[ In his mind, his platoon flashes in his thoughts. Captain. He's let go of the chains of the past; he's given himself completely to William and his dreams. But he hears how pained they sound at him believing they weren't good people.
His smile turns self-deprecating for a second. Sorry. ]
No, that's not quite right... A good person. [ His eyes close. ] I'd say it's the sort of people that will die for the justice of the system. They believe in it so much that they want to ensure it won't fade... not so that others' crimes will be covered up, not so the filth can keep rotting the top, but because it'll protect the weak.
[ He opens his eyes. ]
I'd say good are those willing to look injustice in the face and not turn away from it. Someone who wants to change it even if there is no benefit to themselves in doing so.
[ Sorry, William... In my heart, I really do think that you're good. He thinks that William would laugh at him if he heard him say that after all that has been done, but. Someone had to save us all... and you're the one that's doing it. So, let me brag about and praise you to a stranger. ]
[ kogami is a good listener, and it helps that he's more interested in others than his own affairs -- this amiable-seeming man seems honest enough, if more than a little rough around the edges. ]
Maybe some day.
[ he's seen more than his fair share of evil, but he supposes one day it'll really be invented. surprisingly enough, it's the rest of the man's answer that captures his attention. ]
[ A slight smile flashes across his face -- soft and fond. It's more than personal to me. It's my life. ]
That person is someone I greatly respect. He'd hate it if he knew I was calling him a good person, though. [ Moran's tone shifts back to a warmer cheery one. ] I'm sure that he doesn't think what he's doing is good, but just necessary.
[ A necessary evil but you're willing to carry it out, William. ]
Well, I told you what I consider 'good.' Can you answer my question now?
[ kogami's brows are raised, because 'necessary' means a lot of things, mostly not great, especially in the context of blurred lines and how the world is made up of shades of grey. but the world this man lives in is not his own, and kogami can't help but notice how the person he respects seems to mean the world to him.
and also, fair enough -- ]
It depends on who makes the laws and why. [ he takes a long, deep drag of his cigarette, and continues neutrally. ] In my world, they found a way to round up everyone with the potential of committing crimes. Even those who haven't committed it yet. It was a system that could read your brain wave patterns, and judged you accordingly. Of course, they did it in the name of law and order. Those who scored higher on their crime coefficients were either put down, put away in facilities, or leashed as hunting dogs.
[ he glances at him. ] Imagine a society controlled by a system like that.
[ His eyes shift slightly to look to his companion before he returns to gazing out at the cityscape. Is he trying to get a read on me? Moran is just a few minutes too late to realize it, but hey-- ]
He's a humble man. What most people would call "doing good," he'd say was "necessary work."
[ Moran pauses, as he actually attempts to imagine a society like the one that. His jaw involuntarily bunches. ] But, there's no telling that they would actually do anything, right? A person should only be tried if they've done something. Is your system really so perfect that innocent people don't suffer because of false readings?
[ He steps back so that he can flick his cigarette off over the side of the railing. ]
[ moran's quick on the uptake, but the way the conversation turns is enough to distract him from it, if only for a few moments. although that reaction is sufficient enough to tell him that the man's not wholly jaded and cynical. it's a human reaction to sibyl, the horror of its system and enforced peace. ]
Mm. [ he agrees. after all, that's been the longest argument against sibyl, even if the system's managed to quash it out of existence. he takes a drag of his cigarettes. ] They do. [ straight up, right there. he thinks of kagari, of yayoi, of the many nameless others who didn't fit into society.
he continues, more bleakly, ]
And there were also people who suffered because the ones who killed others got away with it. Something in their brains made them invisible to the system.
[ Moran can't help but click his tongue at hearing that people are still suffering. It just makes him hold onto the hope of William's dream even more. William is the kind of person that can create a better reality for everyone.
His fist clenches for a brief second, before he loosens his hand. ]
People invisible to the system...
[ He lets that sink in, too. ]
Well... what do you do about those kind of people? If they can't be judged by your system, what do you do?
[ kogami says simply as he takes in the briefly clenched fist, after a few moments. a military man like moran isn't prone to squeamishness, not in that era, and kogami takes another long, deep drag. the side of his mouth tightens briefly. the weight of killing someone is heavy, not to mention the body count that's been racked up over the years.
his next words are grim. ]
I used to be a detective within the system. [ detective, he says, like pops would say it, once upon a time. ]
Moran isn't able to hide his tells -- he stills at the man's reply and stops breathing for a few seconds. He resumes breathing a beat later, and loosens his posture as he realizes he involuntarily stiffened.
A detective that hunts down and kills criminals? Is that the position that system gave detectives now? He can't see the other relaying such information in order to entrap him. Then, perhaps, he's trying to see if I'm someone that he has to one day hunt down?
He turns a little away with a sharper smile. Scary. Yet the tone in his head is filled with warm admiration. If the person next to him is willing to remain committed to his goals, to his sense of justice, even here; Moran can't help but accept him. ]
Me too. It's the only thing that they deserve.
[ A beat as he turns back towards him with a smile. ] Moran. [ And he holds his hand out to shake his companion's. ]
[ kogami notices. he's aware that moran probably notices something similar in him; he can read his tells, the thoughts flickering across that ruggedly handsome face. it seems moran has seen more than his fair share, and his words have clearly struck a chord right down deep.
he reaches out to take his hand as well in a handshake, noting the prosthetic underneath the fabric of the glove. interesting. ]
Kogami. [ he pauses, regarding him with interest. ] Was it Crimea or India?
[ He brings his hand back. The GemSci people were nice enough to fit him with a better prosthetic than what he had back home. Flexing the fingers, he fixes his stare on the artificial hand. ]
I was formally discharged, afterward.
[ As much as he already likes Kogami, he doesn't quite trust him enough to tell him the real story. And, well, it isn't a lie. He was formally discharged -- just as KIA. ]
It's unfortunate to think that wars are still going on. What about your system -- it can't do anything about stopping those?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
2/2 -- then i lied 'cause i immediately had an i d e a
His smile turns self-deprecating for a second. Sorry. ]
No, that's not quite right... A good person. [ His eyes close. ] I'd say it's the sort of people that will die for the justice of the system. They believe in it so much that they want to ensure it won't fade... not so that others' crimes will be covered up, not so the filth can keep rotting the top, but because it'll protect the weak.
[ He opens his eyes. ]
I'd say good are those willing to look injustice in the face and not turn away from it. Someone who wants to change it even if there is no benefit to themselves in doing so.
[ Sorry, William... In my heart, I really do think that you're good. He thinks that William would laugh at him if he heard him say that after all that has been done, but. Someone had to save us all... and you're the one that's doing it. So, let me brag about and praise you to a stranger. ]
OMG I LOVE THIS
Maybe some day.
[ he's seen more than his fair share of evil, but he supposes one day it'll really be invented. surprisingly enough, it's the rest of the man's answer that captures his attention. ]
This seems personal to you.
:D
That person is someone I greatly respect. He'd hate it if he knew I was calling him a good person, though. [ Moran's tone shifts back to a warmer cheery one. ] I'm sure that he doesn't think what he's doing is good, but just necessary.
[ A necessary evil but you're willing to carry it out, William. ]
Well, I told you what I consider 'good.' Can you answer my question now?
no subject
[ kogami's brows are raised, because 'necessary' means a lot of things, mostly not great, especially in the context of blurred lines and how the world is made up of shades of grey. but the world this man lives in is not his own, and kogami can't help but notice how the person he respects seems to mean the world to him.
and also, fair enough -- ]
It depends on who makes the laws and why. [ he takes a long, deep drag of his cigarette, and continues neutrally. ] In my world, they found a way to round up everyone with the potential of committing crimes. Even those who haven't committed it yet. It was a system that could read your brain wave patterns, and judged you accordingly. Of course, they did it in the name of law and order. Those who scored higher on their crime coefficients were either put down, put away in facilities, or leashed as hunting dogs.
[ he glances at him. ] Imagine a society controlled by a system like that.
no subject
He's a humble man. What most people would call "doing good," he'd say was "necessary work."
[ Moran pauses, as he actually attempts to imagine a society like the one that. His jaw involuntarily bunches. ] But, there's no telling that they would actually do anything, right? A person should only be tried if they've done something. Is your system really so perfect that innocent people don't suffer because of false readings?
[ He steps back so that he can flick his cigarette off over the side of the railing. ]
no subject
Mm. [ he agrees. after all, that's been the longest argument against sibyl, even if the system's managed to quash it out of existence. he takes a drag of his cigarettes. ] They do. [ straight up, right there. he thinks of kagari, of yayoi, of the many nameless others who didn't fit into society.
he continues, more bleakly, ]
And there were also people who suffered because the ones who killed others got away with it. Something in their brains made them invisible to the system.
no subject
His fist clenches for a brief second, before he loosens his hand. ]
People invisible to the system...
[ He lets that sink in, too. ]
Well... what do you do about those kind of people? If they can't be judged by your system, what do you do?
no subject
[ kogami says simply as he takes in the briefly clenched fist, after a few moments. a military man like moran isn't prone to squeamishness, not in that era, and kogami takes another long, deep drag. the side of his mouth tightens briefly. the weight of killing someone is heavy, not to mention the body count that's been racked up over the years.
his next words are grim. ]
I used to be a detective within the system. [ detective, he says, like pops would say it, once upon a time. ]
What would you do?
no subject
Moran isn't able to hide his tells -- he stills at the man's reply and stops breathing for a few seconds. He resumes breathing a beat later, and loosens his posture as he realizes he involuntarily stiffened.
A detective that hunts down and kills criminals? Is that the position that system gave detectives now? He can't see the other relaying such information in order to entrap him. Then, perhaps, he's trying to see if I'm someone that he has to one day hunt down?
He turns a little away with a sharper smile. Scary. Yet the tone in his head is filled with warm admiration. If the person next to him is willing to remain committed to his goals, to his sense of justice, even here; Moran can't help but accept him. ]
Me too. It's the only thing that they deserve.
[ A beat as he turns back towards him with a smile. ] Moran. [ And he holds his hand out to shake his companion's. ]
no subject
he reaches out to take his hand as well in a handshake, noting the prosthetic underneath the fabric of the glove. interesting. ]
Kogami. [ he pauses, regarding him with interest. ] Was it Crimea or India?
[ the war he was involved in, he means. ]
no subject
[ He brings his hand back. The GemSci people were nice enough to fit him with a better prosthetic than what he had back home. Flexing the fingers, he fixes his stare on the artificial hand. ]
I was formally discharged, afterward.
[ As much as he already likes Kogami, he doesn't quite trust him enough to tell him the real story. And, well, it isn't a lie. He was formally discharged -- just as KIA. ]
It's unfortunate to think that wars are still going on. What about your system -- it can't do anything about stopping those?