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Date Posted: 17:00:45 11/13/01 Tue
Author: Laurel
Subject: Good fight & good night!
In reply to: Corum and Erlic 's message, "Acceptance, ritual, and proverbial" on 08:42:47 11/13/01 Tue

If he had chosen to address her directly on the issue, Erlic would have found that Laurel did not think the institution of thievery to be unnecessary. Quite calmly, she would have informed him that yes, it was a formidable skill, if not considered honorable by all. She understood and was taught as a girl that all things in this world had their place, and that, of course, included the humble thief. And although she was not familiar with any particular thieves’ guild back home, she was, many times, forced to associate with the assassins’ guild, that being, of course, the shado men and women.

She simply did not approve of their existence, thieves or assassins, no more than she approved of the life her brother had chosen---and yet, of course, she loved Rowan with all her heart, and cared for the members of this group, as well, no matter their chosen profession. After all, how many times had they, in turn, made snide comments about the wealthy, unaware that a former aristocrat was sitting in their presence? Yet she had never come to the defense of her kind, partly because she knew they deserved some of the slander heaped upon them, but also because she knew these people to be very set in their ways, and so would probably never come to view nobles and their ilk in a positive light.

Erlic, however, chose not to directly address her. Instead, he got up, slowly, and began walking about the room, as though preparing to give a speech. This did not please Laurel, as she found his speeches to be quite pretentious, and wondered that while he spent most of his time keeping his mouth shut why he should suddenly feel it necessary to spend five minute lecturing to her instead of having a civilized conversation. True, his “lectures” were always interesting, but they came with the assumption that she should remain silent while they were being delivered, and as her upbringing was still too strongly ingrained within her, Laurel could never, for politeness’ sake, interrupt him until he had finished.

She quite understood his take on perception. (Interesting to note that perception itself could be a thing perceived!) But she did not think the life of a professional thief was an entirely debatable issue. Thieves did not fit into the economic scheme of business, despite the fact that even Laurel’s own people considered the god of merchants to be closely tied to the god of thieves and vagrants. She was simply asking him to view his profession from the point of view of herself, the potential victim. He believes it is I who lacks perception, but I think he must be wrong. It is surely the other way around! His next statement bothered her, as well. She wished to say something about the matter, but again, he continued onward, without giving her a chance to speak.

As soon as he did finish speaking, she took one last sip of her wine, wiping her lips with the kerchief before tossing it down on the table. “Chaos does exist,” she said calmly, standing up from her chair and staring at him, “It existed well enough for me five years ago. Tell my dead mother, and my father, then, if you think differently. Tell my murdered friends and cousins, my aunts and uncles. Tell all the victims of the uprising brought about by the noble savages we like to refer to as “commoners.” Because that is what happens when we let chaos rule society, Erlic. Not some overblown romantic notion of balance.”

“Perhaps we can continue this conversation,” she added, not even looking over her shoulder as she strode out of the room, “When you are ready to actually converse with me.”

She returned swiftly to her room, not so much angry as slightly put off. She was truly out of her natural habitat here. Give her a room full of condescending royalists, and she could shine. Better yet…better yet, give her the small cabin Rowan had helped her build in her grove miles away from any place civilized, and she would truly feel at home, at last.

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