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 Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:32 pm
His eyes widened against his will -- he'd have rather not shown as much emotion as he was, but it was difficult to restrain himself -- and Ganymede pushed himself back up into a seated position, his miniature top hat falling off in the process. He stared at Kallichore as if he could not and did not want to believe what she was saying, and after a few moments of struggling with himself, he didn't bother to hide the outright disgust that marred his expression.
"Kidnap and torture?" he repeated as if he'd misheard her, but he knew he hadn't. "Who the ******** thought that was a good idea? It's no wonder they hate us if some of us are pulling s**t like that! Are they insane?! What part of that did they think would actually work in our favor?! You can't torture people! I don't care how evil they are! You just... you just can't."
Almost as bad as such a thing happening was the fact that he would be judged by the actions of people whose side he was supposed to be on. He remembered the anger and hatred expressed by the Negaverse officer he'd faced during the fiasco that had followed his first encounter with Callisto, and now thought such feelings could easily justified. If there were senshi out there kidnapping and torturing and killing, those actions were going to speak louder than the ones by those who operated by more peaceful methods, and they would all be held accountable for the losses and damages, whether or not they'd had anything to do with it.
"Christ," he said, and flopped back down. "I hate this! You know, it serves them right, failing, if they're going to pull crap like that. Good riddance to them. I hope it's a spectacular implosion, because after all that I'd think they deserve it. Idiots. Please tell me there aren't any other groups using such medieval tactics."
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:24 am
The gray haired senshi could do nothing but blink at him for a few moments. "It doesn't matter who thought it was a good idea. They all operate by that code. As far as I know, they were much bigger in the beginning. I don't know why it's so small now other than a mass exodus after the failed operation. How many they lost is beyond me as well." Tapping her fingers against her chest for a few moments, she added, "No doubt they thought the 'killing the Negaverse officers' part would work in our favor. I believe it was meant to be information extraction and then the killing, but either way... I wasn't exactly there to see it myself."
She leaned back and stretched her arms. "Speaking of, though, I do wonder if that's how Wolframite lost his eye. I can't be sure - I've never seen him but a couple of times and every time, he'd been without that eye. It could be completely unrelated. It's all speculation on my part." That part was true - she'd never seen Wolframite with two eyes, and for all she knew, he was born that way or lost his eye to something completely unrelated. Or hell, he could still have had an eye and the patch was to keep it safe. Who knew? She wasn't about to go asking him about it, especially after the failed operation she took part in several weeks ago. Somehow the fact that the operation against Zinkenite failed so spectacularly was almost amusing. Like it was karma, but not against Kallichore. It was against Birhan and to some extent, Ares.
To his next question, she shook her head in the negative. "No other groups like that that I'm aware of, no. Most tend to operate on a smaller scale and by their own rules. If there's another bloodthirsty group out there, then I've not heard of them." She nodded to herself, knowing this was the truth. Kallichore liked to think she was good at researching and interested in knowing all she could know.
"If you had a group, what would you do, Ganymede? How would you expect the group to operate? I'm curious. Would you end the war by inciting a rebellion like you said before?" Kallichore had an honest curiosity in her voice then. She was interested to see how Ganymede would operate within a group and how he would go about bringing peace to the planet. Obviously he was against 'medieval tactics'. The super senshi was reconsidering her motives herself.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:32 am
Ganymede stared up at the sky without bothering to quell the look of disgust still upon his face. He didn't know whether he was more disturbed by the very thought that people could actually do that to one another or angry that he was being lumped in with those lunatics simply because they were senshi and he happened to awaken as a senshi. It was unfair, but then he'd noted quite a bit of unfairness going on in his life lately. He wondered if circumstances would ever be otherwise.
He frowned at the moon as if this injustice were somehow the fault of whatever royal being was supposedly going to come and put an end to all the fighting. Whoever she was, she was certainly taking her time about it. It seemed like a lot of bullshit to him, and he couldn't imagine he'd be very receptive of her if she did happen to show up. Not after all this...
"Lost an eye?" he wondered, momentarily confused by what she was talking about, as he had a difficult time keeping track of names and couldn't immediately recall if he'd heard that one before. Whether he had or not, it didn't take long for him to make a very good guess as to whom she was speaking of. The Negaverse agent he'd faced during the Callisto Incident had worn an eye-patch. "I don't know when that happened. He had the patch during the dream battles, and that was back in February. I saw him very briefly before he and Europa went off to fight somewhere. Either way, it doesn't matter if anything bad happened to him personally or not. You can't blame him for hating our guts if those people," he didn't even deign them with the respect of calling them by their proper name, "are going around killing and torturing. I'd be pissed if someone tortured or killed my friends."
So much for living in a civilized world. And thinking that some of them -- hell, probably all of them -- were close to his age made him feel extremely uncomfortable and sick to his stomach. People who were barely adults had no business causing pain and shedding blood.
"I wouldn't do things like that," he said. He'd never put much thought into a group, but then he'd never intended to work that closely with other people. He'd preferred to be on his own, at least until he'd found out that Chris was Valhalla. "And I don't think inciting rebellion would end the war, necessarily, it would just be a way of destabilizing them, or trying to find some sort of an equal ground with the ones that aren't so... well, like the kid with the eye-patch. He's either seriously pissed off about something or he buys into the propaganda, or both. But, you know, others might be more open. It doesn't have to be about one side winning over the other. There's this thing called compromise."
He didn't think there'd be any chance of that at this point, but it wasn't impossible -- just improbable given the current climate.
"I'd do what I do now. No killing, except the youma. No attacking unless attacked first or defending the innocent. Protect civilians. Try to work things out, to understand, instead of jumping right in and following the pattern that's been set for however long this has been going on. It isn't working and it just results in more people dying."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:24 am
Ganymede's statement of being pissed if someone tortured or killed his friends made her frown. Well, that makes perfect sense. I would be pretty pissed myself. she thought, looking down at the ground for a moment. If I was asked before all this to do that to someone, would I? Probably. When you're that desperate to make a difference, you can make some unsavory choices... To herself, she muttered, "...glad I don't have that blood on my hands... It's too much." Indeed, how could those Blood Moon people live with themselves? Sure, Kallichore had given it some thought, but obviously not enough to see the real repercussions of those actions. She thought it was duty and nothing more, like the Negaverse agents weren't any better than scum. Less than scum, really, with no rights as a human being. She was beginning to wonder what came over her.
Leaning back, Kallichore regarded her Jovian ally (could she even call him that?) carefully. "Compromise? Do you think we actually could compromise with them? I would think either it's been tried and it failed, or it's never been attempted at all since the war is still happening. It's been going on for years." She looked out over the city and wondered then if anyone had even thought of trying to negotiate. No doubt someone had thought of it, but either didn't try it or it didn't work. Without having met Queen Beryl or more than one or two generals, Kallichore had no idea if compromise would even be a viable option at all.
"I've heard," she started, trying to recall everything Pasiphae had said to her, "that there is a Negaverse officer who has been, ah... cleansed? I believe that's what Pasiphae said. Cleansed or purified." With a flicker of her hand, she dropped that argument and continued. "Regardless, I believe her name is Lina. Used to be a Negaverse general and something happened that caused her to switch sides. Permanently. I don't know the force behind it, but Pasiphae believes the process can be used on other Negaverse agents." Perhaps that would be helpful when formulating a winning strategy. The senshi of shame had met the knight before and would probably have a better chance at meeting her again. Kallichore was very interested in how this Lina got out from under Beryl and how the process could be repeated.
When Ganymede explained his tactics for battle, Kallichore tried to stifle a frown. Waiting to be attacked was what could get you killed faster than fighting in the first place. He did have a point about protecting civilians (which is something she did, she reminded herself) but trying to talk to them... it didn't work. At least, not for her. Perhaps she wasn't meant to be the ambassador anyway.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:36 pm
"I think people give up on compromise as a viable solution because it's not always easy. People like to do what's easiest," Ganymede replied. He pushed himself back up into a seated position, and stared at her seriously as he spoke, almost scrutinizing her. "I told you that before. People fight and kill because it's easier than the alternative. But, cliché as it is to say, life isn't easy. When has it ever been?"
He didn't want to be drawn into the same argument again, and so he was going to let the issue drop until Kallichore divulged her next piece of information -- that of the Negaverse agent who'd successfully been purified. He wasn't exactly interested in how it had happened -- not immediately, though that would come later -- but he did grab onto it as if such knowledge could solve everything.
"Well, that just proves my point, doesn't it?" he said. "Not all of them are incapable of being persuaded. Some of them can be brought out of that situation. If there's one, there's more," he reasoned. He couldn't help feeling a bit self-satisfied.
"I don't think it'd be possible with all of them, but it might be for certain ones. Trying to persuade them not to fight us is better than having to kill them, the way I see it. They're still mostly human." 'Mostly,' he said. He knew there were those who could no longer be considered human. "They have families and friends the same as you and I do. They're fighting for something they believe in, just like me and you, and they think they're right. It doesn't matter if they are or not. For all we know, neither side is right, but the fact of the matter is that they think they are. We think we are. We look at them and we see 'the bad guys,' he said, sitting up straighter and using his hands to make air quotes, "but to them, we're the bag guys. But people can't be separated into just good and bad. I mean, look at me. No, I'm not going around killing people, but I do all sorts of petty, illegal things, along with the fact that I'm a hypocrite, I avoid my friends when things get bad, I'm not easy to get along with, I say mean things to people, but I still don't think I'm inherently bad."
He brought his legs back up to curl beneath him and dropped his hands into his lap. "So, no, I won't be killing and I won't be fighting unless it's necessary, and you can keep frowning like that if you want to. It's not going to change my mind, and I'll try to talk down as many half-blind lunatics as it takes to make a difference. There's been enough blood already. I won't be responsible for any more."
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 5:45 am
After a few moments, Kallichore nodded. "...while it's not my personal style, I think you should continue to talk down as many half-blind lunatics as will listen." She'd given up trying to act the part of the senshi who was desperate to find a compromise. She simply couldn't do it, but if this was how others were going to fight in the war, then who was she to tell them to stop? The ruthlessness that made Kallichore an excellent member of the Blood Moon was slowly subsiding in the wake of another court forming. She was calming down, little by little, but the progress was slow and hardly noticeable even to the senshi herself. "If you can talk them down, maybe we can figure out how to... fix them, I suppose. Bring them out of the darkness and show them what's really going on."
Based on all the information she'd gathered, her side seemed correct. Senshi were, by and large, helping to protect the city. Those few exceptions did tarnish the senshi name, but Kallichore told herself long ago that this was par for the course. Naturally someone or a group of someones would take things to the extreme and make a name for themselves. That wasn't why Kallichore joined them in the first place, but obviously since their tactics were not working... She shook her head. "Yes, they do have families and friends. Sometimes I forget that. Sometimes all I can think about is the person I saw them assault, or the senshi they'd killed. I suppose I'm lucky my attack can't kill anyone. If it did, I'd have a great deal of blood on my hands." She even looked down at them, and if she were a rank lower, she'd see those crimson gloves that reminded her so much of blood.
They reminded her of Ares and the vow she'd made.
"Perhaps we'll make a difference some day..." she breathed, finally dropping her hands into her lap. Disenfranchised to say the least since her current court's goals no longer aligned with her own. They were imploding and dying faster than anything she'd ever seen, and disappointment was rampant on her figure.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:24 am
Ganymede couldn't quell the nagging feeling inside that made him suspect Kallichore thought he was a fool.
He found that he didn't quite care.
He almost argued, almost started ranting and preaching again, but he bit his tongue and told himself that wasn't what he was here for. He was not here for arguments, and he felt he'd been sidetracked by them enough already. As much as he might not like Kallichore's methods, he thought it was important somehow that they be able to work together. Naturally, he would prefer someone a little less focused on what he thought were all the wrong things, but there would surely be situations in the future in which he couldn't really be picky.
"We're going to move on," he decided for the both of them. "For all our sakes, I hope we do make a difference, but for now let's just..." He wanted to say 'agree to disagree,' but he'd rather not bring any more attention to the fact that they still found themselves at odds with one another. He was sure they both knew that well enough.
"Is there anything else?" he asked, trying to get back to the whole reason he's sought her out. "I know a lot more now that I did before. Or I have a lot more to build off of, at least, but if there's more than that then I'm willing to hear it. I... don't really know how any of this started, or why." He'd simply been minding his own business when he'd been accosted by a cat and thrust a magical pen. Before that, he'd been semi-involved in a single battle, and it hadn't given him a taste for more.
"I mean, aside from the stuff we already went over with the Negaverse hating our guts," he clarified, "but until we know why we were born here, I guess that's not something we can find much of an answer to, since that seems to be an important point."
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:56 pm
She leaned to the side for a moment, pondering. Sure, there were things she'd left out, but they weren't important right now. "No, I think that's about everything... I still have much to learn. I think we all do. But for now, I think that's enough." Kallichore swung one leg over the other and wondered if this whole Jovian Court thing would ever get off the ground. If it did, she would find that stability and safety that came in large groups that knew what they were doing.
The super senshi finally stood, looking stoic as ever. Her mind was busy humming away with lists of things she needed to research further, and things she wished she knew right then and there. But now was neither the time nor the place to find these things out. As it stood, she and Ganymede had a conversation that didn't involve too much glaring or name-calling. That had to be a step in the right direction? "I'm just as eager to know the answers as you are. If I find something that I think may be important, would you... permit me to call you?"
She wouldn't raise her phone to take a snapshot of Ganymede unless he gave her express permission. Anything less, she figured, would result in something ugly. Kallichore would rather have avoided that. "Perhaps we'll find something in the past about how all of this started. There's always a trigger somewhere in history." She turned back out to the city and watched the moon. Was it you who started all of this? Or was it them? Was it something beyond time and space that we'll never know?
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:00 am
He frowned at Kallichore, not sure he believed that was all she had for him, but he didn't know anything more specific to ask about, and so he didn't question it. He let it go. She had told him quite a bit, after all, and it was going to take him a while to figure out what he thought about it all, and if he changed things. He doubted it would, but it was worth looking at.
Ganymede called up his phone before she did, answering her as he scanned her into his phone without even bothering to ask if she would remind returning the favor. He figured she wouldn't if she'd been the one to ask him first. "If that's what it takes to keep you from stalking me when you want to get up with me..." he said.
He waited for her to scan him as well, then watched her as she turned to look out over the city, following her gaze from it to the moon. He didn't look for long. He'd looked long enough already, he thought.
"Until then..." he told her, and took his leave, jumping from rooftop to rooftop until he was well on his way home.
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