fandomhigh | Library, Sunday

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Library, Sunday

Face had set up another helpful display of books, this time focusing on guides on recognising the various different kinds of sea-life.

Because, Face, basically. He thought he was clever at least.

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Maker damn it.

Cassandra fiddled with her fingers - a subconscious nervous gesture. "...No, it was quite useful," she said, "...in that it lived up to the use I had for it."

"You found out if the star-crossed lovers were reunited?"

You think a little thing like shame would've kept him from reading the one she'd brought back before this?

Something in Cassandra broke a little.

"They were so close!" she cried. "And then for him to be torn away again - it is so unfair!"

And then she went red. Sigh.

"Again? But she was going to do the thing!" Again, shame was something of a foreign concept to Face. "I think we've got the next one in."

By which he meant he'd already checked for it.

"I need it," Cassandra said immediately. "She must slay the Arch-King and shed her lover of that terrible enchantment! She must!"

"But what if killing him doesn't break it?" Face made a show of checking the computer, despite the fact he knew full we'll where the book was already. "It's on the shelf."

Cassandra moved towards the shelf in question with astounding speed.

Partly because she needed the book. Partly so she could stop blushing in front of Face. "I see," she called.

It wasn't like Face was going to mention the blushing. Gleefully cause it, yes, point it out, no.

"That's good," he called back.

Cassandra returned with the book and a much less red expression. "You should read the second one as soon as possible," she said. "...I do not want to spoil you too badly."

But she wanted to talk about the book.

"I'll get started on it right away," Face promised her, holding out his hand so he could check the other one out.

"What did you think of the first?" Cassandra said, offering him the third book. "The shieldmaiden is so strong in it. She suffers so."

He promptly scanned the book and handed it back. "I know. But she manages to stay just this side of overwhelmingly manipulative angst, that's hard to do." Face knew all about manipulative theatrics.

Cassandra tilted her head. "It is?" she asked.

Look, in real life, she just bludgeoned her problems into nonexistence and didn't spend too much time lingering on it, so this was not really her area.

Bludgeoning was a very valuable skill.

Face nodded. "The entire point propaganda is blatant emotional manipulation," he explained. "I died so many tragic deaths, usually after any number of completely absurd plot twists, all for the purpose of plucking the Imperial citizen's heartstrings."

Cassandra certainly believed so. But then for Cassandra 'charisma' was a dump stat.

"What sort of plot twists?" Cassandra asked, frowning.

That was okay, Face had enough charisma for all of them.

"They weren't exactly subtle," he said. "Usually the completely reasonable character who had any kind of issues with Imperial policy turned out to be a murderous Rebel terrorist who also liked kicking small defenceless animals."

"And people accepted this?" Cassandra asked. "If it was not subtle..."

Face scrubbed his face with one hand. "In part, because good acting can save bad writing," he said. "And the kind of people who'd openly question these holos weren't the intended audience, they were to galvanise the people who already believed what they were being told, or to soothe the misgivings of people who weren't even willing to admit to themselves that they had them."

"That seems... terrifying," Cassandra said. (Mind you, she also wasn't inclined to question the Chantry's narratives, but then she had seen many of them supported in her own life.) "But you are right. These books are nothing of the sort."

"That's the Empire for you," Face said with a shrug. "Not too many shieldmaidens there to save the day."

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Library, Sunday

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