[ oh, wonderful, she's actually gonna be able to tell takasugi she had a pleasant evening chat with silco? she huff a soft laugh at his own city name and gives her order with a smile, pinning his preference in mind. it's good to remember what business associates favor. ]
It doesn't matter if you were "blessed" to be born in the Nest of your District or damned to writhe in its Backstreets, if you break a contract you're more than likely losing something of equivalent value. There's a whole Office that specializes in ensuring the legality and consequence of each contract across the entire city, too -- they can and will track you down, no matter how well you think you've hidden yourself. And normally I'd put in a request to such an Office for the best security... but we're policing ourselves here.
First is formalities. The name and relevant business of each party, and what follows is our conditions of contract in the simplest, most direct wording to ensure a lack of sneaky loopholes. Lastly is the agreed upon consequence for the breach or break of contract, which can be the same between the parties or specific to each. For example, one might require the other to forfeit the fortune they amassed with the help of that contract and put them in a perilous position, and the other might bear the punishment of a bone broken for every line crossed. It's a deterrent. Or supposed to be. We don't need to follow through that far though, it's simply done because of the way The City has always worked.
[ dog eat dog, no matter how high you went. always someone ready to strike you down and pick at whatever remained. malkuth, manager of 3kon. silco... she taps her pen against the table, glancing up at him. thank goodness the city is so unusually thorough. ]
[ Zaun is a much more lawless place, and given that their laws are not theirs, it's understandable why it is like that. Even so, Silco's dream is that of nation-building, of making it into something more, and he notes down the small hints she gives about the place she is from. He has met a few from the City already, and each one talks about it differently. Most with some measure of...hesitance? Resentment? Fondness? All of it and more.
He files it away. Perhaps he'll ask about it later. After all, he intended to find a way back, anything he could gather here was of use. Even if it's ideas, methods, and concepts. Nobody has spoken at length to him about the structure, and he finds it all... fascinating. ]
Where I am from, violating an agreement normally ends in death. Unless you kill them first.
[ A thin smile. ] I don't make a habit of it. Contracts and agreements are useful, after all. How well you follow one speaks to your reliability as a negotiating partner or as a potential ally later on. Breaking them is a poor choice, unless one knows the right time to.
[ He watches her write it down, and then smiles. ]
I run a construction company. [ He really does. ] We haven't had much need for a clever name, I'm afraid. The license lists it as... oh, what did they say it was? S.Incorporated, I believe.
A construction company that employs a bodyguard, huh...? That's a first, even to me. You must work in some rather dangerous areas to need that kind of muscle.
[ silco, of s. incorporated then. she'll pen it down along with the brief, direct points of their agreement. no funny business here... it's very much word for word. ]
It sounds like we don't hail from too different of worlds though, our protocal aside. Karteria reminds me a lot of it too. [ a wiggle of her pen. ] The same kind of hopelessness.
Oh, I am never one to ignore the potential dangers. Especially here. Between Patho-Gen, the government, and of course our fellow augmented from time to time, there are plenty of hazards that one must be wary of.
[ His lips twitch into the barest tightening, that could almost be called a smile. Almost. ]
Quite so. It's something I noticed when I arrived. How... hopeless everything was. How dire. The people here want for more, and they hunger for it. [ Oh boy, Malkuth. You stumbled into it now. ] The impoverished and lower classes here are somewhat similar to me and mine where I am from. No hope, no power, and every time someone tries to attain even a shred of it from their betters...
[ He taps at the skin below his eye, though covered in makeup, it is still mottled and scarred. ] They are quick to remind us of our places, aren't they?
[ she is exactly where she wants to be no one help her ]
They are.
[ that she can agree on, finishing off the final touches and turning it around for silco's approval as she leans back with her drink. ]
I work to help them too, not so much in my spare time as... alongside my work with 3kon, nearly split despite the few hours a day offers. As performers, they give the people a moment of distraction from the often harsh reality of the world, and I decided to make use of that and their manpower in repairing the houses of those in need -- especially before winter really hit. The people there appreciate action over words, so when I showed up for them they showed up for me.
[ and that's with a soft smile, the first and probably only of the night that silco's seeing. ]
I'll continue doing that too in the longterm, since you can only build up with a sturdy foundation. [ a sigh. ] The city sure is big though, huh... with no shortage of "I want to help, but where do I start" from a handful of our fellows.
The problem is that many of them want to simply fix it.
[ he says it idly, before he picks up the paper, and starts reading it over. He's looking for pitfalls, tricks. The sorts of words that leave for ambiguity and the ability to side-step consequences, were one or the other to cause problems.
Things that would harm him, in the long run. ]
Charity. Altruism. None of that solves the problem. You fix it β the homes, the lack of food, the medical β but in the end, that is a salve. It is hardly the cure for the disease.
When one is in a position of powerlessness, what motivates them, more than anything, to claw their way out of the hole?
[ A few annotations, but not many. He pulls out his own pen, and points them out in tight script. Someone who writes and keeps books for a living. ]
The possibility of reversing that powerlessness. Their own sort of power.
Hand it to them, and they do not know how to ascend the next hurdle.
[ Turning it back over, for her to see what he has marked. ]
[ he's a shrewd one, alright. the contract office would be proud to have him... and she can appreciate the attention to detail besides. she adjusts what he points out and rewrites it on the sheet beneath it, turning it once more. there's certainly a fine balance in ensuring they're both secure on both sides. ]
I like to think of it this way: the less someone has to worry about losing, because they have others behind them to catch them if they fall, then the more they can focus on moving forward how they see fit. A lot of people ended up where they have in my city because they had no other choice -- you give them a second path, and they're likely to take it.
But I'd like to clarify that I'm only speaking of my own world. Karteria is different, and what works one place might not work elsewhere. [ silco's own thoughts included, but she isn't here to blow things up. ] There's no harm in trying lots of different things to see happens though, even if it might seem useless or just a salve from the outside. Right?
[ He takes his time to review it again carefully, his eyes scanning it. Another annotation here, or there. Much more minor.
Back and forth. ]
People are going to do what they wish to do. I certainly can't stop them.
[ Can't or won't. But he shakes his head. ]
I've seen what having that... buffer does to people. The moment they stop feeling what they lack, they begin to lose the fire necessary to change a fortune. Once they lose that, they become...compliant. It's easier to accept that which may otherwise be unacceptable.
And when that settles in, and that...comfort is established. It becomes much more difficult to push, and fight for what one is due. Especially when the barest of needs are met.
[ A tip of his head, a tightening of his lips. ] At least, where I am from, that is how it has so often gone.
[ she can, and can't, see why takasugi has such a hard time with silco. it's sound in a way that she understands, given the city's... everything, and it's exactly why the city is the way it is to prevent the very same pitfalls that the man opposite of her speaks of. if everyone is on a tightrope, if everyone is in danger of slipping off the razor's edge, then there's no complacency; it's efficient, and easy to control.
an extreme version of it, of course. honed by centuries of use. even having the freedom to think of a different future than what lays ahead of someone is a form of treason, of revolution for her home in a general sense... while even in the worst worlds elsewhere they aren't punished as thoroughly as those from the city are. so it makes sense, silco's concerns and points, and she nods as she continues to rewrite.
back and forth. ]
Some of our views might differ, but the core is the same: Karteria needs change. The wealthy are too secular and don't see the problems below as anything they need to be concerned about, while the ones at the bottom struggle to see beyond their own problems -- not for a lack of want, but because they don't have the energy or mind to do so. Direction is good for them.
You are right, though. In The City... when someone managed to get to the station they wanted, they didn't seek to fix the problems that'd held them back in the first place, or to help someone else that wanted to escape just as badly.
[ a sip of her drink, ears laying back. ]
They were happy just to have left the circumstances they were in before. Even if they could lose it in a second, and they'd do everything they could to prevent that... Why would they risk the comfort they'd gained just so everyone else could have the chance at it too? Better that they keep their heads down and move along in their new spot on the wheel, grinding away their days.
That is what they want. They dangle it like a prize. Something hard-earned, and so terribly easy to lose.
[ Honestly? Silco wonders how this girl is working for Takasugi, and he is also wondering how to steal her away. Ah, but she said she is fond of those singers they prop up; and fondess so often is the downfall of individuals; or so Silco's paranoia reminds him.
Though it tells him something about Takasugi, too. He wonders if the man also indulges in fondness, and whether he allows it to be a weakness. ]
Why would they bother to do more when they are so terribly comfortable? When they have finally made their way out of the muck and mire, and into the sun? [ The way he says 'sun', sounds so terribly derogatory. ]
I fear that Karteria will take this next step, when ignoring the lower classes does not work. Elevate a few, if only to give them hope that they can find their way out.
[ The way he says it, perhaps he suggests that he would be willing to prevent it. ]
You prefer to see the safety of the worst that could happen over hope for the better, huh? It's a familiar pattern you've seen, so I don't blame you.
[ but it's not said dismissively or anything, more observant as she watches him watch her. takasugi has nothing to worry about. maybe if she were still on her first life, maybe if she could cast aside her dignity like she did then for "the greater good" and an end that "justified the means"... but she's not, and her smile remains pleasant. ]
We do need people like that in the world, since fools like me have to be reminded of the dangers... but there's nothing wrong with hedging your bet on the thought the people will do better with what they're offered. Karteria's already in a far better state than my terrible world, after all. They're willing to stand up against a force like Patho-Gen and make their voices heard -- that'd be unthinkable at home.
[ so why not believe in the unthinkable otherwise? ]
Besides, there is a guilt that's terrorizing some of the wealthier portion of Karteria -- they're people who're at risk of wandering outside, or so I've found, but they just need a direction to put their efforts towards too. That's also different than home, where people lock away any feeling that would put them at risk. [ a small shrug, resting against her sest. ] I don't mind leaving things better than when I found them. It's my duty as an architect. Leaving choice in the hands of others has its risks, but they don't lack for empathy here.
I have found that hoping for the better is a fool's errand. Perhaps that is my pessimism at play, hm?
[ After all, Silco has tried for better. Tried hard, and what had it gotten him? Nothing. Betrayal. Death. Mutilation. What good did it do when the powers that be were so willing to simply look down upon them and tell them "no". What good did that do? ]
I'm surprised to hear you say that they don't.
[ Honestly? Silco almost couldn't believe it. Didn't they lack for empathy? Now, this is where the problem lies. Silco... has a true issue with projection. It would not truly matter, whether they expressed guilt to him or not. He would always see them as the enemy. How did one live othered as he had for so long, fighting and raging against a system that saw him as nothing, and not come to this conclusion?
Karteria was not Piltover. Though the similarities were enough that Silco feels it curdling in him, gestating just as it did before. The lower classes, left behind by golems and the machines they built? What few wins they got in Zaun were being overrun by Hextech. It was so easy to place them over one another.
So easy to hate them, as he always did. ]
Perhaps if they showed it, I would have an easier time seeing it, hm?
at the very least, it's something takasugi'd call her an idiot to suggest. but malkuth is someone who is for doing over simply speaking, and so the next glance silco gets is an interested, curious sort. the kind that predates a question that's more of a gamble than not. ]
In that case, if you have time to spare in the daylight hours, why don't we make this a regular thing? I'm fond of debates and understanding others' point of views, since you can only broaden your own horizon by seeing what another sees... and you can see for yourself what I'm talking about, too.
[ no, karteria isn't perfect nor will it be in the next few years. neither will her own city. but if there's people in her world willing to push against the expected, to hope and hold out a hand, then there's people here, too. malkuth's positive of that -- their treatment of her is proof, even as the incident faded from societal memory.
final product, turned for his approval. she spins her own pen in hand. ]
I don't mind a rejection, but at least consider it.
[ It's...not a great thing to agree to, from Silco's perspective. Talks like this always have the added likelihood of loose lips, and though he trusts himself, he also... understands that there are crafty sorts here. Some that are on his level β or even better.
That's dangerous for him.
However, he's also aware that if some of his staff is going to work for them, it's best to keep an eye on the people he works with. Understand who they are. Understand what it is that they do. Understand how they work. Silco in his soul is a recluse. He is truly happiest when he is left alone.
Unfortunately for him, his passions have always drove him to dealign with people. Go figure. ]
Hm. I'll consider it. Besides, if one of my people is going to be working with you... it's never to either of our disadvantages to keep in touch.
[ I'll consider it, in this case, is going to be a yes.
At the very least, the place she is from sounds harsh. Rough. Somewhat like Zaun, and that means there's likely an iron core there that he'd be interested to see. ]
I'm of the same mind, Mister Silco. It'd be the same if any of mine took work with you.
Besides, getting to know the people around you is important in business too -- we were taught that even if you don't intend to partner with them, [ because that's all that matters, friendship was never up for discussion, ] knowing their preferences and interests helps in the long run.
[ for planning with or against, to understand the other's movements, so on. it doesn't make her happy... but she is thankful she was taught it now anyway, since it's proven worthwhile in many ways here. ]
And in general it's good to know if someone'll pick up on the first, second, or third ring. It's pretty interesting that even something so small says a lot, huh?
You are not incorrect. It's also best to know who you can tap and when.
[ Who has what weaknesses. Whom they look to for advice, or in a pinch. What someone would be swayed by. It's all necessary information, and the type that Silco collects and hoards. People are so much more... willing to play along, when they are getting what they want, after all. And so willing to share, when they think they have a friend nearby.
Not that Silco thinks he will be that to Malkuth, but this sort of coordination would have its uses. Even if they both eye each other warily.
Perhaps even moreso, because of it. ]
And who you can rely on in an emergency. Even the small signs are critical, where I am from. Who will respond quickly is... always going to be required knowledge.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
she loves a hearty pull off the tap
It doesn't matter if you were "blessed" to be born in the Nest of your District or damned to writhe in its Backstreets, if you break a contract you're more than likely losing something of equivalent value. There's a whole Office that specializes in ensuring the legality and consequence of each contract across the entire city, too -- they can and will track you down, no matter how well you think you've hidden yourself. And normally I'd put in a request to such an Office for the best security... but we're policing ourselves here.
First is formalities. The name and relevant business of each party, and what follows is our conditions of contract in the simplest, most direct wording to ensure a lack of sneaky loopholes. Lastly is the agreed upon consequence for the breach or break of contract, which can be the same between the parties or specific to each. For example, one might require the other to forfeit the fortune they amassed with the help of that contract and put them in a perilous position, and the other might bear the punishment of a bone broken for every line crossed. It's a deterrent. Or supposed to be. We don't need to follow through that far though, it's simply done because of the way The City has always worked.
[ dog eat dog, no matter how high you went. always someone ready to strike you down and pick at whatever remained. malkuth, manager of 3kon. silco... she taps her pen against the table, glancing up at him. thank goodness the city is so unusually thorough. ]
And what should I put down for you, Mister Silco?
π€
He files it away. Perhaps he'll ask about it later. After all, he intended to find a way back, anything he could gather here was of use. Even if it's ideas, methods, and concepts. Nobody has spoken at length to him about the structure, and he finds it all... fascinating. ]
Where I am from, violating an agreement normally ends in death. Unless you kill them first.
[ A thin smile. ] I don't make a habit of it. Contracts and agreements are useful, after all. How well you follow one speaks to your reliability as a negotiating partner or as a potential ally later on. Breaking them is a poor choice, unless one knows the right time to.
[ He watches her write it down, and then smiles. ]
I run a construction company. [ He really does. ] We haven't had much need for a clever name, I'm afraid. The license lists it as... oh, what did they say it was? S.Incorporated, I believe.
[ He hadn't pressed the issue. It's a front. ]
no subject
[ silco, of s. incorporated then. she'll pen it down along with the brief, direct points of their agreement. no funny business here... it's very much word for word. ]
It sounds like we don't hail from too different of worlds though, our protocal aside. Karteria reminds me a lot of it too. [ a wiggle of her pen. ] The same kind of hopelessness.
no subject
[ His lips twitch into the barest tightening, that could almost be called a smile. Almost. ]
Quite so. It's something I noticed when I arrived. How... hopeless everything was. How dire. The people here want for more, and they hunger for it. [ Oh boy, Malkuth. You stumbled into it now. ] The impoverished and lower classes here are somewhat similar to me and mine where I am from. No hope, no power, and every time someone tries to attain even a shred of it from their betters...
[ He taps at the skin below his eye, though covered in makeup, it is still mottled and scarred. ] They are quick to remind us of our places, aren't they?
no subject
They are.
[ that she can agree on, finishing off the final touches and turning it around for silco's approval as she leans back with her drink. ]
I work to help them too, not so much in my spare time as... alongside my work with 3kon, nearly split despite the few hours a day offers. As performers, they give the people a moment of distraction from the often harsh reality of the world, and I decided to make use of that and their manpower in repairing the houses of those in need -- especially before winter really hit. The people there appreciate action over words, so when I showed up for them they showed up for me.
[ and that's with a soft smile, the first and probably only of the night that silco's seeing. ]
I'll continue doing that too in the longterm, since you can only build up with a sturdy foundation. [ a sigh. ] The city sure is big though, huh... with no shortage of "I want to help, but where do I start" from a handful of our fellows.
no subject
[ he says it idly, before he picks up the paper, and starts reading it over. He's looking for pitfalls, tricks. The sorts of words that leave for ambiguity and the ability to side-step consequences, were one or the other to cause problems.
Things that would harm him, in the long run. ]
Charity. Altruism. None of that solves the problem. You fix it β the homes, the lack of food, the medical β but in the end, that is a salve. It is hardly the cure for the disease.
When one is in a position of powerlessness, what motivates them, more than anything, to claw their way out of the hole?
[ A few annotations, but not many. He pulls out his own pen, and points them out in tight script. Someone who writes and keeps books for a living. ]
The possibility of reversing that powerlessness. Their own sort of power.
Hand it to them, and they do not know how to ascend the next hurdle.
[ Turning it back over, for her to see what he has marked. ]
no subject
I like to think of it this way: the less someone has to worry about losing, because they have others behind them to catch them if they fall, then the more they can focus on moving forward how they see fit. A lot of people ended up where they have in my city because they had no other choice -- you give them a second path, and they're likely to take it.
But I'd like to clarify that I'm only speaking of my own world. Karteria is different, and what works one place might not work elsewhere. [ silco's own thoughts included, but she isn't here to blow things up. ] There's no harm in trying lots of different things to see happens though, even if it might seem useless or just a salve from the outside. Right?
no subject
Back and forth. ]
People are going to do what they wish to do. I certainly can't stop them.
[ Can't or won't. But he shakes his head. ]
I've seen what having that... buffer does to people. The moment they stop feeling what they lack, they begin to lose the fire necessary to change a fortune. Once they lose that, they become...compliant. It's easier to accept that which may otherwise be unacceptable.
And when that settles in, and that...comfort is established. It becomes much more difficult to push, and fight for what one is due. Especially when the barest of needs are met.
[ A tip of his head, a tightening of his lips. ] At least, where I am from, that is how it has so often gone.
no subject
an extreme version of it, of course. honed by centuries of use. even having the freedom to think of a different future than what lays ahead of someone is a form of treason, of revolution for her home in a general sense... while even in the worst worlds elsewhere they aren't punished as thoroughly as those from the city are. so it makes sense, silco's concerns and points, and she nods as she continues to rewrite.
back and forth. ]
Some of our views might differ, but the core is the same: Karteria needs change. The wealthy are too secular and don't see the problems below as anything they need to be concerned about, while the ones at the bottom struggle to see beyond their own problems -- not for a lack of want, but because they don't have the energy or mind to do so. Direction is good for them.
You are right, though. In The City... when someone managed to get to the station they wanted, they didn't seek to fix the problems that'd held them back in the first place, or to help someone else that wanted to escape just as badly.
[ a sip of her drink, ears laying back. ]
They were happy just to have left the circumstances they were in before. Even if they could lose it in a second, and they'd do everything they could to prevent that... Why would they risk the comfort they'd gained just so everyone else could have the chance at it too? Better that they keep their heads down and move along in their new spot on the wheel, grinding away their days.
no subject
[ Honestly? Silco wonders how this girl is working for Takasugi, and he is also wondering how to steal her away. Ah, but she said she is fond of those singers they prop up; and fondess so often is the downfall of individuals; or so Silco's paranoia reminds him.
Though it tells him something about Takasugi, too. He wonders if the man also indulges in fondness, and whether he allows it to be a weakness. ]
Why would they bother to do more when they are so terribly comfortable? When they have finally made their way out of the muck and mire, and into the sun? [ The way he says 'sun', sounds so terribly derogatory. ]
I fear that Karteria will take this next step, when ignoring the lower classes does not work. Elevate a few, if only to give them hope that they can find their way out.
[ The way he says it, perhaps he suggests that he would be willing to prevent it. ]
no subject
[ but it's not said dismissively or anything, more observant as she watches him watch her. takasugi has nothing to worry about. maybe if she were still on her first life, maybe if she could cast aside her dignity like she did then for "the greater good" and an end that "justified the means"... but she's not, and her smile remains pleasant. ]
We do need people like that in the world, since fools like me have to be reminded of the dangers... but there's nothing wrong with hedging your bet on the thought the people will do better with what they're offered. Karteria's already in a far better state than my terrible world, after all. They're willing to stand up against a force like Patho-Gen and make their voices heard -- that'd be unthinkable at home.
[ so why not believe in the unthinkable otherwise? ]
Besides, there is a guilt that's terrorizing some of the wealthier portion of Karteria -- they're people who're at risk of wandering outside, or so I've found, but they just need a direction to put their efforts towards too. That's also different than home, where people lock away any feeling that would put them at risk. [ a small shrug, resting against her sest. ] I don't mind leaving things better than when I found them. It's my duty as an architect. Leaving choice in the hands of others has its risks, but they don't lack for empathy here.
no subject
[ After all, Silco has tried for better. Tried hard, and what had it gotten him? Nothing. Betrayal. Death. Mutilation. What good did it do when the powers that be were so willing to simply look down upon them and tell them "no". What good did that do? ]
I'm surprised to hear you say that they don't.
[ Honestly? Silco almost couldn't believe it. Didn't they lack for empathy? Now, this is where the problem lies. Silco... has a true issue with projection. It would not truly matter, whether they expressed guilt to him or not. He would always see them as the enemy. How did one live othered as he had for so long, fighting and raging against a system that saw him as nothing, and not come to this conclusion?
Karteria was not Piltover. Though the similarities were enough that Silco feels it curdling in him, gestating just as it did before. The lower classes, left behind by golems and the machines they built? What few wins they got in Zaun were being overrun by Hextech. It was so easy to place them over one another.
So easy to hate them, as he always did. ]
Perhaps if they showed it, I would have an easier time seeing it, hm?
no subject
at the very least, it's something takasugi'd call her an idiot to suggest. but malkuth is someone who is for doing over simply speaking, and so the next glance silco gets is an interested, curious sort. the kind that predates a question that's more of a gamble than not. ]
In that case, if you have time to spare in the daylight hours, why don't we make this a regular thing? I'm fond of debates and understanding others' point of views, since you can only broaden your own horizon by seeing what another sees... and you can see for yourself what I'm talking about, too.
[ no, karteria isn't perfect nor will it be in the next few years. neither will her own city. but if there's people in her world willing to push against the expected, to hope and hold out a hand, then there's people here, too. malkuth's positive of that -- their treatment of her is proof, even as the incident faded from societal memory.
final product, turned for his approval. she spins her own pen in hand. ]
I don't mind a rejection, but at least consider it.
no subject
That's dangerous for him.
However, he's also aware that if some of his staff is going to work for them, it's best to keep an eye on the people he works with. Understand who they are. Understand what it is that they do. Understand how they work. Silco in his soul is a recluse. He is truly happiest when he is left alone.
Unfortunately for him, his passions have always drove him to dealign with people. Go figure. ]
Hm. I'll consider it. Besides, if one of my people is going to be working with you... it's never to either of our disadvantages to keep in touch.
[ I'll consider it, in this case, is going to be a yes.
At the very least, the place she is from sounds harsh. Rough. Somewhat like Zaun, and that means there's likely an iron core there that he'd be interested to see. ]
no subject
Besides, getting to know the people around you is important in business too -- we were taught that even if you don't intend to partner with them, [ because that's all that matters, friendship was never up for discussion, ] knowing their preferences and interests helps in the long run.
[ for planning with or against, to understand the other's movements, so on. it doesn't make her happy... but she is thankful she was taught it now anyway, since it's proven worthwhile in many ways here. ]
And in general it's good to know if someone'll pick up on the first, second, or third ring. It's pretty interesting that even something so small says a lot, huh?
no subject
[ Who has what weaknesses. Whom they look to for advice, or in a pinch. What someone would be swayed by. It's all necessary information, and the type that Silco collects and hoards. People are so much more... willing to play along, when they are getting what they want, after all. And so willing to share, when they think they have a friend nearby.
Not that Silco thinks he will be that to Malkuth, but this sort of coordination would have its uses. Even if they both eye each other warily.
Perhaps even moreso, because of it. ]
And who you can rely on in an emergency. Even the small signs are critical, where I am from. Who will respond quickly is... always going to be required knowledge.