[He stops; she stops, for a moment, feeling as if she had misstepped, and prepared to take it back or at least explain - everyone's an auntie or an uncle, she has brothers on the street, most of whom aren't related to her - but then Miller continues walking and talking and Guinaifen exhales. It's a breath she wasn't consciously holding. She follows.
The area by the docks isn't the most well-kept or otherwise secure looking, and she passes through it with- not a total lack of concern. She's not indifferent, so much as she walks through it like a duck swimming through a river that has some trash floating in it. She's aware of that tire someone chucked into the river, and pays attention to the can. But it's not the first time she had to do something like this? And she (thinks) she knows what to look for? Something like that. This might be concerning, or maybe trusty Uncle Miller is reassuring.
Many questions, not enough answers, but she tries to be a good audience - not only listening but making noises so Miller knows she's paying attention. A huff as he calls her out on how quick she was, a grimace about the lack of real legal system, and a deeper grimace when he brings up real crimes. It's almost tempting to interrupt, but she doesn't, and then there's a pause, and he admits that his crime was betrayal.
Guinaifen's silent, chewing the inside of her cheek as she considers that.]
If it was serious enough they had to go out of their way to bring us here, you'd think they'd hurry up with the sentencing instead of leaving us hanging. [Then, that. They're starting with that.] When they handed me my paper and threw me in here, they could've just as easily told me to-
[She adopts a stuffy legal voice, something serious and weighty and completely totally faked.] 30 hours of community service! [And then her normal voice, again.] Or something like that. And...
[This time, Guinaifen hesitates, and she rolls up on the toes of her feet and back down to her heels again, her shoes clacking on the ground: clack-clack.] I don't mind telling the story, but it's not a very happy one. But, short version: my siblings did some...less than legal things, just to keep us fed, and they got caught. The Xianzhou could've just as easily killed us all, but they gave us a second chance and we all turned out for the better because of it.
So, if they really think we did things bad enough that they had to go out of their way to bring us all here, why punishment? It just feels like they're going to end up with a bunch of upset people who were in the middle of doing something, instead of a bunch of reformed criminals.
no subject
The area by the docks isn't the most well-kept or otherwise secure looking, and she passes through it with- not a total lack of concern. She's not indifferent, so much as she walks through it like a duck swimming through a river that has some trash floating in it. She's aware of that tire someone chucked into the river, and pays attention to the can. But it's not the first time she had to do something like this? And she (thinks) she knows what to look for? Something like that. This might be concerning, or maybe trusty Uncle Miller is reassuring.
Many questions, not enough answers, but she tries to be a good audience - not only listening but making noises so Miller knows she's paying attention. A huff as he calls her out on how quick she was, a grimace about the lack of real legal system, and a deeper grimace when he brings up real crimes. It's almost tempting to interrupt, but she doesn't, and then there's a pause, and he admits that his crime was betrayal.
Guinaifen's silent, chewing the inside of her cheek as she considers that.]
If it was serious enough they had to go out of their way to bring us here, you'd think they'd hurry up with the sentencing instead of leaving us hanging. [Then, that. They're starting with that.] When they handed me my paper and threw me in here, they could've just as easily told me to-
[She adopts a stuffy legal voice, something serious and weighty and completely totally faked.] 30 hours of community service! [And then her normal voice, again.] Or something like that. And...
[This time, Guinaifen hesitates, and she rolls up on the toes of her feet and back down to her heels again, her shoes clacking on the ground: clack-clack.] I don't mind telling the story, but it's not a very happy one. But, short version: my siblings did some...less than legal things, just to keep us fed, and they got caught. The Xianzhou could've just as easily killed us all, but they gave us a second chance and we all turned out for the better because of it.
So, if they really think we did things bad enough that they had to go out of their way to bring us all here, why punishment? It just feels like they're going to end up with a bunch of upset people who were in the middle of doing something, instead of a bunch of reformed criminals.