Rune World
“So your… ‘friends’ aren't joining us?” Melissa asked tentatively. Given the drastic changes that had occurred recently, Albert had finally decided they could share what was going on openly, at least with everyone who attended the family dinners, and after taking a few days to reconnect with Beatrice, Tori was feeling a bit homesick, so she'd slipped into the castle to join them.
“No.” Tori confirmed. “Though… we are planning on having a gathering in a few days for all the people close to us. Which obviously includes all of you, so I'd appreciate it if you joined.”
Albert blinked. “You're having a gathering? Why?”
Tori shrugged. “Andrew's parents want to meet the rest of us and we figured it isn't a terrible idea for everyone to meet, since the odds are we're only going to become more and more connected with each other.”
Melissa nodded. “That is an excellent idea. I'm a little disappointed I didn't think of it myself. But my question had more to do with whether your new friends will be joining our reality.”
“I don't think so…” Tori replied a bit more hesitantly. “Greg at least has no interest in coming here, I know that much. He's not a big fan of meditation and that's pretty much all you do to cultivate here. Andrew and Chris probably wouldn't mind coming here, but there's no particular draw for them to do so either, since they can't grow their innate abilities without growing the territory, we don't really need two extra Cultivators running around, and… well, our reality isn't that interesting? I mean, it is, but no more than any other reality, so there's no reason why they would come here over anywhere else.”
Maurice frowned. “It was my understanding that the four of you were capable of being in every reality if you wanted to.”
“We can, but that doesn't mean we want to.” Tori sighed. “Every reality we're in is sort of like a whole other life, and building a whole other life is… troublesome. Even more so when you consider the fact that those lives aren't even truly separate, since they merge back together when we're in the territory, so despite the disconnect we still have to consider how anything we do will affect our other lives. It just isn't worth it unless we have a legitimate reason to be in that reality, and even then it's better to view it more like a visit.”
“You- wouldn't leave us would you?” Calvin piped up hesitantly.
Tori blinked at him, before giving him a small smile. “No, I wouldn't.” She paused. “Though… at a point, it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider us leaving here.”
Albert frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean this reality is… problematic, in a lot of ways.” Tori explained. “Particularly since it's looking like it's about to be torn apart by war, a war which I don't think any of us really want to be a part of. Now, I'm not saying we should abandon our responsibilities here, but once we've made sure our people will be taken care of… I don't see any reason why we should subject ourselves to this mess when we have any other option.”
“Because we have a responsibility to make sure our people stay safe.” Albert countered. “Our duty to our people doesn't dissolve simply because we leave them in a good position.”
Tori raised an eyebrow. “Then when does it dissolve?”
“Never. That's the point.” Albert sighed. “As long as our house exists, its purpose will never fade. Disagree with the noble system all you want, but I refuse to leave my people unprotected.”
“What if the people don't want your protection?” Tori retorted.
Albert snorted. “Then they wouldn't be here! Society exists for the protection and prosperity of those who exist within it. If the people didn't want that then they wouldn't be a part of it!”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Let me rephrase that. What if they no longer think you're the best person to provide that protection?”
Albert hesitated, considering the question for a moment. “Then it would be my responsibility to become better. And if that fails, and they find a better leader… then they would no longer be my people. But as long as they are, my duty remains.”
Tori frowned then shrugged. “I can agree with that. You can't abdicate without a suitable replacement. But once we have that replacement…”
Albert scowled. “If it happens it happens, but I will not seek to unload my responsibility to my people on another. No matter how troublesome, uncomfortable, or strange that responsibility becomes.”
Tori sighed, disappointed but not terribly surprised. As much as she disagreed with the noble system in general, particularly in the way it created people like AJ and Duke Duhallis, she couldn't deny that her father was a good lord, certain views on maids aside, and as such he wouldn't abandon his people, no matter how much easier it'd make their lives. She wasn't even sure she wanted him to… she just wanted to make it clear that it was an option, to make it clear that it was a choice to continue dealing with all this crap. Maybe it'd help him stop moping about all the crazy shit she did… “Fine, if that's how you feel, I won't mention it again. But that does bring up the option of leading our people out of this reality. Something to consider.”
Melissa frowned at her. “I'm not sure I understand why you're so insistent on leaving this reality. Do you really hate it here that much?”
“I don't hate it, really, I just-” Tori paused, picking her next words carefully. “There are… pressures here that- I at least feel make it difficult for me to fully express myself. The mere fact that I'm a tri-core puts my life in danger here, let alone all the other crap! I just- it'd be nice to live somewhere where my accomplishments and nature are appreciated, instead of being forced to hide all of it.”
Melissa gave her a sympathetic look. “Tori… I know it must be hard for you, but- with everything you can do, is it really responsible for you to flee? Why not work to make this reality better, instead of running to another?”
Tori scowled. “Because no one here seems to agree with me on what better actually is. Everyone I talk to here takes the idea that power gives you the right to abuse the people below you for granted, seemingly unable to see that every other issue in this reality follows from that idea! If power wasn't so abusable, then people wouldn't have to do everything they can to keep others from gaining it!”
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“Except power is innately abusable. It wouldn't be power if you were unable to wield it as you wished, including to your own benefit and others detriment.” Maurice retorted.
Tori sighed. “Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to just go along with it. It's one thing to accept that power can be abused, that's just a fact, but it's a whole other thing to do nothing to resist that abuse! To facilitate it even! And the only recourse people seem to think is available is to gain your own power, so you can abuse the abusers! And yet you know to fear Empires, because large groups of people working together can make a difference! Why not apply that theory to resist abuse, instead of encouraging it?!?”
Maurice shook his head. “There have been plenty of attempts to organize ‘resistances’ but without someone with actual power to support them, they've all failed, eradicated by those who do have power.”
Tori frowned. “I don't think the answer is some sort of resistance. It's the same trap of replacing one form of power with another. What I'm talking about is accountability. Leave the people who have power their power, but organize so that abusing that power has consequences. So that instead of abandoning the unlucky ones who get targeted, you protect them… or at least avenge them. And I know the powerful will still do what they will, but at least make them work for it. Make them understand that they actually are abusing people, instead of getting the idea that there's some sort of ‘understanding’ going on.”
“That- would get people killed, wouldn't it?” Vicky pointed out tentatively. “I'm not disagreeing that things aren't good, but… shouldn't we prioritize survival?”
Tori hesitated. “I- that's a point I'm not sure on. I lean towards the side that says things will never get better if people aren't willing to sacrifice, but I'm not the one who'd ever actually make that sacrifice, so… my view isn't exactly unbiased. But honestly, I'd just be satisfied if the idea that these abuses could be resisted got out there. From there people can make their own decisions on whether the sacrifice is worth it or not.”
Vicky nodded slowly. “I- think I can agree with that? I- like the idea of people being able to make decisions for themselves.”
Tori grinned at her. “So do I.”
“Do you?” Albert grumbled. “This whole argument has been against people doing things you don't agree with.”
Tori frowned. “No? What I'm saying is that certain decisions should have consequences, not that people shouldn't make them. Or more accurately, that we're behaving in a way that protects certain people from experiencing the consequences of their actions, and that we should stop. Unless you think that abuse doesn't have consequences?”
Albert shook his head. “No, of course not, but… You're considering all this on a personal level, and I fully understand and even agree with your opinion in that regard, but we don't have the luxury of just considering the personal. We have to consider how these consequences will affect our society. We have to consider the perpetuation of the whole before we can consider the well-being of the individual.”
Tori narrowed her eyes. “How does allowing people to experience the consequences of their actions hurt society? If anything it helps! Consequences help make people responsible. Without them you get people like AJ.” She spat distastefully.
Albert grimaced. “In certain cases, yes, but consider the guards. How is a commander supposed to enforce discipline if his subordinates quit on him whenever he even so much as raises his voice?!?”
“If your commander can only motivate his troops through fear and violence, then maybe he shouldn't be a commander.” Tori retorted. “Anyone in a command position should be able to garner enough respect that when they yell, their subordinates see it as a mark against themselves, not their commander.”
“In an ideal world, maybe, but practically commanders don't always have the time to gain respect before they need to discipline their subordinates!” Albert countered.
“Then the respect should be garnered from the system itself!” Tori snapped back. “If you don't appoint shitty commanders, or at least deal with them when you do, then your people will be naturally inclined to listen to them, because there's an innate reputation for your commanders being good.”
Albert paused, searching for an answer to that. “I- hm.” He frowned. Reputation was a powerful force. A simple look at the sects could tell you that. Using that to establish order within the ranks… it could work? “I'm still not convinced this would apply to all levels of society.” Albert finally grumbled.
Tori rolled her eyes. “As Greg would say, the only way to tell is to actually try it out.”
*
Dinner settled down after that, turning to more benign topics, such as Vicky's burgeoning cultivation or Calvin's lessons, simple day to day updates which Tori had actually been missing. It was nice to just hear how her family was doing. They spoke for a bit longer than usual, but eventually it came to an end as all things do, and Tori made her leave, heading towards a balcony she could slip off, only to pause as she noticed someone trailing her. “Calvin? What's up?” She asked, turning to face him.
Calvin hesitated for a moment. “Are you- I was just wondering if- Do you-” He cut off, sighing in frustration before leveling a serious look at her. “Are you actually my sister?”
Tori froze, hesitating for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh of her own. “That's a good question, and… I don't know if I have a good answer for you. Genetically I am, but given the system I'm more than capable of changing my genetics, so should that even count? And I don't have memories of being raised with you, growing up together, developing a sibling bond… any of that, so I can't say we're siblings in that regard either. However…” She glanced at Calvin, noting a vague sense of frustration and despondence coming over him. “This situation has led me to believe that family has an element of… choice to it.”
Calvin blinked, looking up at her. “Choice?”
Tori smiled slightly. “Yeah. Even if I have nothing to tie me to you, I choose to consider you my brother and to treat you as such. Whether you choose to treat me as your sister… well that's up to you. But it won't change the fact that in my mind, you're all family.”
Calvin raised an eyebrow. “Even AJ?”
Tori grimaced. “I- yeah, I guess I have to, don't I?” She sighed. “He's still a part of the family, even if we're not exactly proud of him at the moment.”
Calvin grinned. “Good. I'm not sure me and Vicky could deal with him by ourselves.”
Tori snorted. “Is that what this is about? Wanting a little muscle in the family?” She teased, flexing an arm for him.
“Maybe.” Calvin stuck his tongue out at her, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “I'm- worried. Everything that's going on right now… I'm not sure we can survive it. And I know we won't without you…”
“Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.” Tori assured him.
Calvin nodded. “I know.” He paused. “At least I know you won't do it on purpose…” He gave her a look. “I'm pretty sure you'd forget we exist if you get caught up in the right thing.”
“Hey!” Tori protested. “That is an insultingly accurate judgment of my character!” She attempted to joke, Calvin clearly not buying it, before letting out a sigh. “I'll- try. I really will. But if I do end up getting a bit lost…” She tapped him on the nose, transferring the system to him, bringing up the message and map functions for him. “Can I count on you to drag me back?”
Calvin blinked, before nodding seriously. “Kicking and screaming if I have to.”
Tori chuckled. “You're going to have to develop some muscles of your own for that.”