The branch lifts and beneath it is a man. He's tied up at the wrists and knees and there's a gag in his mouth. He can't talk with the gag but from the expression on his face he has nothing nice to say to you or the other man.
"This is Martin Malchek. He's a child trafficker and gun smuggler. Because his father is a high ranking member of the state department, the various arms of law enforcement are encouraged to look the other way."
Martin Malchek thrashes and looks like he wants to scream before the wind slices him apart and into nothingness. Like before with the rabbit you can feel Yor's actions and emotions blend into your own as she uses her hands to...
This is different from animals. There is an ugliness to the blow that’s beyond two creatures fighting for survival, and that grotesque display has splattered against the nice new dress your employer gave you. You are trying to be merciful, but this time your hand trembles, just a bit, as you go to stab him. The way he stares at you is unfamiliar, predatory but not the kind you’ve seen before in a wolf or bear. Then you put the blade into his neck and his gaze goes blank.
As he dies you recite the dossier they gave you on Martin Malcheck. You know his height, weight, medical history, his operations and associates, and the list of his crimes. The way he would gather up Ostanian orphans with the promises of family, of being wanted, and then sell them off into the black market. Some were starved and neglected, smuggled to other countries as slaves, some taken off for experimenting, most never heard from again. You do not celebrate his death. But you also do not regret his passing.
You wipe the blood from your face with a handkerchief and examine yourself. Your father trained you to be fast and to be sure. Unnecessary pain, even for the most vile creatures imaginable, is just cruelty on your part. You don’t want to be cruel. You are...you’ve become something that doesn’t have to resort to that.
The Garden has gone beyond your father’s lessons. They’ve honed your skills the way someone sharpens a blade with a whetstone, cultivated you like a precious rose by removing all the weak and useless parts of you. The idiot that fell behind with her schooling, the gullible dupe that couldn’t make friends, the freak with the abnormal strength who could hurt just as much as help. All your stumbling failures they accepted and turned into something useful. An assassin. A weapon in service for the greater good.
And you can still be kind, in your way. You can give Yuri everything he wants, including the thing he needs the most: a peaceful world he can grow up in.
As long as he never discovers what you’ve done to pay for it.
"Oh, there are some in the prison who have uncovered a secret or two, or some she told a half-truth to that might have given more of herself away than she intended..."
Translation: Yor is a terrible liar.
"But they are thinking of the Yor Forger that she wants to be. And that will likely misdirect them as they try to find happy memories and things signifying their bonds with her, thinking that will be the thing that brings her back."
"Then you have the answer, don't you? If you want to find Yor Forger quickly you need to seek out the darkest, hidden areas of this heart. She might not hide them from you the way she would with the others."
He pulls out a button from thin air. It has a rose motif on it, the kind Yor had on the back of her outfit that Sariel might or might not have noticed during their fight. But considering he's been holding on to the manifestation of her desires as a rose, it's not like the symbolism would be lost on him. He holds the pin out, sharp side facing up, to Sariel.
"I appreciate the thoroughness you have for this job," he says. Which is almost something like approval. Or, at least, it seems to signal that Yor's innermost feelings don't resent him for what he's done to her.
The sky opens up and you can go back to the Briar house to give Yuri the rabbit food and earn some measure of peace within Yor's soul. Or you could head directly to the capital city of Ostania, Berlint.
The branch lifts and beneath it is a man. He's tied up at the wrists and knees and there's a gag in his mouth. He can't talk with the gag but from the expression on his face he has nothing nice to say to you or the man with the shears. Looking at you though, his expression morphs from anger to incredulity.
"This is Martin Malchek. He's a child trafficker and gun smuggler. Because his father is a high ranking member of the state department, the various arms of law enforcement are encouraged to look the other way. I'm asking you not to do the same."
[ THE QUESTION MARK IS LEGIT BECAUSE TSURUNO FREEZES UP IN HORROR. Okay. Okay, listen, she thought he was just going to talk about what sort of jobs Yor was having to do, but--
Hello?! ]
Y--you mean--
[ Wow it's suddenly hard to talk with how hard her throat's locked up.
Please don't assume this is for food, Tsuruno. Yor actually didn't participate in Dangerbear so she's ironically the last person on Phoenix to know the first hand effects of cannibalism.
He sighs, as if he's used to people misconstruing his words despite all other reasonable parties understanding. (It's because of Yor, he's spent over a decade training Yor...)
"If he's to be feeding anything it will be the worms in my rose garden. I'm asking you to kill him because the system of justice will not do it on behalf of those he's harmed."
... There... has to be another way... something you can do, to bring him to justice, beyond killing him! Even if those other people won't lock him away, why can't you?? Or exile him, or--!
[ Holding a man captive indefinitely > better than killing him. Standards. ]
They're a state sanctioned assassin group, not a no kill shelter.
He listens to her reasons patiently, indulgently, then speaks. "Exile him to continue his work with his compatriots? Lock him up so we can patiently wait for his successor to take over in his absence and then do the same to that one, repeating the same cycle until...?"
"A successor never grows to power if you cut the whole organization off at the roots."
He tilts his head forward, letting the brim of his hat obscure his eyes. "Yor Forger made her choices long ago and can leave whenever she wishes. If she is trapped, it's by some other force than our organization."
... Then sorry, but my choice is not to kill him. I get it, I know people kill for all sorts of reasons, but I'm sick of it.
If she's trapped... then I want to try and find out what it is that's keeping her bound, and see what it is she really wants to do. And maybe it's this, but I won't know until I ask.
He doesn't sound disappointed or angry, but he does sound dismissive. Or maybe that's just because he literally dismisses you as taps the ground with his shear tips and sends Martin Malchek sinking into the ground and Tsuruno is suddenly back at the Briar house with her little to go bag of rabbit.
Beneath the fallen foilage is a man. He's tied up at the wrists and knees and there's a gag in his mouth. He can't talk with the gag but from the expression on his face he has nothing nice to say to you or the other man.
"This is Martin Malchek. He's a child trafficker and gun smuggler. Because his father is a high ranking member of the state department, the various arms of law enforcement are encouraged to look the other way."
Then, because apparently some of Yor's friends have needed clarification, he makes it obvious. "I'm requesting that you assassinate him."
And Harlock can feel a dossier fill his mind. Now you know his height, weight, medical history, his operations and associates, and the list of his crimes. The way he would gather up Ostanian orphans with the promises of family, of being wanted, and then sell them off into the black market. Some were starved and neglected, smuggled to other countries as slaves, some taken off for experimenting, most never heard from again. In exchange for guns he would sell to Ostanian extremists who used the excuse of war to plunder their localities, then get medals from an inattentive government.
This is not explicitly spelled out but the fact that the young Yor Briar was asked to do this as her first assignment says something. The dossier listed his years of operation, showing that for a long time Martin Malchek was untouchable, heavily guarded from those he might deem a threat. But what man who abuses children like pawns, preying on them specifically for their weakness, would ever suspect one being trained to murder him?
"And you use Children to do your dirty work." He growls in the gardner's direction as he kneels in front of the man. He could understand in a sick way, why a child would be the perfect method of assassinating someone like Malchek, as he tries to control the bile that threatened to rise as he took the knife back in hand, his eye narrowing darkly.
The Shopkeeper doesn't argue, only waits with the grim patience of an executioner as Harlock takes the knife and
This is different from animals. There is an ugliness to the blow that’s beyond two creatures fighting for survival, and that grotesque display has splattered against the nice new dress your employer gave you. You are trying to be merciful, but this time your hand trembles, just a bit, as you go to stab him. The way he stares at you is unfamiliar, predatory but not the kind you’ve seen before in a wolf or bear. Then you put the blade into his neck and his gaze goes blank.
As he dies you recite the dossier they gave you on Martin Malcheck. You know his height, weight, medical history, his operations and associates, and the list of his crimes. The way he would gather up Ostanian orphans with the promises of family, of being wanted, and then sell them off into the black market. Some were starved and neglected, smuggled to other countries as slaves, some taken off for experimenting, most never heard from again. You do not celebrate his death. But you also do not regret his passing.
You wipe the blood from your face with a handkerchief and look back towards the open door. There will be two traffickers at each entrance that you will have to take out before the job is done. On the second floor there are a dozen children being held in rooms for transport, but you’ve been instructed to only remove the obstacles guarding them and let other people, those better suited for such things, be their rescuers. There’s no need to draw more attention to yourself than necessary. And you don’t think you could be very comforting the way you look now, even if all you want to be is kind to them. Even though the dress was very nice before he bled all over you.
Your father trained you to be fast and to be sure. Unnecessary pain, even for the most vile creatures imaginable, is just cruelty on your part. You don’t want to be cruel. You are...you can be something that doesn’t have to resort to that.
He was aware of how heavily he was breathing as the memory fades, disgust in his core - at the trafficker who destroyed the lives of children, those that would send a child to kill. All he could hope for was those children were rescued eventually, if just for Yor's peace of mind.
Slowly, the pirate raises and drops the bloody knife on the grass as he turns to face the man - Yor's handler he surmised. "I did your dirty work,"
He glances back, as the body vanished - but it still cast a pall over the garden in his eye even with it's absence.
"I'll be taking the rabbit back to Yuri," He sigh. "I don't know what she went through in my heart, but I am not going to shy away not after what she has been through."
"There is a similarity to your hearts. But for what you were willing to do, I'll offer you this advice: if you want to bring her back, what she wants and what she needs are not the same."
He flicks a button at you that spins in the air, showing one sharp thorn side and the other an engraved stylized rose like you might have recognized on the outfit she requested from home.
And at that you feel yourself being drawn back to the Briar house.
SARIEL
"This is Martin Malchek. He's a child trafficker and gun smuggler. Because his father is a high ranking member of the state department, the various arms of law enforcement are encouraged to look the other way."
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"If you please. His existence is a stain on good Ostanian society. And if you truly want to know where Yor is, this will help you understand her."
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[ He lifts up a hand. ]
I'd say "sorry," Martin, but . . . well. Looks like you've been judged, right?
[ And then, without even batting an eye, Sariel sends a sudden, sharp gust of wind at Martin, aiming to cut right through him. ]
no subject
This is different from animals. There is an ugliness to the blow that’s beyond two creatures fighting for survival, and that grotesque display has splattered against the nice new dress your employer gave you. You are trying to be merciful, but this time your hand trembles, just a bit, as you go to stab him. The way he stares at you is unfamiliar, predatory but not the kind you’ve seen before in a wolf or bear. Then you put the blade into his neck and his gaze goes blank.
As he dies you recite the dossier they gave you on Martin Malcheck. You know his height, weight, medical history, his operations and associates, and the list of his crimes. The way he would gather up Ostanian orphans with the promises of family, of being wanted, and then sell them off into the black market. Some were starved and neglected, smuggled to other countries as slaves, some taken off for experimenting, most never heard from again. You do not celebrate his death. But you also do not regret his passing.
You wipe the blood from your face with a handkerchief and examine yourself. Your father trained you to be fast and to be sure. Unnecessary pain, even for the most vile creatures imaginable, is just cruelty on your part. You don’t want to be cruel. You are...you’ve become something that doesn’t have to resort to that.
The Garden has gone beyond your father’s lessons. They’ve honed your skills the way someone sharpens a blade with a whetstone, cultivated you like a precious rose by removing all the weak and useless parts of you. The idiot that fell behind with her schooling, the gullible dupe that couldn’t make friends, the freak with the abnormal strength who could hurt just as much as help. All your stumbling failures they accepted and turned into something useful. An assassin. A weapon in service for the greater good.
And you can still be kind, in your way. You can give Yuri everything he wants, including the thing he needs the most: a peaceful world he can grow up in.
As long as he never discovers what you’ve done to pay for it.
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Geez. Who knew it was like this for her . . .
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Translation: Yor is a terrible liar.
"But they are thinking of the Yor Forger that she wants to be. And that will likely misdirect them as they try to find happy memories and things signifying their bonds with her, thinking that will be the thing that brings her back."
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He pulls out a button from thin air. It has a rose motif on it, the kind Yor had on the back of her outfit that Sariel might or might not have noticed during their fight. But considering he's been holding on to the manifestation of her desires as a rose, it's not like the symbolism would be lost on him. He holds the pin out, sharp side facing up, to Sariel.
"Besides, you've already seen her at her worst."
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[ He peers over at it. ]
What's that?
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[ He reaches out to take it. ]
Point me in the right direction. I'll get the job done.
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The sky opens up and you can go back to the Briar house to give Yuri the rabbit food and earn some measure of peace within Yor's soul. Or you could head directly to the capital city of Ostania, Berlint.
TSURUNO?
"This is Martin Malchek. He's a child trafficker and gun smuggler. Because his father is a high ranking member of the state department, the various arms of law enforcement are encouraged to look the other way. I'm asking you not to do the same."
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Hello?! ]
Y--you mean--
[ Wow it's suddenly hard to talk with how hard her throat's locked up.
Please hold. ]
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Please don't assume this is for food, Tsuruno. Yor actually didn't participate in Dangerbear so she's ironically the last person on Phoenix to know the first hand effects of cannibalism.
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I'm--growing boys or anyone really shouldn't be eating people--
[ Help. ]
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"If he's to be feeding anything it will be the worms in my rose garden. I'm asking you to kill him because the system of justice will not do it on behalf of those he's harmed."
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... There... has to be another way... something you can do, to bring him to justice, beyond killing him! Even if those other people won't lock him away, why can't you?? Or exile him, or--!
[ Holding a man captive indefinitely > better than killing him. Standards. ]
no subject
He listens to her reasons patiently, indulgently, then speaks. "Exile him to continue his work with his compatriots? Lock him up so we can patiently wait for his successor to take over in his absence and then do the same to that one, repeating the same cycle until...?"
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Are you telling me you're okay with having Yor get trapped like that??
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He tilts his head forward, letting the brim of his hat obscure his eyes. "Yor Forger made her choices long ago and can leave whenever she wishes. If she is trapped, it's by some other force than our organization."
no subject
If she's trapped... then I want to try and find out what it is that's keeping her bound, and see what it is she really wants to do. And maybe it's this, but I won't know until I ask.
no subject
He doesn't sound disappointed or angry, but he does sound dismissive. Or maybe that's just because he literally dismisses you as taps the ground with his shear tips and sends Martin Malchek sinking into the ground and Tsuruno is suddenly back at the Briar house with her little to go bag of rabbit.
HARLOCK
"This is Martin Malchek. He's a child trafficker and gun smuggler. Because his father is a high ranking member of the state department, the various arms of law enforcement are encouraged to look the other way."
Then, because apparently some of Yor's friends have needed clarification, he makes it obvious. "I'm requesting that you assassinate him."
Re: HARLOCK
"Is it true that he traffics children?" His voice was low, measured, staring down at the man as he steps forward.
no subject
And Harlock can feel a dossier fill his mind. Now you know his height, weight, medical history, his operations and associates, and the list of his crimes. The way he would gather up Ostanian orphans with the promises of family, of being wanted, and then sell them off into the black market. Some were starved and neglected, smuggled to other countries as slaves, some taken off for experimenting, most never heard from again. In exchange for guns he would sell to Ostanian extremists who used the excuse of war to plunder their localities, then get medals from an inattentive government.
This is not explicitly spelled out but the fact that the young Yor Briar was asked to do this as her first assignment says something. The dossier listed his years of operation, showing that for a long time Martin Malchek was untouchable, heavily guarded from those he might deem a threat. But what man who abuses children like pawns, preying on them specifically for their weakness, would ever suspect one being trained to murder him?
no subject
"And you use Children to do your dirty work." He growls in the gardner's direction as he kneels in front of the man. He could understand in a sick way, why a child would be the perfect method of assassinating someone like Malchek, as he tries to control the bile that threatened to rise as he took the knife back in hand, his eye narrowing darkly.
Like with the rabbit before, he was quick to cut.
no subject
This is different from animals. There is an ugliness to the blow that’s beyond two creatures fighting for survival, and that grotesque display has splattered against the nice new dress your employer gave you. You are trying to be merciful, but this time your hand trembles, just a bit, as you go to stab him. The way he stares at you is unfamiliar, predatory but not the kind you’ve seen before in a wolf or bear. Then you put the blade into his neck and his gaze goes blank.
As he dies you recite the dossier they gave you on Martin Malcheck. You know his height, weight, medical history, his operations and associates, and the list of his crimes. The way he would gather up Ostanian orphans with the promises of family, of being wanted, and then sell them off into the black market. Some were starved and neglected, smuggled to other countries as slaves, some taken off for experimenting, most never heard from again. You do not celebrate his death. But you also do not regret his passing.
You wipe the blood from your face with a handkerchief and look back towards the open door. There will be two traffickers at each entrance that you will have to take out before the job is done. On the second floor there are a dozen children being held in rooms for transport, but you’ve been instructed to only remove the obstacles guarding them and let other people, those better suited for such things, be their rescuers. There’s no need to draw more attention to yourself than necessary. And you don’t think you could be very comforting the way you look now, even if all you want to be is kind to them. Even though the dress was very nice before he bled all over you.
Your father trained you to be fast and to be sure. Unnecessary pain, even for the most vile creatures imaginable, is just cruelty on your part. You don’t want to be cruel. You are...you can be something that doesn’t have to resort to that.
"Thank you." Is all he says.
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Slowly, the pirate raises and drops the bloody knife on the grass as he turns to face the man - Yor's handler he surmised. "I did your dirty work,"
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The body seems to vanish quite cleanly once the job is finished.
"She would never wish this upon anyone, but these are unique circumstances, being in her heart..."
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"I'll be taking the rabbit back to Yuri," He sigh. "I don't know what she went through in my heart, but I am not going to shy away not after what she has been through."
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He flicks a button at you that spins in the air, showing one sharp thorn side and the other an engraved stylized rose like you might have recognized on the outfit she requested from home.
And at that you feel yourself being drawn back to the Briar house.