a simple question

[incensor]

Type: Voice
Sender ID: incensor (Lio Fotia)
To: Public (locked to rift-farers but well...)
Subject: Rift-farer treatment
Warnings: None, topics of general prejudice and oppression could come up

I've been here a few weeks, and this isn't the first time I've found myself in the position of being an outsider. So, I just have to ask. What's your experience with the locals and their treatment of us rift-farers?

[ Someone just wants to be prepared in case he has to deal with the same bullshit he just left behind. ]

Comments

[activatingcombatmode]

[Wow, the sass! Zack laughs.]

Well, it's good to know there's an old-lady-defender out there like you!

[Then he hums.]

As for what prompted the merfolk... Well, the ones down in the deeper waters are pretty damn territorial, so I'm guessing it has something to do with them wanting to keep their space their own.

[incensor]

[ Lio's grin won't come through the feed but Zack earns some bonus points for taking it in stride. ]

As is their right. If they want to be left alone, we should respect their wishes. As long as they're not causing trouble outside their territory.

[activatingcombatmode]

[He can take a good joke in stride! Old ladies are serious business!]

Yeah, I think for the most part we stay out of the underwater villages. But there have been a few expeditions down below because there are a lot of old ruins down below. There's a lot of people who think we'll find answers down there.

[Luckily, not every merfolk group is dangerous or territorial. But some of them are. The fact that there is so much to discover down there makes it... Complicated.]

[incensor]

Answers to what? Our situation with the rifts?

[ Consider his curiosity piqued. ]

[activatingcombatmode]

Yeah, exactly.

[Most people do find interest in that part!]

We haven't found anything much about the rifts here on land. But there's been some research found down below. The only way we're going to find out more is to keep looking.

And that means... We might have to get a little too close to those villages, sometimes.

[incensor]

Ah. That's quite the predicament. Are we sure the research will lead to a solution with the rifts?

If we're going to provoke another species for the sake of progress, well, I don't like the sound of that either way, but it would be even worse if our efforts amounted to nothing in the end.

[ Sorry, this hits a little too close to home. ]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack is nodding on his end.]

Yeah, it's complicated. But so far, we've found some interesting bits about what this world was like before the current leviathans we live on were around.

And I mean... I'm thinking we just need to find a way to make friends with the merfolk down below. You know, throw them a party or get them a peace offering. What do you think? Think they would be happy to get a fancy bottle of wine or something?

[He's joking, of course. But ... If they can somehow actually improve relations, there... It might just be the best route to go.]

[incensor]

Like the one they're currently planning?

[ He's been roped into his fair share of prep. ]

I'm not sure wine would survive the journey underwater. We'll just have to learn more about them.

[ He agrees with the sentiment though. If they can find a common grounds around which to communicate, that's far preferable to the options born out of animosity. The bit about the world's history is... interesting but it still doesn't promise a solution to the rifts, so he doesn't push it with someone he's only just met. ]