expiationnet | o1; audio

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—ere we go. Hello? If anyone can hear this I've got a question that's been rolling around in the ol' noggin for the last week or so if you don't mind humoring an old man, uh. I know this might be a sensitive topic to some people and I don't intend to pry if it is, but I'm curious...

_{[ There's a brief pause as if the speaker is hesitating out of nerves, but he's taking a moment or three to put the right words together. ]}

These crimes that we've all — I'm assuming it's all of us — have been accused of. Is... anyone actually guilty of them? I can't exactly argue 'bout mine when it's true on my end, but we can't all be "criminals" here, can we? What even determines that? 'Cause I promise you that where I'm from, something like... I dunno, stealing food for example is a matter of survival versus an actual crime but the more I listen to the folks who live here...

_{[ A shuffle, followed by a slow exhale. It's still so weird after the life he's lived. Eventually he'll Get It, but not today. Nope. Stars. Can't do it. ]}

Sorry. I'm, eh... I was raised in a world completely different than this one. Having the freedom to actually talk about this sort of thing is pretty new, 'specially in a place that looks like this. Speaking of, I've got one more question for whoever might be listening:

What does it mean to you? Freedom. There's no wrong answer so don't worry 'bout that.

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Guilty.

( it wasn't something he'd questioned, not when he'd first arrived and not now. there are other aspects about where they are and why that he questions, but not his crime — to the point that it hadn't occurred to him, until he'd started speaking with some of the others of their group, that they didn't all agree with the parchment, or believe themselves as guilty of what they'd been accused of.

that is to say: yes, he had thought they were all criminals.

but as for the second point— ) —Choice.

Yeaaah, the crimes seem kinda subjective if you ask me. But I mean isn't a lot of crime like that? 's like you said -- if you need to steal to survive, it kinda sucks to get thrown in jail over it. Some people do it for fun, sure, but a lot of the times it's the only way to get by. Or the only thing people have known.

[ He's on audio so there's just a pause while he shrugs. He hasn't said what his crime is yet though. ]

And freedom is... [ Another pause, this one longer than the first. The Ravagers would say freedom is stealing from everyone, doing whatever you want. But for Peter, well... ]

It's living by your own terms. Doesn't mean you won't face any consequences for it, but yeah. That's what I think, anyway.

Choice. I like that one. Do you think they'll be fair with whatever they decide for us?

_{[ Not that he knows what'd even constitute as fair after everything with the Renans. You could look at a soldier the "wrong" way back in his time and wind up with more than a few broken bones for it, but here seems... Different. Much more gentle if the local population was anything to go by. ]}

( marc hmms first, tone mild and considering. it's not something he's given the greatest amount of thought to, the rest of it — where they are and how — taking priority. still, fairness as a concept is vague. )

It's implied. ( "prepare your defence", "repercussions". ) If by fair you mean 'justice'.

It depends on who you ask, for the first question.

[she's quiet for a minute, before speaking again:]

That's kinda deep to ask to a bunch of strangers. You having a crisis or something?

Does being guilty matter for an accusation?

[ Well, that probably depends on the accuser, but it's not going to stop Zhou Zishu from being a cynic. ]

Why do you ask? Either.

Honestly? I'm not so sure. Theft was just the most "harmless" thing I could come up with from my own point of reference and even then I'd say it depends on how you're going about it.

_{[ Y'know, just Dahnan Life Things. ]}

That's a good way of looking at it, I think. It's fine to look to others for guidance but being able to do what you want because you want to? That can't be beat. I don't want to see that taken away from us here.

[Zephyr is someone that Dohalim had known of through reputation back home— circumstances had kept them from meeting there, but he had heard about him often enough from Alphen, from Law. Meeting him here has been surreal in its own right, but not having been present in Cyslodia himself, Dohalim imagines it must be much more jarring for the others. Regardless, they have not had the chance to talk at length since meeting, not on their own, but the former Lord imagines they have a great deal to talk about— or might, if Zephyr is willing.]

I am certainly guilty of mine.

[His voice is quiet, even and somber, but there is no hesitation in it.]

I do not know that I have the right to speak to you about freedom, but I certainly have thoughts of my own on the subject.

A crisis? Nah. It's an honest question, that's all. I spent the last thirty years fighting as a former slave, so I'm curious. Everything about this world is so much different from mine, including the people.

_{[ Especially the people. These... "Chosen" like himself. It's strange, but interesting all at once. ]}

If someone accused you of... Uh, work with me for a sec, would'ya? If you were accused of stealing a ship when you've never even set foot near a body of water, would you actually accept it? Or fight back against the accusation?

_{[ So it's a bit of a stretch to steal an entire cargo ship but it's the wildest thing he could come up with on short notice. He's trying, okay? ]}

I'm asking outta curiosity. That's all.

_{[ Likewise, Zephyr has only vaguely heard of this particular Lord in passing. Perhaps not by name until Law, but you spend enough time eavesdropping on Renan encampments and it's not too strange to hear chatter about the various ones spread across Dahna. Up until Cyslodia of course Zephyr only had the "privilege" of encountering Calaglia's last four so to actually be living under the same roof as a Renan whom he might've fought against was still, uh.

It's an adjustment period no matter how open-minded he tries to be.

(On the upside he doesn't feel his hackles going up like he had with the last Renan he'd spoken to outside of Dohalim and Shionne in this world. Small victories, right?) ]}

Huh.

_{[ What's still wild to him is to hear a Renan admit they'd made mistakes - that admission of guilt is all he needs to make Zephyr's own decision easier. ]}

I'll admit I'm a little skeptical hearing a Renan say anything like that, but... Hell, let's hear it. Surprise me.

_{[ Law says he's not like other Lords. This is Zephyr's way of saying prove it to me. ]}

I misspoke. What I meant was, when did innocence ever stop an accusation? Or a conviction?

Would fighting back matter?

Mine is certainly not true. It charges me with something I fought against at home.

As for your second question... I don't know if I've ever thought about it in such definite terms. [There's a pause as she contemplates it.] Perhaps it's about not having to fear those with power.

[ oh look, it's the Bad Subject. FIRMLY: ]

I'm not guilty.

[ partly for Zephyr, since he asked, but he mostly just wants Those Who Are Obviously Listening to hear him. ]

...But yeah. You're right, and we should talk about it. Even if someone were guilty, what right do they have to accuse us?

[ let's just... leave the freedom question, for now. ]

My experiences with justice where I come from are probably, uh... They're pretty different from what most people might be used to if I had to hazard a guess just from listening to folks 'round here.

_{[ The kicker is there's no good way to even explain it, so— ]}

Anything that doesn't involve immediate execution sounds pretty decent to me. Or imprisonment.

It never did where I come from. Not unless you were Renan, I'd wager.

_{[ He never did hear too much about the Renan-on-Renan justice system during his time, only the Renan-on-Dahnan one which was never great. Not at all. ]}

I want to believe it would, provided it's done right. If I wasn't guilty I'd probably wind up trying to do whatever I could to prove it, but I ain't about to go overboard and wind up making myself guilty of another crime, you know?

Like a rebel or something?

_{[ He can drink to that, bro. ]}

I think that's possible. Not saying it'd be easy to do, but... So far I'm liking what I'm hearing.

You haven't done anything to be guilty of, kid.

_{[ At least, he's assuming as much. Being the Bad Subject it's something that Zephyr hasn't quite been able to bring himself to actually ask about, especially because he knows that particular ball would be thrown back into his hands and he'd be unable to answer. He doesn't want people trying to say it wasn't his fault when, no, it absolutely was. That little roll of paper had grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and branded him with the shameful truth and though it's not easy, he'll carry it for the rest of his life.

Just like he's done for the past five or six years already. ]}

I don't have the answer for that either, but it's something I wanna find out. The bigger thing that's been bugging me — for those of us who are — is how do they know what we've done?

( 'anything that's not execution or imprisonment' says a lot, particularly in tandem with the other question, the one about freedom.

or at least, marc thinks it does. )

It sounds like you're not used to justice. ( says the vigilante who likes to run around with what essentially amounts to a bag on his head, but y'know. details. )

What do you think this is? ( their present situation, he means. )

You do consider yourself guilty, then?

[ He sounds more curious than anything. Not like he can talk, for sure. ]

I'd wonder if it would matter. The accusations here have been rather selective.

[ Why that particular charge out of the many, many terrible things Zhou Zishu has done? Food for thought. ]

Yeah. Outta everything they could've charged me with, they went for the one I can't justify even if I wanted to.

_{[ Everything else? That's all survival, yo. But that whole criminal abandonment? Yeah, he can't argue with it. To do so may as well be spitting in the face of everyone involved, doubly so when one is here. ]}

Think there's a pattern to it?

You mean aside from being another world entirely? Ah... Got the heck beat outta me.

_{[ There's some muffled tapping against a wooden surface, and though he doesn't speak for some time it's the sort of silence that practically screams the ol' Furrowed-Thinking-Face. He hasn't thought too much about it during the week or so he spent getting used to things, but now that he's got time? He'll be doing a lot of that. ]}

If you'd have asked me two weeks ago I would've said just about everything I could've dreamed of. Now... I don't know. Unless there's another planet lurking somewhere we can't see, I'm willing to rule out this place being a holding cell of sorts.

I would need more information.

[ Many people have been pretty cagey on what their charges are, oddly enough. Zhou Zishu is one of them, admittedly, but he's also cagey about most things. ]

But I doubt people would be quite so confused if they all considered themselves guilty.

I dunno about that, but I know I didn't do what they say I did.

[ He's done more than enough to be guilty about, honestly; that's on his paper, too, printed matter-of-factly beside his height and weight and whatever else. He might be Protesting Too Much, but he'd rather that than the alternative. Than admitting fault for his alleged crime. ]

I'm still not totally convinced this isn't Rena. I mean, I guess we've kinda ruled it out, but there's no proof it isn't, either. If it is, that'd explain everything.

[ ...or would it. Also— ]

"Those of us who are"? Are you saying yours is true?

[ Not with any shock and amazement just yet, because like, yeah, everybody he cares about are criminals. Big deal. ]

You haven't. Not from my point of view.

_{[ What has Law ever done to him? Absolutely nothing, smile.

Rena's mention pulls a thoughtful hum out of him and the sound of shuffling, followed by the tell-tale creak of a window opening. Then after a moment— ]}

If we were on Rena wouldn't that mean we could see Dahna from here? Given that we could see Rena from the ground and all... Plus the technology seems a little strange. I'm no expert with Renan tech but these charms aren't like anything I've ever seen before.

_{[ As for everything else? ]}

'n yeah, it's true. Just about everything they could've accused me with would be now that I think about it, but I've got no excuse for this one. I can't argue against it even if I wanted to.

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