The Will Of One || Keisha || Re: Everyone
Keisha listens in silence from her spot on the floor. Over time, as things are explained, the shaking in her legs stops enough for her to rise to her feet. She leans on the podium for support, closing her eyes for a few short moments. That was a whole lot to take in. To her credit though, she doesn’t seem terribly phased by the Volitions’ outburst. In fact, she seems to strengthen in the face of it. Her lips purse together and she stands up straighter.
“So we’re lookin’ at a bunch o’ magical bullshit then.”
Keisha comments dryly, drumming her fingers on the top of the podium.
“If we’re talkin’ ‘bout virtues, m'pretty sure those’re usually things like patience, courage, wisdom, generosity an’ the like, right? Takin’ away self-control o’ anythin’ else…yer rippin’ away somethin’ that makes 'em human. An’ the thought o’ that happenin’ t'anyone else is frankly disgustin’ t'me. I mean, fuck, e'en when Kleis went all thundaga on Oken an’ zapped the asshole outta him there was just somethin’ wrong 'bout him. It wasn’t him without that an’ it was goddamn unnerving. Harumi is right. If yer pullin’ what’s good from either o’ ‘em, it’s just gonna do more damage.”
She shakes her head, her lip curling. Keisha remembers all too well the damage that lack of restraint had done.
“I gotta disagree with the whole ‘hauntin’‘ thing though. M’sure they’ve got better shit t’do than float ‘round after the two o’ ya like yer Ebenezer Scrooge. Just kinda seems inconvenient fer e’erybody an’ I gotta feelin’ this ain’t exactly somethin’ yer gonna go forgettin’ anytime soon.”
She shrugs. That totally wasn’t the part she should have been focusing on. Keisha goes quiet again for a few moments, thinking before she shifts her weight to one hip, crossing her arms across her chest. She pivots to turn and look back with a bit of a smile towards the spectre behind her: the Merciful.
“A lil ways back, I came t'ya askin’ fer mercy fer Hikaru. I said I’d bet m'life that he regrets his part in all o’ this an’ I ain’t wrong. Ya told me he needed t’ask fer redemption on his own an’ I’ll b’fucked if that ain’t what he just did. Ya also told me ta trust m'intuition, so that’s what m'doin’. An’ it’s tellin’ me that whate'er the hell yer all plannin’ ain’t right.”
With that, she turns back to address the rest of the Volitions. The look in her eyes is considerably harder now.
“After all, y’ain’t blameless in this neither. Alaric mighta commanded ya t’do some shit, but seein’ what’re supposed t’be the Hope o’ Humanity not only neglect t’help stop a group o’ teenagers from bein’ magically tortured but also condemn others t’more sufferin’ don’t exactly inspire a girl with much confidence. Ya wanna punish Harumi an’ Hikaru fer lyin’ an’ bein’ naive? How ‘boutcha take a good look at yerselves. What has yer complacency an’ cowardice gotten us?!”
She grits her teeth, needing to pause to calm herself down. Yelling out her anger at the ones she’s supposed to be bringing to their side isn’t going to help. She takes a few deep breaths and something occurs to her.
“Been on m’own long ‘nough t’not really give two shits ‘bout what the rest o’ humanity wants, but if ya say they’re watchin’ all o’ this…”
Keisha coughs into her fist, clearing her throat before standing up straighter. She’s not quite sure how to do this but she’s going to try. She fixes her gaze straight ahead, not really looking at anyone in particular across the room as she starts to speak.
(~~Background music here!!!~~)
“Howdy folks, this is yer Capt'n speakin’! M'name is Keisha Deering, though I somehow got the feelin’ y'all know that already. I got a few things I’d like t’say ta the lot o’ ya.”
She’s just speaking to thin air. Has Keisha finally lost it? She looks awfully determined though…
“Humanity is callin’ fer action? Fine. Congrats folks, none o’ ya’re bystanders. M’callin’ y’all out! Y'all’re a part o’ this now. When it comes down ta it, yer just as big o’ an influence on these folks as much as anyone else. Ya got a say in the future an’ that makes ya responsible fer what happens next. I believe in Harumi an’ Hikaru. They’ve been manipulated an’ lied ta an’ made their share o’ mistakes, but they’re both good people an’ deserve a second chance. I know I’ve already forgiven ‘em, but t’be honest, they need yours more than just mine. Alaric used ‘em fer his own intentions, fuelin’ a death game from behind the scenes t'quench a rebellion where none shoulda e’er happened, when all we wanted was fer our voices t’be heard. I don’t want war. I want the chaos an’ the pain’ an’ the sufferin’ t’stop. Not just fer me, but fer e’eryone here.”
Keisha’s voice shakes briefly. God she hopes this works. She squares her shoulders and continues.
“Livin’ on with their guilt, always tryin’ t'make it right but knowin’ that they ne'er will…ain’t that punishment 'nough already? Fer fucks sake…addin’ t'all the sufferin’ that’s already been dealt is just gonna bring more! This cycle o’ violence has gotta end. After seein’ e’erythin’ that’s happened here, d’ya honestly think that handin’ out more pain is gonna help solve anythin’? Punishin’ ‘em ain’t gonna turn back time. It ain’t gonna bring the dead back t’life o’ fix the consequences o’ what they’ve done. At this point, any penance ya inflict on’ em is just gonna be like beatin’ a dead horse. Instead, we need t’stand t’gether so somethin’ like this ne’er happens again. Ya gotta take a look at yerselves, at the folks ‘round ya an’ ask “would’ve I done somethin’ different?” In the face o’ fearin’ fer yer life an’ the lives o’ yer family, would ya’ve stood up? It’s real easy t’say thatcha would. It’s real damn easy t’assure yerself thatcha got the courage t’do what’s right, but the truth is that it ain’t easy. Standin’ up fer what ya think is right ain’t easy. Sayin’ what ya really want ain’t easy. Tellin’ the truth ain’t easy. Admitting yer wrong an’ bein’ willin’ t’accept penance fer it ain’t easy. They couldn’t do it before but they’re both doin’ it now an’ I know they’re both goin’ ta take the steps t’do what needs t’be done from now on.”
Keisha smiles at Hikaru and Harumi. They’ve come a long way from how she knew them at the start. She’s so proud of them both.
“They may be willin’ t’accept punishment, but that don’t mean they should get it. Instead o’ draggin’ this sufferin’ on…please. Just let us finally end it an’ find peace.”
