[video&action for orlea]

[smallskull]

[Assassin has been dutifully following her Master's orders, tracking one of the natives as part of the "game" he proposed to her. Sometimes, though, something else catches her eyes, and she finds herself distracted from the task at hand. This is one of those times.]

[Her target lives in Orlea, and from what she has gathered, music is one of his primary hobbies. So, it's no surprise when tailing him eventually leads to her following him into a store centered on as much. She has never really had the chance to listen to music before, much less any of the modern sort, so it isn't long before her attention falls away from him and onto the racks of CDs.]

[This is the backdrop when she decides ask a question of the populace at large. She wastes no time on an introduction or an explanation when she opens her mouth.]

What kinds of music are good?

[After this question is asked, if anyone is in the area and interested in stopping by the store, they may find Assassin inside, headphones held over her ears as she listens to whatever CD she happens to be sampling at the time. She has been picking what to listen to by how much she likes its name, which is maybe a little childish, but she is a child.]

Comments

[smallskull]

[She doesn't get much of what he says. The way he describes music and roses go right over her head. His appreciation for order, however, is easy for her to grasp.]

Okay, I get it. [She nods to herself, the motion sure.] Rules are important. People can't exist together if they don't decide what's not allowed first.

[Even if they were existing together as a commune of killers-for-hire. Maybe especially then — they were already existing outside the bounds of normal law, so they needed to draw their lines that much more clearly. The Hashshashin weren't a pack of wild dogs, after all.]

So, your job is important, too.

[defaming]

I'm glad you understand. Rules are important. People shouldn't undermine them, or change them when there's nothing wrong with them.

[Kristoph's lip twitches, the movement barely perceptible. The law should be preserved. It should be dignified and regulated. It shouldn't be a matter for untutored juries to decide.]

Exactly right. We all have to agree on certain basic laws to make society possible. More advanced societies develop more advanced laws.

I would say it's very important. I am one of those who upholds the law and order. More than that, cases are often a matter of life or death.

You mentioned your studies. What is it you study? [She looks a bit young to have specialized.] Do you have a favorite subject in school?

[smallskull]

[Oh. For a second, she just meets his question with a blank stare. Making the decision to lie is simple, but know what to lie with is more difficult. She doesn't know much of anything about what normal children study in school, after all.]

I like learning about, um...

[...]

The military.

[Thanks, Rider.]

1/2

[defaming]

...

2/2

[defaming]

The military.

[He's not sure what to think. Is she a child soldier, or perhaps the daughter of a soldier? If the first, he should feign concern, and if the latter, interest.]

And why is that? Do you have much to do with the military?

[smallskull]

Oh, um, not really. But Rider—um, one of the people who took care of me—was really interested in it, so I guess I just picked it up, too.

[defaming]

Ah, that's good. [He smiles, feeling more on even footing again.] The military is no place for children.

And that's what you studied? That's a little unusual. Were you home schooled?

[smallskull]

Is it? [She sounds genuinely unsure of this, but the information is noted away for later. Maybe she should ask Kirei about these things later, so she can be more prepared the next time someone asks.] It's pretty important, though... Um, uh-huh. I was.

[defaming]

Most children don't engage in military studies, especially not so young. Not that there's anything wrong with that. [He smiles kindly.] As you say, the military is important. Did your guardians intend that you become a part of it?

I suppose I can guess why you weren't able to listen to a great deal of music. [Raised by military fanatics, or at least those who didn't value the arts. How plebian.]

We always listened to music in my family.

[smallskull]

No.

[Well, not Rider and Waver, and the Hashshashin weren't really what one would term a military. She answers his question frankly, but doesn't say much to the rest of it. It's probably best to let him think what he likes, she decides.]

Because you all played instruments?

[defaming]

[There's definitely something he's not understanding here, but he can't say what it is. Prying too much wouldn't look right, and there's the basic fact that he's not really that interested.] I see. It sounds as though you've had an interesting upbringing. It's good that you'll have the chance to hear music now.

That's one reason. We also listened to music a great deal, nearly every day. We went to concerts. My brother was even named after an instrument. Music was always a part of our lives.

[smallskull]

Mm-hm.

[She listens to him talk, mulling his words over as she does so. It's not odd that his upbringing was completely different than her own, but it's still a bit strange to hear about it. From her perspective, he might as well have grown up on a different planet.]

Really? What kind of instrument was he named after? And what's going to a concert like?