Right, [ Matt agrees immediately, though so vehemently he sounds exasperated. His grip on Gavial's hand tightens a moment in emphasis. ] I don't understand why people have such a thing about sickness--
Okay, no, I do. It's fear of death. [ He huffs a sigh. ] But grow up, you know? We're such bullies as people. We have our little fears and we let them steer us until we take them out on people who ... usually have less than us, objectively. Like werewolves weren't even allowed to have credit cards in my country until like the 1970s.
[ He's thinking something similar to Gavial, though he doesn't realize it. He admits and agrees there's a lot about the universe he can't possibly understand, but literally what positive purpose does prejudice serve? It comes from something inherent to people, something good--the ability to form bonds. But he hates the idea of throwing up his hands and saying it's just the way things have to be. It leaves so much suffering in the ledger.
After a moment, though, he realizes he's holding onto her a little too tight. He relaxes his grip with a sheepish sigh, more breath than laugh. ]
So, you know. I want to use my powers to help people back home. But they don't really want help from people like me.
[She lets her head fall back onto the sofa cushion behind her, a scowl on her face and an agitated flick of her tail alongside her for emphasis. There’s a moment in which she give his hand a brief squeeze in return, because, yeah. She gets it.]
Place I worked for was dedicated to helping out the Infected. And it’s not like they were the only ones we helped, but since so many of us there were also sick… lotta healthy folks reacted real bad to getting a hand from us.
[To be somewhat fair, a lot of the flak Gavial got came from her, uh, abysmal bedside manner, but the fact that she’s Infected too and not all that fussed about hiding it didn’t help matters.]
Almost hate to say it, but giving a world a clean slate away from that sorta thing is kinda part of why I ended up sticking to things here with Zenith. Wish fixing those kinds of problems was as easy as knocking some sense into people.
[Yes, she means that literally. Sometimes it could be that easy. But it’s not a simple problem to solve, and that certainly wasn’t the right tool for the job. Outside of Acahualla, at least.]
[ Matt sighs: sympathy, exasperation on her behalf, understanding. A hint of wistfulness. It's a lot to ask of one exhalation, but Matt's an old hand at channeling through his breath.
For a moment, he focuses on their hands. On his original intentions for Gavial. He feels the whisper of Zenith between them like cool beams of moonlight, and sits back satisfied. ]
I was told with ... a pretty compelling level of certainty ... that it's an abomination to change the world the way Zenith wants to, [ he says. ] That the only way mortals can make change is the usual routes--slow, uncertain, collective action based. Something about autonomy. [ His lips quirk. ] The precise mechanism is a little vague, but I do agree I'm too limited to create a system as complex as a world.
I just also have such a hard time thinking about leaving everything as it is. Having the potential to unlock a power like that, and then turning around and going back to the devil I know.
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Okay, no, I do. It's fear of death. [ He huffs a sigh. ] But grow up, you know? We're such bullies as people. We have our little fears and we let them steer us until we take them out on people who ... usually have less than us, objectively. Like werewolves weren't even allowed to have credit cards in my country until like the 1970s.
[ He's thinking something similar to Gavial, though he doesn't realize it. He admits and agrees there's a lot about the universe he can't possibly understand, but literally what positive purpose does prejudice serve? It comes from something inherent to people, something good--the ability to form bonds. But he hates the idea of throwing up his hands and saying it's just the way things have to be. It leaves so much suffering in the ledger.
After a moment, though, he realizes he's holding onto her a little too tight. He relaxes his grip with a sheepish sigh, more breath than laugh. ]
So, you know. I want to use my powers to help people back home. But they don't really want help from people like me.
no subject
[She lets her head fall back onto the sofa cushion behind her, a scowl on her face and an agitated flick of her tail alongside her for emphasis. There’s a moment in which she give his hand a brief squeeze in return, because, yeah. She gets it.]
Place I worked for was dedicated to helping out the Infected. And it’s not like they were the only ones we helped, but since so many of us there were also sick… lotta healthy folks reacted real bad to getting a hand from us.
[To be somewhat fair, a lot of the flak Gavial got came from her, uh, abysmal bedside manner, but the fact that she’s Infected too and not all that fussed about hiding it didn’t help matters.]
Almost hate to say it, but giving a world a clean slate away from that sorta thing is kinda part of why I ended up sticking to things here with Zenith. Wish fixing those kinds of problems was as easy as knocking some sense into people.
[Yes, she means that literally. Sometimes it could be that easy. But it’s not a simple problem to solve, and that certainly wasn’t the right tool for the job. Outside of Acahualla, at least.]
no subject
For a moment, he focuses on their hands. On his original intentions for Gavial. He feels the whisper of Zenith between them like cool beams of moonlight, and sits back satisfied. ]
I was told with ... a pretty compelling level of certainty ... that it's an abomination to change the world the way Zenith wants to, [ he says. ] That the only way mortals can make change is the usual routes--slow, uncertain, collective action based. Something about autonomy. [ His lips quirk. ] The precise mechanism is a little vague, but I do agree I'm too limited to create a system as complex as a world.
I just also have such a hard time thinking about leaving everything as it is. Having the potential to unlock a power like that, and then turning around and going back to the devil I know.