cartesio | SERGEANT NPC CONTACT

SERGEANT NPC CONTACT

The Lodge is located on the hills near the town, large and strange. It contrasts a lot when compared to the rest of the town -- its gray and white walls are quite the change from the vibrant and colorful Cartesio, the plants and bushes that are planted on the lower levels of the Lodge only make the contrast more obvious. There are many windows, but no matter how much you look you don't see anyone passing behind them. If you didn't know better you'd think it was completely empty.

But it isn't empty. The Sergeant is there.

You won't get too far into the Lodge before you encounter the Sergeant. There he is in the lobby, standing in front of a door that leads deeper into the building. No matter at what time you come or what you do, he'll always be there, reading self-help books, or with a mirror, practicing his next speech/confrontation. When he's not facing all of you at once, he seems to be easier to talk with.

Want to bother him?

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...

[ She listens to him carefully, taking it all in. She seems to understand what it means, to do something you're not used to. Magic was like that to her, once. ]

So you're planning to be cruel because of something you want? I think... that's a little sad, Sergeant-san.

It's not like there's any other way to achieve it.

[Cruelty is the only option, that's something he's convinced about]

Why do you think that? I want to understand, even if it's just a little bit.

Would any of you cooperate if I didn't force you through these rather cruel methods?

[Nobody will go commit crimes just because he asked nicely, he's sure of that!]

Edited 2018-10-04 04:25 (UTC)

Maybe you're right. But... you've never told us about why you're doing it. So that maybe we could come up with something that might be better.

Orders are orders. Even if there's another way, I cannot deviate from what was already established. Not like there's another way. It's literally impossible.

[As far as he knows. He sure doesn't seem willing to communicate]

So you are...

[ Her words trail off a little bit, but she doesn't continue on that line of thought. Instead, she answers. ]

Even if you think it's impossible, I'm going to try my hardest to find another way to do things. I won't give up on that. I want to be able to find a way to help you... without hurting anybody else.

[Slowly, he comments:]

...a lot of people would say that stance is admirable. What I think I won't say aloud... [Because, even though the Sergeant is a horrible person, he's not into crushing young people's hopes and sincerity in a gratuitous manner. Better keep his thoughts to himself] ...but I do wonder for how long you can keep that attitude.

It's two months. If you live by the end of these two months, I wonder if you still will be able to say such things.

I'll prove it to you, then, Sergeant-san.

[ She says those words with full confidence and determination glittering in her eyes. ]

That what I said here today, that my feelings... no matter what happens, they won't change.

I'll be looking forward to finding out how that goes for you. [He can respect determination, yup] But seriously, if you could save an evil person, would you really do that?

[Tangentially related, although not the same. It's something he's wondering now, after what Sakura said]

If I could save them and help them become a better person... I would.

Even if they reach unforgivable levels? Surely there must be some sort of limit.

I'm... still a kid, so I don't really know what a limit would be or what it wouldn't be. I think, though, that if they did something that a lot of people would think is unforgivable, there's a reason to it. I want to believe that they didn't do it just... senselessly.

Mira-san had her reasons too, after all, for doing what she did.

I want to believe that people can change, even in spite of any horrible things they might have done in the past.

If it's any consolation for you, people do change. The problem is that it's not always for the better.

[The more Sakura speaks, the more tense he feels. At least he's hiding it well]

But that doesn't mean that it's for the worst, either. Something good can come out of it.

Have you ever seen that happen?

[It's genuine curiosity, you see]

[ And with full confidence: ]

I have. Yue-san... was planning on doing something horrible if I didn't pass his Final Judgment. However, I managed to convince him that we didn't have to fight. That he would also be sad if he did it, just because I couldn't- that I didn't want to fight him.

Tell me about this Yue person.

[He's not very impressed -- what kind of person lets his mind be swayed by such arguments? Still, he wants to hear about Yue. There could be something he's not seeing about this]

Yue-san... he comes off as a little awkward, and sometimes even cold and distant, but he's actually really kind. He missed his old master a lot, which is why he didn't want to have a new one. That's why he held the Final Judgment, so they could find a suitable master when Clow-san... died.

But I didn't want to be his master. I wanted to be his friend.

Was he putting a front because of his pain? That does sound a lot like he was trying to hide his feelings behind a cold demeanor for the sake of not being hurt by the loss of someone he missed.

[Sure is starting to sound like that. He think he's starting to see how Sakura managed to change that person]

I think so, too. But... I'm surprised that you understood it so easily, Sergeant-san!

I wouldn't be able to be in charge if I didn't understand people up to a certain point. There's still a lot I'm not sure about, but I pride myself in knowing about a few areas of sociology and social behavior.

Edited 2018-10-07 16:24 (UTC)

Maybe, but I think that in order to understand someone like that, you can't be entirely bad. Even if you try to act like it.

....

[The Sergeant slowly crosses his arms, sways in his place, looks away. There's a moment before he finally replies]

What I think or don't think doesn't matter. Orders are orders, and I'm going to fulfill them. Nothing's going to change that -- that I can tell you with no doubt.

I'm going to take this to its completion and I'll succeed. End of discussion.

...

[ She doesn't say anything-- not at first, anyway. ]

Okay. I probably should get going, but... I'll come back, another day.

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cartesio - 2018-10-10 22:32 (UTC) - Expand

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