>>5203540As a construct, Solomon lacked a mouth. But human behavior is an instinct hardwired into his mind. With a motion that mimicked that of a deep breath being taken, he turned to addressed the now silent crowd.
"Ladies." Solomon began with a clear and loud tone. "Do you have any idea how close you were to getting everyone killed?"
Officer Grizzie placed an arm on her hip with a huff. "And why is that?"
"Sathriel...my mother...She's not only a skintalker, she's also a Vitruvian."
Grizzie swore at the statement. "Dammit, of all classes..."
"I take it you have experience with Vitruvians am I correct?" asked Solomon.
Grimm grimaced. "Yeah, in my opinion, they're basically as bad as the hunger-mad, if not worse. They're personable and sane, until you hit a specific landmine of theirs. Then they just go feral because of their corrupted noggins, no offense...right?"
Solomon twitched at the statement before responding."That insult to my mother will remain off the record. But yes, you have the gist of it."
"What's wrong with Judge Sath?" asked Lisa.
Solomon held up an uneven scale and dexterously balances it on his clawed fingers.
"In her eyes, the world is set on a scale. Injustice and sin on one end, Virtue and justice on the other, always in flux, and never at equilibrium. As long as she's able to seek out injustice and tip the scales with her involvement, she will be stable." explained Solomon, demonstrating the effect by shifting his finger back and forth and causing the scale to wobble on its fulcrum.
"And if she isn't able to?"
Solomon pinches the scale at its fulcrum, locking it in place.
"If she senses that her path to influence the scales is obstructed, or is barred from involvement, she will seek out less scrupulous means of involvement and accrue stress." said Solomon, demonstrating the effect by using his other hand to futilely tug at one end of the now immovable scale.
"But that would only make things worse, not help her case." said the Officer.
"Correct." said Solomon "And that will continue to build pressure until..." Solomon snaps the scale in his hand in half. "She snaps and declares exterminatus."
"Exterminatus?"
As if on cue, there was a distant yet audible scream of anger followed by a string of explicates spoken in a mix of languages, with arcane effects popping off like fireworks from each syllable uttered outside of the village, causing heads to turn.
Solomon shifted uncomfortably and pointed a finger at the display. "That, except more focused and on a wider scale. A last resort to keep herself sane while ensuring that any culprit she pursues is executed, no matter the collateral." he shuddered at the sight. "Heavens above, I hope brother Yan didn't get caught up in the collateral of that tantrum."
Solomon turned to appeal to the crowd one final time. "So please, for the sake of everyone's health, just play along and let my mother hold the trial."
(cont.)
