The Sage of Hatred wore a primitive, ferocious-looking mask made from wood. Colored an obnoxious bright red, it brought to mind the image of a crazed dragon. Erica had to stop herself from staring at it. The holy Sage sat calmly with his hands folded in his lap, refusing to acknowledge the presence of the Sage of Destruction, his sworn enemy, wearing no mask at all in obstinate defiance of the sacred tradition.

"So... just to reiterate, I'm not here to take sides. I'm just here to guide your discussion in the direction of finding a peaceful solution... of course, I think it would be great if we could find some common ground here..."

"Indeed."
"Hmph."

"You both know Miss Planner, of course..."

"It's an honor to be here, wise Sages. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. Before we get started, I'd like to make it clear to everyone that I'm here today as an observer, not a participant. I'm not going to comment on anything unless one of you asks me to. And I promise to keep everything I hear confidential. All right?"

"Yes, yes, I understand."
"Hmm."

Erica cleared her throat and tapped her pencil against the table.

"So the way this works is, both of you are going to get a turn to explain the problem, as you see it... then I'll ask questions to clarify things and we'll see if we can come up with a solution. What I want you to remember is, we're, um, trying to get a full understanding of the issues, so you're not allowed to interrupt each other... if someone is saying something you disagree with, I encourage you to write down your response and then we'll get back to it when they're finished. Um, is that okay?"

"Very well."
"Mmmhmm."

"All right, so, we all agree on the ground rules, right? Now, the first thing we want to do, obviously, is to try to understand the issue. Who wants to get us started? Ah, Sage of Hatred, you want to start us off? Is that alright with you, Sage of Destruction?"

"It makes no difference to me."

"Well, please go ahead then, Sage of Hatred."

"Thank you, child. I am one who bears the will of the ones who came before us. I have been entrusted with the sacred duty of preserving the purity of our ancient laws, and I therefore sit here before you to denounce the wickedness of the worldly Sage of Destruction. He has betrayed the holy principles of the Sages for the empty pleasures of the flesh and turned the Tower of the Chosen into a den of vice and depravity."

Erica hesitantly lifted her hand in the air, interrupting the Sage of Hatred.

"Uh, hold on... sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask you to remain objective here... can you please focus on describing the situation in terms of facts?"

"Hmph. So be it. I shall tell you the absolute truth of the matter. The Sage of Destruction and the rest of his contemptible ilk have prostituted the Divine Mysteries of the Chosen Ones out to common thieves and murderers."

The Sage of Destruction looked furious, but Erica was relieved to see he didn't argue the point. The Sage of Hatred continued, unperturbed.

"The ancient writings define the role of a Sage in very specific terms. The Sages are men of great learning and impeccable character, dedicated to the preservation of the holy laws and free of all personal attachments. As such, we are expected to lead lives of simplicity and poverty. It is forbidden for a Sage to accept any form of compensation for his teachings, monetary or otherwise. And yet, the Sage of Destruction uses his position to extort money from his students, such as they are. The truth is, the great Sage is a teacher to burglars and thugs. For such scum, I refuse to use the term 'Follower' which implies a spiritual connection."

"That's an outrageous accusation."
"Ummm... it's the Sage of Hatred's turn to talk. You're not supposed to talk during this part... go ahead, Sage of Hatred."

"I'm not the only one who thinks this way. There are others in the Tower, many of them, who share my opinion. We have tried to bring the issue to the attention of the Elders, but they've refused to listen. And so, we have begun to take action ourselves. We are not violent people, but we are prepared to defend ourselves from those who do violence to our sacred tradition. Our foremost duty to preserve our laws, for they are the source of all that we are."

Erica wrote furiously, summarizing the Sage's words to the best of her ability. The chastised Sage of Destruction remained silent.

"Okay... is that all?"
"Hmph. I could go on all day if you wish. But that wouldn't be fair to my fellow Sage, now would it?"

"Do you want to address anything he said, Sage of Destruction?"
"All I shall say is that I am no criminal and my Followers are righteous men. I will not sit here and let these lies go unchallenged."

"All right, then, I think we're done with that. It’s the Sage of Destruction’s turn to give a statement... do you want to take a break first?"
"Of course not. I shall speak."

"Hmph. Please do so, you crook. Why are you permitted to violate our laws? What gives you the right to abuse the trust placed in you by the Divine?"
"What gives me the right? How dare you ask me that question! You, who would kill the supreme ones and drink their blood!"

"Hang on. Stop. Please, calm down... umm... it's the Sage of Destruction's turn, and he was quiet when you were talking... for the most part..."

"Hmph. Accursed fool."

"Hah. I am the greatest of the Sages, one who has glimpsed the shadow of the God of Destruction himself. I know the truth of this world. I know what is right and what is wrong. As one who walks the path of righteousness, I have come to see the futility of adhering to the ancient traditions as though we are slaves to those dead long before our time. I seek to show the way to the true meaning of the Divine Mysteries."
"And yet you have turned your back on the teachings of the holy ones. Your words are as empty as a beggar's bowl."

"I do not lie. I am a man of great learning, a Sage of the highest order, and yet you would use our laws to deny me the right to teach the truth. My Followers are the victims of injustice, and I will not abandon them. I have made a vow to offer them counsel and guidance in the name of the supreme ones, and I will see it done."
"Your vows are worthless. You are only pretending to be a Sage, for you have betrayed the very principles of the Divine. This place is no longer the Tower of the Chosen, but instead, the Tower of the Fallen."

"Ummm... you're not supposed to talk right now..."

It didn't seem like there was much room for compromise between the two Sages. Erica was worried. But Miss Planner sitting right next to her appeared just as calm and collected always. She watched the proceedings intently, a mysterious smile on her face. As long as the Sages were communicating in a civilized manner, she didn't really care what was being said. They would eventually realize they had no choice but to compromise if they wanted to avoid punishment from the Elders.