@everyone

[restingstitchface]

[On the nearest surface: a mess of spidery calligraphy, words from a curious mind, written with a mental hand. Though accustomed to shorthand, he prefers the traditional touch, and believes it to be the courteous option.]

Well, that wasn’t a boring weekend, not that one.

It was wonderful to meet some of you in person - and enormously encouraging to meet so many new faces. I hope the masquerade entertained you all. But, on the other hand, wasn’t there something peculiar about it? Does anybody else feel led up the garden path? I fear this is me being paranoid but…

I think the Fey mean to return to this world. I know I would be delighted to get back home and, I might add, so would many of you. It’s only natural we miss our loved ones. “My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone.”

Now, I suggest we discuss our impressions of our hosts this week and what we managed to glean by means of information. The most pressing and urgent problem I think, without doubt, is their intentions. Perhaps we should discuss our experiences and share what we learned. It could prove useful. Our small community cannot afford to misplace its trust, and I advise we exercise critical thinking at this juncture.

[ooc responses can come from anyone so feel free to threadjack! for extra plotting hit me up at safekeeping or discord at celedrin.]

Comments

[takeatrip]

Everything about this place is worth some caution. But it seemed like there was something specific you were more concerned about, with being "led up the garden path." Do you think they were angling for something with our visit?

[Jayden does, though he also doesn't exactly mind it too much. Everyone here wants something from the Summoned, it seems, so the methods end up being what sets them apart.]

[restingstitchface]

Absolutely. But unlike the Free Cities, whose intentions I say are obvious, they chose to indulge in subterfuge.

[Look, once you've been beaten and pummelled by your peers, it tends to leave you suspicious. Don't judge him, Norman.]

[takeatrip]

[But judging is like 90% of his job!!!]

Subterfuge implies pretty purposeful deceit, and I'm not sure I'd go that far.

[restingstitchface]

[Give Crane a decade and it'll be 100% of his job.]

Well, deceit for the purposes of self-preservation is still deceit, isn't it?

[takeatrip]

Yeah, but intent does matter when deciding which liars to trust.

[Not that he's even sure he'd go so far as to call the Fey liars, but still, for sake of argument. Though importantly, he has to ask--]

What do you think they're deceiving us about?

[restingstitchface]

Well, their intentions for one...

[Keep up, Norman!]

[takeatrip]

[Normally he doesn't mind too much when people treat him like an idiot, but every so often it's very annoying, and this is one of those times. But fine, he'll spell it out--]

I meant specifically. If you think they're deceiving us, then you think their intentions are something other than they've presented them as, so what is it you think those intentions actually are?

[restingstitchface]

[What can he say? It's frustrating getting dogpiled and now a new face has him hooked up in the firing line.]

One, that they intend to return home. Two, to hide their intentions of how. Three, to obscure their intentions towards us. Four. Why do you assume I should know?

[Does he look psychic? Also he might just be frustrated because of being dogpiled by stupid people.]

[takeatrip]

You started the conversation and have been pretty adamant in your suspicions, so I thought you had some specific reason for it.

[But apparently not!!! Or at least not one he's willing to share, anyway, which is always a possibility.]

[restingstitchface]

Well, I have seen enough deception from my patients to know when I am being deceived.

My reason for mentioning it here is to raise awareness and encourage critical thinking. If something transpires in the future either we are forewarned or I can pretend I'm five and say I told you so.

[Not that he would ever do that ofc...]

[takeatrip]

No offense, but it doesn't seem like that's been going so well.

[Unlike most of the time when people say 'no offense', he actually means it at the moment. The response to this has been... Interesting, in a few ways, but he's not sure it's been in the way Crane was looking for.]

[restingstitchface]

None taken. I honestly expected some resistance. My patients were also reluctant to listen.

[So he drugged them out of their eyeballs and strapped them into jackets and onto gurneys. Can't do that here!]

[takeatrip]

[Just... Give him a moment to put his head down on his piano and sigh loudly, here in his Horizon domain where no one can hear.

It takes a few seconds and another dramatic sigh for him to decide if he's even going to respond, and another several seconds after that to figure out how he's going to do so.]

You know how that sounds, right?

[restingstitchface]

Like what? Disappointed? I was there to help people remanded for treatment. Human beings who preferred it when I didn't coddle their feelings.

They found it disrespectful and, for what it's worth, I happen to agree.

[And that, my friend, is true.]

[takeatrip]

That part's not the problem; if that's what works best for your patients, then sure, that's fine.

[Of course he's keeping in mind what Blake told him regarding what might be going on and what will happen back in his and Crane's world, but for the purposes of this conversation, he's going with the hypothetical possibility that everything is truly professional and ethical.]

But the people here aren't your patients, and they're going to be pissed by the implication that you're here to guide them into being better in some way.

[Of course he also doesn't think Crane's initial post was nearly condescending enough to warrant any particular backlash, but he's also noticed a response like this before, so it seems people are just kind of touchy about this issue.]

[restingstitchface]

[This is more adversarial of the other man, a pattern that has started to twist and turn outside of the regular. He denotes it for later and sends off his reply.]

I cannot make their choices for them. I can only remind them not to trust people just because they mask their intentions behind receptivity and kindness. Being a profiler, you should understand that.

[takeatrip]

It doesn't take being a profiler or a psychiatrist to understand that.

[Which is exactly the point. Most people here know that, and if they're choosing to ignore it, that's a decision they're making with awareness of that choice.

But that's as much as he wants to say on the network about it, so instead--]

Are you in the Horizon?

[restingstitchface]

[That's as much as he, too, wants to share.]

For now. I assume you want to come over?

[takeatrip]

If you're not too busy.

[He does remember that Crane doesn't like uninvited guests.]

[restingstitchface]

Well, not now anyway. The door will be open when you arrive.

[ooc: continued here]