He listened then, as Anders explained. That Justice too had gotten to experience being witness to and victim of Templar cruelty through sharing thoughts and memories with Anders. Altair hadn't felt Templar cruelty personally- not in the way Anders and Justice had. He'd seen what the Templars did. He'd gotten attacked more times than he cared to count because many of them thought him a mage.
But that wasn't the same thing. He couldn't imagine what Anders had gone through. Nor Justice when he came to have the memories and the experience.
Altair had been a slave, of course, so he understood in one way. But not completely. Not in the same way. And the ghosts who had been with him, and the one ghost who still was had never experienced what Altair himself had through him. So he couldn't truly understand what it had been like for Justice, either.
"You've been through a lot. He has, too."
He gave his hand a gentle squeeze for comfort and reassurance- this time it was just as much for Justice as for Anders himself, even if he didn't indicate it.
"So they just call you something you're not because they refuse to even try to overcome their own ignorance? They just... React without a thought in their head? I mean, I'm not surprised, it's just... I've lived so much of my life having to curb my questions and my curiosity and the Chantry and the Templars... They're free to question everything. I don't understand why they choose reactionary fear and why they're so caught up in the past that they don't even try to strive for something better. For the future. They're free to choose to learn, but they refuse."
Plenty of Sith were like that too. Plenty of Jedi as well. Altair didn't understand that either.
"I apologize if I'm not making an awful lot of sense. It's just... I can't understand. How they can wake up every morning and choose to do what they do, say what they say, and still think they're in the right. How can they do what they did to innocent people or call another living being an abomination and still think they're good?"
A pause, then.
"The next time someone throws that word at you by the way, please just let me beat them to death with my bare hands. That means Justice too. I promise you both that I hit much harder than I look like I would even without my weapons."
no subject
He listened then, as Anders explained. That Justice too had gotten to experience being witness to and victim of Templar cruelty through sharing thoughts and memories with Anders. Altair hadn't felt Templar cruelty personally- not in the way Anders and Justice had. He'd seen what the Templars did. He'd gotten attacked more times than he cared to count because many of them thought him a mage.
But that wasn't the same thing. He couldn't imagine what Anders had gone through. Nor Justice when he came to have the memories and the experience.
Altair had been a slave, of course, so he understood in one way. But not completely. Not in the same way. And the ghosts who had been with him, and the one ghost who still was had never experienced what Altair himself had through him. So he couldn't truly understand what it had been like for Justice, either.
"You've been through a lot. He has, too."
He gave his hand a gentle squeeze for comfort and reassurance- this time it was just as much for Justice as for Anders himself, even if he didn't indicate it.
"So they just call you something you're not because they refuse to even try to overcome their own ignorance? They just... React without a thought in their head? I mean, I'm not surprised, it's just... I've lived so much of my life having to curb my questions and my curiosity and the Chantry and the Templars... They're free to question everything. I don't understand why they choose reactionary fear and why they're so caught up in the past that they don't even try to strive for something better. For the future. They're free to choose to learn, but they refuse."
Plenty of Sith were like that too. Plenty of Jedi as well. Altair didn't understand that either.
"I apologize if I'm not making an awful lot of sense. It's just... I can't understand. How they can wake up every morning and choose to do what they do, say what they say, and still think they're in the right. How can they do what they did to innocent people or call another living being an abomination and still think they're good?"
A pause, then.
"The next time someone throws that word at you by the way, please just let me beat them to death with my bare hands. That means Justice too. I promise you both that I hit much harder than I look like I would even without my weapons."
That was a joke. Sort of.