perhaps I should expand a bit...
as I see it, she's already using this power about as responsibly as is physically possible
I have no real issue with the soul-stealing, especially in light of how she uses it
I see no real reason, then, to bring it up at all in the context of this conversation
People have really jumped the gun on how they're explaining things, to a degree.
Listen, Kinigget... for all we know, 'taking' souls sends them to heaven and gives her their magics as long as she can connect to them.
It could also be a state of being constantly tortured.
The
problem here is that it pretty clearly has the potential to be
really evil -- Kyubey does all sorts of horrible things to souls, so there's a big stigma against doing horrible things to souls in setting, and given that Rionna
clearly knows all about that, it should
not be a hard jump to make to question what's happening to the souls she 'takes'.
The problem:
"I control their Souls as shades, allowing me to use their powers," she says, and smiles, razor sharp and satisfied. "Don't worry, I only do it to those who would deserve it. As for makin' examples... there's a shade or two here and there who're obliged to give warnings, now and always."
She lobotomizes people -or worse- and uses their Souls as puppets. As slaves.
You want to work with her. Heck, she's even reasonable for most part, if lacking in social graces. But this... You had thought you could let it slide. Ask her to do better in the future, offer her an alternative and ask her to work with you towards de-Witching.
But this...
"... are they aware?" you ask, swallowing revulsion.
"I'unno," Rionna says with a shrug. "They can think and problemsolve, suchlike. But not really aware. 's more like they're asleep and sleep-walking under my control."
She gives you a look. Your expression is neutral - you know it is, but perhaps she gleans something from that anyway.
"Ach," she says, waving a careless hand at you. "Don't worry about it. It's not good people I do it to. Most of them are already murderers by the time I get to 'em, so they are. Last one had her and her posse livin' high on the backs of a good couple score Witches and all."
is that she
doesn't seem to give a fuck what it's doing to them.
"Careless."
"Shrug."
"Makin' examples."
"
Most of them are murderers."
"Don't
worry about it."
"Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it."
That--
that is a
problem.
Now, to be fair: we don't know why she's that way. Hence why we should ask.
But not caring about whether or not you're
actively torturing people's souls -- that is
not a good sign. That is a
QB sign, that's literally his
job.
Is that reason enough to be thinking about gemming her? Not
alone -- but we
clearly have reason to
investigate what her powers are doing to the souls she has taken. The setting almost
demands that.
Now, answer this for me:
what do we do if she refuses investigating what her powers are doing to the souls she has taken?
...
Beyond that, we have to ask whether we want anything to do with a person who is doing and saying these things. The clear answer is that we don't, because our
job is to care about the fate of people's souls. That answer alone doesn't justify gemming her, but it sure as hell justifies not associating with her.
