open; Tuesday evening; cafeteria

[tevinteriscoming]

[So you decided to come to this spontaneous gathering. Not Dorian's gathering, mind. He's not leading this, it was just a suggestion some people made and one of those people who made it was Dorian.

But nonetheless, you are here, in the cafeteria, at the time suggested by Dorian.]

Comments

[antietam]

They're already at risk. And people who don't have weapons [ like him!! ] are also at risk, but why is that alright?

[bloodbiter]

They would be more at risk. I certainly would be, I have no hand to hand combat skills.

[she sighs]

It isn't, and I would thank you not to imply that I think it is. You being brought here without a weapon was not my choice. It is not something I suggested, decided, or had any influence over.

[antietam]

But you don't want to do anything about it.

[ He starts to calm down. ] I'm not trying to fight or anything. It was a suggestion that I was hoping more people would approve of given the murder that just happened, but I guess we're going with Cold War logic.

[bloodbiter]

If you have a suggestion for what I can do about it that won't put me more at risk than I already am, I will be glad to comply.

I do not know what the Cold War is, Adam.

[antietam]

... Sorry, right. There was a point where my country and another country both had weapons that could decimate the other one, both claiming they needed it as defense because the other one might attack.

It was called a cold war because neither of them ever attacked each other, but it got pretty close and basically everyone was living in fear. That's what's happening here, except people are going to attack each other.

[bloodbiter]

[she pauses for a moment, but]

I see at least one crucial difference.

[antietam]

Which is?

[bloodbiter]

In this war of yours, if both laid down their weapon and were assured that the other would not use their weaponry in turn... Did one country have a way to completely destroy the other by another method after the weaponry was discarded?

[antietam]

... I don't think so. [ A sigh. ] But it's much harder to kill someone with your hands. When you have a gun, all it takes is a second.

[bloodbiter]

[a pause]

I'm sorry, but - what is a gun?

[antietam]

You haven't seen one yet? [ Well that's probably good? ] It's a weapon that shoots projectiles at such a rate that it can typically even go through human bone. If you're shot in a place like this, you'll probably bleed out.

Four people here have some type of gun. [ He has memorized this. ]

[bloodbiter]

...That is troubling, I will admit. How large are these projectiles, typically?

[antietam]

Some people have handguns, which can be concealed under clothing. The others ones, I don't know. Guns can get pretty big.

[bloodbiter]

If the size of the projectile varies, wouldn't we be able to know which gun was used?

[antietam]

Unless it's a big difference, probably not. There are crime labs that have the technology to tell what kind of projectile was used from what kind of gun, but we don't have that.