Day 137 | Open

[freedom_engineer]

Who: Colin and anyone curious about what he's doing.
Open: Open
When: Day 137, around midday
Where: Northwestern Bastion, open ground
What: Colin's surveying for a new building
Format Can match.
Warnings: Colin's deeply engrossed in his survey. He may be more of a socially impaired derp than usual.

[Colin has been positively hyperactive today. He wolfed down his breakfast like a man possessed, snagged a couple of fruit to eat in the field, and made sure to get his chores done far ahead of schedule. After that, he grabbed several wooden stakes and set himself to the task of analyzing the ground beneath his feet. Unseen, his eye has been taking detailed measurements of all of the buildings in the Bastion, and he's been setting out the stakes to mark an outline of a new building. Anyone feel like approaching him?]

Comments

[freedom_engineer]

An orgy with Anna would end in blood. And bodies. Lots of bodies.

Difficult to sweep under the rug...

[dontyoujustwish]

Well, unless they were vampires. Ash is easy to sweep under the rug.

[freedom_engineer]

That IS a good point. She does like the complete disintegration spells and weapons. Plasma fire barely even leaves ash...

[He actually seems to consider that for a moment without humor.]

[dontyoujustwish]

I usually favored at least a little gore as vengeance demon, but there is something to be said for an easy clean-up.

[freedom_engineer]

Gore is wonderful for sending a message. I left such a mess after those morons made the mistake of trying to kidnap her...

Ah, but sometimes, you just need to keep your work under wraps.

[Did we mention that Colin's morals and ethics are skewed? 'Cause they are.]

[dontyoujustwish]

That's very true.

[If you're looking for proper morals, Anya is not so much the person to talk to.]

[freedom_engineer]

You miss it, then? The vengeance?

[You've got him curious, Anya.]

[dontyoujustwish]

I do, but...

[Sigh.]

When I tried going back to it, it was just upsetting. I've always believed that men should suffer horribly for their transgressions against women, but when I watched them getting eviscerated, I actually felt bad for them.

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin gets a thoughtful look on his face, raising his hand to cup his chin.]

A moral dilemma? Or was it that the punishment outstripped the crime?

I'm hardly one to judge the latter, given how often I dance on the cooling body that is the law, but...

Well, it sounds like your heart wasn't happy with your head.

Nothing wrong with that, principles have this weird way of cropping up when you least expect them, even in demons.

[dontyoujustwish]

I don't know. Maybe it all just hit closer to home after my stint at mortality.

[There may have been a bit of the punishment not fitting the crime also, but she's not about to admit that to someone she just met.]

Either way, my avenues for vengeance are much more limited as a human. I've only done one or two teeny little things.

[freedom_engineer]

Nah, you just gotta be creative about it.

My wife was abused as a child. Now? She makes her living killing child abusers.

Messily. And more often than not, illegally.

I probably shouldn't be proud about that, but I am. The people who need killing die, and kids are saved. Thanks to her family, she's gotten very good about avoiding collateral damage.

That's the trick with vengeance. Never go too far, and never, NEVER hit an undeserving target. You do that? You get a huge dose of wrath coming at you from any number of sources. And you deserve it.

[Again, Colin's Morals are not exactly the morals of most sane people... Of course, here he is telling a complete stranger about how his wife is a bloodthirsty vigilante, so he's also got strange issues of trust.]

Anything you feel like telling me about? Or is your vengeance a more private, personal thing?

[dontyoujustwish]

Oh, I think I would like your wife. Platonically, not like those people who want to take her to bed. I don't really swing that way.

But I think you've misunderstood. Vengeance demons don't act on their own behalf. For over a thousand years, I granted the wishes of wronged women all over the world.

Now, well, there are only so many women here I could help, and I'd have to take the trouble to get to know them first. Plus whoever wronged them might already have been petrified or even vaporized when their world was destroyed.

[freedom_engineer]

She's a bit abrasive, but she's a good person. I wish more people could see that.

[He listens to her, and snaps his fingers.]

Ah ha! Yeah, I've clearly misunderstood. That... is a little more complex.

[He frowns in thought, and shakes his head.]

If I could help, I'd be happy to, but I think that one goes a little beyond my expertise...

But hey, we ever get someone here who wrongs someone? Look me up, I'll hold him while you make him beg. Or her. Or it. Gender is never so easy to pin down in these matters...

[dontyoujustwish]

That's very sweet of you, but after a thousand years... Well, maybe it is my thing and maybe it isn't. I haven't figured that out yet.

I guess I'll let you know.

[freedom_engineer]

Certainly true. A couple centuries is more than enough time to get someone to re-examine themselves.

[He shrugs and smiles at her.]

Just happy to help where I can.

[dontyoujustwish]

You'd think so, wouldn't you?

Anyway, what do I call you? I'm thinking 'hey you' or 'elf man' aren't going to cut it.

[freedom_engineer]

I don't know, as far as casual conversations go, "Hey you, Elf-man!" is one of the nicer things I've been called.

My name's Colin though. Yours?

[dontyoujustwish]

Really? I can't see why.

I go by Anya these days.

[freedom_engineer]

You've engaged me in polite conversation. I tend to be a real jackass when things get confrontational.

[Is he apologetic about that? Nope.]

It's nice to meet you, Anya.

[dontyoujustwish]

Most people aren't very nice in a confrontation. It wouldn't be very confrontational.

It's nice to meet you, too.

[freedom_engineer]

I know a couple people who make it a point to be polite and sweet in a confrontation.

The one I know says it's about nailing the other guy with a sense of cognitive dissonance in order to throw them off their game. A great way to land a cheap shot. I can see it working, anyway.

[dontyoujustwish]

I'm pretty sure the intent to be a jackass is still there. It's only the methods that are different.

[freedom_engineer]

Any way of controlling a fight, yes. Psychology is half the fun of it, or so I'm told.

[dontyoujustwish]

I prefer to be more overt about it myself.

[freedom_engineer]

Likewise.

An overwhelming show of force does a lot to end a fight. Even moreso when it's properly directed.