maskormenace | 007 ♍ video ♍ backdated to early afternoon

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007 ♍ video ♍ backdated to early afternoon

[ it's been a while since kanaya has been on video, and a while since she's felt presentable enough to be. but here, in whatever office she's working in, she seems to have taken all the necessary effort, pink lipstick and earrings to match her ever-inexplicable reading glasses. visible signs of guilt have never been her style, too much a ploy for attention. too pitiful. she's stable enough now to not make that mistake again.

never one to waste time not multitasking, even while she speaks, she's shuffling and organizing a stack of papers. desk work may be a little dull, but at least it's legal and safe. ]

I suppose recent events demand an accounting of the truth, some settling of where exactly it lies. And that file that was leaked about me, of course, is all true. The bit about Hobgoblin is no surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, but the multiple murders? Yes, that also was me.

And I stand by each of them, bereft of context as they are. I'm not the sort who'd only talk about the morals behind it, after all. I'm not here to defend myself, either. That the information was publicized is one matter, but I think the why of it is more important to discuss.

[ she doesn't stop shuffling papers, but she moves her main focus to the camera, only glancing down every now and then to what she's doing, to make sure it's being sorted correctly. ]

It's easy to point the finger at the Hornets. They were the instigating factor, of course, spreading whatever mental infection they'd concocted to act through us as their agents. It's what they did that had me railing against us, both through physical action and the propagation of an agenda to establish the danger imPort powers presents. [ conveniently, or perhaps loyally, leaving out inumuta's name. if people know, they know, but she doesn't have to drag his name through the mud alongside her. ] Not something I'd have chosen to do, an yet, it happened. But, here on the other side, left to my own thoughts without anyone else's encroaching them, I have to wonder. Didn't they have something of a point?

As imPorts, we are a gun that is not only loaded, but recently found smoking. Certainly, the government can advocate as they like, say that we were victims just the same as anyone on the other end of that gun, but I think that insults those endangered by our proximity. We are dangerous, and simply because we hesitate to pull that trigger ourselves, that doesn't mean it isn't possible for another to pull it for us. Something must be done for that.

[ she puts a halt to her paper pushing, knitting her fingers under her chin. this part is important, and she wants them to know it. she isn't here to argue, not today, so if she can reduce the arguments with a few words, she can hopefully avoid them. ]

Now, in order to properly address what I am saying, let's first get out of the way what I'm not. The Hornets weren't right, there is a difference between being right and having a point. They were just as dangerous to this world and its people as we are, and perhaps more so, for their willingness to fire the weapon regardless of the damage. They lacked the self awareness to recognize their own toxicity, which is where we must be better than them.

[ she spreads her hands, braking their clasp. ] I'm also not saying that mandatory nullification should be initiated across the board. Not now that I'm speaking clearly and singularly, at least. Nick Alford felt otherwise, but...extremities of that sort are hardly the first place to leap to. But I do believe some oversight is necessary, and I no more trust the government's capability nor willingness than I did when I first registered. Less so, if anything, with their response to recent matters.

We have to be better. We have to find true, solid solutions to promise we will be better. This is something we should be considering and discussing. Even if the blame isn't necessarily ours, the responsibility for addressing the aftermath is. We're meant to be populated with a number of brilliant minds, why not put them to use?

[ resting her chin in one hand, she props an elbow up on the desk, staring off thoughtfully. ] Maybe some kind of defense against mental compromise, [ she taps a finger against her temple. ] that would be a good first step. Just don't make it ugly.

[ she takes a moment to reexamine her papers, then reaches over to shut off the recording before continuing. ]

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Well, there was - [ A hesitation as she tries to remember the events that predated her. ] The...Manipulator, wasn't there?

Mm. [ the one who made her roommate unload a gun into him, and made a victim of two of her friends. ] An understanding of similar circumstances, though I wouldn't quite compare the scale.

Either way, they are no better equipped for it now than they were at that time.

[ A grimace. ]

We can't exactly take matters into our own hands, though, can we?

You and I, no. I doubt either of us have the expertise or resources to see a solution realized, between only the two of us.

But imPorts as a whole, that's another matter entirely.

[ An awkward, uncomfortable smile. ]

What - we set up our own little government, then? Set up a court? Hold trials? Punish people?

[ her brows furrow, wrinkling her nose. ]

Not quite what I'm getting at. More that...we discover measures to prevent this recurring. Better organize ourselves to respond, when things get out of hand.

I don't know how much we can expect anything better from a corrective system.

[ She tucks her hair behind her ear. ]

I guess...Yeah. That makes sense. Though we've got to be careful.

With most things, usually. [ she says it with the hint of a smile, like she's just told herself a joke that probably isn't that funny. ] Which is it this time, not getting ahead of ourselves and forming a police state of our own by happy accident?

[ A slight hesitation, followed by a firm nod. ]

Yeah. I know history well enough to know that this is how it happens, time and again. Strong people, people of talent and often people of good intentions get together and decide that the weaker, less talented people are having trouble governing themselves. They decide that for the good of the country, they should see to that, that they should protect them. And then those good intentions of protection turn into injustice, oppression, and authoritarianism.

There are a couple of very specific contradictions against it, in this case. I'm not going to say they have trouble government themselves, even if I don't agree with the way they are. Not my world, not my business. It's us they seem to have trouble governing.

Likewise, we're also the ones they're most likely to need protection against. None of this is to say we shouldn't be wary of anyone trying to gain power on the grounds you outline, [ the name "mitchell hundred" runs through her mind. ] but it's certainly not in line with anything with what I'm proposing here.

[ She shakes her head. ]

No. Not in what you're saying right now. But it's an easy escalation, isn't it? Especially given how keen everyone is to fight non-imPort crime. We start by governing ourselves, then look to the non-imPort criminals running loose and decide to expand our power just a little bit. And is there anyone who could stand against us, really?

[ she rests both cheeks in her hands, frowning. ]

I know that "no" is the answer you have beneath your aim, but I'm not actually confident that it's the correct answer. Has anyone yet stood against us successfully?

While they haven't, we can't really call that everyone. But I do agree that imPort crime is probably better prioritized over native crime. The problem being there are more imPort "heroes" than criminals.

For the lot of them, you couldn't pry their practice from their rigor mortised hands. As though it, and the powers they've been granted, are some unalienable and sacred right.

[ A little shrug. ]

As long as they're not using their powers to bully people, I certainly haven't got any problem with them thinking about things that way. But it seems like the strong do end up bullying the weak quite a lot. Which...I guess that's just what I worry about. If we make some sort of system that would protect that sort of thing, it could result in quite a lot of nastiness.

That would depend on what such a system is trying to protect. The strong don't need systems to protect them, they have their strength for that.

If we make a system for any purpose, it should be to keep the strong in check.

Well - hold on, though. How are we defining "strong"?

I suppose...the ones inn the best position to do that bullying. But any system we built should be more specifically focused on imPorts, I think. It would be a bit presumptuous of us to think it's our place to dictate the rest.

[ Hmmm. ]

So...How do we keep them in check, then? I mean, honestly - that runs the risk of swinging too far the opposite direction, doesn't it? If you strip people of their freedoms, they start getting resentful. And resentment builds up over time. I know in my world, that's resulted in a lot of unpleasantness, no less than the strong oppressing the weak.

[ And, for what it's worth - ]

Which isn't a criticism of your idea. At all. That's just me being frustrated over the fact that it seems like there aren't any right answers, ever, in any world ever.

Did I say anything about stripping away freedoms? I think it only runs the risk of swinging that way if you're swinging wildly. All I'm discussing is organized monitoring and response directed toward imPort crime.

[ which isn't to say she wouldn't advocate stripping more freedoms, or just things that are taken for granted as freedoms, but she's trying to be evenhanded. she doesn't care to hear all the whining she'd get if she said everything she really thinks. ]

What did you think I was suggesting?

[ She shakes her head, but points out - ]

Whenever you restrict someone's ability to do what they want to - including to others - that's taking away freedom. Generally, that's a good sort of freedom to take away, sure. But I've known people who were furious that the government wouldn't let them kill people.

[ Revolutions take all kinds. Including idiot anarchists. ]

[ oh, she can't really fault them for that one. not that she wouldn't anyway, if she thought it was necessary. ]

There's no helping entitled morons, I suppose. Those are the sort who are most in need of being leashed, I think. There's always some trouble they'll bring up, especially if they're vouching for a freedom that will only cause suffering to others.

Maybe.

[ A sigh. ]

I do not have the patience to be a political thinker, honestly. I don't understand how others are able to do it.

Necessity demands it be done, and I don't trust a majority of those who will see to that need without someone glancing over their shoulder.

Letting your blood run hot and banishing systems you disapprove of is all well and good, but someone has to be there to see to the vacuum it leaves. Someone has to consider the consequences.

I'd hate to have it left to the wrong sort of someone.

[ A little shrug. ]

The sorts of people who see a necessity for a new system, though, and the sorts of people who are willing to tear it down - they're not necessarily the same sorts of people as those who know how to build up a new system, though. Yeah, someone's got to be there, and someone's got to see to the consequences, but the people who can do that probably aren't going to be the same people who tear a bad system down.

No, it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't. But there is a need for both, if anything will be ultimately accomplished. Thought needs to be made both towards revolution and politics, battles fought on both fronts.

You may not understand how one could cultivate that patience, but I'm sure you must understand why you'll need someone with that patience in your alignment.

[ Her smile turns a little subdued. And she says, a little gently - not lecturing Kanaya, just reminding her: ]

I do have experience. With the whole process of changing regimes. So...Yeah, I understand.