am I the caller of your keep

[hotspurred]

Who: Guardsmen & you!
What: A open catch-all for the Guard HQ for the month.
Where: Guard HQ
When: March 10th – April 9th
Warnings: TBA


A month after construction finished, the Guard HQ is in great shape. While it retains an air of newness, it's also starting to look settled into.

A sofa by the entrance, in clear sight of the office off to the right, provides a place for visitors to wait if they wish to speak with a guardsman. The office itself is made up of a variety of scavenged tables and chairs, inconsistent in style but providing every guardsman a space to do paperwork and occupy while manning headquarters. Beyond the office is a small meeting room, as well as a separate lounge for guardsmen to socialise and eat in, filled with a handful of comfortable chairs and a low table. Off to the left side of the building is a large, open training area, for guardsmen to train, spar and offer lessons within, safe from the overbearing heat outside. Beyond that is a storage room. A set of stairs at the back lead up to the roof, which serves as the northern watchtower. Like the standalone watchtowers that cover the other cardinal directions, it provides shelter from the elements as well as windows that allow a clear view, wide enough to be shot or fired from with ranged weapons.

The front door is always unlocked.

Comments

[synthedick]

[Nick cuts right to it, rolling his screwdriver between his fingers.]

I assume you've spoken with Yukari. He came by here.

[so_dark_a_road]

I have. He came here, and?

[synthedick]

I wanted to know if you're the one who put him up to this.

[so_dark_a_road]

I am.

[synthedick]

[As optimistic as ever.]

You think having someone like him in our ranks looks good on us?

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin's immediate thought is that they've had people in the Guard before who have had a destructive history. Such as the one who wrecked Delight's Bar. But this is murder we're talking about, not arson. However, he decides not to focus on the negative -- it's a bad argument strategy. ]

Did you or Henry by any chance see Yukari during the recent battle with the Null? He fought on our side, and very valiantly, I might add. He was seriously wounded and spent the last few days of that battle at the Love's Hotsprings branch of the Clinic. I cannot think that such energy would not be an asset to the Guard, should we ever fight another such battle -- and I expect we will.

As for how it looks? How did it look to the people whose lives he saved, I wonder? And how did it look to the Clinic staff who saved his life, knowing how he was injured?

[synthedick]

He murdered one of our own, Curufin. All to help those same Null.

[His eyes harden.]

How does it look to those we're sworn to protect if we let in someone who'd do that? Who can't control himself enough to not go and murder a guy for a bunch of machines who'd put kids on a hit list? How does it look to the rest of our members?

[Those are rhetorical questions, so he doesn't wait for an answer.]

We dropped Shadow and booted Maketh for less. Maybe your heart was in the right place telling him to come here, but your head sure wasn't.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin continues to gaze directly into Nick's eyes. His own are candid, if a bit stubborn. But he can see he isn't going to win this one. ]

[ Softly. ] Maybe not.

But I am trying to help Yukari save himself. Anything I can do, I will do. Even make a very iffy request of you and Henry.

I know now that you will not accede to this one. And I understand.

[synthedick]

[Nick holds his gaze.]

Good.

[He does let out a sigh though, softening just a hair in both expression and tone.]

I know you're trying to help, but you've got to understand that we get enough crap from people without taking in someone who'd fly off the handle like that. We need people we can trust, especially now. If we can't trust each other, we're sure as hell not gonna inspire folks to trust us to keep them safe. That just makes our jobs harder in the long run.

What he did goes against everything we stand for. If Yukari really wants to turn over a new leaf, he can do it somewhere else.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin meets the old synth's eyes -- which may be synthetic, but like his face, they are expressive of emotions that are entirely human. The Elven warrior does not suspect him of wielding authority for any other end than the protection of the Hadriel citizens. He trusts Nick's reasons, even when he doesn't agree. And he does perceive that slight softening in Nick's face and voice tone. ]

Yes, your reasoning is very sound. I cannot fault it.

Yukari is very serious about making a change. I have been trying to think of other things that he could do besides be a Guardsman. If you have any suggestions, I'd gladly hear them.