delta v over delta t when there is no t

[ertia]

In a bar, there is a girl.

She looks like she has saved up all of her decadent and slothful impulses for a solid decade and is indulging them all at once. She is sprawled on a couch with a book she's only half-reading, and an ice cream sundae, and smiiiiiiling.

Comments

[ertia]

"I'm Kithabel, by the way, I introduced Milan but not myself."

[sicaria]

"My name is Sherlock."

[ertia]

"Pleased to meet you." Read read. "Bar's assessment suggests that best-not-tampered-with relationships between Capitolites and District-dwellers or whatever these groups are properly called are few and far between but that many of the Peacekeepers were not born in the Capitol."

[sicaria]

"Yes. The Peacekeepers are among the reasons why the lack of communication from the relocated Capitol is important. Beheading the proverbial snake."

[first_and_final]

"I was going to ask about that," says Milan. "I can't help feeling like there must be a way to solve this problem that doesn't involve the irreversible banishment of everyone born in a certain area."

[ertia]

"Even a beheaded snake could strangle somebody thrashing around. I was thinking that maybe if they sent letters on a long enough delay - it's not a great compromise, but... There's probably a better option. We've got all the time in the world - Sherlock, time in your world's paused while you're here."

[sicaria]

"The difficulty is in finding a solution that will still work after you leave. Unless you would like to conquer the country, but that did not seem to be the service you were offering."

[ertia]

Headshake. "Can't stay there forever. I mean, in theory we could stay a good long while, but not indefinitely and we're accustomed to visiting Milliways pretty frequently which gets impractical if we're operating from a world we're not native to. We could install someone else?"

[sicaria]

"Install who, how, with what resources available to them in your absence?"

[ertia]

"Haven't got that far yet. I can set up all kinds of magic whatnots that can respond to the instructions of one or a short list of people, but unless someone springs to mind as 'person who should obviously inherit the nation of Panem' that's a whole separate personnel-finding job. Followed by conquest and a transition period we'd probably have to babysit."

[sicaria]

"I have no suggestions," she says; and then pauses, tilts her head consideringly, and amends, "I have one suggestion but it's more of a whim than a considered recommendation and anyway he is dead."

[ertia]

"Oh, we can do resurrections. But whim is probably not the correct way to manage a succession plan."

[sicaria]

"Whether or not he would make a good candidate for actual rulership, he would have unparalleled value as a figurehead of revolution... and I want to talk to him," she says. "How convenient is resurrection?"

[ertia]

"Entirely. Shall I add him to the conversation? Who is he?"

[sicaria]

"Jewel. This year's male tribute from District One. He played to the cameras to make sure all eyes would be on him and his actions could not easily be censored out of the live broadcast, and then deliberately stepped off his platform during the countdown. They explode when you do that."

[ertia]

"I see. Well, I suppose if he just really wanted to be dead he can be mildly inconvenienced and if he had other reasons he'll find the situation encouraging." Jewel: exist.

[no_return]

Jewel: exists.

He appears wearing an expression of serene triumph, which fades into mild startlement; he looks around at everyone present and then finally raises his eyebrows at Sherlock.

[sicaria]

"Hello," says Sherlock. "I found this omnipotent sorceress, who has just resurrected you. How would you feel about ruling Panem?"

[no_return]

"...I feel like I maybe need more context?" is what he settles on after a few seconds.

[ertia]

"Time in Panem is currently paused because we are here in this interdimensional bar. I and my partner Milan here are from other dimensions, we're sorcerers, I'm omnipotent, and Sherlock over there thought you'd be a useful addition to the conversation of how to apply an omnipotent sorceress to Panem and the problem that it is."

[no_return]

"Good call," he says. "How long's it been since I went up? How are people taking it?"

[sicaria]

"Three months. Poorly. If you meant to subtly destabilize support for the Hunger Games in the Capitol, you have succeeded. There's been nothing overt, but... when I thought of you in relation to the rulership of Panem it was with the thought that you've done more to solve the problem than I could conceive of managing with my previous resources, and you did it in a single gesture without any help at all."

[no_return]

He grins. "Score."

[ertia]

"The problems to solve, even under the assumption that you wish to rule Panem and can convince me you're the right person for the job, are at least in part: what to do with the Capitolites, especially any of them who have friends in the Districts; what to do with District-native Peacekeepers; the exact nature of the arbitrary material luxury to install for the people of your world; who else ought to stop being dead and how to organize them in a society unaccustomed to resurrection; and with what magical assistance rulership of Panem should be wielded."

[no_return]

"What am I working with here? When you say you're omnipotent does that mean if I'm convincing enough I get to be omnipotent too?"