maskormenace | 003; Video

[ This is Baelish, coming to you from the Maurtia Falls Ambassador office. Not Baelish coming to you from his casino or Baelish coming to you from his strip club. That makes this professional, right? ]

Greetings, my fellow imPorts. For those of you who do not know me, I am Lord Petyr Baelish, Ambassador for Maurtia Falls. I wished to address you all to talk about a few things, but most importantly this Nonah election. It is of utmost importance that we vote and show support for our fellow candidates. The job of ambassador is an important one, and I believe all of these candidates have qualities that would work to benefit Nonah. It is in your hands to decide who best will fit your city. But I implore you to truly look into who has the policies and qualities you seek. I would be more than happy to illuminate some of those to any imPort who may not have been following the race too closely.

[ And that's all he says on the matter since his good pal Dorian Gray had always harped on him about talking too much in his network posts. ]

Second of all, for those of you who recall the attack in Philadelphia at the ambassadorial celebration -- did any of you happen to return with the remains of one of those monstrosities, whether it be for scientific study or perhaps as a souvenir? I have been curious about what information can be gleaned from them -- especially in relation to the ImProcreats, if anyone still happens to have their little creature from that Swear In for comparison.

[ A beat. ]

And lastly, I understand this day to be a day of gratitude -- a nationwide celebration for families and friends to get together and sit down for a meal. Unfortunately, on this holiday I find myself largely alone and I am certain there are others who are in a similar position. If anyone has need of company, I can provide a place and wine if you can provide a dish of food or two. It does not have to be traditional in terms of what is served, but the important thing is that we are not alone when we could be together.

That is all. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thank you all for your time and wish you a wonderful holiday.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ A little wryly: ]

What - haven't you got a favorite candidate?

Well, the one I want most will not run. I believe she has said politics are not for her, even though she has all the qualities to make a great one.

[ Nice deflection, Baelish. ]

Oh, it's much more fun to be a private citizen than a politician. I like not having to please anyone.

[ Naturally! ]

Well, I suppose you do have a good point. You also do a great deal for the community without needing the official title. Will you be doing charity work this holiday?

I always do. Will you? Aside from taking in stray people.

Yes, I believe I will. It seems most imPorts are busy today anyway, so not many strays will be taken in. I am glad to see that they have plans of their own, though.

[ Because that is absolutely why no one really jumped at the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with him and not at all because no one really wants to hang out with him! ]

Do you have a particular city you focus your time on? Or do you travel between them all equally?

Me? I focus on Heropa, mostly.

[ A little shrug - ]

It's where I live, and it's the one that's been through the most, really.

Heropa does seem to be a target quite often. Although fortunately, we have not had any attacks as of late.

[ A beat. ]

I hope that will not invite or create any attacks in the near future. I rescind what I said.

I didn't know you were superstitious, Petyr.

[ She consciously decides to use his given name - just to see if he balks at all at not being Lord Baelish. ]

[ WELL it is a good thing this is voice. Because Petyr is definitely making a slightly disgruntled face. ]

Perhaps not so much superstitious as knowing an attack is inevitable. I just don't wish for my words to give anyone the wrong idea. You know how people can listen in on these conversations.

Oh, fair enough. There are plenty of arseholes who would take that as a dare.

Anyway - why do you ask?

Curiosity, mostly. But I also wondered if there were charities in more dire situations than others -- ones more in need of volunteers simply because of their environments. I would expect Maurtia Falls to be a bit worse for the wear, but Nonah is the largest of the porter cities. And De Chima seems so industrial that it may be easy for those not involved in that field to fall to the wayside. So it's hard to know where I would be needed most. I may represent Maurtia Falls, but that shouldn't bind me to only remaining within the city and not help out in others.

[ Hm. Thoughtfully, she admits: ]

I actually don't know, truth be told. I suppose I generally focus on more...global charities, as much as I can. I don't think quite so much about the needs of the individual cities.

You wish to extend your reach to as many as you can. You know--

[ He begins, and then pauses. A subtle baiting. ]

Perhaps I should not say. It would not be suitable to bring up what others have said about you. I believe her accusations to have stemmed mostly from jealousy anyway.

[ Kitty's response to that is far from horror, or offense, or worry; she gives a short wry laugh, and says: ]

Oh, out with it. Who was it?

[ She takes it in stride! Which does lead Baelish to believe the disdain of Kanaya stems from envy. ]

Your name came up in a conversation with Kanaya, and she had no qualms about sharing her opinion of you. But then again, I feel she has no qualms about sharing her opinion about anyone. And normally that opinion is quite negative. She claimed you do the things you do for the attention it brings you rather than a true desire to aid those in need. Is it envy that leads her to speak out so brazenly against you?

[ With a rare burst of mean-girl bitchiness, Kitty responds: ]

Oh, Kanaya? She's still talking about me? I haven't even thought about her in months.

[ And then, dismissively: ]

I don't know what goes on in her head. Mostly she dislikes me 'cause I've called her on her crap, I think. But anyway - I've said this to her before: even if I am just doing it all for the attention, so what? I mean, even if we accept her claims, and say I'm the biggest egotist in the world and she's a sweet modest little thing, well, ultimately it's the egotist who's out there helping people in need. And the knowledge that you've got a lovely modest personality doesn't keep people clothed and fed.

Very truly spoken, Kitty. You are the one taking action. I just think it's a shame that you're met with criticism for helping people. But I am glad to see that it does not bother you. If anything, I imagine it would inspire you to be that much more active in your charity work.

Too bloody right.

[ She huffs an irritated sigh. ]

Don't get me wrong - if I do something genuinely wrong and awful or if I'm going about things the wrong way, I want people to say something. But honestly, this criticism is useless. Worse than useless. Ooh, your motives are wrong. What can I do with that? If Kanaya wants to snipe at me, I wish she'd at least snipe at me in a way I can use.

From within the realm of jealousy rarely comes sense and logic. Quite the opposite, usually. But you do continue to impress me every time we talk. So few are willing to hear what people find to be their negative aspects. And even fewer are willing to listen to those and improve from them. Many could stand to learn a thing or two from you. Myself included.

Oh -

[ She waves her hand with faint embarrassment. ]

Rubbish.

I try very hard to not speak rubbish, I'll have you know. It has a very unpleasantly foul taste to it.

Well, then if you stand by all of what you just said, then you ought to point out that I've also quite a lot to learn from you. We've all things to learn from one another.

I do agree with you there. It's been such a unique experience to be introduced to so many different people, cultures and ways of life. The only shame is that we will not get to take these memories with us when we do eventually return to our worlds.