Two is For
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Exotic Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: RSGAlex on 10-04-2013, 06:57:52</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>10-04-2013, 06:57:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>the moon at night/ half in shadow, half in light.</em><br><br>She didn't know it, but the worst moment Wang Xiaoxing's mortal life was going to be this very day. There was no omen of ill fortune, neither grand nor small.<br><br>Just the same winds as blew on her yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. The same sun that had given light and life since before human history.<br><br>In short, the iron hand about to come down upon her would be a surprise, as the party wanted it.<br><br><em>Three is for a mortal life/ born to live and die in strife.</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>10-04-2013, 07:42:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You worry too much, Mr. Hong."<br><br>"You do not worry enough, Miss Wang."&nbsp; Hong Liuzhe regarded her with a disapproving frown, unimpressed with her attitude.&nbsp; "I understand you want to help," he said brusquely, "but you underestimate the risks involved in this."<br><br>She really wasn't, Xiaoxing wanted to say, but he had already made up his mind.&nbsp; Liuzhe had been a dissident since before she was born-- almost since the bad days of Mao Zedong-- and was hardened to certain aspects of the underground life.&nbsp; It was only by his words that she had been permitted to step into this shadow world, and he had only agreed to allow her into the circles after meeting her personally.&nbsp; She knew better than to argue with him overtly; he might pull her from the demonstration entirely, and she'd fought so hard for the right to help.&nbsp; "This is the only risk I'm taking, Uncle," she said without looking up, sketching over the characters she'd traced on the posterboard.&nbsp; "One pass down the street, and I'm passing it off at the end to someone else."<br><br>Liuzhe was still not satisfied.&nbsp; "You think that will be it?" he asked coldly.&nbsp; "You think you will not be seen?&nbsp; We are under watch all hours of the day.&nbsp; Cameras are on the streets at all hours-- if not in the Party's hands, then in the hands of people who will speak to them."<br><br>"Someone has to hold it."&nbsp; She applied the last few pen strokes and stood back, observing her work; then, satisfied, she held it up for his inspection and approval.<br><br><em>Long live freedom!&nbsp; Long live democracy!</em><br><br>"...your penmanship is not bad," Liuzhe admitted after a bit.&nbsp; "If they are going to take you, they will at least be able to clearly see your defiance."<br><br>Xiaoxing smiled a grim little smile and proceeded to roll the sign up into a tight little tube.&nbsp; "You won't be going, Uncle?"<br><br>He shook his head.&nbsp; "I know too much.&nbsp; They will find a way to make me talk.&nbsp; They are very good at that."<br><br>Xiaoxing nodded, then bowed from the waist, cupping one hand in the other in a namaste salute.&nbsp; "We'll miss you," she said fondly.<br><br>"Let us hope you do not," he responded gruffly, but mimed the gesture just the same.&nbsp; "I am one old man too many these days."<br><br>She laughed and waved, and was on her way.&nbsp; February 20th was still two days away, but it was important to her that she get this done in relative secrecy.&nbsp; Her dormitory living wouldn't afford her much in the way of privacy to work on the whole poster, but if it were rolled up, none of her roommates would think twice about it.&nbsp; Just one more project by the smart girl in CS.<br><br>The dormitory was so far away, though...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>11-04-2013, 03:40:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The eyes saw, even where the ears did not hear. It could have been that the older gentleman and the younger woman were meeting for reasons that the Party would not care about. Her family did have some standing to consider.<br><br>On the other side of the equation was that the man was already under surveillance for a number of events. Perhaps the watchers had the material they wanted and were waiting only to catch more dissidents in their net. Perhaps the watchers wished success upon him, so that his fall would be all the greater. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.<br><br>The motivations of those that decided were known only to those that decided. Orders given, names and locations disseminated. They did not know it, but over two dozen people were arrested for their crimes. That they were currently not jailed or interrogated was merely a delusion of perception.<br><br>The targets knew not, and believed themselves to be free to continue their dissent. Foolishness.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>11-04-2013, 09:08:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It wasn't until the next morning that Xiaoxing's world ended.<br><br>She went to bed under the impression that the world was going to continue spinning onwards.&nbsp; She had a schedule in mind: wake up early, meditate, eat breakfast, finish homework, attend classes, do schoolwork, more classes, dinner, and watch something on the television before she went to bed.&nbsp; This day, she didn't even get as far as eat breakfast.<br><br>After the fact, she would realize a few things that made their approach so terribly unexpected.&nbsp; They didn't need to kick in the door; they only had to ask for the key from the dormitory managers.&nbsp; They didn't need to bring a full team; a few people were all that was necessary to do the job.&nbsp; By the time Xiaoxing was aware that people were in her dormitory, it was too late for her to do much more than scream and try to unfold herself from the lotus position quickly enough to try and fight back.<br><br>Then there was chloroform, and the world went fuzzy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>12-04-2013, 03:53:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was more than likely that the girl whose name was given to them was the only actual dissident, but the orders were to be thorough. The roommates would also be questioned, nearby rooms examined, and so on.<br><br>The dissident was thrown into a van with all the care one might give a sack of potatoes. During the ride she was to be bound hand and foot, and have a bag put over her head. The man doing this knew, roughly, why. It wasn't to keep her from escaping, after all she was outnumbered and only a student. It was to keep her disoriented longer when she managed to wake up.<br><br>And during that time, the initial interrogation would begin. Very few people actually said anything then, and the man didn't understand why. He said as much to the other man in the back. The other man said that he figured that the dissidents probably thought that they could hold on, or wouldn't be sold out.<br><br>Eventually, at a stop, the driver started talking with the two men in the back. How the older one's kid was doing. Small, inconsequential things.<br><br>After all, it wasn't their lives being shattered.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>12-04-2013, 08:03:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Consciousness came back slowly.&nbsp; Things hurt that shouldn't.&nbsp; She had been meditating, at peace, ready to do the day, then... then what?&nbsp; Then hurt.&nbsp; Then the heat of her own breath, against her face, closer than it should be-- and arms and legs bound, tightly.<br><br>A variety of curses ran through her mind, but threaded through them was the distinct tang of fear.&nbsp; She'd been taken.&nbsp; Who?&nbsp; How?&nbsp; Had she done something to tip them off?&nbsp; How did they know?&nbsp; Who else had they taken?&nbsp; Was she going to die?<br><br>And then, by measures, the conversation came to awareness, and her attitude increasingly turned.&nbsp; And, despite everything she'd been told on how to behave if she was caught, Xiaoxing found something uncharacteristic welling up inside her.<br><br>Whatever was keeping her from seeing hadn't bound her mouth.&nbsp; She couldn't move, but she could speak, and anything they inflicted on her now to shut her up would give her a good gauge of how things were likely to go down.<br><br>"Are you happy with what you do?" Xiaoxing asked the other voices in the car, muffled as she was, trying to find a way to at least sit up straight in the confines of their transportation.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>12-04-2013, 08:33:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The two in the back hear a question from below. They're silent for a moment at the words. What an absurd question. It does spark a little conversation between the two, somewhat unrelated to the question. Bitching about another person that worked with them, but didn't do that good. They sound a bit tired, and it comes across in how they tell her to be quiet.&nbsp; With something of a heavy hand, but not too much fire.<br><br>The older sounding of the two tells the dissident that she should probably confess early. She might get some mercy if she repents quickly.<br><br>The younger sounding one curses at the other, calls him a fool. These kinds of dissidents won't confess early. A third voice, a bit indistinct as though through a barrier tells the two in the back that the dissident probably should have been gagged. The two in back argue the merits of actually taking off the bag versus just using a bit more of the chloroform and hoping that they get to the jail before she wakes up again.<br><br>A little blame gets pushed towards the driver for not holding the cloth to her face long enough. He felt that an accidental killing would have looked bad on his record.<br><br>Ultimately, it's a moot point. Before she can be gagged, or chloroformed again the vehicle arrives. One thing that the pair in the back can agree on is that the girl shouldn't try and struggle. She's going to be interrogated soon, and trying to escape is the same as saying she's guilty.<br><br>When the bag does come off, she's in a rather sticky situation. Bright lights shine in her eyes, interrogators smiling shark like smiles that promise nothing good.<br><br>"Are you awake? Are you aware?" The man in front of her asks, another light coming on behind him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>12-04-2013, 09:52:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There's still a bit of wooziness to her, but the effects of the drug have mostly passed.&nbsp; For better or worse, Xiaoxing is here and now, and these next few minutes will be crucial.&nbsp; "I am," she affirms after a moment, taking her eyes from the other interrogators to the man cast in silhouette.&nbsp; "As well as can be, I think, given my morning."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>12-04-2013, 22:29:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The man in front of Xaioxing would have what you could call a friendly demeanor. If he weren't ever so casually implicating threats against her friends and family with each name and complement, he would definitely have a friendly demeanor.<br><br>"Quite an unusual background for a dissident, wouldn't you say?" He doesn't wait for an answer, he just goes on. "I can only imagine how ... disappointed your family will be. And how much worse it would be for them, if they happen to have helped you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>13-04-2013, 07:23:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was a moment before Xiaoxing nodded, acknowledging the terms of the interrogation.&nbsp; They had most of the cards in their hands.&nbsp; But still...<br><br>"They will be very disappointed in me," she said, resignedly.&nbsp; "That is my greatest regret about what has happened thus far."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>15-04-2013, 05:11:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mostly likely, the higher ups had nabbed everyone that they'd wanted to in this raid. Stiiiill, no sense not getting a confession. Or two. "You could avoid some of this unpleasantness, you know."<br><br>He gestures and a nice, official looking paper is slid before Xiaoxing. "Just put down names and times, and put your name to it. Give us some new people, and you'll get out a bit cleaner."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>15-04-2013, 09:06:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The paper was a lie.&nbsp; The statement was a lie.&nbsp; But damn her traitorous hand, she had to stop her hand from reaching out and taking that pen anyway.<br><br>This was not the time to be brave.<br><br>And here she was, anyway.<br><br>"Do you feel fulfilled, doing this?" Xiaoxing asked suddenly.&nbsp; "Do you feel as though you are serving Heaven and Earth by your actions here?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>20-04-2013, 03:48:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He wouldn't exactly be able to say why, but the interrogator pauses for a moment, to general murmurs of confused 'no's around him and the dissident.<br><br>What an odd question. Very much against his better judgement, he answers. "I am serving the State." It probably should have sounded like a firm declaration. Purposeful. The State was all that was- that he should be serving.<br><br>But it came out ... weak. Shaky. As if the question's oddness had gotten to him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>20-04-2013, 18:14:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His answer was insufficient.&nbsp; Xiaoxing furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head firmly, letting her discontent surface again.&nbsp; "Many do," she said, eyes falling down to the table.&nbsp; "And the State says it is the newest iteration of just and moral leadership, but... but I wonder.&nbsp; The Great Sage Confucius said it, and everyone knows it-- 'The virtuous leader is like the North Star, and everything else falls into order around them.'&nbsp; Virtue is supposed to be obvious to anyone who sees it-- even the people we're supposed to believe are debased."<br><br>There was a twinge of pain in her voice.&nbsp; "I thought as you did," she went on, an ache in her heart obvious to anyone with ears.&nbsp; "I thought that the State was China, and China was the State.&nbsp; But how can this leadership be truly virtuous if so many people cannot see their virtue?&nbsp; How can we be honest when we call ourselves Chinese if we have forgotten what made our people great in the first place?"<br><br>She reached out, almost pleading.&nbsp; "Help me understand," Xiaoxing said, unable to suppress the twinge in her voice.&nbsp; "Help me know how we're serving Heaven and Earth as our ancestors did in antiquity."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RSGAlex</strong> on <strong>21-04-2013, 07:58:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A normal interrogation would have never gotten to this point, a small voice in the interrogator's head said. He justified not using violence with the thought even though her family would lose some of its influence in the Party, that roughing her up for being naively pious, in the fillial sense ... would not be the best move.<br><br>But, the interrogator hasn't thought about it. He argued against it, fumblingly, and faultingly. He looked to the others for supports that did not come.<br><br>In short, the wrong argument at the wrong time in the wrong place.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Two is For</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Cessali</strong> on <strong>21-04-2013, 20:46:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Every argument he brought forward was something she'd already thoroughly considered on her own.&nbsp; Nobody else was willing to speak up; perhaps, in the beginning, they were content to let one of their own look like a fool, but the longer Xiaoxing spoke, the more systemic her condemnations became.&nbsp; Insinuation of corruption from the West was rebuffed by citations from the Analects.&nbsp; Insistence that the Party was right to perform as it did was picked apart by selections from Taoist texts that she quoted, verbatim, from memory.<br><br>They could lock her up, they could throw away the key, they could threaten her family, they could do anything they wanted to her.&nbsp; But they had to know what they were doing was wrong; if they didn't know now, then she would <em>make them see</em>, and maybe-- just maybe-- they would be a bit kinder for the next soul.<br><br>At length, she realized she was now standing as she spoke, and that they hadn't interrupted her yet.&nbsp; "If you cannot justify yourself to a loyal daughter of China," she said finally, sitting back down, "you -all- have forgotten what it means to be Chinese.&nbsp; We are one people.&nbsp; What you do to one another, you do to yourselves.&nbsp; Be kind: it's the only thing the Masters wanted for us."
			</dd>
		</dl>
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