young_oldman | IC Inbox: Empatheias

[Luey, you've been hanging around the girl for too long.]

If even the Arehtei doesn't think she's capable of hope, then she really is messed up in the head. [And he's just going to mentally shake his.]

Is there anything I can do to help?

I'll let you know once our leaders have figured out what to do with her. I'll admit that in this case my hands are tied. It's ironic but the only thing I can do to prevent her despair is to throw her off the island, and even then she'll return in a week's time. But I have faith that our leaders will be able to find a solution to the conundrum that Miss Enoshima represents to us.

[Hahaha...]

Just hang in there, Lu Meng. You've already done enough. [A small pause.] Weird question, but why didn't you let Peromei deal with Junko herself?

I'm not sure I have. As for why I didn't allow that...there are three reasons.

Firstly, I made a promise to Miss Enoshima's sister; in return for her cooperation, I would ensure that Miss Enoshima would not be harmed for her role in driving Peromei to despair. Her sister...I believe her to be genuine in not wanting Miss Enoshima to succeed, but she also wants to protect her sister which I cannot exactly fault her for. And we would have a much easier time on our hands if we secured her sister as an ally rather than an enemy. Miss Ikusaba is fearsome in battle. She bested me in combat like it was mere child's play to her. I would rather have her on our side, and I hope to see if I can bring her into the fold of the Enforcers. She seems like she is in need of comradeship and it would be good to keep her away from her sister's influence.

Secondly, there is no hope to be found in killing Miss Enoshima. She will simply return again and again. It is a futile effort to contain her, and she may even welcome her deaths as an opportunity to enjoy despair.

Thirdly, and this is my worst fear. If Peromei had killed Miss Enoshima back then, the people would begin to expect the worst out of the Arehtei. Miss Enoshima could easily warp the story to feature herself as a victim to her own emotions, unable to control her despair and having to pay the price for that. That would cause panic, mistrust, and yes, despair, among the people, many of whom are already in fear of the Arehtei in the first place. The Arehtei are already regarded as deranged. The deliberate death of Miss Enoshima would push them into the same category as murderers. We could explain the situation to the people but it would offer little comfort to those who find it difficult to uphold their spirits.

So for the three reasons listed above I could not allow Miss Enoshima's death.

Edited 2015-07-01 00:23 (UTC)

[Okay, a teenager who could best Lu Meng in battle. Actually, that's not that weird of a concept considering Alvin's own group, but good to know regardless.

As he listens he slowly nods.]

All right, makes sense. [And then a low exhale.] Man this girl really isn't making it easy. No wonder she's all about despair.

She represents a near insurmountable barrier to overcome. I wouldn't be surprised if this too is part of her plan; imagine how many would be chilled at the thought that we have an unstoppable source of despair flowing into Peromei, and that there is nothing we can do to stem it?

We must proceed carefully. She's crafty and manipulative, and we must not let her infect the people with her despair any longer. But there's also the other side of the equation, and I believe that would be easier to tackle, especially since the Priestess has been restored to full strength.

[Yes, he'd clearly been spending too much time with Junko. But it's important for him to do so. As the Art of War states: Know thy enemy, know thyself, find victory in a hundred battles. It's only with an understanding of how Junko works that he can find a way to unravel the mess she's created.]

To counter Miss Enoshima's despair, we must simply supply Peromei with hope. Indeed, if we're going to be splitting hairs just like Miss Enoshima does, the very fact that we remain optimistic for our future despite Miss Enoshima's presence among us is hope by itself. The difficulty lies in convincing the people of our logic.

Well I would say there's at least some success here, isn't there? Despite all the despair, it looked like Peromei was at least placated to some degree. She didn't try attacking the city at least and is apparently leaving Junko to us to deal with.

[Just. With that nice little warning that if it happens again she'll be back and won't hesitate in "dealing" with the problem again.]

So there's some hope there. [He is never going to look at that word the same again.] I mean, no matter how determined that girl is, it's only one as far as we know of. Even if there are others, there's still a greater number of people who would want to counteract it.

We will have to build a case for the people to believe that. Perhaps this is where you and I, and everyone else who believes that we will triumph yet, must step in.

Show them a little light of "hope," huh?

Maybe you should leave that to Sanae.

You don't need to be as spirited and energetic as the Priestess. Simply providing an ear for troubles or providing encouragement would work as well.

[ A thought occurs to him then. ]

We could hold some festivities to uplift the mood of the people as well. A night of good food, companionship and wine could do wonders.

Night of good food, huh?

[A wry grin forms.]

You know, it's been a while since we've been out of drinking, and after everything that everyone's been through, I do think it's high time to call for some celebration.

I might throw something at the restaurant [And not tell Milla.] but what do you say to a little bit of night life? Adults only.

I am not opposed to that idea. And if we cast our partial success with Peromei as a victory worth celebrating, that may help to brighten the people's spirits as well.

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. I'll handle the arrangements.

IC Inbox: Empatheias

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