god help me as I feebly voicetest

[rathercommon]

[ The girl crosses her arms frankly and practically. ]

I don't like the thought of leaving London. But - [ And this is a big but - ] I know that there are new people out there who might help us in our cause.

So here's what I want to know. If I'm sent out there, to another world, how many will be willing to come back with me to fight, and how do I get them home with me.

Comments

[restorehonour]

Sorry to break it to you, but that's not how things work around here. You can't just take home whoever you want.

[ex_gloves423]

Recruiting people probably won't be a problem, people love being recruited. If it's a good cause.

[ a slight raise of the eyebrow as though to ask: is it? ]

[rathercommon]

[ Her chin suddenly starts sticking out at can't, and her eyebrows lower dangerously. She doesn't much care for that word. ]

And why not?

[rathercommon]

[ She lifts her eyebrows in turn and answers that unspoken question: ]

The overthrow of tyranny. How does that sound?

[restorehonour]

Like I said, it's not how things work. Players pick us up, they send us to games, and if they get bored of us, we get shoved aside.

There's no going back home, and there's definitely no bringing other people. Not unless your player decides it'll happen.

[rathercommon]

[ And this is a look of even greater stubbornness. ]

All right. So I talk her into having it happen. And then I can take home whoever I want.

[restorehonour]

[Be as stubborn as you want, debbie downer here isn't about to change his tune.]

I think you're missing the point. Players are in this for themselves, not for you. Whatever they want comes first.

[rathercommon]

Sounds familiar.

[ But point taken. Nothing came of trying to change the minds of magicians; no doubt nothing will come of trying to change these players' minds, either. Well - ]

And who says there's not another way, anyway?

[restorehonour]

Another way? Like what?

[rathercommon]

[ She taps a fingernail thoughtfully, then suggests: ]

Maybe people can be summoned across worlds. Like demons.

[restorehonour]

[... Demons? She can't be serious.]

Do you have experience in that kind of stuff?

[rathercommon]

I'm not a magician. But I know something about it, yeah.

[restorehonour]

So you'd somehow go home, get a magician, and then they'd do some crazy demon-summoning ritual to get people to fight for you?

[That's the stupidest sounding plan he's ever heard. And he's pretty good at coming up with stupid plans.]

What are you trying to fight, anyway?

[rathercommon]

[ Sheeeee tries to make this sound impressive and defiant, rather than self-contradictory and the sort of thing that feeds into the self-evident badness of her plan. ]

The government of the British Empire. [ A beat. She sticks out her jaw. Go on, she dares you to point out the stupidity here. ] Which is run by tyrannical, malicious magicians.

[restorehonour]

[...Actually, he doesn't point it out. He's pretty against tyrannical empires himself.]

Then I guess if you want your plan to work, you'd need to find a magician willing to fight on your side.

[rathercommon]

Or make one cooperate.

[ That's talking a little bit of a big game. But by God, she looks fierce. ]

[restorehonour]

It's safer to get someone to work with you willingly. If you force them into it, they're probably gonna double-cross you at the first opportunity.

[Not that he's speaking from experience, or anything.]

[rathercommon]

Well, they've been forcing demons and commoners to work with them for years. I think it's time for them to get that back.

[ Because that's obviously what he's protesting right ]

[restorehonour]

But if they're the ones with the power, how are you going to force them to work for you? Blackmail? Threats? Bribery? None of those methods are completely reliable.

[rathercommon]

Not completely. No.

[ Eurgh. It's a really good point. ]

But it might be good enough. And it's worth taking that chance. Our people cannot endure their rule any longer.

[restorehonour]

I won't discourage you from doing what you think is right. I'm just saying there are better ways to achieve it.

[rathercommon]

[ All right, then. ]

Such as?

[restorehonour]

Recruit someone from their side over to your cause. Not everyone is going to agree with how things are run, but they might be too afraid to take a stand on their own.

[rathercommon]

[ She shakes her head. ]

The way you get to be a magician is you enslave a demon to your will. The sorts of people who are willing to do that are also the sorts of people who aren't going to have a problem with how things are run.

[ And then, abruptly: ]

What's your name, anyway?

[restorehonour]

[He can't really argue with that, not when he doesn't know the whole situation...]

It's Zuko.