"Oh, the outcome is absolutely your fault," Liliana said with an amused smile. "No, you didn't create the system, but you were informed how it worked and what would happen if you poked at it. And then you deliberately chose to poke at it, in the exact way you were told would bring it crashing down. That was your decision, darling. Own it. Don't get all mealy-mouthed about it now, trying to shirk the blame."

Which wasn't to say that Liliana didn't think that consequences should be foisted off onto other people whenever possible. But you couldn't properly avoid the consequences of you denied they were coming.

"No, not everyone will die. Even if we took the violence and depravity out of it, a substantial percentage of the population will die, and the sick, the children, and the elderly will die in the highest numbers. If you had the resolve to rescue the child, have the resolve to look those facts in the face, darling."

Not that she sounded particularly fussed about that outcome, mind.