♫ contractors

[falsehymn]

❝But I tell you, do not swear
an oath at all:
either by Heaven, for it is God’s throne;
or by the earth,
for it is His footstool;
or by Jerusalem, for it is the
city of the Great King.
And do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make even
one hair white
or black.
All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No';
anything beyond this comes from
the evil one.
—Matthew 5:34-37

Comments

[falsehymn]

I ask, but I shall not make you. I have asked you all because many of you have good hearts, and I would think you'd be happier to do it for a good cause . . . than leave it to someone whose hand has been forced by Father's rules, or some other divine intervention.

A kill will happen regardless. But I would prefer it be done with purpose. And if someone here does it, it can be done without needless cruelty or distress, yes?

[laestrella]

[Don Quixote's gaze flickers; oh how easy it is to be cajoled once more, to see their Dramaturge Esquire's solution as a simple matter. One life for the lives of many.

The Trolley Problem existed in all worlds

But Don Quixote has always been particularly bad at philosophy problems.]

Perchance, if the kill was done by two agreeable parties, nobly and with a sense of justice and compassion in mind...but, it must be agreed to. To prey on the unaware, to feed on their loss of life...

[She needs a drink]

'Tis no better than being a mindless Blood fiend.

[falsehymn]

If a duel makes the matter palatable, I shall not forbid it.

( Sika will, in fact, offer to pour her one - she tilts a bottle with a tilt of her head, as if to inquire whether she wants blood or wine. )

I believe saving people requires a person to make difficult choices so no one else has to. Would that we live in a fairy tale where we need no such things at all, but we do not.

[laestrella]

[Don Quixote will Remember That.

Pointing at the wine. She needs a drink. She's not hungry]

...and what is the narrative we have written that this world has only inflicted the worst of its suffering on the most innocent whilst trying to save the rest?

[falsehymn]

( Wine it is! She pours Don a glass. )

I would not assign yourself blame for that. It is God who is the writer of the script, and you are but the characters on the page. You have great freedom from page to page, but only so much. And I can only alter so much at a time with my edits, from beyond the story.

( Sliding the glass over... )

... I do not know why He is so obsessed with blood. He seeks it as an answer to all questions, even those unasked. But were it not for him, I'm certain neither you nor I would require death at all for our freedom.

[laestrella]

[Knocking it back like water. Despite her size, she is a good drinker. All that blood makes you able to handle a lot!!]

...it is frustrating to know ultimately this is the only path forward. How can we hold our heads high after this? [If they give in...Don Quixote is no stranger to death or murder. But to have it happen like this is galling]

[falsehymn]

It is for a good cause; one that will lead to happiness greater than the suffering caused. Is that not enough reason to hold your head high?

[laestrella]

Whose happiness? What did you mean when you said the dead will be 'revised'?

[falsehymn]

( ... Smiles. )

We are the products of hearsay. How we are perceived can warp what we believe about ourselves, and how others view us, too. Few can assert themselves and defy all false rumor and perception.

The dead, in their precarious state of existence, have no capacity to assert themselves. Thus, they are particularly vulnerable to being revised by perception. I believe from the very start I've encouraged you all to bond with one another and learn as much about each other as you could, no?

[laestrella]

Thou did say as such. Which is why...[Well, she would have worked hard anyway to connect with people, so it wasn't Sika Madu's suggestions that made her behave as such]

...but, is that just the realm of the dead? Man A--no, Young Ainosuke-- suggests even living we can be revised all over. How does one avoid that?

[falsehymn]

Ah, him...

He embraced himself in ways Father did not approve of, and he was beginning to awaken a sense of self-acceptance and identity in the Extras, as well.

Father's power is derived from punishment. He is able to less effectively punish those who are not influenced by His limitations and edicts... and so "Man A" was made into an example, of sorts.

I don't suppose you've been engaging in similar activities? If not, you are likely not in danger.

( "likely," )

[laestrella]

Does that mean our executions hath been fuelling his power? Or is...is it simply what he must inflict on his own?

[because the City is like that, Don Quixote genuinely has no baseline for what Sika Madu means. For a horrifically oppressive hypercapitalist world, at least it is devoid of sexism and homophobia? You too, can Girl Boss yourself into being the Head of an Evil Corporation. So she has to let that go because ????]

...and my punishment. That was his will to make his power stronger?

[falsehymn]

I believe you are on the right path. I confess, I do not know His workings perfectly, because His nature is unknowable ( blah blah bible stuff )— in more pragmatic terms, He is obscured from thought and understanding, as if hidden behind a veil.

However, what you speculate sounds correct to me. My capacity to produce miracles is fueled by my suffering, so His capacity to punishment receiving fuel by suffering done in His name seems a correct parallel.

In general, all things are require a price of suffering. At least, in this story. This is how He wrote it.

[laestrella]

But we are not his Children, are we? [Like they are not Sika Madu's]

And what of after, should there be enough suffering?

[falsehymn]

He considers all things that live within His purview. Whether He considers you His children, I could not tell you. He has not spoken with me directly for a long, long time.

( The question simply narrows her eyes in something of a complicated expression. )

. . . There can never be enough suffering. Not for Him.

[laestrella]

[ Don Quixote's expression tightens a little]

Then he is weak, if that's the origin of his power.