to only those that made her look very impatient and unfortunately petulant. "Yes, I would be willing to accept some other means that rendered them harmless. However, you must understand that I've seen Mime's keen resourcefulness firsthand. The only way I'd be willing to accept that she is no longer a threat, apart from her deletion, would be to see either her cognitive functions locked or deleted or her powers somehow completely stripped from her. I don't know how you'd visually present the power removal to me, so it would have to be either killing her or making her braindead," Kismet answered coldly.
Jury didn't make any counterpoint this time, but she did narrow her eyes. Was she thinking about the possible fate of the former Blessers, or was her mind on her organization as a whole? Or possibly just her father? Her eyes, as well as Kismet's, turned to CourseMan as he momentarily paced the room. The silence in the room, apart from the clap of his own feet against the hard floors, was deafening.
Inside the room with the captives, another CourseMan clone was holding an interrogation away from the debate. Mime's face reacted for a moment, with telltale movements of her lips around the gag and her eyebrows behind the blindfold, but there wasn't much else she could do to respond; she couldn't even nod or shake her head as is. The surprised look on her face made two things clear: one, that she hadn't been aware he'd be here, and two, that she didn't know the details of the debate going on outside, as her expression remained confused well into his statement of his own intentions.
For her part, "Sparky" was pretty capable of answering CourseMan, even while gagged. She had some experience in talking around one, probably, based on her usual costuming of restraining belts. "Nmph. Ysh," she responded simply, presumably meaning to say no and yes respectively. As usual, her expression was stuck in the grotesque expression of someone mid-electroshock, so she perhaps didn't lose much from having her eyes masked. "Mrr hrph trfrrphruh mr?" she asked, sounding vaguely curious. There was only so much she could really communicate with her lips still bound... of course, there didn't appear to be any key on anything restraining the two girls. He would be perfectly capable of loosening up the gags, or anything else he might want/need to loosen up.
last edited by
As the pair of representatives began to snip at each other again between questions, Courser let the comments go. Nothing said was entirely out of hand, and some elements of what each said were still reasonable expectations and wants. Fortunately, they both continued to heed his own cut ins as he moved the conversation along, stage by stage. This time when Kismet finished answering and Jury offered no response, he returned to his place at the table, once against sitting with his arms across the raised back of his chair, between them.
"Let's keep our discussions constructive please. Moving on. Jury." He turned his eyes towards her, signalling with an open palm.
"You say you cannot accept the Mafia's assessment of the crimes, even though the murders in question were committed purely in the midst of their own. You say this is because the Mafia are a self-serving organisation. Please consider then: the Mafia is an organisation that serves the interests and safety of its members. It is self-serving, yes, but it is self-serving in the same way that the vast majority of organisations are self-serving. The Blessers are not exempt from this blanket either, though you are the one casting it today." He held her eyes as he spoke, ready to pause and raise a hand to forestall her if she tried to cut in or object before he was finished.
"You imply that you would only accept the verdict of the murders if they had been examined by a Blessers' inquiry, but you must admit that that is an unreasonable stance in this matter. If the Blessers were the only source capable of rendering reliable facts, then the world as we know it would collapse in a matter of hours, because the Blessers are not everywhere. And yet, the world continues to run, precisely because it is made up of self-serving organisations who have a vested interest in reliable facts and truths. The Blessers are not the only source of reliable information, and at some stage, you will need to allow that other sources are also veritable and reliable. This is not to claim that the Mafia necessarily are in this case, it is just to allow the truth that other sources outside the Blessers also provide reliable facts and investigations. Can you concede this point?"
Jury had to be aware of how insanely unreasonable refusing that particular concession would make her seem, and Courser was expecting no resistance from the woman on that point, though he was prepared, once again, to raise a hand and forestall anything more than a simple yes or no answer from her.
"The Mafia as an organisation, and by the descriptions of Kismet, is interested in serving the interests of, and protecting the safety of, its members, of whom Mime and Shok both previously were. In fact, it is the current contention from Kismet that, until this matter came to a head, the Mafia was unaware of Mime's status as a Blesser at all. She never volunteered the information, and it was not pried into. Consider then, Jury, the position that the Mafia were in at the time of the murders. Death of their own, at the hands of their own. The Mafia, in this instance, would have had no reason to investigate in anything other than as thorough and fair a way as they could, and no motivation to do otherwise. Self-interest, in this case, ensures that; it would look bad both internally and externally, and the matter could only be repaired by reliably finding the truth of the matter and seeking to punish those responsible. Trust within the Mafia itself would depend on it, and upon other Mafia members being confident that the matter had been truthfully resolved. It cannot possibly have been an easily or lightly made decision to excommunicate these two, and certainly not one made without a deal of evidence and support being collected to confirm the truth." Courser paused for a moment, rolling his shoulders, and flicking his eyes betweenthe two women, before returning to Jury.
"Are the Mafia fallible in this? Potentially yes. So too, however, may the Blessers be, and so to may any other source of inquiry ultimately be. Neither the Mafia, nor the Blessers are an unbiased party in this, and if one side cannot be trusted to conduct reliable investigation, based on a claim of self-interest, then neither side may be trusted to do so, for the same reason. This too, is a truth you must concede." He steepled his fingers, then sat back again and stretched.
"The most straight forward solution to this particular point of order is for both the Blessers and the Mafia to agree on an unbiased and independent third party to examine the evidence collected, determine the reliability of the witnesses and come to a conclusion. If the question of the murders themselves is still debated, then we shall have to agree upon a suitable third party together, whom you will both trust, and whom you will both agree to abide by the ruling of. Consider this in silence for a moment, each of you. I'll ask for each of your stances on this in a moment." He took time drawing a longer breath, letting silence drift for a few seconds and holding hands out to each of them for silence if they broke it at this point.
"Kismet." He spoke at last, turning his face towards her and gesturing with an open palm. "If you needed to elect neutral and unbiased third parties that you would be prepared to trust, and whose decision you, speaking for the Mafia, would agree to abide by on this matter, please provide as many names of individuals or organisations that you would accept." He gave her a chance to speak, and provided the Mafioso spoke cleanly and didn't interject with more than she was asked, thanked her quietly, before turning his attention over to Jury, gesturing with his other hand, and repeating the question for her, with a reminder that she was simply giving her own list, and not to speak against any that Kismet had named. As each woman spoke, he produced a small notebook from his pocket and took the lists quietly, being open about what he was writing to the table, then carefully closed the book over, and slid it to one side of where he was sitting.
"Kismet." He spoke with a fresh tone this time, moving on from the subjects in order to address other matters. "You have conceded that you will accept another method of proving that Mime, and indeed Shok, will not present any threat to your organisation, if one can be presented which you find acceptable and reliable. You have stated that you cannot think or see of any such short of death, or what would be effectively death, but you are open to being shown something reliable outside of those options. The removal of her powers, you've stated, would be acceptable, if it could be properly verified to your satisfaction. The Blessers are responsible for bestowing these powers, and have practices in place for removing them as well. You have seen first hand that the powers they bestow through these blessings are, in some manner, very real. You have intimated that you would not be satisfied with a promise from the Blessers to strip these powers. My question then becomes: Is it that you doubt their ability to remove them, or rather, do you doubt that they would do so, if they were in agreement that the procedure was necessary?" Still looking towards Kismet, he pause,d then raised his hand slightly, adding an additional point before indicating that she should speak.
"As you answer, please consider the position of the Blessers in this situation. They wish to preserve the lives of these two individuals, and by extension of that, they wish to be able to continue to mitigate the troubles their organisation faces, and care for those who are under their care, yet suffering, not unlike your desire to see the members of your own organisation safe from harm. They are aware of the stakes, and of your own need to see the threats of these women neutralised. They have no incentive or motive to be dishonest about the stripping of Mime's powers; only a disinclination to do so unless they agree that it must be done. So, what is it about such a promise that you cannot accept?"
In his mind, Courser felt fairly confident that it was less alack of trust, and more a desire for tangible, absolute certainty, on Kismet's behalf, but it was something they needed to work around to in parts, without trying to bite off too much of the problem at once. As before he attempted to keep the two women from snipping at each other outside of the comments he was directing them to make, but generally he was prepared to let the minor back and forths continue so long as each side remained reasonable and wasn't snide or abrasive for the sake of it. It was their negotiation after all, and a certain amount of back and forth between them to better establish their explanations and feelings was necessary. If either party went too far with any of the banter, he was ready to intercede with a sharp word and a single hand moved clearly between them, in the middle of the table, but he was still fairly confident that both were behaving themselves somewhat.
Elsewhere, Courser's clone moved between the two prisoners, coming back to Mime to lean by the wall near her. He whispered again in the gaps where he wasn't talking to Kismet and Jury, only letting his concentration and focus shift for brief moments; the debate itself was something he needed most of his attention for.
"Hey, Sunshine... Tell me... Did you know the Blessing was tainted when you took it? Did anyone take the time to tell you that it was an eventual road to madness without a cure, before giving you your powers?" As before, the clone's whisper was low and sombre. He didn't go back to Shok this time, but waited around to see how Mime responded, then whispered again. "Mafia wants to put both of you out of the picture. Blessers want to take you both back and put you to a trial of their own. If I said that the only way you walking out of here alive might be to have your Blessing stripped permanently, and lose the powers it gives, would you take it?" He tilted his head and watched. The story that he'd heard so far didn't sound like she'd known the dangers of taking the Blessing, but he wanted to see Mime's own reactions for himself.
"Let's keep our discussions constructive please. Moving on. Jury." He turned his eyes towards her, signalling with an open palm.
"You say you cannot accept the Mafia's assessment of the crimes, even though the murders in question were committed purely in the midst of their own. You say this is because the Mafia are a self-serving organisation. Please consider then: the Mafia is an organisation that serves the interests and safety of its members. It is self-serving, yes, but it is self-serving in the same way that the vast majority of organisations are self-serving. The Blessers are not exempt from this blanket either, though you are the one casting it today." He held her eyes as he spoke, ready to pause and raise a hand to forestall her if she tried to cut in or object before he was finished.
"You imply that you would only accept the verdict of the murders if they had been examined by a Blessers' inquiry, but you must admit that that is an unreasonable stance in this matter. If the Blessers were the only source capable of rendering reliable facts, then the world as we know it would collapse in a matter of hours, because the Blessers are not everywhere. And yet, the world continues to run, precisely because it is made up of self-serving organisations who have a vested interest in reliable facts and truths. The Blessers are not the only source of reliable information, and at some stage, you will need to allow that other sources are also veritable and reliable. This is not to claim that the Mafia necessarily are in this case, it is just to allow the truth that other sources outside the Blessers also provide reliable facts and investigations. Can you concede this point?"
Jury had to be aware of how insanely unreasonable refusing that particular concession would make her seem, and Courser was expecting no resistance from the woman on that point, though he was prepared, once again, to raise a hand and forestall anything more than a simple yes or no answer from her.
"The Mafia as an organisation, and by the descriptions of Kismet, is interested in serving the interests of, and protecting the safety of, its members, of whom Mime and Shok both previously were. In fact, it is the current contention from Kismet that, until this matter came to a head, the Mafia was unaware of Mime's status as a Blesser at all. She never volunteered the information, and it was not pried into. Consider then, Jury, the position that the Mafia were in at the time of the murders. Death of their own, at the hands of their own. The Mafia, in this instance, would have had no reason to investigate in anything other than as thorough and fair a way as they could, and no motivation to do otherwise. Self-interest, in this case, ensures that; it would look bad both internally and externally, and the matter could only be repaired by reliably finding the truth of the matter and seeking to punish those responsible. Trust within the Mafia itself would depend on it, and upon other Mafia members being confident that the matter had been truthfully resolved. It cannot possibly have been an easily or lightly made decision to excommunicate these two, and certainly not one made without a deal of evidence and support being collected to confirm the truth." Courser paused for a moment, rolling his shoulders, and flicking his eyes betweenthe two women, before returning to Jury.
"Are the Mafia fallible in this? Potentially yes. So too, however, may the Blessers be, and so to may any other source of inquiry ultimately be. Neither the Mafia, nor the Blessers are an unbiased party in this, and if one side cannot be trusted to conduct reliable investigation, based on a claim of self-interest, then neither side may be trusted to do so, for the same reason. This too, is a truth you must concede." He steepled his fingers, then sat back again and stretched.
"The most straight forward solution to this particular point of order is for both the Blessers and the Mafia to agree on an unbiased and independent third party to examine the evidence collected, determine the reliability of the witnesses and come to a conclusion. If the question of the murders themselves is still debated, then we shall have to agree upon a suitable third party together, whom you will both trust, and whom you will both agree to abide by the ruling of. Consider this in silence for a moment, each of you. I'll ask for each of your stances on this in a moment." He took time drawing a longer breath, letting silence drift for a few seconds and holding hands out to each of them for silence if they broke it at this point.
"Kismet." He spoke at last, turning his face towards her and gesturing with an open palm. "If you needed to elect neutral and unbiased third parties that you would be prepared to trust, and whose decision you, speaking for the Mafia, would agree to abide by on this matter, please provide as many names of individuals or organisations that you would accept." He gave her a chance to speak, and provided the Mafioso spoke cleanly and didn't interject with more than she was asked, thanked her quietly, before turning his attention over to Jury, gesturing with his other hand, and repeating the question for her, with a reminder that she was simply giving her own list, and not to speak against any that Kismet had named. As each woman spoke, he produced a small notebook from his pocket and took the lists quietly, being open about what he was writing to the table, then carefully closed the book over, and slid it to one side of where he was sitting.
"Kismet." He spoke with a fresh tone this time, moving on from the subjects in order to address other matters. "You have conceded that you will accept another method of proving that Mime, and indeed Shok, will not present any threat to your organisation, if one can be presented which you find acceptable and reliable. You have stated that you cannot think or see of any such short of death, or what would be effectively death, but you are open to being shown something reliable outside of those options. The removal of her powers, you've stated, would be acceptable, if it could be properly verified to your satisfaction. The Blessers are responsible for bestowing these powers, and have practices in place for removing them as well. You have seen first hand that the powers they bestow through these blessings are, in some manner, very real. You have intimated that you would not be satisfied with a promise from the Blessers to strip these powers. My question then becomes: Is it that you doubt their ability to remove them, or rather, do you doubt that they would do so, if they were in agreement that the procedure was necessary?" Still looking towards Kismet, he pause,d then raised his hand slightly, adding an additional point before indicating that she should speak.
"As you answer, please consider the position of the Blessers in this situation. They wish to preserve the lives of these two individuals, and by extension of that, they wish to be able to continue to mitigate the troubles their organisation faces, and care for those who are under their care, yet suffering, not unlike your desire to see the members of your own organisation safe from harm. They are aware of the stakes, and of your own need to see the threats of these women neutralised. They have no incentive or motive to be dishonest about the stripping of Mime's powers; only a disinclination to do so unless they agree that it must be done. So, what is it about such a promise that you cannot accept?"
In his mind, Courser felt fairly confident that it was less alack of trust, and more a desire for tangible, absolute certainty, on Kismet's behalf, but it was something they needed to work around to in parts, without trying to bite off too much of the problem at once. As before he attempted to keep the two women from snipping at each other outside of the comments he was directing them to make, but generally he was prepared to let the minor back and forths continue so long as each side remained reasonable and wasn't snide or abrasive for the sake of it. It was their negotiation after all, and a certain amount of back and forth between them to better establish their explanations and feelings was necessary. If either party went too far with any of the banter, he was ready to intercede with a sharp word and a single hand moved clearly between them, in the middle of the table, but he was still fairly confident that both were behaving themselves somewhat.
Elsewhere, Courser's clone moved between the two prisoners, coming back to Mime to lean by the wall near her. He whispered again in the gaps where he wasn't talking to Kismet and Jury, only letting his concentration and focus shift for brief moments; the debate itself was something he needed most of his attention for.
"Hey, Sunshine... Tell me... Did you know the Blessing was tainted when you took it? Did anyone take the time to tell you that it was an eventual road to madness without a cure, before giving you your powers?" As before, the clone's whisper was low and sombre. He didn't go back to Shok this time, but waited around to see how Mime responded, then whispered again. "Mafia wants to put both of you out of the picture. Blessers want to take you both back and put you to a trial of their own. If I said that the only way you walking out of here alive might be to have your Blessing stripped permanently, and lose the powers it gives, would you take it?" He tilted his head and watched. The story that he'd heard so far didn't sound like she'd known the dangers of taking the Blessing, but he wanted to see Mime's own reactions for himself.
last edited by
Jury's face betrayed some cross emotion, as she opened her mouth several times to offer an alternate view or objection, but couldn't get her word in. She didn't seem to like the question CourseMan had ended on either. . Her mouth held into a tight line, just barely opening as she shook her head and answered. "Of course I can concede that, and yet, there is a serious fallacy in your equation just now. These women were Blessers before-" she began, then shuddered with indignation as he held up one hand to forestall further argument, cutting off her words. She locked her lips tight and yielded to his authority as the moderator.
If Kismet appreciated that Jury was getting flustered by the line of questioning, she didn't show it, keeping the same glowering frown on her face. Since CourseMan had paused for a second, she offered her own take. "Agreed... Besides, both of them were exemplary Mafioso, up until Shok initiated her betrayal and subsequent coverup," she murmured, glancing sidelong with a somehow nostalgic tone to her voice. For her part, Jury nodded silently with CourseMan's further insisting that she concede, but her unhappiness was increasingly apparent. It was probably a good thing she didn't seem like the violent type, being seemingly an ordinary girl with no weapons. When CourseMan got to the proposal of a third party investigator, Kismet spoke up quickly and calmly, keeping it short and simple. "We've done that. An ex-mafioso who now works above the board, but has no love for our organization: Trace." She let him silence her, keeping her cheek in one hand and her arm leaned upon the table as he raised a hand to further question her. He asked if there were other parties she'd accept. "Bah. Bring in whoever else you want. All there is to examine now is hearsay... it's not like there's some kind of bullet casings or fingerprints at the crime scene."
Jury, still looking pretty annoyed but at least not straining to keep her words in, answered next. "Provided we would still be allowed to visit the captives during the trial period, I would concede to whatever third party investigation is suggested. Not the NetPolice, though... they've declared us all dangerous under a blanket statement, a reprehensible act, and I would have nothing to do with him," she answered, getting a little emotional.
Kismet did raise her eyebrows at that a bit, her body language making her seem amused despite her grimace, but shrugged. "I'd agree with taking the Police off the table, for more obvious reasons," she nodded. The mafioso listened to his next question, began to answer, then lowered her eyebrows sunk back into her chair, allowing him to finish. "Sure, if I can somehow see the powers taken out of them, then be my guest," she asked, seeming to hope that the problem with the statement would be apparent to both of them.
Jury interjected, again seeming cross. "Yes, those targets who have their blessings remove enter a state of physical weakness. We have recorded the previous trial of MarriageMan if you'd like evidence, or we could even demonstrate with a volunteer from inside of our organization. It is not... comfortable, but it's very quick and simple once we agree on the verdict," she insisted.
Kismet shook her head, then glared across the table. "Okay, but what about giving them back? What's to say you don't take the power out of those two, we let them go, then you give the power back?" she asked, tapping one finger up and down on the table.
Jury shifted in her seat slightly, then erred on the side of honesty, powerless to do otherwise. "It is true, we can also bestow those powers again. I would be open to allowing you occasional visits by those navis as one of the terms, so that you can confirm we've kept them weakened..." she answered.
The mafia leader's position didn't change at all; her answer came back dry and unamused. "How am I to confirm that you didn't whisk their powers away again just before their visit? Don't try to cheat me..." she grumbled. "I'm not unreasonable. How about this: you take their powers and they live here in the prison, so they stay under mafia surveillance, but we don't kill them. I'll even... offer them a re-evaluation with good behavior in five years."
"No, I can't accept that," Jury murmured, seeming frustrated again, not at any person, but if CourseMan thought about it, he'd likely understand why she was completely unwilling to accept those terms. "We need them to be allowed to visit on a regular, consistent basis."
"I'm giving you a good deal here," Kismet complained, lowering her eyebrows. "These girls are too crafty to be let out in their present state, even for a very, very short visit." It sounded like they'd hit their impasse again; Kismet had yielded a lot, but it still hadn't reached the point that Jury needed it to end at. It wouldn't really be great for CourseMan, either, if he wanted Mime and/or Shok out any earlier than potentially five years.
----------------------------------
Inside the other room, CourseMan would be disappointed to learn there was only so much he could learn from Mime's facial expressions. She seemed very curious to learn more, but it was hard to tell more than that with her head movement restricted, her eyes covered, her mouth gagged, and no way for her to even speak around the gag. It was noteworthy she didn't seem particularly nervous about the prospect of dying, but it was extremely hard to tell anything apart from that.
Still, he'd notice some sort of pattern at least; he'd seen earlier her ingenuity, and Kismet had reaffirmed it, so there was no doubt she was trying to convey some sort of message. She bit down harder on the gag with his first question, several times, her breathing quickening but no actual voice present. That continued through the second subsequent question, which was really an extension of the first. At the third and final question, she continued biting for a while, then finally relaxed her lips and ceased biting, appearing completely calm again. All he'd have to rely on here was his own interpretation of those signals, unless he wanted to release some of her restraints.
If Kismet appreciated that Jury was getting flustered by the line of questioning, she didn't show it, keeping the same glowering frown on her face. Since CourseMan had paused for a second, she offered her own take. "Agreed... Besides, both of them were exemplary Mafioso, up until Shok initiated her betrayal and subsequent coverup," she murmured, glancing sidelong with a somehow nostalgic tone to her voice. For her part, Jury nodded silently with CourseMan's further insisting that she concede, but her unhappiness was increasingly apparent. It was probably a good thing she didn't seem like the violent type, being seemingly an ordinary girl with no weapons. When CourseMan got to the proposal of a third party investigator, Kismet spoke up quickly and calmly, keeping it short and simple. "We've done that. An ex-mafioso who now works above the board, but has no love for our organization: Trace." She let him silence her, keeping her cheek in one hand and her arm leaned upon the table as he raised a hand to further question her. He asked if there were other parties she'd accept. "Bah. Bring in whoever else you want. All there is to examine now is hearsay... it's not like there's some kind of bullet casings or fingerprints at the crime scene."
Jury, still looking pretty annoyed but at least not straining to keep her words in, answered next. "Provided we would still be allowed to visit the captives during the trial period, I would concede to whatever third party investigation is suggested. Not the NetPolice, though... they've declared us all dangerous under a blanket statement, a reprehensible act, and I would have nothing to do with him," she answered, getting a little emotional.
Kismet did raise her eyebrows at that a bit, her body language making her seem amused despite her grimace, but shrugged. "I'd agree with taking the Police off the table, for more obvious reasons," she nodded. The mafioso listened to his next question, began to answer, then lowered her eyebrows sunk back into her chair, allowing him to finish. "Sure, if I can somehow see the powers taken out of them, then be my guest," she asked, seeming to hope that the problem with the statement would be apparent to both of them.
Jury interjected, again seeming cross. "Yes, those targets who have their blessings remove enter a state of physical weakness. We have recorded the previous trial of MarriageMan if you'd like evidence, or we could even demonstrate with a volunteer from inside of our organization. It is not... comfortable, but it's very quick and simple once we agree on the verdict," she insisted.
Kismet shook her head, then glared across the table. "Okay, but what about giving them back? What's to say you don't take the power out of those two, we let them go, then you give the power back?" she asked, tapping one finger up and down on the table.
Jury shifted in her seat slightly, then erred on the side of honesty, powerless to do otherwise. "It is true, we can also bestow those powers again. I would be open to allowing you occasional visits by those navis as one of the terms, so that you can confirm we've kept them weakened..." she answered.
The mafia leader's position didn't change at all; her answer came back dry and unamused. "How am I to confirm that you didn't whisk their powers away again just before their visit? Don't try to cheat me..." she grumbled. "I'm not unreasonable. How about this: you take their powers and they live here in the prison, so they stay under mafia surveillance, but we don't kill them. I'll even... offer them a re-evaluation with good behavior in five years."
"No, I can't accept that," Jury murmured, seeming frustrated again, not at any person, but if CourseMan thought about it, he'd likely understand why she was completely unwilling to accept those terms. "We need them to be allowed to visit on a regular, consistent basis."
"I'm giving you a good deal here," Kismet complained, lowering her eyebrows. "These girls are too crafty to be let out in their present state, even for a very, very short visit." It sounded like they'd hit their impasse again; Kismet had yielded a lot, but it still hadn't reached the point that Jury needed it to end at. It wouldn't really be great for CourseMan, either, if he wanted Mime and/or Shok out any earlier than potentially five years.
----------------------------------
Inside the other room, CourseMan would be disappointed to learn there was only so much he could learn from Mime's facial expressions. She seemed very curious to learn more, but it was hard to tell more than that with her head movement restricted, her eyes covered, her mouth gagged, and no way for her to even speak around the gag. It was noteworthy she didn't seem particularly nervous about the prospect of dying, but it was extremely hard to tell anything apart from that.
Still, he'd notice some sort of pattern at least; he'd seen earlier her ingenuity, and Kismet had reaffirmed it, so there was no doubt she was trying to convey some sort of message. She bit down harder on the gag with his first question, several times, her breathing quickening but no actual voice present. That continued through the second subsequent question, which was really an extension of the first. At the third and final question, she continued biting for a while, then finally relaxed her lips and ceased biting, appearing completely calm again. All he'd have to rely on here was his own interpretation of those signals, unless he wanted to release some of her restraints.
last edited by
As he carefully mediated the two women and worked to curtail any snide remarks or destructive commentary, Courser was unexpectedly hopeful at working the pair towards a resolution. Both were willing to make partial concessions away from their original demands, and they seemed to be getting at least close to a middle ground situation that they could both tolerate. He didn't much fancy having Mime locked up permanently for half a decade though. What to do...? He inclined his head in thanks to each of their answers and comments, then took the table again with a small rise of each of his hands.
"At this point, I wish to thank both of you for reaching out as you have been, and working towards a point that best suites everyone involved. More than a matter of differing ideologies, this matter is also one of preserving lives, and Shok and Mime are both fortunate to have the two of you together at this table now. Aside the troubles of their actions, we must always remember that these are the lives of two very real women that we are meditating upon, not simply facts or figures, or chips in a pile. Again, thank you both for remembering that as we move forward." He paused slightly, then nodded. "We can set aside the mater of a third party assessment relating to the crimes for now. It is enough for today that you have both agreed to permit one, and abide by its verdict, based on the facts that were previously gathered, the evidence that exists, and the testimonies offered. The conclusion that the selected neutral party arrives at can stand aside from the deal we must broker today, and it can be conducted within a time frame that suites." He then took a breath and pushed on.
"We must continue this discussion on the assumption that the crimes of these women are confirmed to be as claimed; such is the worst case scenario, and it is the situation that our efforts today seek to diffuse. If the finding is otherwise, then it will supersede, and the matter will be settled for Shok and Mime regardless, though further negotiations based on that eventuality may then be required.
"Moving forward based on that agreement, we have so far confirmed that Mime will need to stripped of her current blessing. This will need to be done in a manner that satisfies Kismet's ability to confirm. Jury has offered the various means of proof that the process is conducted properly.
"Mime was previously a member of both the Mafia and the Blessers, and both organisations have suffered both a measure of fondness, and a measure of pain concerning her. Without her Blessing, Kismet has conceded that she would not be a threat any longer, and would pose no danger, however this would make it improper to lock her up under full time dual surveillance by both organisations. Amongst other things, that would be impractical. The Blessers' philosophy would allow her to receive her blessing again, if she were deemed truly rehabilitated, but this is not considered acceptable by the Mafia, so long as the decision about her rehabilitation is left in the Blessers' own circle.
"There is also the danger that, were Mime to have her blessing restored, there is no guarantee that she would remain rehabilitated and non-threatening, not just to the Mafia, but also to others around her, wherever she was — in fact it's entirely likely that she would deteriorate again. I will make a proposal for Mime's situation in a moment, but first: Jury, you are aware of why this remains a danger; Kismet, I do not know how much of that matter you are aware of. To that end, we must put those cards on the table, and consider them an extension of trust, and the desire to see no-one else harmed unduly." He paused to take a long breath.
"With your permission, then, Jury, I will speak of this issue as a neutral party." He cast a glance to her, but regardless how she felt about Courser speaking of the danger that the Blessing presented, he was already committed to getting it out in the open between those present. Another thought occurred to him briefly and he turned to look rather more directly. "I am unaware of how well your father understands the problem, Jury, and if you would prefer he not hear us discuss this, that can be arranged, but it must be discussed between the three of us, at least."
Depending on the Blesser's reaction, Courser took the time to ensure that her needs were met; if that meant shielding BlessMan from overhearing discussion about why his blessings were effectively killing people, he was prepared to get the communication line cut off, just for this part of the mediation. Elsewise he would push on once they were all prepared.
"So then," he continued once everything was taken care of, if it needed to be. "The reason upon which the Blessers' need to have regular access to Mime and Shok is predicated, is because the Blessings that bestow their members with power have a downside. A creeping insanity comes with them, which, until recently, Shok has been helping their members manage and control.
"As I understand, her treatments prevent the madness from progressing, but she has not yet been able to cure it completely, though she still hopes to. As I understand, she has worked on BlessMan himself, but has yet to make any permanent headway towards restoring him to lasting health, or rendering the Blessings safe. As things stand, therefore, her work is a stop-gap; vital and necessary, without question, but nevertheless, no more than a plug in a badly cracked dam." He had a feeling that Kismet would want to jump all over this information, if she hadn't been aware of it already, but he held up hand to her if she tried to jump in.
"Now, regardless of what other feelings any of us may have about this situation, this does effectively mean that any punishment that puts and end to Shok's ability to treat the other Blessers will, at this point in time," he let some stressing slip into his words to impress the point on Kismet in particular, "likely be more harmful and dangerous to the Mafia, and the Blessers both, than it would be finding a solution that allowed her to continue treating them, and seeking a cure."
"Now, with that on the table, and given the statements you've both made, and the needs you have both expressed, I am going to put forward a proposal, which, if either of you cannot at least abide and accept, we can discuss and workshop further, until agreement is reached. My proposal is this:
First, on the case of Shok. Given the current state of the Blessers, and their needs, Shok cannot be terminated. Regardless of her other crimes, her work is necessary for the continued safeguarding of other lives. This is an unpleasant truth, but a truth all the same. I propose that a neutral safe house is designated at a location you both agree on. It will be a location that can be easily monitored by the Mafia, and also by the Blessers. It will be a location that members of the Blessers will be able to easily access. Shok will be housed here; it will provide comfortable living space for her, as she needs, and will also provide space for her to continue her work. She will retain her Blessing, and will continue to treat the members of the Blessers, BlessMan himself as necessary, and will continue seeking a means to cure the affliction that besets those who are Blessed.
She will not be permitted to leave this location; her right to privacy will be maintained within areas of the safe house, but otherwise she will we watched by both the Mafia and by the Blessers, in this location. If Shok leaves this location willingly, or if she is confirmed to be elsewhere of her own free will, then this agreement will be viewed as breached, and her life will be immediately forfeit. It is thus in the best interests of both the Blessers, and the Mafia, to ensure that she remains secure in this location, which may serve as both a home and a treatment clinic. Shok will retain effective membership with the Blessers if she desires, but will be obliged to continue her work with them regardless, until a cure is found. She will remain excommunicated from the Mafia, and will no longer be considered a member of their ranks. If desired, she may still receive correspondence and potentially visits from friends she may have within the Mafia, at their discretion, but she may not leave the safe house. She may also receive correspondence and visits from any other friends or family she has that are not affiliated with either organisation, under the same conditions.
If a cure for the madness that afflicts blessings is discovered, then once all of the Blessers, and BlessMan himself have been verified as cured of their madness, and no trace of it remains or risks recurrence, and it is confirmed that any future blessings will also be safe and corruption-free, and both the Blessers, and the Mafia, upon inspection, agree that this is the case, Shok's contribution to this service, and the lives that such will have undoubtedly saved, will be counted as time served for her crimes, and she will then be considered a free woman.
Second, for the case of Mime. Mime's case is much simpler, in that she does not bear the necessary link to the Blessers' predicament. For Mime, I would suggest that her blessing be stripped, and that this is confirmed as done to the satisfaction of Kismet. Jury has provided the means by which this can be verified, and such will be done. At that point, I would suggest that Mime no longer be considered a member of the Blessers, though she may still be permitted to have contact with friends she may have within the organisation, and she may, if she wishes it, undergo whatever rehabilitation the Blessers would normally seek to enact, and have whatever lingering ill-effects her Blessing left treated. Mime may, if she desires, seek to rejoin the Mafia; this decision would be then the Mafia's as to whether she be allowed or not, and they may test her as they would any other recruit, reinstate her position, or refuse her entirely, at their own discretion.
She may, if she chooses, seek to reconcile with the Blessers as well, however, she may not receive a Blessing under any circumstance with the sole exception of this being consented to by both the Blesser's Court, and also by either Kismet herself, or another of sufficient rank to speak for the interests of the Mafia. Both sides would retain veto power in this decision.
If at any point Mime is determined to have had her Blessing restored, or another one granted, without the express and dual agreement of both the Blessers and the Mafia, then her life is to be considered immediately forfeit, and so it will be in the best interest those who wish her life spared to ensure that this agreement is not breached.
Beyond this, no further actions would be taken against Mime. Her past record would not be expunged or forgotten, however, given the circumstance and nature of these crimes, the fact that they were spurred by an act of outside defamation, the fact that both families she was previously a part of have been torn away from her as a result, and the agreement that she be rendered no longer a threat to either organisation, I would suggest that this is enough, and that meeting these requirements she be otherwise free to rebuild her life as she sees fit. If, at any point in the future, she is found to be implicit or complicit in any matters relating to this event and these crimes, having further pursued them of her own accord, then she will know to expect no chance of further leniency or mercy." Courser took a small sip from his drink and ran a hand through his hair.
"This is the middle ground to which the discussion has been pushed. I expect that neither of you are completely satisfied with it, but this was understood at the undertaking. Now. I wish to give each of you a fair chance to raise details that you feel need further discussing or fine tuning, and to agree to whatever amendments need to be made, however, I urge you both strongly to accept this compromise overall which addresses the most base non-negotiable requirements of both of your needs, even if it is not optimal for anyone." He turned his hand outward towards Jury, inviting her assessment of the compromise and any specific details she felt needed amended.
"One at a time, if you would, please. Jury. Your views?" As long as the pair remained civil, and hammered out any minor contentions in a civil fashion, he might not need to intervene further, but he listened carefully, and was prepared to turn the floor more directly over to Kismet once Jury had spoken, if need be; he was prepared to let them back and forth a little at this stage, as long as it was getting somewhere, but he wasn't going to let them bicker.
--
On the other side of the wall, Courser's decoy had remained mostly stationary, lifeless and fairly static, the focus of his work taking all of the navi's concentration, but as the real Courser finished proposing his deal, he was able to spare a new line of multi-threaded thoughts for his clone again. It shook its head once, blinking, then stepping in front of Mime properly and raised his hands to touch lightly to the closed sides of each of her fists with the fingertips of his own hands.
"Sorry for the wait, Sunshine. Heavy deals going on out there. Just got two questions for you, now, though I think one might be more important than the other. Squeeze your left fist for yes, and your right for no, got it? Guess that makes three questions..." He waited briefly for the sign that she understood, his hands lightly on hers.
"Ok, first. I think I've got outright termination off the table now... and if I pull the rest of this off, then you might even have a proper chance to get your things back in order and start rebuilding your life somewhat... but it might be on the caveat that you've got to let the rest of this mess go, and not chase it any further. Do you think you can do that?" He waited for her response, eyes closed for a moment, then cracked a somewhat rueful smirk, even though he knew she couldn't see it.
"Well... you wondered before if I was crazy, and maybe I am, just a bit. I don't know for sure... anyway, the more important question:" He leaned in briefly, close enough that she might be able to sense the closeness of his form to her body, though he didn't move close enough to actually brush against her. He tilted his head though, so he could address his murmur to an ear. "If you walk free, then, are you still interested in that date, some time on the other side?" He stood back, though kept his hands on hers to listen to her answer. "Don't worry; it would only be macabre and creepy if I wasn't confident that you'll get through this ok. I am. What do you say?" A part of Courser was expecting her to, somehow, find a way to give a confusing or unclear answer; in a way he was almost excited by the prospect that she might. There was something fascinating about it; knowing that there was a very clever and intelligent mind, who made a game of sharing what was in it, just because she could. He wondered what thoughts were going around in her head right now, and the shame that it was that he couldn't risk doing anything to let her play games, beyond simple positives and negatives.
"At this point, I wish to thank both of you for reaching out as you have been, and working towards a point that best suites everyone involved. More than a matter of differing ideologies, this matter is also one of preserving lives, and Shok and Mime are both fortunate to have the two of you together at this table now. Aside the troubles of their actions, we must always remember that these are the lives of two very real women that we are meditating upon, not simply facts or figures, or chips in a pile. Again, thank you both for remembering that as we move forward." He paused slightly, then nodded. "We can set aside the mater of a third party assessment relating to the crimes for now. It is enough for today that you have both agreed to permit one, and abide by its verdict, based on the facts that were previously gathered, the evidence that exists, and the testimonies offered. The conclusion that the selected neutral party arrives at can stand aside from the deal we must broker today, and it can be conducted within a time frame that suites." He then took a breath and pushed on.
"We must continue this discussion on the assumption that the crimes of these women are confirmed to be as claimed; such is the worst case scenario, and it is the situation that our efforts today seek to diffuse. If the finding is otherwise, then it will supersede, and the matter will be settled for Shok and Mime regardless, though further negotiations based on that eventuality may then be required.
"Moving forward based on that agreement, we have so far confirmed that Mime will need to stripped of her current blessing. This will need to be done in a manner that satisfies Kismet's ability to confirm. Jury has offered the various means of proof that the process is conducted properly.
"Mime was previously a member of both the Mafia and the Blessers, and both organisations have suffered both a measure of fondness, and a measure of pain concerning her. Without her Blessing, Kismet has conceded that she would not be a threat any longer, and would pose no danger, however this would make it improper to lock her up under full time dual surveillance by both organisations. Amongst other things, that would be impractical. The Blessers' philosophy would allow her to receive her blessing again, if she were deemed truly rehabilitated, but this is not considered acceptable by the Mafia, so long as the decision about her rehabilitation is left in the Blessers' own circle.
"There is also the danger that, were Mime to have her blessing restored, there is no guarantee that she would remain rehabilitated and non-threatening, not just to the Mafia, but also to others around her, wherever she was — in fact it's entirely likely that she would deteriorate again. I will make a proposal for Mime's situation in a moment, but first: Jury, you are aware of why this remains a danger; Kismet, I do not know how much of that matter you are aware of. To that end, we must put those cards on the table, and consider them an extension of trust, and the desire to see no-one else harmed unduly." He paused to take a long breath.
"With your permission, then, Jury, I will speak of this issue as a neutral party." He cast a glance to her, but regardless how she felt about Courser speaking of the danger that the Blessing presented, he was already committed to getting it out in the open between those present. Another thought occurred to him briefly and he turned to look rather more directly. "I am unaware of how well your father understands the problem, Jury, and if you would prefer he not hear us discuss this, that can be arranged, but it must be discussed between the three of us, at least."
Depending on the Blesser's reaction, Courser took the time to ensure that her needs were met; if that meant shielding BlessMan from overhearing discussion about why his blessings were effectively killing people, he was prepared to get the communication line cut off, just for this part of the mediation. Elsewise he would push on once they were all prepared.
"So then," he continued once everything was taken care of, if it needed to be. "The reason upon which the Blessers' need to have regular access to Mime and Shok is predicated, is because the Blessings that bestow their members with power have a downside. A creeping insanity comes with them, which, until recently, Shok has been helping their members manage and control.
"As I understand, her treatments prevent the madness from progressing, but she has not yet been able to cure it completely, though she still hopes to. As I understand, she has worked on BlessMan himself, but has yet to make any permanent headway towards restoring him to lasting health, or rendering the Blessings safe. As things stand, therefore, her work is a stop-gap; vital and necessary, without question, but nevertheless, no more than a plug in a badly cracked dam." He had a feeling that Kismet would want to jump all over this information, if she hadn't been aware of it already, but he held up hand to her if she tried to jump in.
"Now, regardless of what other feelings any of us may have about this situation, this does effectively mean that any punishment that puts and end to Shok's ability to treat the other Blessers will, at this point in time," he let some stressing slip into his words to impress the point on Kismet in particular, "likely be more harmful and dangerous to the Mafia, and the Blessers both, than it would be finding a solution that allowed her to continue treating them, and seeking a cure."
"Now, with that on the table, and given the statements you've both made, and the needs you have both expressed, I am going to put forward a proposal, which, if either of you cannot at least abide and accept, we can discuss and workshop further, until agreement is reached. My proposal is this:
First, on the case of Shok. Given the current state of the Blessers, and their needs, Shok cannot be terminated. Regardless of her other crimes, her work is necessary for the continued safeguarding of other lives. This is an unpleasant truth, but a truth all the same. I propose that a neutral safe house is designated at a location you both agree on. It will be a location that can be easily monitored by the Mafia, and also by the Blessers. It will be a location that members of the Blessers will be able to easily access. Shok will be housed here; it will provide comfortable living space for her, as she needs, and will also provide space for her to continue her work. She will retain her Blessing, and will continue to treat the members of the Blessers, BlessMan himself as necessary, and will continue seeking a means to cure the affliction that besets those who are Blessed.
She will not be permitted to leave this location; her right to privacy will be maintained within areas of the safe house, but otherwise she will we watched by both the Mafia and by the Blessers, in this location. If Shok leaves this location willingly, or if she is confirmed to be elsewhere of her own free will, then this agreement will be viewed as breached, and her life will be immediately forfeit. It is thus in the best interests of both the Blessers, and the Mafia, to ensure that she remains secure in this location, which may serve as both a home and a treatment clinic. Shok will retain effective membership with the Blessers if she desires, but will be obliged to continue her work with them regardless, until a cure is found. She will remain excommunicated from the Mafia, and will no longer be considered a member of their ranks. If desired, she may still receive correspondence and potentially visits from friends she may have within the Mafia, at their discretion, but she may not leave the safe house. She may also receive correspondence and visits from any other friends or family she has that are not affiliated with either organisation, under the same conditions.
If a cure for the madness that afflicts blessings is discovered, then once all of the Blessers, and BlessMan himself have been verified as cured of their madness, and no trace of it remains or risks recurrence, and it is confirmed that any future blessings will also be safe and corruption-free, and both the Blessers, and the Mafia, upon inspection, agree that this is the case, Shok's contribution to this service, and the lives that such will have undoubtedly saved, will be counted as time served for her crimes, and she will then be considered a free woman.
Second, for the case of Mime. Mime's case is much simpler, in that she does not bear the necessary link to the Blessers' predicament. For Mime, I would suggest that her blessing be stripped, and that this is confirmed as done to the satisfaction of Kismet. Jury has provided the means by which this can be verified, and such will be done. At that point, I would suggest that Mime no longer be considered a member of the Blessers, though she may still be permitted to have contact with friends she may have within the organisation, and she may, if she wishes it, undergo whatever rehabilitation the Blessers would normally seek to enact, and have whatever lingering ill-effects her Blessing left treated. Mime may, if she desires, seek to rejoin the Mafia; this decision would be then the Mafia's as to whether she be allowed or not, and they may test her as they would any other recruit, reinstate her position, or refuse her entirely, at their own discretion.
She may, if she chooses, seek to reconcile with the Blessers as well, however, she may not receive a Blessing under any circumstance with the sole exception of this being consented to by both the Blesser's Court, and also by either Kismet herself, or another of sufficient rank to speak for the interests of the Mafia. Both sides would retain veto power in this decision.
If at any point Mime is determined to have had her Blessing restored, or another one granted, without the express and dual agreement of both the Blessers and the Mafia, then her life is to be considered immediately forfeit, and so it will be in the best interest those who wish her life spared to ensure that this agreement is not breached.
Beyond this, no further actions would be taken against Mime. Her past record would not be expunged or forgotten, however, given the circumstance and nature of these crimes, the fact that they were spurred by an act of outside defamation, the fact that both families she was previously a part of have been torn away from her as a result, and the agreement that she be rendered no longer a threat to either organisation, I would suggest that this is enough, and that meeting these requirements she be otherwise free to rebuild her life as she sees fit. If, at any point in the future, she is found to be implicit or complicit in any matters relating to this event and these crimes, having further pursued them of her own accord, then she will know to expect no chance of further leniency or mercy." Courser took a small sip from his drink and ran a hand through his hair.
"This is the middle ground to which the discussion has been pushed. I expect that neither of you are completely satisfied with it, but this was understood at the undertaking. Now. I wish to give each of you a fair chance to raise details that you feel need further discussing or fine tuning, and to agree to whatever amendments need to be made, however, I urge you both strongly to accept this compromise overall which addresses the most base non-negotiable requirements of both of your needs, even if it is not optimal for anyone." He turned his hand outward towards Jury, inviting her assessment of the compromise and any specific details she felt needed amended.
"One at a time, if you would, please. Jury. Your views?" As long as the pair remained civil, and hammered out any minor contentions in a civil fashion, he might not need to intervene further, but he listened carefully, and was prepared to turn the floor more directly over to Kismet once Jury had spoken, if need be; he was prepared to let them back and forth a little at this stage, as long as it was getting somewhere, but he wasn't going to let them bicker.
--
On the other side of the wall, Courser's decoy had remained mostly stationary, lifeless and fairly static, the focus of his work taking all of the navi's concentration, but as the real Courser finished proposing his deal, he was able to spare a new line of multi-threaded thoughts for his clone again. It shook its head once, blinking, then stepping in front of Mime properly and raised his hands to touch lightly to the closed sides of each of her fists with the fingertips of his own hands.
"Sorry for the wait, Sunshine. Heavy deals going on out there. Just got two questions for you, now, though I think one might be more important than the other. Squeeze your left fist for yes, and your right for no, got it? Guess that makes three questions..." He waited briefly for the sign that she understood, his hands lightly on hers.
"Ok, first. I think I've got outright termination off the table now... and if I pull the rest of this off, then you might even have a proper chance to get your things back in order and start rebuilding your life somewhat... but it might be on the caveat that you've got to let the rest of this mess go, and not chase it any further. Do you think you can do that?" He waited for her response, eyes closed for a moment, then cracked a somewhat rueful smirk, even though he knew she couldn't see it.
"Well... you wondered before if I was crazy, and maybe I am, just a bit. I don't know for sure... anyway, the more important question:" He leaned in briefly, close enough that she might be able to sense the closeness of his form to her body, though he didn't move close enough to actually brush against her. He tilted his head though, so he could address his murmur to an ear. "If you walk free, then, are you still interested in that date, some time on the other side?" He stood back, though kept his hands on hers to listen to her answer. "Don't worry; it would only be macabre and creepy if I wasn't confident that you'll get through this ok. I am. What do you say?" A part of Courser was expecting her to, somehow, find a way to give a confusing or unclear answer; in a way he was almost excited by the prospect that she might. There was something fascinating about it; knowing that there was a very clever and intelligent mind, who made a game of sharing what was in it, just because she could. He wondered what thoughts were going around in her head right now, and the shame that it was that he couldn't risk doing anything to let her play games, beyond simple positives and negatives.
last edited by
Jury nodded solemnly with CourseMan's assessment of the negotiation so far, though her eyebrows were still tense and it was clear she was going to have a hard time giving today's proceedings until a little more was given to her. Kismet's face was unreadable, as was here shrug. CourseMan had given them a few pauses where they could speak if they were eager to get something out, but neither seemed to have anything urgent enough to warrant doing so. They stayed silent until he asked them to confirm how much both of them knew or were willing to admit to knowing about the Blessers' deterioration. Jury looked to one side irritably as Kismet spoke first. "Yeah, I know at least a bit about it. The NetPolice declared the Blessers public enemy, right? When they did so, they made some mention of the unpredictable nature of the Blessers. Shok also told us a lot about them... including how she has to be freed from captivity so that she can work on healing them," she spoke coldly, watching Jury even as the other girl averted her eyes. "At first I thought it was just a sob story, and it kind of is... but I definitely think you guys must have been shaken up when the public learned about your little problem. The fact that you hadn't said anything about it... still haven't really... kind of says something," she scowled.
CourseMan had a bit more to say before Jury had a chance to respond. She waived off the concern about her father, tilting her chin up as though literally keeping a stiff upper lip about it. "I thank you for your concern, but... I've tried to explain the problems we're having to him many times before. His dementia has the side effect of escapism. He can seem to understand what I'm telling him for a few precious seconds, before he begins rambling as though he is somewhere else entirely," she spoke with heavy obvious sadness, looking back at the window behind them, though she was unable to see her father through it at present.
Kismet did jump back in once CourseMan finished spilling all he knew about Shok, though, as she'd stated earlier, it didn't appear to be more than she'd learned already by interrogating Shok earlier. "If we're putting it all on the table, then allow me to lay out my own theory: BlessMan didn't get his ability to bless out of nowhere, right? If Shok has to conduct her crazy experiements to further her own methods, then it stands to reason BlessMan's didn't appear out of thin air. I'd bet you Shok wasn't just involved with the cure: she cooked the thing up, then went to damage control when she realized it wasn't working. Unfortunately, several of our Mafioso became her test subjects," she grumbled, looking angry now as she placed one hand onto the desk. "So let's keep that context in mind when we talk about what a shame it is she isn't out 'perfecting her methods.'"
Again, CourseMan pointed out that to punish Shok in a way that restricted her movement was to doom the Blessers, which solicited a sigh and a nod from Kismet, along with eager agreement from Jury. "Yes, that's correct. Whether you condone what Shok's done or not, there is no denying that we need her now to keep those affected as healthy as they can be," the girl in black insisted. She listened to CourseMan's words on what ought to be done with Shok and appeared to agree whole-heartedly. Kismet rolled her eyes, finding something either tiresome or otherwise difficult to go along with. "Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about friends she had in the Mafia. The first ones she had she killed in her experiments and their predecessors all learned about it, so I don't think her stock's real high around here," she spoke with so much dryness that it could barely be called dry humor. "I think you're seriously underestimating how dangerous Shok is. But on the other hand... as long as she's not working on the inside with the Mafia any more, there's probably no reason she'd target us specifically. Keh... when you look at it that way, it's like this whole thing has been a humanitarian effort on my part. But I suppose that's all the more reason we ought to find another place to keep her secure. That last part is a little ridiculous, though. The ends don't always justify the means... I'm not going to forgive everything she did against the Mafia just because she does something nice for the Blessers. We can count that part of 'good behavior' if you want, but I'm not letting her go just because she figures that out."
Perhaps surprisingly Jury agreed. "Yes... if she did something like that, she definitely needs to atone. I'm just pleased that we both agree her work isn't done yet," she sighed. Kismet didn't nod in response; rather, she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grimace, leaving something unsaid.
Next up was Mime's case. Kismet tapped her fingers up and down upon the desk for a moment, then spoke up again. "Mafia killing is par for the course, but Mafia killing other Mafia says something about loyalty. Of course, we discovered Mime had been framed for the murder of her friends by Shok, but she also attacked a lot of other navis as well in her pursuit of... something. The only thing her attacks have in common are that Jailbird and Shok were present at each of them. I was caught in one of those attacks, but not the others," she shrugged. "Regardless, I don't think I'll be extending an invitation for her to rejoin the Mafia, however this shakes out. I would say that understanding what the heck she wants is key to knowing whether she's a threat or not, with or without her mime powers. Would removing her powers let her talk again?"
Jury pressed a finger to her lip thoughtfully, then responded. "No... I don't believe so. You see, Mime's Blessing to create these tools was connected to her promise: to use her great ingenuity to make the world a better place. At the time, it seemed quite a thoughtful mantra, but I suppose it's fair to question just how she hoped to make the world better... "
The shorter of the two spoke back up, leaning her head almost totally sideways. "Especially considering we never could ask her anything. Her operator, Simon, shed some light back at the time, but that was before she went rogue following the first murders. Not even he knows anything about her motivations after that. Just a shot in the dark... but she might want revenge against Shok." Here, Kismet turned her head towards CourseMan and lowered her eyebrows. "Didn't she try to use some kind of invisible knockout gas on you too? Jailbird mentioned it briefly. I'm a little surprised you're not harboring a grudge against her. That aside, my point was... do you think that was a prelude for her to attempt escape and another attack on someone? Do you think she would have attacked you once she was out, for that matter?"
Again, Jury kept surprisingly quiet during this portion. It might occur to CourseMan, again, that Mime was definitely the lower priority in this negotiation from a logical standpoint... if Jury was a good person, she might care about Mime's well-being, but Mime had nothing to do with the welfare of the Blessers or BlessMan himself, compared to Shok. Of course, it was just as likely that she simply hadn't known Mime well enough to speak to her character. "I certainly have no reason to force Mime to keep her Blessing, nor any reason to restore it once we take it away," she nodded along.
Now, it was time for closing arguments. Jury went first, now relatively calm. "I find the terms CourseMan has stated completely agreeable," she stated simply, giving a nod in his direction. "I care about a just outcome for both girls, as we all should, but I admit my greatest interest is in making sure we don't lose our one asset with the capability of keeping our Blessers alive..."
Kismet waited a moment, then raised one eyebrow as if surprised Jury had already finished. "I'll go next, then. It feels like the Mafia is making a lot of concessions here, considering we're holding all the cards... I know you guys care about the girls or whatever, but I care about each of the Mafia's members. Both of those girls are a menace, in different ways. That may not be fair to Mime, but as long as she keeps attacking everyone and we can't learn what she wants, she's a danger. As for Shok, I'm almost 100% certain she ought to be trusted by no one... I'd even say the Blessers are being fools if they think Shok is going to keep treating all of them out of the goodness of her heart... but we can try it your way. If she gets out again, that's all on you guys," she shrugged. "Either way, I guess I'm okay. Oh, and if I wasn't clear earlier: unless Mime can show me why the heck she keeps attacking everybody, she is not getting back into the Mafia. I doubt she cares about that regardless, though."
Jury reached across the table for a handshake, which Kismet reluctantly agreed to. "Then it's settled. All we need now is to hammer out the particulars," she sighed with relief. "Thank you both for hearing me out..."
"Heh... Kind of funny to think that if you'd taken this same case to the Police, you and your dad would both either be in Virtucuffs or deleted by now," Kismet laughed, though she still didn't smile about it. Jury didn't seem to find it very funny, but didn't argue the point either. "Well, maybe there'll come a time where we can scratch each other's backs... the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they say..." This, she did manage to crack a smirk about. Despite the old adage, Jury was frowning again; she didn't seem to find the idea of fighting the NetPolice particularly appetizing.
"Yes, well, let's focus on finishing out these details," Jury murmured, preparing a broad, black notepad upon the desk along with a simulated pen, really just a black hologram in a pen's shape. "CourseMan, I thank you again. I know Kismet hired you, but is there anything you'd ask of me, seeing as you really accomplished the task I assigned you as well?" she asked, looking up from her pad. Kismet hadn't mentioned the reward yet, but she probably had the sense that CourseMan had a thing or two to say himself first... he might even still have some points of contention.
-----------------------------------------------
On the other side of the wall, Mime was following along with CourseMan's instructions, seemingly. Likely to his alarm, the first question yielded a clench of her right fist, indicating "no." The relaxed expression of her face, as much as it could be given the gag, betrayed no shame or hesitance in her answer. That might make it somewhat uncomfortable that the next question did yield a pause. Her eyebrows raised behind the mask and her breathing became a bit louder, but she then gave a firm "yes" squeeze. How much could he read into that? It was hard to say... both of the two answers she'd given felt like they needed a lot of elaboration somehow if one was to derive their full meaning.
Across the room, Shok was seemingly waiting patiently, but it was eerie to know that behind her eye-mask, her electrocuted eyes were likely gaping straight forward. Her face looked so intense on a regular basis that it was hard to imagine her mind was ever vacant (or that she was not constantly in some kind of excruciating pain). Presumably, she'd be making that same face now if stripped of her eye-mask.
CourseMan had a bit more to say before Jury had a chance to respond. She waived off the concern about her father, tilting her chin up as though literally keeping a stiff upper lip about it. "I thank you for your concern, but... I've tried to explain the problems we're having to him many times before. His dementia has the side effect of escapism. He can seem to understand what I'm telling him for a few precious seconds, before he begins rambling as though he is somewhere else entirely," she spoke with heavy obvious sadness, looking back at the window behind them, though she was unable to see her father through it at present.
Kismet did jump back in once CourseMan finished spilling all he knew about Shok, though, as she'd stated earlier, it didn't appear to be more than she'd learned already by interrogating Shok earlier. "If we're putting it all on the table, then allow me to lay out my own theory: BlessMan didn't get his ability to bless out of nowhere, right? If Shok has to conduct her crazy experiements to further her own methods, then it stands to reason BlessMan's didn't appear out of thin air. I'd bet you Shok wasn't just involved with the cure: she cooked the thing up, then went to damage control when she realized it wasn't working. Unfortunately, several of our Mafioso became her test subjects," she grumbled, looking angry now as she placed one hand onto the desk. "So let's keep that context in mind when we talk about what a shame it is she isn't out 'perfecting her methods.'"
Again, CourseMan pointed out that to punish Shok in a way that restricted her movement was to doom the Blessers, which solicited a sigh and a nod from Kismet, along with eager agreement from Jury. "Yes, that's correct. Whether you condone what Shok's done or not, there is no denying that we need her now to keep those affected as healthy as they can be," the girl in black insisted. She listened to CourseMan's words on what ought to be done with Shok and appeared to agree whole-heartedly. Kismet rolled her eyes, finding something either tiresome or otherwise difficult to go along with. "Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about friends she had in the Mafia. The first ones she had she killed in her experiments and their predecessors all learned about it, so I don't think her stock's real high around here," she spoke with so much dryness that it could barely be called dry humor. "I think you're seriously underestimating how dangerous Shok is. But on the other hand... as long as she's not working on the inside with the Mafia any more, there's probably no reason she'd target us specifically. Keh... when you look at it that way, it's like this whole thing has been a humanitarian effort on my part. But I suppose that's all the more reason we ought to find another place to keep her secure. That last part is a little ridiculous, though. The ends don't always justify the means... I'm not going to forgive everything she did against the Mafia just because she does something nice for the Blessers. We can count that part of 'good behavior' if you want, but I'm not letting her go just because she figures that out."
Perhaps surprisingly Jury agreed. "Yes... if she did something like that, she definitely needs to atone. I'm just pleased that we both agree her work isn't done yet," she sighed. Kismet didn't nod in response; rather, she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grimace, leaving something unsaid.
Next up was Mime's case. Kismet tapped her fingers up and down upon the desk for a moment, then spoke up again. "Mafia killing is par for the course, but Mafia killing other Mafia says something about loyalty. Of course, we discovered Mime had been framed for the murder of her friends by Shok, but she also attacked a lot of other navis as well in her pursuit of... something. The only thing her attacks have in common are that Jailbird and Shok were present at each of them. I was caught in one of those attacks, but not the others," she shrugged. "Regardless, I don't think I'll be extending an invitation for her to rejoin the Mafia, however this shakes out. I would say that understanding what the heck she wants is key to knowing whether she's a threat or not, with or without her mime powers. Would removing her powers let her talk again?"
Jury pressed a finger to her lip thoughtfully, then responded. "No... I don't believe so. You see, Mime's Blessing to create these tools was connected to her promise: to use her great ingenuity to make the world a better place. At the time, it seemed quite a thoughtful mantra, but I suppose it's fair to question just how she hoped to make the world better... "
The shorter of the two spoke back up, leaning her head almost totally sideways. "Especially considering we never could ask her anything. Her operator, Simon, shed some light back at the time, but that was before she went rogue following the first murders. Not even he knows anything about her motivations after that. Just a shot in the dark... but she might want revenge against Shok." Here, Kismet turned her head towards CourseMan and lowered her eyebrows. "Didn't she try to use some kind of invisible knockout gas on you too? Jailbird mentioned it briefly. I'm a little surprised you're not harboring a grudge against her. That aside, my point was... do you think that was a prelude for her to attempt escape and another attack on someone? Do you think she would have attacked you once she was out, for that matter?"
Again, Jury kept surprisingly quiet during this portion. It might occur to CourseMan, again, that Mime was definitely the lower priority in this negotiation from a logical standpoint... if Jury was a good person, she might care about Mime's well-being, but Mime had nothing to do with the welfare of the Blessers or BlessMan himself, compared to Shok. Of course, it was just as likely that she simply hadn't known Mime well enough to speak to her character. "I certainly have no reason to force Mime to keep her Blessing, nor any reason to restore it once we take it away," she nodded along.
Now, it was time for closing arguments. Jury went first, now relatively calm. "I find the terms CourseMan has stated completely agreeable," she stated simply, giving a nod in his direction. "I care about a just outcome for both girls, as we all should, but I admit my greatest interest is in making sure we don't lose our one asset with the capability of keeping our Blessers alive..."
Kismet waited a moment, then raised one eyebrow as if surprised Jury had already finished. "I'll go next, then. It feels like the Mafia is making a lot of concessions here, considering we're holding all the cards... I know you guys care about the girls or whatever, but I care about each of the Mafia's members. Both of those girls are a menace, in different ways. That may not be fair to Mime, but as long as she keeps attacking everyone and we can't learn what she wants, she's a danger. As for Shok, I'm almost 100% certain she ought to be trusted by no one... I'd even say the Blessers are being fools if they think Shok is going to keep treating all of them out of the goodness of her heart... but we can try it your way. If she gets out again, that's all on you guys," she shrugged. "Either way, I guess I'm okay. Oh, and if I wasn't clear earlier: unless Mime can show me why the heck she keeps attacking everybody, she is not getting back into the Mafia. I doubt she cares about that regardless, though."
Jury reached across the table for a handshake, which Kismet reluctantly agreed to. "Then it's settled. All we need now is to hammer out the particulars," she sighed with relief. "Thank you both for hearing me out..."
"Heh... Kind of funny to think that if you'd taken this same case to the Police, you and your dad would both either be in Virtucuffs or deleted by now," Kismet laughed, though she still didn't smile about it. Jury didn't seem to find it very funny, but didn't argue the point either. "Well, maybe there'll come a time where we can scratch each other's backs... the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they say..." This, she did manage to crack a smirk about. Despite the old adage, Jury was frowning again; she didn't seem to find the idea of fighting the NetPolice particularly appetizing.
"Yes, well, let's focus on finishing out these details," Jury murmured, preparing a broad, black notepad upon the desk along with a simulated pen, really just a black hologram in a pen's shape. "CourseMan, I thank you again. I know Kismet hired you, but is there anything you'd ask of me, seeing as you really accomplished the task I assigned you as well?" she asked, looking up from her pad. Kismet hadn't mentioned the reward yet, but she probably had the sense that CourseMan had a thing or two to say himself first... he might even still have some points of contention.
-----------------------------------------------
On the other side of the wall, Mime was following along with CourseMan's instructions, seemingly. Likely to his alarm, the first question yielded a clench of her right fist, indicating "no." The relaxed expression of her face, as much as it could be given the gag, betrayed no shame or hesitance in her answer. That might make it somewhat uncomfortable that the next question did yield a pause. Her eyebrows raised behind the mask and her breathing became a bit louder, but she then gave a firm "yes" squeeze. How much could he read into that? It was hard to say... both of the two answers she'd given felt like they needed a lot of elaboration somehow if one was to derive their full meaning.
Across the room, Shok was seemingly waiting patiently, but it was eerie to know that behind her eye-mask, her electrocuted eyes were likely gaping straight forward. Her face looked so intense on a regular basis that it was hard to imagine her mind was ever vacant (or that she was not constantly in some kind of excruciating pain). Presumably, she'd be making that same face now if stripped of her eye-mask.
last edited by
The idea that Shok might have been the one who created BlessMan's capabilities in the first place hadn't occurred to Courser at all, but it did seem a bit far fetched, without knowing any more about the history of the Blessers leader. It might be something to ask Jury about later, but he couldn't afford to get distracted now. The subtle feeling of his thoughts working on their own; the idea of forming a decoy to ask her about it, underlying his more conscious thoughts, and the way another thread of his awareness began to reach for doing it, before he grit his teeth and forced his perspective back down, blinking... the harder he worked to keep a firm hand on that, the more aggressive the little side thoughts seemed to get, but now was not the time to be letting them out. He watched them shake and incline his head politely.
"Easy boss, don't get your head in a ruffle over—" The feeling of a clone rubbing his own shoulders and chatting amiably to him was enough for Courser to dismiss it sharply with a grimace before it could finish speaking.
"Sorry." He focused on the table, taking a longer breath. "If it helps either of you feel better about this agreement, consider that containing Shok in this manner and allowing her to continue to treat the Blessers as needed isn't solely about helping the Blessers. It is also about protecting countless other innocents from the eventualities that may occur if they are not treated. I am glad that you both reach this accord." Really, the fact that they both disagreed together about his proposal for what to do with Shok if a complete cure was ever found, was a good sign; them both disagreeing in unison against his suggestion would continue to help foster implicit agreement between them. It was also a detail they could work out in the fine print later. Right now, he had to get this session closed before his head exploded. He was getting a headache. Courser reached out and took another sip of his water, only to find that the cup was now empty.
"Regarding Mime, from what I have been able to glean form my own interviews with her, her primary focus at this stage is simply an overpowering need to seek vengeance against Shok for, to be blunt, destroying her life... perhaps more than that; I don't know. If she particularly cared about anyone who died as a result of this incident, that would likely also figure. Regardless, it seems that she would not mind losing her own life, if she was certain of taking Shok with her in the process... but it does appear to be motivated by nothing more complex or sinister than vengeance. The provisions we have made are the best we can do in that regard and remain fair. Mime must understand that if she continues to pursue this, and to seek her vengeance in any way, that she well receive no leniency and no extra consideration. There is a good chance that this will not stop her, even with her Blessing stripped; it seems unlikely that she will be able to simply walk away from this and let it drop, but that must still be her decision to make in the end, knowing that to pursue it may mean the forfeiture of her life. You both understand this as well, we have made provisions for it, and Shok's containment will be as much to ensure she is watched and prevented from doing harm, as it is to ensure that she is watched and kept safe from those who would harm her. Her imprisonment in this sense also comes with a mutual duty of care."
"So you know, Boss-man doesn't hold the gas thing against chatterbox.... she didn't know him from jack, and the girl was desperate for—" Again, Courser ruthlessly dismissed the errant clone that had misted in just past his shoulder, and leaned on it to chat with the other two negotiators.
"Thank you, both, for coming to the table today. I'm glad we could reach an amicable solution. With the main accord agreed upon, I'm sure the smaller minutia won't take too long to work out, in terms of simple numbers. I'm just glad I could be of assistance in the matter." With a final grin and a nod of his head, Courser stood from the table and stepped back, resisting the urge to put a hand to his forehead. After taking one step, however, the world narrowed down and darkened at the edges, and the room twisted in his view.
What Kismet and Jury saw, would be the ever-charming navi stumble unexpectedly down to one knee, a hand onthe ground while the other cupped his face. Two decoys appeared more or less at the same time, seemingly fussing over him with varying levels of concern and admonishing.
"Hey, easy, easy! keep it together, mate! What're thinking, tyring to keep yourself all one-dimensional like that!" The first clone was standing beside him, but bent down with his hands on his knees, as though trying to look into Courser's face. The other was crouching in a slightly more supportive position, with hand on his back.
"That's what you get for shutting it in too long, huh? The more you spread out, the more you've got to do it, you know? You knew that, right, boss, didn't you? Jeeze man...." It took a few extra moments before courser waved an ungainly hand through both of the clones, batting them away into shadow one at a time and groaned softly. A fresh decoy appeared in front of him, looking down and shaking his head, arms folded.
"Really done it this time, ya nutjob... Take a minute, sit. Rest your fool head." The decoy sighed, then looked up towards Kismet and Jury. "Give him a minute. The dingbat decided that he needed to focus so hard on being sensible for so long, and anyone who isn't crazy knows that that's no good for anyone, right? So you know, he'll accept whatever reward you want to give. He's just too polite to say, you follow?"
"Shut up!" Courser's voice ground out at a lower volume, but discernible all the same. The clone put its hands up, fading away with a mildly offended look. The real navi pushed himself upright, then turned back to face the others after taking along breath. Oddly, he seemed to be keeping his eyes closed for now.
"Sorry, again. I'm alright, I promise."
"But he does need a rest..." A momentary decoy had stepped out from behind him, casting the two women a sidelong glance before fading away.
"Indeed..." Courser sighed and gave a helpless shrug. His eyes were still shut. At this point, he was mostly waiting to be certain that he was no longer needed. He was happy to be temporarily dismissed while they sorted out the rest, and return to Kismet for her debrief once the rest was finished. It might give him a chance to chat to other people not in the room, after all... for now though he waited on their word.
==
In the far room, his main decoy had taken in Mime's signals; he'd been worried that she wouldn't be able to let it go, but not surprised. more surprising was her apparent willingness to see him again, and there was something of a thrill to be had for pondering whether she was intrigued for real, or just wanted access to him for some other purpose. Unfortunately, just as he was about to ask more, the Clone whipped its head back towards the main room and muttered a short curse, before fading from sight. Mime would likely hear the short oath, and then feel the decoy's fingers fade away from where they were still touching her.
"Easy boss, don't get your head in a ruffle over—" The feeling of a clone rubbing his own shoulders and chatting amiably to him was enough for Courser to dismiss it sharply with a grimace before it could finish speaking.
"Sorry." He focused on the table, taking a longer breath. "If it helps either of you feel better about this agreement, consider that containing Shok in this manner and allowing her to continue to treat the Blessers as needed isn't solely about helping the Blessers. It is also about protecting countless other innocents from the eventualities that may occur if they are not treated. I am glad that you both reach this accord." Really, the fact that they both disagreed together about his proposal for what to do with Shok if a complete cure was ever found, was a good sign; them both disagreeing in unison against his suggestion would continue to help foster implicit agreement between them. It was also a detail they could work out in the fine print later. Right now, he had to get this session closed before his head exploded. He was getting a headache. Courser reached out and took another sip of his water, only to find that the cup was now empty.
"Regarding Mime, from what I have been able to glean form my own interviews with her, her primary focus at this stage is simply an overpowering need to seek vengeance against Shok for, to be blunt, destroying her life... perhaps more than that; I don't know. If she particularly cared about anyone who died as a result of this incident, that would likely also figure. Regardless, it seems that she would not mind losing her own life, if she was certain of taking Shok with her in the process... but it does appear to be motivated by nothing more complex or sinister than vengeance. The provisions we have made are the best we can do in that regard and remain fair. Mime must understand that if she continues to pursue this, and to seek her vengeance in any way, that she well receive no leniency and no extra consideration. There is a good chance that this will not stop her, even with her Blessing stripped; it seems unlikely that she will be able to simply walk away from this and let it drop, but that must still be her decision to make in the end, knowing that to pursue it may mean the forfeiture of her life. You both understand this as well, we have made provisions for it, and Shok's containment will be as much to ensure she is watched and prevented from doing harm, as it is to ensure that she is watched and kept safe from those who would harm her. Her imprisonment in this sense also comes with a mutual duty of care."
"So you know, Boss-man doesn't hold the gas thing against chatterbox.... she didn't know him from jack, and the girl was desperate for—" Again, Courser ruthlessly dismissed the errant clone that had misted in just past his shoulder, and leaned on it to chat with the other two negotiators.
"Thank you, both, for coming to the table today. I'm glad we could reach an amicable solution. With the main accord agreed upon, I'm sure the smaller minutia won't take too long to work out, in terms of simple numbers. I'm just glad I could be of assistance in the matter." With a final grin and a nod of his head, Courser stood from the table and stepped back, resisting the urge to put a hand to his forehead. After taking one step, however, the world narrowed down and darkened at the edges, and the room twisted in his view.
What Kismet and Jury saw, would be the ever-charming navi stumble unexpectedly down to one knee, a hand onthe ground while the other cupped his face. Two decoys appeared more or less at the same time, seemingly fussing over him with varying levels of concern and admonishing.
"Hey, easy, easy! keep it together, mate! What're thinking, tyring to keep yourself all one-dimensional like that!" The first clone was standing beside him, but bent down with his hands on his knees, as though trying to look into Courser's face. The other was crouching in a slightly more supportive position, with hand on his back.
"That's what you get for shutting it in too long, huh? The more you spread out, the more you've got to do it, you know? You knew that, right, boss, didn't you? Jeeze man...." It took a few extra moments before courser waved an ungainly hand through both of the clones, batting them away into shadow one at a time and groaned softly. A fresh decoy appeared in front of him, looking down and shaking his head, arms folded.
"Really done it this time, ya nutjob... Take a minute, sit. Rest your fool head." The decoy sighed, then looked up towards Kismet and Jury. "Give him a minute. The dingbat decided that he needed to focus so hard on being sensible for so long, and anyone who isn't crazy knows that that's no good for anyone, right? So you know, he'll accept whatever reward you want to give. He's just too polite to say, you follow?"
"Shut up!" Courser's voice ground out at a lower volume, but discernible all the same. The clone put its hands up, fading away with a mildly offended look. The real navi pushed himself upright, then turned back to face the others after taking along breath. Oddly, he seemed to be keeping his eyes closed for now.
"Sorry, again. I'm alright, I promise."
"But he does need a rest..." A momentary decoy had stepped out from behind him, casting the two women a sidelong glance before fading away.
"Indeed..." Courser sighed and gave a helpless shrug. His eyes were still shut. At this point, he was mostly waiting to be certain that he was no longer needed. He was happy to be temporarily dismissed while they sorted out the rest, and return to Kismet for her debrief once the rest was finished. It might give him a chance to chat to other people not in the room, after all... for now though he waited on their word.
==
In the far room, his main decoy had taken in Mime's signals; he'd been worried that she wouldn't be able to let it go, but not surprised. more surprising was her apparent willingness to see him again, and there was something of a thrill to be had for pondering whether she was intrigued for real, or just wanted access to him for some other purpose. Unfortunately, just as he was about to ask more, the Clone whipped its head back towards the main room and muttered a short curse, before fading from sight. Mime would likely hear the short oath, and then feel the decoy's fingers fade away from where they were still touching her.
last edited by
The two watched a clone slip out from CourseMan with interest, but not any type of alarm, given that all it seemed to be doing was telling him he ought to rest. Kismet looked at the floor for a moment, then back up to him, her grimace widening. "I hope you're right about Shok, CourseMan. She may be able to make the Blessers safer for everyone on the net, but you have to remember that her means and methods up to this point were nothing but 'safe.' If you believe the account about her killing other Mafia members for the sake of her research, that is," she shrugged. "At least we know better than to give her any leeway now... Well, you can rest assured that she will not go unwatched, that's all I'll say."
The two watched CourseMan attempt to make a graceful exit, only to half-collapse onto the floor. "I hope the negotiations didn't take too much out of you," Jury murmured. The concern on her face was that of someone who's seen a lot of navis deal with the same sort of problem, but also that of someone who had been sadly unable to help said navis overcome those conditions. She did manage a smile when he (or one of his clones, rather) mentioned that their mediator was indeed willing to accept whatever reward they saw fit to offer him. "There's no shame in accepting payment. Please, use this with my fondest regards," she spoke politely. CourseMan might wonder how fond her regards truly were... she'd gotten more or less what she wanted, but she had seen his desire to call it down the line even at the expense of her father's safety if need be. How well she thought of him now probably depended on her own impartiality.
"And of course, your payment," Kismet added, producing a nondescript data packet of her own and handing it over.
((CourseMan got 8000z and BigHammer1 x1))
"We'll finish up here. Thank you again for your assistance," Kismet finished. "If you do find yourself interested in more Mafia work, I'm sure any of our families would like to work with you. But for now, you're dismissed. You should go get some rest."
From there, CourseMan proper was free to leave the room. He could swing by and talk to Jailbird some if he wanted, but given his sudden nausea, he may just want to table that for later. It would be interesting to see how things would be different when next he met Shok and Mime, given that they would both be free from their cells (for a certain extent of free) and Mime at least would be drained of her powers.
The two watched CourseMan attempt to make a graceful exit, only to half-collapse onto the floor. "I hope the negotiations didn't take too much out of you," Jury murmured. The concern on her face was that of someone who's seen a lot of navis deal with the same sort of problem, but also that of someone who had been sadly unable to help said navis overcome those conditions. She did manage a smile when he (or one of his clones, rather) mentioned that their mediator was indeed willing to accept whatever reward they saw fit to offer him. "There's no shame in accepting payment. Please, use this with my fondest regards," she spoke politely. CourseMan might wonder how fond her regards truly were... she'd gotten more or less what she wanted, but she had seen his desire to call it down the line even at the expense of her father's safety if need be. How well she thought of him now probably depended on her own impartiality.
"And of course, your payment," Kismet added, producing a nondescript data packet of her own and handing it over.
((CourseMan got 8000z and BigHammer1 x1))
"We'll finish up here. Thank you again for your assistance," Kismet finished. "If you do find yourself interested in more Mafia work, I'm sure any of our families would like to work with you. But for now, you're dismissed. You should go get some rest."
From there, CourseMan proper was free to leave the room. He could swing by and talk to Jailbird some if he wanted, but given his sudden nausea, he may just want to table that for later. It would be interesting to see how things would be different when next he met Shok and Mime, given that they would both be free from their cells (for a certain extent of free) and Mime at least would be drained of her powers.
last edited by
Still with his eyes closed, Courser took a single lap around the room, letting his fingertips brush the wall, then took a longer breath and opened his eyes once he was facing Kismet and Jury again. He accepted the payments and tucked them away with an incline of his head, lading into a small bow with one hand lifting to his chest briefly.
"My thanks. If we are concluded for today, I'll take my leave now, and I expect I'll be available in the future if you should have need. I'll..." He paused and rolled his shoulders. "I'll probably be here for a few more minutes, if I'm needed for anything else. I'll just be out in the hall, collecting my thoughts. Otherwise, I'll bid you both a good day and best fortunes, and thank you both again for working with me today." With a last nod, he took one step back and then turned, moving to the main door and letting himself out.
--
While courser was saying his farewell, however, the slight brush of his fingertips along the wall siding Mime and Shok's cell had let he extend his main decoy back into their room briefly. The clone glanced quickly between Shok and Mime, and went to Shok first. Leaning in close, he didn't go so far as to actually touch the imposing woman, but whispered close by her instead.
"Did what I could, Sparky. Here's the deal they're going to cut you. You'll live, and you'll be watched. You'll continue your work with the Blessers and the Blessers only, with an eye to keeping them safe and stable. Any signs that you're doing anything else, and it'll be lights out. Any attempts to escape, or to do harm, lights out. You're going to be on a razor edge for a while. You'll be safe, you'll be protected, but you'll be under house arrest, and it'll be contingent on your cooperation and your work towards a lasting and safe cure. That was the price of your life. Good luck, Sparky." He drew back, watching for a moment to see how Shok took the news. When he'd spoken to her before, she'd seemed dedicated to getting back to her people and helping them... so if she was genuine in that desire, she might be content with the deal he'd brokered. If she had any deeper motive, though, it might be a substantial yoke for her to deal with. Regardless of how she seemed to react, he stepped back, and then glided over to the other side of the room where Mime was restrained.
"Sorry about that, Sunshine..." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, and then reached out his hands to rest finger tips against the sides of her fists, like before, letting her know where he was. "A surprise came up, but it's sorted now. Listen..." He paused, picking words carefully. "Negotiation's done. You're going to walk free, but, there's going to be a price. Beyond that, they're going to tell you to leave this whole mess alone and not seek any further vengeance. That is what they'll tell you, and it'll come with the warning that if you're caught trying to get further revenge, they're going to treat your life as forfeit on sight. No second chances now." He put some slight presser on his finger tips against her fists, giving the impression of a friendly squeeze. "So... you know... if you can't let it go, at least don't get caught, alright? I have to go now, but I'll try to stay in touch if I can. Are you going to be ok?" He defaulted to the same yes and no system they'd used before; her left for positive, her right for negative, and waited still in front of her with his hands out touching each of her fists while he waited to see how she responded.
--
Out in the hall, Courser himself took his time wandering back down to where Jailbird took her shifts. He was trying not to overdo things while he was clearing his head from the brief melt down, but for some reason, splitting up the senses between himself and the decoy talking to Mime actually seemed to relieve some of the stress, rather than aggravate it. Keeping himself focused and locked down to a single objects had been the difficult part, the longer he'd forced himself not to let any clones thoughts escape. By the time he found JailBird again, he was feeling more relaxed.
"Hey there, Songbird. Working hard?" He grinned an leaned on whatever wall was near her without being overly familiar. "Don't mind me, just clearing my head and taking a few. Peace talks with those two was a bit of razor edge for a while. Safe now, I think, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, arguing over life prices, you know." He folded his hands behind his head, then winked at her with a smirk.
"But hey, negotiation's done, and there's going to be prices paid and exchanged, and both of those ladies will be out of your hair in the near future, by the look of things... Anything on your mind?" Courser was happy to just relax and shoot the breeze with the gaol warden for a little while, and listen to anything she had to chat about, while his clone wrapped things up with the soon to be former captives.
"My thanks. If we are concluded for today, I'll take my leave now, and I expect I'll be available in the future if you should have need. I'll..." He paused and rolled his shoulders. "I'll probably be here for a few more minutes, if I'm needed for anything else. I'll just be out in the hall, collecting my thoughts. Otherwise, I'll bid you both a good day and best fortunes, and thank you both again for working with me today." With a last nod, he took one step back and then turned, moving to the main door and letting himself out.
--
While courser was saying his farewell, however, the slight brush of his fingertips along the wall siding Mime and Shok's cell had let he extend his main decoy back into their room briefly. The clone glanced quickly between Shok and Mime, and went to Shok first. Leaning in close, he didn't go so far as to actually touch the imposing woman, but whispered close by her instead.
"Did what I could, Sparky. Here's the deal they're going to cut you. You'll live, and you'll be watched. You'll continue your work with the Blessers and the Blessers only, with an eye to keeping them safe and stable. Any signs that you're doing anything else, and it'll be lights out. Any attempts to escape, or to do harm, lights out. You're going to be on a razor edge for a while. You'll be safe, you'll be protected, but you'll be under house arrest, and it'll be contingent on your cooperation and your work towards a lasting and safe cure. That was the price of your life. Good luck, Sparky." He drew back, watching for a moment to see how Shok took the news. When he'd spoken to her before, she'd seemed dedicated to getting back to her people and helping them... so if she was genuine in that desire, she might be content with the deal he'd brokered. If she had any deeper motive, though, it might be a substantial yoke for her to deal with. Regardless of how she seemed to react, he stepped back, and then glided over to the other side of the room where Mime was restrained.
"Sorry about that, Sunshine..." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, and then reached out his hands to rest finger tips against the sides of her fists, like before, letting her know where he was. "A surprise came up, but it's sorted now. Listen..." He paused, picking words carefully. "Negotiation's done. You're going to walk free, but, there's going to be a price. Beyond that, they're going to tell you to leave this whole mess alone and not seek any further vengeance. That is what they'll tell you, and it'll come with the warning that if you're caught trying to get further revenge, they're going to treat your life as forfeit on sight. No second chances now." He put some slight presser on his finger tips against her fists, giving the impression of a friendly squeeze. "So... you know... if you can't let it go, at least don't get caught, alright? I have to go now, but I'll try to stay in touch if I can. Are you going to be ok?" He defaulted to the same yes and no system they'd used before; her left for positive, her right for negative, and waited still in front of her with his hands out touching each of her fists while he waited to see how she responded.
--
Out in the hall, Courser himself took his time wandering back down to where Jailbird took her shifts. He was trying not to overdo things while he was clearing his head from the brief melt down, but for some reason, splitting up the senses between himself and the decoy talking to Mime actually seemed to relieve some of the stress, rather than aggravate it. Keeping himself focused and locked down to a single objects had been the difficult part, the longer he'd forced himself not to let any clones thoughts escape. By the time he found JailBird again, he was feeling more relaxed.
"Hey there, Songbird. Working hard?" He grinned an leaned on whatever wall was near her without being overly familiar. "Don't mind me, just clearing my head and taking a few. Peace talks with those two was a bit of razor edge for a while. Safe now, I think, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, arguing over life prices, you know." He folded his hands behind his head, then winked at her with a smirk.
"But hey, negotiation's done, and there's going to be prices paid and exchanged, and both of those ladies will be out of your hair in the near future, by the look of things... Anything on your mind?" Courser was happy to just relax and shoot the breeze with the gaol warden for a little while, and listen to anything she had to chat about, while his clone wrapped things up with the soon to be former captives.
last edited by
The two ladies bid CourseMan farewell, seeming to think it best not to hold him up any longer. He did, however, spare a clone to say some last farewells to the two captives. It was a little hard to tell how Shok took the news, given that her bulging eyes and clenched teeth were pretty constant, but she didn't seem to be thrashing around much. That could be a good sign. Mime's eyes similarly were rarely very expressive, other than a tilt of the eyebrows, especially with the blindfold on. She did return an affirmation how he was expecting, at least. CourseMan couldn't tell for sure if that meant she had agreed to call off her grudge or just be very stealthy in her pursuit of it, but either way, at least she was likely to appreciate being let off of the headsman's block.
CourseMan had one more person to say goodbye to, that being the jailer he'd only exchanged brief pleasantries with earlier. Jailbird was still in the same place he expected to find her, guarding the door leading to the small block of cells that had formerly held Gala, Shok, and Mime, but now probably only held the first of those three. Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with the crazed party girl this time around, as Jailbird was guarding from outside the block. She was about as busy as she usually seemed; namely, she was leaning against one wall, holding onto a transparent gray viewscreen and evidently browsing a forum. Being caught in the act didn't seem to bother her and she kept her usually lazy frown. "Mmm, yup. Hard as ever," she answered, giving him a quick nod. "Careful, if you get too good at leaning like that, they're going to give you my job," she joked.
She raised an eyebrow as he described what he'd been up to. "Huh... Nevermind then. Sounds like you're well above my pay grade already," she chuckled dryly. "I guess I knew both girls were going to be out of here, I just thought it'd be in bodybags. I wasn't really fond of either of 'em, but I have to admit, I liked 'em better than Gala anyway... At least I could treat those two as prisoners. Gala, you have to check on her every hour or so, see if she needs anything, get her food if she's hungry... It's a big pain," she sighed deeply. "Anyway, hopefully you guys know what you're doing. Mime and Shok were both super dangerous. I'm sure you two figured that all out, though."
She paused for a big yawn, then threw away the viewscreen and moved both arms behind to cushion behind her head. "How about you? I guess you're happy about the way it worked out, judging by the way you're acting? You're a weird dude... I'd want anybody who tried to poison me locked up," she commented absently, turning her eyes back towards him. "Geez... I wish they'd imprison some cool people here or something. It's boring as crap around here," she moaned. "Say, why don't you go give Kismet a wedgie or something? You could hang around in one of these cells and maybe I'd even come check on you every hour..."
CourseMan had one more person to say goodbye to, that being the jailer he'd only exchanged brief pleasantries with earlier. Jailbird was still in the same place he expected to find her, guarding the door leading to the small block of cells that had formerly held Gala, Shok, and Mime, but now probably only held the first of those three. Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with the crazed party girl this time around, as Jailbird was guarding from outside the block. She was about as busy as she usually seemed; namely, she was leaning against one wall, holding onto a transparent gray viewscreen and evidently browsing a forum. Being caught in the act didn't seem to bother her and she kept her usually lazy frown. "Mmm, yup. Hard as ever," she answered, giving him a quick nod. "Careful, if you get too good at leaning like that, they're going to give you my job," she joked.
She raised an eyebrow as he described what he'd been up to. "Huh... Nevermind then. Sounds like you're well above my pay grade already," she chuckled dryly. "I guess I knew both girls were going to be out of here, I just thought it'd be in bodybags. I wasn't really fond of either of 'em, but I have to admit, I liked 'em better than Gala anyway... At least I could treat those two as prisoners. Gala, you have to check on her every hour or so, see if she needs anything, get her food if she's hungry... It's a big pain," she sighed deeply. "Anyway, hopefully you guys know what you're doing. Mime and Shok were both super dangerous. I'm sure you two figured that all out, though."
She paused for a big yawn, then threw away the viewscreen and moved both arms behind to cushion behind her head. "How about you? I guess you're happy about the way it worked out, judging by the way you're acting? You're a weird dude... I'd want anybody who tried to poison me locked up," she commented absently, turning her eyes back towards him. "Geez... I wish they'd imprison some cool people here or something. It's boring as crap around here," she moaned. "Say, why don't you go give Kismet a wedgie or something? You could hang around in one of these cells and maybe I'd even come check on you every hour..."
last edited by
When his decoy felt Mime's reaction, it nodded to the silence, then withdrew its hands.
"Alright. See you on the outside some time then." There was a brief moment when he was tempted to give the peculiar girl a quick peck on the forehead for goodbye, but considering she wasn't in much of a position to let him, the shadowy image restrained itself from doing so, and instead faded away with a small grin.
Outside, the real Courser let Jailbird's lazy chatter amble its relaxed way over him, grinning in a very similar way to his decoy. He chuckled at her joke about his posture but only raised a matching eyebrow to her comment about his work. Her suggestion for entertainment got another amused laugh and a smirk that accompanied the faint eye twinkle.
"Every hour, you say? Would you be a good warden and make sure I enjoyed my stay in chateau Jailbird? Would you give me a private check up every now and then, just loud enough to make Gala mad that she's not getting your attention?" He winked then relaxed back against the wall looking out and away again, though he was still grinning.
"Well, I'm not official Mafia just yet, you know. Don't think I want to Kiss-Kiss turn all Bang-Bang on me just yet..." As he spoke, a second image of himself slipped out of the wall to lean in an equally relaxed pose on the other side of Jailbird.
"Not that she'd probably get too worked up, you know... Poor girl seems like she's always expected everyone to try and stab her in the back all the time anyway, just from what we've seen..." The decoy chuckled to itself, then shrugged and faded away again, but courser turned to lean on one elbow so he could look more directly at his companion.
"Tell you what... Once I'm actually all signed up and they give my my library card, I'll come visit you again, and you can tell me about whatever new inmates you end up with, and we'll think of some way to pass a bit of time that's more fun than staring at a wall. Sound bearable?" His head tilted slightly and one eyebrow lifted up to see if she was interested in the exceptionally loosely defined and very casual interpretation of a date. After another moment he lay back again and put his hands behind his head.
"So was it really just poison, in the end? I sort of guessed it was something worse.... nerve gas, necrotic self-collapsing code stings, something like that, you know? To be honest, I presumed she was actively trying to murder Shok and anyone else who happened to be collateral to that. No-one died this time though, so, water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned... and it means we ended up here, and I had to play diplomat, give myself a terrible headache... and now I'm chatting to you, so overall that's a win, right?" He shrugged and chuckled softly, and closed his eyes. He would have to get moving soon, but it was always nice to make time for a chat, even if it was brief.
"Alright. See you on the outside some time then." There was a brief moment when he was tempted to give the peculiar girl a quick peck on the forehead for goodbye, but considering she wasn't in much of a position to let him, the shadowy image restrained itself from doing so, and instead faded away with a small grin.
Outside, the real Courser let Jailbird's lazy chatter amble its relaxed way over him, grinning in a very similar way to his decoy. He chuckled at her joke about his posture but only raised a matching eyebrow to her comment about his work. Her suggestion for entertainment got another amused laugh and a smirk that accompanied the faint eye twinkle.
"Every hour, you say? Would you be a good warden and make sure I enjoyed my stay in chateau Jailbird? Would you give me a private check up every now and then, just loud enough to make Gala mad that she's not getting your attention?" He winked then relaxed back against the wall looking out and away again, though he was still grinning.
"Well, I'm not official Mafia just yet, you know. Don't think I want to Kiss-Kiss turn all Bang-Bang on me just yet..." As he spoke, a second image of himself slipped out of the wall to lean in an equally relaxed pose on the other side of Jailbird.
"Not that she'd probably get too worked up, you know... Poor girl seems like she's always expected everyone to try and stab her in the back all the time anyway, just from what we've seen..." The decoy chuckled to itself, then shrugged and faded away again, but courser turned to lean on one elbow so he could look more directly at his companion.
"Tell you what... Once I'm actually all signed up and they give my my library card, I'll come visit you again, and you can tell me about whatever new inmates you end up with, and we'll think of some way to pass a bit of time that's more fun than staring at a wall. Sound bearable?" His head tilted slightly and one eyebrow lifted up to see if she was interested in the exceptionally loosely defined and very casual interpretation of a date. After another moment he lay back again and put his hands behind his head.
"So was it really just poison, in the end? I sort of guessed it was something worse.... nerve gas, necrotic self-collapsing code stings, something like that, you know? To be honest, I presumed she was actively trying to murder Shok and anyone else who happened to be collateral to that. No-one died this time though, so, water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned... and it means we ended up here, and I had to play diplomat, give myself a terrible headache... and now I'm chatting to you, so overall that's a win, right?" He shrugged and chuckled softly, and closed his eyes. He would have to get moving soon, but it was always nice to make time for a chat, even if it was brief.
last edited by
All that was left for CourseMan now was a little more banter with Jailbird, who didn't seem to have much to do otherwise. "Ha. I doubt Gala would care about my attention. Yours, on the other hand," she chuckled. "I almost wanna do it just cause it'd piss her off right now. There's an empty bed in there right now, after all..." She turned to the other side, seeing another CourseMan appear. "Er... two empty beds."
She mellowed back down a little as he mentioned Kismet (or at least, she assumed that he was talking about not wanting to upset Kismet). "Yeah, I guess she dealt with it recently and she probably sees it a lot, being that deep in the Mafia Head Family. Anywho, show back up once you're Mafia and I'll... well, we'll figure out something to do. Not a lot to do around here unless you like the jailer," she joked, giving another semi-amused smirk. He had a few more questions and, again, devoid of other tasks to occupy herself, she seemed unperturbed to continue answering them. "Uh, actually, I misspoke earlier. It was just knockout gas, or that's what the toxic control guy said. It would have knocked out everyone in the room for a bit, except for her... hard to say what would have happened after that. My guess is she'd have tried to off Shok again, given her history. She must have been planning it for a long time... she'd been in here a while before she finally met any other jailer than me. Probably trying to use your inexperience with her tricks as a way to escape," Jailbird shrugged. "Anyway, buddy, if finding a chance to talk to me is all it takes to make you happy, you're going to be the cheapest guy Mafia's ever had on payroll," she laughed, then leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes peacefully, as though she planned to go back to sleep.
She mellowed back down a little as he mentioned Kismet (or at least, she assumed that he was talking about not wanting to upset Kismet). "Yeah, I guess she dealt with it recently and she probably sees it a lot, being that deep in the Mafia Head Family. Anywho, show back up once you're Mafia and I'll... well, we'll figure out something to do. Not a lot to do around here unless you like the jailer," she joked, giving another semi-amused smirk. He had a few more questions and, again, devoid of other tasks to occupy herself, she seemed unperturbed to continue answering them. "Uh, actually, I misspoke earlier. It was just knockout gas, or that's what the toxic control guy said. It would have knocked out everyone in the room for a bit, except for her... hard to say what would have happened after that. My guess is she'd have tried to off Shok again, given her history. She must have been planning it for a long time... she'd been in here a while before she finally met any other jailer than me. Probably trying to use your inexperience with her tricks as a way to escape," Jailbird shrugged. "Anyway, buddy, if finding a chance to talk to me is all it takes to make you happy, you're going to be the cheapest guy Mafia's ever had on payroll," she laughed, then leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes peacefully, as though she planned to go back to sleep.
last edited by Rogan
"And I'm almost tempted to take you up on that suggestion..." Courser let the flirtatious tone play through his voice. Relaxing alongside Jailbird did lead him to consider the possibilities she was suggesting, and frankly, it wasn't like he had anything against a bit of casual fun here and there... in principle, anyway. There was a long moment where he considered.
"I think it'd be a lot of fun to give you a hand—" "Or four..." his clone chipped in from the other side of her with a wink. "But if I really wanted to make sure a lady enjoyed herself fully, it'll take more time than I have today." He chuckled here, but then stood from the wall and stretched, rolling his shoulders and buffing his knuckles on the front of his chest casually. "And somehow, I think promising to make it quick wouldn't really be the right impression to make, right? Another time, and I'll make sure you're glad you waited. Promise." He winked at her, still grinning, then shrugged, turning to walk away. Before he jacked out and returned to make sure Jenny wasn't getting up to too much mischief, Courser turned his head back, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"See you later, Songbird... don't over do it now!" He pressed two fingers to his lips, then gestured out with them casually, tossing her the simulated kiss blow. He took a few more steps away from her before seeming to fade away into the shadows of the corridor.
((Courser Jacking out, Returning to -> Jenny's house))
"I think it'd be a lot of fun to give you a hand—" "Or four..." his clone chipped in from the other side of her with a wink. "But if I really wanted to make sure a lady enjoyed herself fully, it'll take more time than I have today." He chuckled here, but then stood from the wall and stretched, rolling his shoulders and buffing his knuckles on the front of his chest casually. "And somehow, I think promising to make it quick wouldn't really be the right impression to make, right? Another time, and I'll make sure you're glad you waited. Promise." He winked at her, still grinning, then shrugged, turning to walk away. Before he jacked out and returned to make sure Jenny wasn't getting up to too much mischief, Courser turned his head back, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"See you later, Songbird... don't over do it now!" He pressed two fingers to his lips, then gestured out with them casually, tossing her the simulated kiss blow. He took a few more steps away from her before seeming to fade away into the shadows of the corridor.
((Courser Jacking out, Returning to -> Jenny's house))