[we all do stupid things for the person we care for most... flynn can't even deny it, but is it really that and not a lack of trust?
mikleo sure gives flynn a lot to consider, with him looking away and staring at the dripping ice cream cone while pondering things over (he will start to eat that shortly...). the second story definitely catches his attention. a pure serial killer who thinks murder leads to salvation. that's... deluded. maybe yuri's actions were wrong, but he never once denied that fact. a crime is a crime: this is a fact.
but basing 100% of your actions on a right fact can also lead someone astray. sometimes laws need to be broken in order to do the right thing in the long run. after all, for a short moment, flynn turned against the commandant and the empire (even if it didn't last long due to alexei's traitor status becoming evident). it's still difficult for someone so law-bidding as himself to accept but... but maybe circumstances due exist in which breaking the law is acceptable.]
It's a question I've been struggling with for a while, myself.
[ever since mantaic... no, ever since his promotion to captain.]
Some of my own actions have been questionable, as well, and other people close to me have committed crimes that ought to receive punishment. Even knowing this, I'd been unable to punish them as I should.
[at mantiac, he could've easily given yuri chase. sir raven, despite flynn's own understanding, still committed treason. judith destroyed numerous blastia that were in the possession of the empire. and now sodia...
he pauses, taking a breath and closing his eyes in thought for a moment.]
The conclusion I believe I'm reaching is that there is far less black and white to justice than I'd originally believed. Your sense of justice and what you believe in may clash with another's, but that doesn't necessarily make it good or bad. Sometimes... [another quick pause.] Sometimes breaking the law is necessary in order to do what is right, but it is still important to acknowledge that one did break the law and take responsibility for it.
[that... that feels so weird to openly say, but it doesn't feel wrong. flynn may not still fully accept his own words, but even reaching this conclusion is already progress. his gaze then meets mikleo's once more.]
I believe that, in a way, maybe that is what justice entails.
[Mikleo can understand what it means for Flynn to openly admit this to him. It's clear to him that the knight respects the laws and tries to uphold them in both letter and spirit. To say that sometimes it's necessary to break them isn't an easy conclusion for him to reach.]
Indeed. They're burdens to bear, but we have to take care that they don't become an obsession or drag us down.
[He gives the older man a small smile.]
I know you won't believe it, but I think you're a very respectable knight, if not a capable leader. I can't tell you that you're never going to stop struggling with that question because that'd be a lie. However, I can say that I have complete faith that you'll make the best possible choice.
[For a moment, the water seraph pauses.]
But, I'm going to guess that part of your argument with Yuri involved your differences in what justice is?
[hearing that manages to get an actual, genuine smile out of flynn. the last few days have been plagued with so much uncertainty and someone being so sure of him is nice to hear. maybe he doesn't believe it, just mikleo said, but maybe one day he will. one day.]
Thank you, Mikleo, your words mean a great deal to hear.
[he gives a small nod at the question. a good portion of their arguments tend to somehow involve justice and lawbreaking, especially lately. it's... not been fun. flynn's too rigid with the law; yuri's too loose. that leads to bad clashing sometimes.]
Part of it, yes. It's something we've been unable to see eye to eye for some time. Our fight had less to do with it than normal, but it was still an underlying factor.
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no subject
mikleo sure gives flynn a lot to consider, with him looking away and staring at the dripping ice cream cone while pondering things over (he will start to eat that shortly...). the second story definitely catches his attention. a pure serial killer who thinks murder leads to salvation. that's... deluded. maybe yuri's actions were wrong, but he never once denied that fact. a crime is a crime: this is a fact.
but basing 100% of your actions on a right fact can also lead someone astray. sometimes laws need to be broken in order to do the right thing in the long run. after all, for a short moment, flynn turned against the commandant and the empire (even if it didn't last long due to alexei's traitor status becoming evident). it's still difficult for someone so law-bidding as himself to accept but... but maybe circumstances due exist in which breaking the law is acceptable.]
It's a question I've been struggling with for a while, myself.
[ever since mantaic... no, ever since his promotion to captain.]
Some of my own actions have been questionable, as well, and other people close to me have committed crimes that ought to receive punishment. Even knowing this, I'd been unable to punish them as I should.
[at mantiac, he could've easily given yuri chase. sir raven, despite flynn's own understanding, still committed treason. judith destroyed numerous blastia that were in the possession of the empire. and now sodia...
he pauses, taking a breath and closing his eyes in thought for a moment.]
The conclusion I believe I'm reaching is that there is far less black and white to justice than I'd originally believed. Your sense of justice and what you believe in may clash with another's, but that doesn't necessarily make it good or bad. Sometimes... [another quick pause.] Sometimes breaking the law is necessary in order to do what is right, but it is still important to acknowledge that one did break the law and take responsibility for it.
[that... that feels so weird to openly say, but it doesn't feel wrong. flynn may not still fully accept his own words, but even reaching this conclusion is already progress. his gaze then meets mikleo's once more.]
I believe that, in a way, maybe that is what justice entails.
no subject
Indeed. They're burdens to bear, but we have to take care that they don't become an obsession or drag us down.
[He gives the older man a small smile.]
I know you won't believe it, but I think you're a very respectable knight, if not a capable leader. I can't tell you that you're never going to stop struggling with that question because that'd be a lie. However, I can say that I have complete faith that you'll make the best possible choice.
[For a moment, the water seraph pauses.]
But, I'm going to guess that part of your argument with Yuri involved your differences in what justice is?
no subject
Thank you, Mikleo, your words mean a great deal to hear.
[he gives a small nod at the question. a good portion of their arguments tend to somehow involve justice and lawbreaking, especially lately. it's... not been fun. flynn's too rigid with the law; yuri's too loose. that leads to bad clashing sometimes.]
Part of it, yes. It's something we've been unable to see eye to eye for some time. Our fight had less to do with it than normal, but it was still an underlying factor.