sixwordstories | (no subject)

No, I know. Good or bad.

Sure are enough folks who think they are, though.

In your case, I'm more than satisfied with my decision.

Well, I would like to think that I'm a good consequence. [:)]

Yes, and they're about as irritating as the ones who think they ought to be. Divorced from all pro-community leaning, they yet expect the community to cater to them as individuals. Unbelievable.

The very best. We're not always rewarded for taking into account the mood of a room, but I feel vindicated for so doing.

How do you feel about how things have turned out?

Honestly? I feel pretty good.

I still wish I'd had a choice. And I might not have made this choice, if I'd been given it. But I've gotten to meet people I care about now, and this life is... pretty incredible, so I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out.

And I have no complaints about you, my Prince.

Regrettably, yours is one of the most difficult clans to adapt to from a former kine's perspective. While the Toreador, Brujah, Tremere, Ventrue and even Gangrel are visibly alike to them, you had no choice but to cut off all contact to your former life. Your Sire was cruel, and I'm glad I killed them.

I didn't ask for a personal review, but it's always welcome. Thank you, Sunday.

I can't understand that mindset, no matter how often I encounter it. We're-- that is, communities are so much stronger when they're united. What's hard about this?!

Yeah... That is the hardest part. I would've liked to have said goodbye to the people I did care about. The rest of it, I wasn't that attached to Inglewood, and I can take online classes if I want my degree...

Well, you're part of why I feel good about this. It would've been a lot worse if I hadn't come around on you. But that happened pretty fast, so... You're welcome.

I wish I knew, but your view is refreshing. I can tell from your frustration it was a hard earned one. Would you like to elaborate?

Perhaps you can track them down via some online presence, and tell them that you left the country to start a new life somewhere else. It isn't a complete lie, and as far as the Masquerade goes, a runaway is much more palatable than a mysterious disappearance. Then they don't have to spend their lives worrying that you were murdered.

Even if you were.

'Come around on'? Oh. Initially, that was obviously frightening for you. I'm sorry, I really am.

It's not any particular thing, although you already know I feel about ludds. But people are people, even if they're citizens of Gov. They waste all this time and energy trying to cheat a system that's already fair when they could be contributing instead!

That's not a bad idea... It's not like any of them would be able to trace me, and I could ask for help making that impossible anyway. Thanks for the suggestion, it'd be nice to be able to tell them I'm okay--

[Sunny actually laughs at that, caught off guard.] When you put it that way, ow.

It was kind of alarming. [A wry understatement!] And... I could tell you were reading the room, that sparing me was a political move. I mean, at the time, I wasn't inclined to 'get it', it just felt offputting. But I think I do get it now.

In the worst cases, these rogue elements have a degree of immaturity. They struggle regularly with the concept that they must not willfully damage the greater organism, in order to be acceptable to it.

Then, any system is more awkward when you must work in tandem with other, archaic systems. Do you have capitalism?

You must be careful not to tell them anything that might lead them toward the truth. Remember, the Masquerade is not solely for our protection; humans would rip one another apart in pursuit of us as well.

I'm strict on siring because doing it incorrectly is a sign of antisocial behavior, as well. It's irreversible. Some Princes look the other way, and some might say I ought to as well, that by not doing so I'm flexing power I don't have. They are free to say whatever they like, the truth is that I have zero tolerance for that particular act.

I wanted to kill you, yes. To be sure that you would not cause me retaliatory damage out of resentment for your Sire's death, and because I had no time then to demonstrate the correct oversight, earn your loyalty, and ensure you understood the society you were thrown into. That discussion afterward, and sending you to Mercurio, was the best I could do for you.

It pains me to think of how close I was to killing one of the most important, and kindest people I've ever known.

Well said. Very well said. It shouldn't even be hard, that's just basic biology writ large.

Of a sort. All our citizens have access to everything they need to live comfortably and well as a given, but if you want to pursue a career and work, you're compensated appropriately. There are luxuries and specialty services beyond the scope of basic quality of life that you need to be able to pay for to access.

Precisely. The best unit works as a body made of individuals, all working for a common good.

Hn. A marginal improvement, but I've always found this system difficult to work within. The clans who were socially disadvantaged look at the Ventrue as reincarnates of their kine oppressors. Much needless friction.

What sorts of work do you offer them?

Exactly!

Oh, that's deeply unfortunate. Dynamics like that are really hard to shake.

Better to ask what isn't available. There are opportunities in science and tech, engineering, math. We always need conservation and reclamation officers. Arts and entertainment-- you could start your own stream, join an acting troupe, publish to the net. Painters and illustrators are always in demand. There's childcare-- creche keepers and teachers-- animal care, medical care, there's service work-- mechanics, tech support, repairs, construction. You could always join the World Guard, like I did, and some of the bigger communities have internal Guard forces as well if you don't want to travel...

I could go on.

They are indeed. I don't blame others for clinging to their biases, whatever they believed protected them in life, but it does not allow us to move forward or break any new ground for the future.

What is a "reclamation officer", if you don't mind my asking? The rest is rather self explanatory, and I imagine most individuals of sound body and sound mind could do them rather easily.

Do they ever come around?

Even those of unsound mind or body can work if they want to-- we make accommodations as needed. No one who wants to contribute will be denied. And if they can't or don't want to work, that's fine too. We take care of our own.

Reclamations officers work out in the ruins, recovering-- reclaiming-- resources left behind when everyone died. I think they're mostly interested in metals and plastics, but there's tons of refuse out there waiting to be dug out and reused somehow. Reclamation Corps work is hard and dangerous, but I hear it's pretty rewarding, too.

Occasionally. All but one of the "Free States" has collapsed. Anarchy is a pleasant ideal, but in practice, it works very poorly.

Fascinating. The ruins, approximately what percentage of the planet is that?

Oh, isn't that the truth. I don't understand how people can be so selfish.

...Most of it? --Sorry, that's facetious. I don't know exact numbers, though. We mostly built new communities and abandoned all the old cities and towns, so most of those stand now only as ruins.

Short sighted approaches to long term problems, and a tendency to rationalize what 'isn't their responsibility'. The Ventrue have taken Kindred management on, at great personal expense, but do we get thanks? Ha!

Was that difficult, to give up the culture, and architecture? I suppose you wouldn't have been personally affected by it. Kine build some magnificent structures, however. It should make me hesitate to compare them to what I think of as modern buildings.

See, that's the selfishness I don't understand. Everyone needs to do their part. No one is exempt from that! --Hn, apparently, what you get are Free States, and anarchists. A charming response.

Does it really count as giving it up if we chose to move past it? And it's not as if everything from before the Pathogen is crumbled into dust: some folks are really passionate about preserving our 'significant cultural heritage' and spend their lives working with historical societies to save whatever they can. And that does include architecture. Notre Dame-- the old church from Paris?-- stands now in my natal city as a museum.

I should like to explain it to them, but they aren't as amenable or patient as you with things they don't understand. They react with fear.

...I see. You moved it? Built something around it, to shelter it from the elements? I do find that somewhat sad, but, progress ever marches on. I suppose.

Unfortunately, many people do. Seems that's true of Kindred as well.

They moved it. It took years, apparently. At least it's preserved, and not rotting to pieces in a charnel city?

We call ourselves that in part to remind ourselves we are not so distant from the humans, Devero. Whether it helps, I can't say.

I'm no Toreador, I wouldn't be heartbroken. I was born in Calais and studied at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, about 13 miles west of the center of Paris. I never saw the thing myself, and becoming Kindred is...

Well. You have about as much attachment to your own ancestors' follies as I do to those of the peers in my former life.

It certainly seems to have helped you, if nothing else.

--So you were born in the Romance Territory too! Or, it was France back then, wasn't it? The part containing Paris, that is.

Hah! That's fair.