Second.

[azumods]

ENCOUNTER 2. Saturday evening arrives, and with it the time to follow through on that invitation. Upon entering the resort area, the group will be greeted - inasmuch as the emotionless can properly greet anyone - by staff that evidently works there. They don't appear to be affiliated with Team Galactic, at least not outwardly; they're all dressed similarly, but not in Galactic uniforms, and their hair is down and noticeably not covered in identical wigs. They seem to have retained some aspect of individuality, in other words, as opposed to being absorbed into what appears to be the Team Galactic hivemind, and while they don't seem genuinely pleased to see the lot of you, they'll smile politely as they usher you in, albeit in an odd, uncanny-valley sort of way that doesn't reach their eyes. A purely mechanical reaction, their bodies smile while they do not. It's probably a little difficult to say whether that's preferable or not to the usual blankness you may be getting accustomed to. However, they seem cordial enough as they escort all of you further into the resort proper, past several bungalows that likely contain a few rooms apiece for people to reside in for the duration of their stay. The walk will take you up a few sets of stairs built into the rock formation the resort is built upon, leading eventually to a restaurant that likely overlooks Lake Valor from the north side of the building - it certainly seems elevated enough, and the positioning is right. The seating area itself seems to have been prepared in advance for your arrival; rather than several separated tables, there's one long arrangement draped in white, with twelve chairs arranged down each side - twenty-four total - and one at the head of the table. That one appears to already be occupied with your host for the evening; the smile Saturn is offering is soft but it isn't nice, disingenuous in a way that's only slightly less unsettling than the mechanical expressions of the staff. "It's good of you to join me." His voice is likewise soft but it isn't nice; just the same, he'll gesture at the rest of the table easily. "Feel free to have a seat, and keep your Pokémon out if it pleases you; this used to be a battling establishment, so the staff is more than accustomed to things like that." Food will be brought out shortly after people are seated; there are no arranged seats, so you're free to sit wherever suits you along the table. It's likely noticeable once things are laid out that either the people here don't hunt or Saturn is aggressively vegan; either way, there's no meat involved and nothing that would insinuate that Pokémon were harmed in any way to obtain what's in front of you, though the food is still decidedly nicer and more substantial than anything you've had for the past week - high-class and freshly-prepared, and not...you know, relying on berries and nonperishable stuff from a department store shelf. "Enjoy yourselves." Saturn's voice is still even, still calm to perhaps infuriating levels regardless of whatever the atmosphere in the room may happen to be, "since I did say that this was intended at least partially to apologize for the incident at the lakefront. And of course, you're welcome to ask whatever you like, seeing as you did have questions and I'm no longer strictly on company time. After all, a peaceful solution to this entire...situation is what we're all striving toward, isn't it?"

Comments

[azumods]

What makes you say that?

[niceoppai]

'Cause you want to make everything more like it is now, right? That's why you guys are here.

[azumods]

Well, yes. But you seem to believe it was peaceful before...?

[hyruglyphics]

Unless Veilstone itself was untouched, I did not see signs of war in it or along the route we took to here.

[ Look, in Hyrule there's defunct guardians and ruined fortresses and shit all over the place. When she thinks conflict she thinks that.

... I mean not to answer for Chelsea, but she says it lightly all the same ]

[semistableman]

They wouldn't have gone through the trouble if this was a peaceful world.

War isn't the opposite of peace, discord is.

[hyruglyphics]

I do not understand the distinction you are making, Bucky.

[ If anything, she might be a little bit... not irritated, that's too strong, but heightened. Saturn asked if it was peaceful, and she responded she hadn't seen evidence of prolonged conflict. ]

[discutio]

There are plenty of gray areas between peace and full-on war, Zelda. There needn't be open battlefields for this world to lack the former.

[niceoppai]

So, like, corrupt? That makes sense... What was the government like here, anyway?

[hyruglyphics]

[ Her own life experiences produce this. ]

[semistableman]

War is bloody, shows signs of death and destruction.

"Discord" could be any number of things, including social inequality and opposing sets of values. As long as people are people, peace isn't sustainable in the long run.

[hyruglyphics]

[ . . . Okay no, that both makes more sense and rattles her irritation a little more. She presses her lips together, deciding whether or not to get into it here, but she ends up saying, ]

That isn't true. As long as there is not war, then differences can be reconciled and peace can reign. A long as people are capable of being themselves, prosperity can be achieved for all.

[semistableman]

[He huffs a soft noise, the slightest of smiles on his lips.]

I wish I could be as idealistic as you.

[hyruglyphics]

[ There are evil men - Ganon was one, long, long ago. There are those who make poor or evil choices - the Yiga, for example. There have been conflicts in Hyrule's history.

But change and reconciliation is possible. She lowers her gaze somewhat.

Is it idealistic?

Maybe a little. ]

That was what we all fought for, to allow people to live their peaceful and normal lives.

[discutio]

That's-... [Ignis hesitated, just for a brief second. This was shaping up to look like an argument on the horizon, and they couldn't afford that now.]

...I don't think this is the time for this. We can discuss the matter later, when we've the luxury of focusing upon it.

[hyruglyphics]

You are right, of course. [ . . . ] But I simply state that this "peace" here, where personhood is removed from people, is not a peace most would wish for.

[discutio]

On that point, I think all of us can agree.

[heritrix]

[A rather meaningful nod from Rin, here. Damn straight she can agree.]

[semistableman]

Absolutely.