tushanshu | [Radio]

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((In response to all this nonsense.))

Yes. Milyn's alive. We faked her death so nobody would get it into their head to try again. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but we didn't have much time to make a decision. I'm sorry we lied to all of you.

And before anyone asks, no, we're not handing her over to anyone for any of her proven or unproven crimes. Keeliai has the right to decide if she's guilty or not and what her punishment should be, but it'll be when there's a real representative government and a real judicial system in place, and when we've figured out what the hell is going on. Not before then. Because right now, the city is basically being run by the guy who probably tried to have her assassinated. I'm not handing her over to anything less than a fair trial. That's not up for negotiation. If you've got a problem with that, you can bring it to me.

[He may not have liked this plan, but he went along with it, and it's his responsibility to own it.]

Also, if anyone's thinking of going after her again...

[There's an odd emphasis on "anyone" - Tony knows the Foreigners probably aren't the only ones listening in.]

Don't bother.

[Cold, hard, final. The message is clear: Milyn is protected.]

[[Private, to Valdis]]

I'm sorry. [His voice is softer now. He sounds genuinely troubled.] I wanted to tell you. I didn't want you to think it was your fault for getting her killed.

I was outside when they were healing her, and everybody had already come up with the plan by the time I went back in - we all promised we wouldn't tell anyone who wasn't there. I... I don't know. I wish I'd handled it better. We should have told you.

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You know, there are times when I don't have to wonder at all why the kedan hated us.

[He sounds almost musing. Almost.]

If I say you win whatever contest we're apparently having, will you stop butting in at totally inappropriate times just to say shitty stuff to me? Someone almost died, Solomon. I'm really tired of the one-upping game.

Someone's always dying, Stark. You never seem to care unless it gives you the chance to be heroic.

[He's not even going to touch the part about the game. If Stark hasn't notice that Solomon stopped 'playing' months ago, it says something about his self-awareness.]

I already knew Milyn was still alive. One of my kedanese acquaintances asked me to go to the clinic to confirm it for her. She's investigating the crime, you see. Seeking justice. She has been for over a month. Yet here you are, all righteous, on a platform only Foreigners can see.

If you're really out for Keeliai to manage its own affairs, why aren't you reaching out to the kedan who are trying to do so?

[Aren't you, Sol? Because it kinda sounds like you still are.

Tony switches the channel to private, because maybe Solomon will be less of a douchebag if he doesn't have an audience for his ego.]

Seriously, Solomon? This just went down. I just got finished talking to Milyn. I haven't made a public announcement because I still don't know what the hell is going on, and I'm not the only one affected by this. Maybe you should give us a little time to figure this out before riding my ass about it. [Oh, yeah, don't think he hasn't noticed that all of Solomon's bitching is about Tony, and none of the other conspirators.] Especially since one of the people affected by it is Raine.

[For Raine's sake, Tony would like to believe that Solomon actually gave her safety a passing thought before suggesting that Tony blab all of this all over the network without discussing it with anyone else. Sadly, he's not sure he can give the necromancer that much credit.]

If you actually gave a shit, you could have just said what Klaus said. Which I agree with, by the way. [Because it was pretty much exactly what Solomon said, minus the ad hominem. Tony's voice sounds tired and frustrated.] If you want to help, cut the crap. If you don't, leave me alone.

[There isn't an immediate answer, partly because Solomon doesn't like how easy Stark can get him riled these days, and partly because the boy does sound so honestly tired. In light of that, Solomon doesn't think Stark missed his point on purpose -- they'd had more than a month to approach the kedan, after all -- and it's enough to give him pause.

[The pause, and the use of Raine's name, is enough to make him think about how Raine would suggest he approach this, and that's even more irksome, the acknowledgement that he isn't exactly thinking rationally.

[Pushing, in Solomon's experience, hasn't exactly helped. He doesn't know when it happened that Stark pushed his buttons without his realising it enough that he acts instead of thinking. Maybe it's because Stark is mouthy and arrogant, too smart for his own good, too assured of himself. Those are all traits Solomon's boyhood tutors had flung at him as though they were accusations.

[The irony isn't lost on him.

[So, while Stark is a young fool who still manages to willingly miss the point, maybe it's time to try another tack. Which is why, after that lengthy, thoughtful pause, what comes out is a sigh.]

I apologise. That was inappropriately bad timing.

[It doesn't come out awkwardly, but it is faintly tentative, as if the words are alien. Because they are, even after all this time in Keeliai. Solomon isn't used to having to mediate his own relationships. It's still a strange feeling.]

...Wow. Okay. [And now there's a brief pause on Tony's end as he processes that, because he is actually astonished. An apology? From Solomon? And not a fake, passive-aggressive one?

There are a hundred snarky things he could respond with, all along the lines of "who are you and what have you done with Solomon," but that's exactly what he'd just complained about Solomon doing and it would probably kickstart the whole cycle again, so he keeps his mouth shut. He's genuinely relieved not to have to do that song and dance this time.]

So you used your magic to see if anyone had actually died in the clinic. That's how you knew she was still alive. [Death magic. Duh. Why didn't he think of that earlier?] If you think the kedan should know, why didn't you say anything sooner? Did you tell Raine you knew? [There's no accusation there: he's just curious. No guarantee he's going to listen to anything Solomon suggests, but Tony would like to know where he's coming from.]

Edited 2016-05-18 07:11 (UTC)

Yes. Violent deaths are easy to distinguish. There was no death by stabbing in Milyn's clinic.

[Solomon sighs a little, but it might be a deprecating chuckle too.]

I didn't mention it to Raine, for a few reasons. They're not relevant.

[To keep her plausible deniability. To avoid adding to her burden with more political complexity. Because his kedanese contact had requested he keep it confidential. He shakes his head.]

Would you have appreciated it if I had? Or would you have resented my high-handedness in assuming that I knew how to handle the situation better? When all of you made that choice you all took responsibility for resolving it. My taking control from you without your consent is no better than you assuming you had rights over the whole situation without consulting the kedan trying to investigate.

[Despite his words, his tone isn't accusing or pointed, as it had been before. This is practically the least antagonistic conversation they've ever had, and that includes the one with Pepper as the mediator.]

Edited (BELATED THOUGHT) 2016-05-20 04:36 (UTC)

[There's a longer silence this time.]

...I don't know, [Tony finally admits.] You already knew - we only kept the circle small so there was less chance of someone accidentally spilling the beans. I'd have been pissed if you went and told everyone without talking to the rest of us, yeah, but it wouldn't have hurt to say something to us.

[Tony sighs.] We can't do anything about it now, though. We've got to decide what to do next. Who's been investigating? Do they represent any of the families?

[Tony's not sure what the point of being a detective is if you're not reporting to anyone, don't get paid, and don't have the power to arrest anyone, but what does he know?]

[And a returning pause.]

Maybe I should have.

[Which is an admission all on its own.]

Explicitly? I don't think so. I've never asked after their politics, and they haven't volunteered the information; obviously, outing themselves as a member of any given family would influence the people they speak to. But I've had the impression at least one of the families is funding them.

If you're about to suggest speaking to them--I think that would be wise. Regardless how you feel about how the city is governed, speaking to those who have authority before you tell the whole city the details will avoid sweeping the rug out from under their feet.

[More than they already have. In deference to the attempt to not be a dick, Solomon doesn't say that part.]

Hm. [Tony's not sure it's a good idea to trust these kedan detectives if they don't know where their allegiances lie - they could be working for Yunxu, after all - but if Solomon's already been talking to them, that's just more water under the bridge. Like he said, all they can do is move forward.]

Talk to kedan you talked to? Or do you mean the families? Like the family heads?

Both. The detectives are the ones doing the work, right now, that you want to see done. The family heads are the ones who will be able to expedite the processes to make that work easier.

Maybe. [It's a very hesitant 'maybe.'] Yunxu is still one of the family heads, [he points out.]

Do you have contact information for the detectives? Can the rest of us get in touch with them?

Yunxu isn't a fool, either. He's better to have on side than rejected. You want to be able to hold him accountable, not make him an enemy.

I have an address. You'll have to drop by to pick it up, though. I'm not sure how to work the speech-to-text translation for kedanese languages.

[Written down, at least Tony will be able to compare the symbols for the street signs.]

I'll pick it up in an hour or two. [And he can ask Solomon for more details on these detectives in person. But back to Yunxu:]

I get holding him accountable, [Tony says - and Yunxu getting his comeuppance from the other family heads does hold a lot of appeal -] but I don't see how this can end up with him not being our enemy.

He's ruthless, not evil. He wants order and safety for Keeliai; he thinks he's the only suitable candidate to make that happen because no one has proven to him that there are other viable options.

Don't tell him what to do. He'll dig in his heels if he thinks he doesn't have a choice. But show him there are other options and let him decide for himself, and I will lay money on him choosing the pragmatic option. Even if that option means losing a bit of his power in the name of stability. As long as he thinks its his choice, he won't be your enemy.

[Not that Solomon has spoken to Yunxu ... ever. But he's observed. And he knows men like Yunxu. Put an ultimatum before him, and he'd choose himself; put a choice before him, he'd choose his people, even if only for the sake of pride and appearance.]

So you think he's going to be cool with us accusing him of attempted assassination in front of the other family heads? Because that's what we're going to have to do before anything else happens.

[He sounds skeptical, a little incredulous, but not dismissive. He just can't see that going well, but no one else seems to think it's as big a deal as he does. He'd be happy to be proven wrong, but...]

That counts as putting him in a position where he won't feel like he's choosing for himself.

[There's a touch of dryness in Solomon's tone at that.]

Don't humiliate him. Don't put him on the spot. Don't make him think he has to preserve his image, reputation or power at the cost of being on good terms with any coordinated government. He'll give up the latter in a heartbeat--but only if you make him think he has to. Make sure that a coordinated government can give him something he wants more than he wants to keep his standing.

If, for instance, a coordinated government could guarantee that Milyn will be held responsible, he'll be likely to back it. From everything I've heard, she's earned some justice herself.

So... we just let it go? Don't say anything and let him get away with it?

We can't hold Milyn accountable and not Yunxu. That's just... selling Milyn out to keep Yunxu as an ally.

[That may be practical, but it's also wrong. Tony had promised himself that he'd bow to the majority decision, but.. he doesn't know if he can back that.]

You're missing my point. Politics isn't one thing or just one other thing. Not putting him on the spot doesn't equal letting him go. If you have solid proof he tried to kill Milyn, you can use it against him, but until more of his powerbase is eroded, you're going to run into trouble if you try and bulldoze over him. Right now, Keeliai needs Yunxu more than it needs Milyn, in order to maintain stability.

But only right now. He may well accept a court ruling if it means that he gets to see justice done against Milyn too. He never will if you treat him like he has no place in Keeliai's future.

...I hate politics.

[That's not justice, that's... scheming. If this is what their new government is going to look like, Tony's not sure he want to be involved.

Solomon can't see it, but Tony shakes his head.] If everyone else thinks this is the best way to take Yunxu down, I'll help. [He's aware that in this case, 'helping' may just mean staying out of the way.]

But if it comes down to Milyn or Yunxu, or keeping Yunxu on our side instead of getting justice for the people he's hurt, you know where I'm going to stand. We can't hand out justice based on who's useful or not.

What is justice? Is trying to kill a woman who's persistently and recently performed crimes against many others a crime in itself? Or is it defending the city she's preying upon?

[Oddly gentle:]

You can't bring down everyone who hurts someone else, Tony. The best you can do is ensure they'll get along with a minimum of damage to the people around them. Sometimes, that means appealing to their better nature--or manipulating them toward the same.

[There's a long delay before Tony responds.]

I'm not sure. [About any of it.] The right thing isn't always easy to do, but if you always do what's practical over what's right... [Well, then, what's the point? He doesn't think he's going to win an argument about that with Solomon, though.

But maybe that's okay. Maybe there's a middle road between practical and right, and having some people pushing for one and some for the other will keep them on that track.

The whole tangle isn't going to be solved today over the radio, though.]

I guess it's going to take a long time to figure all this out. [He sighs again.] But... thanks, Solomon. For actually being helpful.

[He could have put a passive-aggressive barb into that, but he doesn't. For once, he means it.]

The right thing isn't always clear-cut, either. If you can save people later by killing one person now, where is right?

[It doesn't always exist. Sometimes, it's just what you can live with. Solomon's better at that part than most. His tone turns amused again, though lacking his usual cutting edge.]

Let's not get sentimental, now.

[But there's a beat, just before Solomon signs off:]

Good luck.

[And then he does.]

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