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knowmyplace

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From:

packhounds

"Oh, it was regarded as some form of heresy." Now that a torturous death has come up, he can understand it easily. "A particularly stupid one," he notes, and not stupid in the way that various debates about heretical cooking and other minutia. "Yes, I saw you were married. How do such contracts work in your time?"

From:

knowmyplace

"Exactly that. The Church forbid it," he explains, hoping that might translate somewhere.

"Contract? Ah, the marriage. We were married and the contract would last a lifetime. I would provide for her and she would have my children. All very standard for our time."

From:

packhounds

Mikodez makes a note to come back to marriage contracts in a moment.

"This Church is was regulates exotic effects? Ah, 'magic', I mean."

From:

knowmyplace

"No magic in my world," he says. "Simply people living their lives in the only way they knew."

He sits forward. "The breach we had, the world they lived in, that was very much like what the future of my world is to be."

From:

packhounds

He taps his chin. "Isn't Othello accused of magic?" He read the play! And then he'd read a summary and still doesn't understand what happened, but he does have more details.

Things can change drastically over the centuries - they can change drastically in a moment, and leave an empire with a whole new base of exotic effects - so the fuzziness of the breach is further complicated as a source.

From:

knowmyplace

He chuckles, but looks away with the right amount of feigned shame in his eyes. "Ah, of course he was. Because that was the only way he could have wooed Desdemona. But...magic is not real. The only real magic are the words we weave."

From:

packhounds

Mikodez just looks amused at Iago's act of shame. He has his doubts that 'shame' would be accurate under any circumstances. "The Shuos have never used exotics." They don't need them. "Still, it makes your Church's use of torture even more wasteful. There are so many better ways to establish and maintain social control of your people." Talking of which:

"Returning to the matter of marriage: instead of being a contract between the two or more individuals involved it could require the agreement of the 'head' of the family? Depending on the status of the family." There are always variations within a society.

From:

knowmyplace

Iago doesn't seem amused in return, but he does glare at the table a little.

The food does help soften the impact.

"That's right. That's why Othello's marriage to Desdemona was...questioned. Othello might have had a high military status, but his own upbringing and social station was too much of a detriment. My wife's family was all too happy to get rid of her, but they weren't of high breeding. Emilia was beautiful, but we were of equal footing in the eyes of her father."

From:

packhounds

Mikodez adds that 'equal footing' to his list, but he just nods.

"Most factions in the hexarchate put high value on 'merit', so those sorts of alliances are rare. As I've worked with the faction where it isn't rare, I'm all the more grateful for that. Now that I have a little more background, would you walk me through the matter of - what was it - oh, yes, Cassio's promotion and what followed?"

From:

knowmyplace

He snorts. "Cassio had been promoted, though he was not the right choice. I had been the one beside Othello, the one he trusted. I had worked for it, but Cassio stole it."

He sits back. "I wanted to punish him. I knew about his secret marriage, so - I convinced a friend to simply ensure her father knew, as well."

He shrugs.

From:

packhounds

As far as Mikodez's concerned that's extremely reasonable - and appropriate - behavior.

Well, not as punishment, but as proof of what you can do. But that's among Shuos. 'Trust' is measured differently.

"Why do you think Cassio was promoted instead of you?"

From:

knowmyplace

"Because of his name," he says flippantly, picking one if the cookies.

"Did you make this?"

From:

packhounds

"The double bind of name based society. It can raise up someone unready for the position they're given, and provoke reasonable resentment in someone not chosen."

He smiles. "Do you like them? I've started baking since I came here."

From:

knowmyplace

"They are sweet, but I like them. Is that molasses?"

He takes another and breaks it in half.

From:

packhounds

"It is. I made some with frosting, but no one would eat those."

He leans back on the couch, draping an arm along the back.

"Before we continue, I think I should say that I believe you were completely wasted. It's due to the nature of your world, not because you chose some limited path when there were better ones open to you. I'm interested in what you could do when given a proper opportunity. I judge on talent, not on some idea of 'ethics'. We don't teach those."

From:

knowmyplace

"Mm, is that not what Jedao teaches?" he wonders, sitting back with his hand pressed to the chair.

From:

packhounds

“That’s what I’m planning on calling it,” Mikodez says, taking a cookie for himself.

“It’s been suggested that we should have a few course names that don’t sound completely evil.”

From:

knowmyplace

"If you want to curate a better impression," he laughs, hut circles back to what he said before.

"I...have never been seen for what I can do. Until the end, I mean."

From:

packhounds

“I’d say it might encourage a little less drama, but that’s as likely as fixing our reputation.”

He nods. “It doesn’t seem like you were given a proper chance to express it.”

From:

knowmyplace

"No, but what does that mean? What opportunity?" He looks skeptical, even over his cookie.

From:

packhounds

Mikodez spreads his hand. "A chance to use your ability to understand and manipulate people on a bigger scale. In my experience, the military prefers a lack of imagination. I was able to find a job that values creativity, and which respects achieving results that aren't straightforward."

From:

knowmyplace

He eyes him warily. "You want me to manipulate people?"

Edited Date: 2025-07-03 08:44 pm (UTC)

From:

packhounds

"No, I want to offer you potential employment." Some might say that there's not a huge difference. "I think you have potential, and I'd hate to see potential go to waste."