netherwork | npc || doran [ @doran ]

⟪ an old man graces your sight with a kind smile, white-haired, white-bearded, and indigo-robed. behind him, multicolored garlands and wreaths deck the wall, and by his side stands a tall woman—some of you might recognize her as désirée. stoic and straight-backed, she casually observes their surroundings: glimpses of restless passing in front of the camera might indicate that they’re in a pub somewhere in mirth. with commoners.

doran seems entirely unbothered, content and at ease. when he speaks, his voice is clear and warm, matching the glint in his eyes. ⟫

My dear Restless… What dire times we all face, and what resilient people you are. I would not insult a brief reprieve with appeasement—your struggles and concerns are well-founded—and yet it is my hope that this announcement alleviates some of your torments.

⟪ slowly he brings his mug to his lips—it’s eggnog, because of course it is—taking his time to swallow and seemingly struggling not to cough. désirée's hand gently lands on his arm. ⟫

To those of you suffering from the curse, know that a cure is well on its way to be completed. I’ll personally ensure that there is enough to treat you all. Now… as difficult as it is, I fear I must still broach the subject… ⟪ he sighs, brows knit. ⟫ The people responsible for your unjust imprisonment were apprehended. They confessed, of their own volition, overwhelmed by Shadows they could no longer effectively control. Such a tragedy… Come what may, they were sentenced to dwell in the Hinterlands, and will not be welcomed back in Stygia.

As for your compensation, the sum of 400 coins will be sent directly to you, along with a piece of soulsteel. You will also be formally invited to a Masquerade hosted by the Hierarchy, in Radiance, as soon as the weather… unwinds, as it were. ⟪ ha! ha! ha! he laughs, briefly yet heartily, even though it’s not even a good pun. ⟫ Now, my dear Restless, rest easy and look out for each other. We are all we have. ⟪ head inclined in friendly salutations, the feed cuts. ⟫

ooc note

► the cure will be available in february, and a mini quest will lead up to it in january
► all characters will receive an invitation to the masquerade next month
► only the characters that were imprisoned will receive the coins and the soulsteel
► you can use your soulsteel to turn a medium-sized object into an artifact, just bring it over to a blacksmith @ the forges. let's say no bigger than a chair
► feel free to interact, though i will probably rng who he (or désirée) replies to! if you have questions that he/she doesn't icly answer, redirect them oocly to the question thread below!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( one— )

moon knight.

( two— )

so you'd prefer visibility regardless of inherent honesty.
got it.

Yeah that's exactly what I said. Good job.

（ teenage sarcasm is a helluva drug. ）

Obviously I'd prefer they be honest.

But if their intent is to be dishonest no matter what, I'd rather they be public about it so we can make up our own minds instead of Santa over here telling us that the problem's solved, no worries here, pay no mind to the man behind the curtain and not telling us shit otherwise when it comes to lives being destroyed.

when it comes to justice, it 'at least being more public' means fuck all. you'd prefer it to be dishonest, public and have no idea if the right men + women are being tried and punished? because that's what you're opening yourself up to there, pal.

and what you're asking for with 'making up your own mind' is the court of public opinion. you're telling me you've never seen how badly that can backfire?

( the ... irony of any of this coming from a vigilante. )

if you know the hierarchy's corrupt, then no value is going to come of seeing their actions or not. you're just wasting time and effort better served elsewhere.

All I'm saying is that at least it would be better than this. If you need me to use smaller words I can do that.

I don't know what a perfect solution would look like. But I know that this isn't it.

You asked me how long I've been here, so I'm guessing you weren't around for what Santa's talking about — but a bunch of us were kidnapped, accused of a crime, thrown in jail and branded. Some people were beaten or tortured. This asshole's saying they found the people responsible, they confessed, and got banished to become spectres. One big tidy bucket of bullshit. Sorry if I want more answers than that.

And whether it's a waste of my time or not is my business, not yours, 'Moon Knight'.

（ 'dumb name' says the kid literally named 'strawberry' (albeit, not with the correct kanji, but still). ）

would it? I don't see how watching potential innocents be punished for your own pleasure is better when you're so certain a lack of justice has been served or, more to the point, is capable of being served by a corrupt system.
so please, use smaller words to explain your reasoning if it helps us reach an understanding, because you're not doing a very good job of explaining yourself otherwise.

no, I wasn't. which is why I, 'random asshole', was asking. I was curious as to whether there was a pattern and a history to the hierarchy's actions.

do you want justice for the greater good, or do you want justice? because I didn't mention your time specifically, I mentioned time in general. you're not the only victim, are you?

'I didn't ask for anyone to be punished'.

It's right there. You replied to it. Is my fucking translator broken or something? Here let me try English

（ deliberately switching over to english, which he always tends to write in capslock because lower case english looks weird as hell — ）

I DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO BE PUNISHMENT.

your alternative solution was a trial.

( which would probably result in punishment? if the hierarchy are as implied?? marc does not follow. )

what of the other imprisoned? the other victims. their feelings on it.

Yeah, because I would've preferred a trial TO THIS, moron. In case you missed it, 'this' is Santa telling us that a bunch of people were punished over actions they weren't even in control of, that they've all been exiled to turn into monsters out in the Hinterlands and that we should go to a fucking party about it.

I don't care what the others feel about it. I'm not talking for them.

( there's a lot marc could say to this, but the final sentence means he's utterly, wholly, entirely disinterested. )

you don't care what anyone else feels about it.

interesting perspective to hold.

so, why should anyone care about your thoughts and feelings?

（ the query catches him off-guard enough that bafflement blows annoyance out of the water and all desire to continue arguing takes a hike to okinotorishima. he's now at least three-quarters of the way convinced this yahoo is actually from the moon. or possibly engineered in a test tube to torture him, specifically. has this man ever met a sentence he doesn't take literally in his life? he would like to meet that sentence. he will shake its hand. ）

Okay, Starsquire. Good chat. I see now that you are a wise human person well-versed in normal wise human person activities. You have shown me the error of my ways. Farewell, brave Squire, I must take my leave that I may dwell upon my sins, which you have so nobly elucidated and at such great cost to yourself. Truly, sir, I thank thee from the bottom of my wretched heart. Blessed be.

（ somewhere in the infinite cosmos, kuchiki rukia just sneezed. ）

( listen, in marc's defence, there are not many ways to interpret 'I don't care' but also

marc very, very rarely says anything he doesn't mean so the answer to ichigo's internal question is: eh.

eventually, he's going to realise he was talking to a teenager and the everything will make a lot more sense.

in the meantime: job done, he's not replying to any of that. )

npc || doran [ @doran ]

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