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Frontier Town Founder's Square

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"That so?"

Nova clicked his tongue. His cheek bolts turned in their socket. That... sounded more like he was sugarcoating blackmail. Human police pulled stunts like that all the time. "Oh, we just want to hear your side of the story." was typically police speak for "You're our main suspect right now, bucko."

Which, after Andre's little assurance, suggested this wasn't something stupidly embarrassing. It might be bad. Like bad bad.

"So what's your version of this story, then?"
 
Andre sighed. Should he try to soften the blow? It hadn't done anything with Dave - he'd turned on Andre the moment he found out what it actually was. Odette, though, seemed to agree.

Eh. He'd go for it. "So you've probably met some pretty shitty people during all your years, right? People you'd call... irredeemable?"
 
"I s'pose so." Nova shrugged his shoulders. This was... meant to be the lead up to something. But what was it—

canisaries said:
"A serial killer," he said. "Like, a real one. A sadistic, cold-blooded killer who tortured his victims and... cannibalized them. Worshipped some sort of demonic god as well. Claimed that the god was telling him to do these things. I'm pretty sure he's schizophrenic, but I'm not sure how much that takes away his culpability. He seemed pretty lucid otherwise. But then again, I've never met anyone else schizophrenic - I mostly only have movies and TV to go off of, and I know those can be blatantly wrong..."
Click to expand...

It took a few moments, but Nova's last conversation with Andre did pop back up. In spite of all the stuff that had happened since then. "This gotta do with that serial killer guy you claimed to be involved with?" Nova tilted his head. "Cuz back then it sounded like... you thought there was a reason for his behavior."
 
"Oh... no," Andre said. Gods, he hadn't thought of Red in a while. That's right, he had to meet that psychopath again once he went home. A psychopath who, while he said he wouldn't kill Andre and had been speaking the truth at the time, could change his mind at any time and just do to Andre what he had done to all those women.

Gods, why did Nova had to bring him up? Not only was it a source of terrible memories and dread, but Nova would probably ask what was the difference between him and Red when he said what he did.

"That guy was... bad, yeah. I don't know if he's irredeemable, though. If I thought he was, I'd..." No, don't go there yet. "I think there's still a chance for him. If he just gets the right medication and therapy, maybe he'll realize the weight of what he's done."

How the hell would he transition from this?

"S-so, uh. Those irredeemable people. A lot of lives would have been better off if they just hadn't been around, right?"
 
Nova's expression hardened. "What?" He squinted at Andre. "That's... a bit of a sweeping generalization, don't you think? It's hard to say anything about anyone unless you know what their situation is."
 
Hmm. Going in a worse direction. "Well, sure, but what if you did know? What if you could talk to them and know for certain what they were feeling when they spoke and whether they were telling the truth? And you heard that they thought, for example, that beating their ex-girlfriend was really funny?"
 
Nova tilted his head enough that his neck cracked. "O-ho-kay... this is getting to sound like some sort of extended preamble to whatever it is you need to get off your chest." He took in a breath, his chest puffing slightly. "You don't have to tiptoe around this. Rip the bandage off or whatever."

He was starting to get the sense of where this might be going. There was something keeping Andre from reported Red, wasn't there? Nova had a bad feeling the Comb had shown exactly what that was.
 
Andre breathed out a sigh. Yeah, Nova was going to hate him, wasn't he? Might as well do as he said and get it over with.

"I'm a vigilante," he said. Sounded better than 'serial killer'. "I seek out abusers and I kill them."
 
Nova opened his beak. Then shut it. Then opened it again. Then shut it. A part of him thought his leg had been yanked. This little deerling? What, was he actually some sort of jacked up human with a closet full of firearms back home?

Vigilantism. The word rolled around in his head. "Is that what you call yourself?"

canisaries said:
"The reason I know all this is because he told me. He thought we were... kindred spirits of sorts. I don't know why."
Click to expand...

A golden claw tapped the ground. Tap, tap, tap. "Cuz that serial killer you mentioned said you two were kindred spirits." His turquoise eyes cast a glow over Andre. "Why would he say that if you were an honest to god vigilante? Why would... that secret 'ruin you?' I thought you humans and your juries had 'justified self-defense' in your worlds."
 
Andre frowned. This was exactly what he feared would happen.

"Red - that's his name - is delusional," Andre said. "He thinks that the world is divided into 'predators' and 'mareep'. 'Predators' meaning 'psychopaths'. He thought that, because I killed people, I must have been a psychopath. But I'm not." Something Nova was sure to contest.

"And my murders have not been in self-defense, no. They have been in the defense of others. That's the entire reason I do it. To make sure these guys can never hurt anyone again." He sighed. "Of course, the law doesn't agree with what I do. That's why I have to keep it a secret. Can't exactly keep doing this from behind bars."
 
Nova's scrutinizing gaze didn't let up. "So, what, you stopped them in the act of doing things? Cuz the way you're talking... it sure doesn't sound that way."
 
"See, this is where that thing about being able to tell when the target regrets their actions comes in," Andre said, not realistically expecting Nova to understand but attempting to explain it anyway. "They don't feel bad about what they did. That means they have a high chance of doing it again."

Like, sure, it was possible that some of his targets wouldn't have done any abuse in the future, had they lived. However...

Well, this wouldn't convince Nova. But Andre had to say it.

"But, really, even if they weren't going to do it again, don't they deserve a sanction instead of just getting away with it?"
 
"Don't you humans have systems to punish criminals?" Nova countered, raising a brow. "You pretty much said it does."

He squinted. "Do you regret what you've done?"
 
"I don't think a few years in jail is enough for ruining someone's life permanently," Andre said matter-of-factly. "And, no, I don't regret it. I wouldn't keep doing it if I didn't think it was the right thing to do."
 
Aaaaaand there it was. Nova was split on whether that was the answer. But to say it so blatantly and openly.

He stood up. His crest fanned out and he arced his beck in stretch. Then Nova opened his satchel. He slotted a red disk into his drive. Red seeped across the turquoise of his eyes, feathers, cheeks, and tail. A couple of tiny embers drifted off his cheek bolts.

"Let's take a walk," Nova said, though his tone made it sound like anything but a suggestion.
 
Andre stood still.

Why would Nova put in that thing? It changed his type, right? To fire, it seemed. And now he wanted them to take a walk. With an authoritative tone.

Andre looked around. There were mon around. Witnesses. He would be safe here. Right?

"What for?" he asked, his heartbeat speeding up.
 
"Because this isn't the kind of conversation to continue here," Nova replied. The sunlight blanketed most of his limited red glow. "If you really think I'm about to give you a taste of your own medicine, then you're mistaken. You do realize Betel's probably listening in, right? Or would sense something off?"
 
Betel. Right. Andre had forgotten about them. Better ask.

Betel? he thought. Can you tell if Nova is telling the truth? Do you have that power?
 
...Hello, Andre.

I cannot truly read Wayfarers' minds or precisely know their intentions from moment to moment, but... nevertheless, I do have confidence that Nova does not intend to bring you to harm.

If he did... I would protect you, Andre.​
 
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