[ It takes a bit for her to respond but, eventually, she does. ]
It's not your fault. I should have had better control.
[ Which she's still muddling through but at least no one was hurt besides Aamir. She found a few more people that night who were willing to let her bite them, and no one died. It's hard to think of that as the best outcome, but... ]
She might also be dead. We don't know. I can do follow up on her and see what I find. Do you want me to deal with Tom?
[Is this what Elias had Daisy doing? A pet attack dog for the Institute to deal with any problems that can't just be left alone and observed? It makes his skin crawl.]
I want you to do whatever you think is best with the information you have, Ava. I'm not going to ask or order you to deal with someone.
[Knowing she's not going to kill him is... comforting in a way. He doesn't want her to feel obligated to do that every time he tells her about a Statement.]
Yeah. Yeah, it is. I can't imagine it's the only one, either. That restaurant wasn't full, but there were enough people that you'd need a steady supply. Not to mention the organ donation business for medical reasons.
Probably not. I ran into something similar back home. It's definitely something that's prevalent, even if it's not overly common. It wouldn't surprise me if there's something similar in Duplicity. But Duplicity seems a bit more skewed towards sex and Dom/Sub roles. Insincerity is really strange in comparison.
Wouldn't surprise me if they did. They have to have something. I wonder what the dividing line is. Rich and poor? Everything's so dichotomous but I feel like that's too obvious.
I feel like it's one large social experiment per city.
Maybe all of them have Dom/Sub designations. I know we didn't see them in Insincerity but that doesn't mean they weren't there. Also. 'Insincerity'. Might be in flux?
Not sure. Hard to imagine LIEs can just...have a normal city, everyone calm, no sex shit, no changes. I'm sure there's a city similar to that, one that DOES have changes. But there are no Dom/Sub designations, no quotas, but still city shifting.
[ Wait... ]
What if all of the cities have different quotas and different measures? Like, instead of three month contact periods, they're permanent always? Or the quota isn't about sex but something worse?
That's what I'm wondering. Or if not cannibalism... I don't know. I mean, they DID want us to eat food off of each other. That could have been sexually-related. But I didn't see as many hotels or clubs or anything like that.
Good luck with that. They know what we are and what we can do. I've gotten looks when I've approached the doors. They don't look at me or interact with me unless they need to.
It's weird, though. I've gone over to Veracity and there's no sign of LIEs. Same thing with Insincerity. They're all on Duplicity's side of the barriers.
[Jon sighs to himself. He knows she's right, and it's frustrating.]
It could just be safer here? A more docile population? Although, maybe they'll rethink it with these people that keep attacking them. Rafa's told me things turned out rather poorly the last time there was such open rebellion.
Rafa's scared. I don't blame him. The things I've heard about that fort sound like a fucking nightmare. I get why he doesn't want it to come to that. I don't want it to, either. But Rafa has time on his hands to make changes happen if we're stuck here. He's immortal. He doesn't have the same kind of perspective normal people do. And sure, they don't have his patience. But things have to change. We can't keep being at the mercy of a system that treats some of us as lesser.
[There have been too many odd things that have happened.]
I do want to help people, but I'm hardly political. And I certainly don't want to get arrested or thrown in one of those centers. I'm not sure what there is to do apart from just help the people I can now I'm a Dominant.
[And while he's inclined to complain and be stubborn and aggressive in many ways, Ava might well have picked up on the fact, at this point, that Jon tends to be fairly passive in terms of accepting miserable living conditions and circumstances for himself, whatever they might be.]
[ Depends on one's definition of control group, she guesses. ]
That's your choice, Jon. I'm not pushing you to do anything one way or another. It's good that you want to help people by being a Dominant and utilizing what you can.
[He'd really like it if she told him what to do, though? If someone would. Christ, he's fairly certain he never used to be quite this directionless. But when he's not hunting Statements or reading them? It's just... hard to make decisions about what to do. At least about anything big picture.
[ Some time passes, thoughtful, as she ruminates on the question. ]
The truth is, I don't know what I'd do. Probably not good things.
[ Killing more, probably. Being able to own property to work on her spells, maybe taking on a contract partner but never being near them. Isolating. Hawke taking her in has always been its own blessing because he forced her to have to meet him once a week, if nothing else, just to check in on her. It was a kindness she didn't deserve, honestly, and she wouldn't have done it to others.
Thinking on it, though, she guesses she'd do differently now. ]
I guess I'd contract with people to keep them safe, then let them go when they find someone better. But the problem is that Ghouls are basically...that. They're Subs for vampires. I don't want to be like that, and it'd come really close. So I'd just pick people up and then let them go after 3 months or whatever. They'd never have to see me or touch me, and they could have my apartment.
I guess I'd also just try to undermine LIEs all the time, if it was me. Give money to people. Try to help, fix their problems. But I don't need to be a Dom to do that.
[ That's what she's doing now. ]
But again, that's...me. And I'm also someone who's killed a lot of people and has done some weird shit. I don't expect anyone to do what I'd do.
I could make my office building a designation-neutral space? People aren't allowed to order Submissives around inside? Could that be legal?
[It's technically private property, but he's not sure. There's also the matter of he really shouldn't be trying to attract random, vulnerable people to the Eye's seat of power here. Although, he does want more tenants for the money.]
It's a private building, right? I mean, that'd be nice. But also, there's a creepy Entity thing that's overseeing the building and the people in it. So I'm not sure if that's a great thing??
The Institute is only part of the building. Technically. There is someone who might be a new tenant apart from Mr. Wallace's museum. They do custom embroidery. Hardly sinister.
Is that the guy from the network? And it doesn't matter. You know that the Eye is around anyway. Sure, it's probably not going to take interest in regular people but you know as well as I do that this city is FILLED with abnormal people. Almost every LIEr has suffered some kind of horror from home or here.
No, it's someone native to Duplicity. I thought they might be easier for that reason, honestly. I've been screening potential tenants to make sure they don't have Statements.
[Because he isn't sure he'd be able to let them stay in the building without asking at some point.]
But fine. If you don't think it's a good idea, I won't advertise it that way. I just want to help people. Do... something.
Oh. Well, I think if you're being careful and putting those pieces in place, then I don't see why you can't? I know you want to help people. This can be a good start. I just want to make sure you're okay, and that they are too, you know?
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 02:51 pm (UTC)It's not your fault.
I should have had better control.
[ Which she's still muddling through but at least no one was hurt besides Aamir. She found a few more people that night who were willing to let her bite them, and no one died. It's hard to think of that as the best outcome, but... ]
She might also be dead.
We don't know.
I can do follow up on her and see what I find.
Do you want me to deal with Tom?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 02:56 pm (UTC)I want you to do whatever you think is best with the information you have, Ava.
I'm not going to ask or order you to deal with someone.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 03:05 pm (UTC)I'll look in on him.
I'm curious as to the extent of what he can do.
But removing him would cause too many problems and might not even fix the issue.
[ They'd probably just find someone else to sign these people's lives away. ]
Doesn't mean I won't put the fear in him, though.
Fucking sicko.
That whole operation is fucked up.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 03:13 pm (UTC)Yeah. Yeah, it is.
I can't imagine it's the only one, either.
That restaurant wasn't full, but there were enough people that you'd need a steady supply.
Not to mention the organ donation business for medical reasons.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 03:33 pm (UTC)I ran into something similar back home.
It's definitely something that's prevalent, even if it's not overly common.
It wouldn't surprise me if there's something similar in Duplicity.
But Duplicity seems a bit more skewed towards sex and Dom/Sub roles.
Insincerity is really strange in comparison.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 03:44 pm (UTC)[Better to focus on the things that aren't quite as depressing.]
I didn't see Dom or Sub markings on anyone.
Just the black versus white.
They must have something similar, though.
I wonder if they have LIEs.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 03:50 pm (UTC)They have to have something.
I wonder what the dividing line is.
Rich and poor?
Everything's so dichotomous but I feel like that's too obvious.
I feel like it's one large social experiment per city.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 03:54 pm (UTC)Doms and Subs for Duplicity.
It sounds like that's what they had in Veracity, as well, though.
Maybe just more stringent?
I wonder what the 'control' city would look like.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 05:31 pm (UTC)I know we didn't see them in Insincerity but that doesn't mean they weren't there.
Also. 'Insincerity'. Might be in flux?
Not sure.
Hard to imagine LIEs can just...have a normal city, everyone calm, no sex shit, no changes.
I'm sure there's a city similar to that, one that DOES have changes.
But there are no Dom/Sub designations, no quotas, but still city shifting.
[ Wait... ]
What if all of the cities have different quotas and different measures?
Like, instead of three month contact periods, they're permanent always?
Or the quota isn't about sex but something worse?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 05:33 pm (UTC)You don't think part of the quota could be... cannibalism?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 05:35 pm (UTC)Or if not cannibalism... I don't know.
I mean, they DID want us to eat food off of each other.
That could have been sexually-related.
But I didn't see as many hotels or clubs or anything like that.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 05:39 pm (UTC)We really do need to find out more about LIEs, itself.
I think that might answer more questions than trying to parse between the different cities.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-15 05:46 pm (UTC)They know what we are and what we can do.
I've gotten looks when I've approached the doors.
They don't look at me or interact with me unless they need to.
It's weird, though.
I've gone over to Veracity and there's no sign of LIEs.
Same thing with Insincerity.
They're all on Duplicity's side of the barriers.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-16 01:25 pm (UTC)It could just be safer here?
A more docile population?
Although, maybe they'll rethink it with these people that keep attacking them.
Rafa's told me things turned out rather poorly the last time there was such open rebellion.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 02:48 am (UTC)[ Scary fucking thought. Also not likely. ]
Rafa's scared.
I don't blame him.
The things I've heard about that fort sound like a fucking nightmare.
I get why he doesn't want it to come to that.
I don't want it to, either.
But Rafa has time on his hands to make changes happen if we're stuck here.
He's immortal.
He doesn't have the same kind of perspective normal people do.
And sure, they don't have his patience.
But things have to change.
We can't keep being at the mercy of a system that treats some of us as lesser.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 04:07 am (UTC)[There have been too many odd things that have happened.]
I do want to help people, but I'm hardly political.
And I certainly don't want to get arrested or thrown in one of those centers.
I'm not sure what there is to do apart from just help the people I can now I'm a Dominant.
[And while he's inclined to complain and be stubborn and aggressive in many ways, Ava might well have picked up on the fact, at this point, that Jon tends to be fairly passive in terms of accepting miserable living conditions and circumstances for himself, whatever they might be.]
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 02:55 pm (UTC)[ Depends on one's definition of control group, she guesses. ]
That's your choice, Jon.
I'm not pushing you to do anything one way or another.
It's good that you want to help people by being a Dominant and utilizing what you can.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 05:33 pm (UTC)Maybe he's too focused on the details.]
What would you do if you were a Dominant?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 06:36 pm (UTC)The truth is, I don't know what I'd do.
Probably not good things.
[ Killing more, probably. Being able to own property to work on her spells, maybe taking on a contract partner but never being near them. Isolating. Hawke taking her in has always been its own blessing because he forced her to have to meet him once a week, if nothing else, just to check in on her. It was a kindness she didn't deserve, honestly, and she wouldn't have done it to others.
Thinking on it, though, she guesses she'd do differently now. ]
I guess I'd contract with people to keep them safe, then let them go when they find someone better.
But the problem is that Ghouls are basically...that.
They're Subs for vampires.
I don't want to be like that, and it'd come really close.
So I'd just pick people up and then let them go after 3 months or whatever.
They'd never have to see me or touch me, and they could have my apartment.
I guess I'd also just try to undermine LIEs all the time, if it was me.
Give money to people.
Try to help, fix their problems.
But I don't need to be a Dom to do that.
[ That's what she's doing now. ]
But again, that's...me.
And I'm also someone who's killed a lot of people and has done some weird shit.
I don't expect anyone to do what I'd do.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-18 08:48 pm (UTC)I could make my office building a designation-neutral space?
People aren't allowed to order Submissives around inside?
Could that be legal?
[It's technically private property, but he's not sure. There's also the matter of he really shouldn't be trying to attract random, vulnerable people to the Eye's seat of power here. Although, he does want more tenants for the money.]
no subject
Date: 2019-09-19 12:01 am (UTC)I mean, that'd be nice.
But also, there's a creepy Entity thing that's overseeing the building and the people in it.
So I'm not sure if that's a great thing??
[ Just saying...... ]
no subject
Date: 2019-09-19 03:30 am (UTC)The Institute is only part of the building.
Technically.
There is someone who might be a new tenant apart from Mr. Wallace's museum.
They do custom embroidery.
Hardly sinister.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-21 02:08 am (UTC)And it doesn't matter.
You know that the Eye is around anyway.
Sure, it's probably not going to take interest in regular people but you know as well as I do that this city is FILLED with abnormal people.
Almost every LIEr has suffered some kind of horror from home or here.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-21 02:58 am (UTC)I thought they might be easier for that reason, honestly.
I've been screening potential tenants to make sure they don't have Statements.
[Because he isn't sure he'd be able to let them stay in the building without asking at some point.]
But fine.
If you don't think it's a good idea, I won't advertise it that way.
I just want to help people.
Do... something.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-21 03:07 am (UTC)Well, I think if you're being careful and putting those pieces in place, then I don't see why you can't?
I know you want to help people.
This can be a good start.
I just want to make sure you're okay, and that they are too, you know?
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