[[Allison]] The letter.
Dearest Acrimony,
There is truth to the statement that I have heard others speak of you in such a manner, for indeed my own dear cousin mentioned to me such an incident yet did not provide the name of the lady in question. He said only that you wooed her with sweet words and then publicly debased her over a table, and that he would not see such acts visited upon my person nor describe them in detail for fear of the impact on my psyche. I am reluctant, as I told Sorrow just recently, to judge you on the tales that others spin, because the harshness of the world in which we often find ourselves players is prone to exaggeration. If I were to believe a tale such as the one my dear cousin recounted out of hand without first speaking to you about it then I would be the sort of person I do not wish to find myself becoming so please, do not apologize and if my words have hurt your feelings then accept my apology for not wanting to be so crass as to simply ask you in a straightforward manner if the tales were true.
That being said dear sir, I must disagree with you on the matter of sexual dominance. Tarquin, like so many other ancient examples, used rape as a measure of power. He had within the strength to not carry out what even his own eyes and thoughts knew to be wrong, he simply did not choose to exercise it. He threatens Lucrece even as he grabs her breast; that on the morrow he will ruin her reputation if she does not comply willingly to his wishes. And despite her pleading, despite her most sincere attempts to have him see reason he proceeds to force himself upon her. Irregardless of whether they or male or female, by forcing your dominance in such a manner upon another you are painting yourself as Tarquin. You are correct in that is spares their existence, you are not ending them and perhaps to a great many that is seen as a great mercy however you are harming their spirit, their capability to love and learn and grow. Rape is such a violent act that it leaves permanent and undeniable scars on the victim. Those who have been raped are three times more likely to develop a psychosis such as depression, six times more likely to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, twenty six times more likely to abuse a narcotic and four times more likely to contemplate suicide. While those effects might seem irrelevant to vampires, when applied to concepts such as a kindred's ability to be of right mind and to protect the masquerade they become of the utmost importance.
You are a man of great passion and dedication to your role as sheriff, of that I have no doubt; but surely there are alternate means of punishment. The loss of hunting privileges, the payment of boons, the destruction of personal property and assets, a public humiliation that does not involve an act of rape. Nonviolence Acrimony, the principle that is an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it. Don't allow your morality to wither at the vine, be not like Brutus who through violent uprising overthrew a corrupt system, but like Ghandi, like Dr. King. You are capable of such great and wondrous things, do not allow society to label you as something which you are not.
I fear my pen has gotten carried away and in my desire to demonstrate to you the potential you possess I have become a nagging shrew harping on your very principles. If this is the case then please, I ask that you toss this letter into the nearest fire and forget it's existence for it is not my intent to plague you with remorse. I cannot offer you the solace or sympathy that may come from somehow justifying your position, I hold you to high up for those things. All that I offer is my hope that you will eschew such acts in the future. As you are a man of honor I know my hope will be safe with you, just as my person will be. Men of such honor do not need to force themselves, or show their dominance, they lead by example, by charisma. Think upon the heroes of the civil rights movement, whose act of demonstration garnered more respect, wrought more change? Malcolm X or Rosa Parks? The Black Panthers or Dr.King?
They have told me that you are a danger. That you will rape me, that your words like arsenic will smell sweet but end in my death. They have said you are a monster, beyond redemption, that the fact you do not change your moniker is proof that you are leading me like a spider leads a fly into your parlor for some twisted purpose. Perhaps they are right, perhaps you will do all those things which I cannot believe are true of you and more. They also say I am naive, idealistic. That I am to lost in dream and cannot be grounded in the practical. They say I am a sheltered creature having been spared much by my sire's concern for me, and the Movement's love. If we only believed what they say, if we never challenged it, challenged ourselves, then there would be no movement.
Challenge yourself to walk a different path than the one you are one and I will be there to walk it with you. Stay on your current path and I will be there to vex you away from it with my wicked pen and watchful eye. To put it frankly, I'm rather afraid you are stuck with me. You are a member of the Movement now, my brother in change. It is my duty to make sure you achieve all that you are capable of achieving and my honor that prevents me from allowing you to fail.
Allison