maskormenace

[ 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. ]

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[ She'd be lying if she said that didn't send a little frisson of envy lancing through her. Parents who were clear-eyed and good, who taught their kids to be good to others. Parents who would support their children no matter what. Parents who would have taught her good moral lessons - not just look at their shoes, if the shoes are shiny they're a magician and you need to offer them better service. How would she have been different, if she'd had parents with courage and moral convictions? Who would she have been? Would she have fallen into the Resistance? Or would she have found better ways to fight?

Or would I be dead already? After all, I did learn how to survive. And I'm good at it. ]

That's so good, though.

[ She manages a smile right back at him, and it hardly even looks forced at all. ]

Those are absolutely the right lessons to teach, I think. Those are the sorts of lessons that lay the foundation for building a better society. Though the whole thing is cyclical, of course - they learn that that's virtuous because of the society, and the good lessons they learned get reinforced and enter into the fabric of society in turn. All that. So.

[ Her smile gets a little more subdued. ]

Did you ever get in trouble? Growing up?

[It is good. But that's also why he doesn't mention them as much as he wants to, or as much as is natural to him. Even after all this time, mentioning his parents in passing conversation seems normal, but when everyone else is stuck with people who shouldn't have had the right to be parents, it's impossible for him to feel like he's not bragging a little about being born into fortunate circumstances.]

Aw, all kids get into trouble. But... I never got into much Gave lip to the wrong people a couple time, ran into a couple bullies, screwed around in class too much, that kinda thing. I never threw many punches, if that's what you're asking. [He offers her a wry smile.] Just yelled a bunch. I've always been kinda small; if I tried to punch anyone back then, I woulda gotten my ass whooped.

Things have changed a bit, haven't they.

[ She shoots him a knowing little smile. Then she tucks her hair behind her ear. ]

I got in a lot. The worst was when I was thirteen. I got in legal troubles, and ended up having a fine levied against me - if I hadn't gotten helped, I'd have had to have paid over five hundred pounds. [ A pause, and then - she doesn't know why she says this - ] A magician had attacked my best friend and me. So I tried to bring a lawsuit, to make him pay. And everyone told me not to, that nothing was going to come of it, and they were right, and I nearly ended up in debtor's prison.

It was worth it, though. I think. Looking back. I'm glad I did it. Standing up to them.

[Jaime tilts his head back, thinking. Would he think it was worth it? Probably not. He probably wouldn't have done it in the first place, but he's not as brash and bold as Kitty is, not until he's already on the verge of success, or of death.

Or both, as it most commonly goes.]

Sounds like the kind of thing that'll be written in the history books. Those kinds of protests usually are -- if the protesters win, anyway. And I'm pretty darn sure that you will, so long as you give yourself a little time.

[He pauses, then switches the feed to private, just so both of them can speak freely.]

Who helped you? Was it the people you wound up joining?

[ Her face softens with gratitude when he affirms that faith in the success of her movement. Again, a good way to get past her defenses: express faith in what she's doing. It's so important to her, that they prevail, and she doesn't hear that sort of affirmation often, and so when she does it's potent. She nods, this time without hesitation or wariness, not maintaining even the slightest defense. ]

Yeah. Mr Pennyfeather - that was the man who led the Resistance - he heard my story in court, how I was unaffected by the attack, and he realized that I had magical immunity and would be an asset to his group. So he paid my court fees. He didn't say I was obligated to give anything in return, but... [ She gives a half-smile, not exactly happy. ] He made a different sort of debt. And he played off my anger. He was...smart, you know.

So he played you. Kind of. [Jaime frowns, uncertain.] You think he actually cared, or was he just manipulating you? That's kind of a rough one, getting into a resistance like that.

Both, I think.

[ She says that without anger, without regret. ]

He saw someone who'd stood up to the magicians, and he wanted to help me because of that. But he also very much wanted something from me. Taking care of my fees...That accomplished both things at once, didn't it.

[ Kitty shakes her head very slightly. ]

He was a lot better then, honestly. A lot kinder. Genuinely idealistic. We all lost sight of that later on, especially him. But in those early days, he really believed. And he really wanted to help those who needed it.

Right. I remember you telling me that things didn't exactly end the way that the Resistance wanted things to.

[He frowns, glancing down at his feet, thinking about everything that he's seen over the past few months, everything that he's heard other people do.]

That's how a lot of bad things start, isn't it? By people who just want to do some good?

[ She gives a grunt of acknowledgment. ]

You know how the saying goes - The road to hell is paved with good intentions. [ A beat. ] Of course, what bothers me about that quote is that it's about only ten percent of the picture, since good intentions are also the paving stone to better lives and better worlds, aren't they. It's how a lot of bad things start, but it's also how all of good things start. The problem is never wanting to make things better - the problem is going about it in the wrong way. Or forgetting what it is that people really need.

Eh, I still think it's good to keep in mind. Too many people think that if they're trying to help people, that means everything they do is justified, like the people they fight against don't think they're right too. [As always, his position is temperate, moderate.] I don't think anyone who uses the expression is actually saying that there's a problem with wanting to improve things.

[ She sounds a touch dubious. ]

I don't know. I find that people are very often...Oh, either indecisive or outright apathetic, and use past examples of things gone wrong to justify inaction. It's one of the many reason change is often so difficult. Pessimism in the guise of caution kills it.

Hey, I never said both problems don't exist. People who wanna do good forgetting themselves doesn't mean that other people don't care. It's not like one problem's more important than the other.

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