IC Contact post for Mask or Menace

[dun_moch]

"You have reached Count Dooku. I regret that I am unavailable to answer your hail. Kindly leave a message, and I shall respond at the earliest opportunity."

Text | E-mail | Voicemail | Phone call | Hologram | Other

Comments

[dun_moch]

Perhaps. But we all have sides of ourselves we don't let others see, do we not? Hidden aspects we seek to deny.

[Now he's back to his old self.]

[h2no]

i'm not sure i know what you mean
i feel like i'm open with what i should be

[dun_moch]

You are open with your affection, certainly. With your regret. Even with your anger.

But not with your hate. And you have a powerful hate within you.

[h2no]

[okay. worrying.]

HAD a powerful hate
i know i was wrong now
it's all gone.

[it's not. and he knows it's not.]

[dun_moch]

I find it unfortunate that you are attempting to deceive me. And perhaps yourself as well.

Such hatred is not so easily removed.

[h2no]

maybe so
but i also was put in a position where i had to realise under no uncertain terms that my hate almost ended the world
that it almost got a bunch of people i care deeply about killed
and me too, i guess

[dun_moch]

True, your plan failed.

But if it had succeeded, the world would have been saved from corruption and decay. Is that not true?

[h2no]

it wouldn't have worked at all
that's why i regret it so much
because no matter what it would've killed everyone
i'm sure of it

[dun_moch]

Nonsense. If you could control Kyogre, you could limit its wrath. You could have used its power to heal your world.

The flaw in your plan was not in its design, but that you lacked the strength to harness the power you unleashed.

[h2no]

[...may controlled it, didn't she? it wasn't a case of there being no way to do it. dooku's right; he just wasn't strong enough.]

i never wanted to control it
i didn't even want to catch it
i just wanted to let it do its thing

and i know now that i was too focused on pokémon. my plan would've hurt people regardless.
i don't want to hurt people. not anymore.

[dun_moch]

It is frequently impossible to protect what you treasure without doing harm to those who would destroy it.

I suggest you think carefully about what you would really do to save that which you love.

[h2no]

well for starters i won't do something dumb as fuck and put them in danger to begin with

[but... he's still responding. quickly, too. he's obviously invested in this conversation. maybe part of him just wants count to say the right thing (not that he hasn't already) in the right way.]

FOUR DAYS LATER I'm sorry

[dun_moch]

Was the world not in peril before you embarked on your plan? Are you responsible for humanity's stupidity and irresponsibility?

What of your team? Those who followed you believed in your cause. They fought for it. Must you doubt their belief as well as your own?

ITS GOOD

[h2no]

well no but

they agreed to retool when i wanted to

[the replies are still fast, but not as strong as before. THE COUNT IS GETTING THERE.]

[dun_moch]

How noble of them, to continue following your desires. Even after you gave up on creating the better world you had promised for them.

[h2no]

they have their own lives
they made their own choice

[...he really let them down.]

[dun_moch]

Choices made under your guidance, yes?

[He says nothing more. This isn't the moment for a big speech, this is a moment to stand back and let Archie's own emotions work on him from the inside.]

[h2no]

[the reply takes a long, long time to come and when it finally does, it's just a pathetic:] yes

[dun_moch]

[Excellent.]

Think about what I have said, Archie. Don't make the mistake of throwing away your strength for the sake of correcting your errors.