six_word_stories | (no subject)

Curious small-chat, stranger. I suppose it'd be improper to say 'no'. [ A gentle laugh, making light of his own answer. ]

[Oh?]

Improper by whose standards?

[Mock-genuine smile in return. Really, humor him.]

If I didn't feel you were entitled to your opinion, I would have avoided the question altogether.

A generous allowance. [ Not quite a smile, but his lips are upturned as he carefully regards the younger man with a measuring tilt of his head, messy braid swaying with the motion. Open books, soldiers are not, but he generally finds it simple to read people. Generally. ] I would say it's not socially popular to snub the concept. Justice. It makes it simpler to draw a line.

If I may, why do you ask? It seems fairly heavy this early in the morning. I haven't had my coffee just yet.

Most people would avoid contradicting societal expectations; it's true.

[Glances at watch in consideration.]

Most people also don't require caffeine to take a stance. I didn't realize the line blurred for so many. You aren't the first person to hesitate.

[And you may.]

I was reading a book where the question arose consistently — it made me curious as to how the average person would respond.

[ Pale brows loft, furrowing when he dissolves in a brief giggle, knuckles drawn to cover his mouth and it takes a shake of his head to settle. ]

That's really not what I meant; must be a sign I should start thinking about cutting back. [ Smile naturally finding his lips anew, his eyes glisten in the faint rays filtered through the shop's dusty blinds, specks of dust highlighting the poor upkeep. Oddly feels homey for it. ] I'll admit, I have a minor dependence. My work.

[ Sighs out the lingering humor, brushing his bangs back behind his ear, not quite tidying the sloppy braid. ]

I-- personally do not. Believe. I figure it's a matter of semantics to some extent. My own life has not led to any conclusive answer, unfortunately. --You're quite young to be so thoughtful. I'm impressed.

I see.

[Light remains as composed as ever in the face of disbelief. While notions of justice tend to differ, he's yet to converse with someone who dismisses the idea altogether. The compliment goes unheeded; intelligence isn't something he will preen over openly.]

If you admit semantics play a part in whether or not it exists as a concept, you admit that it exists on some level. Only that you have yet to experience it personally.

[Watching, watching.]

Have you never been slighted in any way by another person?

[ Frankly hard to ignore the cool affect. Strange. Of course, he's encountered youths further removed from the world, but this being a chance meeting, it's not something he's anticipated juggling over a hot mug his first week as a civilian. ]

Perhaps.

[ The sunny disposition remains, politely listening to the follow-up with unintentionally squinted eyes. A consequence of the nearly permanent smile. ]

I have, as it happens! That is life. I would say self defense is reasonable, if that's where we're going --revenge is another matter entirely. Justice tends to... fall along a similar shadow. Petty, almost.

[ Glances away in time to graciously accept his dark coffee, going out of his way to flatter and over-thank the young man, pleased when it flusters Mr. Alan out of a coherent response. It's a cruel habit, but he does enjoy the anxiety washing off the boy, waving after his silent retreat from the wrist up. Oh, right, back to business. Keeler spares an apologetic quirk of his brow, shifting bodily to re-enter their discussion as he stirs the steaming cup. ]

I'm sorry, I think I was going somewhere with that.

[Now, Light settles his elbows on the table between them, glancing to his own neglected cup as he weighs the other's words. If it were anyone he deemed a worthy opponent dismissing his ideals this way, he might be more inclined to argue his point with passion set to convince.]

I don't think you were.

[Near-friendly laughter accompanies the dismissal. He's silent for a moment while he grasps the handle of the mug filled nearly to the brim with cooling, dark liquid. Really, arguing with someone who is clearly inebriated is a fruitless endeavor; there's no victory or absolution in this.]

Revenge and justice are on entirely different sides of a spectrum: if a family is murdered in cold blood and the perpetrator receives an apt sentence for their crime, who has taken revenge?

[Sip.]

Society? The legal system? The child left orphaned?

[More importantly:]

Is it considered revenge when someone is held accountable for actions that harm another? [Completely rhetorical; of course it isn't.] Tell the child that seeing her parents' murderer sentenced is petty.

[Airy, amused. Whatever the 'slight' that took place against his conversational partner was, it clearly wasn't enough to warrant a crime. Light is almost entirely sure of it.]

[ The disapproval is evident, the judgement --it's in his phrasing, the way he grants pauses between sentences, but mostly in his soft persona. One Keeler knows intimately. Of course, this topic is a passion clearly, so it's easier to sense the unease, the irritation, and while he doesn't thrive on pressing someone negatively for the sheer entertainment value... it's tempting.

This boy is arrogant.

Still, he is, yes, passionate. It's admirable in a way. ]

Hm. You jumped to the extreme quicker than I'd expect. The majority of crimes, or should we say moral infractions, are benign in nature whereas there is a desire to punish disproportionately. Additionally, law is ever-changing. It's a broad subject, isn't it?

[ Laughs. ]

Then, it sounds as though you have been slighted, huh? I am sorry for that.

--The nature of the system comes into play often enough. There is a distinction between making the community whole and seeing to sating a hole left by the crime with the blood of the perpetrator. Sometimes, it is even toxic.

Did I? You equated justice with revenge. I find that comparison a bit extreme, myself.

[Assumptions, assumptions.]

No, I haven't been slighted. My father is a police officer; I'm curious to understand perspectives outside of the ones imposed by the standard legal system.

Yours are —

[Blink.]

flippant. I mean no offense.

Sometimes it makes you wonder, don't it?

About how much folks really believe in justice when the guilty walk away free.

The problem lies within the system. When the guilty aren't held responsible for their crimes, the people are the ones who suffer.

What would you see changed?

Accountability.

[He's got his arms crossed, but rather than a defiant gesture he's gripping at both of his arms tightly as though he's supremely uncomfortable of the situation. Unsure of himself.]

When someone hurts you or yours, you oughta be able to make them feel the same pain and suffering they put onto you. How're they gonna learn if no one makes them understand?

I do. But there's plenty of ways in can go wrong, I've found.

[He laughs a little bit, trying to joke.]

Might make you a bit... crazy.

[He needs a bit of levity, because it's very much his truth.]

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omfg lmao same IP addies - ROOMMATES

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