[It's finals time for some, and just before finals for others... either way, Max has had his hands full either being in or teaching class, and now he's heading home. The campus is unusually quiet for early afternoon, but seeing as most people are likely studying, training, or schooling, it shouldn't be too surprising.] [Max is wandering through a lightly forested, grassy, and very well kept area. Blame the druids and rangers. There are benches here and there, but he's probably not too interested in sitting on one.] [Mini Start.] * Max walks along, staring at his shuffling feet as they peek out under his robe with each step. His Book floats behind him, while Specs flutters from tree to tree overhead. * Alcinoe is seated on one of the benches with one foot also on the seat and hands folded around her leg, and if Max cared to look up, he'd definitely notice her. She's wearing jeans, a tank top, and boots; her haversack is next to her, and her sword is sheathed and propped against the seat. * Max doesn't, in fact, look up. He does push his glasses up his nose, though. They keep slipping down with his head tilted forward like that. Specs, on the other hand, flutters over to land on Alcinoe's haversack and carefully investigate her sword. Why? Who knows. Familiars are wierd. * Alcinoe blinks, looking over at Specs. She smiles a little, then turns her attention to the halfling. "Howdy, Max." * Max looks up, startled. Truthfully, he almost jumped out of his robe. But that's just a touch too much hyperbole for the halfling. "Huh-Oh! H-hi Alc-c- cinoe." * Alcinoe gives a half-wave. "Classes over for ya today?" Uh-- *eyes dart left and right, as if looking for escape routes* --uh-huh. Um m-m and-d f-for y-you? Got one later, but it's later. o-oh. G-good-d lu-luck. * Alcinoe nods. She studies Max for a moment, then tilts her head to the empty spot on the bench. "Take a load off. Yer bird's doin' it." Um... *gulp* ...er. ... uh. <_< >_> *looks down* okay. * Max scuffles over and climbs up on the bench next to Alcinoe. There's definite space between them, though, and he stares off into space that doesn't include the young lady. * Alcinoe looks at Max curiously. So, what's with the stutter? * Max jumps, startled again. "St-stut-tter? O-oh. Um-m. I d-don't kn-know...j- just-t-t- ..." he trails off. * Alcinoe smiles gently. "Ah think ya know. So, why the stutter?" ...h-hap-pens when-n I g-get-t n-nerv-vous. S-sorry. * Alcinoe nods. Nothin' ta be sorry about. Everyone gets nervous. What're ya nervous over, though? * Max studies his hands in his lap. Wow, they must be fascinating. No, really. "Th-the oth-ther..." he trails off, muttering the last bit and something about Istvan and Kenji. * Alcinoe twitches her ears, but she just prompts, "The other?" D-day. Wh-when... *was that a shudder? Maybe. He pushes his glasses up again, anyway* * Alcinoe nods. She knows where this is going, but still. "When?" Th-the fight. L-last-t t-time I w-was-s at-t-t th-th-th *stops tries again* th-th-th-the Fl-- *gets too tongue-tied, and cringes* The Flyin' Couches. Why yer not goin' there now, ya mean. * Max nods, and scoots a bit further away on the bench. And pushes his glasses up his nose again. No, he didn't just wipe his nose and face with his sleeve in the process, why would you think that? * Alcinoe shakes her head and sighs. She looks away. "It's why Ah'm not there either." ...huh? *looks up at Alcinoe* Wh-why--never mind. *looks back down at his lap* * Alcinoe laughs a little. "It's okay to ask why." I c-can k-kind of g-guess. B-but...okay...w-why? 'Cause Ah need time ta think about what Ah've done, what Istvan's done, what Kenji an' everyone else has done. Ah need time ta sort things out, so Ah can do the right thing. * Max nods. "Y-yeah..." * Alcinoe takes a breath, then lets it out. "'Cause, at the time, Ah thought Ah was doin' the right thing. Maybe Ah even was, but Ah wasn't going about it the best way. Doin' both is... hard." She frowns. "It ain't as clear as killin' a dragon or even sacrificin' yer life." I g-guess n-not. Wh-why are you s-so mad at Istvan? * Alcinoe shakes her head. "No, it isn't. But what Ah've gotta think about is makin' sure everyone gets through this okay. It-" She stops, then looks at Max for a moment. "What'd he say? After Ah left." * Max flinches at her looking at him, and talks to his twiddling thumbs. "Th- that y-you and K-k-k-... and K-... you know. That you and him went down to his forge and ins-sulted him. An-nd that K-k-- he cut Istvan when Istvan turned his back and said to, 'cause that was the only way you'd k-keep him f-from following." * Alcinoe nods. Ah didn't mean to insult him. Maybe he took it that way, but Ah think... that no matter how it was put, he wouldn'tve listened. T-to w-what? Th-that y-you didn't want h-him to c-come? Th-that's what h- he s-said you w-wanted. * Alcinoe sighs. "Max, the entire problem is Ah *do* want him to come. But he can't come as he is." * Max looks up at Alicnoe, waiting for her to continue. Istvan always picks the easiest way. He's got no drive, no motivation, an' no willpower. He didn't make Kenji shut up; he made Kenji take the initiative, an' then blamed the samurai fer his own weakness. Ah'm not sayin' that what Kenji did was right, but neither was what Istvan did. * Alcinoe gestures, taking in the park. "If Istvan only goes on this 'cause it's the easiest way, or even just ta spite me an' Kenji at this point, that's not *good enough*." ...K-- The S-samurai. H-he was s-stupid. A-and is d-dangerous. Kenji does a lot of stupid things. That's true. An' he is dangerous. We all are. * Max shakes his head. "N-not w-what I m-mean. Hhe's unp-pred-dictab-ble. C- cannot-t be t-trust-ted w-with jud-dgement. N-not if h-he'd c-cut a f- friend...ally?...f-for s-so lit-tle provocation." There was more provocation than you'd think. T-tell m-me. P. Ple-- Please. Please. * Alcinoe nods. Like Ah said, it ain't good enough. Think of a time when that little bit of effort could have spent into makin' himself that much better, which would in turn save this entire canyon. Think of a time when he's presented an offer or realizes he's master of his own destiny, so he leaves us 'cause our way is too difficult for him. We can't *count* on him, Max, an' if he's willin' to change, he has to do it soon. This is too big fer him to coast. Fer anyone to coast. Far, far too big. * Max shakes his head. "Th-that m-makes n-no sense. Wh-what makes you think," Max subconsiously takes a breath, and his stuttering vanishes for the moment, "that he would leave you? He's your friend - or he was." 'Cause he doesn't really think of me as a friend. You can see it yerself... if he's decided Ah ain't his friend anymore 'cause Ah made him face some unpleasant truths. * Alcinoe looks away. "Ah brought it up with him *because* Ah'm his friend. Ah brought it up with him *because* Ah care. Maybe Ah'm not the greatest at talkin' ta people, but Ah had ta try." ...I w-would rethink my friendships, too, if my friends attacked me with a sword. I-I'd -- But what scares me isn't...that K-Kenji. Kenji. attacked him. Well, not completely. I k-know h-he w-will do things to prove he w-will. B-but... He didn't kill 'im. Ah'm not sayin' it was right, but he didn't kill 'im. ...th-that's...theproblem. *curls up, either afraid Alci'll hate him, or hating himself. Or both* * Alcinoe studies Max. "What's the problem?" * Max swallows. "He said...he would kill Istvan...if Istvan tried to come along. Right?" * Alcinoe nods. "That's what he said. If Istvan don't change and decides ta come along anyway." * Max nods. "He didn't say he'd maim him. He said he'd kill him. And he said he'd do it if Istvan followed. Istvan wasn't following yet. Couldn't be, we haven't left. But I could see Istvan's insistance that he's coming as ... as reason to assume he would. If that's what Kenji assumed, then...he proved he cannot follow through on hard promisses, but that he's violent and tantrum- prone." If, on the other hand, he was not assuming that Istvan was coming along, then he attacked him out of pure anger. Attacked an ally, or at least a non- hostile person. In anger. Because he wasn't listening to him. Th-that's n-not good. No. But Istvan coming as he is ain't good, either. * Alcinoe takes a breath and forces the accent out of her voice. "I will *not* let Kenji, or anyone else, kill Istvan." She pauses a moment, then continues normally, "But if Istvan don't change, he ain't comin'." Ah doubt Kenji'll try ta kill 'im, anyway. * Max uncurls a bit. "...then ...never mind, it's not important." Alcinoe? * Alcinoe tilts her head, looking at the half-curled halfling. "Yeah?" Do you know? Why the dark creatures want our land? You're close to a god of light; does he tell you these things? * Alcinoe chuckles. "Well..." She shakes her head. "They want it 'cause they hate us, is the simple answer." But...they can't -live- here. You're sayin' that like it matters. But you don't think like most of 'em. Look... Lemme ask you a question. What's evil? I've never understood that question. It's...not caring about others, to the point that you will hurt them to take what you want. I think. *hugs his knees, staring across the park* * Alcinoe nods. "Could put it that way. Evil is, basically, not caring. Or caring only about yerself. Doin' whatever it takes ta make sure things go well fer *you*, no matter how much ya hurt others." And sometimes, people can get enjoyment out of hurtin' others. Ya'd mostly see it in the dark races... we're blessed up here. Lucky. ...but...some people like hurting the dark races, just because they're 'bad'. I can't see Tia as evil, but... * Alcinoe nods. "And that's an easy trap ta fall into. It's easy to assume that everyone underground is bad, but that ain't the truth. What a lot of people ferget is that we came from there, too." hm... * Alcinoe stretches her arms a little, looking into the distance. "Some more recently than others, but really, we're all from the same place." At the same time, though... if someone doesn't wanna change, they ain't gonna change. It's easier ta be evil underground, 'cause that's what everyone else is. And if someone's evil and they don't wanna change that, there ain't nothin' you can do. Is-- is Kenji evil? * Alcinoe shakes her head. "No." He's ignorant, sometimes. But he ain't evil. * Max nods. "Good." * Alcinoe laughs. "That would be the opposite, yeah." * Max forces a laugh. But, bein' good is much, much harder than bein' evil. If you come down from there... or if you come from up here, even. Because good ain't just about what you do, but it's also the reasons you do them. * Max nods. "I know that. I know I'm not good, for example. I just try to do what makes things best for everyone, 'cause I'm one of everyone, you know? I'm not a hero. But if I can help heroes do their good, I'm happy. And...adventuring's fun." * Alcinoe chuckles. "Someone doesn't have to be a hero to be a good person, Max." I know that, too. * Alcinoe nods. "And if what you really want is what's best for everyone, because you care about them, and you'll try yer hardest to make sure things turn out that way... how can ya say yer not good?" * Max shakes his head. "I... heh. Maybe it's just the things I don't understand. I keep thinking you 'n' Kenji'll get mad at me, like you are at Istvan. But...ifyouare...youdon'havet'killmeokay?" Sorry. ^^; Uh. Um. *looks at his hands again* * Alcinoe laughs. "Well, Ah'll admit mah anger does and *did* get me in trouble." She grins at Max. "But Ah think we can count on that never happening." ...*whew's under his breath* Ah've got faith in you. Ah still have faith in Istvan. He needs ta listen an' think, but maybe he'll come around. He's able to. All he needs to do is discover what bein' good's really about, and then follow it. * Max shakes his head. "I still don't understand. But I'm sure you know this better than I. Your god tells you what to do, some. I ... no, I don't wish that. Things aren't that easy." *sigh* * Alcinoe looks at Max, amused. "You think it's easy?" N-no! N-not what I meant--oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be insulting. I know how hard it can be to follow the tennents of a god. I've watched enough students do it. It's not insulting. Ah just think it's funny. ...I hope things work out before we have to go. If we're as mad as the dark creatures, we'll destroy ourselves before we ever leave. They'll work out. * Alcinoe tilts her head. "So yer goin'?" ...I want to. But I'm scared. Sorry. I know it's foolish. * Alcinoe laughs. I'll go. It'd be foolish for you *not* to be scared. ...I don't think we're thinking the same things. But that's probably best. * Alcinoe blinks, mild puzzlement crossing her face, and then she shrugs. "If ya care to enlighten me sometime, feel free, then." ...it's not...the dark I'm afraid of. It's... It's Kenji. What if I anger him? He could cut me in half before I could blink. I-- I kind of think I know he won't. but... * Alcinoe is silent for a moment, then she says, "What can Ah say to reassure you?" ...I don't know. Tell me he's not as mad as he seems? *shakes his head* But it's just words. I'll have to get over this myself. Please...don't tell him? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you. It's all right. If you don't want me to tell him, Ah won't. Th-thanks. * Alcinoe licks her lips, then she says, "Not long after meetin' Kenji, Ah figured he was a stupid, crazy idiot. There's a method to his madness. Not one Ah always agree with, but he does try to do the right thing." That's...all anyone can do, I guess. These are long lessons in comin', though. He's from a land that's almost as foreign as the underworld, and he has codes that are different from ours. And... * Alcinoe lets out a sigh. "He makes mistakes. The first thing anyone has to realize is he, like the rest of us, is a mortal. So prone to mistakes." ...of course he is. Everything is. Not just mortals, but everything. Nothing is perfect. Nothing. *sounds almost defeated* * Alcinoe laughs faintly. "No." * Max smiles faintly as he jumps off the bench and onto his Book. "Which makes me wonder..." What made all of this? *spins, hands encompassing the world around them* And what designed mathematics? Not the system, but that which makes it work? ^_^ I'll find out someday. For now, though, you probably should get ready for your test. OR class, which was it? * Alcinoe shrugs. "Class today. Test in a few." She smiles. "Ah think talkin' to ya was much more productive, though." ...perhaps. I wouldn't be to sure of that. But...thank you for spending the time. Ah would. And remember, no lying from me. Heh. There is that. Good bye, Alcinoe. *rises up, and flies off. Specs hoots insultedly and flutters off after him* * Alcinoe gets to her feet, picks up her haversack, and slings it on her back. This is followed by her picking up that ebony sword, hefting the heavy thing with one hand, and she watches Max go off. * Alcinoe allows herself a slight smile. "Just needs some faith. Maybe in a few years, he'll figure it out." She heads off to class. [And mini end, I think.]