Cost of Truth

They waited for Jude to ask questions, but he seemed to decide not to seek further information. Perhaps he was more interested in finishing the challenge, but more likely he was being polite. It also occurred to them that the topics they had referenced might have been uncomfortable to him- they had been to Alette after all. They would try to avoid more gruesome subjects for the time being.

There was another unspoken shift as Kir resumed watching the surroundings and Mir took over the conversation. As they waited for Jude to select his statements they realized they needed to ask more questions. Seeking truth was their goal. Right or wrong in their guesses, asking questions about Jude and his experiences was still seeking facts and a clearer picture. It was what Alette would have wanted them to do but she was too quiet right now to remind them of.

They'd start to rectify the issue by explaining their reasoning to Jude as they made their choice this time. "You decided that you prefer handguns to rifles so the third option would tend to stick out. However a statement that sounds out of place can be used to throw someone off. It is possible that you encountered such technology and possessed it for a time. From what we understand you came from a world where 'heroes' and 'villains' fought regularly but it does not sound like things were quite as lethal as they could have been, especially considering the age which you must have been when you started. Therefore stun bullets appear quite reasonable as a truth. Incendiary bullets are real, however they are quite dangerous and would not be considered non-lethal." They rattled off their thoughts aloud, though to be honest there were many other things going through their mind that were left unspoken.

Eventually though they made their decision. "We believe the incendiary rounds are the lie." It did come to mind that the could very well be over-thinking things once more but they had made their choice.

"So you are very interested in firearms but not necessarily from a lethal weapon standpoint. Is that a decision based on morals or practicality? We would imagine children were forbidden from using lethal weapons where you came from, as is the general reasoning here, but given the decision now would you hesitate to take a life?" They realized the topic was kind of heavy and didn't expect him to go into detail, but they were doing more than asking about firearms and killing. They were evaluating him as a person. Whether he was dangerous or could be relied on. Something they constantly thought about for every single person they met.

Mir turned to Alette to quietly mention that she should keep her eyes out for where she wanted to eat after the challenge was completed. They did not intend to be rude to Jude, but they were almost always thinking and doing multiple things at once. Alette nodded and Aria actually leaned down to mention spotting a small noodles shop she had seen on the way through the station.

At the same time as this side conversation was happening, Kir took over in the conversation with Jude. But their attention was only on Jude long enough to cover for while Mir was looking at Alette and then they went back to watching everything around them. "For our turn then our statements are as follows. We've used nonlethal ammunition, we own four sets of matching firearms, and our favorite shotgun to use is the Mossberg 590A1."

KirMir caught the reaction from Jude. Not really the flinch, but the turning away was noticed. They had a habit of straying just a little too far into topics that tended to make other people uncomfortable. And then Annie had made a point of interrupting them. Though they couldn't confirm it for sure, the sudden interruption by the seemingly disinterested regalis combined with Jude's body language made them suspect Annie wasn't being truthful about the reason for interrupting.

KirMir looked at Jude and at Annie and then glanced over at Alette and Aria. They hadn't meant to offend anyone. They were just 'seeking the truth' as Alette might have said. In this case it was Jude's true character, but clearly they had not handled the situation appropriately and they nodded at Annie. Whether it was because Jude was uncomfortable or because Annie really did need them to hurry up it didn't really matter. It was clear that the extra conversation was not going to happen.

"We apologize, we were not aware you were in such a hurry. We will refrain from extending this challenge unnecessarily with any further extraneous conversation," stated Mir, but they were looking at Jude directly- not Annie. They were being honest about moving past the unanswered line of questioning though.

"Unfortunately that is another incorrect selection Jude," began Mir, and again there was the faintest smile of victory. They would never gloat or make a big deal out of it but they did feel emotions and winning a game, however small, was still enjoyable. thy just wished they hadn't ruined the chance for learning more from Jude.

"We tried out several shotguns but the 590A1 was the one that we picked for its reliability and durability along with how it felt during our testing. We selected the shorter version with an adjustable stock that holds only 6 shells though. As for the nonlethal ammunition it is true that we have only used it very briefly. When we began our escape from where we lived prior to coming to this system the first guards we encountered carried weapons that utilized stunning rounds. We used them after disarming one guard." They didn't particularly like revealing too much about their activities in the past but they were working to impress their regalia friends. Who were both fairly big on people not concealing the truth. A smile from Alette was all they needed to see, and they knew they had made the correct decision in giving a little more detail than they would normally do.

Finally Kir spoke up to explain the lie. It was actually fairly simple. "Though we mentioned possessing two matching sets of handguns, insisting on possessing a matching set of every firearm we wanted would be quite expensive and unnecessary. We do not possess an unlimited amount of funds so currently the only firearms we own are the two pairs of P226's, the just mentioned 590A1 and a Remington 700 rifle that is currently being customized."

KirMir nodded at Annie as she worked to steer poor Jude away from the conversation. When he stopped himself KirMir could tell he was bothered by leaving so abruptly but from what they understood further conversation with them would do him no good.

"Go ahead Jude," Kir called out as the conflicted blonde teenager was led off. "We are not offended and you should listen to your regalis' advice." They then allowed Jude and Annie to walk off without further interruption.

Mir turned to Aria and Alette, with the smile of success now absent but otherwise not appearing too unhappy. "We should go try out that noodles restaurant you mentioned Arianell. Also we are sorry for the discomfort we brought you Alette- we are not as sensitive towards certain topics as is probably appropriate to be adequate friends. We are trying."

Alette was glad to have the chance to try the food on the space station and hopped up, ready to go. "It's ok, you did tell me about some of your past. I'm glad you're safer here," she said. Aria too looked glad to be heading to get food with her friends. "You're still learning how to be better at social things KirMir, and I think you're more than 'adequate' with your friendship. You just keep working on being honest and I think we'll be good friends."

The group headed off in a different direction from where Jude had been headed. It was unclear whether they were deliberately avoiding Jude or just knew a different path to get to the restaurant they were headed to.