methuselah (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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singillppl2024-06-28 08:41 pm
singmod) wrote in singillppl2024-06-28 08:41 pm
Entry tags:
Town Meeting: The Quencies
Town Meeting
A town meeting is called to address this, and once more the Interlopers gather in the Community Hall. Even Methuselah joins them, and sits quietly to the side to watch the proceedings.
The accused are asked to stand, to give a short testimony where they either acknowledge or deny their actions. Interlopers may offer witness testimonies had they been there during the incident.
Their fellow Interlopers must cast a vote: are they guilty of their actions? Or not? One might argue that their actions were not their own. Others may argue that the influence over Interlopers should not excuse their actions. Some may even use this as a way of dealing out punishment to those they believe have had it coming for sometime. Maybe sometimes there are crimes just too dark to forgive.
What will you choose, Interlopers? What side of the coin will land?
— — —
Character Name: Kieren Walker.
Crime: The murder and cannibalism of Simone Vitucci.
Character Comments:
[ Kieren's a trembling mess, his hands held into tightly curled fists as his sides. He can't look up, he can't look at anyone — just stares off into the mid-distance. ]
... I did it. I— I'm not going to stand here and say I didn't do something when I did. I killed her, and— I did that to her. And I know I wasn't thinking properly but it's not an excuse, I don't think it should be. I'm... I'm not normal, like most of you are. I'm— I'm different. And that's not an excuse either, I never thought it should be. [ He's not brave enough to full out himself, but he settles with. ] I've hurt people before here. I didn't want it to happen again, but it did.
So.. so I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking I should be— um, to be honest, I wouldn't blame anyone for shooting me for that. For what I did to her. And I know that sounds horrible, but it's true. I wouldn't. Blame any of you.
I wish I could take it back, and I— I know I can't. If it means anything, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt anyone.
— — —
Character Name: Levi Jořdán
Crime: Murder of Max Ramirez
Character Comments:
"...I'm sorry. I-I didn't want to, but they just came at me and....and I moved on my own. I should have stopped it but I didn't. I don't have a defense. I'll take any punishment you feel fit."
— — —
Character Name: Scratch "Alan Wake"
Crime: Murder of Alan Lawrence, mutilation of a corpse.
Character Comments:
"None of us were in our right mind. It was self-defence, kill or be killed. I never wanted to hurt anyone, let alone kill them, but ... Can any one of you really believe you wouldn't have done the same thing with everything that was happening to us?
And for the ... Well. The other thing. I don't know, it was like a frenzy, I can't remember it. All I could think about was this story I heard once about The Wick Effect, about the flammable nature of the human body. Resources are so low.
I don't know. I think I panicked. It all made so much sense at the time."
— — —
Character Name: Levi Ackerman (I don't think anyone knows his last name though)
Crime: Murder (and a lil bit of corpse destruction) of John Rusnak
Character Comments:
[ He just stands there with his arms folded, frowning, until someone prompts him to speak. ]
What do you want to hear? It's not how I normally handle things. I hate pointless casualties. [ He doesn't seem at all surprised by his capacity to kill, though. Despite his words being somewhat harsh, it seems genuine. ] ...We've lost people. I am sorry for that.
[ Everyone should be aware of the creature in everyone's heads by now, so he sees no point to bring it up. Under the influence or not -- which is terrifying, actually, he'd never had his mind forcibly overtaken like this before -- it was ultimately still him who managed to carry it out. He shifts his weight a little; there's an air of tension around him, like he's a coiled spring ready to fire. He's probably less calm about it on the inside... or maybe it's an intimidation tactic. ]
I don't intend to let you execute me, if that's what you're planning. But if I'm unwelcome here, I will comply.
— — —
Character Name: Wynonna Earp
Crime: Murder of Elias Toufexis
Character Comments:
He was trying to kill Louis.
[ Who was maybe trying to kill him, first. ]
I tried to break it up. He came after Louis again.
[ Her jaw is tight; so are the arms she has folded across her chest. Her expression is flatly blank. ]
End of story.
— — —
Character Name: Cornelius Hickey
Crime: murder and cannibalism of Patrick Carlson
Character Comments:
[ Hickey's choosing his words carefully. There's a carefully controlled neutralness in his tone, keeping it conversational but not too emotional. ]
Some of you all are like me, yeah? We're changed. I can go longer, I can climb up and down ravines that I'd have trouble navigating before, but I get...hungry. And what with the game missing and that thing in my head—that thing in all of our heads, there's no point in pretending like everybody here wasn't in their right mind because of the Darkwalker. Anyway. What mattered most at the time was satiating the hunger and staying alive.
Obviously I'd do things different if we didn't have the Darkwalker raining bloody terror down on us. We'd all have done things differently.
As for the murder? [ Hickey gives a little shrug. ] Man came at me first. I simply decided to defend myself, as so many others here would—as so many others here already have. After all, it's not like these past few weeks are the first time one of us has tried to come for our own.
— — —
Character Name: Edward Little.
Crime: The Murder of Mikel Shane Prather.
Character Comments:
[ When he stands, Edward looks... strange, haunted — eyes wide and tearful and distant. It all feels like it's happening to someone else. He has to be told when to stand and when to sit down again, more than once.
He doesn't say what he maybe should. That the young man was going to kill Kate Marsh, that he had her on the ground — that Mikel's hands were around her neck. That all he could think to do was shoot, and quickly. There's no excuse for it; he could have made other choices, he could have — and he doesn't want to risk any ounce of backlash against Kate, either. So Edward just stands there, hands trembling, thumbs pressing tightly into his palms and rubbing, some futile attempt to self-soothe. ]
Mr. Prather was not.... himself. He was under the influence of darkness and can not be blamed. However, my... my mind was not afflicted. I was acutely aware of everything and in control of my faculties.
[ That's important. He wasn't anyone but himself when he killed a human being for the first time. ]
I will not resist the punishment that I deserve. I accept full culpability.
[ A pause, a shuddering breath. The usual clear, rich tone of his voice is hoarse now, hollowed out. Mikel became violent, like so many others did. It wasn't his fault.
He was very young. ]
I am so deeply sorry for what I've done.
— — —
A poll has been opened, in which you can ICly vote on the accused. Players will have 72 hours to cast their votes. After those 72 hours, results will be posted. For any character who is found guilty, their player will be asked to pick a punishment for their character.
This could be something like hard labour of some sort (rebuilding, town fortifications, digging appropriate graves for the dead into the ground) reduced food rations, or perhaps some kind of temporary exile from the safety of Milton, or guard duty.
Death is off the table. I mean, unless you really wanted to?
Players who have their character found Not Guilty may still choose to have their characters punish themselves if they wish to.
THE PROSECUTION
Hickey Bad
[Crozier stands, or rather, he has to have a guiding hand help him up from the chair. While is face is no longer swollen past the point of recognition, there's varying shades of purple and red and yellow on the left half of his face, and the eye on the same side is somewhat off in placement.
He talks slowly, deliberately so, but also with a slight wheeze in between sentences.
He holds his hand out towards a few of the accused, lingering significantly over Edward Little, Wynonna Earp, and Levi Jořdán.]
I can speak to the character of many of these men and Ms. Earp. I believe a great many of us can, and will find most of these proceedings irrelevant. The actions of that night were exacerbated by the miasma in the air and the influence of insidious outside forces beyond our control. Internal anguishes worsen with this influence. Hunger is a gnawing plague, cold and fatigue difficult on already ill and exhausted bodies.
The loss of these people - our people - is undoubtedly a tragedy. No one will argue against that.
[He waits a beat, mostly trying to quietly catch his breath.]
But as there is also no rule of law here, we must decide what actions are permissible under these extraordinary circumstances, and which merit condemnation. Punishment, perhaps.
[Oh, hey, Hickey. His picks him out of the crowd and locks eyes with him, stare sharp.
This should seem familiar.]
You've heard Hickey defend himself, claim this murder was to save his own life. Perhaps this is so. Perhaps Patrick Carlson attacked him, and Hickey was left with no choice but to act. But I'll pose this to you, to all of you: was cutting his body apart done for self defense?
[A pause. This is painful. He wishes he could spare certain people in this room from hearing this all over again.]
Was meticulously harvesting him for the meat in his legs and thighs done in self defense? I came across the corpse myself - knife cuts, neat knife cuts, a man butchered for food. And if truly innocent, why then attempt to hide the body in the brush? Why half-bury him, secret him away in the hopes that he won't be discovered?
This is not the first time Cornelius Hickey has murdered someone. This is not merely some inner conflict between those of us from our expedition, this is proven fact. Cornelius Hickey has murdered before with the intent of feeding himself and others. He's butchered other men in this exact way. Wasted them. Cornelius Hickey has also murdered for spite, for his own reputation and a ploy for power. [His voice hitches a little, losing his cool just a little.] He's murdered because he didn't want to do the paperwork to get himself aboard a ship!
[He shakes his head.]
Our situation is not dire. There was no need to kill Mr Carlson, and yet Cornelius Hickey did. How many of you received food from him? This implicates Hickey more than most anything else. He killed, and then used the leftover meat after he fed himself to feed the people in his circle. But it was never dire, he never went back for the rest of Mr. Carlson, he never showed one ounce of guilt for his actions.
He isn't innocent. This is where we draw our line. Condemn this, and condemn this rationale. It isn't the end of the world yet, and we're not desperate enough to allow villains to kill with impunity.
[That should about do it. He scowls tiredly, holding his chest as he sinks back into his seat.]
+1
-1
[Damian speaks up, loud and clear with the tone of someone who is used to being listened to. They all knew this was going to happen, and despite his own mixed feelings on Hickey, the hypocrisy on display is enough to spark him into speaking up in his defense bafflingly enough.
This is going to earn him no friends, he's sure. But he's never let that stop him before.]
I can't speak for those that were tricked into eating human flesh. There's nothing that makes something like that right, but there's also no justification or excuse that makes any murder right either. Many people here have killed in the last month. Many people here are dangerous, by virtue of their own nature and the way that they have to sustain themselves to live. [He pointedly doesn't look at anyone, but the description applies to many people here. Many of which aren't on trial.] And many are dangerous even without that consideration. Like me.
And I can't sit here and listen to anyone insisting that our situation isn't or wasn't dire. If it wasn't dire, nobody would have died. Our food stores were running so low that people resorted to raiding other inhabitants of the town. You say there was no reason to murder Mr Carson - and to that I say, what reason was there to murder everyone else? It's almost like we were hit with a wave of explosive violent paranoia mixed with the sudden disappearance of all of our food sources. What reason was there to carve him up for food? It may have had something to with the fact that we had none. These aren't excuses. There is no excusing this. These are the reasons that you - and several others - have seen fit to ignore so that you might justify an exception to be made for one amongst many others.
You all have a history with this man. I'm sure it reflects very poorly on him. Frankly, I couldn't give less of a shit about it. The situation we find ourselves in is happening now, not then. Figure it out amongst yourselves or stop making it our problem.
no subject
[If Crozier’s left side of his face could look as exasperated as the right side of his face now it would.
But Damien has said his piece, and he respects it, even if he disagrees. He looks at him and nods very carefully. He stays seated though.]
To be proven wrong in this instance would bring me great joy. The greatest of joys, that I spoke of future hazards and was proven wrong in my assessment of Mr. Hickey’s intentions with you all.
I want nothing more than peace and cooperation between us. We’re weaker apart, and we’ll need our strength for what’s undoubtedly to come. May there be peace among us.
If forgiveness is our decided path, I only ask for the space for one final warning - when the situation becomes more dire, and God help us but it can, if nothing grows and all game is chased off by the creature, our waterways too choked with ice to fish and all we have to eat are moldy tins and boiled boots, Hickey will take it upon himself to draw straws to decide your fates.
no subject
That doesn't mean they should be lynched. Or robbed of a chance to earn that forgiveness. [He doesn't think Hickey will act on that chance - not actively, but he's been surprised before.]
The only thing unique about Hickey that makes him potentially more of a threat than the others is his complete lack of object permanence with regard to the consequences of his own actions. [And just the fact that he sucks in general.] And if you punish him as an exception to the others now, in a setting where we were all affected by the same force that could have very easily pushed us to murder, except a few of us felt the effects even harder - Hickey being among them - you set an infinitely more dangerous precedent.
no subject
I didn’t say others shouldn’t be punished, nor was I asking for it directly. I asked for condemnation. We’re beholden to our actions whether there’s penanced paid or not - distrusted sowed in the community is its own punishment.
Yes, many of the so-called accused have no history of violence here in this place, as admittedly is the case with Mr Hickey. But I speak as the man who found Carlson’s body, carved up after he was stabbed over a dozen times, buried as if to hide the crime. That was my evidence for premeditated murder and deliberate coverup, presented to the community to judge for themselves, asking for clarity in what we will condone.
If this crosses no lines for anyone but myself, so be it.
no subject
A dozen stab wounds doesn't make me more inclined to see him as a grizzled murderer presenting an existential threat to all of us, it makes me inclined to see him as a sloppy overeager amateur. And covering it up - likewise, just makes me think he knew what would happen to him if he were caught. When you did discover the body and connect it to Hickey, what was your reaction?
[It's a rhetorical question. He's not an idiot.]
I suspect that mine would be the same, were I in your shoes. [He has done some truly horrible things in the name of avenging wrongs done against the people under his protection, or in the name of his family. Morgan Ducard, Brother Blood, Black Mask, KGBeast... Slade, who he had confused Hickey with in a moment of feverish madness.]
Whether it was premeditated or not, whether it was done out of malice, he did it while in the throes of a curse that brought the worst out of all of us. I'm not discounting the horrific nature of what he did but that is still something that should be under consideration first and foremost. And I want you to consider how much of this is about what he's done now, and how much of this is what he did in the past.
no subject
[Crozier you’re arguing with a teenager.
He sighs.]
Discounting the direct murder and maiming of scores of people seems like an inefficient way to judge a person’s character, but your point is taken. Thank you.
Hopefully this has been a constructive dialogue, and not just an old man yelling. [Now he’s looking around the room.] I just wish…
I wish to prevent another catastrophe. That’s all.
no subject
[It's a familiar thing to recognize in someone. He very nearly brushed up against one of the worst things that happened to him too.] I would say the vast majority of us are.
But it's an easy trap to fall into - attempting to prevent one catastrophe by creating another.
Regardless, I think we've both said our piece.
no subject
Hickey
But it's Hickey's crimes that truly stand out to her. She had been ready to defend him, to defend anyone who's actions were so damn appalling, but the accusations and Crozier's testimony are enough that she jumps up out of her seat. She speaks, not to the people, but to Hickey himself.]
You told me it was rabbit! Liar!
You told me it was rabbit and you didn't tell me what you were giving me!
[She is eternally grateful now that she never touched it, never got desperate enough to take it from the little package that he had given to her. She thought that she would save it for when it was an emergency. Fortunately, it never was.
She feels her stomach turn and she steps back, away from the crowd, hot tears forming in her eyes.]
How dare you put me in that position? You didn't simply commit the crime you're accused of, but you tried to get others to do so against their will! All for what? Because you thought that I wouldn't help you?
You are sick, Cornelius Hickey, and you deserve whatever happens to you!
[She wants to say more, but holds herself back, choosing instead to turn and simply walk out.]
+1
"A person should know what they're eatin'. Better to know what's goin' on than to wonder."
Yes, those are Hickey's words; Louis is being a jerk.
no subject
How could he possibly ignore a damsel in distress? Lalo turns to the person next to him and says, "Excuse me." before standing, and quickly and quietly following the girl who just left.
If he's fast enough to catch up with her, he'll call out. ]
Svelana? [ It seems stupid to ask if she's okay. She clearly isn't. ] You wanna talk?
no subject
No.
Yes.
I don't know.
[She turns over her shoulder and glares at the door.]
I'm not going back inside there. Not with him. I - I don't want anything bad to happen to people, but I'm so angry at this.
no subject
[ Lalo drops his voice to something low and quiet, and he reaches out, to put a hand on her shoulder. The gesture is entirely platonic, but she seems like the type who'd appreciate some physical support. He's smiling, but it's a small smile, hopefully comforting, not like his usual big grins. ]
You're right to be angry. He lied to you. [ Lalo may not want to see anyone punished -- for completely self-serving reasons, mind you, but still -- but he does understand, after Ignacio, what it's like to have someone hide their true intentions from you. Violate you by making you think something is different than what it is.
That Lalo himself has done this to many people, many times over, somehow conveniently escapes him. ]He betrayed you. [ If there's a hint of genuine emotion in his voice, well... blame Ignacio! ]
no subject
I don't understand why he would do that to me.
All I did was help him.
no subject
Well, Svetalana... I can only say some people think in ways that don't make sense to any of the rest of us.
[ As if he, too, can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing to her. ]
no subject
no subject
I didn't - I didn't eat it, but he gave it to me. It's in my cupboard. [Sveta sucks in a deep breath.]
That poor man. [She leans against him.]
You should - go back inside. I'm - going home.
no subject
[ He puts his arms around her as well as he can while he's still so stiff, while his ribs still hurt, which is to say: he manages to get his hands on her upper arms, but he rubs them as soothingly as he can. ]
I'll ask Captain Crozier where he found the man. If he hasn't been properly buried, I'll do it myself.
[ ...as soon as he can dig in the iron-hard earth, anyway. But a cairn wouldn't be as difficult. He shakes his head, a little wry. ]
I'm not sure the presence of a policeman isn't doing more harm than good in there. Why don't I walk you home?
no subject
Alright. Yes. That - that sounds better.
[She is already feeling ill and green at the thought of it, but she manages to hold herself together.]
no subject
[ He nods down at her, doing his best to tamp down on his own feelings of anger, of horror. He'd meant all he said inside, but whether they have laws or not, he's disgusted by Cornelius Hickey, by his lies, by his actions.
She looks like she's going to be sick. He can't blame her. ]
I'm sorry, Sveta.
no subject
She steps back and takes his hand in her own.]
I'll be fine. I - just want that man to have some peace. That's - what I want to focus on now.
[Not the town hall, not the mob justice, not the frustrating knowledge that this is bound to happen again. She wants to go home and get actual sleep.]
no subject
[ That man, and all the others. There are a great many graves to dig and cairns to build for their small community.
He squeezes her hand, offering as much support as he can. ]
Come on. I'll take you home.