Hope A and Shatterstar | Retribution
Jul. 16th, 2024 06:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsBackdated to July 16 Hope and Shatterstar forgoe their normal game night to talk about the health of the resident feline ferals, among other less pleasent questions.
"I have to be honest with you, Shatterstar..." Hope eyed the games piled up in front of them disdainfully. "I do not know about you, but I am not quite in the mood to play a game tonight."
Shatterstar looked at her in a sort of relief. "Me neither," he admitted. He valued his time with Miss Abbott immensely, but he just wasn't sure he would be able to concentrate. Especially not when he was still concerned with Liam and Sharon.
"I am guessing you have quite a bit on your mind with recent events." Hope offered, heading over to a small sitting corner and gesturing for Shatterstar to take a seat if he wished to. "Frankly, kidnapping is nothing new around here, but this was a lot together."
"The cats barely had a week between," Shatterstar said as he took his seat. He was over the Arcade situation, he told himself, and mostly over the Slender situation except that his dreams about Ginny in flames had come back with Terry in addition. But he was fine. It was just Sharon and Liam he worried for.
"I understand you had the pleasure of encoutering the Slendermen? And you even got taken to their world." Hope asked, firmly containing the delicate shudder at her own memories of the creatures. Topaz' stories had brought much of that back. "I have encountered them before... more than once."
"They're saying we destroyed that world," Shatterstar said, not trying to hide his own doubt about it. "I'm sure you thought you'd never encounter it again either."
"I hope that is true." Hope paused a moment before adding: "And while I trust Topaz and her fellow magic users... with creatures as unpredictable as the Slenderman, only time will tell if they truly have been destroyed or that this is merely a big setback for them."
Shatterstar's hand went to tug at his braid, a habit he tried to be more conscious of around Miss Abbott as she was polite company. It was a sign he was more shaken than he wanted to admit. "A setback is still good." A pause, then. "I don't think the people who took Liam and Sharon got away."
"From what I understand at least some justice was served." Hope simply confirmed. "Do you know how Liam and Sharon are? I am not close to either, but I hope they are recovering speedily."
"Liam is healing steadily," Shatterstar said, which showed that Hope truly had taught him the non answer. He didn't know if it was his business to say that Sharon remained a small cat or that Liam hadn't left the mansion yet.
"That is good to hear." Appreciation flickered through her eyes, immediately picking up that a lot remained unspoken. She was quiet a few moments before adding: "And how are you doing with your experiences? Encountering the Slendermen alone is already quite something."
He began to deflect again, really and truly not wanting to talk about it. It was easy to start to brush it off. It was whatever. It didn't matter. He didn't care. But Miss Abbott would see right through him, and more than that he had promised her once to do his utmost at listening to her. And listening was a two way street. "I survived. I survived what they showed me when it actually happened, and I survived their version. I exploded one."
"You exploded one of the Slenderman?" Hope clarified, tilting her head a little.
"Yes. I channeled my powers through my pocketknife into it's head." Shatterstar said matter of fact. It was the only way to deal with it.
She gave a short nod, her eyes narrowing a little at the matter of factness of his answer. "Well, that must have made quite the mess." She replied, almost idly, as she tried to match his mood. "Perhaps a good thing you did not have to clean up."
"Well. They said the place doesn't exist anymore." If only he could say the same for the man who had hurt Liam and Sharon. If only he could drive a knife into him and make it explode... but then, Shatterstar did not want to make himself a knife anymore. Only if he had to. "May I ask a question?" He asked.
"Of course." Hope shifted a little in her seat, making sure she was comfortable. "What is on your mind?"
"Is there protection in retribution?"
"That is an interesting question... Is there protection in retribution?" Hope softly repeated the question to herself as she tried to order her thoughts. "I think I have to give you a frustrating answer here. I believe there are circumstances where it could be so, but it would be totally dependent on the context. Are there specific circumstances you are thinking of?"
He could be honest with Miss Abbott. He knew this. Still, it was hard to come the words. "Today? The circumstances are Sharon and Liam and those captured with them. In the future? I don't know."
"Do you feel retribution against those who captured Sharon, Liam and the others captured with them will protect others from doing it again?" Hope probed a little further. "Or do you think retribution will aid them in some other way?"
"The man who did it cannot do it again if he is dead," Shatterstar said, looking at his knuckles. "It would bring Sharon, at least, peace of mind." He is making his own conclusions, though. There would be others. Death could make someone a martyr. What he couldn't see was what the better option was. He sighed. "It was a silly question, probably."
"Such questions are never silly." Hope shook her head firmly. "You do speak some truth. The man cannot do it again if he is gone. It might offer Sharon a sliver of peace that she no longer has to fear that specific man. But it is almost never as much as you hope. From what I understood they are in custody and will be going on trial. And while I do not have that much faith in the justice system, what would your retribution add to their protection right now?"
"I don't know if there would be any," Shatterstar admitted. He seemed almost glad to admit it, to realize that he didn't have an obligation to kill- even after he had proven to himself he could.
"Then for this moment, you might have an answer." Hope shifted a little before adding: "But I do believe there are two important things to keep in mind. Your calculations might change in the future, even for this situation... And be careful of the line between retribution and pure, cold vengeance."
Shatterstar squeezed his eyes shut in something close to a shudder at her icy warning. "Yes, Miss Abbott."
"I have to be honest with you, Shatterstar..." Hope eyed the games piled up in front of them disdainfully. "I do not know about you, but I am not quite in the mood to play a game tonight."
Shatterstar looked at her in a sort of relief. "Me neither," he admitted. He valued his time with Miss Abbott immensely, but he just wasn't sure he would be able to concentrate. Especially not when he was still concerned with Liam and Sharon.
"I am guessing you have quite a bit on your mind with recent events." Hope offered, heading over to a small sitting corner and gesturing for Shatterstar to take a seat if he wished to. "Frankly, kidnapping is nothing new around here, but this was a lot together."
"The cats barely had a week between," Shatterstar said as he took his seat. He was over the Arcade situation, he told himself, and mostly over the Slender situation except that his dreams about Ginny in flames had come back with Terry in addition. But he was fine. It was just Sharon and Liam he worried for.
"I understand you had the pleasure of encoutering the Slendermen? And you even got taken to their world." Hope asked, firmly containing the delicate shudder at her own memories of the creatures. Topaz' stories had brought much of that back. "I have encountered them before... more than once."
"They're saying we destroyed that world," Shatterstar said, not trying to hide his own doubt about it. "I'm sure you thought you'd never encounter it again either."
"I hope that is true." Hope paused a moment before adding: "And while I trust Topaz and her fellow magic users... with creatures as unpredictable as the Slenderman, only time will tell if they truly have been destroyed or that this is merely a big setback for them."
Shatterstar's hand went to tug at his braid, a habit he tried to be more conscious of around Miss Abbott as she was polite company. It was a sign he was more shaken than he wanted to admit. "A setback is still good." A pause, then. "I don't think the people who took Liam and Sharon got away."
"From what I understand at least some justice was served." Hope simply confirmed. "Do you know how Liam and Sharon are? I am not close to either, but I hope they are recovering speedily."
"Liam is healing steadily," Shatterstar said, which showed that Hope truly had taught him the non answer. He didn't know if it was his business to say that Sharon remained a small cat or that Liam hadn't left the mansion yet.
"That is good to hear." Appreciation flickered through her eyes, immediately picking up that a lot remained unspoken. She was quiet a few moments before adding: "And how are you doing with your experiences? Encountering the Slendermen alone is already quite something."
He began to deflect again, really and truly not wanting to talk about it. It was easy to start to brush it off. It was whatever. It didn't matter. He didn't care. But Miss Abbott would see right through him, and more than that he had promised her once to do his utmost at listening to her. And listening was a two way street. "I survived. I survived what they showed me when it actually happened, and I survived their version. I exploded one."
"You exploded one of the Slenderman?" Hope clarified, tilting her head a little.
"Yes. I channeled my powers through my pocketknife into it's head." Shatterstar said matter of fact. It was the only way to deal with it.
She gave a short nod, her eyes narrowing a little at the matter of factness of his answer. "Well, that must have made quite the mess." She replied, almost idly, as she tried to match his mood. "Perhaps a good thing you did not have to clean up."
"Well. They said the place doesn't exist anymore." If only he could say the same for the man who had hurt Liam and Sharon. If only he could drive a knife into him and make it explode... but then, Shatterstar did not want to make himself a knife anymore. Only if he had to. "May I ask a question?" He asked.
"Of course." Hope shifted a little in her seat, making sure she was comfortable. "What is on your mind?"
"Is there protection in retribution?"
"That is an interesting question... Is there protection in retribution?" Hope softly repeated the question to herself as she tried to order her thoughts. "I think I have to give you a frustrating answer here. I believe there are circumstances where it could be so, but it would be totally dependent on the context. Are there specific circumstances you are thinking of?"
He could be honest with Miss Abbott. He knew this. Still, it was hard to come the words. "Today? The circumstances are Sharon and Liam and those captured with them. In the future? I don't know."
"Do you feel retribution against those who captured Sharon, Liam and the others captured with them will protect others from doing it again?" Hope probed a little further. "Or do you think retribution will aid them in some other way?"
"The man who did it cannot do it again if he is dead," Shatterstar said, looking at his knuckles. "It would bring Sharon, at least, peace of mind." He is making his own conclusions, though. There would be others. Death could make someone a martyr. What he couldn't see was what the better option was. He sighed. "It was a silly question, probably."
"Such questions are never silly." Hope shook her head firmly. "You do speak some truth. The man cannot do it again if he is gone. It might offer Sharon a sliver of peace that she no longer has to fear that specific man. But it is almost never as much as you hope. From what I understood they are in custody and will be going on trial. And while I do not have that much faith in the justice system, what would your retribution add to their protection right now?"
"I don't know if there would be any," Shatterstar admitted. He seemed almost glad to admit it, to realize that he didn't have an obligation to kill- even after he had proven to himself he could.
"Then for this moment, you might have an answer." Hope shifted a little before adding: "But I do believe there are two important things to keep in mind. Your calculations might change in the future, even for this situation... And be careful of the line between retribution and pure, cold vengeance."
Shatterstar squeezed his eyes shut in something close to a shudder at her icy warning. "Yes, Miss Abbott."
no subject
Date: 2024-08-16 07:37 pm (UTC)"Yes. I channeled my powers through my pocketknife into its head."
"Well, that must have made quite the mess."
I enjoy these two together. Hope is supportive without being shocked or condescending.
"The cats barely had a week between" - lol
"The man who did it cannot do it again if he is dead." <- this is why he and Sharon get along.