[X] Go back to waiting. (Skip)
- [X] Spend the time getting Satsuki's opinion on events and local people.
You bow your head slightly, as much a farewell as they're going to receive from you, and turn away. Satsuki frowns at the group for a moment before following you back to the building. "You don't like them much?" She waits for a few seconds before replying.
"They … they don't seem like good people." You nearly laugh - she hasn't forgotten who she's working for, has she?
"And why do you think that?"
"Well … that one guy got angry at you just because you wore red. And they didn't seem like they would have minded if you'd been hurt or died. And … and I think they were willing to let their own people get hurt if it meant they could have a better shot at that ship, even though they should be protecting people." You nod..
"Well, the thing about wearing red I think we don't actually have enough information to work with. He looked old enough that twenty years would be less than half the time he'd been alive, and we don't know how long, exactly, it took those laws to be relaxed - or how long it took for legality to override tradition. If no one's worn red except priests for, say, a thousand years, then you might not have stores that sell red clothing or people that actually want to wear red clothes, simply out of that not being something that was done because the cultural pressure against it is too strong. So taking his age, the amount of time it probably took for red to actually be an allowable color to be worn, and the amount of time it took for people to start wearing it, and you get a much shorter period of time that it's been something allowed." You glance back to see her frowning in thought. "But I admit to some unfamiliarity with people, so I could be wrong. Anyway, them not caring about my health and safety - why should they? From their perspective, I'm someone working for the Bureau, an organization they may well leave, which could place us as enemies. They could well desire my death or injury in the hope that it will leave me unable to join a future conflict against them, as they certainly respect my power. That does not make them evil; it simply makes them people with different priorities, possibly farther-reaching ones." You halt abruptly, and when Satsuki almost walks past, you wrap your arms around her waist and carry her along with you as you leap up to the balcony. You grin as you set her down on the balcony and sit on the railing - it's quite nice out, after all. "But we can talk about sumptuary laws and allies of convenience later. Do you think that rulers are beholden to their people?" She gives you a confused look.
"Huh? What do you mean?" You sigh and look up at the sky, so dark and clear.
"Hmm … pretend that you, as you are now, are the ruler of a group of humans. It's large enough that you can't possibly know even a reasonable fraction of them at the same time - say two or three cities are under your control. How responsible are you for their safety, and how quickly must you respond to crises?" She's quiet for a while, longer than she should need to start answering the question, and you look down to find her frowning unhappily at you. You raise an eyebrow and she looks away, at the floor.
"I … that's not the same, though. And I'm not a leader, so …." You titter and wag your finger at her.
"That's not the sort of attitude you should adopting, Satsuki. You're a vampire. True, you were until recently a human child, but that time has passed and you are now something greater than you were. And you must learn responsibility and the philosophies that go along with it, even if you choose to never exercise your prerogative of command." She looks away again almost immediately and looks back down, clearly uncomfortable. You let the matter drop the for the moment but begin trying to recall philosophical works that she should read … perhaps the Bureau can obtain them for you? They do have contact with an Earth, after all, so they should be able to find them - it's just a matter if willingness. Of course, some things you'll have to talk about instead of simply letting her read. As for the subject at hand, you take a different tack. "Resources are never infinite - whether you're talking about a normal human, a magician, or a state, you never have everything you want, and you can always use more. So in a situation like this, it becomes a balancing act - will the loss of life incurred from letting the pirates raid for a short while longer, and the damage inflicted on our own populace by our own weapons, outweigh the effects of increased pirate raids over time? If they show a willingness to kill, and to sacrifice a small measure of their population in so doing, they are less likely to be a target in the future, because pirates won't take the risk of death for such meager profits as can be gained in a place like this." Satsuki shakes her head.
"But that … that's not right! It's …." She struggles to find the right words, growing more distressed, and you pat her shoulder to calm her down.
"It's alright. Relax, breathe. Feel better?" She shakes her head. "The problem, Satsuki, is that you're young enough to 'know' what's right and wrong, but you probably haven't had much to explain the actual reasoning behind them. So when a reasonable-sounding alternative is produced, you can't combat it effectively because it sounds like it should make sense even though it disagrees with what you were taught. Right?" She nods hesitantly and you grin and look back up at the sky. Their moon is in such a weird place, and it's so small, too. "Well, that's why your education is going to continue. So even if you encounter an entirely new situation, you won't be caught entirely defenseless." She nods and smiles nervously. You tousle her hair and lean back against the air, kicking your legs happily.
As the hospital-watcher said, the Mettia's repairs were completed before noon, and after a short but thorough examination of their ship, the newly-revitalized crew returned to their position above the planet and their duties. You and Satsuki came along with them - no sense staying at the hospital and scaring people or distracting Lutecia, after all! And it gives you time to study Satsuki's reactions to being in space more thoroughly. She is able to maintain a short period of wakefulness - two to three hours - regardless of the 'time,' but she always seems to become uncomfortable and returns to a fitful sleep. Hopefully it's simply a matter of being in space, and therefore her body becoming confused, rather than because you are in a different world ….
You continue your discussion of the people on the planet below, as well. Perhaps the greatest impact on Satsuki is when they finally bring some people to the hospital who had been injured in a traffic accident. You're surprised any of the three survived as long as they did without proper treatment, and in the end all three died … but no one blamed anyone except the workers in the hospital, who blamed themselves. Those who lost loved ones simply shrugged away the loss and said that death was unavoidable; that these three had pain before the end, but as the end came it had been replaced by the gentle touch of healers and the joy of family. That the end came to those so ruined by disaster was no cause for distress. The workers were thanked and the bodies, with no ceremony, were taken away by the people who had brought them. And all through the exchange, they had shown no emotion, had shrugged aside concerns of their own health and feelings … had expressed more concern for the workers than for any of their own people. And Satsuki, shocked and withdrawn, had fled to her room and sat in the dark until she fell asleep.
Apparently, that lack of concern for themselves and their care for others, had somehow reminded her of the Tohno boy she had feelings for, and learning that that attitude seemed a not-uncommon one here had left her shaken.
You hold a few discussions with her about people and their relationships with their rulers, but the short amount of time you have with her, and the shock of the accident victims' deaths, ensured that you invariably 'bested' her simply from experience and breadth of knowledge. You try to avoid pushing her too hard, of course - you have plenty of time to get her used to the proper ideas, and forcing too much of your own ideology onto her when she can't combat it effectively could be counter-productive.
It all lasts only four more days, and then the hospital is closed, the recruits returned to Mid-Childa. Rather than teleport everyone, however, the ship simply flies … sails? You aren't sure which is correct terminology for something in space. Sure, they call it the Dimensional Sea and call themselves a Navy, but that seems an arbitrary distinction to you. The hospital workers almost all simply fall into a bed to sleep during the trip; Lutecia tries to stay up and talk with you, but you hardly get past introductions and a very basic outline of what you've each been up to - your own travels and Ilya, and her meeting with her mother and immediate placement within the resource-strapped Bureau - before she begins falling prey to slumber as well. You get her to rest, but not before she gives you a tight hug.
Now, however, the ship is landing at a Mid-Childan airfield. During the day, of course, so Satsuki is of course going to be asleep. And there aren't any wheelchairs on the ship, although Captain Sentra assured you that one could be obtained from the terminal. You lean against Lutecia, resting your head on her shoulder and she resting her head on yours.
"So what are you going to do?" She 'nods,' nuzzling the top of your head with her cheek.
"I have permission to go see my mother. She's working in an administrative position right now, and they don't think she'll get an active position; her magic isn't gone, but it's been a long time and she's still recovering. We don't know how well she'll bounce back, either." She sounds a little worried and you poke her side gently.
"But you're together, right?" She smiles and nods.
"Yeah. Thank you, Flandre." You twist around and flop down so you're in her lap, wrapping your hands around her waist. She giggles as you nuzzle her stomach. "What are you going to do?" You consider it for a moment before shrugging.
"Dunno. I didn't get any orders, so I could just stay here until they remember I exist. Or I could go see Fate or Vita - I guess Fate, since she's the one who passed on my last orders, so if she's around she's probably my immediate superior." Lutecia strokes your hair.
"Would you like to come meet Mama?" You tilt your head so you can look up at her hopeful expression. On the one hand, she really seems to want you to go, and you could ask them both if they want to go to Gensokyo when you head back. On the other … well, you probably should make sure there isn't some other emergency requiring your presence before you go have fun. Or at least not get into possible trouble just because you can ….
What do you do?
[ ] Go with Lutecia to meet her mother.
[ ] See if you can find Fate.
[ ] See if you can find Vita.
[ ] Wait in the terminal until someone comes to get you.
[ ] Actually, that woman did say to get Loki looked at, so maybe you should see if Juliet can see you.
[ ] Other?
