the waters are sleeping

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

The Alchemist raises his eyebrows, his expression shockingly innocent then as he gives no answer. The pair of them aren't going to unravel life's moral quandaries on the side of the docks, but they are in unique positions where it seems to matter very much what their individual answers are.

'It would be easy enough to think of this as one big territorial war, I suppose." Remi agrees. "Just one species staking its claim over the other." His eyes suggest that he's unmoved by this, as he blinks up at Amalia. "Innocence doesn't matter, if we're just thinking about it in terms of survival. All rabbits are innocent, even ones that stray too close to a fox's den. It doesn't stop the fox though, nor do we think it should."

Swallowing, Remi tries for a weak smile. "Or maybe it just makes us feel like more than pawns." He returns somewhat skeptically, but he agrees just the same.

Amalia A territorial war, perhaps, but a moral one, too. "The fox hunts to survive, not just for sport," Amalia points out, once again shifting positions to pulled her knees up to her chest and rest her chin upon them. "It doesn't kill things just because it can. It does it because it must." There is innocence on both sides, something to which humans cannot boast. Her own smile is dim, replaced by a quiet resolution and determination. "Maybe it does," Amalia agrees softly. "But I'd rather be a pawn to the Old Gods than stand by and pretend to be blind and mute. I did that for a... A long time." Rubbing her wrist, Amalia sighs. "If we're just part of a game played by gods anyway... I'd rather be a knight than a pawn." reach for the stars: but child, first recognize the constellations of light you already carry inside you

i've seen fire & i've seen rain.
i've seen sunny days that i thought would never end

"The ascended might argue they only kill to survive as well...if their survival is linked to what the Voice wants of them. Without her, they'd likely die." There were ways for both sides to justify their positions, the Alchemist thought. It all came down to which was most palatable, and that in itself had already been the root of many disagreements.

"Me too." Remi agrees.

Pulling in a breath, the governor leans back in the water so that he can float. They both seem content to let the conversation change to easier things, while both knowing in the back of their minds that there is still much to discuss and decide upon.

~FIN