mental link | Day: 38

[earthborn]

( Some of you may have noticed a fire, not too long ago. Or maybe you were busy, fair enough. )

[Shepard's broadcast is just that; open, conversational. Let's have a little chat, all of you. The fire last night burned through a fair portion of the Descendants' dormitory, destroying property and causing distress. Deaths? Don't worry about it. Shepard certainly isn't.]

( I would like to formally take responsibility for that incident. Don't worry, we didn't get caught, this isn't my first time setting fire to something-- no, Sam, it was fine, I had it under control. More to the point, we happened to acquire a bunch of junk, including some tech Pidge has been making good use of-- You're welcome, by the way. ) [This addendum delivered with no particular malice. All the blame and none of the credit, that's how it always goes. ( As for the rest, I have it; decent haul, some of which might be relevant, some of which might just be that I've stolen somebody's junk mail for all I know. )

[Always a risk with smash-and-grab]

( Anybody who thinks they might have some insights, feel free to have a look. )

Comments

[earthborn]

( You do realize that you're not making a good argument for 'group-led expedience.' Right? )

[Lexa doesn't have to say "by Rhan". Even if Shepard had no notion of mind-reading, she'd have been able to fill that gap. There's a reply to the thought, unbidden meaning bridging the gap in a burst of bitter humor that translates across the mental link like a bark of laughter. If Rhan wants Shepard to create a little chaos, all she ever had to do, was ask.]

( I'm gonna shorten this process, here. You're going to continue to accuse me of being reckless, and I'm going to assert that with no risk comes no reward. We'll go back and forth for a while, at some point you'll get tired of lecturing me, and my behavior will remain unchanged. Because, once again, you're ignoring what I'm saying in favor of how you want me to be saying it, not that it matters: I did it, and there's no taking it back. )

[adamance]

( It tells me that for all future plans and missions, we'll have to consider contingencies where you act without viewing the bigger picture. That you'll be a factor that we have to contend with. An unpredictable one. You're proud of what you accomplished simply because you weren't caught. I look forward to your excuses for when you are. )

[earthborn]

( It's interesting, what you choose to qualify as "the big picture". )

[There is a pause, and the bitterness in her amused regard skates along, pepper-oil on the surface with a scent like an unpleasant shade of yellow-red, greasy and cloying. The conversational beats are effective only because of their repeition; Shepard has heard all this before, and the resentment is born of that repetition, worn down into her psyche like wheel-ruts in a badly-maintained road. You aren't listening to her. She isn't surprised.

But if nothing else, Lexa is certainly hitting closer to home than anyone.]

( As for the future. I've been pretty honest with everybody here about who and what I am; if you've mistaken me for a stoic, stabilizing element, I can't see why. So, whatever your contingencies end up being, you better make sure they don't depend on just your observational skills; I want to like you, Lexa, but you make yourself very hard to respect. )

[adamance]

( Both of us have had to learn that we are no longer leaders. You believe you've excelled in making a reckless decision that could have cost the rest of us. Just because it didn't this time doesn't mean it won't next time. All of our operations of this size haven't been done with minimal preparation. That you pretend otherwise is an act of ignorance.

You are a part of a community now, Shepard. You'd be wise to begin acting like it, rather than trying to assume our places within it. I can acknowledge your success here while worrying that this success is something you assume will lead to future success.

All I ask is that in the future, you consider forewarning us that you may be choosing to do something that would endanger us. Even your death would throw us out of sorts, as we're all inherently connected. )

[As for being liked or respected: Lexa isn't seeking that right now. After all, she's being condescending and patronizing and is well aware that she's doing it.

Her behavior isn't meant to be liked. It's only meant to be listened to.]