text.

[ex_spins462]

A little fun for the unplugged among us. Name one thing from your Matrix and other people can say if they heard of it in theirs. Maybe find a little common ground.

I'll start: New York City.

Comments

[hacker]

He's from your Matrix.
Did they do this to you?

[dissent]

Yes.
I was taken away from my family when I was nine, because I set the barn on fire accidentally.

[hacker]

Oh my god.
How many people? And no one stepped up to stop them? That's INSANE. You didn't do anything wrong, you were just a kid.

[halatinous]

yes, this one has a fine story for you. wait until he gets to the part where he blew up a chantry full of innocent people. and it was no accident.

[hacker]

[ no.

nonononono. the song and dance is too familiar, leaves her feeling ill like she hasn't felt since she first got out. she has to walk away, so her response takes a few minutes. a few minutes she spends pushing her hands back over the short bristles of her buzzcut, fingers curling at the back of her neck as she ducks her head.

what is it about skye that just draws in the monsters? is it because she is one herself? ]

you just sat here trying to justify internment camps to me and i'm supposed to believe you're the moral high ground

[dissent]

The Chantry preaches that all mages are weak, and then force them to live a life imprisoned and feared. Those that don't go insane, or turn to darker powers to free themselves, often take their own life. An Apostate, a mage who does not belong to a Circle, may be free, but the cost is a constant fear of being caught. The only true refuge is Tevinter, and honestly, Fenris is right to call it corrupt, all blood magic and slavery.

[hacker]

is it true?
you blew the chantry up.
killed innocent people.

[dissent]

Yes. I'm told it started a revolution.

[ He should probably explain further, but these days it all feels like excuses. ]

[hacker]

tell me they were all responsible for it.
tell me that the people in that church were all working to keep the mages locked up
just tell me they were some kind of monsters but don't tell me you were a freaking terrorist

[dissent]

No. I was the monster.

I'm sorry. I should have been more forthright. It's one of those things that I'm supposed to have detached from.

[hacker]

You can't just detach from killing a whole bunch of people.

[dissent]

That's what I've been trying to tell my recovery team, yes.

[forcemageure]

That's a lot closer to the right picture than what he's going to let you believe, actually.

[hacker]

You were there too?

[forcemageure]

Believe me, I couldn't swing my arms for how "there" I was.

[hacker]

Tell me what happened. All of it.

[forcemageure]

Why?

I'm not opposed to the telling, obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be here trying to make this fiddly little thing do what I want. [ 'This fiddly little thing' is everything encompassing communication 'not face to face with a lot of dramatic hand gestures', yes. ]

Do you think knowing all the facts will make a difference? If that's the case I can disabuse you of that notion right now. There are facts enough to tell you 'all of it' a hundred different ways and never hear the same story twice. And if we're all being forthright you should know he did kick me awake this morning, so I'm lacking slightly in objective perspective.

[hacker]

Because your boyfriend was my friend, and I trusted him, and I think that means I deserve as much truth as the three of you can piece together.

[forcemageure]

I can't imagine there's a worse vehicle for 'truth' than typing it with your thumbs. Surely it would be just as truthy in person, unless you're terribly busy.

[hacker]

You want me to agree to meet a strange man who just admitted he was involved in an act of terrorism that killed a whole bunch of people. Alone.




Where?

[forcemageure]

Wherever you like. Somewhere you'd feel safe from whatever nefarious schemes I could be hatching. In full view of the entire population of Zion.

[hacker]

Wow overkill.
How about we split the difference? They've got this super cheesy shrine to The One on the upper levels. I've been wanting to check it out; sounds like the kind of tourist trap that gets a lot of traffic.

[forcemageure]

Oh, I do like super cheesy things. And overkill. Do we need to assign some highly symbolic item for recognition? Someone flutters a scarf or wears a comedic novelty hat?

[ You would think he wasn't taking this seriously. He is, this is just ...how he does it. ]

[hacker]

Mostly I was just thinking showing up would be the first step. I've been out like two months, hell if I know the customs.