Eighteenth

[mercurialize]

[Public Voice]

I've talked to a few of you about this, but all right. Question. People come here because they have to fix themselves, right? That's rhetorical. My real question is, do they actually deserve it or is it just because they can be changed?

We don't actually have that answer, do we?

[Inmate Filter]

Then, for you guys, is that change even helpful or would you call it harmful to your way of life? Whatever it was before. People make enemies, I know how it is.


[Open Action Spam: Gym]

[Kylar's around every early morning that the Barge isn't on fire or trying to rhyme and sing with itself. With the ka'kari back at his disposal he has a ton of practicing to do. Today's stunt, he tries to coat a training dummy with the ka'kari. Giving it a thick black metalic armor. He knows better than to attack it with Retribution, actually, the ka'kari warned him of that. There will be questions of Why later.

So he tears at it with a dagger attempting every move he can think of. But the dagger is taking far more damage than the ka'kari, in fact, the metal hasn't even dented. When he's done, he wills the ka'kari back into his skin. There's just one problem.]

You ate the dummy!

~Devourer.~

Stop it! I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on this stuff from people destroying it. Not destroying it myself.

~You never learn, do you? First, you complain when I don't obey, now you complain when I do. Which will it be next time?~

You weren't supposed to eat-

[Wait. Is someone else in here?]

Comments

[routemistress]

I don't think it's a question of deserving, Kyle lovey. Don't you think everyone should 'ave the best life they can 'ave?

And I don't believe people change. Not fundamentally. You could 'ave me locked up for centuries but it wouldn't make me someone that wants to be told what to do or someone that clung to traditions and safety over adventure and novelty and independence. Who you are's fundamental. What you choose to do with what you are's another story: that's what we're trying to change 'ere. And everyone with enough sentience to make choices can do that.

[mercurialize]

And if those life choices were the best available to us at the time? Sometimes there are no good choices, Iris. Sometimes you have to choose between two bad decisions, survival will always win and when it doesn't you die. Or, end up here.

[routemistress]

That's a thing that can 'appen, aye, but not as often as you might think. You ever 'eard the saying about when what you've got is a hammer, all your problems look like nails? Sometimes there might've been more options you didn't think of at the time.

And sometimes not. I've 'ad to make some awful choices in my time. Graduating 'ere's no guarantee that you won't 'ave to again, but I know you know that. But we should be able to get you to a place where you've got a much bigger toolbox to choose from. At the very least.

[mercurialize]

You'd be surprised. Life and death situations are called what they are for a reason. And not life and death or maybe a compromise. It doesn't work like that.

[He heaves a sigh.]

But I know what you're saying, I do. Change the way they think, not how they think, right?

[routemistress]

No, it doesn't always work like that, I know, but you'd be surprised 'ow often it can be made to. If you go in determined to make it that way. Not always. I agree there; just often enough to be worth a shot.

You've got a specific thing you're chewing on 'ere, 'aven't you?

[mercurialize]

Just wondering how this place works, I guess. I still don't understand it.

[routemistress]

Bottom line is it's packing a lot of life experience into a relatively short time, without anyone 'aving to stay dead from the mistakes and bad choices. That's a chance you rarely get outside this boat: to know that no matter 'ow bad it gets you can always keep learning from it.

Not just inmates, either. I don't think those of us that volunteered are necessarily better or wiser'n those that 'aven't. Sometimes we've just been luckier.

[mercurialize]

So, what you're saying is, because some of us didn't have a choice to begin with we're getting a second chance? And, somehow, that second chance is supposed to help us, what? Face those choices again later and make different ones?

[routemistress]

Or engineer the events that led up to them choices to give you a wider range of options. Or start over in a completely new world. The sky's the limit 'ere, Kyle.

[mercurialize]

And if we'd rather just go back to where we'd left off?

[routemistress]

At the very least, you go back equipped with resources to make it work out better.

[mercurialize]

I guess so.