1st Judgment ⚖ Action ⚖ Open

[whatisright]

Who: Justice and You
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Evac Station, SS Caprine
When: After the destruction of the planet, and then after everything can be done for the refugees.

Evac Station - Action

[Justice is tireless about getting the refugees settled after the planet is destroyed. Literally tireless--he never stops to eat, drink, or sleep. When there is a pause in the work, he only stops to hover by his two unconscious friends, watching them with naked concern on his face but never speaking nor attempting to wake them up.

He's just putting away more supplies when he pauses, head turning to watch a refugee man sitting on the floor, rifling through a bag. When he speaks, his voice is a touch more stern than usual.] What are you doing?

[The man looks up at him, fingering the bag.] "Just, uh, looking at my stuff."

You're lying. That's not yours.

[The color drains from the man's face even as he tries to smile and instinctively clutches the bag tighter.] "What are you talking about? Of course it's mine."

[This just sours Justice's mood further, and he turns the full weight of his glare on the man.] You stole it from a family while they slept. Your misfortune is no excuse to steal from those suffering just as much as yourself. You will return it with all its original contents immediately.

SS Caprine - Action

[Justice never actually properly explored the ship he was assigned, so enchanted he was by the planet they were on.

So now he's just getting to know what's supposed to be his home now. He unfortunately doesn't have a lot of social awareness, as may be evidenced by the fact that he chooses to look like a walking corpse, and he just wanders into random rooms, bedrooms included, to stand at the center or pick up particularly well-used objects and run his fingers across them.

Congratulations on your new weirdo, Caprine.]

[Edited to add: Justice has psychic and object-reading abilities. For more info and to let me know what's cool for him to pick up, here's a permissions post.]

Comments

[samahl]

[Cyril agrees with Justice there.]

I'll keep a hold of it for now while we walk there. [To the thief:] Then you can return it and apologize.

[whatisright]

[The thief's eyes dart between Justice and Cyril, but his shoulders slump in defeat as he stands up and Justice starts marching in a very specific direction.

It's not long before they're upon a woman talking frantically with the distributor, begging for extra rations because she has so many children and someone took hers. Justice looks pointedly at the thief, who's looking more miserable by the moment.] Go on.

[The thief casts one desperate look at Cyril and Justice before hanging his head and trudging to the woman. Justice watches from the distance, but he'll know if the thief tries to wiggle out of this one last time.

The thief speaks in low tones, and at first, the woman just stops talking to the distributor. Then she slaps the thief in the face.]

[samahl]

[Cyril stays by Justice and watches the scene unfold. He does feel a bit sorry for the thief, but that's mostly overpowered at the relief that the woman and her children will have their food back. He still feels ready to jump in if the thief feels the need to retaliate the slap. He doesn't want the woman and her children to suffer any more than they already have.

Once everything is done, though, he has some questions he wants to ask Justice.]

[whatisright]

[The thief looks cowed by the smack rather than angry, and eventually, after more discussion, he hands her back her bag and she leaves in a huff. The thief awkwardly looks at Cyril and Justice, a welt growing on his face, then looks at his feet.] "I'll, uh... go help move some supplies."

[Justice follows the thief with his eyes until he disappears in the crowd. Yes, he thinks that the man learned his lesson. He looks to the elf and dips his head.] I thank you for assisting me with that.

[samahl]

Of course. Thank you for realizing what was happening.

[Then, after a moment, because he knows it could be rude to ask someone what they are,] Do you mind if I ask you a question about your nature?

[whatisright]

I do not mind. I understand that I am strange to most.

[He's used to questions, and he's comfortable answering them for the most part. Goodness knows he asks mortals plenty of questions himself.]

[samahl]

Are you a spirit currently possessing a corpse?

[It might be a bit too direct, but hey that would explain so much.]

[whatisright]

In Thedas, I am, but the Fleet took me without the corpse I was possessing. [Also, kudos for putting it together so quickly. And for calling him a spirit, not a demon.] At the moment, I am a spirit with my own physical form, as improbable as it seems. I chose to continue appearing as I did in Thedas so that I would be recognizable to my mortal companions.

[samahl]

That isn't that improbable. I met and befriended a Compassion spirit who had crossed into the physical world to comfort a dying mage. He took on his own physical form and helped others throughout Thedas.

He called himself Cole, after the mage.

[That connection to Cole, the appearance that Justice has, and the fact that Justice had previously responded to him regarding Thedas are the only reasons he was able to put it together.]

What would you like to be called, spirit? [The way he says spirit is in the same way that someone else might say 'friend.' He doesn't have that distrust that others might have put in the word. He's heard that tone too many times himself when someone calls him 'elf.']

[whatisright]

A spirit of compassion? [There is so much there to unpack. A spirit of compassion survived in the mortal world? And took a form? And took someone's name?

A couple weeks ago, Justice would have shrugged this off as impossible and the elf as mad. But isn't he standing here himself, physical form and all?]

How did you meet it? [Justice calls Compassion 'it' naturally, like there would be nothing else to call it, but there's none of the deliberately dehumanization in his tone that there would be in Sera's or most other mortals'. Justice calls Compassion 'it' because spirits in the Fade are all 'it.' Justice himself only goes by 'him' because he didn't care enough to try correcting mortals when they decided he was a man.]

I have taken no name since coming to the mortal world, but if you wish for something to call me, then you may call me Justice.

[samahl]

That is... a rather long story, but the short of it is that he joined the Inquisition and I was the Inquisitor. Or at least one of them. Apparently because Thedas has many different versions of itself and I am one of many possible Inquisitors.

[He really can't handle all of the emotions that come packed into that.]

I hope the others treated Cole well. He is kind and sweet. Which, I suppose is a bit obvious. Compassion would have to be kind.

[whatisright]

The Inquisitor? I suspect you are from a time after me. I do not know what the Inquisition is. I am not aware of many mortal organizations willing to take in spirits.

[Justice knows intellectually that a mortal finding out that there are other versions of them is distressing, but he has trouble truly understanding it because... well, there are other spirits of justice. Other versions of himself has always been a fact of life to him, and he doesn't have a strong sense of identity beyond his virtue.]

I have never met a spirit of compassion that did not have a good heart. It takes particular cruelty to be unkind to one.

[samahl]

Or a very common type of fear, sadly. Many people in Thedas have trouble telling the difference between a spirit and a demon.

[whatisright]

You do not need to tell me that twice.

[Believe him. It's become a huge pain since the Orlesian Wardens started coming in. They are not as accepting as the Fereldan Wardens.]

[samahl]

[He gives Justice an apologetic expression.]

I'm sure. I'm very sorry if people did anything to make you question Thedas's worth.

I'd say that not all of us are like that, but I've found with spirits actions and intentions speak louder than words.

[whatisright]

Indeed, they do. That is why I know that you are all not like that.

I had the privilege of fighting alongside many goodhearted mortals when I first arrived in the waking world. If anything, I have learned that it is unfair to judge you all the same. [And he wishes he could share his findings with his fellow spirits. With news of Compassion crossing the Veil, maybe it's not as impossible as he thought.]

[samahl]

If Cole ever ends up here, I'll make sure he knows to speak with you.

I imagine Compassion and Justice have a lot in common.

[whatisright]

I would like that.

I have worked together with compassion spirits before. Our virtues may not be the same, but our goals often overlap. We usually get along well. [And, you know. It'd be nice to have another spirit around. Only a certain kind of spirit, though. Spirits like Valor or Command can stay where they are.]

[samahl]

Cole was very concerned with justice. There were people who harmed others, and he would become very upset if they weren't stopped or punished. His feelings towards their victims were always the focus.

He often reminded me that those who suffered should be the focus of those with power.

[whatisright]

I believe I would get along well with this spirit. [Not that he doesn't get along well with nearly all the compassion spirits he comes across, but this one sounds especially easy to get along with. Not all iterations of Compassion can tolerate punishment for the wicked.] Do you know how exactly it created a physical form?

[samahl]

I don't know exactly, but the way he described it, it seemed like something he was able to do because it was what Cole, the real Cole, wanted.

[whatisright]

Interesting. [Justice has never, ever heard of this happening before. Is that all that needs to happen? A mage needs to wish a spirit to have a physical form? It can't be that simple. Goodness knows that Anders and Velanna have wanted him to have his own form often enough, if only to get away from the smell of rotting corpse.

But he can't know for sure until he talks to the spirit in question, assuming Compassion hasn't wiped its own memory of the process.] Do you know how long Compassion has kept its form?

[samahl]

For several years at least. I'm not sure when the mage Cole died, but he was at the White Spire for a while after that. He contributed to the events that made things fall apart there, and that was in 9:40 Dragon. For me, the year is 9:45 Dragon and he is still in his own physical form.

He becomes more human every day, but he still has his senses and abilities. He still uses them to help people.

[whatisright]

[Justice almost asks what happened at the White Spire, almost asks what things fell apart, and if he had, that probably would have led to some uncomfortable revelations.

But he doesn't, because something Cyril says at the end there swallows his attention.]

What do you mean, 'he becomes more human every day?' [Normally, Justice would dismiss that as a turn of phrase saying that Compassion is learning how to blend in better, but 'he still has his senses and abilities'? Why would blending in more with humans affect that in any way?]

[samahl]

Oh. Yes.

I suppose that would stand out to you, because you're a spirit too. I didn't mean to be flippant about it...

Cole eventually realized that mages would be able to bind him so he had to choose between either embracing the humanity he had adopted when he took physical form, or to abandon it and return to what he once was. Either one could strengthen him against the binding, either by making him immune to it or enabling him to use an amulet as protection.