"I'd like to see it," she admits. "Not because of - any of this. I was already curious. The rest of this just makes it messy."
Which is her objection. She remembers what Jesus said - how for him, the contract means he'll never know for sure if someone supporting him is social obligation or genuine care for him - and even though she doesn't have any such complications, she doesn't know if the same is true for Jacob. He's certainly using the language the city uses first and foremost, and she doesn't yet know how much of that in turn is because he's bought into it, because he thinks it's most pertinent to this conversation, or if he thinks that's what she'll need the most explanation for to move forward.
"And I'm not saying I don't understand that there are hoops we need to jump through in order to have the smoothest time possible here. I understand that. But they're just that, to me: hoops. Things we're saying or doing to get people to mind their own business so we can go about ours. So yes, I'll go to the fucking courthouse or whatever, I'll sign whatever needs signed and pay whatever needs paid, and I'll write my name at the top of a piece of paper that proves ownership to anyone else who might care. But that doesn't give me a right to what's yours. Does that track? Does that sound like something you can work with?"
She understands on a mental level that somehow, someway, there are people in this city that believe in these contracts, that value these arrangements and these roles as vital. She doesn't understand it - beyond the sanctity of an agreement and the weight of someone's word in general - but she doesn't have to in order to understand people are different, and have different ways of thinking and living.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2022-10-25 09:45 am (UTC)Which is her objection. She remembers what Jesus said - how for him, the contract means he'll never know for sure if someone supporting him is social obligation or genuine care for him - and even though she doesn't have any such complications, she doesn't know if the same is true for Jacob. He's certainly using the language the city uses first and foremost, and she doesn't yet know how much of that in turn is because he's bought into it, because he thinks it's most pertinent to this conversation, or if he thinks that's what she'll need the most explanation for to move forward.
"And I'm not saying I don't understand that there are hoops we need to jump through in order to have the smoothest time possible here. I understand that. But they're just that, to me: hoops. Things we're saying or doing to get people to mind their own business so we can go about ours. So yes, I'll go to the fucking courthouse or whatever, I'll sign whatever needs signed and pay whatever needs paid, and I'll write my name at the top of a piece of paper that proves ownership to anyone else who might care. But that doesn't give me a right to what's yours. Does that track? Does that sound like something you can work with?"
She understands on a mental level that somehow, someway, there are people in this city that believe in these contracts, that value these arrangements and these roles as vital. She doesn't understand it - beyond the sanctity of an agreement and the weight of someone's word in general - but she doesn't have to in order to understand people are different, and have different ways of thinking and living.