anarqrists anonymous

[rebells]

Who: salty anarchists club
Where: an undisclosed location near the mountains
When: Day 93
Open/Closed: closed to invitees and invitees of invitees!

[So Jay may have pulled you discreetly aside some time over the last week or so and invited you to a particular location near the mountains, or you may have been dragged along by a friend. Either way, there's a small group of people forming in this forest clearing, Jay at the center, pacing back and forth as has become his tendency.

Let the Qri shittalking begin.]

Comments

[rootandbranch]

[Geir likely wouldn't agree with Alphonse's reasons, anyway, so it's likely for the best -- especially since Geir isn't exactly promising to go out of his way to provide any assistance at the moment. for now, he tilts his head, Alphonse's words starting him down another train of thought.]

That's true too. We've been doing this for a while now, haven't we? And all we have to show for it is not very many Elto bones... even if we'd all pitched in the way Qri wanted, it doesn't seem like a good way for her to get more magic.

[alphonse]

If progress stays this slow, then we really are going to be stuck here for a very long time.

[A little quietly, because that's harder to admit than anything personal. Obviously a potential threat to other worlds isn't something he'd want to just walk away from, but being here means being helpless to do anything about what's going on back home. That's best not dwelled on either.]

It's strange, too. Even though we haven't gone up against Qri directly yet, I don't think anyone here has any intentions of actually helping her. But we're still here when other people aren't.

[rootandbranch]

She picked pretty well for the first two people she got, didn't she? Genette and Brie don't have a problem with her. I don't think most people would summon something like me on purpose.

[he leaves that thought there, distracted by considering the implications of that last statement. why is it strange that Qri summoned him? well... because he's something like Qri, in a very real way: a god, inhuman.

that brings up another idea, one that's been nagging at the back of his mind. would he have realized how annoyed all the humans would be at his interference if he'd never met one to talk to before, and had a plan like Qri's? he thinks he would... but he's not sure.]

But you know... I've been thinking. Another explanation is she doesn't understand mortals or humans at all. There are a lot of things I wouldn't have known before I talked to Vern. If she's taking a long enough view, it might just not seem like a problem to her in the first place...

Of course, that doesn't help us any, either. But at least we could talk to her that way..

[alphonse]

Maybe if we're persistent enough, we'll get through to her more than Brie and Genette were able to.

[They've got the numbers for it, anyway. Al's just not sure if Qri being that far removed from humanity is functionally all that different from her being an all out villain. A disregard for life on the worlds they visit isn't acceptable just because there's a bigger picture.]

If she expects to rely on help from mortals, then she has to be willing to do some things our way too.

[A little stubbornly, because as much as he pretends to be a reasonable person, he is, unfortunately, a shounen manga character at heart.]

If it's okay to ask, what made you willing to listen to Vern?

[rootandbranch]

Oh... well... he summoned me. Properly, I mean, not like Qri did! So I guess if he ordered me around, I'd have to listen...

[that's an uncomfortable thought on several levels; Geir's tail twitches restlessly. it's true, of course, and it's also true that Vern hasn't used that capability much, and even more true that Geir is perfectly aware that Vern wants him to change and become someone who won't just follow orders, even if Vern himself (very) occasionally issues them. it's a problem he sometimes despairs of picking his way through.]

...he doesn't, though. When he summoned me, mostly, I just really wanted him to like me. So I kept asking him questions.

[he shifts again, unfolding a wing enough that it covers his nose so he can look earnestly over the top of it at Alphonse. his voice has a hint of wistfulness in it.]

I don't disagree that Qri should do things differently. I want to ask her questions too...