[ For years, Hap had exploited the Sons of Jacobs' regressive beliefs without a second thought. They had a vested interested in a substantiated afterlife, and as conditions in the country deteriorated, an increasing amount of funds to allocate to that goal. Better the money go to him than a social media campaign. Recruitment drive. Military show of force. War.
It dried up during the takeover, but he was promised it would return in droves. A tainted source, but the work had long since outpaced ethical qualms, and as the Sons grew in power, so too did their contributions outpace any other of Hap's recent procurements. It afforded him more time to the unmasking of death, sparing him the tedium of shilling patents. He resolved to abandon the country if the conflict dragged on too long or the Sons reneged on their agreement. He had the privilege to do so, under their unsavory regime, and if they decided he didn't, he still had the fuel.
It never came to that.
Sometimes, he wishes it had. He's not proud of what became of the last Ofhunter, though he didn't want her in his home in the first place. He cares for his Wife just as little, but he can no longer take from the Divine Republic without giving something in return. He has to be seen aspiring to their values, even out here where there's no one to see him. When every human being is reduced to a basic set of variables, his life as it appears on paper amounts to more than it can in the flesh.
This new Handmaid is an attempt to make it bearable on himself. Find some reprieve in the system, and it can be that for her, as well. Unlike the last, she won't have to be confined to her room. They might be able to come to an understanding about the Ceremony, too, in time. Her predecessor was pleased to be spared that, until her deadline began to loom.
Hap ushers her inside when she arrives, along with her Guardian escort -- for as long as it takes for him to set down her things. Then he's thanked and sent on his way, despite the hours of travel he undertook to bring her here. Hap has no need for his ilk; his property is secured with a barbed wire fence; his location known only to Commanders of such high rank that were it to come under assault, it would be by Guardians themselves. ]
Welcome. I apologize for the long journey. Conversation couldn't have been too stimulating.
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[ For years, Hap had exploited the Sons of Jacobs' regressive beliefs without a second thought. They had a vested interested in a substantiated afterlife, and as conditions in the country deteriorated, an increasing amount of funds to allocate to that goal. Better the money go to him than a social media campaign. Recruitment drive. Military show of force. War.
It dried up during the takeover, but he was promised it would return in droves. A tainted source, but the work had long since outpaced ethical qualms, and as the Sons grew in power, so too did their contributions outpace any other of Hap's recent procurements. It afforded him more time to the unmasking of death, sparing him the tedium of shilling patents. He resolved to abandon the country if the conflict dragged on too long or the Sons reneged on their agreement. He had the privilege to do so, under their unsavory regime, and if they decided he didn't, he still had the fuel.
It never came to that.
Sometimes, he wishes it had. He's not proud of what became of the last Ofhunter, though he didn't want her in his home in the first place. He cares for his Wife just as little, but he can no longer take from the Divine Republic without giving something in return. He has to be seen aspiring to their values, even out here where there's no one to see him. When every human being is reduced to a basic set of variables, his life as it appears on paper amounts to more than it can in the flesh.
This new Handmaid is an attempt to make it bearable on himself. Find some reprieve in the system, and it can be that for her, as well. Unlike the last, she won't have to be confined to her room. They might be able to come to an understanding about the Ceremony, too, in time. Her predecessor was pleased to be spared that, until her deadline began to loom.
Hap ushers her inside when she arrives, along with her Guardian escort -- for as long as it takes for him to set down her things. Then he's thanked and sent on his way, despite the hours of travel he undertook to bring her here. Hap has no need for his ilk; his property is secured with a barbed wire fence; his location known only to Commanders of such high rank that were it to come under assault, it would be by Guardians themselves. ]
Welcome. I apologize for the long journey. Conversation couldn't have been too stimulating.