Maiming [18 Late 4385]

[sythyry]

Mirrored from Sythyry.

Children

Nangbang took the children back to the sky-bridge and kept them from seeing or hearing the maiming and the assorted surrounding drama, of which there was a great deal. (Nangbang, because, not too many years ago, he had a child of the same age.) I very much wished I could stay back with the children and not be involved in the maiming and the assorted surrounding drama myself.

Ochirion: “What is Sythyry going to do Mommy and Mommy?”

Nangbang: “Zie’s going to hurt them enough to satisfy law and justice, so zie doesn’t have to kill them.”

Ochirion: “Are we going to see Mommy and Mommy any more?”

Nangbang: “Yes, a lot.”

Feralan: “Do we have to go live with Vae and be wild children again, and get stirred up with the dark grid more?”

Nangbang: “No. You’ll live with a nice comfortable safe Cani family, in Oorah Thrassen.”

Ochirion: (cries)

Feralan: (cries and kind of giggles)

Nangbang: (comforts as best he can)

Adults

This is the horrible part.

Me: “Here is a serrated meat-knife with a sharp glass blade. Thiane, you will now cut off Zascalle’s ears and hand them to me.” I cast a twisty little Locador spell as I gave it to her.

(The other choice had been to do it myself. I have never actually done this surgery in my Healer’s Guild duties, but I have done other surgeries. Crueler to make them do it to each other, I think. Harder, too.)

Thiane took the knife, and, utterly unsurprisingly, tried to stab me with it. My twisty little Locador spell flipped her to the ground, with the knife missing me by several yards. Kzip giggled.

Me: “You’re not particularly making me feel more merciful, Thiane.”

Actually getting her to do it took many more minutes and various forms of persuasion I found exceedingly distasteful. (Kzip offered to help, but I did not let her.) I preferred those minutes to watching Mynthë die, or Dustweed, but elsewise they rank among the worst minutes of my life. I cauterized her ear-stubs with my breath, not because it’s a particularly good way to do so — it’s not — but because I thought I wanted to do some direct violence to Zascalle.

Then, bloody-headed Zascalle’s turn to cut Thiane’s ears off. She did it quickly and accurately, perhaps because she knew how much Thiane’s half-hearted sawing had hurt. Then she whirled and threw the ears off the edge of the balcony. “You may have me, but you’ll never have Thiane!”

One more cley, for a levitation spell to return the ears to me. Zascalle looked devastated.

La Hish: “You do know that wouldn’t have worked anyways? Sythyry could have just cut off her tail zirself, or her thumbs, or something else expendable.”

Zascalle: (sobs)

Another cley to stop Thiane’s ear-stubs from bleeding, nicely this time. I somehow am less angry with her than with Zascalle. Probably because she surrendered and Zascalle didn’t exactly.

Then, because I am a wicked and manipulative wizard — or at least can be when I absolutely need to — I bound two ear-healing spells to a pair of buttons.

Me: “Now, accept these bound spells, and keep these buttons. They will grow your ears back … when Saza triggers them.”

Saza: “And I am in no hurry at all to use them. An injury done to my dear coz is an injury done to me, and it is only fitting that you shall wear injuries in reprisal!”

Me: “Still, when you deem it advisable, they may have new ears. Of course, as Thiane well knows, the ears we already have will be perfectly excellent connections to you … forever.”

Thiane: “We understand. We accept this punishment.” Cani are generally pretty good at submission when they need to be.

Zascalle: “We do no such thing! What of Feralan? He needs tending, he needs curing!”

Saza: “It just so happens that I am a wizard of considerable skill and experience — more than Sythyry even. And I am not very busy at the moment; nobody wants to have a war with Oorah Thrassen just now, for, as noted, I am a wizard of considerable skill and experience. So I shall be investigating the matter for Sythyry.” Zie winked at me. “For a suitable contracting fee!” A suitable contracting fee which covers his full debt to Grinwipey, compensation for taking Zascalle and Thiane and the children, actual payment for research on Feralan, and then somewhat more.

Zascalle glared at Saza. Saza smirked at Zascalle.

Me: “If my dear coz lets me know that you have misbehaved more — or if zie somehow mysteriously vanishes; I should not be surprised if you add murder to your list of iniquities — I shall exact a terrible revenge upon you. I have been taking lessons from Vae, after all. “

And I hereby write in big letters, in case I am unclear about the matter later on and need to remind myself …

I am very very angry at Zascalle and Thiane! They deserve all of this, and more!

I am also feeling utterly miserable about the whole thing. I think I did an adequate job of punishing them … did I? I could certainly go back and do more, and nobody would think it the least bit improper. But it was only money — admittedly, the profits of a century’s enchantment work, which is not so little labor even for an immortal — and admittedly the funds I use to support many people, as well as various recreations. Also it was a betrayal by people I had supported and befriended for years.

I have no idea. I cannot measure the power and complexity of justice, or revenge, as I would a spell.

Comments

[rowyn]

I do hope Saza can find a way to help Feralan.

Having them cut off each other's ears was a cruel touch, but fitting.

I think Thiane is perhaps reformable. I hope she is, and that she does.

*hugs*

Poor little lizard.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

It was more money than most people possess in a lifetime. It was planned and protracted betrayal of your confidence, and it endangered everyone you support. Their thefts were not because they were starving, or otherwise impoverished -- they happened because Zascalle and Thiane were greedy and self-centered and thoughtless. Zascalle, at least, is a foul little borderline-sociopath.

In your position, I would have handed them to Vae and asked her to make them into lamps. But perhaps I am vindictive.

Your punishments were entirely justified, and allow for the possibility of reform.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

I recommend a lot of brandy and a night spent crying on someone's shoulder followed by a nice sleep in the fire.

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

I daresay you could have killed(and then healed) Zascalle, at least, and still called it just and left the chance for reform. Though that would have been introducing a note of dishonesty to the children, and that's the last thing they need.

And that's one thing you've done that many justice systems don't: you have given them a chance to be better people.

Assuming Nangbang related Feralan's commentary close-to-accurately(not saying he'd lie, but that whoever your informant is might misremember), I am slightly encouraged: yes, he closed that remark oddly, but he was at least lucid enough to remember Vae.

Anyway. Strength to you, Sythyry. It's a nasty business all around, and it speaks well of you that it didn't come easily to you. But I think you've done good work in this bad job.

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Personally, I would've arranged the twisty bit of Locador to do just a bit more twisting and ensured she fell upon the blade upraised. Just to make the point very clear, no pun intended.

[quoting-mungo.livejournal.com]

Hell, the closing of Feralan's remark sounds almost like something Zascalle would've crammed into the children's heads.


-Alexandra

[rowyn]

Well, the "wild children" and getting "stirred up" sounds like something their parents would say. I don't think Zascalle would talk about "the dark grid", though.

And honestly, being upset about her children getting abducted by Vae and fearing that it would happen again is the only reasonable thing Zascalle has done lately. I can't blame her for trying to instill the fear of that in her kids. I shouldn't think she'd have to instill the fear of it in Ochirion, who died several times and suffered the ill effects of it.

I'm not sure what Feralan is afraid of now. Or capable of fearing. O.o

[alex-muridae.livejournal.com]

For what it is worth, I too support the measures you've taken. You managed a financial punishment in the form of indenture, and physical and emotional pain linked to betrayal and dishonesty; the job remains distasteful, but it's very sound and practical in execution. Putting them in your coz's care is a good choice as well; zi, having not been friends with them earlier, will be able to more easily remember that zi's angry with them, and manage them with less possible bias.

That all said, I've naught but sympathy for your situation, and I second rowyn and stormydragon: have a little brandy, and a hug or two. Beyond that, take heart and steel yourself; there's more good to do, and more doom to cast down.

[rowyn]

Have you found out what Z&T have been spending your money on in the years that they've been embezzling? Has Z been squirrelling it all away, or paying gambling debts, or what? Did I ask this already? I forget.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

More squirrelling than spending, as far as I know; but I did not ask.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>> I cannot measure the power and complexity of justice, or revenge, as I would a spell.<<

Ah, Sythyry, such is beyond the grasp of those who live in a world. The best we can do is make educated guesses. It's beyond even the grasp of many gods, except those who specialize in such things; and even for them it isn't always as helpful as one might think.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

That last part 'the dark grid' is probably the locador demon talking!

I think Sythyry's honor has been satisfied, assuming that all remaining bank accounts can be repossessed, less the necessary bank service charges which can be added to Zascalle's and Thiane's indentures.

[rowyn]

IIRC, you got Zascalle's private records from her, so that might shed some light on it when you get around to having those examined.

[rowyn]

I would suggest zie ask the banks involved to waive their fees. They may refuse to, of course, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Or to remind them that profiting because they aided and abetted in such widespread and virulent fraud does not reflect the image they desire to present of a safe and secure place to store one's fortune. If word about the mess were widespread, it wouldn't increase the public's confidence in the banking system, either.

Re: Well...

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Actually, doesn't game theory have formal definitions and ways to quantify justice and revenge?

[quoting-mungo.livejournal.com]

It sounds more like "Sythyry and Vae will get you wrapped up in evil nasty business" (ie somewhat logical) than anything else weird and Locador demon-y Feralan's been saying, though.


-Alexandra

[cowboy-r.livejournal.com]

Life is always more complex than magic.

Re: Well...

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Last I read, which was admittedly (farther) back (than I like to contemplate) in college, that was still something of an ongoing process.

When I was studying it, it wasn't so much quantifying ethics as it was quantifying the results of acting purely in self-interest, like the Prisoner's Dilemma, where both players acting in self-interest leaves everyone with the worst outcome-- but cooperating with a self-interested "partner" still gets you boned. (I leave the applicability of that observation to Sythyry and Zascalle as an exercise for the reader.)

My professor was heavy on the economic/logical aspect and light-to-vanishing on the social aspect, though; I'm sure there's better reading to be had.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

Did you ever find out WHY they did this to you?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Greed to start with; I am rich, I do not seem to particularly fuss about money, I would never miss a few lozens, or a few dozen, or a few hundred, or a few thousand.

Then fear of Vae, for the need to get away quickly, and then anger that I was not healing Feralan, for thinking they deserved to get whatever they could, and the need to heal Feralan, ditto.

Or so it seems to me. I did not ask too many details.

[nekomavin.livejournal.com]

That this makes you miserable is a good thing. Justice such as this is necessary, but it should not become a comfortable.

Looking forward to make a contribution

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