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[callmeaprincess]

INBOX Action / Video / Voice / Text | un:AllThatJas "This is Jasmine. I'm out at the moment, so please come by later or leave me a message." code credit

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[itstillhurt]

[The gelfling swallows and turns towards Jasmine with pleading eyes.

"I-I didn't do anything! One minute I was repairing a house, and the next she was attacking me!"]

Lying vermin!

[She hoists the gelfling violently into the air, snarling with rage, and he whimpers and strains against her hand again.]

[callmeaprincess]

[She doesn't like the different stories and suspects there's an outside influence at play. But before she can give her opinion, the gelfling is threatened again.]

Azula!

[She steps between them, putting a hand out in case she needs to prevent something worse.]

I believe you; you wouldn't attack someone if you didn't have reason to feel threatened. But it's obvious he doesn't remember anything, so what good would hurting him do?

[itstillhurt]

What good would-

[... That seems to shock her so much that she drops the gelfling entirely; he immediately scrambles away before she can change her mind, but she's now fully focused on Jasmine.]

What good does coddling a would-be assassin do? It doesn't matter if he remembered it or not- the next one who tried would remember what happened to the last, and might think twice.

[callmeaprincess]

[She widens her stance only ever so slightly, just so the gelfling has a better chance to escape. Not that she thought Azula would have actually killed him, but with her reaction right now, it's best not to take that chance.]

Think what? If something was controlling their mind, what would thinking do? It's not "coddling a would-be assassin", it's directing your anger at the real assassin instead of their pawn!

[itstillhurt]

We can't access him.

[Her own stance becomes hostile as well- not tensing up, but loosening, as if she's expecting violence and is coiling to pounce. In defiance of this relaxed stance, her voice becomes increasingly shrill and loud as she speaks.]

All we can access are his footsoldiers, who remain what they always have been to us- a direct threat on his behalf- in no small part because weaklings like you refuse to acknowledge that they are the enemy!

[callmeaprincess]

I am not weak for knowing that attacking them does nothing!

[Why yes, she did raise her voice.]

He may use them, but hurting them back won't bring him any closer! He didn't lift a finger when the wolves came, do you really think we'll be any different? I have done my part to protect us, don't act like I'm naïve just because you thought it wasn't brutal enough!

[itstillhurt]

Of course he won't care, but these little sycophants are largely motivated by fear. And since our captor is, as you insist, so uninterested in intervening, it shouldn't be too difficult to make them fear us more.

[callmeaprincess]

Look at him!

[She gestures to the gelfling who escaped.]

He's paralyzed with fear now, because of you! But that won't stop Vaeros from using him again, will it? What do you think he'll do, scare away his control? Increasing fear does nothing, but distancing ourselves does.

[itstillhurt]

They weren't under his control when they brainwashed us last year. They don't have to be under his control to decide that it's in their best interest to betray us. Even if this time the little rodent was under the influence of this place, the next time they might not be.

[callmeaprincess]

They're always under his control, as long as he has them afraid! You should know since you like that tactic so much yourself.

I know what we're dealing with, whether you believe it or not. But I refuse to lose my compassion just to protect us. Someday you'll realise we don't have to.

[And with one last glance at the gelfling to make sure he's out of Azula's line of fire, she returns to her original task: cleaning up the village. It feels far more productive than trying to reason with a former "war criminal".]