Oh, fuck off-- [ Nell is replying before he's finished the word pathetic, because it is a long word in Nevarran and she gets the gist midway and also because he can fuck off and telling him so is comfortingly familiar.
Then he goes on, and she barks a laugh, taken completely by surprise. ]
[ Kostos still sounds vaguely offended by this horrific act of attempted charity. But he probably shouldn't throw things at blind people, if only for the sake of public relations. ]
You shouldn't be. It was far, far beneath anyone's dignity.
But I thought you might be.
[ There's a pause that isn't quite silent. He inhales a couples of times, and each time makes noises that are nearly the beginnings of words, but abandoned before there's any sound other than air to go with them, before he arrives at something he can say. ]
Next time I'll come with you. We can let Gareth nanny.
[ Hopefully there will never be a next time and it will never come to that, if only because it might mean coming back to find the mages barricaded in a room behind dining tables throwing fire into the hallway. ]
[ She doesn't mean that hardly at all, but solidarity is more important than honesty and she doesn't linger second-guessing it. She doesn't linger long over his plan, either, not interested in trying to read into the making of the offer when he'd been quite certain about the wisdom of the opposite course, before. ]
Good [ is about all she says, firm, no sentiment in her tone ] He could do with the experience.
[ At best, but Nell's at about a B- on the opposite argument at the moment anyway, so whatever. ]
Yeah. And we need to make sure everyone focuses on this as a victory, anyway. We'll keep a close eye on those who didn't join us but moving against them now wouldn't serve us, even if we had a way.
Is it? I know we can paint it as one, and we will. Just forcing them to negotiate with us on this at all is, in some sense, an incredible step forward.
But I can't help feeling we've fallen into their trap. We tried to play by their rules and have now had to concede things to them in return, like our freedom is something to barter and buy piecemeal and not something we deserve the whole of without caveat. Why are we paying for something we are owed?
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Then he goes on, and she barks a laugh, taken completely by surprise. ]
You did what? Why?
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[ Kostos still sounds vaguely offended by this horrific act of attempted charity. But he probably shouldn't throw things at blind people, if only for the sake of public relations. ]
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Don't get cocky. I would have done it if you were here.
[ The unexplained connecting thread between if I were there you would regret it and the current roll-throwing discussion. ]
And if I were there I am sure I could find something to throw at Commander Cullen.
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[ so there? ]
Come on, tell me the context! Shivana offered you a roll, and... what? You just bounced it off his head from a foot away?
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He was walking away. He's still working, you know, and he tried to give me things. He said he'd heard I was short. [ Horrendous. ] I'm not proud.
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I'm proud.
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But I thought you might be.
[ There's a pause that isn't quite silent. He inhales a couples of times, and each time makes noises that are nearly the beginnings of words, but abandoned before there's any sound other than air to go with them, before he arrives at something he can say. ]
Next time I'll come with you. We can let Gareth nanny.
[ Hopefully there will never be a next time and it will never come to that, if only because it might mean coming back to find the mages barricaded in a room behind dining tables throwing fire into the hallway. ]
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[ She doesn't mean that hardly at all, but solidarity is more important than honesty and she doesn't linger second-guessing it. She doesn't linger long over his plan, either, not interested in trying to read into the making of the offer when he'd been quite certain about the wisdom of the opposite course, before. ]
Good [ is about all she says, firm, no sentiment in her tone ] He could do with the experience.
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He wants to find a way to punish those who didn't join us.
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[ A vague, non-committal noise. Thoughtful, but from her thoughtful does not necessarily bode well. ]
I can understand the temptation. If we'd made a stronger, more unified stand we might not have had to concede so much.
[ She's probably just trying to push him into hashing out the counter-argument. Probably. ]
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We've been divisive enough for one month. This is important, it's worth it, but if we don't... If we don't let it go and focus—
[ B- for effort? ]
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Yeah. And we need to make sure everyone focuses on this as a victory, anyway. We'll keep a close eye on those who didn't join us but moving against them now wouldn't serve us, even if we had a way.
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[ Between the two of them they can come up with something that sounds more convincing later, probably. Surely. ]
It is a victory. Whatever you end up with.
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But I can't help feeling we've fallen into their trap. We tried to play by their rules and have now had to concede things to them in return, like our freedom is something to barter and buy piecemeal and not something we deserve the whole of without caveat. Why are we paying for something we are owed?
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