VOICE

[not_his_shadow]

[here's a very cold voice after a moment of silence, in which he was trying to figure out the exact controls of the junogam. a very, very cold voice, dripping with arrogance. the following is delivered in a clearly irritated, but also bored, even condescending tone:]To the architect of this device

Comments

[not_his_shadow]

I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to your betters, peasant.

[not_his_shadow]

[here's what sounds like a snort, clearly amused at the notion.]

And what is it you fear I will do? Find the men responsible for this and take their heads? Personally kill the women and children in the town in hopes that somebody will eventually relay the identity of these thugs to me?

voice; /edits to death, orz

[fatechange]

[ Allen's not too keen on hearing someone threaten innocents so thoughtlessly. So he says something even if he's pretty sure he should just leave it. ]

I think you're misunderstanding the situation. The people here are trying to help us return to where we belong.

It's pretty rude to just threaten people without finding out the facts first, don't you think?

[not_his_shadow]

[lmao no worry about edits. i need them all the time, sob :(]

Oh? And what do you know about the situation then? Do you have any reason to believe such claims? Who brought us here if these people only intend to rescue us?

[fatechange]

If you saw the other passengers maybe you'd understand. I really doubt anyone stands to gain anything from kidnapping all these people.

[not_his_shadow]

Passengers?

[now THAT caught his interest!]

What do you mean? How many are there? Surely these people here are not all just prisoners.

voice;

[kingofdecisions]

You don't have an army and you're isolated, yet you intend to retaliate with a massacre?

That's one way to make an impression! But the architect of this device claims to have a route home for us. You may wish to hold off the burning -- at least until you've verified how much truth there is in the rumour.

[not_his_shadow]

I have no intention of retaliating personally. It's merely a warning - this is certain to happen, if not for my own sake, then for the insult against my father, abducting his eldest son. I was going to offer to put in a good word for the fool responsible for this, although it seems they are too cowardly now to reveal themselves. Such boldness can only be paid back with death, if one doesn't have the means to back it up.

You seem somewhat knowledgeable about this place, though. I don't suppose you are one of these lowlives. Another of their victims, then?

[kingofdecisions]

That's right. Of a matter of days, so my knowledge is limited. Nonetheless...

You will want to start at the caravan. Look for a giant, then nearby you'll find a large building on wheels. If you're lucky, you may find the caravan's leader -- the same architect, one presumes. It's rather curious; inside a room will have already been prepared for your arrival.

However, don't expect these people to show the appropriate respect for a warlord's son. Though I am sure that da gongzi [that's a presumption, of course, but most warlords have their eldest son as their heir unless the son is disgraced or incompetent] has already noticed.

[he can use a warlord's son; this one doesn't immediately sound like one of the useless ones, and the values he holds mesh with what Guo Jia knows. if he's not a countryman, then he's similar enough to make an effort worthwhile.]

[not_his_shadow]

[don't expect thanks for that advice now, guo jia. :( although it was noted and is appreciated.]

I have. You are not one of these foreigners, then. What is your name? If you prove to be a help in my return, you can be certain to be rewarded accordingly.

[voice]

[thebooksaysso]

[slaughter and burnings, what.]

I don't know who on earth would be holding you for ransom, but I'm fairly certain you don't have to worry about that being the case here.

[not_his_shadow]

Who? It's harder to find somebody who wouldn't - unless they had some common sense. And what do you know about this?

[thebooksaysso]

I know that there are far too many of us for it to be anything very personal, and that people are working hard to help us return where we came from. Which is nothing to go slaughtering villages for, I might add.

[not_his_shadow]

Go on.

[he still sounds cold, but there's undeniably interest in his voice now.]

[voice]

[quoththe_me]

Don't you sound like a real peach.

[not_his_shadow]

Is that all?

[quoththe_me]

[and maybe a thoughtful little noise that....doesn't really....sound very normal.] Yeah, I'm all tapped out. But Jesus Christ, I'm pretty sure the rest of us are as pissed as you are, but the burning cities thing might've been a little over the top.

[not_his_shadow]

[almost sounds like he's considering that statement for a moment.]

Do you really think so? Perhaps we should just poison their wells and burn their crops, then. Is that more appropriate? What do you think?