[PRP] ad hominem [Panili x Leeroi x Hemera]

[Sypon]

Sypon

There was no booth this year. Panili finally had time to explore the festival without the fatigue and mental gymnastics of when she'd have to go back to her booth, and all of the complexities that came with it. So, it was a pleasure to see the booth of one of her foremost trolls, Hemera.

Panili hustled up to the booth, a smile on her face. The concept of the booth itself was fantastic! Survival, skills for Alternia. Easily partnered with Lightseekers, of course. She opened her mouth to greet her good friend when something - or, someone, rather - caught her eye.

Leeroi Furore. He was now an enormous, brawny soldier, a classic Imperial pawn. And he was partnered with Hemera. She swallowed what felt like a knife in her throat.

"Hemera? What are you doing with ... Furore?"

She managed, her disgust unable to be hidden behind her otherwise pleasant demeanor.

zeflamigo

Leeroi's eyes fell on Panili and immediately narrowed. He quickly approached Hemera's side of the booth, leaning over the side partially in some sort of attempt to seem intimidating to the child.

"Thief," Leeroi said through his teeth. "Are you here to try and steal from me again? You will fail." Leeroi had a mass of children on his side now. Those gerbils weren't going anywhere.

Gl!tch~

Mera was, at first, quite happily surprised at Panili's arrival! So much to talk about, she was so excited...then her face fell at the tone, the words. Something was wrong. And she had no idea why.

Leeroi stood up and partially blocked her, establishing his own side of this deep-seated mess she herself knew nothing about. That alone frustrated her to no end.

She put a hand on Leeroi's shoulder. Easy now... She looked between him and Panili. "I understand there might be some...distress happening here. But this is not the time, or the place for any bombastic emotions. Could we perhaps move this discussion elsewhere?"

Sypon

"I would be happy to move this discussion elsewhere, unless my culling is at hand if we are to engage without an audience," Panili hummed, crossing her arms to square off with Leeroi. Panili thought for a moment to call for back-up: any of the crew could defend her in a pinch against this brute. She supposed the wasn't giving Hemera enough credit as a peacekeeper, but at this point her motives and her... Choices... Were a bit compromised.

 

[Gl!tch~]

They needed a quiet space, far enough away to not cause a noticeable scene, but still within range so she could keep an eye on the booth. Mera did her best to lead to such a spot, then turned her full attention to the kerfuffle at hand.

She pinched the bridge of her sniffnode. Mera sighed. "Okay. I admit that I do not have a clue of what's going on here. Thief? Culling? Could I please have some assistance, here?"

On her own she could see that Panili and Leeroi had a history, but she could not glean how recent it was, or the specifics. Considering the polar views between the two trolls, she did not expect that the situation would mend itself easily.

zeflamigo

WHAT DID YOU DO FURORE

Sypon

:weary:

 

[zeflamigo]

"This little jerk stole my gerbils at the last winter games. Nearly got them killed." Leeroi frowned sternly, crossing his arms. He wasn't going to change his opinion easily. He couldn't comprehend why anyone would think releasing domestic animals like that was a good idea. The fact that she still seemed stalwart in her opinions made Leeroi even more upset.

"Also, I wouldn't kill a kid," He grumbled low. Panili's assumption had really rubbed him the wrong way. "I don't fight trolls smaller than me. You got what you deserved when we were on even playing ground," He might have come off as wanting to kill her back then, but he was still a kid. Weaponless and emotional. He had just wanted justice for his gerbils.  

[Sypon]

"My tactics were a result of my youth and emotionality at the time," Panili explained- though, she was barely a hair taller than last Bloodfest. More experienced, yes, but frustratingly still child-shaped. "I shouldn't have released them without educating myself first on the best way to rehabilitate them properly, but I was trying to at least liberate them from you."

"The greater issue with the gerbils is obvious. This troll has done biological, and weapons testing on animals. Whether or not they are naturally inclined to fight is one thing. How can you be okay with a man who removes a small, innocent creature's eyes, to replace them with weapons, so that they can fight each other? Why are you allowing this - promoting this in your booth, Hemera?"

She seemed like she could go on, and barely held in her next statements before they could pour out of her mouth.

zeflamigo

Gl!tch~

 

[Gl!tch~]

Hemera dragged her hand down the rest of her face post-nose bridge pinch. A lot was happening at her, and she was nowhere near prepared. And she certainly didn't like the situation being turned on her when she was trying to help.

"I never promoted gerbil fighting at the booth," Hemera immediately asserted. "I gave the option for them to be dressed up. That was the only option. I never supported the fighting booth he ran sweeps past. I understand that there are ethical concerns for surgically altering creatures who cannot truly consent. However, I have seen Leeroi with his gerbils, and they always appear quite happy to me. I understand that some of the decisions are alarming, as well as problematic, such as duct-taping a knife to a body and keeping a brain in a fragile container. Improvements for their well-being can certainly be made in some cases. But I can vouch that they are not suffering. NummCorp is off having people bowl gerbils and make them figure-skate, and I doubt those 'contestants' are any more willing for any of that, and I doubt that tossing them around like that is something they enjoy. I understand that it is not purely an equal situation, but it feels worth mentioning."

She sighed, knowing how cornered she was and not happy about it in the slightest. "I don't know what you want me to do, Panili. I doubt that the gerbils can be returned to anything like how they used to be. Honestly, I got involved with Leeroi long after the deed was long done. I do not agree with what the gerbils have been used for in the past, but I have not seen them been used that way since and it is certainly possible they won't be in the future, and I personally strongly vouch for them to live peaceful lives. But as for their general status...Leeroi keeps them well cared-for. He may have made his own youthful decisions, but he is by no means incompetent or uncaring."

Hemera looked at Leeroi. "I'm sure you have your own input to add."  

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi was eager to chime in and continue bickering, but Hemera intervened. She was calm and rational, which didn't do much to make Leeroi feel better, but she was defending him... somewhat? He didn't know how to feel about the matter, but he wasn't satisfied. And he certainly wasn't happy.

"I don't know where you get the ******** idea that robotic limbs— technological advancements— are in any way cruel." Leeroi gestured with his own robotic arm, clenching his fist. He glanced at Hemera, shrugging and lazily pointing out her legs, too. "I sure as hell hope you agree with me on that one."

Leeroi huffed, seemingly upset that he even had to spare the time to explain himself to this kid. "I had them fighting because it's fun for them. They wrestle and mess around all the time. They like it, and they don't even draw blood. I-I don't know what else there is to say!" He juggled his emotions, losing his composure as he got himself more worked up.

"I do whatever I can to make sure they're happy!" Leeroi seethed, not just angry, but desperate. "I— ********— I ******** take them with me whenever I'm gone for more than a week! I get first class on the train for them! I took them to <******** space with me!"  

[Sypon]

It was safe to say that - for all three trolls - there was a lot to unpack here. Panili seethed as Hemera explained herself and vouched for Leeroi. It only got worse when the blueblood himself took over.

"See, Hemera? He doesn't think that his experimenting on animals is cruel." She hissed through gritted teeth. "The loss of Hemera's legs is not a fun novelty for you to justify your hobbies, Furore. How disgusting."

Panili began to tap her foot in an anxious rhythm as she tried to keep her mind in the present.

"If his answer didn't already prove it to you, Hemera, maybe this will help a bit on this front. Spitfire questions, to clear this up." She rumbled.

"Leeroi. Did you take part in Gerbil Skating? How about Gerbil Bowling?

Will you make the gerbils fight in the future? Will you reduce the robotic attachments to the gerbils, such as removing Knife's knife and reducing the unnecessary parts on your gerbils which only have a purpose to hurt?

Will you continue to modify gerbils?

Do you consider bringing your gerbils into zombie and zombie-gerbil infested airspace a hazard for them?

And with that in mind, do you believe Alternia has a right to conquer and control as it has traditionally in the pre-Reginian era?"

Panili held a hand up to stop Hemera from answering before Leeroi could. She didn't wanting her leading the witness.  

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Through clenched teeth, he took a massive gulp of air, almost reeling backwards.

"OH, I'M SORRY! WERE YOU THERE?" Leeroi's hands unfolded, fists kept clenched at his side. "Were you there when she lost her legs to some awful psychic monstrosity? Don't sling s**t when you don't have any idea what you're ******** talking about!" This ******** kid just had to strike every nerve, huh? She was really testing his limit. Still— a hero wouldn't hit a kid. If she was just a touch taller, though...

"Eat s**t. I don't have to answer to your laundry list, thief." He said with venom, pointing at her. She didn't earn his respect, and Hemera was the only reason he was putting up with it at all.

"You're not my commanding officer," Not like he listened much to that guy. "And you're not. my. lusus." He didn't have a great track record with her, either.  

[Gl!tch~]

"Okay. Okay, everyone needs to stop for a minute." Mera put her own hands up between the two. "This discussion is not getting us anywhere. You're both speaking, but you're not listening to each other. Someone says one thing, and the other hears something different from what was stated. There isn't a point to having this conversation at all if you're just going to twist each other's words."

It was like watching two meowbeasts hiss and spit at each other. Mera felt like she had to get in the middle of it and get scratched. In short, she did not relish her position.

As for the spark that started this descent, Mera didn't expect Panili to be so pointedly on a war path, to act so...childish. The orangeblood had always acted so mature for her age. But perhaps Mera fell into being comfortable looking over the age itself. Panili was still young yet. Hemera could not be too hard on her either with criticisms or expectations.

Even so, Hemera wished at least one of the crew was around. A voice of reason, someone experienced enough to hear multiple sides without it dissolving to this mess before her.

"Panili, I have followed you to the ends of the planet. Beyond it. I have never questioned you, and my support has stayed unwavering. I put my implicit trust in you, even when there was little else but your word to follow." Hemera fought back dissent for Panili. More recently, sometimes Hemera was still unsure about how legal their actions were up in space. Did that not count for anything? "I ask you to do the same for me. I know what I'm doing. You do not have to like him, you do not have to want anything to do with him. But he is important to me, and I am very well aware of the position it puts me in."

Although as far as Hemera had been concerned, it shouldn't have mattered, being her private life. But if that couldn't be honored, she deserved to not be caught up in some weird psuedo-trial where the judgment was to prove if she were an idiot or not.

"I understand your concerns, Panili. I really, really do. I...personally spent a lot of time struggling with the fact that I have black feelings for him. But that's what they are. Because he pushes me, he makes me want to prove myself more than I would on my own. Not only that; he was there for me every time I was overwhelmed. When I nearly died, trying to do what I could for Alternia as well as for you. He's the support that carried me forward when other Lightseekers were starting to crumble. I have to be strong for my beliefs, for the others, because a lot of them struggle when the tide turns rough." She remembered the Lightseekers she led through space, and how hard it was for them. How traumatized Amonee and Nucleo continued to be after the Civisect bomb... The Lightseekers were everything, everything to her, but few were well-equipped to deal with everything Panili asked them to do time and time again. Hemera could only take so much of those many burdens all on her own. "He's what helps me keep up that strength."  

[Sypon]

Panili closed her eyes to avoid rolling them.

“Fine.”

She stood quietly, hands deep in her sleeves and eyes shut tightly, breathing through her nose, as Hemera spoke. Her actions spoke louder than her words, after all, and according to her history for some reason this man happened to be a pillar of strength. An icon, really, something to hold onto as a symbol. Perhaps that would be helpful while the facade lasted, but in time it would be a liability. Did Hemera really know her kismesis?

Troll relationships were stupid and illogical. Perhaps in this case alone Panili could only see the inevitable self-destruction. Hemera was too trusting, Leeroi was too loyal to the crown. And she was on - of course - thin ice. There was no reason to push a military troll too far, to cast doubt and ideas of treason on her own faction or poison it from within. She was too hasty, too fiery, in her first impression. There were other ways to solve this in the long run. In the short term, Furore could be… Handy. Useful like how a spanner is useful. If he showed his true colors, Hemera would be free of him and would easily find someone else just as date-able - or rather, hateable on this wretched planet.

Panili didn’t need a vision to know that she wouldn’t be satisfied with the result of this conversation. None the less, she held her hand up and sighed.

“I understand. I appreciate what you do for the Alternian race and your service. The company you keep is your business - I merely worry about the consequences of your partnership providing legitimacy to the beliefs that directly conflict our own in the Lightseekers. Our message needs to stay strong, and as you are one of our topmost leaders, your role is as important as it is transparent to the public eye.” Leeroi is a liability, Panili thought. She bit her tongue in order to swallow and collect her thoughts. She wouldn’t push too far. Scraps and pieces of gathered intel wouldn’t do her much good, even if they could lead to something damning - and even if she’d just witnessed them herself. Leeroi’s casual recreation with a known criminal was enough to light Panili’s temples on fire. Her eyes remained closed.

“I would beseech you to know your partner as well as he knows you, and then some. Perhaps… Still waters run deep.” Her teeth ground together. “I have many, many doubts, but I trust you to truly know what you’re getting yourself into, and what that may mean for your cause.” She emphasized, finally breathing out.

Gl!tch~

zeflamigo

 

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi was touched, somewhat, by Hemera's defense. If he were less angry in the moment, he probably would have appreciated it more. He still struggled with why they were bothering with this kid to begin with. They didn't have to explain their relationship to some nosy thief, one who already assumed she knew everything but still had the gall to pry. Leeroi ground his teeth. ******** stupid.

"Oh she knows a lot about me," Leeroi laughed, shrugging and throwing his hands up in humor. "I'm a pretty open book. And I like to brag, a lot. Hemera lived in my hive for weeks, she's seen my dirty laundry." Literally and figuratively.

Leeroi took a deep breath, preparing for what he wanted to say. The words didn't feel easy, and they wouldn't feel good coming out of his mouth. Somewhere, this verbal transaction had dashed his confidence. He wanted to trust Hemera, but he didn't know what all of this was about. He wanted let her to have her own life, but he needed to know more.

"I think I know a lot less about you, Hemera," Leeroi pointed out, returning his arms to their folded position. "Lightseekers?" He enunciated the syllables slowly, tilting his head at his kismesis.

"I'd like to know why you're even considering taking orders from some brat who thinks she's the next messiah," He tilted his head toward the orangeblood with an expression that one could only compare to someone giving a dare. "One confident enough to insult a high officer without the fear of facing time."  

[Gl!tch~]

"She is not 'some brat', and I would appreciate it if you didn't call her one. I would appreciate it if everyone stopped throwing insults at each other." Hemera said, and touched Leeroi's shoulder. The tealblood lowered her voice. "And maybe she can tell that you wouldn't arrest a child." Stand down, soldier.

Mera turned her attention to the fact that she was put on the spot, again.

"I wanted to tell you about my involvement, but preferably with Panili present, in case you had questions..." Hemera looked at Panili. Now might have to be that time, as disapproving as Panili was likely to be.

And Hemera...could trust Leeroi. And she would prove that.

"But she was our source for staying vigilant during the space race. She had visions of both towers being destroyed. Through her visions, I as well as others such as Kolako were able to find hidden information. With that information, I was able to keep the Chittentown bomb from going off."

That was easier to relate, because there were no mixed feelings about it. They were in the right, even if it might make them seem out of their thinkpans to be on a wild honkbeast chase. But there had been results...

The next mission might not sound as acceptable, being that they downloaded information versus destroying all if it as per order of the crown... And while Leeroi still probably would accept it (what did he care about climate information, really), it still wasn't something to talk about in such a public space.

"The Lightseekers, in general, are interested in bettering Alternia, with a focus on non-violence. I doubt you would be surprised to hear that I would want to be involved in something like that... Panili has been a great leader and voice of the movement. It is an unfortunate circumstance that your experience has only been a purely negative one."  

[zeflamigo]

“I wasn’t being serious, geez,” Leeroi made a face, somewhere between a smirk and a sneer. “I’m just saying she’s got some serious guts. But if you’re saying she can back it up…” Leeroi pouted a lip, doubtful but interested in being proved otherwise.

“So you are some kind of prophet, huh?” Leeroi scratched his sniffnode, his other hand falling to his hip. “I guess you are a hero, in some right. I’m pretty happy I got to leave Chittentown with most of my pieces.” He did lose his arm again, but it needed upgrading anyways. That day taught him an important lesson about waterproofing. Briefly, he glanced at Hemera. He was trying to make nice. He wanted her to know that.

As for the concept of the lightseekers themselves, Leeroi was largely unimpressed. He wasn’t surprised that it was Hemera’s thing, but it felt weird to hear.

“You sound like you’re doing good work,” they had saved lives, to some degree. Even if they had failed in Civisect, they succeeded in protecting countless trolls. “I’ll admit that the concept of non-violence is…” Leeroi shrugged, but somehow refrained from rolling his eyes. “Lofty.”

“I’d love to live in a perfect society where innocents didn’t get hurt.” Leeroi was sincere in his words. He enjoyed his bloodsports, but he recognized their entertainment value didn’t have to bleed into society at large. People could meet in the pit, and leave their fighting in the pit. It could be just that, something for fun. Leeroi mentally scoffed at the idea that he enjoyed watching regular people hurt. He never wanted to see upstanding Alternian citizens suffering.

"Things aren’t solved that easily. There’s rebels, renegade scientists, regular criminals, what have you,” Leeroi explained, hoping he was getting somewhere with the orangeblood. "I serve the Queen to protect those that are weaker.” He pressed his fingers to his chest, emphasizing his point. Hopefully that much could be understood.  

[Sypon]

Panili took a deep, deep breath out. “I have guts because I, too, care about this planet. Its denizens are in constant danger. I am protective.” She admitted. He seemed to be some kind of troll who might care about that. So it seemed that the troll she’d heard about had some clout. Morals to back up his trifling. Or, at least, rules of his own creation that he treated as such. Panili had made a mistake in confronting him outright. She carefully made note of this in the future.

He would not harm a troll who followed his code of honor (or so he said), but how many Alternians would agree with him? Furore was enforcing a despotic rule, clashing with anyone against his ideals. Violence towards those in the ‘wrong’ would still be justified.

“Our goal is not simply non-violence,” Panili explained. “While some of our members attempt to take a more pacifistic route, our primary ideal is to observe and reflect upon the nature of trolls and combat expected tendencies of wanton carnage. We have been given a grim opportunity to see our depleted race in a different light, and we are here to seek that light and decide how Alternia as a race can re-shape itself.”

She looked behind her when a familiar noise caught her attention. Shmothma fluttered into view, accompanied by Captain Piccal and Poffet. Piccal was looking uncharacteristically festive, her serious expression betrayed by a half-empty bag of kettle corn in one hand that she had tied off. The two were looking for her, having wandered around the tent. They hadn’t seen the group yet.

zeflamigo

Gl!tch~

 

[zeflamigo]

Leeroi couldn't really comprehend what Panili was talking about, but he had passed the point of outright arguing with her. It seemed she was similarly uninterested in bickering. The two had reached some kind of middle ground, as unstable as it could be.

Instead of reacting to Panili, Leeroi visibly tensed at the sight of Piccal and Shmothma. Leeroi's memory of specific trolls tended to be hazy, but this Piccal was instantly recognizable. The space crew? The space crew? The same one that Eridia had embarrassed him in front of? And they were hanging around with this twerp's lusus?

Panili was working with them? Leeroi ground his teeth. He was trying to keep calm, despite feeling like a rug had been pulled out from underneath him. He would think about this, deal with this emotionally... later.

"Your lusus is looking for you," Leeroi said with cold indifference, pointing. He just wanted to be done with this. He needed a break.

Sypon

Gl!tch~