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This thread continues the last one,which was getting long.

To recap:
Present: All the PCs, plus the long-silent chinchilla, and Kent. The cart and goods are presumably safe. The Lizard provides that service.
Last actions:
Vagrant - Headed for the door to ruminate on moral quandaries.
Lekchock - Mystified by what the problem's all about
Faliol - Finished argument with Beka, got friendship know
Riccoco - un-bristling. Justifying his trade
Celeste - In door, in the way of Vagrant
Cas - Peacemaking and gift-giving
Beka - Trying to coordinate knowledge of Vance
Nuyok - As above, plus general debate

The hot topics are:
Vagrant's moral and ethical stance
Is Vance a slaver? (Only Ricco says this)
What is the final disposition/route of the cargo?
Is said cargo ethical? (Beka's is "stolen", Ricco's is illegal.)

Continue to hash it out, I'll likely post tuesday morning to wrap it up and move the plot along.

Edited on Friday, September 17, 2004 08:16:53 AM by Keith Curtis

Edited on Friday, September 17, 2004 08:17:36 AM by Keith Curtis

Celeste steps away from the door, to allow Vagrant to pass. "I understand. I feel the need to get outside as well. Do you mind company or would you rather be alone?"

If Vagrant declines her company, Celeste informs Beka, "I will be outside as well for a few moments. I shall return shortly." She will go her own way, possibly to find Father Jeo.

Vagrant hesitates at her request, glances at her quickly before looking away and says, "I am not against your company Celeste. I just wanted to get out of this room with everyone here debating what's right and wrong. So many secrets. Perhaps, your perspective could be helpful. I am obviously out of my element once again."

Vagrant moves on through the door and heads for an exit to the outside. He glances back once to see if she follows his lead.

As Celeste leaves the room, she turns and looks at Beka and the others for a moment. Then quietly shuts the door.

As Celeste as Vagrant move away from the inn, Celeste breaks the silence. "James, tell me more about the 'officer of the law" that you were. It is not unlike the guards in the city is it?"

Vagrant leaves over a railing outside the Inn. He breathes in a breath and slowly exhales as he considers Celeste's question.

"I suppose the police can be considered similar to City Guard's but it'd say we were more. The laws in New York City were written to protect the population and improve the quality of life. The police took an oath to protect the people from those that disobeyed the laws. We'd apprehend those that we felt were not following the laws and then our justice system would decide if they did violate the law. Citizens would make up a jury that would make the decision. It wasn't up to the kings or government solely to decide someone's fate. The majority of people in the civilization respected the police and believed that they made life better and more enjoyable. Occasionaly, someone in power would abuse the system but generally rules made the quality of life into something unattainable in a lawless wild. It wasn't perfect, Celeste, but I miss it. Now it seems like one *has* to violate the local laws just to survive going from place to place. I've killed before in the line of duty due here it seems like it may have to be a way of life. I don't want to lie and steal to make a living. It's the most ironic of situations to put an ex-policeman in."

Vagrant leans heavier into the railing and runs his thumb along his middle finger and mutters, "I wonder if I can get a cigarette in this savage earth?"

Celeste sits on the railing next to James. Looking out at the activity inside the fort, she listens in silence as James explains about 'po-lease.' "It sounds to me, much like Adala, where they wanted to either kill me or send me to the mines, because they thought I did not follow their law. How could I violate their law when the 'crimes' they accused me of did not even take place in Adala? I think 'law' depends upon your point of view. I am certain none of the people I sailed with ever had the thought, "I think I'll bread the laws of Adala today, Perhaps tomorrow I will break the laws of Tallon." The people of Devil's Island considered that I was a provider of goods, much as Beka and her friend Vance. The only 'law' was that of my father. That could change daily depending on his mood. I survived by obeying the law of my land, and yet by their law I have done much worse than any of those people in that room. Yet no one of them treats me as a criminal. Since I left my home, I have learned other ways, am I still a criminal then? I hope this does not mean you cannot call me friend. I am not afraid of dying, James, but I have no wish to die the way Ash did. You and the others saved me from a hideous death, or life. And again in Adala, by the efforts of my friends, I was spared from working and dying in the tin mines, I owe you all blood debt. That is more than 'friend.' I am blood-bound to each and every member of this caravan, to protect them or die in the trying. I would have done the same to protect my people against threats. So, am I law breaker or po-lease?"

She considers their situations a bit more, "I think we are both 'ironic. Neither of us fits in here.' " "Also, I do not know this word 'sig-ar-it. Does it have something to do with being 'po-lease' in the city of Nooyok?" she asks innocently.

"We are friends, Celeste, and I am happy to call you one. The moral issue that has stonewalled me is one I must work though and I have no intention of preaching to you how to behave and what the 'right' way should be. Hell, I don't know myself. The laws in this land are inconsistent and unfair at times. You could say the same things about my United States that I lived in but generally for the bigger crimes they were pretty consistent at least with what should be a law like murder, rape or thievery. From state to state the punishments were different and that was a frustration. The more consistent the laws and punishments are the better for citizens and visitors to follow. In this savage world law seems disjointed and confusing but the basics should still hold. Are there times when the courts would allow a broken law to go unpunished? Sure. My shooting of Ash would be called self defense and I would likely have been released. Stealing though is a hard one to swallow. Who finds it okay in my civilization and your savage world to have there stuff taken? Beka stole an entire caravan. That's a big offense where I came from. Ricco's bootlegging of his special wine or whatever it is is a tough sell too. In my world addictive drugs caused millions of people across the world to lose their lives one way or another. Babies were born horribly sick because of these drugs. How far away is Ricco's from trafficing in such evils. I don't know Celeste, I just don't know. How can I find a place for myself in this world, when even my friends are criminals and I once vowed to get people like them off the streets and before the courts for judgement?"

Vagrant lets out a big sigh, "Another irony is me preaching about the evils of drugs and all I want right now is that cigarette. Its a bit of tobacco rolled up into a slim stick to smoke. A legal drug in my day and not as horrible as some but a killer none the less. Perhaps, its a good thing you don't know what one is."

Vagrant grows quietly as he realizes he tires of waffling from one side of the fence to the another.

Celeste imagines someone waving a smoking stick around and breathing in the smoke. "What a strange world you come from James. I have seen many things since I left my home, but I have not yet seen these smoking sticks unless they come from a campfire, or as poor Wickersticks did when the Yaraza set him afire." She looks at him for a moment. "Many things here are different from my home, especially the adepts, but many things are the same.Yet I must learn that this is how their home is, for it is now my home as well," she motions toward the inn and Beka's room where the others must still be discussing plans. "You, on the other hand seem to be at odds with almost everything here. If you would not consider the question too prying, may I ask how is it you came here so far away from your home? Can you not return by the same way?"

Vagrant ponders her words for a brief moment and then rises from the railing, grabs Celeste by the shoulders and looks deeply into her eyes. He speaks as if the darkness has finally cleared, "My god, Celeste. You are right." He continues with a laugh in his voice, "This is now my home. I dwell in the old world in my mind and try to adapt it to this world but it just doesn't work. I need to stop behaving like an old dog and learn how to cope with what this world is. I need to learn what this world is all about from a fresh start. You people are my friends and nothing inside me feels any of you are bad people. My rules were buried long ago and I need to let them go. Thank you, Celeste."

Vagrant looks as if he is about to hug the tall barbarian but he awkwardly resists it and runs off towards the Inn.

"I should apologize for my outburst in the room. As for you question as to how I came here, you deserve the answer, but later. Thanks."

The mysterious man runs off. His odd happiness seems uncharacteristic but enjoyable none the less.

Considering his usual reaction at being touched, Celeste is a bit startled as James grabs her shoulders. The change in his voice and demeanor, almost as if he is talking to himself, leaves her speechless as he runs off towards the inn. "You are welcome," she says as he disappears..oO(What a very strange land he must have left behind...)

Not quite ready to return to the debates in Beka's room, Celeste will make her way back to the common room at the inn. She doesn't often partake of alcoholic beverages, but this seems like a good time to do so as she ponders James' sudden change.

.oO(Not you too...sigh)

Faliol sits up looks down at his lap and says quietly, "Thanks for the knot, Cassandra."

"Why is it, that the more time we spend in civilization, the less civilized we look?"

"I don't like civilization. It is nothing but an elaborate lie. Out in the wilds, things are simple. Sure, you have a few plants and animals that use scent or pretty colors to trap prey. But they do that to survive...there is no meaness or malice. In civilized places, folk like Ash, Jonnit, and Throne, appear to be lawful on the outside and are nothing but scum underneath. While we appear to be scum to Vagrant, but are basically decent in reality. I wonder how many people where he hails from look like law abiding citizens but are really just scum with a clever disguise? If I can see this at my age, why can't he see it with all his years of experience?"

Aware that he has inadvertently begun preaching, Faliol shuts up.

Ricco's chimes in. "No Laws can be fittin' all the situations. The more people you be gettin' in one place, the more different ways o' thinkin' there be. Out in the Wilds, be it along the Lizard Road, or be skiffin' the peaceful-like waters o' the Saber, you only be havin' to deal wit' yerself."

Ricco shrugs a little before pressing on. "Some folks don' be carin' what they be doin'. Ol' Riccoco be thinkin' the only peeps that can be knowin' the actions o' another be that peeps, hisself."

"Give him time," Nuyok inwardly chuckles at the double entendre, "he will come around."

"In the meantime, it seems we have issues with both Beka's and Riccoco's cargo, though Riccoco has an evident solution for his. It seems we either go with Vance back to Tallon, where there is no issue with Beka's cargo entering, or we have two problems, dealing with Vance and getting the cargo into Tallon. Thoughts?"

Lekchock looks at the open door for a second wanting to be back outside with the trees. He looks for a second, but decides it would be better to find out what is going on.

OOC: I probably would have had Lek bolt if Keith were going to be around, so Lek could go bother some people with questions, but if I did that now, I would take myself out of the game until he came back, so you will all have to suffer with his out of character behavior