Hard talks and harder choices
for Morgan
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
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#1
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
Perhaps it was all a foolish venture, an idea that would never gain traction, a hope too big for Halo to sustain.

Chulane wished it wasn't so, but he was not so convinced now.

He was ready to walk away from it all. From Halo, from his dream of establishing a farm, from the position granted to him by the Warden.

He had only wanted to serve. To see Halo thrive. To help. He was willing to put the work in, to prove that it could be done, to show that just because he was from another world didn't mean he was untrustworthy, or undeserving of the trust placed in him.

But the boy, the raven, Korbin, had made it clear that there was no proving anything. Not with him. And with the sentiments the boy had expressed, Chuy didn't feel comfortable here anymore. Barely felt safe. Thought that perhaps when Korbin had decked him on the ice that night, some small part of him had wished Chuy never did rise again.

It was enough to send chills down his spine at the thought. So he'd told Kia, he'd expressed to her his concerns, his worries, his fears. He'd told her enough about Korbin that she might understand how damn complicated it all was - how even now, Chulane's hope to continue on here was barely in existence anymore.

For Korbin did not reject just his plans. He rejected everything Chulane stood for. He could not, would not see that the farmer wanted only the best for the region. It was wilful ignorance at its finest, but Chulane himself was not strong enough to stand against it.

"Warden Aristomache?" He said, softly but clearly, from outside her door, also giving a gentle knock. "It's Chulane. I'd like a word, if you have a moment." He steeled himself for the conversation ahead, having never faced something quite like this predicament before.
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
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#2
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
Morgan looked up from the notes she had been taking: studying the records of councils past, the conflicts and plans they referenced; some were terribly outdated but others held pearls of wisdom that could still be carried through to the current day and struggles. While the work was fascinating and she hoped useful for the future, it was intensive and she found herself glad for the knocking (though concerned it might be the herald for something gone wrong).

"Come in!" She called, hearing Chulane's voice. One of her new council: probably the member she knew the least well, but one who had provided a very thorough plan indeed for the agricultural development of the Citadel and had impressed her. As he came in she gave him a small smile and motioned for him to sit in the chair opposite her, pushing her papers to the side for the moment. "Chulane. Do you need something?"
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Who do you think we are?
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 24 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#3
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
He almost wished she wasn't inside. It had been just a few hours since the blow-out with Korbin - he had barely had time to calm down from it, to pick himself back up after leaning on Kia (he did that far too much, and hated himself every time), to then come here, resolved to continue on the path he had told Korbin he would take. But perhaps it was good that Morgan was in, maybe it was best to discuss it with her, to talk it out, to see if another solution was possible.

Maybe he really was a naïve fool after all, a weak idiot not meant to survive for long in this world, on any of the lands it had to offer. For even though his mind was awhirl with other potential solutions, his mental state was shaken, torn, broken by the battering it had received from the raven-boy.

Why did Korbin's words matter so much to him? Why did Chulane seek his approval, his acceptance so much? Was it because the boy was the first being he saw upon arriving in this world, and so his mind had made some kind of uncontrollable connection with him, some innate desire to prove himself worth saving off the Tundra?

He could debate it with himself all day and all night, and never know what the reason was.

He entered when Morgan's words rung out, nodding in response to her smiling greeting, but unable to return it - he was troubled, and it showed as he sat in the chair she proffered. He sighed softly, before bracing himself for what he needed to say, and the backlash that could be stirred up from it. He wasn't quite so absentminded to dive straight into what he wanted to say - he had to know where she stood too.

"The plans - the agricultural changes that I want to make. Tell me honestly, do you think them necessary for the survival of Halo going forward?" Was she on Chulane's wavelength, in agreement with him and his reasons, or did she hold any reservations about them? His plans had been thorough indeed - he had made sure of that - but perhaps his reasonings for it were not clear. That much had been made abundantly clear when he had tried to broach the subject with Korbin.
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
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#4
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
Chulane did not smile as he entered and Morgan prepared herself for bad news. Someone had gone out into the cold and not returned, or there was another army waiting at the gates to attack. He braced himself before he spoke and she had to restrain herself from demanding he speak quicker.

When he did speak and instead of delivering horrors asked her a question about his own work, she had to take a moment to pause and re-calibrate her mind, calm down from what she had convinced herself was coming. As it happened she at least had good things to say to Chulane, who she supposed had to just be having a sudden crisis of confidence: as long as it did not become a habit, she could help.

"Not only do I think they are necessary, I think they are marvellous." Morgan told him plainly, her voice matter of fact and not overly complimentary; she wanted him to know this was simple truth. "Our development as a people depends on new ideas on how to sustain ourselves. I was very impressed with the work and effort you presented at our first meeting. ...Why, do you have reason to doubt your plans?"
Fight against your execution.
Who do you think we are?
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 24 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#5
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
Normally he was one to be more aware of how he was being perceived, but it was just another way he was so off-kilter at the moment. He remained ignorant to the stress he stirred in Morgan, so lost in his introspection that he barely had the capacity to think of anything but his current predicament.

Talking about it helped. Helped him force his mind to sort through the information in an orderly way, to see it in a fresh light. Morgan's words were so in line with his thinking that he was able to ground himself further. And when she asked if he had reason to doubt his own plans, he found himself wondering what had caused this great upheaval of emotion in him to begin with.

"The plans are solid." He said with more confidence than the rest of his current demeanour might suggest. "But they will take everyone here working together to implement, and maintain. And after consulting with some locals, I'm not sure they are ready for that kind of change."

He was still in shock, in disgust over Korbin's suggestion that a few lives each year was a fair price to pay for the survival of the rest, even when the boy was still feeling the hurt from paying that price himself, with the death of Weaver.

It was baffling to Chuy. Did Korbin always feel this way, even before the overwhelming pull of grief threw his world out of alignment and caused him to lash out? Or was he just lashing out like he always did at Chuy, and Chuy was finally listening, finally giving in, finally giving the boy what he wanted - him gone from his icy domain, so that he could wallow in his grief alone?

"Or if they're ready to accept the changes that have happened, and recognise that more is likely to come, that they must adapt if they want to survive." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Sorry, I don't mean to default to grouping the Naturals of Halo all together. I was recently labelled an Outsider, and that the changes I was proposing would open the door to lead Halo to ruin. And while I know that's not true… I am not comfortable proceeding unless all those that the changes will affect are for it."
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
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#6
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
When Chulane agreed that his plans were solid, Morgan raised an eyebrow: what was he here for, then? However, it very quickly became clear where the man's anxieties lay. She did wonder just what locals he was conferring with without any official council meetings having yet taken place, but Morgan supposed she couldn't punish that kind of initiative.

"Our people are often set in their ways." She agreed; after all, she herself had been hesitant about the Outlanders when they first arrived, still found herself skeptical sometimes of their roles in Caido government. Still, when Morgan had elected her council she had tried to include Outlanders and Naturals, with an eye towards the future they were facing: things would not stay separated for long. "..Who is it, that you spoke to? I assure you they did not speak for all of the Citadel. I have spoken to some of our farmers and traders already and while some of them are hesitant to try new ways, none of them said that sort of thing to me."

If this was a matter of fear of the Warden, she'd soon make sure everyone was on the same page.
Fight against your execution.
Who do you think we are?
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 24 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#7
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
Chulane hesitated when Morgan asked directly who was responsible for the doubts that had been stirred up within him. Some part of him still wanted to defend the boy, to excuse his behaviour away.

But then, Korbin had behaved badly before Weaver died too. There were no excuses left.

He sighed, sadly.

"Korbin. The kid's been through a lot, and I thought we had turned a page after I gave him some tough love and convinced him that life was worth living. He's the one who found me, after the portal dumped me out on the Tundra. I felt like I owed him - I wanted to save his life as well, I guess." He was talking, going through the narrative he had repeated in his own head many times over.

"I feel like shit for what I put him through that night. But he agreed to live... And then we ran into each other here and got talking and…" he paused, raising his gaze to meet Morgan's again.

"He kept trying to argue that Halo is a hard place full of hard people who were used to dying to allow the rest to survive. Like it was normal. I tried to argue that such a price was too high, that the agricultural plans I had could help fortify not just the people but could help Halo step up and deal with the changes it has been dealt, and adapt to whatever might come - he would hear nothing of it."

And yet most other Naturals he had met had been welcoming of him, even the landlord who Korbin first introduced him to. Why did Korbin's words stick out the most to him then? Why did he care so freaking much?

"He's got an eye for detail and when motivated, can achieve many great things. He picked up healing really quick, he's good at managing teams - he just… he hates me, hates Outlanders, and won't bend to see the world a different way." At least, he wasn't interested in it, as far as Chuy could tell. "I've dealt with sticklers for tradition before, but even they usually bent to logic and accepted that, sometimes, tradition lives in the past."
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 6 - Strg: 23 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#8
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
Hearing Korbin's name, Morgan stiffened; she had not expected to hear about trouble from him again so quickly. Had her warning to him meant nothing? She listened to Chulane's tale, nodding along: she too had wanted to give Korbin the benefit of the doubt, help the young man through the obvious pain he was experiencing, but there was a limit: if someone was not willing to help themselves, you could not force them to change.

"..The people here have spent too much time dying. It is ridiculous to purposefully hold ourselves back from progress for the sake of looking hardy." She said dismissively, almost rolling her eyes: was this really an attitude people in the Citadel held?

Morgan sighed, rubbed her temples. There was enough to do, enough to worry about, without Korbin causing so much bother. "Was this discussion in the same instant where he attacked you? I told him one more physical assault and he was to be jailed. As for what he said, I would ignore it." Perhaps that was blunt, but she didn't have the time for this. "His attitude does not represent that of this council, or the people I have met and spoken to the Citadel."
Fight against your execution.
Who do you think we are?
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 24 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#9
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
He was relieved to hear her confirm that the vision she held, the vision most of Halo held were that of enduring, that of adapting and surviving onwards into the future. He felt tension he didn't realise he was holding release, felt himself rise up from the murky depths his anxiety and stress had put him into.

He blinked, and rubbed his own hands across his forehead, more thoughts settling in his mind as he realised just how fucking stupid it all was. He recalled how little sleep he'd gotten this Longnight, how much guilt he carried for the way he'd treated Korbin, how much the isolation within the Academy was affecting him. He took in a breath, and released it after Morgan's words asking about the timing of his talk with Korbin. Which one? he almost said back - how many failed talks had he had with Korbin, before or after that day where he fell onto the ice like a sack of potatoes?

"He didn't attack. He was injured and absolutely plastered , I thought I could restrain him to apply the necessary treatment, and I failed." Why did he keep seeing a need to defend the boy even when the boy's actions were deplorable? Why did he feel the need to clarify exactly what happened, as if that made it better? He didn't know, he couldn't figure it out - he supposed he really was just an arrogant, useless Outlander that Korbin constantly accused him of. "He clocked me a little while ago now. After that, I was told by the tavernowner of the place he was currently 'living' that he had been turned away for fights and nonpayment. I found him, and managed to get him cleaned up, at least for a night. This recent conversation happened just a few hours ago."

He took another deep breath, and refocussed on Morgan.

"Where I'm from, racism and hate against entire groups of people for no reason other than something as asinine as their place of birth exists. It is… terrible. And amazingly easy for people to find some sick kind of solace in such hateful ideals, to rally together and…" he shook his head, letting Morgan fill in the blanks. "It was one of the greatest failings of my world, that I had hoped was left behind me now. But seeing the loathing in Korbin, the sheer conviction behind his beliefs… It scared me Morgan. I can't ignore it."
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 6 - Strg: 23 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#10
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
Chulane seemed to be coming down from the palpable tension he'd held when he entered the room and Morgan patiently waited for him to speak again, sighing at the news of just how much of a mess Korbin was continuing to be. While she was glad to hear it sounded like there hadn't been any more violence, this constant negativity was becoming a liability.

"I wouldn't waste your energy trying to help anymore. Whatever is wrong with him right now, it's something he needs to correct in his own spirit." She sighed, having thought for a while her method of threatening consequences had worked, but apparently not.

The final thing Chulane had to say was something she took seriously but did not really know how to approach: she could not know the politics in his own world, could not know the true opinions of everyone in Halo (though she strongly believed that Korbin was mostly on his own with his particularly strong views). "...Until you see this attitude expressed by anyone else, I would try your best to chalk it up to Korbin's..frankly bizarre and upsetting behaviour that has begun since his sister's death. I suspect he is more looking for ways to hurt you then expressing a long-held belief. I elected you to this council for a reason and if anyone wishes to challenge that, tell them to speak to me."
Fight against your execution.
Who do you think we are?
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 24 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#11
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
He was glad that she took him seriously, that she heard him out. It was anxiety-inducing, being brandished an arrogant asshole outsider, he wanted nothing more but to prove that he wasn't. And so with every word he spoke, he second-guessed as to whether he was overstepping, whether he was clinging too much to the homeworld that he no longer had access to, whether he was trying to apply things in this world that were based too much on a foreign world.

Korbin's words really had hit hard, and even though he was offered this support and trust from Morgan, an annoyingly large part of his confidence was shaken.

The plans are solid, he reassured himself. It's just me who might not be, he sighed on the flipside to the reassurance.

He nodded to Morgan's words, agreeing with her - and making a silent pact with himself to leave well enough alone now. Korbin had always claimed not to need him, had never directly asked for his help; but like most people Chulane was filled with an innate desire to preserve life, to save it if it was within his powers - and Korbin had needed saving. No more, Morgan was right, the boy was beyond whatever help Chulane could provide now.

"I hope you're right." He said softly. He could more easily accept that Korbin wanted to hurt him directly rather than lump all Outlanders together, but he was still afraid for any new Outlanders that crossed paths with the boy in such close confines as the Academy during Longnight.

"I… thanks, Morgan." He hesitated over his words, not sure where to take the conversation. "I was prepared to walk away - I didn't want to believe that Korbin's beliefs were shared, but I had to know. I really do want to help, and I am confident the plans will do just that. I just… I'm sorry for dumping this on you. I really appreciate your hearing me out."
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 6 - Strg: 23 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#12
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
"I often am." Morgan said, a hint of a smile on her face before it faded away; there were too many times with horrible consequences recently where she had been wrong that made the joke bittersweet.

She appreciated his gratitude, something she didn't get from everyone. With a nod and a more genuine smile this time, attempting to set Chulane at ease, she gently put her hands over the papers on her desk and shook her head. "It is not a problem. It makes a change from the work I have been doing. I am...concerned, though, about the mess Korbin seems to be leaving behind himself. I know grief can be destructive - my own grief about my lost guards has been hard to deal with at times, but..."

Her casualties were some crushed ice and a couple of tear-soaked pillows, not a trail of hurt and insulted people in her own community.

"My vision for a Halo of the future is one that is able to move along with the adapting world. ...There are...parts of that I am wary of--" Namely Ascended. "--But I can assure you your farm is not one of them."
Fight against your execution.
Who do you think we are?
Ningo Farmer

Age: 30 | Height: 185cm | 6'1" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 4 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 24 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#13
Just give me a reason
just a little bit's enough
A hint of a smile echoed her own on his lips, at her words, fading away too quickly to truly claim ever being present. The joke was one that perhaps at another time he would have chuckled openly with her at, but right now, he was still too wired, and the tragedies that had so recently struck the region still too fresh in his mind.

"Grief sucks. And everyone does it differently. Korbin… his whole world has been taken from him. He wanted to follow her - to kill himself. And he tried, more than once, from my understanding. But each time we wouldn't let him. And until he finds a purpose to live for again… I'm not sure he'll ever forgive us for that." He wanted to ensure the Warden had all the pieces of information she needed to be able to do an honest assessment of Korbin. Even now, he couldn't stop himself from trying to protect the boy.

He sighed softly, reflecting again on his standing with Korbin, on how he had genuinely thought they were on a path to something healthier, something pleasant… alas, it was not meant to be.

"A healthy dose of wariness is perfectly justified. A gross paranoia that could mean more people dying from preventable means is when things become… concerning." He hoped she understood that he was referring to Korbin, as he nodded along in agreement with her words even as she spoke them.

"Alright. I'll keep on with the plans then." He paused, as his mind entered more familiar grounds of musing on the plans he was genuinely passionate and excited about. "Have you managed to get a consensus from the farmers on the eastern border about placement of the ningo barn yet? They keep giving me the runaround."
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
CHULANE
Morgan Aristomache
the Glacier
Warden of Halo

Age: 42 | Height: 5' 9" | Race: Abandoned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 6 - Strg: 23 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 22 - Luck: 14 - Int:
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#14
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution.
Who do you think we are?
Morgan knew grief intimately, but her patience with Korbin's reaction to it had run out. There were times in life where you had to put things aside and give yourself a long hard look in the eyes; she had always run on a system of priorities, of being willing to put her emotions away until later. Perhaps it was his age, but Korbin seemed incapable of doing that, and unless he wanted help she wasn't going to continuously try to give it.

"Well, I spoke to one..." She began, moving papers about to find her notes for the farm, slipping into a mode for talking business with ease. For the next while her world was agricultural plans and ideas, a pleasant trip away from the biting Longnight cold and misery.

{FIN}
Fight against your execution.
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