|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 11, 2010 16:54:28 GMT -5
Mirriam frowned, and even opened her mouth once or twice, as if to say something...but she had matured a lot over the years, and despite being a teen now, her manners were very good when at 'home'. So she didn't interrupt, and she let him continue, despite how angry some of his words made her. She held herself straight, no trace of fear in her expression anymore. The anger she'd felt as she'd read some of those books, as she'd talked to a few Aces that were trying to live life the best they could and were stopped at every turn...it burned within her now, hot and very much alive.
The Aces couldn't defend themselves because they weren't allowed to do so. No one would listen to an Ace. Well, Mirriam had already determined that she'd make them listen to her, make them hear the words about Aces that they all tried to ignore or cover up. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm going to have to disagree," the Bat said calmly, but her eyes flashed. "It's not very fair of you to say they aren't people just because they can't change their Rank or learn magic. Like you said, it's not the Aces' fault, they were just born that way! Lots of other Cards are born with weird mutations too. We even had a Sprout badge about learning to get along with them and see them as special, and not as weird! So what makes Aces so different?"
He'd essentially already answered that question, so the Bat plowed on, voice gaining a bit of heat despite her best efforts. "The Queen of Diamonds when I first came here had an Ace he raised like his own daughter. I heard she was even blind. But His Majesty treated her like any of his other children. So when one of the Cards that held to that 'school of thought' was the Queen of Diamonds himself, you can't just...discount all of it!"
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 11, 2010 17:28:42 GMT -5
A subject of genuine interest to the girl. Passion, even. Khushrenada honestly hadn't expected that. Some part of him thought she just wanted an explanation, or a discussion for the sake of it. Not that she wanted to try and argue a point. He tried to keep himself from frowning.
"The Queen of Diamonds during your time advocated for the rights of Aces, and the Queen of my time hunted them down and exterminated them like vermin. Don't discount your history in favor of your viewpoint, Mirriam. You may not have known this, but both of them had a family stake in the judgement - Theofilus's daughter came to light later in life, and Cerevanna's parents destroyed themselves from the shame of her sister - and so I do not place my trust in either extreme of thought. Aces do not need to be coddled as children, and they do not need to be put down. I take a moderate view on the subject. Our current Queen seems to do the same, as does the Queen of Hearts, with her little pet."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 11, 2010 21:10:27 GMT -5
Mirriam, like all young idealists, fully believed that though things had been a certain way for generations, that was no reason for them to be that way forever. All Cards were people, no matter if they were a Queen or an Ace, a Highlander or a Lowlander. This was a belief as deeply ingrained in Mirriam as the tree that stood out brightly against her fur. She just hadn't known that it wasn't something everyone believed until quite recently.
Mirriam's mouth was twisted in a small frown. This discussion wasn't going as well as she'd hoped, though at least it was staying somewhat civil. "I...I know...I'm sorry, I guess that was a bad example. I just meant that it's not like I'm the only one who thinks this!" She sighed a bit, and dug her feet into the couch. Somehow, it was harder to put all her carefully measured arguments into place when he was actively (and calmly) disagreeing. The part of her that was still a child half wanted to just agree...to nod and apologize and have things go back to the way they were.
But she couldn't live like that anymore. It would be living a lie, and she was a Diamond surrounded by other Diamonds...dishonesty on that level just wasn't an option.
"You take a moderate view. Sorry, but I'm not sure that makes sense with what you said before. You don't think Aces are people...then what do you see them as? Pets? What if an Ace doesn't want to be someone's pet? What if they want to travel and see the world?" She thought of Emery, though she would never mention him by name. She hoped he was happy and free, wherever he was. "Some Aces may be fine with that life, but some aren't, and they get no say just the same. I just don't think that's right."
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 19, 2010 7:58:25 GMT -5
Khushrenada, like many guardian figures experiencing puberty and true difference of opinion for the first time, found himself less than pleased. Still, he tried very hard to keep that out of his expression as he spoke. At least she was willing to concede on small points even if she seemed to fail to grasp the larger picture.
"You are by no means the only person to take such a stance. Yes, Aces are pets. It is the moderate stance between the extremes of vermin to be exterminated and equals. For truly mentally handicapped Aces, which are the vast majority, they are pets in the same way that dogs were trained up from wolves to be pets, only born in a way domesticated and sometimes less intelligent. For the more capable creatures, they are pets in the way that a bright magical creature or a... hmm... a... mmm, what's a good example... I suppose in the way that some people keep their servants as slaves, only legally and with better reason due to their natural inferiority."
"I won't deny the fact that some Aces are exceptionally intelligent, though they are fewer and further between than you seem to realize. Merquise is an example of the type, which is why I keep him mostly to himself. But that sentient awareness and mental aptitude cannot change their lack of magic, or the letter on their chest. Nothing can change that - nothing, Miriam. Whether or not you want to be a Diamond, you cannot change your suit. Whether or not they want to be an Ace, they cannot change their rank, and they cannot learn abilities. This makes all the difference in the world. Pet or vermin or pitiful excuse for a child, they are distinctly separate from true Cards and Card society. It has always been thus."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 19, 2010 14:22:58 GMT -5
Mirriam was also trying to keep her tone civil, but it was becoming harder and harder as Khushrenada kept saying such horrifying things. She felt like her childhood vision of a strong royal guardian who could do no wrong and knew everything was being forcibly ripped to pieces. Her claws gripped the couch hard enough to pierce the fabric, and her wings were held so stiffly the joints ached.
Her brown eyes were narrowed in anger, and her jaw clenched. "Well, I don't think Cards should be kept as slaves against their will, either! It's wrong and it's ugly, but society just justifies it away and doesn't care! If you have enough power and money you can get away with anything. It's sick. Rank isn't everything! Power isn't worth the sacrifice of our humanity!" She sat up, tall, burning with fervor compiled by adolescent contrariness.
"For the mentally challenged among the Aces, for the physically handicapped, perhaps being a pet is the kindest thing to do for them. But for the Aces that are as smart as other Cards? They should get the choice! They could be perfectly functional members of society if we could just look past our prejuduces! Who gets to say what requirements are 'necessary' for being part of Society? They were born into it like us. They have a mark on their chest just like anyone else. They're Cards." She took a deep breath, bravely fighting off tears.
"And how do you know the number of intelligent Aces is so low? I bet a lot of them are just faking, because they know they'll be rejected by everyone if they show how smart they are! They've given up on society ever changing. Given up on themselves. Well I won't give up on them."
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 19, 2010 14:37:40 GMT -5
Khushrenada remained glad that he didn't wear his wings in this form. If he did, they would have been fluffed and half-extended by now. Such displays were unseemly, and far too telling.
She really hadn't heard a word he said, had she, beyond taking it as fuel to her sudden and unexplained fervor. Why Aces? What on earth had caused her to latch onto them as a subject of such great and personal interest? Had he somehow raised her to think this way? Lord, he hoped not. And yet here it was. Perhaps one of the servants had started putting these notions into her head, or simply the influence of Queen Theofilus's reign?
He let her say her little piece with the skin pursed at the edges of his beak. When she appeared to have finished and taken her stand, he shifted in his seat and spoke with an extra dose of his customary smooth and cultured tones.
"I think that perhaps I did you a disservice, Miriam, raising you without religious guidance. If I hadn't, we would not be having this discussion right now. You would have understood from a very young age exactly why Aces take the position that they do in our society and you wouldn't have felt the need for this... display. Aces are undeniably Cards. So are Torquehelms. And Lowlanders. All three sects are afflicted with a curse, in their own way. Torquehelms have adapted their lifestyle to accept this fact, as their lands have taught them. Lowlanders have done so as well. And Aces have been helped to do the same with their own affliction. There are forces in this world that you do not understand, Mirriam, and that have not made themselves apparent to you. Those forces are the reason that we possess our humanity in the first place, and the reason that we possess magical ability, and the reason that Queens are more naturally powerful than Twos. They are also the reason that you have nothing to give up on in the first place. Aces are Cards. But they are also cursed, inferior beings. That is simply the way of these things."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 19, 2010 15:00:17 GMT -5
The smooth, relaxed tone helped Mirriam to calm down, just a little. But it also put part of her on guard. You didn't live your whole life with the most powerful Diamonds in the world without learning what it felt like to be 'charmed', through use of an ability or otherwise. Still, her feet let their death grip up a bit. Khushrenada wasn't giving her enough credit. She was listening to what he was saying. She even wanted to be able to believe him, or more accurately to believe -in- him.
But the way he kept using the word inferior...that just pushed her over the edge. Like pushing a button she never knew she had before. The Bat shot to her feet, tense and glaring. "You're wrong!" she fairly shouted, and she took a deep breath and visibly forced herself to calm down a bit before she turned to him again, breathing heavily. "You may see that things are all just fine and dandy and the way you think they should be, but all I see are fellow Cards being unfairly treated for something they can't help and are not at fault for! It's just not the same as Torquehelms and Lowlanders, it's NOT. And if you refuse to see that, FINE. This conversation is OVER!"
Angrily, Mirriam, launched herself into the air and flew out of the room, out of the apartment. She flew and flew until she made it out onto the grounds, and then she fell to the ground, shaking, sobbing. How...how could he just calmly sit there and say those horrible things? She didn't -get- it! He was supposed to know everything! He was supposed to be wise and great and loving and...the tears kept coming.
((I figure one more post from each of us can wrap this up? <33 I just need one more post for...plot reasons. I suppose I could also edit this one if you don't want to do another post.))
|
|
|
|
Post by The Jenn on Oct 19, 2010 18:52:29 GMT -5
Only years of practiced restraint and trained control kept Khushrenada from shouting a reply to the girl's obstinate denial of the truth. She deliberately twisted some facts to her cause while overlooking or denying others altogether. He had never felt so frustrated with the girl in the decade since he found her wandering Avington.
His beak clicked firmly shut on a reply as she flew from the room in an absolute tizzy, and it was a few moments before he could unclench his jaw, stretch his neck to the side, and slowly allow his back to relax from the painful rigidity of his posture. He was fighting a mood and losing.
Definitely time for her own space, because he didn't particularly want to look at her in his at that moment. He would calm, he knew, but that didn't help his seething frustration in the meantime. And what if she took more of an interest in Merquise, now that she had stated her position and he had informed her of the man's intelligence?
Mmm. No. He stood, cracked his back with a quiet grunt, and went to find a steward.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Oct 19, 2010 20:36:19 GMT -5
Mirriam wrapped her wings tightly around herself, there in the field by the tree she always used to play in as a child, and sobbed her heart out. Why did it hurt so much? Why did part of her almost think it would have been better to live a lie, to go back against her promise to Emery? Because she couldn't take a little heartache? Or a lot of heartache.
Right in that moment, all she wanted was for it to stop hurting.
Suddenly...it did. Suddenly, she felt...nothing. No emotion at all. She wasn't happy at the change, because 'happy' was also a feeling, and at the moment Mirriam had none. She took a deep breath and got to her feet, spreading her wings and stretching them out. She wiped the corners of her eyes, carefully, so as not to just smudge the tears more. That wouldn't be logical.
It would have scared her, this lack of emotion, but fear was currently beyond her too. She thought about what had just happened, logically. Logically, she still felt her points were sound. Well, some of them were, at least. Logically, Aces were Cards, and some of them were intelligent, so it only made sense they would make their own decisions. But also, if the majority of Cards didn't agree...it would create the current situation, like it had.
Khushrenada was not infallible, and the fact that she'd ever thought so was rather ignorant. However, nor was he the raging monster her anger had made him out to be a few minutes before. She should apologize to him, she knew. But she shouldn't do it right away. He would still be too riled up. This she also knew logically.
So the little Bat went for a fly to think stoically about where she could go from here, and the bright red J on her chest went unnoticed.
Jack's Ability: She is now able to, once a week, distance herself from any and all emotion and look at a situation from a purely logical standpoint for a full three hours. During this time, appealing to her better nature does you no good, she is incapable of feeling love, sadness, humiliation, fear, or guilt. She is ruthless and will act only to serve her better interests, or those of a cause she knows (logically) to be right. (For example: If she were to begin fighting a cause against her own lover and he/she came up against Mirriam. She could activate this ability and mow through them because it had to be done with brutal efficiency, no hesitation that emotion might bring.)
|
|
