Rein Initiative
Posts 134
Power Level 31
|
Post by Solomon on Dec 16, 2016 0:29:44 GMT -7
Bolide saw no reason to respond to Geata’s final question. He clarified and was right, even if he’d given Bolide another reason to be pissed off about being dragged out to the middle of nowhere woods. He didn’t really like the idea of taking down threats on their own (and he very much disliked the idea of the other way around), but it was a viable tactic, even if it was one he didn’t see himself using unless there really was no other choice. It was also important that he protected himself to some degree. He couldn’t protect the people he was fighting for if he was dead.
He instead decided to tackle the much more interesting topic of his ideals. He drew out a second cake.
“‘Course I don’t think unpowereds should be enslaved.” Bolide munched the cake. “The problem right now is some people are not equal. Enslaving all unpowereds runs completely counter to the goal of fixing that inequality. It might fix super inequality, but then all we’ve succeeded in doing is making the problem a hell of a lot bigger, haven’t we? That’s stupid. People who say we need to ‘enslave unpowereds’ or the like aren’t actually fighting for supers’ rights, they’re just butthurt and angry and are trying to take it out on everyone else.”
He paused to finish the cake. The other food items were given brief consideration, but this was turning into a war table discussion and eating grapes or pasta felt out of place. There was more cake, so another snack cake was retrieved to became a gesturing tool.
“Also, I can teleport and run long distance, asscave. Your threat of making me walk home means the equivalent of my evening jog. Catch up already, wick, if I didn’t want to be here, I would’ve left already.
“Now, where were you going with all this?”
|
|
The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
|
Post by Geata on Dec 16, 2016 14:58:30 GMT -7
"Well if you want to be here, why are you still bitching?" The lack of commentary on his previous statements made Geata think that Bolide either understood or was still processing information. Either way, that particular topic could be dropped for now, much like how it seemed the conversation about the taser probably had. It was enough to put Geata in a relatively better mood. He supposed he could stand to stop hurling insults at Bolide, at the very least.
Bolide's thoughts on super rights required a minute of thought, more or less, but Geata finally decided on what he was going to say. "Personally, I'm of a mind to agree with that sentiment, as far as supers taking over everything, but sadly my money is on things working out in a way that we wouldn't really care for. Either things will more or less stay the same, or the people who think supers should be in charge of everything will succeed, probably. Not that that's a reason to give up hope and quit trying, am I right? Oh, and by the way, it would seem that the Keepers is at least a large group of people with that mindset, if not the largest gathering of them, so I'd suggest keeping that in mind in case it's ever relevant. I'll probably get around to giving you basic information on some of the other Keepers in a bit, should I not get distracted and forget."
"Now then, I thought I had answered that question earlier, though I might not have. The intended purpose of this is for me to get to know you, inform you of important things that others may have neglected to mention, and to force you to spend some time out in the woods for the sake of spending time out in the woods. The last bit has become a bit of a tradition, and I'm pleased to say that you're making it quite easy for this to succeed, despite your general demeanor. I'd say this has been surprisingly mutually beneficial, perhaps even in spite of the rocky start, yeah? As for where I'm taking the current conversation topic, I'm quite curious about your thoughts on your fellow Pandas in general. You don't seem to have a high opinion of anyone, save Aurora, and I'd be very interested in hearing why that is."
|
|
Rein Initiative
Posts 134
Power Level 31
|
Post by Solomon on Dec 16, 2016 15:50:55 GMT -7
“Because I’m still pissed you decided you were going to boss me around and taser me. You think I was going to be opposed to a conversation out in the woods if you’d just asked? I know the benefit of getting to know the other people devoted to the cause and I was looking for an excuse to escape those work-shy lickspittles anyway. How about next time you phrase it as a request first, even if it isn’t? You’ll catch a lot of people in a better mood, and the people you have to force weren’t going to be happy anyway.” Bolide clicked his tongue. “I shouldn’t have to explain something so basic to a Keeper.”
Though, main answer was because he could and just did, and to some degree because it was means of admitting defeat in unfavorable situations such as this without fully stating one’s loss, but that was a power play dynamic and those were best left unsaid.
To Geata’s offer for information, Bolide simply said, “I’ll be sure to remind you.” Attention was then shifted to thinking about how he wanted to answer Geata’s question, along with what else he’d offered.
“Change in inevitable. It’s slow, but it will happen. Real change, I mean. The kind that doesn’t just stay around for one leader, but is actually ingrained in society itself. Of course we need to keep hoping and trying. That’s the only way we’re going to push change in the direction we want.” Bolide’s volume took a sharp and swift upward spike. “That’s why it’s so stupid that we’re not all working towards making that change. Can’t the other supers see? If we fail, the change made is unfavorable, they’re going to kill us. This is life and death, and this is us, and all of the kids that come after us. We think shit’s rough now, what if governments start deciding they don’t need us to kill dragons? The faction’s full of short-sighted idiots who can’t see the hand of death being waved in front of them. It’s infuriating.”
Bolide glanced up at Geata for a question of his own. “Why’re you hanging around Pandaemonium, and Aurora specifically? Don’t you have a world to take over or something?”
|
|
The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
|
Post by Geata on Dec 17, 2016 14:39:51 GMT -7
"It wouldn't be much of a hazing if you think you have the choice to refuse," Geata retorted cheerfully. "Sorry, new guy, but you're the new guy and, as such, you get new guy treatment. Honestly, though, if this is the first time somebody's gotten ahold of you, you've been really lucky. You've been a good sport, though, for the most part, so I'll see what I can do about minimizing future hazings. You're welcome."
He patiently waited for Bolide's answer and wasn't disappointed. He couldn't tell if the guy was for real or not, but either way, it seemed there was finally an actual contender for the spot of "Aurora's favorite". Geata'd be keeping an eye on him, somewhat, when he had spare time. He'd really caught his interest.
"I wouldn't blame them too much," Geata started thoughtfully. "Most people lack the foresight to see past their own lifespan, and even more people don't want to imagine that they'd be the target of a pogrom. Denial is a powerful force, and one you'd be smart not to underestimate. It's especially hard for them to imagine that considering how they were on the other side just a short time ago. Then there are those who are aware of potential problems but see them as an inevitability, so they'd rather enjoy the time they have instead of squandering it trying to prevent the unpreventable. It's pretty sad, really. So don't be mad, new guy. They deserve your pity and assistance, not your anger." How much of that was actually true, Geata had no idea. But it sounded nice and plausible, and probably kept Bolide from flying off the handle at somebody should he listen to the words of wisdom, so it was probably best to stick with it.
"As for why I'm around Pandaland so much, brace yourself for the revelation of a lifetime, kid." He paused, because dramatic effect was entirely necessary, before speaking again in a hushed voice. "Sorry, slick, but that info is above your pay grade. Upper echelon only, super classified, very hush hush. I'm sure you understand."
|
|
Rein Initiative
Posts 134
Power Level 31
|
Post by Solomon on Dec 17, 2016 21:21:06 GMT -7
“What even possessed you to want to ‘haze’ me at all?” Bolide grumbled. The guy was still talking down to him like he was some big shot, like Bolide was a student and Geata was supposed to be thanked. Bolide gently placed the box of cakes in the grass beside him and glanced upwards.
Geata’s next statement, however, delayed him. “You’re right. I can’t blame them for not wanting to fight what seems now like a losing battle.” He sighed. The annoyed edge came back into his voice quickly enough. “But I can pity and assist all I want, and I still won’t be able to do it alone. It’s impossible to do alone. This inactivity is still picking a side, and it’s the side that’s going to lose us this fight.” Bolide made an angry downward gesture with his hands. “If we just all worked together, this could all be over in a single goddamn day. We probably wouldn’t even need to fight. Like the government’s going to resist the demands of all the supers in the country.” He scoffed. “It would take one day and then everyone could continue on with their stupid, suddenly significantly less shitty lives.”
Bolide would’ve been content to let his prior thought pass, and carry on or let close the conversation in a good and civil manner. Geata’s been annoying, but he hadn’t reached the point of insufferability. But then he decided he was too good to answer the one question Geata had asked in order to ‘find out more about each other’. Bolide’s head slowly lowered and his shoulders slowly raised as Geata gave his non-answer, and halfway through his last word, Bolide vanished.
He’d left his lantern on. As they’d been talking, the smoke had been lazily drifting upwards into the darkening sky, and slightly forward with a breeze. It was plenty enough to respawn from, directly above Geata’s head, foot already raised. Bolide immediately swung his leg in a downward arc so that, should it connect, his heel would hit the back of Geata’s head. He hoped Geata would understand.
|
|
The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
|
Post by Geata on Dec 18, 2016 14:39:08 GMT -7
"You have your hobbies, I have mine," Geata said. "However, I can't pursue my usual hobbies, so instead I'm just filling my time with whatever sounds mildly entertaining at the moment. A fresh non-face was the talk of the town, so I thought it'd be fun to meet you. As for the actual hazing, well, when in Rome and all that. You're a Panda, so I decided to help uphold Panda tradition."
He had been thinking of a response to Bolide's thoughts on the power of a group effort when poof, Bolide disappeared. Dullahan had made Geata's body with the issues of being a super in mind, though, and had been highly rated by Limen. Geata was admittedly curious about how well it would stand up to an attack, and it wasn't as though he could outright prevent it. And, mere moments later, he was aware of his head being pushed forward, presumably by a force originating from Bolide. Luckily, one of the benefits of no longer being contained to a meat suit was that there were no nerves to feel pain with. That still didn't mean Geata was in an overly happy mood, though, as he picked himself up off the ground.
"Listen here, asshole," he growled, "truth be told, you remind me too much of Aurora. It's somewhat suspicious, and I'm operating under the assumption that anything shady and suspicious is involved with the Keepers. The less those fuckers know about me and my important business, the better. So no, I'm not going to share information with you that I wouldn't share with any other random sack of shit, and you suck it the fuck up and quit with the tantrum. You wanna ask something else, fine, but I've got my reasons for not making certain information public knowledge."
"Now then, as I was going to say before, getting everyone to work together like that simply isn't ever going to happen. Not everybody shares the same ideals, most people work towards conflicting goals, and there are those who have found that other means are probably going to work better. Take, for instance, those Rein guys. If you're afraid the government might be sent after you, what better way to avoid that than to be the one the government is sending after people? There's also the fact that this isn't just an issue on our soil, but globally. Even if our government would stand down - which it wouldn't, let's be honest - even if it would, the odds are that the rest of the world wouldn't follow suit. In fact, it's far more likely that the US government would declare that as an act of war, try to get other countries to assist it, and most, if not all, would agree."
"That'd be all fine and dandy if it weren't for two things: the unpowered population of the world outnumbers us millions to one, probably; and they have countless numbers of soldiers with real military training, as compared to how the majority of our ranks are kids with weak powers and little control over them. Oh, and would you want to tell a fifteen year old who just discovered his powers that his only options are kill or be killed? I'd certainly fucking hope not. So no, it wouldn't be over in one day. That would cause considerably worse problems on an unprecedented scale that would last for quite a while." In truth, Geata expected Aurora's plan to essentially go the same way, with a few key differences. Namely, with the majority of the supers being contained to one city, that the government would simply nuke them and be done with it. He could potentially stop a warhead, if things worked out perfectly, but he had no intentions of sticking around in the city if Aurora succeeded. Aurora might be able to stop one, but Geata didn't know enough about her powers to say for certain. And, sadly, he didn't know enough to know if any other supers would be able to handle it.
"And by the way," he said accusingly, "what is it with you people and acting like mistreatment of supers is the biggest tragedy to ever happen? Oh god, somebody called the cops on a creepy guy in a mask because their best friend was murdered by a super villain. Oh, the injustice! Why is it that every time I turn around, I'm hearing 'super this' and 'super that', people talking like they're big because they're aware of the problems supers are facing, when there's rampant poverty and starvation and crap? Unpowereds have every reason to fear us and dislike us, so get off your high horse. It's not them, it's us. And maybe, just maybe, if we actually devoted any energy towards solving the slightly more pressing issues, the way that supers are perceived would be improved! Why is it that none of you asshats ever act like you've thought of this?"
|
|
Rein Initiative
Posts 134
Power Level 31
|
Post by Solomon on Dec 24, 2016 1:14:43 GMT -7
Sufficiently occupied found and noted. He landed in a crouch and immediately popped up and turned as though he was expecting a physical rebuttal. It seemed instead Geata was going to reinforce his claim of pacifism, and verbal it was. Bolide got to his feet and crossed his arms.
“Point taken, asshole.” he huffed. It was about fair after kicking him in the head.
As Geata went on, Bolide’s shoulders rose and his neck fell. It took no small amount of restraint, but he did keep quiet all the way through to the end, even when the Keeper got flat out insulting. Mostly because Solomon wanted to hear him out. Geata had piqued his interest throughout the conversation, but this rebuttal really poked at him. The guy had a head on his shoulders, to be sure. Geata’s response had been the first lick of sense he’d gotten out of Pandaemonium in... since he’d been haunting the place, really. It was mildly concerning, actually. Perhaps he’d finally found someone of the sort he was looking for. Solomon decided to poke back, a little harder.
It was the last part that really got Bolide. He turned towards Geata, fists clenched and expression decisively angry. “Because I don’t have enough fucking time or enough fucking energy to solve every last problem the world has.” He said through his teeth. “You think I don’t want to help people in poverty? Or the people who are unfairly and unequally hurt by all the bureaucratic crap - hell, the shit us supers do? You think I don’t know supers aren’t the only ones suffering in this fucked up crooked world?”
He took an aggressive step towards Geata and jabbed a finger at him in a similar manner. “You listen here, you fatless bastard, I’m not fighting for supers right now because I don’t care about the rest of the world, it’s because I have to fucking pick and chose my battles. I have to choose who I’m going to fight for and I have to rely on others to help with the rest. I’ll have their back if they need it and I’m going to have to hope to high hell that they’ll have mine when I need it too. That’s why it pisses me off that so few people are doing more, because there’s no way enough’s going to get done otherwise. It means people, like the struggling poor, are going to be left at the wayside. How about you get off your high horse and do something?
“Fifteen year olds are already being told they’ve either got to hide their powers or fight with their lives on the line. Hell, with dragons and us the only ones who stand any chance at killing them, we’re already being told to fight or die, aren't we? For a country that would just as soon shoot us in the back if they got the chance. You’re going to tell me we shouldn’t try to end this injustice as soon as possible? So, glib, what are we supposed to do?”
|
|
The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
|
Post by Geata on Dec 26, 2016 17:30:10 GMT -7
Despite his irritation, Geata wanted to hear Bolide out. And, surprisingly, he found himself chuckling despite himself when the other super ended his rant. There were so many incorrect assumptions being made that it felt unreal. All of a sudden, Bolide wasn't being seen as some random douchebag that Geata was only dealing with for kicks. He was a young, terribly misinformed, highly confused child who desperately needed to talk to somebody who could offer the guidance that only comes from a healthy helping of common sense.
"First off," Geata said, barely succeeding at stopping his laughter, "the US can kiss my A for all I give a shit. They get my tax dollars and that's all they get from me. What I do when it comes to dragons isn't for queen and country, it's for the people I care about. If I don't do my part, people die, and that's all that matters. There isn't any deeper thought behind it, and deeper thought would only serve to complicate matters. Other people might not see it that way, and I really can't blame them for that, so they might choose not to fight against dragons. And that's a perfectly legitimate choice. One that's taken by quite a few supers. So no, our current options aren't limited to 'fight or die'. However, if we decide to wage war on the unpowered population, they'd become the biggest threat to our continued survival. And they'd have ways to figure out who's a super and who isn't, given time."
"You see, our brains have this extra component to them that controls our powers. Whether this is something that's present at birth or that develops over time is currently unknown to the Keepers, but either way it poses a big problem should people start really applying their knowledge of supers against us. Now, I'm no brain surgeon, but it stands to reason that something extra in our brains that isn't in most people's would probably mean that our brains would look ever so slightly different. I doubt it'd be a super obvious difference, but picture this, if you will: x-rays in schools, right next to the metal detectors, specifically for scanning the students' brains. Put a trained professional or a sophisticated enough computer program behind it, go through countless normal brains, and eventually even a subtle difference would stand out, yeah? CAT scans or whatever become a regular occurrence at every child's check up at the doctor. People would be able to know who's going to be a super long before powers manifest or even develop, and I'd be willing to wager a pretty penny that it'll happen one way or another before long. If we provoke a war, though, it wouldn't be used to quietly collect information like it would now. A war starts between us, though, and children will be taken from their families, thrown into camps to be indoctrinated or some shit, trained to fight, and then sent out to kill the people that would be fighting to save them. And that's just one potential horrendous act of many. I don't know what the best course of action would be, this isn't something we ought to rush. We need time to prepare, to learn what we can, so that we can make an actually smart decision. Things might not be great right now, but at least they're mostly livable. We can't afford to make it considerably worse before figuring out a good way to improve anything."
"It doesn't help that we're still really dependant on them, either. Oh, sure, Aurora's got a plan for self sufficiency, but unless she's expecting a handful of her numbers to support everyone else, we're not going to have enough people participating in order to keep ourselves fed. Not while she's offering free rooms, food, utilities, and whatever else to people just for breathing. As much as I hate saying this, for various reasons, the only way to produce what people would expect is if she adopts the system from the colonial days, specifically the one from Jamestown, Virginia, if I'm remembering it right. 'You don't work, you don't eat,' to probably butcher a paraphrasing of it. She doesn't establish that people need to be productive, they won't be. And I'm talking from both personal and secondhand experience here."
Geata paused for a few moments before chucking to himself. "I'm getting off track, aren't I? Let's see, if I remember correctly, the main points I haven't addressed are that you think I'm doing nothing, and that you're dealing with the problem of super rights because you can't handle doing everything so you're doing what you can, right?" Whether he was right or not, he kept on going.
"I'd like to state that, for the record, just because I'm not out shouting my lungs out or beating the crap out of company execs, I'm still more than doing my part. I'm not doing anything super flashy, no, but you'd be surprised at how much my name's gotten around for my efforts. As for what you could do, I'd say that you'd be better off trying to handle the other issues first, honestly. The best way to improve anything involving us would be to improve the general condition of the world. We've got enough people trying to force a change on our behalf, it'd be smarter to try and convince people that we aren't all monsters. But that's my personal opinion, man; if you think you can do better work someway else, feel free. Just try to think your actions through."
|
|
Rein Initiative
Posts 134
Power Level 31
|
Post by Solomon on Dec 26, 2016 23:21:54 GMT -7
Solomon pulled up the first of Bolide’s masks, because by the time Geata finished, he was grinning. Geata had proven himself what he was looking for; someone who pragmatically thought matters through, and who was willing to act on it, even if that act was only discussion. He was not wrong. Pessimistic, but not wrong, and his words suggested he was indeed willing to do more than just talk about it. But more than that, the keeper was powerful, agreeable, already in several social circles and clearly skilled at getting into more. Most of all, he was willing to listen to a convincing argument. Geata was useful. He would be invaluable if they played their cards right.
Bolide resisted catching Geata’s chuckle and spoke like he wasn’t smiling. “You think if the government had that technology they’d just quietly collect information? Even if there weren’t other supers to fight, what’s to stop them from raising child soldiers and their only line of defense against dragons? I give them ten years to develop this technology on their own, three months to make it and roll it out with super help. We die by dragons, we die by other supers, or we live to see the world continue to turn on us. Or we step up, take the world by the reins and make it our own.”
Another step towards Geata brought him fairly close to the other super. He killed the lantern, letting the darkness wash in and the smoke rise. He wouldn’t be making another move against Geata. The sun had set sometime during their conversation, and the forest’s night was near silent. Bolide’s voice was low and quiet.
“People like me are afraid of running out of time, Keeper. If you want them to stop rushing, you may want to consider ways to buy them more. Reducing the risk of other supers is a good place to start.” He paused, and his head tilted sideways and upwards at the sky. After a moment, he added, “People a little less like me tend to think everyone wants exactly what they want, even if they ‘think’ they don’t want it. This closed-minded thinking is dangerous and commonly mistaken for steadfast determination. Truth is, truth can’t be found if one refuses to listen.”
For the first time in the conversation, a small bit of brightness came into his voice. If Geata let him, he patted a hand (somewhat hard) down on his shoulder.
“I like you, Cakehole. Hope to see you around.”
One hand in his pocket, the other in a wave, Bolide made to walk past Geata and depart into the forest. From there, home. Solomon prepared himself for another portal.
|
|
The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
|
Post by Geata on Dec 29, 2016 13:15:25 GMT -7
"For a while," Geata said thoughtfully. "They don't understand us - hell, we don't even understand us - and that'd be a disadvantage should we go to war. It would last as long as we'd allow, probably, but I doubt they'd publicly broadcast that they'd be doing it so that we wouldn't be inclined to stop it. Then again, who knows? They'd look the heroes to the public, so it's possible they might make it known. Not that it matters much either way."
In all honesty, Geata had little reason to suspect that he was even remotely right besides gut feeling. His gut had been right about things going south before, though, so he had learned to go along with it. In days past, his mother used to say that they were psychic, to a degree. Complete with dreaming about events in the future and mind reading. The latter was complete hogwash, he knew, but he was starting to wonder if she might've been right about the dreams. The odds of him having two mostly unrelated powers were astronomically slim at best, though, so he decided it was best to just operate under the assumption that his gut - even if technically it wasn't there anymore - knew best.
Bolide's words were cryptic and confusing. Important sounding, but confusing. Geata wondered if he was being mocked, or if the other super really just didn't want to outright state what he meant. What followed after made it seem more like the former of the two possibilities. Given context, it seemed a little strange that he was seen in any sort of good light. And then the guy started to walk deeper into the forest, convincing Geata that he probably shouldn't try to expect anything. Clearly he was dealing with an odd sort, and odd people generally did confusing things for numerable reasons.
"Being cryptic doesn't help convince me that you've got nothing to do with the Keepers," the Keeper grumbled, mostly for his own benefit. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Smokey. Odds are good that I'd be very interested in learning more about you." For now, though, getting out of the middle of the woods and figuring out Bolide's intended meaning. A portal opened before Geata, which he stepped through and closed behind him.
|
|