FOURTH CURSE: video

[cawsforalarm]

[When the video turns on, viewers are presented with a Henry surrounded by leaves, with the summer sun peeking in through the branches -- seems he's decided to climb a tree for this broadcast, or maybe he was just chilling here anyway. In either case, the expression on his face is uncharacteristically somber.]

Heya. So... this is going to be, like, Serious Business Time. [He glances off somewhere into the foliage. Honestly, it seems like he's not totally comfortable with the idea of Serious Business Time himself.] I've been kinda mulling stuff over, and I wanna hear all your responses! [The smile flickers back for a couple of seconds, but it's gone just as fast.]

What do you think makes someone a bad person? I mean, just for you, like I said. ...Traits or whatever are fine.

…

Yep.

[And that’s how the video ends.]

Comments

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

How should I know? I guess 'good' and 'evil' definitions don't really change all that much over time and universes.

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

I thought they varied from person to person.

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

Well...yeah, but most of the time the general concept's gonna be the same.

Everyone has shit they find completely unforgivable, and that to them is 'evil'. The specifics of morals are always gonna be different, but the general idea is usually 'selfish bastards are evil'

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

Uh-huh. [Henry nods along in understanding. The first part, okay, he's got it. There are things he finds unforgivable, sure.]

That's... really weird. It wasn't like that back home... [Mainly because his home country is basically the Land of the Assholes, and by the time he got to Johto/Kanto he had stopped caring completely.]

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

Eh? [Lancer tilted his head, honestly curious.] Then what's it like, where you're from?

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

Well, basically everyone there is a selfish bastard to some degree or another. And the biggest, strongest one rules the kingdom.

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

...Eh, I guess it works like that in some places too.

[sounds like connacht, the bastards.]

It's tough to define a clear 'good' or 'evil', kid. What I know is right might be completely wrong and unthinkable to people like that.

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

Well, I mean.

What you're sayin' is kinda close to unthinkable for me, over here.

[Yeeeeah, Plegia kind of rubbed off on him a little. Or a lot.]

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

[Frowning, he leaned his head on his hand.]

I'm listenin', kid.

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

I... never really thought about it before, you know? [He laughs, nervously.] To be good or to be evil. It all sounded really complicated so I just let it fly over my head and went back to doing what I like to do.

Which is... um... killing people.

[H E N R Y]

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

[Lancer blinked, but didn't react very much past that. He wasn't one to call morality when it came to murder--far from it, really.]

Define 'people'. We talking in a warfare context, or in the 'fuck everyone but me' context?

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

Uh, both.

I was sent into the army 'cause I was good at magic, and... I stayed there 'cause I had fun.

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

...So?

I ain't really following. Even if you like killing people, evil people don't worry about whether or not they're evil.

Re: [video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

I didn't. [Until very recently.]

It's just kind of like. "Oh."

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

But ain't that better than not worrying about it at all?

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

...I guess the answer to that is yes, huh?

Truth hurts or whatever.

[video, private]

[solas_ion]

Right.

If you're thinking 'shit, I might be a total bastard', then you ain't a lost cause yet.

[video, private]

[cawsforalarm]

[There's a bit of a pause between that and the next message as Henry contemplates this further.]

That... helps a lot. [He looks relieved.] Thanks.