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

never apologize!

[agentlenpc]

[Piper cuts off that thread of yearning, and Fay isn't surprised. Though this isn't the same reaction as many have had to her, it's in line enough that it isn't unexpected, and it doesn't wound her much anymore.]

Hopefully soon, we all see a step in the right direction. Perhaps by asking a jury of landens and Blood to come to conclusion about this young man, we can make that first step.

[A pause.]

If Verim is fussing at you, let me know, and I'll flip the blankets off his toes.

[inducings]

[ The yearning may have been cut off, but it won't be forgotten. There is just... a lot coming through in this method of communication. She is still defensive over her own wounds, and there are rejections in her past she's not yet ready to face. ]

It will give them a voice and force them to meet each other on equal ground. [ Piper sends Fayura the equivalent of a small, hopeful smile through their mental connection. ] I think that sounds like it's going to be difficult, but a good opportunity for them.

[ If Verim is fussing -- Piper gives a brief and breathy laugh, a sudden relief of tension. ]

Fussing is a great word. [ Not because of what Verim is doing, but because of what she is sure she is going to be in for when she tells Jason about this. ] It's okay. It's - weird, but it's okay. Thank you.

[ And there's a smile of female solidarity in those words. Men.

...or well. Males, she supposes. ]

[agentlenpc]

[The break in tension is relief as much for Fay as for Piper, and she smiles faintly. This, she thinks, is what she needs to give the entire city—quite hard to do. But the more she experiences moments like these, the more she learns from the Strangers, the closer she thinks they all move toward a better solution.]

If it gets too weird, you're more than welcome to give him the mental equivalent of a bucket of cold water poured over his head. And if you don't feel comfortable doing that, say the word, and I will.

Kindly, of course.

[inducings]

[ Piper can't help grinning. This is something familiar. And that feels good after all this awfulness. ]

I'll keep that in mind. [ The mental equivalent of a bucket of cold water, huh? She hopes she can manage something like that, it sounds like something she should work on. ] Thank you, Lady Fayura.