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[ladyfrownsalot]

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[ladyfrownsalot]

"Answer what, Jonny? You didn't ask a question: I did. Answer mine."

[epistemological]

"The most accurate answer," he admits, "is that I never would warden for anyone from my world. There are two inmates here from it, and I'd recuse myself immediately, as one of them is my predecessor and the other one is someone I greatly respect, though... I can see why he's here as an inmate all the same."

He folds his hands again.

"But what you're getting at, well... it would certainly inform it. But only the same way that any experience does. It plays a part. But it's not the be all and end all. It's not an explanation."

[ladyfrownsalot]

"Okay. Fine. So when I'm talking about destiny, that's as real where I'm from as your Entities are where you're from. Maybe it's not the 'be all and end all', but it's something. It plays a part. I don't care how dumb or not-real you think it sounds."

[epistemological]

"I asked you earlier what 'destiny' was for you for that very reason. Your answer referred to it as 'all that other stuff' and you asked me if it mattered. So I assumed it didn't. I can't know these things if you blow me off."

[ladyfrownsalot]

"That's not - never mind. It matters. Okay?"

[epistemological]

"Of course," he says with a snort. "Cassandra, a children's book nearly killed me once. I'm hardly about to go deciding what is and isn't real in someone else's world, considering. I'm not trying to disrespect the reality of your world. I just don't know it yet."

[ladyfrownsalot]

"...Okay. Great. Glad we understand each other."

She wishes he'd just read her file already while simultaneously being incredibly glad that he hasn't.

[epistemological]

"So... tell me about 'destiny'," he prompts mildly. "How it works. What it's like. How it's real, if you please."

[ladyfrownsalot]

"I don't know," she says, and shrugs, throwing her hands up. Fortunately she put the teacup down first.

"Some people are meant to do certain things. If I did know how it worked then maybe my life would've been easier, but I haven't cracked all the secrets of the universe. Sorry."

[epistemological]

A little gentler.

"What I mean is, how is it determined. If there's books that say so, or a mural or -or some sort of crazy old woman who lives in the woods who says these things and people write them down." He continues. "Whether... someone feels that destiny, like a physical force. Or if events will bend themselves unreasonably to make sure it happens. If it's real, then surely there's... well, a method to it. Ways that it's real. Hopefully, that makes more sense."

[ladyfrownsalot]

Cassandra sits with that question for several moments.

"I felt it," she says finally, voice quiet but firm. "I felt it when it was taken from me. And I felt it when I took it back."

[epistemological]

A pause, and he's not trying to invalidate her words. But that doesn't sound... right.

"I've never heard of destiny being something someone could take. Is that... if you could explain how that works."

[ladyfrownsalot]

"No," Cassandra says bluntly. "No, I couldn't."

[epistemological]

Hm.

"Even though you took it back?"

No compel; he's being careful but he can't stop wondering.

[ladyfrownsalot]

"Yeah. Even though."

You do not need Entity-given powers of observation to tell that she is getting very close to the limits of her tolerance for this line of enquiry.

[epistemological]

Yeah, he's picked up on that. Well. Rome wasn't built in a day and no one graduates in an afternoon.

Moving on.

"Have you trusted anyone since Rapunzel?"

[ladyfrownsalot]

"...No." She laughs bitterly. "Convenient, really, because nobody trusts me either."

[epistemological]

"...I suppose there's a reason. I mean, other than the fact that she didn't trust you that once."

There better be.

[ladyfrownsalot]

"That they didn't trust me? Because I took the Moonstone. I claimed its power. And that made me the bad guy."

[epistemological]

"Even though you were... I mean. I'm assuming you didn't want your friend to die. And she was determined to do so because... destiny. They didn't... think that perhaps your motivations were reasonable?"

[ladyfrownsalot]

"No. They didn't. But by then I didn't really care about the risk to her," Cassandra says. "I was just so sick of following her around, trying to keep her safe, tolerating her acting like we were friends when when it really came down to it? She was the special one and I was just staff. She never cared about me."

[epistemological]

Perhaps she's looking at his face. Maybe she gets a view of how fucking insane that sounds to him.

"So... she does something foolish that she knew she couldn't control, maims you, and all is well. And you do something that will save her" and he does not say 'stupid' but it's so clear he's thinking it "life. And you're enemy number one. Do I have that right?"

[ladyfrownsalot]

"...Yes."

She finishes her tea.

"I mean, I did go back to her kingdom and conquer it, but that didn't happen until later and they'd already very much decided I was a lost cause."

[epistemological]

"...and has anyone here told you that that is utter bullshit or am I the first one?"

[ladyfrownsalot]

She pulls a face at him.

"How many people do you think I've been talking to? You're the first person who could have any opinion on this."