No party like an pope party??

[archboxer]

[That... that was a thing for everyone. There should be no celebration for Lif but, well, even if Rhea has a very cynical view of such things it's probably for the best that everyone stays together. Her first stop is the cafeteria, after all nothing better to keep people in one spot than free food. There she bumps into Mira, leaving the snacks to her Rhea ends up writing notes to everyone to come to the cafeteria in a few hours.

Some she hands personally and if she can't find someone she slid it under their door. Rin's she slides into her room regardless.

Fortunately, you won't hear a sermon.]

Comments

[mouflon]

Hey, I'm not the one who thinks there's anything wrong with being rabble. You'll have to thank Rhea for that.

[drladysounds]

I would rather stay away from her for the time being.

[It was unwelcome, really. But Shelley can tolerate those borrowed words coming from Rin because, well, she knows Rin a little better]

[mouflon]

[ Yeah, that's probably the benefit of being lowkey (or highkey) rude all the time. It's a lot less startling than seeing the mask crack. ]

I have to tell you, I'm not used to hearing people take my side. It's kind of nice.

[drladysounds]

Surely it has to happen more often and in better circumstances than this!

[Rin isn't unreasonable, she's sure there has to be more opportunities for people to agree with her!]

[mouflon]

You've read my profile, right? Rebels don't usually get a lot of positive press from the regimes they're trying to undermine. There are people who agree with me, but I don't usually get to hear what they have to say.

[drladysounds]

A thankless job...

[Hm. That's something she can sympathize with. Still, she wonders...]

I don't think you have ever told me about what you're opposing. Want to talk about that?

[mouflon]

Because there hasn't been much reason to talk about it. [ Which feels... weird to say. It was basically her entire life before this; if there hadn't been cause to talk about it before, it was because everyone already knew. ] If you want to hear about it... Well, I can't promise to give you an unbiased perspective, but I can fill you in.

[drladysounds]

Sure, unbiased is fine. Drop all the infodump on me!

[She's sure half of it all is going to sail right over her head, but she wants to try to understand Rin a little better! Hopefully]

[mouflon]

[ Rin nods, but even then, she has to take a moment to figure out where to start. How does a fish explain what it's like to live underwater? ]

My enemies are a coalition of plutocrats with a god complex and more money than they could ever spend. They don't actually hold any seat of political power, but that's only a technicality. Because they have something that everyone needs, they can dictate whatever terms they want to the countries that come to them, and their terms involve imposing a social order that they think is best for humanity.

It isn't. They keep the people inside their systems alive, but they don't let them live.

[drladysounds]

[Turns out she understands all that better than she thought. A group of people who have something nobody else does, and uses that to get themselves power, imposing their own policies and legal frameworks.

No wonder there are rebels]

And you want people to emancipate and throw them off their seat of power.

[mouflon]

Exactly. I've seen the pain their "management" causes firsthand, and so long as I'm still breathing, I don't plan to let them squeeze the life out of humanity.

[drladysounds]

That sounds like a good idea. Viva la revolution.

[Stop with the bad French accent, Shelley]

Maybe I should try to take a page from your book and fight to get government back in my town instead of letting the Prime Minister take charge. Not that I should be the one in charge.

[Her friends she's a danger to herself and others, but tht's an exaggeration, really]

[mouflon]

[ That makes Rin pause, the intensity of her demeanor ebbing. ]

If you think that's something you're capable of. I know... not everyone is. That's part of the reason I do what I do. The strong have to stand for the people who can't stand for themselves.

[drladysounds]

If not I, who will? Only I would dare to do so!

[Because Shelley is a lunatic, really]

The problem is...I have been the mayor's assistant and I have been called a shrewd political maverick when I'm sober, but I have no experience in building government systems from the ground up. The town needs to be independent once again, but I'd like that to not involve scandals and disasters.

[Congrats, Rin, you have given Shelley dreams of revolution. That's going to fuel like three chapters of her life]

[mouflon]

[ ...Okay, Rin can't help but laugh a little at that. ]

Exactly what I said. [ ... ] That stuff isn't my forte, either. That's why I'm not working alone. Besides, there are plenty of "non-compliant" [ air quotes not demonstrated, but implied ] nations left that seem to have a pretty good idea of how to run things themselves. Better than what the Harways are offering, anyway.

[drladysounds]

What's your plan after your own revolution is complete, anyway? Do you have plans for the future after that?

[Rin is a smart gal, surely she has some plans for after it's done and people have what they need, Shelley is sure of it]

[mouflon]

[ That... catches her off-guard? Rin hesitates at the question like she isn't quite sure how to take it. ]

Like... Personally, or what?

[drladysounds]

Sure! You have dreams beyond the revolution, right? After all, that can't be for the rest of your life.

[mouflon]

It's usually not a good idea to count your chickens before they hatch.

[ It's 50% what she says, 50% that she can't envision any life but the one she lives, 50% the nagging sense that it's asking too much for her to survive, and 50% a general embarrassment at talking about personal things. Which adds up to 200%, but that's just the kind of complex person Rin is. ]