IC Contact

[untiltheend]

This is Sebastian Michaelis. I am unavailable at present, but please leave a message. Should a response be needed I will reply when time permits me. Please do keep your message brief.

Comments

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[deuceoftears]

I do, actually. I'm...normally quite good at getting a sense of someone's character. And I know what I like.

[Even if his standards are...abnormal.]

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[untiltheend]

Dear me. Such peculiar tastes you must have, in that case.

[He doesn't say it in a self-disparaging way; he says it in a "I'm well aware I'm ornery and prickly with wardens and don't much pretend to be a good person and I make it very clear I hate all of you" way.]

Aside from Wardens I work with, I do not believe I tend to, mm, endear myself to the vast majority of you.

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[deuceoftears]

[Jedao shrugs and grins.]

You're clever, self-disciplined, and not a hypocrite. You're mean in the fun way at least some of the time, and the way you use formality is...refreshingly familiar. I enjoy spending time with you, and your scrutiny forces me to stay sharp.

And I don't care if that makes me terribly peculiar.

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[untiltheend]

[...Hmm. Please do continue listing Sebastian's admirable qualities. It's very enjoyable to hear. He appreciates that Jedao doesn't rush to insist that wardens do like him and that he's not mean.]

Is that so. [The polite thing, at this point, would be to offer traits he himself appreciates in Jedao, but we're not doing that.] Might it be that you come from some type of high society, then?

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[deuceoftears]

I don't know how neatly faction society would map onto Earth high society. But I suspect there are...certain parallels.

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[untiltheend]

[Curiously:]

"Faction society", is it?

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[deuceoftears]

Mm. Everything is quite beautiful, and rank is...meaningful. But it's more professional than aristocratic, in the factions I was...among.

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[untiltheend]

What rank had you? If I may ask.

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[deuceoftears]

When I was among the army, I was given the rank of General, but I hadn't earned it; that role was based on the lie that I was another person, whom I was only pretending to be, which is one of the reasons I so dislike it. Later, I was granted the role of Instructor, as you know. I didn't arrive to it by the...traditional path, but I do feel as though I did the work, that the title is more meaningfully my own. As an Instructor, and a very junior one, I had something of a middling rank - I could expect deference from cadets and infantry and analysts, but I owed more respect to most higher-level operatives, handlers, supervisors and so on.

Re: [After the signs flood, before the sword curse]

[untiltheend]

[Hmmm.]

I will say: although military rankings have their similarities to those of high society, they at least are based in some measure of competence rather than simple birth right. If I may, if you have indeed done the work, I believe the title of Instructor should be accurate, formalities aside.