[ finn sits across from him with considerably less composure, shoulders slumped looking down at the cup of tea, a languid curl of steam rising from it. He pulls his mouth to one side, a displeased expression darkening his face at that answer. ]
Butā¦this is different. Itās not against the wishes of the peopleā¦and we have people with skills that are needed. We could help people here.
[ āWeā in this case, Finn knew, meaningā¦other people. Doctors, healers, scientists. People with abilities and knowledge he didnāt have. ]
That is not the point I intended you to take away. We remained in a world beyond the time we could have reasonably retrieved the orb, and in doing so we doomed many people on another. If we leave the Ndiera Complex and lives are lost as a result, that is tragic. But there is no guarantee our staying would provide succor for those affected — we have only a small handful of individuals with knowledge and skill that may — may be applicable here. What do you think is an acceptable length of time for us to remain here? And if we cannot accomplish anything in that time, do we stay longer? Do we leave?
[ Finn shoots him a frustrated look over their tea, the question stopping him in his tracks. ]
Well- [ he bites his lip, his frustration starting to bubble over into something very close to anger. ] Well you donāt know either! Everyone here acts like they know whatās gonna happen, but you donāt!
I am not saying that I do. Only that one must consider all possibilities, and make the choice of least harm. Those choices will vary between individuals, informed by their own experiences. None are explicitly 'wrong'. I would suspect very few people aboard the Ximilia of the genuine malice of wishing death upon the residents of Ndeira.
ļ¼ long fingers are latticed together before him, providing a protective lee for that small teacup. ļ¼
In my world, medical ninjutsu is very recent — it has only become a widespread art within the last quarter-century, barely predating my own life. Now, most three-man cells have a medical shinobi to support their comrades. What do you think is the first duty of a medic-nin on a battlefield?
[ finn shifts restlessly on his side of the table, a feeling of too much energy gripping him, making him anxious and uneasy. He taps his foot. ]
I donāt know. Always help your team mates? [ It was curt, much more so than usual. His errant anxiety running headlong into the brick wall of Itachiās cool, patient demeanor. A demeanor that usually Finn found calming, but right now he found profoundly irritating. ]
It is to ensure, by any means necessary, that you are the last among your cell to die.
ļ¼ it is a cruel thing, but strategically important. targeting the medic is a good way to make a team's front line offensive fall apart. as tactics go, he has used it himself more than once. ļ¼
When you are meant to help others, it becomes your duty to ensure you are well-trained, well-rested, well-positioned to do those things. But you cannot only think of the others in front of you. You must consider the next battle, and the next. I say, there is no guarantee we could help the people of Ndeira. You say there is no guarantee we couldn't. We are both correct to say so. But, ļ¼ always the 'but' with this one. ļ¼ If we remain here, and save a few thousand lives — which is a worthwhile cause in and of itself — but doom another planet in its entirety as a result of the additional time taken — what would you feel about our choice to stay?
[ Being of a certain (and volatile) age entitled Finn to a degree of selective hearing that someone even a few years older would not have been. Or maybe - more accurately - a degree of selective acceptance. Confronted now, with an impossible to answer conundrumā¦the conundrum of their time here, really, his anxiety makes the leap into full blown resentment. ]
I would feel terrible! So why do we even bother?
[ He glares across the table at Itachi, a tense set to his shoulders. He looked ready to get up and leave at any moment, either politeness or need for reassurance keeping him anchored tenuously to the spot. At the end of the day, Finn wasnāt quick to anger, or quick to dismiss someoneās viewā¦especially not someone he respected as much as this man. But heād been brooding abstractly on this subject for days, and the easy answers not being handed to him were creating an internal storm of emotions that grew challenging to control. ]
Why donāt we just stop even trying to help! We can just finish all these missions as quickly as possible, and leave and not have to think about it.
[ He stands abruptly, the teacup rattling softly. ]
ļ¼ itachi does not flinch from the storm of the boy's emotions. instead, he meets his eyes with a steady gaze, and cants his head very faintly to one side. ļ¼
Do you believe that is the better solution?
ļ¼ he knows it is just boyish hurt and heroism at war. it is not the first time that finn has reminded him of naruto. ļ¼
[ There was a long silence, Finn standing still on the other side of the table, clenching and unclenching his fists once, a frustrated sense of helplessness and ignorance enveloping him. When he finally speaks thereās still anger, but itās softer. ]
ļ¼ even now, of his own choices, he cannot say. is the suffering he has put into the world proportionate to what he has saved?
can he be a man who justifies his actions thusly, even if that were to be the case?
he drains off the rest of his tea and stands, comes over to finn and puts a hand on his shoulder. ophelia is the same height as he is — something he had not felt particularly motivated to alter — so this is not such a divorce from their usual. his fingers flex, against the fabric of the boy's shirt.
(the boy is taller now himself, he notes.) ļ¼
You are a good person, Finn. You wish to put good things into the world, and you empathize with those in difficult situations such as the one we now face. Possessing that empathy is invaluable, because it means you will always be driven to care, and to try. But that hope and that love can also bring you pain, because sometimes, there is no winning move.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Butā¦this is different. Itās not against the wishes of the peopleā¦and we have people with skills that are needed. We could help people here.
[ āWeā in this case, Finn knew, meaningā¦other people. Doctors, healers, scientists. People with abilities and knowledge he didnāt have. ]
no subject
ļ¼ asking the hard questions now, finn. ļ¼
no subject
Well- [ he bites his lip, his frustration starting to bubble over into something very close to anger. ] Well you donāt know either! Everyone here acts like they know whatās gonna happen, but you donāt!
no subject
I am not saying that I do. Only that one must consider all possibilities, and make the choice of least harm. Those choices will vary between individuals, informed by their own experiences. None are explicitly 'wrong'. I would suspect very few people aboard the Ximilia of the genuine malice of wishing death upon the residents of Ndeira.
ļ¼ long fingers are latticed together before him, providing a protective lee for that small teacup. ļ¼
In my world, medical ninjutsu is very recent — it has only become a widespread art within the last quarter-century, barely predating my own life. Now, most three-man cells have a medical shinobi to support their comrades. What do you think is the first duty of a medic-nin on a battlefield?
no subject
I donāt know. Always help your team mates? [ It was curt, much more so than usual. His errant anxiety running headlong into the brick wall of Itachiās cool, patient demeanor. A demeanor that usually Finn found calming, but right now he found profoundly irritating. ]
no subject
ļ¼ it is a cruel thing, but strategically important. targeting the medic is a good way to make a team's front line offensive fall apart. as tactics go, he has used it himself more than once. ļ¼
When you are meant to help others, it becomes your duty to ensure you are well-trained, well-rested, well-positioned to do those things. But you cannot only think of the others in front of you. You must consider the next battle, and the next. I say, there is no guarantee we could help the people of Ndeira. You say there is no guarantee we couldn't. We are both correct to say so. But, ļ¼ always the 'but' with this one. ļ¼ If we remain here, and save a few thousand lives — which is a worthwhile cause in and of itself — but doom another planet in its entirety as a result of the additional time taken — what would you feel about our choice to stay?
no subject
I would feel terrible! So why do we even bother?
[ He glares across the table at Itachi, a tense set to his shoulders. He looked ready to get up and leave at any moment, either politeness or need for reassurance keeping him anchored tenuously to the spot. At the end of the day, Finn wasnāt quick to anger, or quick to dismiss someoneās viewā¦especially not someone he respected as much as this man. But heād been brooding abstractly on this subject for days, and the easy answers not being handed to him were creating an internal storm of emotions that grew challenging to control. ]
Why donāt we just stop even trying to help! We can just finish all these missions as quickly as possible, and leave and not have to think about it.
[ He stands abruptly, the teacup rattling softly. ]
no subject
Do you believe that is the better solution?
ļ¼ he knows it is just boyish hurt and heroism at war. it is not the first time that finn has reminded him of naruto. ļ¼
no subject
ā¦no.
no subject
ļ¼ even now, of his own choices, he cannot say. is the suffering he has put into the world proportionate to what he has saved?
can he be a man who justifies his actions thusly, even if that were to be the case?
he drains off the rest of his tea and stands, comes over to finn and puts a hand on his shoulder. ophelia is the same height as he is — something he had not felt particularly motivated to alter — so this is not such a divorce from their usual. his fingers flex, against the fabric of the boy's shirt.
(the boy is taller now himself, he notes.) ļ¼
You are a good person, Finn. You wish to put good things into the world, and you empathize with those in difficult situations such as the one we now face. Possessing that empathy is invaluable, because it means you will always be driven to care, and to try. But that hope and that love can also bring you pain, because sometimes, there is no winning move.