maskormenace | 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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I—okay.

[she kind of just sits there in silence, then. she's not dumb, nor is she entitled to an answer. she knows that. but she doesn't know what to say next. whether there's anything to say next.]

[ she takes a breath, considering what to say before deciding on an answer. ]

The important thing to know is there are three of us here. That leaves us dramatically outnumbered, and heightens the importance of preserving what makes us Alternian.

I've met two of you personally and seen the third, but I haven't spoken to him.

[she's trying to watch her words now, and maybe if she changes what she's talking about back towards Kanaya and her positive qualities, things will be less stressful.]

I mean no further offense, but you seem like the most emotionally mature of the three of you.

They're both also much younger than I am, and fresher to a planet they in no way understand.

Though, if I were even their contemporary, you'd likely be saying something similar. Keeping a level head has always been my job.

Really? But you don't look very old at all. Unless this is another human-centric fallacy I'm making.

[she'll be metaphorically biting her tongue about that "keeping a level head" thing.]

[ just because it's her job doesn't mean she's especially good at it. just better than the alternative. ]

Not human-centric, just a fallacy of relativity. I didn't say I was at all old, only that they are both much younger.

And yet I can assume you've been here for quite some time already, to have done so many... things. Would it be equally safe to guess that the three of you were pulled from your world into this one at near the same point on your world's timeline, and you simply arrived here earlier due to various factors of temporal relativity?

Oh, that sentence actually made sense to me. I think I'm getting better at understanding the time-space continuum.

Certainly, when I arrived originally it would have been within two hours of their positions on the timeline. But I've been back since.

My point of chronological origin is instead two years beyond theirs. Which isn't to mention the four I've now spent outside our timeline.

[and Kanaya doesn't look especially old—by human standards. who even knows what her species considers old. but without taking that into account, she can kind of guess relative ages, which leads to the most profound sentence she will ever say.]

Then Karkat is a child. I do not envy the work you must need to do to keep him under control. I don't know if he would be able to assimilate to this culture without outside guidance.

Trust me, of that fact I am well aware. He chafes under Earth culture, even when he could be better suited to it than most trolls.

[ that's the most unfortunate part, when she feels the inclination to pull back, to distance herself knowing that he isn't the person she knew, the one who actually knew her.

but she doesn't have the luxury. he needs her too much. ]

He is perhaps understandably angry, but you became part of the culture on your own terms. Maybe you don't need to devote all your attention towards assimilating him. Maybe other people could offer him guidance. It's impossible to be a savior to everyone.

[which is something she feels like she should be angry at Kanaya for, but the incident in the prison was... it was nobody's fault. they did all they could.]

It's cute that you think he'd listen to any of them. Almost as cute as thinking that adapt to this culture had anything to do with my terms. This isn't the worst that it could be, but this isn't something anyone would choose. We adapt out of necessity, not desire.

Either way, I said nothing of devoting my all to it. I have plenty of things to do that he has nothing to do with. He is just another of those things.

[ and giving him her all, she's done that already. twice. after all that, having him reset again? she's not sure she has the energy to do it a third time.

she'll give him what he needs, what he's owed, but she can't spare more than that. ]

007 ♍ video ♍ backdated to early afternoon

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