un: starburst, toward the end of this arc.

[valeas]

( Emilia di Carlo has seen better days, by the look of her. Her battle leathers are torn, soot and cuts still on her face — but she doesn't give in to the exhaustion just yet, nor the bile in her throat. First, she addresses the people of Alem, dignified and resolute. )

Prince Haiva sacrificed himself and leaves his sister, the young Cle-Florens, spared.

I was witness.

( A pause, then, as she allows that to sink in. )

Hell is sealed.

You fought with valor so others might live. I'm glad to have fought beside you, and will remember your fallen just the same.

If you've yet to evacuate, the time is now. Hassir awaits.

Comments

private

[somebadnews]

[ He could make an argument here, and he's inclined to make comparisons, but instead he just files it under 'some rules only apply to Five' and lets it go. ]

He should be celebrating. It doesn't matter how it happened, Haiva deserved what he got and the girl he was determined to save lived.

Hell was sealed. Nothing else matters.

private

[weifinder]

He wants to believe people will face self enforced justice. Or can see the way to righting wrongs.

If this was our people, or our home, I would tell him. It's not. They're not. Being haunted by this, too, is useless.

And Hell is sealed, because of what we've all done for these people we leave within days, hoping Ratkingku doesn't follow after.

private

[somebadnews]

Is he that fragile? People don't change. The sooner he realizes that, the less it'll hurt in the long run.

private

[weifinder]

It's compassion, Lao Five. I know it's not something you're well practised in, but I'm under the impression it's because you haven't had a great deal leveled your way either. You clearly feel it too.

private

[somebadnews]

[ He was giving him sound advice, no need to turn this around. There's a reason he doesn't invite pity by telling his life story, but it's true that he's never been shielded from these things.

Ignoring all of that: ]

He was in Hell?

private

[weifinder]

Yes.

private

[somebadnews]

[ Figures. Five saw enough of Hell not to ask for the details, but it's still strange that he's so worried after all they've been through. If one more thing like this could break him, they're in for it. ]

I won't be the one to tell him. [ As a favor he'd do well to remember. ]

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[weifinder]

( people aren't so breakable, in his experience. but they are worn down they need time, kindness, the ability to recover. he's very sure these aren't things five understands for the lack of them in his life, so he says none of this right now. that loving someone is swallowing their pain along with yours. that the lack of answers, his husband's distance, hurts, and is nothing he can solve. this is. small as this becomes, this is something he can do. )

Thank you. If there's something that's a kindness not to have stain your family's hearts, let me know. I'll do what I can.

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[somebadnews]

[ He frowns at that response. Despite what Wei Wuxian might think, he's not purposely keeping his sister in the dark about his activities. At least in what's likely to be shared, but he isn't agreeing so he'll keep his secrets in return. ]

Allison is smart. There's nothing you could tell her that she doesn't already know.

[weifinder]

People don't know everything through intuition and observation. It doesn't make them any less intelligent, and I know you know that, Lao Five.

[somebadnews]

[ Hey, he was just complimenting his sister. Although that won’t stop him from lumping Allison in with the rest of his idiot siblings in the future, but they’re the idiots who keep dying on him. ]

There’s such a thing as willful ignorance.

[weifinder]

And faith in people choosing to face themselves, confronted by their transgressions.

[somebadnews]

[ More or less the same thing. ]

Didn’t fool you for a second.

[weifinder]

My faith in humanity is in it's ability to choose better, not in people with power choosing well.

[somebadnews]

You'd be surprised how often people choose to save themselves over eternal damnation.

[weifinder]

Presuming the two aren't already linked.

[somebadnews]

Well, I don't give him a lot of credit for planning ahead.

[weifinder]

No, he's much more impulsive, once you get beneath his public face.

[somebadnews]

He was.

[ Now he's graduated to past-tense. Five would have taken care of it himself if Emilia hadn't. Not because he was a bad person, people will always be people, but because he was too great of a threat. ]

[weifinder]

Yes. Now he's nothing at all but what his people and his brother make of it.

Which Emilia has already, admirably and with great bother, set the tone for.

[somebadnews]

At least most seem to understand this time around.

[ They aren't thanking Emilia like they should, but the ones that figure it out aren't berating her either. He knows that wouldn't have been the case if it'd been him. ]