maskormenace

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[ Here's Kitty, wearing a smile and giving a little wave to the camera. ]

Hullo. It's Kitty here. I was just thinking about how it's about time for us to get another wave of new people - and then I remembered how last December, we didn't get any, and then I realized that I've now been here for over a year and that was just mad to think about.

It's easy to focus on all the horrid things that happen to us here. Because there are so many horrid things - that's true. The war with the Soviets is just terrible, and sometimes you just want to take the President by his shoulders and shake him until he stops - and those groups that detest us, they've made things a bit hard at times, as well. [ There's a little sideways twist to her lips as she says that; that's a grotesque understatement from a girl who had quite the history with one of those groups that detest us. ]

But it's always easy to remember the bad above the good. That's how the human brain works, isn't it - it's designed to remember hurts so that it can avoid those hurts in the future, which isn't bad, but which means that we sometimes lose track of the fact that there is so much more kindness than cruelty in the world. So I was just sitting and remembering all the good that's come to me over the past year.

Because this year, in this world, it really has been filled with impossible goodness. When I first came here, I was so scared, but there were people who took me in and helped me and protected me until I got a little more courage. And now here I am. I've made so many friends, amongst them someone I thought was my direst enemy. I saw people whom I'd never done any good for - I saw them forgive me when I was cruel and wicked and spiteful towards them, saw them risk themselves to help me and to save me.

And I've lived amongst the people of this world, who have been so good to me. So good. I've made friends amongst them, too. I've been kept on at work when I really have been the worst employee, when I've been unreliable because of my other obligations. And we've been allowed to speak our minds, speak freely. We've been allowed to travel far and wide. We've been supported in everything we do, which is far more kindness than has ever been extended a group of refugees at any time in any world. We've lived at peace. We've lived well.

So -

[ She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. ]

I'd thought - if I could trouble you all - that we could spend a little bit of time, all together, remembering the good turns that people have done us.

Talk about whomever you'd like. Talk about the people who have been kind and helped us when they didn't have to. Talk about the wealth that is the other people we know here. And I thought we could talk about the natives, too - I was thinking I might put together a little something, a few quotes, that we could pass along to the natives of this world, so that we know that we appreciate them. Let's take some time to overcome our brains, and remember the good - focus on the good and remember how kind the world is to us. How well we live. How strong and brave and honest we can be here.

[ Translation: 'All of this is a somewhat underhanded but well-intentioned PR thing that will let me package some stuff to make the natives less furious at us in an ongoing attempt to avert all-out war between us and this world.' ]

Anyway. There's that, if you can spare some time. Oh, and, erm - come by Krakatoa, while I've got your attention. Best club in town, bar none. And the employees are simply gorgeous.

[ A quick, half-sheepish grin, and then she gives a little nod and waves her way off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Project?

[ She sounds plausibly puzzled. ]

Mostly just me being sentimental, I guess. For the most part.

[ He doesn't get it. ]

I guess I thought you were gathering sound bites.

Oh, well, that's part of it, too.

[ A quick laugh. ]

I mean - I am going to be saving these things that people say, them going on about the people who've helped them. That's worth saving, I think. Don't you think?

I guess.

You think you might need it?

[ He knows he sounds like a pessimistic asshole. It just isn't in him right now to stop. ]

[ Mm. Adam's a little bit too sharp, she thinks. ]

I think it's good to be appreciative of people.

Most people don't seem to appreciative of the whole kidnapping thing.

[ His friends aren't. ]

Most people also seem to blame everyone and their mums for kidnapping us. When it's pretty bloody clear that neither the people here nor even the government had anything to do with it. When it's clear that it was the Porter and the entity possessing it.

Oh, come on. You really believe all that crap?

It's easy to control us if we think they had no part in it.

[ That's a little blunter than she's used to from Adam. It takes her by surprise - but in response, her own voice loses a little bit of that intensely polite gentleness she always has speaking to him. ]

Yeah. That's true enough, but that fact doesn't make 'em guilty. They don't control us, and the people they bring here aren't cooperative or obedient. If they had control, they'd bring people who are good and meek and gentle, not people who'd gas their people en masse.

So they haven't figured out how to use it properly.

[ He's wound up. It's not Kitty's fault. He just can't settle right now. There's too much going on. ]

They're a government. They know more than they want us too. That's how it works.

[ A skeptical noise. ]

Believe me, I detest governments as much as many people and more than most. But governments are also made up of people. And sometime, people are bloody idiots. That's what's going on here - they're idiots. And they haven't got control.

Edited 2015-12-04 22:26 (UTC)

So we have to be careful of what we say because the government can't get their shit together?

[ Adam Parrish is such an ugly boy inside. ]

It's not our fault. We didn't ask to be brought here. It was probably just some people fucking about with what they couldn't understand but we're the ones who get it in the neck over it. So why should we be grateful about anything?

[ Okay, she goes to private. And her voice now turns completely flat and practical. ]

'Cause someone's got to keep the peace. 'Cause I don't bloody want the poor people of this poor country to end up slaughtered by our bloody madmen.

But it's a lie.

[ Adam swears under his breath and there's a rustle like he's moving. ] You're making it sound as though we're something we're not. Happy to be here, happy to help.

[ His pulse thrums under his skin, a darkness eating into the edges of his soul. ] Someone's going to believe it and choose the wrong person to trust. Sunshine and flowers don't keep people safe.

It keeps them safe better than hatred and mistrust.

[ She shakes her head. ]

Hatred and mistrust leads to violence. And there's not a single one of us at risk of trusting anyone, is there.

Everything leads to violence.

But at least if they're distrustful they'd know to avoid us. They'd have more sense than to be left in a position where they could be hurt.

If they're distrustful, they'll act. They'll strike. Believe me. I've lived a life as one of the downtrodden, scared of the people more powerful than me. You don't just accept it and stay meek and quiet. You fight back. And what happens to them when they start fighting back against us, Adam?

[ Adam never learnt to fight back.

He had someone else do that for him. ]

So you want to trick them into thinking everyone here only cares about getting along? Kitty, the world doesn't fucking work like that. People are cruel. They're only ever out for themselves. Pretending it's anything other than that is a trick.

Rubbish.

[ She shakes her hair out of her face. ]

The world is what we will it to be. Society is nothing but a great lot of people getting together and deciding, right, here's the rules. We get together, we will it to become something else, it becomes something else. Everything we have is a construct mutually agreed-upon. If everyone starts to believe that goodness is how the world operates, then goodness is how it'll start to operate.

Believe me, Adam. The world's kicked me in the stomach and told me not to get up a lot of times. I'm not a naive girl, thinking everything is secretly lovely, and that things'll get better if you just believe. Things'll get better if you fucking well fight for it. And I fight. And this is one of my tactics.

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