BASTIEN
A duel leadership was certainly not something Bastien was opposed to; he nodded but there was the immediate obvious question to ask: "Who would you suggest as my partner? You said you wanted to go and explore the world, embark on your own adventure, so I assume it would not be yourself?" Honestly, there weren't many people other than Wessex he could see himself respecting as an equal leader, but he was open to hearing ideas.
People did keep leaving, but he couldn't really blame them; the Grounds had a tendency to be hard and unforgiving (though possibly less so, with the Longnight monsters gone) and didn't have the grand vistas of Halo or the warm beaches of Torchline. Bastien had always thrived in places of hardship, but not everyone was the same. He hoped that if he did the work he planned to, improved the grounds, that the citizens would come naturally as a consequence. "Yes. I do not intend to ever cast anyone out on basis of their race; it is actions that matter."
As for war...Bastien sighed, turning to look off into the room and rubbing around his jaw for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know. I certainly do not relish the possibility. I think a war would be foolish and a barbaric way to work out our differences...yet I think it is what the Gods might push us to, yes, even the Voice - and I don't know if most of us are in a position to refuse. It is not a honourable or necessary conflict." That didn't mean it wouldn't happen, though. "I am not a general. But if it did come to that...I'd do what I could. What I felt was best at the time."
People did keep leaving, but he couldn't really blame them; the Grounds had a tendency to be hard and unforgiving (though possibly less so, with the Longnight monsters gone) and didn't have the grand vistas of Halo or the warm beaches of Torchline. Bastien had always thrived in places of hardship, but not everyone was the same. He hoped that if he did the work he planned to, improved the grounds, that the citizens would come naturally as a consequence. "Yes. I do not intend to ever cast anyone out on basis of their race; it is actions that matter."
As for war...Bastien sighed, turning to look off into the room and rubbing around his jaw for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know. I certainly do not relish the possibility. I think a war would be foolish and a barbaric way to work out our differences...yet I think it is what the Gods might push us to, yes, even the Voice - and I don't know if most of us are in a position to refuse. It is not a honourable or necessary conflict." That didn't mean it wouldn't happen, though. "I am not a general. But if it did come to that...I'd do what I could. What I felt was best at the time."
Still my heart is heavy
With the hate of some other man's beliefs
With the hate of some other man's beliefs
