Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2023 9:55:20 GMT -5
Thom listened quietly as she explained her opinion of things, lips twisting slightly because... well, she was right, as usual. As she often tended to be when referring to medical issues. Of course, he lacked context, not being a witch himself, and only mildly tangentially aware of what they were capable of, especially since the werewolf curse had first been introduced. Yes, he had still been in the military when it started, but beyond the age of the young men who had been recruited specifically for that program, and being a quartermaster, he was only mildly tangentially aware of what they had been doing. There was a potential that whatever was happening now was also related, since before that, wars had been fought quite differently, and though many soldiers shared a bond, it paled in comparison to that between a witch and her werewolf partner. And how would such partners be used in the coming conflict? As they always had? Or with a burgeoning awareness of the risks it represented? Risks that Temperance was familiar with, given what had happened to her sister...
"Some of them might know more than they want to admit." He postulated. "Or can hazard a guess, considering that we've been fielding werewolf soldiers in our standing military for quite some time now. They likely don't know for sure, but when one kingdom has witches, and that same kingdom is also the only one with men who turn into wolves, some dots may or may not be connected. But you also may be right about certain people fearing a witch in power again, failing to recognize the individual behind the 'woman' of it all. More than willing to use the curse, of course, but fearing the repercussions should it be taken too far."
He grunted slightly as Temperance rolled to face him, shifting as half of the puppy slipped off of his stomach to burrow up between them instead, tail making a rapid little thwipthwipthwipthwip as it wagged from side to side, smacking into their legs. "Are we talking economically? Or personally? Most merchants and traders tend to be a little more hesitant to do business with a kingdom that's embroiled in conflict, because there's always a risk that they could be waylaid on the road by those that don't want them to reach their destination. Even the risk of an impending war starts shortening purse strings rather quickly, and more often than not, it's the everyday citizen that suffers most."
He mirrored her, leaning down to smooch at the puppy's nose as she pulled back, slipping fingers down to scratch at the base of Artos' tail to boot. "Then you start throwing in rumors of how the war might go, speculation from people who are... far from experts on any subject at all related to it, and the slow, insidious panic begins to set in, the fear of what might happen if things do go poorly. Peace is maintained by more and more drastic measures, until the pressure starts to boil over. And the longer the conflict drags on, the worse things go. National pride and patriotism only goes so far, after all. So you can see where some people might start to get concerned... But generally, people like that are, as I stated, operating off of the rumormill, which has a large aversion to facts."
"Some of them might know more than they want to admit." He postulated. "Or can hazard a guess, considering that we've been fielding werewolf soldiers in our standing military for quite some time now. They likely don't know for sure, but when one kingdom has witches, and that same kingdom is also the only one with men who turn into wolves, some dots may or may not be connected. But you also may be right about certain people fearing a witch in power again, failing to recognize the individual behind the 'woman' of it all. More than willing to use the curse, of course, but fearing the repercussions should it be taken too far."
He grunted slightly as Temperance rolled to face him, shifting as half of the puppy slipped off of his stomach to burrow up between them instead, tail making a rapid little thwipthwipthwipthwip as it wagged from side to side, smacking into their legs. "Are we talking economically? Or personally? Most merchants and traders tend to be a little more hesitant to do business with a kingdom that's embroiled in conflict, because there's always a risk that they could be waylaid on the road by those that don't want them to reach their destination. Even the risk of an impending war starts shortening purse strings rather quickly, and more often than not, it's the everyday citizen that suffers most."
He mirrored her, leaning down to smooch at the puppy's nose as she pulled back, slipping fingers down to scratch at the base of Artos' tail to boot. "Then you start throwing in rumors of how the war might go, speculation from people who are... far from experts on any subject at all related to it, and the slow, insidious panic begins to set in, the fear of what might happen if things do go poorly. Peace is maintained by more and more drastic measures, until the pressure starts to boil over. And the longer the conflict drags on, the worse things go. National pride and patriotism only goes so far, after all. So you can see where some people might start to get concerned... But generally, people like that are, as I stated, operating off of the rumormill, which has a large aversion to facts."