I don't wanna say that it's impossible. Nothing like that ever really is. [Keith would be in a far more different place if he truly believed that, after all. Cynicism is something that he actively thrives upon.]
But they didn't take Koltira. Plus, ALASTAIR's been around for ages. Who knows how it's changed. Does that mean it won't change for the worst? There's no way. A teammate of mine forgot how he'd been here before. They aren't perfect. But he wasn't sitting down in that dungeon, either.
[That doesn't mean anything, it's just ... Keith really does think Koltira would have been locked up by now.]
[Keith's talk placates him momentarily, but doubt flares right back up again.
Zymandis might have legitimate reasons for opposing ALASTAIR, and the more Asher learns about life and the multiverse in general, the more it seems that there's no one right answer to any problem at all.]
That kinda freaks me out.
[Ugh.]
Not that...! I don't think K-dizzle should be locked up or anything, don't get me wrong-
[where did that nickname even COME from]
But I worry that they're just using us sometimes.
["That we don't matter."]
Because they don't... They don't even step in when people on the team get hurt, like, a lot of people. Doesn't that sound messed up to you?
Not really? I think we're meant to take care of ourselves. Otherwise, we won't be any good to them, or to the people we're trying to help. Besides, it doesn't seem like there are that many people in charge.
[That doesn't mean that he's perfectly okay with how they're handling things. Keith really isn't. But his conversation with Lloyd appeased him a bit.]
If there's anything I've learned from this mess, it's that they aren't interested in giving us orders. That may sound stupid, but they aren't exactly trying to save the lives of those hosts. That's just an option. They don't stop the worst path from being followed, like it or not. [Keith's understanding of things in Nalawi is that that's how it went. Maybe ALASTAIR is just ridiculously hands off. It'd make a lot of sense.]
[Keith sounds it out all so logically, it almost placates him.
Almost.
ALASTAIR's history is so long and convoluted, there have to be some things that they're covering up. Mistakes make it hard to trust an organization, but there's also so much to be learned from them. What if they're making the same one, over and over and over?
What if time doesn't want to be changed?]
Okay.
[Everything about his tone suggests that he is not.]
So, from my understanding... There's a timeline we're trying to protect, yeah? I haven't been here for that long, but it seems like that's the main goal, to keep that, like, one-hundred, y'know?
Uh, what part is the problem? Because protecting things from going badly seems like a good idea to me. Have you ever seen what happens when things go that way? Have you ever seen a universe so messed up because this one jerk decided to take over all of it? That doesn't sound like a "good" timeline to you, does it?
[Leave it to Keith to finally take the mental detour necessary to be a jerk in this conversation. Leave it to Keith to find a way to lose his chill. Because here he is. He just did it. It's clear in how he's looking at Asher with thinly veiled disdain.]
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no subject
You mean Zymandis? The little-
[He curls the index finger of his right hand, mimicking the movement of a worm.]
Yeah, maybe, but-
[Shaking his head, the young lawyer sighs.]
I was a little worried about what it'd take for, y'know. One of us to end up there.
no subject
But they didn't take Koltira. Plus, ALASTAIR's been around for ages. Who knows how it's changed. Does that mean it won't change for the worst? There's no way. A teammate of mine forgot how he'd been here before. They aren't perfect. But he wasn't sitting down in that dungeon, either.
[That doesn't mean anything, it's just ... Keith really does think Koltira would have been locked up by now.]
omg i didnt see this tag??? im so sorry
Zymandis might have legitimate reasons for opposing ALASTAIR, and the more Asher learns about life and the multiverse in general, the more it seems that there's no one right answer to any problem at all.]
That kinda freaks me out.
[Ugh.]
Not that...! I don't think K-dizzle should be locked up or anything, don't get me wrong-
[where did that nickname even COME from]
But I worry that they're just using us sometimes.
["That we don't matter."]
Because they don't... They don't even step in when people on the team get hurt, like, a lot of people. Doesn't that sound messed up to you?
no subject
[That doesn't mean that he's perfectly okay with how they're handling things. Keith really isn't. But his conversation with Lloyd appeased him a bit.]
If there's anything I've learned from this mess, it's that they aren't interested in giving us orders. That may sound stupid, but they aren't exactly trying to save the lives of those hosts. That's just an option. They don't stop the worst path from being followed, like it or not. [Keith's understanding of things in Nalawi is that that's how it went. Maybe ALASTAIR is just ridiculously hands off. It'd make a lot of sense.]
no subject
Almost.
ALASTAIR's history is so long and convoluted, there have to be some things that they're covering up. Mistakes make it hard to trust an organization, but there's also so much to be learned from them. What if they're making the same one, over and over and over?
What if time doesn't want to be changed?]
Okay.
[Everything about his tone suggests that he is not.]
So, from my understanding... There's a timeline we're trying to protect, yeah? I haven't been here for that long, but it seems like that's the main goal, to keep that, like, one-hundred, y'know?
[💯]
I'm not sure if I'm down with that.
no subject
[Leave it to Keith to finally take the mental detour necessary to be a jerk in this conversation. Leave it to Keith to find a way to lose his chill. Because here he is. He just did it. It's clear in how he's looking at Asher with thinly veiled disdain.]