24 ⚜ Anonymous Text / CW: abuse mentions

[restingstitchface]

Whether a man is a criminal or a hero is a matter of perspective.

But if you don't want to play your role anymore, and are removed from your motivation for being who you are, what do you do? Do you seek redemption and rehabilitation and transform as an individual, or do you repeat negative behavior? How much do you believe people change only because they are imPorted? In short, do you believe people can change?

If I had anybody willing to discuss this in private with me, I assure you, I'd not be raising the issue publically.

Thank you in advance.

Comments

[restingstitchface]

[Ah.]

Neither did I. [A pause.] Afraid, were they?

[arsiento]

It don't matter if they was afraid or not -- they was smart, that's all.

[restingstitchface]

[Crane murmurs appreciation. He had to acknowledge his own wisdom when he saw it reflected.]

It's smart to be afraid. It's necessary for survival. They were afraid of what you could do. [Mmh.] The only question, then, is what scares you?

[arsiento]

[ Hm. Diablo's expression doesn't change except for his eyes to narrow slightly more, though not in irritation -- more like simply because it's a question worth squinting at dubiously, something no one's ever wondered about him simply innocuously.

And for good reason, obviously. ]

Uh huh. And why is that the only question?

[restingstitchface]

[Scanning the other man's face for some emotion, which makes his own eyes narrow, he blanks out - till that slight narrowing of the eyes catches his attention.

And he bathes in it.]

To be afraid is to be smart, remember? [He does value intelligence.] Perhaps there is nothing about you that horrifies me enough to kill my curiosity.

[arsiento]

Yeah, in your opinion.

[ But Diablo isn't going to argue the point either way beyond making that simple comment. ]

Not like you're the first person to ever wonder, though.

[restingstitchface]

[If not by his opinion. Does that mean this man is terrified by himself, hmm? Is he troubled by some inner self-loathing he can analyze? Not today. Patience, Jonathan.]

I suppose not. Though wondering about a person's motivations is hardly criminal.

[It's what you do about it afterwards, Johnny.]

[arsiento]

Nah, I wouldn't call it criminal. [ And didn't, either. ] Most of the time it can even be pretty natural. Justified, I mean.

[restingstitchface]

Justified because why? Justification differs from one person to the next. What justifies it to you?

[He knows the answer, or so he believes, but having it in Diablo's own words? Well, that's just good knowledge.]

[arsiento]

[ Diablo considers his answer-- not because he doesn't know it, but because simplicity here is better. And wiser. ]

Experience. [ Which can mean quite a few things, unclarified. ] And what about you?

[restingstitchface]

Patterns of human behavior.

[Which can include personal behavior, personal experience, but they're being beautifully simple.]

I am a firm believer in taking action before it becomes necessary. If an individual's motivation towards me is hostile, it makes sense to take action before events come to a head.

[arsiento]

If it is hostile, or if you just decide it's hostile?

[ A subtle but significant distinction. Then, with casual curiosity: ]

Like what kind of action?

[restingstitchface]

[There's no answer to the first question. The implication his judgment is less than sound doesn't deserve an answer, honestly. So he bats it away in favor of answering the second.]

Whatever is possible at the time, according to need. Whatever is necessary. [He narrows his eyes, curiously.] Are you always this inquisitive?