Audience - Anders

[holyspirits]

Comments

[holyspirits]

Charlie's soul was damaged, but it's still around. We haven't been able to pinpoint her--probably because of the damage. Heaven is, well. Huge.

For Jing Yuan... Expulsion means that a soul is taken out of heaven via the train and brought to where they would go instead. [ they bring a hand to their face ] Although it didn't go the way we expected it to.

[ they shake their head ]

And then, in general--well that's more of a philosophical question.

[spiritbalm]

How did you expect it to go, exactly?

[holyspirits]

It was supposed to be that he'd get some goodbyes in for anyone who still wanted some and then he peacefully board the train.

[ throwing a hand up in the air ]

That fight was--I don't even know. We tried to break the barrier that was containing them, but we couldn't. There was nothing in the protocol about that for expulsion, so I've been trying to look at older examples to see if we did something wrong to trigger that, but it's not like expulsion's happened in heaven all that often.

[spiritbalm]

This ... entire scenario. Our redemption, our being here. You said it was new. But what made it happen in the first place? Why try at all?

[holyspirits]

Honestly? Our boss wanted to give it a shot. [ they rock on their heels a bit ] They thought the way things are right now might not be fair. What makes a good person is sort of debatable, and can depend a lot on outside circumstances. Like that question this week. If killing isn't ever justifiable, then anyone who has ever killed in self-defense doesn't deserve to be in heaven. It doesn't leave a lot of leeway or understanding.

This kind of trial where everyone's got the same circumstances--access to food, housing, safety... I think that helps a bit. It's not perfect, but the alpha version of anything never is.

[ alpha heaven ]

[spiritbalm]

So the question is, if the world were perfectly fair, would we be able to be good?

[holyspirits]

That's one of the big ones. [ they tilt their head ] Does that clarify it a little for you? I know you're struggling with the why of it all a lot.

[spiritbalm]

[ nodding, a little slowly. he gets it, the idea at least. ]

... And if we are too broken, too far gone already?

[holyspirits]

[ they seem to be gathering their thoughts at that question ]

I do think there are people who don't deserve this chance. I'm not going to pretend about that. But I also don't think those kind of people are the kind to worry about whether they're too broken to deserve a second chance.

[ they say this last one gently ]

But ultimately I think it's up to you. If you really think you don't deserve it, you don't have to try. You can just accept whatever fate happens at the end of all of this. But I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to at least think about it. In the end, you won't be worst off for having giving it a shot.

[spiritbalm]

I already agreed to try.

[ the question is more if he tries, and fails, maybe it was already fated to be that way. ]

[holyspirits]

You did. But I think if you're expecting to fail, you're not really trying at all.

[ call out sadsack ]

[spiritbalm]

[ WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REALLY EARNING YOUR RIVALRY POINTS. ]

Say I do succeed somehow, I'm able to return. I'll be executed again shortly afterwards.

[holyspirits]

[ they do their best ]

We're not sending you back just to die a month later. [ patiently ] Circumstances will be changed to make sure your second chance amounts to an actual life, at that point.