[center] [color=gold] [h1] Maria von Hohenzollern [img] http://i.imgur.com/mHxQYPc.jpg [/img] [/h1] [/color] [/center] [center] [color=gold] [h2] Royal Capital Lugnica Iron Bell Knights HQ [/h2] [/color] [/center] [@Zelosse] [@Lucius Cypher] [@liferusher] [quote] [color=0072bc]"What proof do you have that I am your perpetrator? Is it wrong to flee a sudden fire? Is it odd that a performer of the streets carry steel?"[/color] Mithril turned his attention, but not his head, to the knightess and continued. [color=0072bc]"By your laws, I am a victim of an assault upon my person. You are a witness. Tell me, will you not defend my honor after being attacked by a vigilante?"[/color] Mithril had no idea if the elf actually had some sort of authority. Or if the knightess did. But it would be fun to see what came of it all anyways. [/quote] The man was not wrong. Maria, by her desire for righteous actions, did not believe it was within the realm of a knight to pass their judgment on another without the details of their actions known. The man could have been a regular civilian; a regular civilian who happened to be carrying a rapier on the streets at night and was utilizing the rooftops to jump around the area. Maria would not go as far to say that the man was “right”, but through her actions of attacking the man instantly instead of giving him time to throw down his weapon and surrender peacefully, to Maria, Atisha had de-legitimized her statements. If the man had turned himself in there would have been no cause for violence. Laws exist to protect the people, not the other way around. However, there was no way for Maria to stop the actions of the elf-girl as soon as they had started. She had committed to her offense as anyone would have, but even so, she seemed so sure of his involvement in the fire. Did the two have a history together? Or perhaps did Atisha see the man commit the act? Of course, one is not to question another person’s evidence until after an investigation is launched. Lives are saved by de-escalation of a situation through removal of the suspect from society and questioning them through evidence. And based on what Maria knew, the man before her was the primary suspect in the firebombing. Even if he was a street performer, if he was to drop his weapons, there would be no need for conflict. [color=gold] “Law is what brings society together; law the aspiration of humanity and the protection of the fleeting understanding of “justice”. Justice can only exist in the conduct of the Kingdom only as it resides in the hearts of our citizens.” My heart of completely unclouded. My actions are all those of this “justice”!” [/color] There was one action that Maria could never forgive, and that was the killing of innocent civilians. However, this man was not innocent. Any rational innocent individual would have thrown down their weapons. Only those with something to hide choose to fight against the establishment. [color=gold] “It matters not if you are a commoner or a nobleman; an untouchable or a king. I, Maria von Hohenzollern, will be the one to judge you! I am not someone as petty to think ‘I will kill you’. When I think ‘I will kill you’ the deed has already been done!” [/color] The “first stone” had been cast by Maria. The first action was dictated by those of “power”, a form of justice within itself. It didn’t matter who you were if a noble or not, one must wait upon their uppers as an action of their desire. Therefore, who gets the first “move” was destined to be the one with the greater “power”. Maria’s logic definitely operated much differently compared to her elvish counterpart’s. Whereas Atisha's attacks were committed to for their attempt on the man's life, The first thrust was aimed towards the man's tendon on his assumed dominate hand due to the placement of the rapier he had on his person. The next was towards his shoulder, hoping to limit his range of attacks to a minimum. Maria’s attack was her attempt to disarm, targeting the man’s tendons, shoulder, and other debilitating blows over “killing blows”. However, this was merely her attempt at “prodding” her opponent. Learning about their actions taken and basing her next move off of what she had learned. Even if the man had double the skill of Maria or her compatriots, the simple matter was that as long as Maria or the Elf and perhaps even Tani were constantly pressuring the man, he would likely have little recourse unless he was able to create an advantage with one of the targets, or he would be forced to disengage and use the roofing to his advantage, seeing as Maria didn’t have the same sort of free-running training, but that would not stop her from at the very least trying. She knew that if there was an advantage to be had, it was now rather than later. If lives were saved by the actions of Maria, then at the very least she could say to have delayed the man’s actions. Any other design was irrelevant. Maria believed in saving the most amount of people as efficiently as she could. And if that meant placing her own life in danger, then it was something she had meant to be. Those who take up the sword are ready to die at any moment to protect those who are not strong enough to protect themselves.