AINO
Morgan was good at talking, Aino would give her that much. Much of the rhetoric was in accordance to her own beliefs, but a finger tapping restlessly against her upper arm suggested that some thing still did not rhyme well with what had actually occurred lately.
"What bothers me in all of this is not so much the policies of either government," Aino expressed, "but how you each decided to deal with threat. You, Warden, first left your position in the face of personal danger, only to reclaim it by force - endangering the citizens of the Citadel in the process, might I add. The Hailstorm was deposed for doing the same thing, I doubt I have to remind you of that." She threw a quick glance at Neron, expression neutral even though her gaze was chilly. "Your opponents forfeited their positions in order to safeguard the people, and endangered only themselves in their takeover. If one were to look strictly upon the welfare of the citizens of Halo, you have shown far less concern for your people than they have."
Pausing for a moment to go over Morgan's arguments again, Aino reflected over how willing the woman seemed to take in another leader. From what she could tell, the desire for fairness and her intent on letting the people decide their own path seemed genuine.
"It's true that Halo chose you as Warden once. Would you be willing to put that to the test a second time?" Smiling faintly, an expression that painted dimples into her cheeks and made her look charming despite the glint of steel in her eyes, Aino made a shrugging gesture with her shoulders. "The world has changed since you first took your seat as Warden. People have changed too. War is on our doorstep, whether we wish for it or not. Neutrality is a beautiful dream and I have no love for any god, spirit or otherwise, but I highly doubt it's a stance we can take in the long run, not without being torn apart utterly. You don't want the people of Halo to be forcibly pushed into war - neither do I. But have you or the others ever bothered to ask Halo what it wants? All of us?"
Gazing straight at Morgan, Aino let her hands fall to her sides and staightened up, straightbacked and confident like the soldier she had always been. "Here is my suggestion for Halo's leadership going forward. Call back everyone who has fled, everyone who has been exiled, everyone who wishes to call Halo their home going forward. Step aside from your claim to the name of Warden, and let's have a new election. Let anyone who would lead step forward and speak, and let the people of Halo make their choice on who to rally behind. Let us choose our own fate, and put an end to this bickering over chairs and titles. People will believe what they will and there is no changing that, but we have always been able to work together as a cohesive people in the past. I would see differences set aside and this debate over leadership solved.
"Deepfrost is still coming, regardless of who sits in that chair; we really have more immediate things to worry about." The greenhouse and the weather barrier did not mean hunters or foragers could stop working, or that preparations for Longnight could be set aside.
"What bothers me in all of this is not so much the policies of either government," Aino expressed, "but how you each decided to deal with threat. You, Warden, first left your position in the face of personal danger, only to reclaim it by force - endangering the citizens of the Citadel in the process, might I add. The Hailstorm was deposed for doing the same thing, I doubt I have to remind you of that." She threw a quick glance at Neron, expression neutral even though her gaze was chilly. "Your opponents forfeited their positions in order to safeguard the people, and endangered only themselves in their takeover. If one were to look strictly upon the welfare of the citizens of Halo, you have shown far less concern for your people than they have."
Pausing for a moment to go over Morgan's arguments again, Aino reflected over how willing the woman seemed to take in another leader. From what she could tell, the desire for fairness and her intent on letting the people decide their own path seemed genuine.
"It's true that Halo chose you as Warden once. Would you be willing to put that to the test a second time?" Smiling faintly, an expression that painted dimples into her cheeks and made her look charming despite the glint of steel in her eyes, Aino made a shrugging gesture with her shoulders. "The world has changed since you first took your seat as Warden. People have changed too. War is on our doorstep, whether we wish for it or not. Neutrality is a beautiful dream and I have no love for any god, spirit or otherwise, but I highly doubt it's a stance we can take in the long run, not without being torn apart utterly. You don't want the people of Halo to be forcibly pushed into war - neither do I. But have you or the others ever bothered to ask Halo what it wants? All of us?"
Gazing straight at Morgan, Aino let her hands fall to her sides and staightened up, straightbacked and confident like the soldier she had always been. "Here is my suggestion for Halo's leadership going forward. Call back everyone who has fled, everyone who has been exiled, everyone who wishes to call Halo their home going forward. Step aside from your claim to the name of Warden, and let's have a new election. Let anyone who would lead step forward and speak, and let the people of Halo make their choice on who to rally behind. Let us choose our own fate, and put an end to this bickering over chairs and titles. People will believe what they will and there is no changing that, but we have always been able to work together as a cohesive people in the past. I would see differences set aside and this debate over leadership solved.
"Deepfrost is still coming, regardless of who sits in that chair; we really have more immediate things to worry about." The greenhouse and the weather barrier did not mean hunters or foragers could stop working, or that preparations for Longnight could be set aside.
Come and conquer, drop your bombs
Cross my borders and kill the calm
Cross my borders and kill the calm
