[He's waking up as he receives this, late in the morning after a bar shift last night, groaning as he moves on his makeshift floor-bed. His muscles have been quite sore from corruption, which is made worse by sleeping on the hard floor. His bed is too small, so this is what it is. Slowly, he pushes himself up to sitting, scrubbing his face. He's at least not hungover- a few people have given him a wake-up call about his drinking and he's been trying to do better.
He didn't expect to hear from Mel like this. He'd honestly thought she gave him her contact information just as a platitude because he was down when they met, or maybe just as one of those things politicians do for networking. Never know when a connection might come in handy, et cetera. He didn't think she'd call just to check in- and so he gets the feeling this might be more than a check-in, anyway.
His voice is still thick and gruff with sleep when he answers.]
Oh. Mel. [He clears his throat.] Yeah, I can talk. I'm... Still kicking, at least. How're you?
Oh, forgive me. It wasn't my intention to wake you.
[ She hadn't realized he might've been sleeping in or catching up on rest. ]
Things are as well as one can expect in a place like this. [ Not bad, not good. ] But I imagine that's par for the course.
I wanted to know if you had some time this week to meet briefly. There are a few things I'd like to speak about. [ More that she wants to check in but, hey, there's plenty to talk about too. ] Do any days or times this week work best for you?
[ She sends him a file that's just a pinpoint on a map in Karteria, specifically in the East Sophia district. It's outside of a small grocer that carries tea and coffee, but it's not a 'coffee shop' technically. Just a place to buy goods, but it's a pretty well known street. ]
[Don't mind him, shutting off the recording to poke at the device with too-big, clawed fingers. He grumbles to himself about it. Oh- that place. Why didn't she just tell him the name? Anyway, after a couple minutes he manages to get back to the voice recording.]
Sure. See you then.
[And he shows up, on time, out front of that shop. It's convenient, since he works in this area anyway. He looks tired, and it's possible he's even bigger than he was the last time she saw him, and more wolfy. Some grey fur lines his face, tufting in his beard and hairline, and spreading down his arms. His fingertips each have band-aids around them, where his nailbeds have cracked due to claws sprouting.]
[ She's already there, actually, but is engaged in a discussion with the shopkeeper about...coffee brands and flavors, of all things. It's not a particularly riveting conversation but Mel is doing almost none of the talking, simply listening and taking note of the stock. When she sees Vander outside, she offers a faint smile that is more polite than warm, and then heads out to greet him. ]
I appreciate you meeting with me.
[ He looks...almost as if he's aged since she's seen him, more grey, but she doesn't notice until she's a bit closer that he even seems a bit taller. And the grey isn't from his beard, necessarily, but fur. ]
Do you want to take a look at any of the wares? Or would you prefer to walk?
[He wonders what she's talking to the shopkeep about, and wonders again why she wanted to meet with him, especially as she's being so formal. Professional. It puts him a bit on edge, honestly. Are they not just two people from the same world who can speak casually with each other? What does she do in this place, exactly, now that she isn't a Councillor in Piltover? And what does he have to do with it?
He shrugs. He doesn't have much interest in the wares.]
May'sle walk.
[He picks a direction at random and starts walking, slowly. It might better be described as lumbering.]
What's this about, then? Do you have some sort of news?
[ Mel follows him, though there's a moment's pause where she realizes she's...probably given the wrong impression now, and she frowns. ]
Part of this was to check in on you, frankly.
[ And to just be out, because she knows it's easier for her to continue to hide behind texts and a device and keep things at a distance, but she wants to try to be more personable. ]
I do have information to catch you up on, certainly, but most of this was just to see you. It's been some weeks and we left things off in a way that I wanted to ensure you were doing all right.
[ She doesn't want to say acclimating because this place is horrible, and no one should need to get used to anything here. And yet. ]
I apologize, I've...possibly come across too seriously.
Y'think? Come on, Councillor, loosen your tie a bit. This ain't office hours.
[He nudges her elbow gently with his. Chill the hell out! He's just a guy!]
Appreciate you checkin' in and making the effort to see me, though. I'm... Alright. Was in quite the funk and made it worse with my drinking, but I'm doing my best to clean up my act now. Corruption's kicking my arse a bit, but I got a job and I'm trying to help those folks out with their farming and food distribution.
[Some of his enunciation is a bit off because of the large canine teeth that are now noticeable when he opens his mouth. Sort of like a lisp, but with consonants like f and v.]
[ She actually manages to look a little surprised by the nudge, though there's a faint smile that follows. ]
It's difficult to step out of the role, I'll admit.
[ Even though she knows she'll never be a part of Piltover's council again, it still feels too difficult to put down the mask she wears. It's her armor and her defense, even if she wouldn't attribute it to the council itself. Still, she offers a little bit of a shrug, somewhat more at ease as they walk. ]
I wouldn't blame you for struggling. I think all of us had our difficulties the first few weeks in coming to terms with a place like this.
[ It's said somewhat neutrally, as they're out in public, but the set of her mouth suggests an undercurrent of anger. ]
But tell me about the farm and food distribution. That sounds exceedingly promising. There have been so many people here struggling for food, especially in East Sophia... Resources are spread so thin.
[She seems to have a ton of pressure on her shoulders, whether that's from her job at home, expectations of others, pressure she's putting on herself, or some combination. He can see her need to be professional, to be perfect, not a hair out of place, not to seem too human, because humans make mistakes and have weaknesses.
So, he knows better than to ask if she's had her own difficulties. He can tell they're not at that point yet.]
Don't know a ton of the details yet. There's some Gojo lad who's organizing the farms, and he's given Tifa money to start an operation cooking and distributing free meals out of the kitchen of the bar we work at. Also chatted with a young lady named Konoha who's trying to get a farm up and running. Offered my help a couple days a week with anything that needs brute strength in exchange for a meal.
Oh, I've met Gojo and Konoha. She's very kind, though quite humble. And Gojo...
[ Well, uh, he's. He's a guy. He's a weird guy, actually. Mel's at a loss for words on how to describe him, frankly; he's blunt and direct, but it's clear he has a good head and he seems to want what's best for people. It's hard for her to see the shape of him so clearly, though she wants to say he's trustworthy. ]
Those initiatives will be incredibly important if we can make them sustainable. Alleviating food insecurity here will start to turn things around. ...Or so I hope.
[ She's out of her depth here, though she won't say as much. ]
It's wonderful that you're able to do that. [ She smiles a little. ] I've wished, sometimes, that I was stronger — to offer something like lending a hand in the fields or on physical projects. It's not in my wheelhouse, unfortunately. But I think it eases some of the burden on the people in the city, especially with how some of them are so ill.
[Vander's somehow had absolutely no contact with Gojo yet. God knows what impression he'll get of him.]
Agreed. We need to get people out of dire straits. Take care of each other.
[He looks at her, thoughtfully. An interesting admission, that she wishes she had more physical strength.]
We've all got our strengths. God knows we need diplomatic types like you, too, for the hairy situation we find ourselves in. The city folk don't know what to make of us outsiders, and I'm not blind to the tensions we cause here.
[ It’s crucially important to take care of this city if they want any kind of better quality of life, if they want any of these people to improve. She thinks, briefly, to suggest that it might be some time before they are able to return home and reconsiders — some of them, after all, might not be able to return at all. So Mel nods her agreement, offering a quiet sigh. ]
Negotiations prove rather fruitless when we have enough of our number trying to rattle the cage. Not that I blame them.
[ In her darker moments, when she knows the bird-soul is at its loudest, she wishes she could strike out and do something, even when her rational mind knows such a thing would be foolish even on the best of days. ]
I fear we don’t have enough time for it. I am…quickly changing, and I no longer know how palatable I can be for the people here. [ It’s frustrating. It shows in her eyes, that harder edge of glinted hazel. ] We’ve been brought here to help them, to help this world, and surely Patho-Gen knows what we’ll look like before all of this is over. And still…
[ And still, people will fear them. How much longer can they even stay in the city? ]
[There are definitely Augmented folks who are rightfully angry at Patho-Gen and the situation they've all been shoved into. And then there's Augmented like Vander who aren't helping their reputation by shifting in the streets.]
They'll just have to change their palates then, won't they?
[ There's a quiet little laugh as he says he may have contributed. Mel shrugs and, finally, lets down a bit of the wall. ]
I'm sure it was deserved, whatever you did. And plenty of our changes are not things we can hide, suppress, or stop. The very idea that we can control these things—
[ It's just irritating, frankly. She has so many issues with how Patho-Gen does their work. Their choice to withhold information from the Augmented and the people alike feels deliberate, like it might eventually build towards real strife. The emotion is reflected in her voice at last. ]
They should've been warned ahead of time. I don't much care if Patho-Gen doesn't know how we'll all be changing; they've done no preparation to adequately warn anyone of what's to come, and I worry that it'll inevitably lead to more and more problems with the populace. [ And then, a shrug. ] ...Frankly, they will need to change their palates, one way or another.
[Her tone as she says they can't suppress or stop their souls makes him look at her with more consideration in his eyes. He's felt completely out of control since he got here, so it's nice to hear that someone gets that, and doesn't see it as his fault.
... Maybe. She doesn't know all the details, so she might think differently if she did.]
One way or another, mm?
[His lip quirks up slightly- half curious, half amused.]
Are we not here to help them? If we are to be here for some time, they will have to accept what is here.
[ It sounds plain, even cruel in some senses, but it's true: if they want help, then the aid that's been provided is that of outsiders who can turn into creatures. Their choices are to carry on as they have been or to accept what's been provided, with all of the fur, scales, and overgrowths that come with it. She sighs, curling her hands in front of her, wishing her fingers did not look as terrible as they do. ]
Most of us wish to help. [ There will never be complete consensus on this. ] I would like to think that we can work past outer appearances for a mutual goal. Especially when we have especially kind people among our number, who...
[ Ugh, she reins in what she wishes to say, that some people are bleeding hearts who have to be protected lest they bleed out. ]
...who will go beyond what is necessary to help anyone. I don't want them to lose faith that their efforts are not appreciated. Or for them to believe they are alike to their outer appearances when they are so much more.
[He was wondering if she'd meant something more violent for making the Karterians accept them, but of course, she's thinking of the aid part of it. Not violence.]
Beggers can't be choosers, eh? Take your pick: a slow agonizing death, or living with us freaky monster people.
[He tilts his head again in consideration of her compassion for her fellow Augmented.]
Sounds like you're talkin' about someone specific.
I know which one I would choose if I was a native here.
[ Would it be an easy adjustment? Not at all. But she'd prefer to survive among creatures than to die a terrible death, or to see the people around her fall apart in the worst ways.
Mel rubs at one of her arms absently. ]
It's no one in particular. [ Not completely a lie. ] I've met a handful of people who truly care but to their detriment.
[ Jayce, Viktor. Hythlodaeus, Momo. Ace, even Texas. ]
I'm hoping groups of us can convince the people to see us as we are. Just...people who unfortunately are changing. I've asked some of the Augmented to help me by keeping an eye on the streets, on the populace, and to help whenever and however they can. So we can avoid what happened in East Sophia from happening again. But, again--
[ People overextend, overtax themselves, pour from an empty cup. She worries for the longevity of such a project and the effects it will have on people. ]
Yeah, well, when someone's got it in their head you're less than human, it can be impossible to change their mind. Even moreso when a bunch of them have the same idea at once.
[Not that he's speaking from experience. Not that he's thinking of fucking Marcus calling his kids sump rats.]
[ The irony isn't lost on her. Mel doesn't wince but her gaze softens, regretful. ]
True enough. I...worry that at some point we'll need to leave this city. But being beyond the barrier for long stretches of time, alone and otherwise, likely won't keep our changes under control.
[ Not that they're under control here, either. They're all fumbling along and trying to figure things out. ]
I think it was just after you arrived. There were people missing in the district, with people wearing suits wandering around. The Velvet Claw asked us to investigate. Rather, citizens put in an ad to get help. We... [ Her throat closes briefly. ] ...I don't know if the people we found were connected completely. But there were bones and pieces of bodies in the Asphodel Fields, in the marshlands. And, further out, walking corpses. Creatures without souls or thought any longer.
[ Mel stares straight ahead because she knows if she looks on him, he'll see the agony and horror in her eyes at the memory. How her newfound ability to see souls only made the reality all the worse. But her hands, folded into each other, are clenched tight enough to bleach her knuckles; her lips are pressed so firmly together that they could shatter stone. ]
[Vander hums, considering this. It's possible. He wonders why Patho-Gen didn't just put them in their own little city outside the barrier in the first place. To keep better surveillance, maybe.]
We might. They may decide enough is enough and exile us. So long as we all had each other, I think we'd be alright.
[But there's a bit of pain in his voice. It brings up memories of Zaun, of being barred from participation in higher society, kept down in the dirt where no one had to look at them. Treated less than human. It'd be hard to go through all that again in a new place.]
Gods... That's horrible.
[He's looking at her anyway, her tense expression, the pain in her eyes.]
[ Alas, as cynical as she is, she doesn't know that she believes it. And Vander's tone is worth noting: she imagines it won't be so different from home, being a part of a group outcast from 'civil' society. Something else to be remorseful over. Silco would love to see her and Jayce experience the same suffering and perhaps it's deserved. But Vander shouldn't have to go through it all again.
Mel shakes her head to his question. ]
Not as far as I'm aware. We imagine they were kidnapped. I've asked for some Augmented presence in East Sophia to try to keep an eye on things. In fact, I'd like more of our presence throughout the city just to get eyes on things, be available to support, make ourselves as 'friendly' helpers.
[ Be indispensable, so when the time comes for them to be ostracized, it will be that much harder to convince the common person to let the Augmented be pushed out. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
voicemail. (idk, mid-late month?)
Date: 2025-06-20 02:20 am (UTC)[ What a way to start a voicemail. She's not good at this cold-calling thing. ]
When you've a moment, let me know.
voice
Date: 2025-06-20 08:50 pm (UTC)He didn't expect to hear from Mel like this. He'd honestly thought she gave him her contact information just as a platitude because he was down when they met, or maybe just as one of those things politicians do for networking. Never know when a connection might come in handy, et cetera. He didn't think she'd call just to check in- and so he gets the feeling this might be more than a check-in, anyway.
His voice is still thick and gruff with sleep when he answers.]
Oh. Mel. [He clears his throat.] Yeah, I can talk. I'm... Still kicking, at least. How're you?
no subject
Date: 2025-06-21 03:52 pm (UTC)[ She hadn't realized he might've been sleeping in or catching up on rest. ]
Things are as well as one can expect in a place like this. [ Not bad, not good. ] But I imagine that's par for the course.
I wanted to know if you had some time this week to meet briefly. There are a few things I'd like to speak about. [ More that she wants to check in but, hey, there's plenty to talk about too. ] Do any days or times this week work best for you?
no subject
Date: 2025-06-21 06:57 pm (UTC)[He makes a strong hum of agreement. As well as one can expect, yep, that sums it up.
She's so formal that he wonders if she has some sort of proposal for him. Not that he can think of much he'd be of use to her for.]
Sure. I work a few nights but I'm always free in the afternoons. Just say where and when.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-21 11:14 pm (UTC)[ She sends him a file that's just a pinpoint on a map in Karteria, specifically in the East Sophia district. It's outside of a small grocer that carries tea and coffee, but it's not a 'coffee shop' technically. Just a place to buy goods, but it's a pretty well known street. ]
About two?
-> action
Date: 2025-06-22 12:37 am (UTC)Sure. See you then.
[And he shows up, on time, out front of that shop. It's convenient, since he works in this area anyway. He looks tired, and it's possible he's even bigger than he was the last time she saw him, and more wolfy. Some grey fur lines his face, tufting in his beard and hairline, and spreading down his arms. His fingertips each have band-aids around them, where his nailbeds have cracked due to claws sprouting.]
no subject
Date: 2025-06-24 10:43 pm (UTC)I appreciate you meeting with me.
[ He looks...almost as if he's aged since she's seen him, more grey, but she doesn't notice until she's a bit closer that he even seems a bit taller. And the grey isn't from his beard, necessarily, but fur. ]
Do you want to take a look at any of the wares? Or would you prefer to walk?
no subject
Date: 2025-06-25 04:15 am (UTC)He shrugs. He doesn't have much interest in the wares.]
May'sle walk.
[He picks a direction at random and starts walking, slowly. It might better be described as lumbering.]
What's this about, then? Do you have some sort of news?
no subject
Date: 2025-06-25 01:55 pm (UTC)Part of this was to check in on you, frankly.
[ And to just be out, because she knows it's easier for her to continue to hide behind texts and a device and keep things at a distance, but she wants to try to be more personable. ]
I do have information to catch you up on, certainly, but most of this was just to see you. It's been some weeks and we left things off in a way that I wanted to ensure you were doing all right.
[ She doesn't want to say acclimating because this place is horrible, and no one should need to get used to anything here. And yet. ]
I apologize, I've...possibly come across too seriously.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-25 11:24 pm (UTC)Y'think? Come on, Councillor, loosen your tie a bit. This ain't office hours.
[He nudges her elbow gently with his. Chill the hell out! He's just a guy!]
Appreciate you checkin' in and making the effort to see me, though. I'm... Alright. Was in quite the funk and made it worse with my drinking, but I'm doing my best to clean up my act now. Corruption's kicking my arse a bit, but I got a job and I'm trying to help those folks out with their farming and food distribution.
[Some of his enunciation is a bit off because of the large canine teeth that are now noticeable when he opens his mouth. Sort of like a lisp, but with consonants like f and v.]
no subject
Date: 2025-06-26 03:17 am (UTC)It's difficult to step out of the role, I'll admit.
[ Even though she knows she'll never be a part of Piltover's council again, it still feels too difficult to put down the mask she wears. It's her armor and her defense, even if she wouldn't attribute it to the council itself. Still, she offers a little bit of a shrug, somewhat more at ease as they walk. ]
I wouldn't blame you for struggling. I think all of us had our difficulties the first few weeks in coming to terms with a place like this.
[ It's said somewhat neutrally, as they're out in public, but the set of her mouth suggests an undercurrent of anger. ]
But tell me about the farm and food distribution. That sounds exceedingly promising. There have been so many people here struggling for food, especially in East Sophia... Resources are spread so thin.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-01 06:21 pm (UTC)[She seems to have a ton of pressure on her shoulders, whether that's from her job at home, expectations of others, pressure she's putting on herself, or some combination. He can see her need to be professional, to be perfect, not a hair out of place, not to seem too human, because humans make mistakes and have weaknesses.
So, he knows better than to ask if she's had her own difficulties. He can tell they're not at that point yet.]
Don't know a ton of the details yet. There's some Gojo lad who's organizing the farms, and he's given Tifa money to start an operation cooking and distributing free meals out of the kitchen of the bar we work at. Also chatted with a young lady named Konoha who's trying to get a farm up and running. Offered my help a couple days a week with anything that needs brute strength in exchange for a meal.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-02 03:56 pm (UTC)[ Well, uh, he's. He's a guy. He's a weird guy, actually. Mel's at a loss for words on how to describe him, frankly; he's blunt and direct, but it's clear he has a good head and he seems to want what's best for people. It's hard for her to see the shape of him so clearly, though she wants to say he's trustworthy. ]
Those initiatives will be incredibly important if we can make them sustainable. Alleviating food insecurity here will start to turn things around. ...Or so I hope.
[ She's out of her depth here, though she won't say as much. ]
It's wonderful that you're able to do that. [ She smiles a little. ] I've wished, sometimes, that I was stronger — to offer something like lending a hand in the fields or on physical projects. It's not in my wheelhouse, unfortunately. But I think it eases some of the burden on the people in the city, especially with how some of them are so ill.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-07 11:43 pm (UTC)Agreed. We need to get people out of dire straits. Take care of each other.
[He looks at her, thoughtfully. An interesting admission, that she wishes she had more physical strength.]
We've all got our strengths. God knows we need diplomatic types like you, too, for the hairy situation we find ourselves in. The city folk don't know what to make of us outsiders, and I'm not blind to the tensions we cause here.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-08 08:19 pm (UTC)Negotiations prove rather fruitless when we have enough of our number trying to rattle the cage. Not that I blame them.
[ In her darker moments, when she knows the bird-soul is at its loudest, she wishes she could strike out and do something, even when her rational mind knows such a thing would be foolish even on the best of days. ]
I fear we don’t have enough time for it. I am…quickly changing, and I no longer know how palatable I can be for the people here. [ It’s frustrating. It shows in her eyes, that harder edge of glinted hazel. ] We’ve been brought here to help them, to help this world, and surely Patho-Gen knows what we’ll look like before all of this is over. And still…
[ And still, people will fear them. How much longer can they even stay in the city? ]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-16 02:36 am (UTC)[There are definitely Augmented folks who are rightfully angry at Patho-Gen and the situation they've all been shoved into. And then there's Augmented like Vander who aren't helping their reputation by shifting in the streets.]
They'll just have to change their palates then, won't they?
no subject
Date: 2025-07-16 01:41 pm (UTC)I'm sure it was deserved, whatever you did. And plenty of our changes are not things we can hide, suppress, or stop. The very idea that we can control these things—
[ It's just irritating, frankly. She has so many issues with how Patho-Gen does their work. Their choice to withhold information from the Augmented and the people alike feels deliberate, like it might eventually build towards real strife. The emotion is reflected in her voice at last. ]
They should've been warned ahead of time. I don't much care if Patho-Gen doesn't know how we'll all be changing; they've done no preparation to adequately warn anyone of what's to come, and I worry that it'll inevitably lead to more and more problems with the populace. [ And then, a shrug. ] ...Frankly, they will need to change their palates, one way or another.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-26 02:53 am (UTC)... Maybe. She doesn't know all the details, so she might think differently if she did.]
One way or another, mm?
[His lip quirks up slightly- half curious, half amused.]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-26 04:23 pm (UTC)[ It sounds plain, even cruel in some senses, but it's true: if they want help, then the aid that's been provided is that of outsiders who can turn into creatures. Their choices are to carry on as they have been or to accept what's been provided, with all of the fur, scales, and overgrowths that come with it. She sighs, curling her hands in front of her, wishing her fingers did not look as terrible as they do. ]
Most of us wish to help. [ There will never be complete consensus on this. ] I would like to think that we can work past outer appearances for a mutual goal. Especially when we have especially kind people among our number, who...
[ Ugh, she reins in what she wishes to say, that some people are bleeding hearts who have to be protected lest they bleed out. ]
...who will go beyond what is necessary to help anyone. I don't want them to lose faith that their efforts are not appreciated. Or for them to believe they are alike to their outer appearances when they are so much more.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-30 12:29 am (UTC)Beggers can't be choosers, eh? Take your pick: a slow agonizing death, or living with us freaky monster people.
[He tilts his head again in consideration of her compassion for her fellow Augmented.]
Sounds like you're talkin' about someone specific.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-30 04:08 pm (UTC)[ Would it be an easy adjustment? Not at all. But she'd prefer to survive among creatures than to die a terrible death, or to see the people around her fall apart in the worst ways.
Mel rubs at one of her arms absently. ]
It's no one in particular. [ Not completely a lie. ] I've met a handful of people who truly care but to their detriment.
[ Jayce, Viktor. Hythlodaeus, Momo. Ace, even Texas. ]
I'm hoping groups of us can convince the people to see us as we are. Just...people who unfortunately are changing. I've asked some of the Augmented to help me by keeping an eye on the streets, on the populace, and to help whenever and however they can. So we can avoid what happened in East Sophia from happening again. But, again--
[ People overextend, overtax themselves, pour from an empty cup. She worries for the longevity of such a project and the effects it will have on people. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-03 02:49 am (UTC)[Not that he's speaking from experience. Not that he's thinking of fucking Marcus calling his kids sump rats.]
What happened in East Sophia?
no subject
Date: 2025-08-03 06:22 pm (UTC)True enough. I...worry that at some point we'll need to leave this city. But being beyond the barrier for long stretches of time, alone and otherwise, likely won't keep our changes under control.
[ Not that they're under control here, either. They're all fumbling along and trying to figure things out. ]
I think it was just after you arrived. There were people missing in the district, with people wearing suits wandering around. The Velvet Claw asked us to investigate. Rather, citizens put in an ad to get help. We... [ Her throat closes briefly. ] ...I don't know if the people we found were connected completely. But there were bones and pieces of bodies in the Asphodel Fields, in the marshlands. And, further out, walking corpses. Creatures without souls or thought any longer.
[ Mel stares straight ahead because she knows if she looks on him, he'll see the agony and horror in her eyes at the memory. How her newfound ability to see souls only made the reality all the worse. But her hands, folded into each other, are clenched tight enough to bleach her knuckles; her lips are pressed so firmly together that they could shatter stone. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-10 07:32 pm (UTC)We might. They may decide enough is enough and exile us. So long as we all had each other, I think we'd be alright.
[But there's a bit of pain in his voice. It brings up memories of Zaun, of being barred from participation in higher society, kept down in the dirt where no one had to look at them. Treated less than human. It'd be hard to go through all that again in a new place.]
Gods... That's horrible.
[He's looking at her anyway, her tense expression, the pain in her eyes.]
And still no clue how this happened?
no subject
Date: 2025-08-11 06:17 pm (UTC)[ Alas, as cynical as she is, she doesn't know that she believes it. And Vander's tone is worth noting: she imagines it won't be so different from home, being a part of a group outcast from 'civil' society. Something else to be remorseful over. Silco would love to see her and Jayce experience the same suffering and perhaps it's deserved. But Vander shouldn't have to go through it all again.
Mel shakes her head to his question. ]
Not as far as I'm aware. We imagine they were kidnapped. I've asked for some Augmented presence in East Sophia to try to keep an eye on things. In fact, I'd like more of our presence throughout the city just to get eyes on things, be available to support, make ourselves as 'friendly' helpers.
[ Be indispensable, so when the time comes for them to be ostracized, it will be that much harder to convince the common person to let the Augmented be pushed out. ]