[This is possibly the first time in his life, Arno's talked to someone outside of the order, well, someone who is not Elise about the brotherhood and what being a part of it means. He couldn't have dared that in Paris, not that he would have wanted to. It's different now, obviously, but those first accusations do have him bristling a little as it is.]
Specifically myself, and specifically the time and place, certainly no. [The answer to that first question comes easily enough, at that. ]
But no one tied up in Templar business, either those in the order or those who work for them, is so naive as to think they'll not be caught up with eventually. And no Assassin dares to think that he's above being fed an aconite cocktail along with his wine if he lets his guard down for too long, so that...works two ways.
[Well. Arno likes to think that he, personally, is above such things, but Mirabeau, even Mirabeau fell prey to poison, albeit not given to him by a Templar. It's a chilling thought, and a reminder that even the brightest can be taken by surprise. He's...keeping it in mind, or trying to, these days.]
I was recruited in the Bastille and inducted into the brotherhood after its fall, actually. The man died, and the assassin was born.
[So far, Arno's been speaking of the brotherhood and its role with a certain sense of assurance, but there is more pride in his words now, and a reassurance creeping into his posture. Thinking of that moment keeps him centered, even when he thinks of how it all turned out.]
It's funny, but you sound so much like the last lecture our council gave me, oddly enough. Throw in something about my personal vendetta being against the values of the brotherhood and...
[Arno shrugs, not certain how to go on, straightaway.]
Well. They hold a few standards I haven't measured up to yet, and you have pointed out most of them. Congratulations, are in order, I assume.
[The smile Tony gets is far from sincere, along with the little bow that Arno tosses in there, though they don't actually last, and there's a moment, just one, where he looks almost tired by this act.]
We live in contradictions, and I won't deny it. Sometimes we make mistakes, but, on the other side, we're talking about Templar world domination. Each sacrifice, all of the blood I've spilt...if it keeps that from coming, and might save a few people from dealing with corruption in the first place, not to mentioning punishing the guilty, well, that's worth it.
In a Just world, maybe not. [He'll cop to at least that much, the idea that in a better world, one without templar and assassin struggles, things could be different, but that is something he has never really known.]
But it isn't a just world. It is France. [And therein lies the difference.]
Re: going for the gold in Denial and Rationalization
Specifically myself, and specifically the time and place, certainly no. [The answer to that first question comes easily enough, at that. ]
But no one tied up in Templar business, either those in the order or those who work for them, is so naive as to think they'll not be caught up with eventually. And no Assassin dares to think that he's above being fed an aconite cocktail along with his wine if he lets his guard down for too long, so that...works two ways.
[Well. Arno likes to think that he, personally, is above such things, but Mirabeau, even Mirabeau fell prey to poison, albeit not given to him by a Templar. It's a chilling thought, and a reminder that even the brightest can be taken by surprise. He's...keeping it in mind, or trying to, these days.]
I was recruited in the Bastille and inducted into the brotherhood after its fall, actually. The man died, and the assassin was born.
[So far, Arno's been speaking of the brotherhood and its role with a certain sense of assurance, but there is more pride in his words now, and a reassurance creeping into his posture. Thinking of that moment keeps him centered, even when he thinks of how it all turned out.]
It's funny, but you sound so much like the last lecture our council gave me, oddly enough. Throw in something about my personal vendetta being against the values of the brotherhood and...
[Arno shrugs, not certain how to go on, straightaway.]
Well. They hold a few standards I haven't measured up to yet, and you have pointed out most of them. Congratulations, are in order, I assume.
[The smile Tony gets is far from sincere, along with the little bow that Arno tosses in there, though they don't actually last, and there's a moment, just one, where he looks almost tired by this act.]
We live in contradictions, and I won't deny it. Sometimes we make mistakes, but, on the other side, we're talking about Templar world domination. Each sacrifice, all of the blood I've spilt...if it keeps that from coming, and might save a few people from dealing with corruption in the first place, not to mentioning punishing the guilty, well, that's worth it.
In a Just world, maybe not. [He'll cop to at least that much, the idea that in a better world, one without templar and assassin struggles, things could be different, but that is something he has never really known.]
But it isn't a just world. It is France. [And therein lies the difference.]