[ Fontaine's laws range from the severe to the absolutely ridiculous, only some of which are prosecuted if you crossed the wrong person (he's had a few people in Meropide who've broken laws like "no chewing gum after 8 pm on Tuesday," who needed a bunk for a few days before they were released). his own thoughts on the matter usually don't matter, but those that tend to break the law come to his underground bunker eventually. Aether's own sense of morality is probably more align with his own, as he understands the line between necessity and cruelty. ]

Cruelty from madness, huh?

[ it has him thinking about other types of cruelties. when Aether shivers and comes closer, Wriothesley draws him in, until Aether's knee is draped over his thigh. the proximity doesn't seem to bother him, he likes Aether well enough to be this close to him. he also likes Aether well enough not to want him to be uncomfortable.

(also part of him recognizes that being this close is ... nice. Wriothesley isn't particularly touchy, but he realizes when he's suddenly closer to someone how nice it is to be close, almost as if part of him had forgotten.) ]

He would've kept doing it if you didn't stop him. Sometimes those types of crimes are easier to digest – at least if someone's not in their right mind, their actions have an excuse. For those that do it, somehow desensitized to the crime itself, well ...

[ those are the scary ones. ]

Luckily they come few and far between, huh?