Soo:
(studying the image, tilting her head) Tell me, Philyra, does this just look like a painting to you or the ruins of a maritime battlefield?
Philyra:
(eyes fixed on the artwork) Perhaps both. Some paintings are essentially battles, with color and texture locked in conflict. When ideas collide, a struggle for dominance always seem to follow. The tragedy is that most people see only the small, immediate battles and never those unfolding across decades or centuries. Our decisions are often rigged so heavily in favour of short-term profit or immediate rewards, blind to the long-term costs.
Jules:
(swirling a glass of red wine with a cynical expression) It's a tragedy of the system, isn't it? Most politicians can't see beyond the narrow horizon of the next election cycle. And as for the ultra-rich who really pull the strings... their vision is focused on their upcoming profit statements. It’s a vicious, self-consuming loop.
Elijah:
(stepping closer with a sharp voice) Spare me the cynicism, Jules. We’re not bystanders. Every choice we make—every dollar, protest, vote, or silence—feeds something. You blame systems, but systems are built brick by brick by hands like ours. If we helped build this mess, then we should start to unmake it. We have to stop pretending we’re powerless.
Ellesha:
(turning her eyes away from the painting, a small, knowing smile forming) Maybe most battles aren’t on canvas or in politics, but inside us. Often, multiple perspectives exist and each might have an element of truth. Yet when the moment comes to act, however, we can only walk one path.