Ex parte

[viditlibertas]

Who: Al Saiduq (NPC version), generic NPC civilians, and you!
Where: Libra Ward, anywhere within it.
Summary: There still seems to be some civil unrest in Hinoto-Ri. You may want to help that floating albino guy deal with it...
Warnings: Possible discussions of the Anoli attack, NPCs being NPCs.

Saiduq was not one who...walked. He could do the motion like most other humanoid-beings, but it felt awkward and unnatural to one who was not beholden to gravity. If he wanted to go from point A to point B, he teleported, or flew. That was it. Even Hinoto-Ri hadn't given him a need to alter that pattern.

Apparently that had drawn the ire of a few people, however, given he'd been all but dragged in to an anti-Guests conversation. And yet, despite the nature of the conversation, he didn't seem aware that his hovering and curious, neutral speaking tone were just irritating the citizens even more. If anything, he just seemed to grow even more confused as the civilians grew more aggravated. Dare you get involved?

((If you tag in, we'll set up the overheard conversations. So, please wait for both the NPC and this account to tag before responding!))

Comments

[hinoto_npcs]

“-and you’re all doing nothing!”

The woman sounded distraught, but even despite her obvious grief, her voice was strong with righteous fury. A few people murmured in mutinous agreement, shifting angrily as the woman wiped at her eyes and continued, her voice snapping like a whip.

“My- my husband died in that attack! All because the visitors were there! It, the Anoli never would have attacked us if the Mayor didn’t think- the visitors were supposed to help defend us, but they just made the entire situation worse! And now they’re just doing nothing?! Where is the justice in that?!”

[viditlibertas]

"Many Guests seek to provide aid to this city, however they are not able to aid everyone."

His voice was calm and metered, but there was an edge of sadness in his eyes. It wasn't that he was unsympathetic, just...practical? It was hard to place.

"The threat of the Anoli existed before the Visitors, and would continue if they were to leave."

[lighter_flick]

Ah, he...sees what's happening...he thinks. And, even if he wasn't sure whether or not rumors could actually come true here, the nature of rumors themselves didn't change. People wanted somebody to blame here. People were going to look at the worst parts of a situation. People were going to talk themselves into a panic. People were gonna target the ones who stood out the most. People were going to latch onto things that triggered strong emotions. People people people. Even if these weren't technically "rumors", it was the kind of talk that powered them, made them spread.

And yet, Tatsuya couldn't even blame the crowd. They were understandably pissed! Telling them to calm down wasn't gonna work, explaining things logically wasn't either. And, apparently, the weird guy he ran into before didn't get any of this. Hell, the fact that it was eerily falling into place for Tatsuya just because of what he's experienced so far was making his stomach turn.

"Excuse me," he turned to somebody in the crowd who wasn't the lady having a Moment. "She's talking about the attack during the tournament, right?"

Thaaaaaaaank God he did his research before this....

[hinoto_npcs]

"H-Huh? Uh, yeah, she is!" Tatsuya had snagged a teenager who looked like he was just tagging along to see what would happen, so thankfully he wasn't a very angry citizen. "Lotsa people died in it."

[lighter_flick]

"Mmn." He nodded, looking back at the woman and, even if it didn't seem like he was paying much attention, he did look saddened. Finally, Tatsuya turns back to the teen, craning his neck a bit to look at him.

"What do you think? Did the Visitors being there give the Anoli every right to attack? Or would they have done it anyway?"

You've been here longer than he has, you're probably an expert compared to Tatsuya!

[hinoto_npcs]

"That's what everyone's saying," the teenager shrugged, glancing over at the woman who was still ragging on about the injustice of the situation. "Like, the Mayor thought the visitors would help stop the Anoli, or, something like that, and if they hadn't been here, the Mayor wouldn't've made such a dumb idea, and the Anoli wouldn't've attacked. I dunno man, I'm just here to see what everyone's shoutin' about."

[lighter_flick]

"I can hear what everyone else is saying. What do you think?"

Oh boy here we go.

"The Anoli caused trouble here before this, didn't they?"

[hinoto_npcs]

"W-What's with these questions, man?" the teenager asked uncomfortably. "I dunno, I guess? I mean, they attacked a tournament before, or something, I think, about five years ago? But - but you heard the tv guy! They didn't like the visitors being here, so they attacked the tournament because of them!"