09-20-2017, 04:22 AM
Malon followed Strazio's example by walking away from the area where Tearen had gathered them, to the outskirts of the camp. She must've looked like an idiot, because she was so sunk into her thoughts, absorbed why the knowledge that Tearen had imparted to them, that she didn't realize where she was headed, and walked square into one of the tents's support beams. The pain and shock had her stumble back several steps. "Ow! Agh, damnit..." She checked her forehead, but there was no blood, and the jolt of pain had dragged her back to the here and now, even though she was far from having processed the visions she had been shown.
Because her disguise as Maru had flickered when she'd hit her head she checked her surroundings, but Strazio, Karkat and Gamzee were nowhere to be seen and she caught a glimpse of Dane facing away from her, across of the encampment. It was unlikely that he'd seen anything. Again she rubbed her forehead. That would probably throb for a bit and leave a red mark.
The images Tearen had shown them came back to her mind - an entire planet frozen over through the actions of a single... creature. What Tearen had done. A hellish landscape where slaves were driven through barren, poisoned lands by powerful demonic creatures. One was a picture of complete genocide, of death and destruction. The other was an image of absolute domination, of a land where Evil had won and subjugated its opponents. Both were horrifying. She could not grasp who would do that, and for what reason.
"You're not evil, that's why." The lookalike leant against the beam that Malon had walked into earlier.
"... Assassin? It's been a while", said Malon.
"And I brought you some company", Assassin said with a grin. At these words, a blue-haired girl turned the corner made by the tent. She looked exactly the same as Malon in her disguise.
"Chef?"
"That's right", the blue-haired girl said with a motherly smile. "You're wearing my skin very well, Malon."
"Thanks... what are you two doing here?"
"Moral support of course", said Assassin. "I just told you, you're not evil. If you were you'd react very differently to the images Tearen shared with you." She pulled out a dagger and began to pick her nails. "I've met people who are evil. I know what they're like, and I know you're not one of them. Lovely fellas, I tell you. I had some nice chats with some of them... they thought they're doing the right thing until the end."
"Until you slit their throats", Chef corrected her with a cheerful laugh.
"Shaddap, Grandma."
"Wait..." Malon looked back and forth between them. Those two both looked like they were in their early twenties at most. It was hard to not forget that they were generations apart. "You're Assassin's grandmother?"
"Great-great-great-great-grandmother, actually. My grandchildren's grandchildren were Malon's grandparents - of this Malon here, who you nicknamed Assassin. But it'd be too long to say the full term every time."
"The point is", Assassin interjected, "that you aren't like them. You COULD be evil, but everyone could. Tearen... maybe he was evil. He said it himself, that power corrupted him. You know the drill: with power comes responsibility, yadda yadda. He lost the power and the corruption, and he realized what he'd done. If a Lady kills a slave because she can, she's going to realize what she's done if she becomes a slave, and regret her actions. But while she's a Lady she is disconnected from someone that much lower than her. Tearen's made sure that you guys know what it is like to be on the bottom, before he pushes you up the rungs on the ladder of power."
Malon looked to the ground. "I see." There was a very heavy feeling in her stomach. Her thoughts of Tearen were a complete mess. She admired him for wanting to save the Omniverse, even at the risk of his own safety, but then he had revealed that he'd committed such horrid actions in his past. He felt remorse but that did not change what he had done. How was she feeling about this?
Chef put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to take your mind off of things. Your mind is full of conflict and emotion right now, don't make a hasty decision about how your stance towards Tearen is. Do something else."
"... I will. Thank you, Ch- Malon."
Some ten minutes later Malon returned to the center of the camp, pulling an apron over her head and tying her hair back into a knot. Dane was still lounging around nearby... perfect.
"Dane?" she called out to him. "Could you give me a hand in the kitchen? I want to cook some dinner for us." She had already summoned everything necessary that they didn't have, to cook a light sweet dish - discus dough cakes, as the Gerudos called them. Or pancakes, as they were known to modern Omniversians: something sweet and light to end a difficult day. But perhaps Dane had a suggestion too?
Because her disguise as Maru had flickered when she'd hit her head she checked her surroundings, but Strazio, Karkat and Gamzee were nowhere to be seen and she caught a glimpse of Dane facing away from her, across of the encampment. It was unlikely that he'd seen anything. Again she rubbed her forehead. That would probably throb for a bit and leave a red mark.
The images Tearen had shown them came back to her mind - an entire planet frozen over through the actions of a single... creature. What Tearen had done. A hellish landscape where slaves were driven through barren, poisoned lands by powerful demonic creatures. One was a picture of complete genocide, of death and destruction. The other was an image of absolute domination, of a land where Evil had won and subjugated its opponents. Both were horrifying. She could not grasp who would do that, and for what reason.
"You're not evil, that's why." The lookalike leant against the beam that Malon had walked into earlier.
"... Assassin? It's been a while", said Malon.
"And I brought you some company", Assassin said with a grin. At these words, a blue-haired girl turned the corner made by the tent. She looked exactly the same as Malon in her disguise.
"Chef?"
"That's right", the blue-haired girl said with a motherly smile. "You're wearing my skin very well, Malon."
"Thanks... what are you two doing here?"
"Moral support of course", said Assassin. "I just told you, you're not evil. If you were you'd react very differently to the images Tearen shared with you." She pulled out a dagger and began to pick her nails. "I've met people who are evil. I know what they're like, and I know you're not one of them. Lovely fellas, I tell you. I had some nice chats with some of them... they thought they're doing the right thing until the end."
"Until you slit their throats", Chef corrected her with a cheerful laugh.
"Shaddap, Grandma."
"Wait..." Malon looked back and forth between them. Those two both looked like they were in their early twenties at most. It was hard to not forget that they were generations apart. "You're Assassin's grandmother?"
"Great-great-great-great-grandmother, actually. My grandchildren's grandchildren were Malon's grandparents - of this Malon here, who you nicknamed Assassin. But it'd be too long to say the full term every time."
"The point is", Assassin interjected, "that you aren't like them. You COULD be evil, but everyone could. Tearen... maybe he was evil. He said it himself, that power corrupted him. You know the drill: with power comes responsibility, yadda yadda. He lost the power and the corruption, and he realized what he'd done. If a Lady kills a slave because she can, she's going to realize what she's done if she becomes a slave, and regret her actions. But while she's a Lady she is disconnected from someone that much lower than her. Tearen's made sure that you guys know what it is like to be on the bottom, before he pushes you up the rungs on the ladder of power."
Malon looked to the ground. "I see." There was a very heavy feeling in her stomach. Her thoughts of Tearen were a complete mess. She admired him for wanting to save the Omniverse, even at the risk of his own safety, but then he had revealed that he'd committed such horrid actions in his past. He felt remorse but that did not change what he had done. How was she feeling about this?
Chef put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to take your mind off of things. Your mind is full of conflict and emotion right now, don't make a hasty decision about how your stance towards Tearen is. Do something else."
"... I will. Thank you, Ch- Malon."
Some ten minutes later Malon returned to the center of the camp, pulling an apron over her head and tying her hair back into a knot. Dane was still lounging around nearby... perfect.
"Dane?" she called out to him. "Could you give me a hand in the kitchen? I want to cook some dinner for us." She had already summoned everything necessary that they didn't have, to cook a light sweet dish - discus dough cakes, as the Gerudos called them. Or pancakes, as they were known to modern Omniversians: something sweet and light to end a difficult day. But perhaps Dane had a suggestion too?