ROLEPLAY

Kenny Mac'Duncan joins the Black Circle camp, trembling with rage. Perhaps also afraid. He dared to defy the Awakened One! And the Soul Scavenger! And the Commander! And he's not even dead!

But he's not happy about it. Emotions overwhelm him and he bursts into tears when he arrives at the camp. The others look at him with a mixture of disgust and exasperation: it's not done to show your feelings like that. When you're lucky enough to be part of the Black Circle, you remain dignified in all circumstances. Or austere. Or intimidating. In any case, you avoid being snotty by throwing a hissy fit. He has an excuse, he's not completely part of the tribe... he's just an underling tolerated because useful on occasion.

Kenny knows he's got a long way to go before he can be like the big homins here. In the meantime, he lets his emotions run wild.

They dared to threaten Pe'anin... These ragus of nations! Those monsters! So eager to destroy and do harm! He saw again the lacerated mask of the Awakened One, heard her falsely compassionate tone, full of underlying threats. Maybe he could have been fooled, a few years earlier. But since then, he's heard plenty of stories about the terrible Nikuya, and he knows how she betrayed the boss, again and again, every time he gave her a chance.

Yet there's this little seed of doubt deep inside him. Could it be true that Tao Sian is trying to cure Pe'anin? But no, not a chance; the powerful of this world are only interested in her to better destroy her boss, they've never helped otherwise.

And the boss has to be better than Tao Sian. He's the best. Although, the Healer is one of the few people the boss admires... But, no!

Pe'anin can no longer be saved, at least not with conventional methods; all that matters is to push back the deadline, to gather what it takes to, perhaps, attempt something that hasn't been done for a century. He's seen the documents and taken part in some of the boss's experiments. If there's anything to bet on, it's this. But it's so uncertain.

Kenny is in torment. He blames the Awakened One for his proposal, knowing full well it's a trap. He knows it, and yet... If there was a chance of another solution...

And then there's the Commander's challenge. He heard it well before the pact took effect. Should he pass it on to the boss? The Zorai won't like it... And above all, Kenny's going to get an earful for being so stupidly cornered and for talking too much. But he's got no choice but to take responsibility, because the boss will hear about it.

At times like these, it takes all the will in the world not to dip into the stuff he's supposed to deliver here and there.