[Open]

[mal_adjusted]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Mal Draco
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Brooding question of ethics.
WHEN: Beginning of Wintermarch
WHERE: Her and Carolus's room in the Gallows
NOTES: She's an angry goth kid. She curses like one.

Okay so ... some of you are big ... moral people and heroes and all that rot. A question for you. If you, say, have some pull with some people and that might help ... things, but it's dealing directly with a family that you have ... not had the best relationship with, do you do the thing that might help even though it's going to put you back in with a family who pretty much abandoned you from day one?

[Great. Now ... she's angry rambling. Ugh.]

Anyways - if - anyone needs or wants some artwork for their room, house, hovel, whatever - when I'm not trying to help with the Veil stuff, I can create murals for you. Price is trade for stuff I can use for painting supplies, that kind of thing.

Yeah. Okay. Bye.

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

If they abandoned you from day one, they aren't family. Don't subject yourself to that shit again if you don't need to.

[mal_adjusted]

...I know, I know but. They ... have a lot of influence. Like, a lot.

[gatheringstorm]

Can you go about it indirectly? Arrange things, but ultimately leave it up to someone else?

[mal_adjusted]

I... maybe. I have to send a letter to someone.

[gatheringstorm]

It's better than getting tangled up in something you don't want. If it doesn't work, at least you aren't putting yourself in the line of fire.

[provenforce]

Leave it. If there's no way to avoid being tangled up with them, it isn't worth it. There's always another way to do things.

[mal_adjusted]

I'm ... not really sure how. I mean. I guess I could go behind their backs and go to the in-laws. I just ... don't know if they'd talk to me.

[provenforce]

If it's important you could try that. If they won't talk to you, it won't do any harm.

[mal_adjusted]

Yeah! ...yeah. Just, not talking to me is something that. Ah. People in my family do. So yeah.

[hearher]

At least mine all have the decency of being dead.

[mal_adjusted]

... is it weird for me to say 'Lucky Bastard'?

[hearher]

I don't think so.

I don't know what mess I'd be in if my mother hadn't been executed...

You don't have to put yourself at risk for anyone, Mal.

[mal_adjusted]

Even for all of us - and like - all of us.

...Maybe.

Ugh, if they even talked to me. Or understood.

[el_tybs]

Unless the situation is dire and requires said group of people's help to progress... it might be worth trying? But it sounds like in this case they might or might not help, and their help is not necessarily required. So I would say, no, it isn't worth it.

If you have ideas on what can influence them, you can stay anonymous and just pass the word up to Advisor Josephine. She's very good at what she does.

[mal_adjusted]

Not as much dire ... just. Things got messed up and I know that these people could, in fact, do something to help. I also know that they are ... stupid, and selfish sometimes and maybe only one of them ever paid me any kind of good attention and he might help or he might just reject it out of hand because. He's one of those super moral people who has problems with things? That happened in the past? That were not my fault but still.

...do you think? I mean. She's... pretty high up there.

[el_tybs]

Sounds like there are a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts', that there is no guarantee that they would help even if you threw yourself into the fray. That is not worth it.

She is pretty up there, but her job is to gather support for the Inquisition. Anything that could help with that she would want to know. She could figure if their help would actually be beneficial. If they are and we can work something out without bringing you into it, best for everyone.

If she does bring you into it, it would not be on a whim.

[mal_adjusted]

So many Ifs and Buts, Sam .... so fucking many.

Okay. Okay so I will ... write a letter and then I will talk to the Adviser ... and then I will go and I don't know, destroy some wood.

[crowncitizen]

Sounds like a tough predicament. I guess it comes down to what you're willing to do. Do you think their help would be worth being back in contact with them? They sound kind of awful.

[mal_adjusted]

I know their help would be worth it.

I also know that they are ... kind of awful.

[crowncitizen]

Well, hey, you gotta do what you're most comfortable with. No one can force you. Maybe there's another way? Like an indirect way of contacting them and seeing if they can help? Maybe another family member who is decidedly less of a Huge Jerk?

[mal_adjusted]

I was going to ... I was going to send a letter through the diplomacy office, if they let me.

[there is silence for a moment.] There's only one. Just the one.

[universal_charm]

I think it would depend on how much it might actually help with the thing you are trying to accomplish. And how poor the relationship is.

[mal_adjusted]

.... it would help a lot. Certain people I know have a lot of push and pull.

And it's. Never been good and is ... less good.

[universal_charm]

Then it comes down, to, I think, if going back into this situation with your family is going to harm you. If you feel you can put up with the relationship, and that the cause you are working for is worth that emotional effort - you should consider doing it. But if it's going to traumatize you, I think that not going back to them is perfectly legitimate.

[mal_adjusted]

... I am going to try something, with them, but only through letter, I think.