voice (Posted At Night); un: stranger [WAR, what is it good for!?]

[eightfoldfiend]

[cw: sounds of NPC murder in background, talk of war, Yuber will probably be gross and say violent things in comments.]

[There is a slight rustling of footsteps before Yuber speaks. His deep voice, which last month was sometimes half-crazed from his first time experiencing illness, is silky and calm.]

Far too many people here seem to genuinely think that a subtle hand is needed to deal with Celliwig.

Why?

Negotiating with the Queen of Elphame by trade could take years. Offering ourselves for fae rituals and trials could take centuries or more. Those are centuries that we do not have.

The barrier holding back the calamity could collapse before we make any inroads in establishing a working relationship with the fae nation--ah.

[Someone nearby seems to speak to him. Their words are not clear but it sounds argumentative.]

Please give me a moment.

[More rustling as Yuber tucks his phone into his tightly fitting suit jacket. With the device's microphone against his body sounds are muffled now. There seems to be a terrified shout and a thump but maybe it's just ambient noise from the city? Surely the other person, if there indeed was another person, is okay...

The rustling gets louder as the phone is pulled out again.]

Hmph.

As I was saying a show of strength is the only path forward. For centuries Camelot has failed to earn passage to Celliwig, why would this change now?

Stop beating around the bush.

Take the city, bring it to its knees and prove to the Queen that we are not a nation content to dance on puppet strings any longer.

Comments

voice; un: stranger

[eightfoldfiend]

...What are you talking about?

[sighsheavily]

Bring the city to its knees, indeed? And then what? Such actions are not done in a vacuum, as much as we our, collectively, trapped within one. You would make one fell sweeping blow and then ignore the follow-up?

[eightfoldfiend]

Showing our might to Celliwig may be the exact action the fae are waiting for. That would be our proof that we are not all pure of heart. And if we spare their lives when the city is ours there is our signal that we know mercy.

[Gross though that would be for him. He'll do it if he can bask in a war for a while.]

[sighsheavily]

Mm. And what, precisely, do you know of fae dispositions?

[eightfoldfiend]

A bit.

I see them sometimes and we leave eachother be.

They are not as coarse or vile as humanity. They think in spirals, not straight lines. They are like...me.

[sighsheavily]

[she hates that she can kind of agree with that? given her experiences with Feywild negotiations??

ugh. but she's not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that.]

You leave them be, but know them to think in such abstracts? I wonder if perhaps you ought to consider conversing with more than a few to verify that.

[eightfoldfiend]

Have you conversed much with them?

[sighsheavily]

Whether I have or not [she totally has] isn't what matters here. You're the one speaking on their behalf, here.

[eightfoldfiend]

...Am I?

Whatever.

My point is I probably know more about their minds than a human does. I am very tired of humans telling me how non-humans think.

[sighsheavily]

[just a shaaade flippant:] Perhaps you ought to drop the pretense of speculating on behalf of other non-humans then, mm? If it rankles you so much.

[she exhales. enough of this. with her usual, level tone:] In either case, your personal feelings have been made clear, so consider one goal accomplished. I highly doubt you'll find much success beyond that.

[eightfoldfiend]

Bah... I never said I spoke for all fae kind.

But human attempts to negotiate with them so far have failed... Hardly surprising, given how simple human beings tend to be.

Maybe it's time to try a different approach.

[sighsheavily]

[ugh. she wishes this were text so she could go into her final pedantic form. alas.]

I'd imagine, given how very novice many are, it would not go as spectacularly as you would wish.