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[nonscriptum]

@nathan.drake| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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as far as i can tell what they found out doesn't even begin to balance the scales on the risk they took and the fact that it's pretty much endangered everybody

[wittingly]

I didn't even get that far, I had to step back

[ Because he was being an asshole and he caught himself doing it. Not proud of it, but that's an apology for sometime after he chills out. ]

What did they find out?

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i don't know the full extent, just what i've heard from lance, so it's possible something's left out but

riverstone just wants to control the influence of the displaced, not have a hand in our powers
which is pretty much along the lines of what you suggested back in that clusterfuck the first time around

[ But did anyone listen? ]

the cherry on top is that they got this intel because one of them used their power on an employee
so i guess we can add possible psychological torture to our list of collective war crimes
i'm sure riverstone was thrilled

[wittingly]

great
I love when I'm right about things being terrible

I wouldn't be surprised if they expected something like this to happen
if they want to control our influence, there's nothing quite like having security camera footage of us attacking their guards and robbing them during an all-expenses-paid good will fact finding venture

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i mean i don't think lance meant that kind of influence when he was explaining it to me
not like that instabook social media thing, just in general
us

[wittingly]

instabook
well the good news is you're safe from influencing anyone on social media

But yeah, I understand the idea.

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you're hilarious. we have an open mic night at red wings on tuesdays, you should come.

i'm just

[ Frustrated. Sad. A little angry. Terrified for very specific reasons. Disappointed, for others. ]

got a lot of emotions going on right now and i can't decide which one conveys how i'm feeling

[wittingly]

Yeah
no, I get that
I don't think I've ever been so worried it turned into pissed off before

[ this is sharing, look, he's sharing a real feeling. don't mistake it, it was a real debate there for a few seconds. ]

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[ Noted and acknowledged. ]

i have. it sucks.
also been on the receiving end of that, which sucks too, but i learned from it.

[wittingly]

The man who climbs skyscrapers, works for the mob, and robs museums worrying somebody into a frenzy? I'm shocked by this.

But seriously if you do something dumb like this later on I'm kicking your ass too.

[nonscriptum]

[ He's done so, so much worse, but doesn't say so. Another time. ]

duly noted. if i do something like this later just assume i'm being mind-controlled, i'd never stage an intel-gathering break-in without casing the place and coming up with routes first.

and getting you to sign my committing felonies permission slip, of course.

[wittingly]

There's a 24 hour waiting process between when you turn the paperwork in and when it gets approved. It's called Stupid Hold and it's to give us both plenty of time to reflect on whether or not it's worth the risk.

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laid low by the bureaucratic process yet again

[wittingly]

Don't look at me, I don't make the rules

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YOU LITERALLY JUST DID

[wittingly]

Sorry man, that wasn't me, that's actually a system that's been in place since shortly after the fall of Constantinople.

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sure, blame it on the ottoman empire, they're an easy target.

i think it goes without saying this applies to you too, though. i don't want to hear that you got caught trying to burgle a place when you could've just run it by me first.

[wittingly]

that's nobody's business but the turks.

I solemnly swear not to burgle anyone without consulting my expert burgling advisor

[nonscriptum]

good. starting to think i need to make business cards for this shit.

[wittingly]

nothing says 'trust me, I'm a professional thief' like a dozen wallet-sized admissions of guilt

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admitting to being a thief isn't the same as admitting to specific thefts, your honor, and you'd know that if you'd ever been arrested or spent any amount of time in prison.

i just mean that if people are going to try to do sketchy stuff, and they're going to do it either way, they should at least do it right. they should have help.

[ After reflection he has to assume that's what Sam was trying to do, to some extent. It doesn't make Nate any less worried because he didn't know. ]

[wittingly]

I know what you meant. I've met you.

The problem is nobody really seems to be willing to trust the judgement of others that may be more skilled in a particular field than they are.

There's an abundance of pride and hubris, and it really makes me wonder if this place isn't populated by action movie heros used to protagonistic invulnerability. Too many of you guys are great at triumphantly overcoming all odds for your own good. Not enough come from doomed planets with no hope, or ones where you're walking down a hallway and someone else is coming from the other direction and you spend too long doing the awkward hallway dance to remind you how insignificant you are in the universe.

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[ It's a good argument, and Nate isn't so myopic as to think that everyone is capable of surviving the same crap that he does - he's learned that the hard way, and even Nathan Drake couldn't escape consequences when they nudged him over a cliff.

He could say as much - suddenly wants to, for reasons that he can't define - but it would distract from the point Ian is trying to make. There's no place to make this about him when it's not. ]

you're right.

there's a pretty pervasive attitude that some people know better than others regardless of whether they actually do, and i'm just as guilty of that. getting people to listen is hard. getting people to listen when they're convinced their way is the right way is harder.

there's a lot of cheap talk about collaboration and doing things for the good of everybody without actually involving everybody in the conversation. i don't know how to fix that. i don't even know where to start.

[wittingly]

Not to be pessimistic, but maybe thinking that's something we can fix is just a different shade of that same hubris. Changing a single person's mind can be a daunting task, let alone half a dozen of them that reaffirm each other's behavior and decisions consistently.

I can't even get Kyna to see my perspective about a comparatively small side quest. Reforming the displaced into a democracy...

I'm not holding my breath. Democracy didn't hold up where I'm from either.

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fair enough. i don't want to change minds, though. i don't want to lead anything, or make any big, sweeping decisions on behalf of everybody else, i just want there to be some accountability on the part of the people who DO, and i don't want people's concerns to keep getting swatted down with "we don't have time for that."

we do have time. everybody should have a say in the decision-making process and people should be able to bring their expertise to the table, and i know that sounds idealistic as hell but i'm living in this world now and it's all i've got left.