driftfleet | February System Mingle

She's deeply unworried about a fight, confident he's little threat to either of them, but she's still relieved when the man finally leaves with just a few civilized threats thrown their way.

"I don't think it did much. Maybe made him reconsider fighting slightly more." If only because it was two against one plus the leopard and the direwolf. "How do you know he's lying? Is that an ability of yours or are you guessing?"

"I sense deception." The leopard kitten, for her part, seems to be entirely unconcerned by anything besides the scratches she's getting behind her ears. She purrs loudly, rubbing her head on Justice's neck, who remains seemingly unmoved by this. "Besides, mortals think loudly. It is difficult to miss."

He knows that mortals don't like it when he makes it too obvious that he can hear thoughts, but he still feels the need to say it when it comes up in conversation. It's the truth, and it feels a little like he's hiding something if he tries too hard to avoid saying it.

"That'll do it." She isn't bothered by mind reading. She's been around telepaths much of her life. Missions were often conducted with mind links in place and she's had training to make those noisy thoughts of hers quieter if she wants to. She couldn't possibly stave off someone intent to see her thoughts unless their powers were very weak and undeveloped, but someone lightly grazing on them maybe accidentally? Sure. At the moment she's making no attempt. Her only concern is whatever judgment and execution of justice he might enact. At least those were her first worries when Anders spoke of him initially. She's happy to give the man the benefit of a doubt, especially here away from his world and everything he knows. If these abductions are good for anything it's a clean slate.

"You really should keep an eye on her though or maybe put her on a harness while you're out. That guy was a jerk, but his son did lose a pet, and it could have been avoided. It's not like she needed it to keep from starving."

Well that's a refreshing reaction. No unease, no snapping, no accusations, nothing but acceptance. Kitty gets brownie points for that.

"I cannot put a harness on her. She is a free creature, not my possession." Justice can't help but agree about the unnecessary nature of this conflict, though. He understands why the child would have been upset, even if Loyalty didn't act unjustly. Justice looks down Loyalty, frowning. "Why did you kill the animal if you knew we had food in the ship?"

He says it like the cat will answer, but she only purrs and nuzzles his neck with her head.

She watches for a moment as if half expecting them to have a full conversation. "Okay, I'm going to assume communicating with animals isn't an actual power of yours." Though she's open to correction if she's wrong. "So you could put a harness on her. Just slip it over her head and get it secured and everything. It totally works on non possessions you're still responsible for too.

After all, she didn't fly herself to another planet where she's not a native species."

“I cannot understand her meowing, if that is what you are asking.” Justice doesn’t look up from staring down the animal. “But I know her thoughts. They are not as articulate as a human’s, but they are there.”

Justice’s grown etches itself deeper in his face as he looks up again. “Such control over an independent and free-willed creature seems tantamount to slavery. She chose to join me here, understanding the environment. I do not see how I am responsible for her decisions.”

Sorry, Kitty. Someone doesn’t get the whole ‘pet’ thing.

That seems to answer that question. "Because people are too complicated and usually ridiculous for her to fully grasp, so if she's going to be around people she needs someone to guide her. You know, like a small child would. Kind of. Except without the part where they ever grow up and do it for themselves."

She pets her direwolf who stays by her side. "If you try a harness and she hates it then you can just keep a closer eye on her or leave her on the ship. Figure out what works for her not to go killing some kid's pet or maybe stealing a shipmate's food or scratching up a ship console. You are responsible for that kind of stuff for letting her stay by virtue of being the person one in the relationship."

Of all the people who have tried to explain this to him, Kitty is the only one who's put it in terms Justice can understand. His eyes light up as it clicks, his fingers pausing in Loyalty's fur.

"She is like me." He doesn't elaborate, because it's intuitive to him. He also finds mortals too complicated and ridiculous to grasp, and he also needs someone to guide him. He can last without a guide, as can she, but this last month has shown him how miserable and confused he feels without a guide. Is that how Loyalty feels without him?

He knows that on some level, Riona and Anders have felt like he is their responsibility. He would firmly reject the notion that he is their responsibility, just as he doesn't consider Loyalty's behavior his responsibility, but he would be a fool to deny that his life is significantly easier with their guidance and kindness. Perhaps it is the same with Loyalty.

"I cannot put a harness on her." No one has tried putting Justice in a harness despite his misunderstanding of the world. He would hate it if anyone tried, and he can't imagine Loyalty would feel any different. "But perhaps I have not provided the guidance she needs. I will see what I can do."

He's not sure if he understands the mortal world enough to be her guide, but he can try. It'd be wrong to reap the benefits of other people's kindness and not extend any himself when he sees someone else in a similar situation.

She feels like she gets it when he says, 'she is like me' after all she's been cautioned a couple of times now by Anders and Justice himself that he doesn't understand this world the same way others do. She just hopes that what that means to him clicks something useful into place. She's not sure it is when he starts by saying he can't use a harness, but the rest is more promising. That or he's set up for some zany times trying to teach Loyalty about the ways of humanity. Either way, she figures she's done her part for now.

"Great. So, what were the two of you up to on this planet?"

“I am doing what I can for the people here. Doing work, mediating conflicts, solving crimes and the like. I do not know what Loyalty has been doing, besides killing rats, apparently.”

Justice takes the opportunity to level a look at Loyalty, who completely ignores him and keeps purring.

“What brings you here?” he asks, turning his attention back on Kitty.

"Well, none of that. Mostly just giving the place a once over and Seeker," nodding to the direwolf pup who looks extra attentive upon hearing his name, "seems to like cold places, so I figured he'd be into it. You really just show up and people are ready to have a complete stranger mediate their stuff? You must just have one of those faces."

"It helps that it is clear that I have a knack for it, for lack of a better word. People are often either much more or much less willing to allow a stranger to mediate conflicts if it becomes clear that the stranger knows everything everyone present knows about it, even that which they have not shared."

Justice maaaaaaaay have started a handful of family feuds this way, but honesty is always the best policy, right?

"Sure. They might want to keep you happy just to keep you from spilling secrets they want to keep in check."

She can imagine a lot of situations where it goes over very badly.

"I would not tell a person's secrets for spite. I know that mortals value their privacy, much as I do not understand it."

Justice considers, stroking his cat as he thinks back on some of the interactions he's had when he's revealed that particular knack of his so far.

"But it would seem that the believed threat does help convince mortals to cooperate. I have found success here for the most part."

"Yeah, us mortals are funny that way. You don't value your privacy?"

"I was only marginally aware of the concept before I came to your realm. Where I come from, thoughts and one's deepest considerations are made manifest, and we all know how to read them. Privacy would be impossible, even if any of us desired it."

Which spirits and demons don't, really, unless they're up to something.

Kitty would and has traded privacy for intimacy and connection. They've always been more fundamentally important to her though she she struggled with trusting enough to do so. "What was it like when everyone could see everything? Did you feel closer to each other?"

"Spirits are not as social as mortals. Most of us do not feel the need to be close to one another."

One could make alliances with other spirits, but it was uncommon to make friends. Justice certainly doesn't remember making any.

"What it provided us with was understanding of one another, or else the knowledge that we would never truly understand. Mortals do not know how to predict the behavior of spirits and demons, but I find them predictable to the point of tedium."

"If most of you don't feel the need. What about you specifically?" It's kind of an invasive question, but if he's not used to privacy anyway, then he probably won't see it that way, right? And maybe it would help her predict this spirit's behavior to know more. Hopefully not to the point of tedium.

Justice hesitates at that. The question forces him to think of Anders and Riona, how their absence hurts even though it's self-inflicted. How his relationship with Anders will end.

"...I never felt the need for closeness before I came to the mortal realm."

That much is true. And it's definitely changed, but he doesn't know how much. He doesn't know how much of this ache is need and how much is something he can purge with memory.

February System Mingle

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