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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Oct 17, 2013 0:24:36 GMT -8
"That's not a good enough reason."
He said finally. Probably the quickest he has yet to answer her. And certainly not what she wanted to hear. But she came to him for the blunt truth he assumed. And if not, well she could stick with David.
"It is horribly frustrating to be running things and to have him walk up and just take that from you. I totally understand that, and if he tried to do it to me like that I'd probably be furious. But you not feeling like you are done with your own ambition is not cause in itself for you to be an Elder. A named maybe. But an Elder requires more than just the ambition to have it."
There was a silent but in there though.
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 17, 2013 14:43:26 GMT -8
Olesya pressed her lips together, suppressing any irritation she felt at his answer. Her temper had grown short during her time as interim Elder, and it was something she was working on extending. Stop and think. She assured herself, Nothing good ever comes from impulse. Quick thinking, yes. Impulse, no.
"The way I see it, if I wasn't Elder-worthy, I should not have been left running the territory in the first place. If I didn't have what it takes, the duty would have fallen to someone else. If David hadn't stepped in, I would have still stood there and seen it through. I still will, because when you've taken on a responsibility, you see it through to the end, no matter the cost."
Sleepless nights? Sure. Skipped meals? Of course. Laying your life down if it meant victory for the people? Selflessness for the prosperity of the whole was a strong feature of a good leader. Why lead if you cannot lead by example? How can you expect to lead an army into a war if you are not willing to risk your own life among them? Now this didn't mean she should throw herself into the thick of everything like a reckless hero, but that she could only expect from her subservience what she was also wiling to give.
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Oct 17, 2013 14:53:15 GMT -8
"I suppose what the problem I am seeing is that you don't understand what an Elder really is. Which is why I suppose you are here asking me what an Elder means."
He leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other as he turned his attention to the babies.
"Beautiful aren't they? You were not around for the celebration of their birth were you?"
He didn't recall seeing her there.
"The God's had a huge feast and fights and songs to celebrate their birth. The first time a child has spawned from two Gods. Can you imagine that?"
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 17, 2013 15:01:07 GMT -8
Ding ding ding...that would be why she was here. She wouldn't respond, but the look on her face would affirm his observation. She looked over to where Maddie was playing with the two babies, the three of them having a grand time, it seemed.
"No, I had returned to the half-way house...to finish my treatment."
The half-way house had been a nice alternative to the asylum in Northern California. If Dr. Twist hadn't found her and recognized her affliction as an experiment of Barker's, she would probably still be up there, if she'd survived at all.
Olesya blinked, wrapping her mind around his words. To Olesya's knowledge, they were not immortal, and yet he spoke of the Gods as if they were on the same level as the old Greek Mythos. Standing beside Zeus.
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Oct 17, 2013 15:09:37 GMT -8
"It's quite interesting really. The different dynamics in each faction of the God's. Each has it's own culture and way of life, but they meld together perfectly. Rule isn't questioned. Many believe it is divine mandate. I am Ares now, because I was always Ares. Even before I was Ares."
If that made sense.
"In a way they are symbols to the God's of change. A new era is coming. An age of pain. And joy. Of sorrow. Of celebration. Can you imagine celebrating your own destruction and salvation at the same time?"
After all no one knew what the girls would grow up to be. Light or Dark. Chaos or Order. Or something stranger still.
"I suppose the question that I must ask you is this. Do you think I deserve to be an Elder. Holed up in my house as I believe you put it. Leon rotting in his tower. And David spread out like the wind. Leaving you alone to hold it together."
His attention was back on her.
"Do we deserve it? Why or why not?"
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 17, 2013 17:29:42 GMT -8
Olesya's eyebrows furrowed. Pain, joy, celebration...destruction and salvation. Was she talking to Mathew, or one of those Jehovah's Witnesses who went door to door spreading the good news? Was he going to hand her a pamphlet?
Before she could ask if he was on some sort of new drug, he posed another question for her. Did Mathew, Leon, and David deserve to be Elders? Mathew, who now was a father doting on his two beautiful daughters, caught up in family duties while Olesya slaved away, unable to tuck her little girl in at night. Was he wrong? Did that make him a lesser person?
Leon was holed up in his tower. Rotting on his throne as the stories around the market went. He gave his name away to a man who wasn't even a Dragon citizen. Olesya didn't know him as well, and she was trying her best to reserve judgment.
David. He abandoned his duties, leaving everything to Olesya. He failed to uphold his responsibility, but didn't they all?
"I like to think of the Elders as a council, the ultimate unity of power and justice. From what I understand, an Elder, once chosen, can never have it taken away. But really, I believe that as an Elder, you have a responsibility to your people, and if you fail to uphold that responsibility, you are not doing your divine duty as an Elder. And if you're not doing your duty appointed to you at the trust of your people, that you don't deserve it. Am I wrong?"
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Oct 17, 2013 17:49:01 GMT -8
"You assume that we are not doing our duty though. I can assure you that I have not been sitting idle and I am quite abreast of what is going on. Not everything that we do needs to be in the public eye."
But she was entitled to her opinion. And he could see where she felt the way she did. Even if she was wrong. It came down to trust he supposed, and taking the long view. She may say that she trusted them, she may even think she does. But the doubt show there are holes in that trust.
And looking at the duties she has had to pick up as a sign of failure on their part instead of a test for her was also short sighted. The Dragon Elders were not simply administrators to rubber stamp things.
"I have a task for you, if you think you can complete it."
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Post by Your Mom~ on Oct 28, 2013 14:55:10 GMT -8
"I'm not doubting you, I'm just...doing work that is currently beyond my job description."
A short, slight laugh escaped the young woman. Running the territory was certainly a job, but it's not like it was up in the wanted ads. In fact, there probably weren't wanted ads anymore, since there were no newspapers.
Olesya looked at him, curiosity piqued.
"Oh? And what is that?"
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Nov 2, 2013 11:05:28 GMT -8
"I wouldn't say that. You are David's Voice yes? The Voice acts in for the Dragon it represents when the Elder is otherwise indisposed. The very nature of your position is to act in David's behalf when he isn't there. For whatever reason."
The discussion of what was a good reason and what wasn't could go on forever, and it didn't really matter much in the end. Because reality was reality, and everyone had a job.
"The first task should be fairly simple for you. Find the source of my immortality."
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Post by Your Mom~ on Nov 8, 2013 10:33:18 GMT -8
Olesya blinked, staring at Mathew like he had five heads. He was joking, right?
"I...didn't realize you were immortal. I thought the whole 'Gods' thing was supposed to be, I don't know, poetic or something."
She looked like she still didn't believe him. Who could actually be immortal?
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Post by Mathew Amtrum on Nov 8, 2013 12:24:13 GMT -8
"Is it?"
He asked with a toothy grin. He had lived through quite a lot, and here he was almost unscathed from the end of the world. Not only that, but he was thriving. Almost everything he touched turned to gold.
"Either way, you have the first task of your test, if you think you can handle it."
He expected Kiyr and Rai would have little trouble with this. But would Olesya?
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Post by Your Mom~ on Nov 18, 2013 4:46:51 GMT -8
"If this is a red herring, I will come back and personally gut you."
Her threat lacked any venom or seriousness, but she did appeare displeased by this strange task. What would she gain by finding it, if it existed? Immortality herself? Les wasn't sure she wanted that kind of gift. Forever was a really long time.
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