[ Action, Voice ] Four of Clubs

[touchofrogue]

[Rogue's done a bit of talking to books in her time. Things like "Don't open the door, stupid!" or "Just kiss her, you fool!" but until Luceti she's never expected the book to actually talk back. She's used it once before, but it's still odd

Comments

voice

[kakeravoyager]

Exactly. This has happened a couple times in the past already. The last time was in late July I believe.

voice

[touchofrogue]

Seems like a hellofa disorganized way to run a war. What, they just snatch people up whenever?

voice

[kakeravoyager]

They tell you to go and you go. If you don't go they send drones to drag you there. There was quite a big fuss about it last time, but it seems people were a bit more willing.

voice

[touchofrogue]

[This reminds her a bit too much about how Magneto wanted to 'recruit' them to turn them into super mutants a year or so back.]

...and this has happened how many times, now?

[Voice/Filtered from Legato]

[goldenglasses]

Pretty much. It doesn't seem to matter if you want to go or not. [Rogue may remember a stray memory of Vash being dragged out of the shower to the draft.] They'll find a way to get you there.

[Voice/Filtered from Legato]

[touchofrogue]

[...he sounds much more like himself. She's glad about that.]

How do they decide who to take, do you know?

[Voice/Filtered from Legato]

[goldenglasses]

Something about the shifting working for some and not others. Something like that.

[Voice/Filtered from Legato]

[touchofrogue]

Sounds like mumbo-jumbo and gimicks to me.

[markofthewise]

Yeeeeah, that's pretty much how it goes. Usually we get more warning, but then, we usually aren't given threats of life ending doom. [You can tell he's just a liiiittle skeptical.]

[touchofrogue]

[...that's a familiar voice. There's something different about the picture, though.]

So it's less carrot and more stick?

[markofthewise]

[He remembers her. He doesn't plan to say anything unless she points it out. It's easier to just pretend Avatar Sokka didn't happen.]

Sometimes we get the carrot afterward. First time around, they gave us electricity as a reward.

[touchofrogue]

[...life without electricity. She does not want to imagine it. It's bad enough she's in search of a stereo.]

That's some carrot.

voice;

[likevegeta]

Sometimes that's just how it is. The chosen few are called against their will to fight in a war they don't understand.

It's, um, usually destiny - but the Malnosso seem to just be really bad strategists.

voice;

[touchofrogue]

[Buddy, you've got to be kidding her. Rogue's eyebrows arch to the ceiling. No really.]

Uh-huh. [Really, she doesn't even know where to start with this. We'll go with low-grade snark.] So you're sayin' the Malnosso are a poor substitute for actually remaining clueless an' used anyway - and unlike the real world it doesn't even mean anything.

[...well, she meant it to be low-grade. Destiny's a touchy subject, okay?]

voice;

[likevegeta]

It doesn't always mean anything in the real world, either. Um. But at least here the dying and the injuries can be fixed.

voice;

[touchofrogue]

[Why is she surrounded by optimists? Did she do something terrible in a past life?

Don't answer that.

A momentary pause as she massages her temples, willing the psyches to just stay silent.]

Which means that everybody gets fixed up to go kill each other all over again, for nothing.

[written]

[touchofrogue]

[This takes a minute, as Rogue has to go dig out a pen.]

So you're saying the draft is the same thing as the kidnappings.

[written]

[touchofrogue]

...right.

[And since this is writing, Celty's spared from any sarcastic commentary on the level of helpfulness this information is. Since writing makes Rogue have to actually think before she speaks. ...er. Communicates.]

Thanks.