Don't expect mercy from my government

[poll_the_stars]

One elf is starting to run out of time. The assassins plotting to kill her could show up any day now. She would really rather they didn't.

The irony doesn't escape her. She's still sending messages about her plans to sell off all of her lifespan and die to become a daeva with a lot of OTC currency. If she wanted, she could mint a ton of Ka, then let the assassins kill her. But the idea doesn't appeal. Some form of giving up, of letting them win. She's not often petty, but in this particular instance she thinks she'll indulge herself. Besides, it's not like they're the merciful type. She recalls Aisilian's perfect comprehensioned words. You were in quite a lot of pain...

No. No, she'll - not do that. She'll go spend a little while in Nexus.

She sends Miles a message.

So everything is packed and I have everything I need with me to flee my dimension before I get assassinated. Is now a good time?

Comments

[lurkingkobold]

Guilt, that is definitely guilt.

"I shouldn't need that. Don't, when I'm not being kaiinae about things."

She sighs again and looks up at Inavet.

"You're nice, and I want you to be okay, and I'm sorry about before."

[poll_the_stars]

... This doesn't actually solve Inavet's confusion!

"Thank you? It's okay. You're allowed to be afraid."

[lurkingkobold]

And now the kobold is a little confused.

"I mean... yes? But there wasn't a reason to be; I should have been paying attention to that. I wasn't trying to figure out if there was a reason, and I should have been, and if I was I would have noticed sooner and not upset you as much."

[poll_the_stars]

"The trouble about being afraid," says Inavet, "is that sometimes it isn't always logical."

[lurkingkobold]

"Yeah. I still think I could have done better if I had actually tried, though."

[poll_the_stars]

"Okay. Let me know if I can help? I have been trying to seem very nonthreatening. I uh. Screwed it up a few times, but I'm not exactly perfect."

[lurkingkobold]

This gets a wryly amused grin - she doesn't agree with this assessment, but isn't surprised to hear it.

"Don't worry about me, I'm okay. Wouldn't be here," she indicates how close she is to Ina, "if I wasn't."

[poll_the_stars]

"Fair enough."

[lurkingkobold]

Grin.

Scritches?

[poll_the_stars]

Sure! They can have scritches now. Scritch scritch.

[lurkingkobold]

[esthfora]

Inavet gets a PM from Esthfora.

Don't worry, you'll be fine! It's time to go to Synnefisia now. Does the kobold want her mind protected?

[poll_the_stars]

Inavet has PM notifications turned on. She can open and read her PMs while scritching the kobold.

She blinks, confused.

"... Esthfora says I'll be fine, and that it's, 'Time to go to Synnefisia now.' That's, er, a city. The capital of the Sunrise Empire, actually. She - wants to know if you would like your mind protected?" She sounds very confused.

[lurkingkobold]

"Maybe? What's happening?"

[poll_the_stars]

"It could mean I should kidnap the person I was planning to kidnap," she muses. "But I'll ask."

What will I do in Synnefisia?

[esthfora]

Something else. And then you'll be a demon.

[poll_the_stars]

"... That's ominous, but okay. She says something else. And then I'll be a demon. Do you uh, want Esthfora's protection? From. Whatever it is?"

[lurkingkobold]

"It seems like it'd be easier for me to just stay away from whatever it is."

It kind of looks like she wants Inavet to stay away from whatever it is, too.

[poll_the_stars]

"I guess," she shrugs. "But whatever it is, it implies I need it, which. Is concerning." She fidgets idly with the hem of her jacket. "... That implies there's something nasty in Facet. That is causing havoc."

Her first instinct: someone is causing havoc in Facet, stop them! Her second instinct: oh goddesses she'll die. The result of this inner battle is a very complicated face that looks like some mix of very determined and subtly frightened. She stands anyway, setting her jaw. "Well. I suppose I should go stop it."

[lurkingkobold]

This does not seem to the kobold like someone who is unconflicted about the thing that they are about to do. Trying to stop her would be the height of rudeness, but...

...well, but not much. She watches Ina closely, though.

[poll_the_stars]

Ina... looks at the kobold looking at her. She fidgets with her hem again.

"... I am not unmoved by the prospect of dying," she murmurs as way of explanation.

[lurkingkobold]

Ah.

That would get a hug, but given Ina's cool response to the last one, maybe better to skip it.

"Would it help if I went with you?"

[poll_the_stars]

(Ina would be thankful for the lack of hugs, were she aware that the decision crossed Lurker's mind.)

She... Doesn't particularly want to die alone. She also doesn't want to be the type of person that shies away from saving people just because she is going to be made temporarily dead doing it. But also, her life is valuable, and it's understandable for her to find it scary. It's okay to want some kind of comfort when willingly walking into a situation where you know you're going to die. It is less okay to traumatize someone else doing it. She has no reason to believe her death will be nice. She - doesn't know what she wants. Not without thinking about it for an extended period of time, time which she likely doesn't have.

"I. Maybe. I don't know."

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold considers the density and conflictedness of Ina's body language, and thinks back to what she heard about her world.

"I want to, I think. If it will help you. This isn't new, for me; I'll be okay."

[poll_the_stars]

"... If you do, you should probably have Esthfora's protection."

That sounded almost like a, 'Yes I would like you to come.'