voidtreckernet | Domino 18 [Video]

Domino 18 [Video]

Before I came here, the residents of the train chose a Council.

They chose unwisely.

You ask me to bend my knee to an unworthy leader, one who you have chosen for me. I will not. If my refusal to swear allegiance to one not of my land, not of my clan, and not of my choice is objectionable to you, then now is the time to bring your complaints to me. I await them.

[There is hot anger, and there is cold anger. This is cold anger. It brings out the formality in Edge as few things can.]

Let's see how this train is truly run.

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Hey, I didn't know, that's why I'm talking to you! I wanna hear you out! My point about putting this on the intercom still stands though.

Where are you, ninja boy? We should probably continue this in person.

I'm in the gym car. Best place for this, I figured.

Heading over. Don't move.

[With that, Reigen turns the icp off and heads over to the gym area. It only takes a few minutes.]

Yo, not here to fight, just talk. I'm not interested in breaking any bones again, I just got over the one from last week's mission.

So, what'd Tony say that pissed you off so much?

[Reigen knows that Tony can be a jackass even at his most well-intentioned. Whatever he said this time must have been pretty bad.]

Trust me, I didn't think you were.

[Seriously, there are people on the train Edge would prefer not to fight. This kid is not one of them.]

He said several things, the worst of which is that this situation is 'on him, not me'.

[Oh. Ok, now things start to make a bit more sense.]

Yeah, I hate it when he does that. He thinks taking responsibility for everything on his own will keep people from getting hurt, but it just means that he's gonna suffer more. I'll be trying to keep his hero complex in check, trust me.

[It's hard to talk someone who literally died for his universe out of that sort of thing, but Reigen's nothing if not persistent.]

[Edge shakes his head, even as he relaxes somewhat.] I'm glad you at least recognize it, unlike all the people who think that trait makes him the most saintly man alive. But that doesn't change the fact that such an attitude means we can't trust him as a leader.

Well, he's like a dad to a lot of the kids here. Of course they're gonna think the world of him.

[Reigen sighs, folding his arms as he puts his thoughts together.]

I think he's a good man, even though he makes a lot of bad decisions and gets in his own head a lot. That's why he's not the only leader we have...of course a single person isn't gonna be able to lead everyone here. [Tony may just be the most vocal and do the most paperwork. Reigen notes to himself, see if he can get the metal guy to relax. If he's gonna be on the council he might as well handle some of the organization work.]

So...yeah, it's probably good to get him reel it back. We're a unit, not a guy and his charges.

Having that philosophy foisted on the young is even more appalling. [Letting out a low groan, Edge slides both hands into his hair. What a mess.] See, you've captured it exactly. We're supposed to be in this together. No one asked for him to take responsibility from us and all on himself. I certainly didn't.

Although I also despise his willingness to accept the arbitrary rulings from the train, I might add.

Trust me, Tony'd be horrified if those kids did some of the dumb shit he did too. [A little hypocritical, Reigen thinks with a small snort.] You're not wrong. It's not like having some sort of leadership is a bad thing, but we're still responsible for ourselves, no matter who we have keep things organized here.

[He pauses again at the comment about the train rulings, folding hid arms in though again.]

I'm not really sure what else to do with the train thing, though, that's not entirely a Tony thing. To be honest, none of us really get why this place works how it does, or why we're even here. Stuff like chore assignments don't bug me since we'd probably have to set up a system for laundry and cleaning anyway if we didn't get it from the train. Not knowing who actually runs the train itself is weirder, though. All we know is we can't leave unless it decides to let us go.

[Edge snaps his fingers, like he's catching the first point.]
I heard from at least one of them. He's taken the exact same path of thinking he's better than others and only he has the right and responsibility, and everyone else needs to subject themselves to his oversight and judgment before he'll be satisfied. And worse, everyone else I spoke to buys into that argument entirely. They willingly cede their responsibility and self-determination. A leader should be nurturing those qualities, not stripping them of it by taking the attitude that only he can ultimately do what is right and what is needed.

[And then Edge lashes out, slamming one fist sidelong into the wall he stands against.] Damn it. Putting it that way I understand it perfectly now. The reason he's so heartset on enforcing the train's rules is to make everyone used to unquestioningly obeying such arbitrary rules and restrictions! We're entirely capable of coming up with our own organization, our own ways of doing things, ways that don't rely on us just rolling over and letting the train rule us. And that sort of display of independent thought and self-will is exactly what he doesn't want us doing in the first place. No wonder he insists the train is right and we need to obey its strictures to the letter!

Oi, easy there! You're gonna break your hand doing that!

[Reigen looks concerned at the outburst, then frowning at what Edge is saying.]

I, uh...don't think he's doing that to be a tyrant or anything like that. It's just laundry, buddy. It's more like...he's scared of other people getting hurt? Which, getting hurt and making mistakes is a part of life. He needs to get out of the mindset that he can do everything on his own.

[He can't say that Tony doesn't have an ego about himself, of course. It's the kind of ego that could make him self-destructive, though, which is what worried Reigen.]

Plus, I don't know, the train having mind-controlling inspectors and the ability to make people disappear and shove them into suitcases whenever they want freaks me out. We're gonna have to figure out just who or what the thing running this train is before we start standing against it. I don't want you getting yourself banished into luggage trying to fight it.

He means well, but meaning well doesn't mean you do the right thing. In the end, what he wants is purely selfish. Control. And that isn't leadership.

[The talk with the kid had only confirmed all of Edge's worries. What is being built her is no camaraderie, no mutual trust between those who lead and those who follow. It's the leader taking on everything, not trusting those who follow in the slightest. To the head of a ninja clan, who must have absolute faith and trust in those ninjas out in the field... the attitude is absolutely repellent. Edge imagines how things would be for him, if he insisted on double-checking on everything his people did because he didn't trust them, and the only real question is if he feels angrier, or sicker.]

And following the train just makes my point. If the strictures tighten, if we're instructed only to move between cars at certain times for example, do we just blindly obey that for fear of what will happen? What if the teams are forbidden from speaking to each other? At what point do we allow fear to break our spirit? Even if we can't fight it, why can't we try to take more of this situation on our own terms, instead of accepting what has been dictated?

Well, he can't control us calling him out when he's a dumbass. And I've called him a dumbass a lot, so I don't think he'd still be friends with me if he didn't trust my judgement. Just curious though, what's being a leader mean to you? Seems like you care a lot about that.

[Reigen huffs a little at those hypothetical situations Edge describes. Maybe he does have a point.]

Yeah, if it sets any rules like that, I'm breaking them. That'd just be stupid if we couldn't speak to each other. [He puts a hand on his chin in thought.] You do have a bit of a point...I'm curious how far the train's control goes anyway. All we know is we can't reach the conductor and that some things are enforced more than others. Like I haven't seen anyone get shoved in a suitcase for not doing chores, but if you fall asleep at night somewhere that isn't your room, it'll teleport you there....weird.

So maybe we could try a little sticking it to the man--train. Not anything huge, just to see what it does. Nothing it's made us do has caused serious harm to anyone, so what's the worst that could happen?

According to our brave leader, everyone will die.

[Edge bites off that statement, then hisses out a breath.] All right, that mischaracterizes, but he was very clear he considered the train's decisions to not only be acceptable, but correct. And in any case, it's pointless when no matter what we do, it's subject to total oversight. We're only trading one 'man' for another if we let one person decide only he can be responsible.

Well, he doesn't know any of that for sure. The worst it's done is send people off to...wherever people go when they leave. I'm assuming back home.

[Reigen doesn't entirely feel the need to protest the more basic train setups with where teams go for missions and such, but hey, maybe they should anticipate this kind of rebellion from structure. People get cabin fever.]

You're right, and I do understand your concerns. You'll just have to trust me and the other people on this train to make sure one person doesn't become the sole holder of responsibility, alright?

[Edge straightens from his lean, the better to look Reigen straight on.]

So long as someone who calls himself our leader feels that way, it's too late. Every choice and every decision is suspect. What does he know that he doesn't tell us, to protect us? What does he not trust us with that he should? It's well and good to put your efforts into countering that, but so long as you listen to him, he has the power to manipulate you.

[Reigen pauses for a moment, something in the last thing Edge says to him hitting a nerve.]

I'm not going to be manipulated. [Reigen clenches his fist then relaxes, as if pushing down the nagging feelings associated with that choice of words.]

You might not trust him, that's fine. I do, though, and he hasn't proven me wrong for that yet. Besides, I know what it looks like when someone's trying to play me. [He gives a one-note laugh. Of course someone like him would know about manipulation, he thinks.]

If him saying only he is allowed to have responsibility doesn't break that trust... [Edge heaves a sigh. The anger that sustained him is trickling away, leaving him more exhausted and upset than righteously indignant.]

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