A knight's disappointment

[stupidhonor]

Is this what you really thought of this organisation? Of Unity Group?

[Upon hearing the news of how the mission went, Sielje ran off to somewhere. She can be found in a quiet corner of Alhambra's outside areas. She had a small training area organised, with dummies for stabbing and such. All of which now show signs of frustration, damage done to them with haphazard strikes.]

Was so little required for you to turn traitor, Jen Douglas?

[Her head drops.]


I am a traitor too. I am. But still...

Comments

[fourth_rider]

Are you likening your circumstances to hers?

[Fyra slowly approaches, noting the damage to the equipment.]

...If so, you know it is different.

[stupidhonor]

I know it is different.

Yet... what am I to do? Everyone... abandons me.

[fourth_rider]

There are many still here.

...I do not understand.

[stupidhonor]

No, this is not what I meant! I did not imply...

...

My apologies. I said something I should have not.

[fourth_rider]

...

[She shakes her head slowly, not minding it.]

I was told that in a situation like this, the Unity Group will try to bring back the person in question.

[stupidhonor]

By force? How would that work?

[empress_without_a_throne]

Some people are just able to change sides like that when they weren't in it for any honest ideal.

[Mizuki's not happy about this either, considering...]

And you're not like her. Don't even think that. The Unity Group had another traitor once who was more in line with what happened.

[stupidhonor]

If not ideals... what of people? Did knowing us meant nothing as well? I thought we had...

[Sielje's voice trails off.]

Another traitor, you say.

[empress_without_a_throne]

[She nods.]

No less than my best friend and the granddaughter of Solaris's director. We came to the Unity Group together, just when things were starting out.

But she gave up on us when she decided things never worked out in the long term for heroes and saviors. That you'd either die with battles left to others, or live past the point you were useful and have no purpose.

[stupidhonor]

Mm...

[Sielje looks intent.]

A good friend of yours, you say. What happened to her?

[empress_without_a_throne]

She betrayed us, threw in her lot with the Indalph, interdimensional conquerors. I might've mentioned them to you before when we were just learning about Ankaia due to some small similarities, but our fight when them was nearly over.

In the end we took our paths to our respective conclusions, and she died for it.

[actuallyselfish]

"I dunno," Dido said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if Jen is actually trying to betray us..."

[stupidhonor]

What...? What do you mean?

[actuallyselfish]

"I dunno..." Dido says. "My thoughts are all jumbled up about this, but..."

She taps her shoulder, then speaks again. "Every time one of the Unity Group has betrayed us, or gone rogue, or even supervillain, it's always come as a shock. But then after I think about it, I realize their betrayal make sense based on who they are."

Dido paces back and forth. "Sarah was power-hungry and yearned for immortality. Loni couldn't stand not being a hero, while Ilinka would hurt anyone to gain his approval. Lamia was a double agents from the start. Leos was mad with despair."

She stops mid-pace. "But why would Jen betray us? I can't think of any motivation that makes sense..."

[stupidhonor]

Did she not say she hated how we treated her?

[Sielje frowns suddenly.]

I can think of reasons...

[actuallyselfish]

"C'mon!" Dido protests. "We weren't that bad!"

She thinks back to her earlier disagreement with Jen on the rooftop. "I think we weren't that bad...nevermind! The point is that Jen's a courier, a practical person. She wants a prosperous life with as little risk as is practical."

Dido spreads her hands wide. "So why would she publicly defect to a snake-themed terrorist group staffed by a group of ultraviolent, unstable psychotics? Moral concerns aside, that's a hella lot of risk, for little reward!"

[not_a_prize]

... At least you had better reasons than Jen did...

[Peola looked quite upset indeed, ki sparking off of her as she nearly threw a punch at one of the dummies before getting herself back under control. She still was glowing somewhat, but more in the way of blazing hot iron rather than in any pleasant manner.]

If she really was treated that badly why didn't she say anything? We could have helped! I...

[She presses a palm to her face with her teeth grit.]

Just something like that... I thought she was better than that...

[stupidhonor]

Yes... why did she say nothing? If she really thought others treat her unfairly...

[not_a_prize]

She wouldn't have kept quiet about it! She would have said something before! Been angrier! Something!

I know she's complicated but she's not someone who'd let people treat her badly without fighting back and then doing this!

[stupidhonor]

Is she? What kind of person would keep quiet and nurse a grudge, instead of speaking up?

[Sielje feels unsure about all of this.]

[lostamigo]

It's different. Your treason was because of ideals. Hers, because of money.

[stupidhonor]

Was it money? She said we treat her poorly...

[lostamigo]

That's what she said. But did we?

[stupidhonor]

Did we? A fair question. I tried not to... but did I succeed?

You may easily harm others without realizing it.

[lostamigo]

Jen is an adult. An adult doesn't join terrorists because someone said something mean to her once or twice.