Keine Quest (Part 4): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>"I would say Kanako is no fool, and knows what would happen if she tried. But you're right, we're dealing with Kanako... Needless to say, I wouldn't be here for long."

[DracoOmega]

>"I would say Kanako is no fool, and knows what would happen if she tried. But you're right, we're dealing with Kanako... Needless to say, I wouldn't be here for long."

>Utsusho's mouth curls into the faintest hint of a sneer. "What do you honestly think you can do?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's just say I have friends."
>Take aim.
>"This is your last chance to try and refute that you are a monster, Kanako."

[DracoOmega]

>"Let's just say I have friends."
>Take aim.
>"This is your last chance to try and refute that you are a monster, Kanako."

>Utsuho slowly shakes her head.
>You take aim for the shimenawa
>"And how do you propose I do that now?" Kanako says. "You have already made your decision, haven't? Your decided before you'd heard her say a word. I think you decided before you'd even spoken with me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"We don't all think like monsters. Some of us can change our minds, rather than blindly following their prejudices and burying anything that denies them. It would be hilarious you are practically everything you accused Utsuho of being, were you not torturing her for your own sick pleasures. At least a Lunarian could be honest about their selfishness!"
>Does she give any hint of stopping after this?
>If not, fire on the Shimenawa.

[DracoOmega]

>"We don't all think like monsters. Some of us can change our minds, rather than blindly following their prejudices and burying anything that denies them. It would be hilarious you are practically everything you accused Utsuho of being, were you not torturing her for your own sick pleasures. At least a Lunarian could be honest about their selfishness!"
>Does she give any hint of stopping after this?
>If not, fire on the Shimenawa.

>The wind slacks for a moment.
>"In what way am I like her?" Kanako says. "I have never tried to destroy for the sake of it. I strive to build, to protect. I have never tortured another living soul. But you simply refuse to listen."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Look at her, you stupid fucking monster! Listen to her! Tell me she isn't hurt by the isolation, by the deprivation! Try and tell me that! You wove the entire situation she's in! How is this not torture? How is this not destroying a person! You want to know what the difference is? I will tell you the difference between you two. You succeeded. Utsuho failed to harm the surface. You have most certainly succeeded in harming her! Do you not believe me? Show this to Sanae, let's see what she thinks!"

[DracoOmega]

>"Look at her, you stupid fucking monster! Listen to her! Tell me she isn't hurt by the isolation, by the deprivation! Try and tell me that! You wove the entire situation she's in! How is this not torture? How is this not destroying a person! You want to know what the difference is? I will tell you the difference between you two. You succeeded. Utsuho failed to harm the surface. You have most certainly succeeded in harming her! Do you not believe me? Show this to Sanae, let's see what she thinks!"

>"If she had not chosen to be so destructive, she would not be in the position she is now. She chose that, not I. I did not set out with intent to harm, while she did. You are carefully selecting which facts you embrace and which you ignore, Keine."
>"Moreover, if the cost of safeguarding the hundreds of people who look to me for protection is to harm one other, I will regretfully make that choice every time."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm selecting facts? You blind idiot! Look at her! Fucking look at her! Look at what you've done to her! You are torturing her! Are you trying to deny that isolation is torture? Are you pretending deprivation is torture? Then let's do it to Sanae! It'll be perfectly fine, right? It's not hurting her! Toss her in the tube for a week, pretend like she doesn't exist! Let's send you back to the outside world and deprive you of faith! It's not torture, right? How does anything Utsuho did, or rather failed to do, Butcher of Suwa, changes these facts? How are these facts any different! Why are you so hellbent on torturing her?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm selecting facts? You blind idiot! Look at her! Fucking look at her! Look at what you've done to her! You are torturing her! Are you trying to deny that isolation is torture? Are you pretending deprivation is torture? Then let's do it to Sanae! It'll be perfectly fine, right? It's not hurting her! Toss her in the tube for a week, pretend like she doesn't exist! Let's send you back to the outside world and deprive you of faith! It's not torture, right? How does anything Utsuho did, or rather failed to do, Butcher of Suwa, changes these facts? How are these facts any different! Why are you so hellbent on torturing her?"

>"I am hellbent on nothing of the sort," Kanako says. "I would wish her a kinder fate, but she is too dangerous to roam free. You may see this as unjust, but it is also necessary."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It is not necessary to deprive her of all contact! It is not necessary to leave her with nothing to do but spiral into madness! It is not necessary to confine her for her whole life. For someone who isn't hellbent, you sure are ever so happy to do it! You've killed more people than she has, Butcher of Suwa! Why do you get to roam free? What gives you the right to pass judgment on her? If anything, you'd be lucky that the Enma wouldn't label you an accomplice, given your history! "

[DracoOmega]

>"The empty cell is her own doing," Kanako says. "You cannot force someone to accept even small kindnesses. And it matters not simply the number of people who have died, but the reasons. A person can kill a hundred and be a hero, or kill one and be a monster." She shakes her head. "I do not know why I continue to indulge you. Perhaps I am hoping for some glimmer of understand to piece your righteous hatred. I had thought you concerned, yet misguided, but you've proven yourself far worse than that. I am a very patient person, but I cannot condone such behavior."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, the torturer and murderer can't condone my behavior? I can't think of a better indication I'm doing something right! And it's okay if you kill them for the right reasons? What self-serving bullshit! You're just trying to evade your own guilt again! The Suwa War was a war of conquest. There's a reason the Suwa were called the Native Gods. Because you weren't! You invaded them and you conquered them! Don't try to feed me some history written by the winners garbage, monster."
>Look to Utsuho: "Now, let's try to get back to business. Tell me how they treat you here."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, the torturer and murderer can't condone my behavior? I can't think of a better indication I'm doing something right! And it's okay if you kill them for the right reasons? What self-serving bullshit! You're just trying to evade your own guilt again! The Suwa War was a war of conquest. There's a reason the Suwa were called the Native Gods. Because you weren't! You invaded them and you conquered them! Don't try to feed me some history written by the winners garbage, monster."
>Look to Utsuho: "Now, let's try to get back to business. Tell me how they treat you here."

>"So, were you in my place," Kanako says, "you would allow death and destruction at a whim, because it would be too cruel to stop the perpetrators of this? I am glad that you have never had the chance, in that case."
>Utsuho raises her head towards you. "They don't. 'At least they don't, anymore."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because the only solution to doing something wrong is to invade there homelands and conquer them, or hide them underground and torture them for one's perverted pleasure. Right. No wonder a monster like you fell out of favor outside."
>"What did they used to do, Utsuho?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Because the only solution to doing something wrong is to invade there homelands and conquer them, or hide them underground and torture them for one's perverted pleasure. Right. No wonder a monster like you fell out of favor outside."
>"What did they used to do, Utsuho?"

>Kanako simply shakes her head. "Perhaps you really have nothing in common with our Keine, after all."
>"They kept me here," Utsuho says. "Outside of that, I don't even care."

[Hello Purvis]

>"From everything I've heard, the Keine you know would have broken all this several minutes ago. You should be thrilled I am willing to indulge a monster in hopes she'll have a glimmer of self awareness."
>Back to Utsuho. "Perhaps you don't care. But Orin and Satori do. They want to know everything that's happened to you. As do I, as I hope I've demonstrated."

[DracoOmega]

>"From everything I've heard, the Keine you know would have broken all this several minutes ago. You should be thrilled I am willing to indulge a monster in hopes she'll have a glimmer of self awareness."
>Back to Utsuho. "Perhaps you don't care. But Orin and Satori do. They want to know everything that's happened to you. As do I, as I hope I've demonstrated."

>"Then perhaps," Kanako says, "you understand her as poorly as you understand me."
>Utsuho is silent for a moment. You think you detect a glimmer of emotion in her for a moment. "Tell them... tell that no one has mistreated me, and that they can stop worrying about me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, it's not as though people mean anything but cattle to a monster like you, anyway."
>Is Utsuho still on the floor? If so, kneel by her. "Satori would see through that pretty quickly, I think. Hopefully before Orin turns all her spellcards on me for such an obvious deception. Did you know Orin came up here before? She tried to visit you. The false deity turned her away, of course."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, it's not as though people mean anything but cattle to a monster like you, anyway."
>Is Utsuho still on the floor? If so, kneel by her. "Satori would see through that pretty quickly, I think. Hopefully before Orin turns all her spellcards on me for such an obvious deception. Did you know Orin came up here before? She tried to visit you. The false deity turned her away, of course."

>"Feel free to ask any villager if they feel I have used them," Kanako says. "I have given much, and asked little. I'm sure nearly anyone would tell you the same thing."
>Utsuho hasn't bothered to move anything more than her head since you arrived. You kneel down by her. "...did she? Suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I'm sorry I don't have a better story for them."

[Hello Purvis]

>"So the farmer says about her chickens. But the second one steps out of line..."
>Give Utsuho a concerned look. "The truth will do. This isn't anything like decent treatment."

[DracoOmega]

>"So the farmer says about her chickens. But the second one steps out of line..."
>Give Utsuho a concerned look. "The truth will do. This isn't anything like decent treatment."

>"I do not harm others simply because they disagree with me," Kanako says. "The fact that I have not harmed you yet despite all the hateful things you have said should be proof enough of that."
>Utsuho stares into you. "There's nothing to tell," she says. "They brought me here, I tried to kill them, they left me be. Now... I don't think I'd even care if they tried to kill me. We could die together."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm sure all the followers of the Suwa who died take comfort in that."
>"Utsuho...that's a terrible thing to feel. But, I think it's pretty indicative of how you're treated, or not treated. Do you have any idea how often they feed you? Or used to feed you if that is the case?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm sure all the followers of the Suwa who died take comfort in that."
>"Utsuho...that's a terrible thing to feel. But, I think it's pretty indicative of how you're treated, or not treated. Do you have any idea how often they feed you? Or used to feed you if that is the case?"

>"You could say as much about the other side," Kanako says. "The use of force in wartime is different than silencing dissent during peace."
>"I haven't gone hungry unless I wanted to," Utsuho says.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Of course, it's war! That forgives murder. Even the Buddha agrees, I'm sure."
>"That's good, at least. How often have you wanted to?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Of course, it's war! That forgives murder. Even the Buddha agrees, I'm sure."
>"That's good, at least. How often have you wanted to?"

>"Would you let people you cared about die because you refused to kill?" Kanako says. "Would they think that was alright? War often forces these choices."
>"Sometimes," Utsuho says, her tone neutral, almost disinterested.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Says the invader. What convenient reasoning, you invade their land then say it's their fault. ...This sounds familiar, don't you think?"
>"Why do you do that to yourself, Utsuho?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Says the invader. What convenient reasoning, you invade their land then say it's their fault. ...This sounds familiar, don't you think?"
>"Why do you do that to yourself, Utsuho?"

>"Wars are rarely as one-sided as that," Kanako says. "You of all people should realize this."
>Utusho shifts her shoulders in something resembling a shrug. "Didn't feel like bothering."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm sure that made the victims and the innocents caught in between feel so much better."
>Nod to Utsuho. "I apologize if this is a tender subject, but...do you still have dreams when you sleep?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm sure that made the victims and the innocents caught in between feel so much better."
>Nod to Utsuho. "I apologize if this is a tender subject, but...do you still have dreams when you sleep?"

>"I do what I can," Kanako says. "If you think it possible to rule for millenia without any harm coming to friends or enemies then I wish I could inhabit this world."
>"W- what kind of question is that?" Utushuo says, looking at you oddly.