outer_divide | [Audio - midday, Sunday, Week 39 - closed to Tony, Shepard, and Haruka]

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[Audio - midday, Sunday, Week 39 - closed to Tony, Shepard, and Haruka]

[Elissa's voice is as neutral and relaxed as she can manage it when she speaks.]

This is Elissa Cousland.

I have procured a ring to protect from mental influence from another who woke in the star vessel. I have spoken to Inara who seemed to have some understanding of mental influences. Thor has easily forgiven me as he suffered no true harm except to miss out on battling the creature once he was through the rift. I have made peace with Chime who is now my friend.

I tell you these things in order to ask for the return of my weapons, so that I might be of use on the expedition to locate the fallen object. Twill be difficult to protect people from wildlife or other threats with nothing more than a hatchet and an awl from our current building project.

Humbly, I request the return of my longsword and dagger, if only for the duration of the expedition. Allow me to prove myself to you. I will gladly return them to you once the expedition has ended, should you still lack trust in me.

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And we're just supposed to believe your "magic ring" works?

[He sounds beyond dubious. Because fuck magic, seriously.]

I'm more interested in seeing people are protected from you.

Twas crafted especially for me by someone skilled in the arts. So, yes, you should believe that it works.

May I also respectfully point out that if I truly wished harm upon anyone I would not need the weapons you hold from me? There are many ways to cause harm to others, but I have no reason to do so. I have already faced down a pair of raptors with nothing but the hatchet and the awl, but I would prefer to have my longsword and dagger, if there are bigger creatures at large.

[She leaves out the bit where Kozmotis was also battling the small group of raptors because that might make her sound less skillful.]

Speak to Thor, if you wish to hear from someone who has seen my recent work in the forest?

So no, there's actually no proof it works.

You know, if you were actually serious about proving yourself, you could make yourself useful instead of pouting over your weapons and trying to hold up the guy who champions would-be supervillains as a character witness.

[Oh, that remark about Thor caused her to deeply frown, but the lack of audio masked her expression.]

I am trying to make myself useful by going on this expedition to protect the others as they work. I am also making strides in getting someone to grow some of the elfroot that I brought from home in order to reproduce the healing poultices I have with me. Do you know Dr. Banner? He is going to make an attempt to grow the plant. There is also an anonymous source who has sent an owl to take a sample of both plant and poultice.

That's not useful. No one needs another threat out there. And no one in their right mind is going to take medicine from a murderous escapee from a ren faire. Especially when we have doctors who actually know what they're doing.

[Bruce, he is disappoint.]

[It takes quite a bit of effort, but Elissa manages to keep the frustration from her voice.]

What do you suggest is 'useful', then?

Try getting a job. One that doesn't involve sticking sharp pointy things into other people. Or poisoning anyone. Or playing victim.

Do you think I do nothing but sit around all day? I have occupied myself with helping to build a house. Is that not useful?

You could make an argument for keeping all the crazy confined to one area and away from the rest of us being useful, but I don't think that was really on your mind.

[Tony, now you're just being contrary.]

[At that, Elissa sighed and her words sounded wearied.]

No, it was not. Since it seems your mind is firmly set upon this matter, may I make a proposition?

If I can convince Shepard and Haruka to release my weapons, will you stand down and let them do so?

Uh, no. Trust isn't a committee decision.

[Which really only means he'll be pissed off if (when, really) he's overruled.]

Are you claiming to be sole judge now? I wonder how Shepard and Haruka would feel about that.

[His 'are you kidding me?' look is almost palpable, even over the audio-only channel.]

I'm saying I won't change my stance if they do.

Just a tip: failing horribly at being manipulative? Not something that creates trust.

[That pulls a chuckle from her especially as Elissa suspects Tony would not trust her even had those murders never occurred.]

I shall keep that in mind. Once I have spoken to the other two members of my tribunal, I shall get back to you.

I'm inclined to agree with Stark. I've seen people's minds manipulated by outside forces before, it's not something that just... goes away.

We have no way of knowing what might set you off again.

But I now have this ring to protect against mental manipulation. None of you have experience with amulets and talismans?

[She made a noise between a sigh and a hiss.]

If Morrigan were here, she could prove the worth of magic.

I'm not trusting peoples lives to a trinket. I believe in the power that faith has over people, but if you can't prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that you aren't going to decide you have to poison people and stab them in the back again, you might want to find something else to do with your time.

I know it's hard to stand back when things are going down, but you need to look at this as what's best for the people you could be putting in danger, even as you're trying to help.

Fine. That is two out of three. I shall find my own weapons and I shall go on this expedition. You tell me not to help, Tony tells me to get a job and do something helpful. Apparently, I cannot please either of you.

I do request, however, that you take great care of what was mine. They are very valuable and rare weapons and it would be a shame for them to be lost.

My concern is the safety of everyone, not making sure you're getting your way. I watched a woman who was a good person try to kill her own child after being exposed to the kind of thing you were. My mind isn't going to change because of a few apologies.

Answer me this? What did she use to try to kill her child?

That isn't relevant. She would've used her bare hands if she'd had to.

Tis perfectly relevant, in my opinion. Could I not use my bare hands as well? If you are so concerned about the danger that I pose, why are you allowing me to walk free?

Because I wanted to give you a chance, and initially you seemed responsible enough to know what kind of trust we're putting on you just to let you walk around.

If you're going to keep pushing though, I might just reconsider.

Do what you feel you must, just so long as you understand that I am going on this mission to help protect my friends with or without my personal weaponry. Unfortunately, fighting is what I do best and I have little talent for other things the city might need since I do not understand half of the engineering that I see on a daily basis.

I do have a guard and he is going as well. Remember Kozmotis Pitchiner? He is the one who has kept an eye on me as he promised.

And you should understand you're putting others at risk by insisting on involving yourself. Because you want to go along, that means that everyone else protecting the others also has to keep an eye on you to make sure that whatever threat they face out there isn't replaced by someone within their ranks.

I trust Kozmotis to continue keeping an eye on you, at the very least. But I have people going on that expedition too, and if a damn thing happens to them because of you you can be sure I won't be as understanding as I have been about your mind being messed with.

[Elissa's voice is cool when she replies.]

Understood.

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[Audio - midday, Sunday, Week 39 - closed to Tony, Shepard, and Haruka]

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