PBA 069

[6/26/2015 8:35:55 PM] Basement Cat: It's the middle of the night. I have no idea why you're up or where any of you are. Except Aziz.

[6/26/2015 8:36:13 PM | Edited 8:36:18 PM] Janis: ((Where is Aziz?))

[6/26/2015 8:36:20 PM] Basement Cat: ((Busy elsewhere!))

[6/26/2015 8:36:40 PM] Janis: Janis is feeling the munchies and goes to the galley to make a midnight snack

[6/26/2015 8:37:07 PM] Basement Cat: Val is there, with a cup of tea and a blanket around his shoulders. The blanket is not black.

[6/26/2015 8:37:23 PM] Janis: Couldn't sleep?

[6/26/2015 8:38:40 PM] Basement Cat: Val: No. I'm a little sore. Qui--I spent a little too long in the practice room hitting one of those bag things.

[6/26/2015 8:39:08 PM] Janis: Bad day for Quint, huh?

[6/26/2015 8:40:22 PM] Basement Cat: Val: It was awful. We did a good thing, but...

[6/26/2015 8:41:11 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... it was easy, and things like that shouldn't be easy.

[6/26/2015 8:41:19 PM] Janis: Yeah.

[6/26/2015 8:41:59 PM] Janis: ...we probably shouldn't hang around the market too much longer after this

[6/26/2015 8:42:17 PM] Janis: That Neogi seemed to know us. I'm not sure this is gonna stay easy.

[6/26/2015 8:42:58 PM] Janis: ...Have you talked more with the...new guys?

[6/26/2015 8:43:12 PM] Basement Cat: Val: No. I just went and hid.

[6/26/2015 8:43:20 PM] Janis: Janis nods

[6/26/2015 8:44:29 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I haven't seen Wynn, either.

[6/26/2015 8:45:10 PM] Janis: ...for what it's worth, I think she liked what you did. Even if she didn't like how you did it.

[6/26/2015 8:46:04 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I keep telling myself we wouldn't've been able to afford saving as many as we did if I hadn't done it, but I can't really know that for sure.

[6/26/2015 8:46:35 PM] Janis: ...I didn't have ten thousand gold on hand. And that was just for three.

[6/26/2015 8:46:50 PM] Janis: If it wasn't for you and Aziz, we wouldn't've saved them all.

[6/26/2015 8:49:02 PM] Wynn: Wynn steps in, changed into her lighter armor.

[6/26/2015 8:49:24 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Hey.

[6/26/2015 8:50:08 PM] Wynn: ...hi. Are you ok?

[6/26/2015 8:50:20 PM] Wynn: Wynn motions towards the tea/blanket, but heads to the sink for water.

[6/26/2015 8:50:55 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I think so. Just a little afraid to try to sleep, that's all.

[6/26/2015 8:51:37 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I put some honey and a shot of... something alcoholic and spicy in my tea, but I'm... afraid I'll start thinking again.

[6/26/2015 8:51:44 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Janis is keeping me company.

[6/26/2015 8:51:55 PM] Janis: Janis nods

[6/26/2015 8:51:59 PM] Wynn: Wynn frowns a bit.

[6/26/2015 8:52:19 PM] Janis: ...um...incidentally...

[6/26/2015 8:52:26 PM] Janis: I never got the rest of my gold back.

[6/26/2015 8:52:31 PM] Janis: After the sale.

[6/26/2015 8:52:33 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Not much. I don't want to be drunk right now either.

[6/26/2015 8:53:03 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Oh, right. Remind me tomorrow, I haven't got the portable hole with me right now.

[6/26/2015 8:53:10 PM] Janis: Janis nods

[6/26/2015 8:54:48 PM] Wynn: Wynn sighs and sits with her water.

[6/26/2015 8:55:13 PM] Janis: Janis goes and sits at the table, if she hasn't already

[6/26/2015 8:55:35 PM] Basement Cat: Val: It hurts when I move. I'm too out-of-shape for boxing, apparently.

[6/26/2015 8:55:52 PM] Wynn: Quintilian could work on his form.

[6/26/2015 8:56:53 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Yeah. Not really our... my usual style, but it can't hurt. ... well, it can, but only literally and in the short-term.

[6/26/2015 8:59:31 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... at least they're not slaves anymore.

[6/26/2015 8:59:54 PM] Wynn: Wynn nods.

[6/26/2015 9:00:01 PM] Janis: Always a good thing.

[6/26/2015 9:02:16 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Sometimes I can't tell if I'm actually a decent person pretending to be an asshole occasionally, or an asshole pretending to be a decent person.

[6/26/2015 9:02:38 PM] Janis: Janis nods

[6/26/2015 9:03:08 PM] Janis: I've tried some of those books Tarak recommended about that...they don't help much.

[6/26/2015 9:03:30 PM] Janis: ...actually, he didn't recommend any particular books.

[6/26/2015 9:03:47 PM] Janis: So, I've been just trying the books in the library that I think might help.

[6/26/2015 9:04:17 PM] Basement Cat: Val: We should ask him for some more specific recommendations.

[6/26/2015 9:05:25 PM] Wynn: I'm sorry, Valerian. I saw you in the training room, but... I should have stopped to help. At least so you wouldn't hurt yourself.

[6/26/2015 9:06:16 PM] Basement Cat: Val waves a hand. "I can heal too. It's fine."

[6/26/2015 9:06:47 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... I know a lot of people like that, you know? I've had to be nice to them at parties.

[6/26/2015 9:07:10 PM] Janis: Like the merchant?

[6/26/2015 9:07:46 PM] Basement Cat: Val: No, like me.

[6/26/2015 9:08:18 PM] Janis: ...what's wrong with people like you?

[6/26/2015 9:08:55 PM] Wynn: Like he was at the slavers' pavilion.

[6/26/2015 9:09:08 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Yeah. Like I was pretending to be. I really hope I was pretending. Ugh.

[6/26/2015 9:09:49 PM] Janis: When you described yourself, you said you, Quint, Holly, you're all really different parts of one person, right?

[6/26/2015 9:11:42 PM] Basement Cat: Val nods.

[6/26/2015 9:12:28 PM] Janis: And, while you were doing your thing, I can't imagine Quint was happy with any of it. Even if we were doing it for a good reason, he still hated it, right?

[6/26/2015 9:13:19 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Yeah.

[6/26/2015 9:15:06 PM] Janis: Then that can't be you.

[6/26/2015 9:15:16 PM] Janis: Because if it was, you wouldn't be Quint.

[6/26/2015 9:15:40 PM] Janis: If Quint is a part of you, then no matter how much you act like that guy, deep down, you still aren't.

[6/26/2015 9:18:09 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... you're right. I think. Right?

[6/26/2015 9:18:41 PM] Janis: I think so.

[6/26/2015 9:20:17 PM] Janis: Janis smiles at him.

[6/26/2015 9:20:41 PM] Basement Cat: He looks at Wynn.

[6/26/2015 9:21:12 PM] Wynn: ...I hope so.

[6/26/2015 9:22:55 PM] Wynn: Sorry, I'm just very... conflicted about the whole thing. It's hard to think through.

[6/26/2015 9:24:02 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Four people are free.

[6/26/2015 9:24:42 PM] Wynn: Yes, but those who enslaved them are now funded and probably off to replenish their supply.

[6/26/2015 9:26:49 PM] Basement Cat: Val: We couldn't do more under their laws.

[6/26/2015 9:27:23 PM] Wynn: Laws that permit slavery aren't just laws.

[6/26/2015 9:27:48 PM] Janis: But we couldn't fight all the Neogi to free them.

[6/26/2015 9:28:01 PM] Janis: Either we did nothing or we did what we could with what we had.

[6/26/2015 9:28:59 PM] Wynn: Don't get me wrong. I AM glad they are free. The means were just... difficult.

[6/26/2015 9:29:34 PM] Wynn: And I shouldn't have worn my armor.

[6/26/2015 9:29:49 PM] Basement Cat: Val: It did let you keep your face covered, though.

[6/26/2015 9:30:03 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I hope you made awful faces at them the whole time.

[6/26/2015 9:30:10 PM] Wynn: Associating the Saint with slave traders was not intended.

[6/26/2015 9:30:28 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I implied you didn't have a choice. I think they believed it.

[6/26/2015 9:31:27 PM] Janis: You should've said she was a zombie.

[6/26/2015 9:31:37 PM] Janis: Like you'd brought her back from the dead to serve you.

[6/26/2015 9:31:41 PM] Wynn: As far as making faces, I'm surprised that nobody heard my teeth grinding.

[6/26/2015 9:31:59 PM] Wynn: It was all I could do not to lash out.

[6/26/2015 9:33:07 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I'm still surprised I didn't throw up.

[6/26/2015 9:33:53 PM] Basement Cat: Val: You know, Tarkishi still has slaves, but they're so valuable they're treated better than free people. People sell themselves into slavery to get the benefits of it.

[6/26/2015 9:34:35 PM] Janis: ...that sounds...like...a special kind of creepy.

[6/26/2015 9:34:36 PM] Wynn: Wynn would frown, but her face has been screwed into that position for hours.

[6/26/2015 9:35:04 PM] Basement Cat: Val shrugs. "They're considered impossible to subvert. That puts them above anyone else, apart from the Guides, maybe."

[6/26/2015 9:35:17 PM] Basement Cat: Val: And the Guides are in danger all the time.

[6/26/2015 9:35:33 PM] Janis: ...the who?

[6/26/2015 9:36:29 PM] Basement Cat: Val: The Guides, you know.

[6/26/2015 9:36:36 PM] Basement Cat: Val: The people who lead others through the Blight.

[6/26/2015 9:36:46 PM] Janis: ............

[6/26/2015 9:36:58 PM] Janis: People actually want to go through the Blight?

[6/26/2015 9:37:03 PM] Janis: ....why?

[6/26/2015 9:37:20 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Well, yes, sometimes there's valuables there, or someone will get lost, or it's in between two safe places.

[6/26/2015 9:37:46 PM] Janis: .........oh...

[6/26/2015 9:38:52 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Guides are trusted, that's the point.

[6/26/2015 9:39:08 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Slaves are too. But there are few of either, and the Guides stick to the Blight.

[6/26/2015 9:40:08 PM] Janis: ...your society is weird.

[6/26/2015 9:41:22 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I know. ... but you'd never put a chain on a slave.

[6/26/2015 9:41:41 PM] Janis: ...I guess that's better...kinda.

[6/26/2015 9:42:17 PM] Basement Cat: Val: And when they want a new position, well... usually they get what they want.

[6/26/2015 9:42:39 PM] Janis: ...does this really count as slavery?

[6/26/2015 9:42:53 PM] Janis: It sounds more like a job where you get paid in food and stuff instead of money.

[6/26/2015 9:43:19 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Gifts. They get a lot of gifts. A lot of them take jobs as secretaries and teachers for people of rank.

[6/26/2015 9:45:53 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Because you know they won't hurt your children.

[6/26/2015 9:46:17 PM] Basement Cat: Val: My music tutor was a family slave. He taught my father, too.

[6/26/2015 9:46:47 PM] Wynn: How do you know?

[6/26/2015 9:46:52 PM] Janis: ....this is a really, really uncomfortable conversation.

[6/26/2015 9:47:16 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Because slaves don't do that. Ever.

[6/26/2015 9:47:29 PM] Janis: Don't do what?

[6/26/2015 9:47:42 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Betray their families.

[6/26/2015 9:48:32 PM] Wynn: Why?

[6/26/2015 9:49:33 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... I don't know, they just don't. It's... not done.

[6/26/2015 9:51:00 PM] Wynn: Wynn shakes her head and takes a drink of water.

[6/26/2015 9:52:02 PM] Basement Cat: Val: It's nothing like what the Neogi do.

[6/26/2015 9:52:35 PM] Janis: At some point, you guys realize we're gonna need to really talk to them about what to do now.

[6/26/2015 9:52:59 PM] Janis: I can't imagine they'll all just wanna up and join us. And I'm not sure we really want them all.

[6/26/2015 9:53:58 PM] Wynn: Wynn leans forward and rests her head in her hands.

[6/26/2015 9:55:31 PM] Basement Cat: Val: We can't abandon them, either.

[6/26/2015 9:55:44 PM] Janis: Well...no.

[6/26/2015 9:55:57 PM] Janis: But we should first explain what coming with us...is...right?

[6/26/2015 9:56:13 PM] Wynn: Obviously.

[6/26/2015 9:56:42 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Right.

[6/26/2015 9:56:44 PM] Wynn: Wynn sounds tired.

[6/26/2015 9:57:26 PM] Janis: Also...maybe find out exactly who we got.

[6/26/2015 9:58:06 PM] Ceiling Cat: Iskandar enters.

[6/26/2015 9:58:12 PM] Wynn: Wynn sighs and drops one hand. "I assume someone got them a place to sleep for the night. We can take care of it in the morning."

[6/26/2015 10:00:54 PM] Ceiling Cat: Take care of who?

[6/26/2015 10:01:05 PM] Basement Cat: Val: We bought four slaves.

[6/26/2015 10:01:17 PM] Janis: ....uhhhhhhhhhh

[6/26/2015 10:01:17 PM] Janis: The slaves we...bought.

[6/26/2015 10:01:20 PM] Janis: Kinda.

[6/26/2015 10:03:37 PM] Iskandar: Iskandar blinks. "... why?"

[6/26/2015 10:03:44 PM] Janis: To free them.

[6/26/2015 10:04:08 PM] Janis: We thought it was a good idea at the time.

[6/26/2015 10:05:14 PM] Iskandar: Iskandar:  Oh. Are they all murderers?

[6/26/2015 10:05:48 PM] Janis: I don't think so.

[6/26/2015 10:05:53 PM] Janis: We're not sure about the gnome.

[6/26/2015 10:07:14 PM] Iskandar: So why isn't it a good idea now?

[6/26/2015 10:07:48 PM] Janis: Well...Quint had a mini-breakdown and now we're not sure what to do with them. Or if we should do anything.

[6/26/2015 10:07:58 PM] Janis: Otherwise, I guess it was still a good idea.

[6/26/2015 10:10:50 PM] Wynn: Wynn drops her other hand and just looks angry. "I hate this."

[6/26/2015 10:11:35 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Me too. ... but we made a difference to them, didn't we?

[6/26/2015 10:12:04 PM] Iskandar: Iskandar looks at Wynn. "Well, I obviously came in on the tail end of the conversation, but I'm going to butt in anyway.  What specifically do you hate?"

[6/26/2015 10:12:42 PM] Wynn: Everything.

[6/26/2015 10:12:55 PM] Iskandar: Good. Very Paladiny.

[6/26/2015 10:13:15 PM] Wynn: The Neogi, the slave trade, the fact that there are known slavers out there right now that I can't do anything about.

[6/26/2015 10:13:38 PM] Wynn: I hate that we're stuck here on this ship and can't do anything about anything.

[6/26/2015 10:13:45 PM] Basement Cat: Val winces.

[6/26/2015 10:13:46 PM] Janis: ....................

[6/26/2015 10:14:33 PM] Wynn: I hate the grey area that so much exists in. I hate not knowing what to do.

[6/26/2015 10:15:12 PM] Janis: .....I hated feeling good about it.

[6/26/2015 10:15:20 PM] Janis: Proud of it, actually.

[6/26/2015 10:15:41 PM] Basement Cat: Val: But we did rescue them. Four of them. We made a difference to those four.

[6/26/2015 10:15:49 PM] Janis: Yes. We did.

[6/26/2015 10:16:19 PM] Janis: And we did it all without killing anyone or leaving anything worse than when we left it.

[6/26/2015 10:16:38 PM] Janis: And I could help with that, in a way. And talk about it.

[6/26/2015 10:16:38 PM] Wynn: And I hate that I couldn't kill them.

[6/26/2015 10:16:53 PM] Janis: I know how that feels.

[6/26/2015 10:16:59 PM] Janis: Janis goes to get some water.

[6/26/2015 10:17:28 PM] Iskandar: Kill who? The Neogi?

[6/26/2015 10:18:46 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Slavers in general, probably.

[6/26/2015 10:19:38 PM] Wynn: Wynn nods, slightly.

[6/26/2015 10:20:28 PM] Iskandar: If you had tried, you probably would have ended up on the auction block next.

[6/26/2015 10:22:25 PM] Wynn: I feel like I still should. Now that they're free.... I hate that we legitimized them.

[6/26/2015 10:23:22 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Ugh.

[6/26/2015 10:26:37 PM] Iskandar: They're Neogi. They don't need you to legitimize them.

[6/26/2015 10:26:59 PM] Basement Cat: Val: True.

[6/26/2015 10:27:15 PM] Janis: Well, why didn't you say this before we went?

[6/26/2015 10:27:41 PM] Wynn: Say what?

[6/26/2015 10:28:47 PM] Janis: Before we went. You seemed on board.

[6/26/2015 10:29:27 PM] Wynn: I figured my desire to kill them all was probably assumed. And... this isn't the first time I've been party to trying to buy a slave.

[6/26/2015 10:29:55 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari putters in, tousled and sleepy. "...why are there so many awake people at sleep o'clock?"

[6/26/2015 10:30:11 PM] Janis: Angst.

[6/26/2015 10:30:35 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: I don't have a pun for that. Why are we angsting today?

[6/26/2015 10:30:47 PM] Janis: Slavery, mostly.

[6/26/2015 10:30:56 PM] Iskandar: Tea.

[6/26/2015 10:31:06 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Don't angst at tea. It helps dragons sleep.

[6/26/2015 10:31:33 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Slavery is acceptable angstbait though. Why are we angsting at slavery today?

[6/26/2015 10:31:39 PM] Janis: ...just learning this now?

[6/26/2015 10:31:45 PM] Janis: The tea thing, that is?

[6/26/2015 10:31:47 PM] Iskandar: No, I mean, I'm up for tea, not angst.

[6/26/2015 10:32:20 PM] Janis: Different reasons.

[6/26/2015 10:33:04 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Dragons like tea?

[6/26/2015 10:33:18 PM] Iskandar: I do.

[6/26/2015 10:33:20 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: With honey, apparently.

[6/26/2015 10:33:31 PM] Janis: Is that why you're here?

[6/26/2015 10:34:10 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: No, I'm here because numbers have no meaning. Let's get back to the slavery thing, that sounds more interesting.

[6/26/2015 10:34:29 PM] Janis: Wynn worries we legitimized the Neogi.

[6/26/2015 10:34:41 PM] Janis: Which I think means, we made their slavery a good thing.

[6/26/2015 10:35:00 PM] Wynn: It means they'll be encouraged to go capture more innocent people to replace the ones we bought.

[6/26/2015 10:35:20 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Implying they weren't a multiplanar organization before we got there, and the roughly ten thousand gold we gave them was what sparked their jump from "casual slave-junkies" to "hardcore slave industrialists"?

[6/26/2015 10:35:56 PM | Edited 10:36:04 PM] Janis: ....that is way too many words for no sleep.

[6/26/2015 10:35:58 PM] Wynn: Wynn frowns at him.

[6/26/2015 10:36:49 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: I'm actually surprisingly well rested, for reasons I'll not discuss without a Geas or an NDA. But slavery.

[6/26/2015 10:36:55 PM] Iskandar: He's got a point. It's what Neogi do, Wynn. It's the core of their society. THey'll keep doing it without or without us, until we kill them.

[6/26/2015 10:37:16 PM] Janis: ...Geas?

[6/26/2015 10:37:21 PM] Basement Cat: Val: .... really.

[6/26/2015 10:37:24 PM] Wynn: Which is why I wanted to kill them.

[6/26/2015 10:38:09 PM] Wynn: Want.

[6/26/2015 10:38:35 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Attacking them there, in the seat of their local power strata, would have gotten us all killed and them seen as "victims of irrational crime spree" by the local authorities. Even if we managed to kill them, we would have violated the local law and been imprisoned for our troubles - or worse.

[6/26/2015 10:38:59 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Attacking them could only have one possible outcome - strengthening them as a whole.

[6/26/2015 10:39:02 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Go back to the geas.

[6/26/2015 10:39:13 PM] Janis: What's a geas?

[6/26/2015 10:40:02 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: A long-term, powerful abjurant enchantment that compels the subject to act in a certain manner or towards a goal. Subjects who fail to do so are harmed by the spell.

[6/26/2015 10:40:05 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Does the "surprisingly well-rested" part involve anything illicit or immoral?

[6/26/2015 10:40:20 PM] Wynn: Ugh.

[6/26/2015 10:40:21 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: No to both. I think.

[6/26/2015 10:40:33 PM] Wynn: Wynn drops her head down to the table, resting her forehead on it.

[6/26/2015 10:40:34 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Good. ... I think.

[6/26/2015 10:40:49 PM] Janis: You were with Marti, right?

[6/26/2015 10:41:19 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: If you wanted to fight the Neogi, fight them on Lawful terms - try to get the local law changed. Use civil means to fight an incivil system, instead of sinking to their level and fighting violence with violence.

[6/26/2015 10:41:50 PM] Wynn: Have we met?

[6/26/2015 10:42:49 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: ...yes, I know "hitting it with a stick" is your favorite method of "failure to abet criminal acts." I'm trying to say that it's not the appropriate choice here, and would have made things worse, not better.

[6/26/2015 10:43:28 PM] Basement Cat: Val: To be fair, we may simply have not had a large enough stick.

[6/26/2015 10:43:48 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Get the law changed. Barring that, make it unprofitable for them to sell there - either by pointing out the flaws inherent in their contract system to potential customers, or playing up the incivility of their system to an emotionally-charged populace.

[6/26/2015 10:44:25 PM] Janis: Well, first thing we should tell them is once they have their slaves out of the tent, they'll be attacked.

[6/26/2015 10:44:35 PM] Wynn: And what of all the slaves that then just get stuck with the Neogi?

[6/26/2015 10:44:50 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: At least there aren't more of them.

[6/26/2015 10:44:55 PM] Janis: Imagine if one of the larger slaves revolted like the dwarf did.

[6/26/2015 10:45:23 PM] Janis: It's not safe to buy slaves from there. You do not know what you're getting and there's no guarantee of control.

[6/26/2015 10:45:44 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Which a prepared insurgency could use to sway buyers who might not be swayed by "but it's immoral!"

[6/26/2015 10:46:02 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: The net result is still undermining the Neogi hold on the trade.

[6/26/2015 10:46:04 PM] Janis: ...................we should totally do that.

[6/26/2015 10:46:19 PM] Janis: If we can get the slaves on board, we could make up a real fuss about that.

[6/26/2015 10:46:36 PM] Janis: We were attacked by the very product they sold us. It is not worth the purchase.

[6/26/2015 10:47:18 PM] Wynn: Again I ask what of the slaves that would then be stuck with the Neogi?

[6/26/2015 10:47:43 PM] Janis: I think I read something about this in one of the books.

[6/26/2015 10:48:00 PM] Janis: If sales go down, that means prices must go down to encourage buyers.

[6/26/2015 10:48:00 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: The Neogi won't keep a product that is unprofitable. They'd either be freed or killed, and in either situation they've escaped a life of slavery.

[6/26/2015 10:48:16 PM] Wynn: Wynn grinds her teeth again.

[6/26/2015 10:48:19 PM] Janis: Not liking that second option much.

[6/26/2015 10:48:31 PM] Wynn: You know which it would be.

[6/26/2015 10:48:49 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... you're not going to have any teeth left if you keep grinding them like that...

[6/26/2015 10:49:15 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Death is as much a part of life as eating. They rolled poorly on the gamble of life, and while it's not a fate we'd wish on them, it's certainly better than a life abused as a living meat machine.

[6/26/2015 10:49:44 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Given the option of "life enslaved" and "quick death" I'd pick death too.

[6/26/2015 10:50:16 PM] Wynn: Wynn stands suddenly and walks to the opposite side of the room from Aziz, crossing her arms.

[6/26/2015 10:50:19 PM] Janis: ...I'm not sure about that.

[6/26/2015 10:50:44 PM] Janis: Life is life, and that means there's a chance for something more.

[6/26/2015 10:50:51 PM] Janis: Death is...nothing.

[6/26/2015 10:50:55 PM] Janis: You're just dead.

[6/26/2015 10:51:42 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I don't even know if the slave trade is that profitable to begin with.

[6/26/2015 10:52:32 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Death isn't nothing. Maybe it's the cleric speaking, but there's realms beyond this one and gods that tend their creations. WE might be trapped here by some soul-prison spell, but everyone else who dies goes to a final resting place.

[6/26/2015 10:52:47 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: ...probably.

[6/26/2015 10:52:59 PM] Wynn: Just stop.

[6/26/2015 10:53:15 PM] Iskandar: Stop what.

[6/26/2015 10:53:33 PM] Wynn: Talking out of his ass like he knows a damn thing about it.

[6/26/2015 10:53:47 PM] Janis: ...about his ass?

[6/26/2015 10:54:29 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Says the paladin to the cleric. I figured you of all people would acknowledge the mercy of the gods on the downtrodden, even if it's a posthumous mercy.

[6/26/2015 10:54:53 PM] Janis: It's not mercy.

[6/26/2015 10:55:02 PM] Janis: Running through a forest for eternity isn't mercy.

[6/26/2015 10:55:15 PM] Janis: Sitting on a cloud, blissed out forever isn't mercy.

[6/26/2015 10:55:18 PM] Janis: It's death.

[6/26/2015 10:55:37 PM] Janis: Any part of you that once cared dies, and you're stuck in a state of not caring forever.

[6/26/2015 10:55:51 PM] Janis: Why does everything keep acting like this is good?

[6/26/2015 10:56:07 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Because sometimes it's all we have.

[6/26/2015 10:56:23 PM] Iskandar: You guys do realize we have a dead person on board, right?

[6/26/2015 10:56:28 PM] Iskandar: You could probably ask him.

[6/26/2015 10:57:50 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: When you're a slave, and the only thing you can guarantee is that you'll be beaten tomorrow, the promise of not-having-to-care and eternal bliss really does seem a paradise in comparison. Maybe in comparison to the freedom we... well, used to have, it falls short - but up until being trapped on Nation, we'd been dealt pretty good cards in the game of life.

[6/26/2015 10:58:09 PM] Wynn: Speak for yourself.

[6/26/2015 10:58:26 PM] Iskandar: Why would he speak for anyone else?

[6/26/2015 10:58:29 PM] Wynn: You have no idea what any of the rest of this crew has done or been through.

[6/26/2015 10:59:18 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: You have the power to defend yourself, the ability to heal others with a touch, and the training to protect others from harm. How does that not make you better than a farmhand?

[6/26/2015 10:59:59 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: How is that not a good hand?

[6/26/2015 11:00:19 PM] Basement Cat: Val: She's had bad things happen as well.

[6/26/2015 11:00:21 PM] Wynn: Do you know how I got that "good hand"?

[6/26/2015 11:00:31 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Hard work and dedication, I imagine.

[6/26/2015 11:00:32 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Probably all of us have.

[6/26/2015 11:01:06 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: I'm not claiming it fell out of the sky. I'm claiming the door was open to you at all, and not to the guy standing next to you in the lineup of life.

[6/26/2015 11:01:06 PM] Wynn: My family was all killed in front of me. My sister taken by slavers.

[6/26/2015 11:01:07 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... I mostly don't remember mine. But I'm sure everyone else does.

[6/26/2015 11:01:20 PM] Basement Cat: Val flinches.

[6/26/2015 11:01:41 PM] Wynn: When I tried to buy her back, there were vigilantes who had tried to barge in and kill the slavers... but the slavers killed the slaves, MY SISTER, first.

[6/26/2015 11:01:55 PM] Wynn: You think I don't know that trying to kill them all will end badly?

[6/26/2015 11:02:10 PM] Janis: Janis frowns

[6/26/2015 11:02:13 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: When I walked in, you were the one talking about killing them all.

[6/26/2015 11:02:21 PM] Wynn: Because they deserve it.

[6/26/2015 11:02:36 PM] Wynn: But do I think them killing my sister was a mercy? No.

[6/26/2015 11:02:39 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Then how was I supposed to read your mind and know you already knew the idea you were trying to sell was a bad idea?

[6/26/2015 11:02:49 PM] Wynn: Because if she was still alive, there'd be a chance I might ever EVER see her again.

[6/26/2015 11:03:19 PM] Wynn: Why do you think I went along with the purchasing plan?

[6/26/2015 11:04:08 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Remember the part where we are on an interdimensional living artifact and I can raise the dead with a gemstone and some chanting? We'll find a better cleric than I and they can cast True Resurrection. All you need to know is your sister's name, and her spirit has to accept the resurrection.

[6/26/2015 11:04:27 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Death stops being scary when you remember we have magic.

[6/26/2015 11:04:34 PM] Wynn: And make her choose between me and the rest of our family.

[6/26/2015 11:04:49 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Yes, for maybe forty years. And then you both can go on home to the welcoming arms of the Saint.

[6/26/2015 11:05:03 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Or hell, go get more gemstones. You're an adventurer now.

[6/26/2015 11:05:08 PM] Janis: Ten years.

[6/26/2015 11:05:12 PM] Wynn: Our family is with Pelor.

[6/26/2015 11:05:20 PM] Janis: Maybe.

[6/26/2015 11:06:36 PM] Iskandar: Iskandar finishes his tea.

[6/26/2015 11:07:58 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Look. I'm not saying slavery is good. I'm not even saying death is good. But I'm also not saying death is the worst thing in the world. All I've been trying to say since the start of this is "pick your battles." There are things we can change in this world, and things we can't. Tackle the ones you can change, leave the world a better place than you found it, and hopefully Good will win over Evil in the long run. That's... that's really it.

[6/26/2015 11:08:25 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: That's all we can do.

[6/26/2015 11:08:38 PM] Wynn: That's all you can do.

[6/26/2015 11:09:00 PM] Basement Cat: Val: We can persuade people that slavery isn't right. Make long-term policy changes.

[6/26/2015 11:10:18 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: ...alright, I'm done hitting my head against your shield. We can have this discussion later, or never, whatever you prefer. I'm done. I'm going back to bed.

[6/26/2015 11:10:25 PM] Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari leaves.

[6/26/2015 11:10:47 PM] Janis: Janis follows after him

[6/26/2015 11:13:31 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Of course, you realize if I try to free my family's slaves they're going to punch me in the face, or worse.

[6/26/2015 11:14:35 PM] Wynn: Wynn sits again and buries her face in her hands. "Can't I just go back to when it was easy?"

[6/26/2015 11:15:34 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... I want to make it better for you, and I can't.

[6/26/2015 11:16:27 PM] Iskandar: Iskandar frowns, and leaves, feeling suddenly like he's intruding.

[6/26/2015 11:18:27 PM] Wynn: Wynn drops her hands and sits back a bit. "I didn't mean to blow up like that."

[6/26/2015 11:18:46 PM] Wynn: I'll have to apologize tomorrow.

[6/26/2015 11:19:42 PM] Basement Cat: Val: That's a good idea. The situation just reminds me of the starfish story.

[6/26/2015 11:20:47 PM] Wynn: Wynn nods. "I just.... I let it get too personal. I just wish I could've made a difference to the one that mattered to me."

[6/26/2015 11:21:57 PM] Wynn: I'm just tired. Tired of not being able to do anything to help everyone. Tired of feeling like I NEED to help everyone. ...maybe this is why we have such a short lifespan.

[6/26/2015 11:21:59 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I'm positive you did at other times and in other places.

[6/26/2015 11:30:09 PM] Wynn: I should have come and punched something with you. I just... didn't really want to see you. I'm sorry, again. For that.

[6/26/2015 11:30:48 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I didn't want to see me either. Perfectly understandable. I just ... hope they'll work out that it wasn't real.

[6/26/2015 11:31:00 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I mean, she didn't pound me to oatmeal with the chain, so at some level...

[6/26/2015 11:31:26 PM] Wynn: I still wouldn't have let that happen. Though she is... deceptively strong.

[6/26/2015 11:32:35 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I know. I wasn't lying at all when I said you have skills I need, you know. Keeping me not dead is a very useful skill.

[6/26/2015 11:34:22 PM] Wynn: Wynn smiles, just a little.

[6/26/2015 11:34:46 PM] Wynn: At least I can still do something right.

[6/26/2015 11:34:59 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Hey, you do a lot right.

[6/26/2015 11:35:11 PM] Basement Cat: Val: We may not have saved every starfish on the beach today, but we mattered to these four.

[6/26/2015 11:38:50 PM] Wynn: We did.

[6/26/2015 11:39:20 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Best to focus on the good.

[6/26/2015 11:44:03 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... the backrub offer is still open.

[6/26/2015 11:44:22 PM] Basement Cat: Val: And we should, at some point, try and get some sleep.

[6/26/2015 11:44:33 PM] Janis: Janis re-enters.

[6/26/2015 11:44:49 PM] Janis: I'm not walking in on a...special backrub, am I?

[6/26/2015 11:44:55 PM] Janis: Cause, I can just go then.

[6/26/2015 11:45:04 PM] Basement Cat: Val: ... no.

[6/26/2015 11:45:47 PM] Janis: I just heard you talk...you know what? Nevermind.

[6/26/2015 11:46:11 PM] Wynn: It's fine, Janis. Was there something more you needed to talk about?

[6/26/2015 11:46:34 PM] Janis: I just wanted some food. I forgot to get some when I cam in here the first time.

[6/26/2015 11:46:49 PM] Janis: Janis goes into the fridge and pulls out some bread to make toast.

[6/26/2015 11:48:16 PM] Basement Cat: Val: I wonder what's going on with Aziz. I'm always so surprised when he gets shouty.

[6/26/2015 11:49:04 PM] Janis: He'll be fine. He went to bed.

[6/26/2015 11:49:24 PM] Janis: Wynn, you should say your sorry in the morning.

[6/26/2015 11:49:29 PM] Janis: I think he'd appreciate it.

[6/26/2015 11:50:03 PM] Wynn: .....I was planning on it.

[6/26/2015 11:50:12 PM] Janis: Good. Thanks.

[6/26/2015 11:50:32 PM] Basement Cat: Val: It's like being attacked by a cloak. ... which has happened to us, now that I think of it. Bad analogy.

[6/26/2015 11:51:15 PM] Janis: Janis grabs the toast when it is done.

[6/26/2015 11:51:39 PM] Janis: Well, I think that's all I need. I'll see you guys tomorrow.

[6/26/2015 11:51:44 PM] Janis: Janis goes to bed.

[6/26/2015 11:52:11 PM] Wynn: ....I think I might take you up on that offer. If it's still open.

[6/26/2015 11:52:33 PM] Basement Cat: Val: Of course.

[6/26/2015 11:52:36 PM] Basement Cat: Val smiles.

[6/26/2015 11:55:22 PM] Wynn: Wynn exits!

[6/26/2015 11:55:47 PM] Basement Cat: He grabs his blanket, leaves the tea things in the sink and follows her.