psychic thread

[agentlenpc]

[The gentle brush against the Strangers' minds comes in early evening. It is, as all mental touches are from Fayura, soft and unassuming, much like a polite knock at a door. Once as many minds are connected as she thinks will open the door to her, she speaks.]

I am curious, Strangers, what you would do with the young man who shot and killed Councilwoman Vera.

Many of you come from worlds where there are laws against murder. While we have no such laws here, when a Blood male in a Queen's Territory kills another without cause, she may demand a price from him. Sometimes, that is his own life if he was negligent enough with his temper and sometimes, it's something less.

My trouble is this: if I execute him according to the laws of the Blood, of which he is not one, the Guilds will rouse their people into a furor and attack not only me, but the people of Draega. If I turn him over to the Ebon Council, the Guilds will do much the same, and that will incite the Council to strike back. And if I return him to the Guilds for accolades instead of punishment for taking a life, the Ebon Council will have cause to rip apart the Guilds and anyone in their way to extract from him the price for murdering one of their own.

Were you me, what course would you take? And please try not to shout over each other; this is as many of you as I could reach.

Comments

( psychic )

[retrorsum]

Many worlds imprison their criminals, sentenced for a period of time.

( psychic )

[agentlenpc]

Imprison?

[Fayura lapses into silence. This isn't something the Blood do frequently; their tempers are raw and explosive and usually when wronged, the offending party dies.]

And they simply... waste away? Forgive me if that seems ignorant, it isn't a common punishment here.

[retrorsum]

That depends on the prison. Some prefer to keep their captives alive.

[agentlenpc]

And these captives just... sit, locked away? That doesn't seem like a smart use of resources.

[She's thinking about how hard it would be to justify feeding someone who isn't working. Everyone in Draega helps to one degree or another. They're living so lean, they can't afford not to.]

[retrorsum]

Again, depending on the prison. Some put them to work. Strictly controlled.

[agentlenpc]

Are they paid for this work?

[Unease colors her tone.]

Draega has... a poor history with enslaving those who displeased her, and I'm loath to continue that practice. The witches who ruled here were rarely kind.

[retrorsum]

It isn't always a monetary payment. If the prison has an exchange system set up they can earn credits to purchase smaller luxuries. Those are the kinder ones.

( and certainly not the maximum security prisons that just locked you up )

[agentlenpc]

Some kind of payment, perhaps... [Her thoughts turn hazy for a moment, the link between their minds foggy and unfocused as she drifts through ideas and hypotheses. It's barely more than a second or two, a thoughtful pause and nothing more, but somehow feels weightier.]

I'll have to speak with Loren about it. I try very hard to avoid doing what the old Queens in Draega did. [A flash of disgust echoes between them, and it's linked strongly to the amphitheater as well as what was once empty ground in the center of the Bazaar. If River has been to that part of town, she'll know there's a pavilion there now, and people use it as a gathering place. Children play there. A small change for the better.] Everyone here works because we must to survive, asking someone to work more without payment... they did that. But this is good information to have. Jailing the Blood may prove difficult, but... Well, we are all rigid in our thinking at times. This is a nice alternative to executions and exile.

[retrorsum]

( it's certainly a little bit of a trip, river's mind trying to keep the psychic connection, though even with her own telepathy she can't quite compensate enough.

not until it comes back on its own )

What did the old Queens do? Or if there's somewhere I could read about it.

( there's been so much information given since her arrival that perhaps this is something she's been told but would need to refresh herself on, taking it in at her own pace. making sure she's paying full attention )

[agentlenpc]

[Fayura is quiet for a moment, as if the silence will help lend gravity to what she's about to say.]

Nothing good. There are... diaries, journals, things like that in the library in River East that talk around what the Queens were like, but the people lived in fear of their lives and held their tongues. What survives from before the Cataclysm suggests a gruesome rule by fear where people struck out against each other as a means of protection. If someone is dead, they can't hurt you. If a witch is broken, she can't enslave you.

[She swallows hard.]

You can also go to the amphitheater behind the Ebon Council's halls. They work in what used to be the Queen's Residence, and if... if you walk through those halls with your mind open—just a crack! Don't do more than that—you'll feel the echoes of the pain and the terror. Whoever ruled Hayll last... she was a monster.

[retrorsum]

How long ago was their rule?

( river would end up checking out both things, her own curious research in the library (no doubt about multiple things) as well as seeing what the amphitheather really was like )

[agentlenpc]

Five thousand years. Well. The last witch to rule here ruled five thousand years ago. Before that... I'm not sure when the last Queen ruled Draega. Maybe seven or eight thousand years.

[retrorsum]

Will it be in the library?

[agentlenpc]

[There's a long, long hesitation.]

You might... have better luck at Ebon Askavi. Their records are far more complete, but the Black Mountain is... it makes demands of those who visit.

[retrorsum]

Do you know what I can expect?

[agentlenpc]

Be polite and honest, and you'll find no danger there. And remember that power isn't always obvious. Strength can be a quiet thing.

[retrorsum]

A lot of people would disagree. Would you call the demands reasonable?

[midship]

With respect, ma'am, the utility often comes with the capacity to exchange prisoners in instances like this.

[agentlenpc]

[Ah. Hostages, she understands. She understands that concept very, very well.]

Then that is something to consider in more detail. [The whole idea repels her, but she isn't young and naive; idealism only gets a person so far. And, well, she's still Blood. She's gotten her hands dirty before. It's just that manipulation like this seems a worse thing to her than killing someone.] And I will. Consider it, that is.

[midship]

Consider treating yours well, ma'am.

[agentlenpc]

I would not abuse him. There has been enough abuse between the Blood and the landens. [This grieves her.] He is quite comfortable. But the reminder is appreciated.

[midship]

I'm certain you would-- hardly mean to.

[But it never hurts to be cautious. And it always hurts to think on his glimpses of the civilian prisoners of Ferrol languishing away.]

Being held, even gently, can... grate.

[agentlenpc]

[She winces, and for a moment, a feeling of being crushed in darkness washes through their connection. Wandering aimless roads that are as much freedom as they are prison. A mountain collapsing around those roads, and a lost, little girl overwhelmed by the yawning abyss beneath her.]

Yes. [Her mental voice is soft, so soft.] Yes, it can. I will see what I can do about balancing freedom with protection.

[midship]

--thank you, ma'am.

[What for? Unclear, even to himself.]

[agentlenpc]

[All that darkness fades in the face of a quiet laugh.]

For doing what is right? I'll take the thanks, I suppose. It comes rarely enough.

And I fear I've kept you too long. Thank you, Horatio, for your thoughts. [Kind of literally.]