[ We find Istvan coming out of his forge room and into the hallway. When he opens the door, Alcinoe and Kenji are waiting for him on the other side. Session Start! ] * Istvan is, as he often is, covered in soot and sweat. "Hey. Just finished up repairing your armor, Alci. Just cooling off." [ A wave of heat accompanies Istvan as he goes partway through the door. The air in the hallway feels refreshingly cool, to him. ] * Alcinoe has her hands hooked on her pockets, and she nods with a small smile. "Thanks." There's a brief pause. "Can we talk to ya fer a sec, Istvan?" * Istvan closes the door to the forge behind him, and leans against the wall. "Sure. You guys need somethin' forged?" * HKenji frowns. "Not precisely." * Alcinoe shakes her head. "No, Ah-" She stops, then starts again. "What do you think?" She waves vaguely. "About all 'a this?" * Istvan blinks. "Umm... it's not the greatest forge in the world, but it has what I need to get things done." Could use better ventilation, for one. * Alcinoe looks almost amused, but not quite. "No, not yer forge. Ah mean bein' here. Doin' what you've been doin'; riskin' yer life and lookin' for pieces of an altar." Oh. *pauses; furrows brow* This is gonna be one of those talks. Right. * Alcinoe shrugs, moving to fold her arms. She waits. * Istvan rubs his neck. "It is what it is. It's a job. You guys are doing it, you're the closest thing I have to friends, and I've got the skills to help, so... I help." Why are ya helpin'? Like I said. 'cause if I don't, who will? * Alcinoe tilts her head. "So you're helpin' just 'cause you can." How about this school? You don't seem ta want ta be here, really. Why are you learnin' ta be an adventurer when ya don't care about adventurin'? 'cause I ain't got a choice in the matter. So you don't *want* to be here after all. Yer just here 'cause you don't think ya got a choice. * Istvan shifts his weight. "Thought I'd made that pretty clear in my numerous loud arguements with Kenji, but yeah." * Alcinoe stops folding her arms, and she steps forward, glaring up at Istvan. "Is that the way ya *always* do things? Just take the easy way out?" * Istvan looks down at Alci. "If I can, yeah. Easier that way." So ya don't care about any of this. Ya don't care about the Underworld, ya don't care about the gods, ya don't care about right or wrong, the altar, the lives dependin' on it. All *you* care about is makin' yer life easier- no, not even that. Ya don't even want ta put the effort inta makin' your life what you want. * Istvan raises an eyebrow. "All in one breath. I'm impressed." Is that the best you can do? Pay attention for once in your life, Istvan. * Istvan flips Kenji off, and looks back at Alci. "In order... I care about the Underworld. I've already told you my position on the gods. I'm not going around eating babies, so obviously I'm kinda leaning towards 'right'. And if I didn't care about the alter, I would've left this group a while ago." So Ah'll ask you again. Why are you doin' this? Because, as long as I'm stuck being an adventurer, I might as well do something productive. Like stop an Underworld invasion from overrunning the canyons, for instance. I'm willing to risk my life... I just don't particularly enjoy it. It's not about enjoyment, Istvan. If ya *wanted* ta stop the Underworld, ya would've applied yerself long ago. Ya didn't. Ya don't. Yer not lyin', are ya? You're the paladin. If you wanna know if I'm lying, just use one of those lie-detectin' spells. * Istvan scowls. "But no. I'm not lying. I'm just doing what I can to not be miserable." No, I don't think you are lying. And that's entirely the problem. You're a danger to yourself and everyone around you. I could've focused myself more, taken to the combat training more... but I hated that shit. So I'm dedicatin' myself to my forging. Everyone needs good equipment. * Istvan flips Kenji off again, and waits for Alci's response. * Alcinoe scowls. "He's *right*, Istvan. You can't coast anymore. This is too big. Or did ya ferget the woman with the blue armor?" I didn't. And when I get good enough to forge steel into weapons and armor that are of better quality than adamantine, it'll help our group out tremendously. Do ya wanna go for that second piece in a few days? * Istvan shrugs. "If you guys are going, I'm going. Just gotta finish up the orders I got." Why? Ya don't have any free will of yer own? * Istvan narrows his eyes. "I choose to accompany you guys, because I want the altar safe in our hands, and I want to get you guys home alive." I don't think you mean that. ... well, the longer this goes, the less I especially want to get you two home alive. But regardless, I damn well mean that. * Alcinoe sneers. "So ya coast on yer abilities, because by becomin' slow and sluggish and avoidin' unpleasant parts of yer job, ya can better defend Will and Max. By avoiding things that make you uncomfortable, ya can better help us get that altar. Is *that* what yer sayin'?" ... do I have an ale gut or something? 'cause I don't remember gettin' slow and sluggish. You haven't watched everybody else lately, have you? While you've been coasting, everybody else has been surging forward at top speed. * Alcinoe smiles thinly. "Any one of the others can probably defeat ya in a duel." In a duel? Maybe. In a brawl? Bullshit. In a melee engagement, no holds barred, everything you have against everything any of them have. Well, I dunno if I could take Alci, 'cause she's got that badass paladin stuff going on now. *eyes Kenji* But I could damn well take you. Me, Seylin, Patrick... even Will. * Alcinoe shakes her head. I carry my fucking weight in this group. So what's the problem? You're NOT carrying your weight, and the further things go, the more of a drag you become. You ARE the weakest link, Istvan, and when you break, you'll take us all with you. ... so what the fuck do you want me to do? Dedicate myself to a god, go on some quest and nearly kill myself so said god will deign to bestow upon me his might? Dedicate myself to some system of honor that dictates every goddamn facet of my life? I don't fucking think so. You were not made for our paths. You already know what your path is, you just aren't following it. I'm gonna keep on doing what I do: soaking up abuse, standing on the front lines, mashing through anything that gets in my way. ANd, as a bonus, I'm gonna be able to outfit the group with some fucking amazing equipment, which we otherwise couldn't hope to afford. * Alcinoe nearly snaps at those words. "That is *not* the reason Ah went on that quest, and if you had any *clue* what- you'd-" She stops herself, forcefully, and takes a breath. "Equipment. Won't win this." Well then, we're pretty fucked, aren't we? 'cause I'm a weaponsmith and an armorsmith. Which is why you aren't coming on this expedition. ... you gonna stop me? * Alcinoe closes her eyes. Yes. Good luck. I won't need luck. * Alcinoe opens them. "He won't. Ah agree with 'im." Well then, you're gonna hafta put me in the fucking infirmary. 'cause unless you guys are ready to beat me to a pulp, I'm coming with. If you attempt to follow us, I will kill you. I will mourn for the loss of a man who could have been a great smith. And then I will go on with life. * Istvan looks down at Kenji. "You'll try. You'll fail. I'll spare your life, you'll be indebted to me, and I'll ask you to repay that debt by keeping your goddamn piehole shut." You wanna be a smith? You stay here. You smith. You apply yerself to yer craft, because that's the path you picked. Ah won't have us or you or anyone else gettin' killed 'cause ya can't pull your weight on the battlefield, 'cause ya don't want it. * Istvan turns to Alci. "I repeat. If you wanna stop me, you're gonna hafta put me in a coma. 'cause if I'm awake, I'll drag my bleeding carcas after you guys, just to piss you off." *narrows eyes* "And, from what little I know about Galahad, I don't think he'd like you maiming a generally good person." You're not a good person, Istvan. Says the guy who just threatened to kill me. You're a horribly, horribly selfish person who is putting himself above the safety of those around him. You want me to have a reason for what I do? Fine. I got another one. *eyes you both* Just to fucking spite you two arrogant, stuck up, holier-than- thou assholes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta make sure your armor's cooling right, Alci. * Istvan heads back into his forge, slamming the door behind him. * Alcinoe doesn't flinch. She just watches him slam the door, fists clenched. * HKenji opens the door and walks in right the hell after him. This is not something you can walk away from, Istvan. * Istvan has his safety goggles and gloves on, and is examining Alci's armor. "I'm not walking away. I'm making sure there're no cracks in the plates I repaired." And if you're gonna maim me, now would be a good time, while my back is turned. Did I say I was going to maim you now? Even now, you do not listen. I listened. You guys don't like the reasons I do what I do. I think the fact that I do it, and do it well, is all that matters. You don't do it well. You do one thing well, and that is making weapons and armor. And yet you have only now begun to delve into the deeper secrets. You are like water, taking the shape of whatever container, but now, the container is too big, and you cannot fill it. Dwarves don't teach just anyone their secret techniques. Gotta be damn good at the basics. You were good enough nearly a year ago, Istvan. * Istvan hefts the armor over his shoulder, and walks past Kenji to Alci. "All done. Good as new. Even etched the symbol of Galahad over where all the holes were, as a way of remembering the wounds you got on your paladin quest." * Alcinoe takes the armor and bites out, "Thank you. But Ah don't remember that quest as a thing of glory." So remember it as a proof of your faith in Galahad. If you ever falter, lookit your armor, and remember what you went through. *looks back at Kenji* I prolly was, but I wanted to spend that year concentrating on my fighting. Realized I wasn't gonna get any farther with that without having more dedication to it than I have, so I figured it was a good time to concentrate on my smithing skills. Ah'm not falterin', Istvan. That's why Ah came down ta talk to you. Not saying you are. Just... hell, remember it however the hell you wanna remember it. Just thought it'd be something nice. Shoulda known better. It is nice. But ya don't understand... Ya don't understand goodness, ya don't understand caring. Ya don't understand how Ah could go an' do it. And so ya don't understand what it's gonna take. * Istvan walks by Kenji, back towards his forge. "Good fights evil. I'd much rather good win. If I didn't care, I sure as hell wouldn't be risking my life. I'd be hiring myself out as a bodyguard or somethin'." And that's the entire problem right there. What you're doing right now is nothing more than hiring yourself out. You're whoring yourself out, doing something you would rather not do, and doing it badly. Frankly, I think the fact that I don't wanna do it, but do it anyway, shows I care more'n anything. But that's just me. What do I know? No, it doesn't show that you care. It shows that you think you're obligated and you don't want to be obligated. * Alcinoe nods. IN fact, it shows that you not only don't care, but that you hate it. No. I think I'd rather not have huge monsters trying to eat me all the time. A perfectly reasonable point of view. But I do it, 'cause as long as I'm stuck being an adventurer, and have these skills, I figure I should do some good with 'em. Yer *stuck*. Damn right. 'cause of people like you two. Wrong. You're stuck because of something that you refuse to tell anybody, and as long as you keep it hidden, nothing will change. We WANT you to stop adventuring, because you're a danger to yourself and others as long as you're like this. * Istvan snickers softly. "I'd have thought you guys would've already figured out that I really hate being told what to do with my life." I don't care what you hate or like anymore, Istvan. I won't let you endanger Tia. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a breastplate to fix, and a set of throwing axes to make. And I gotta get it done before we leave to find the next altar piece. No, I won't excuse you, Istvan. Fine. You can watch me work, then. * HKenji steps between Istvan and the forge. No, Istvan. * Alcinoe steps in, still carrying her armor. ... move. No. * Istvan shrugs. "Okay." * Alcinoe watches for a moment, then she starts laughing. * Istvan sits down, and pulls out a ledger. "I've got some billing to do anyway." ...you really ARE pathetic. Hey, a guy's gotta eat. Always takin' the easy way out, Istvan? Well, it was either this or start a fight with Kenji. And that wouldn't be a very rightous thing to do. * Istvan looks back at Kenji. "Again, if you wanna stop me from coming along to find the second altar piece, now would be an excellent time to jump me. There are plenty of weapons around, and I tend to space out while doing billing." You have no idea what righteous is. ... let's see... three months overdue, at 5% interest... * Istvan does some math in his head, and scribbles a few numbers on the ledger. * HKenji wanders over towards the anvil and idly picks up a hammer. * Alcinoe watches, still carrying the armor. * HKenji slams the hammer down on the anvil. Bit harder. Not gonna be able to work really tough metals with a swing like that. I don't need to work really tough metals. That's what peons like you are for. That IS the right word, yes? 'round here, we use peasants. Ah, peasants. Those are the ones who work the fields, and perform minor maintenance, yes? * Alcinoe nods. Ah. Thank you, Alcinoe. In any case, that's what you are for, peasant. I was merely amusing myself with the sound. * HKenji slams the hammer down on the anvil again. * Istvan chuckles. "Now you guys are just getting desperate." *looks back at Kenji* "And if it weren't for some peasant, you wouldn't have those nice swords you have." [ The hammer and anvil conspire to go 'clang'. ] My blades were forged by the hand of my grandfather, who is certainly no peasant. In Rokugan, we do not leave the forging of weapons to peasants like you. But I suppose in these strange gaijin lands... you will do. Must be why your weapons and armor suck. Not your sword in particular, mind. Compared to what? The best sword you can muster can barely cut a single criminal in half, let alone the eight our blades have managed. That's a damn nice sword. Your grandfather does the work of a peasant well. That's right, Istvan. Because when a samurai does something, he does it right. Unlike you, who cannot do anything right, not even the things he enjoys doing. But unlike my grandfather, I do not follow the path of the forge... so this hammer is useless to me. * HKenji tosses the hammer idly into the fire. [ The wooden handle of the hammer hisses as it hits the coals. ] * Istvan gets up, reaches into the fire with a gloves hand, and pulls it out. "Destroying the property of others? Now that has *got* to go against the samurai code." You can't ignore me, Istvan. * Istvan puts the hammer down. "Fine. Question. What's your solution? What is it, precisely, that you want me to do?" I want you to give up adventuring. Or, if you insist on doing something you are not suited for, to stop adventuring with us. Well, that's not gonna happen. So what else do you want me to do? I'm not giving you a choice, Istvan. You can accept it, or you can try to kill me. Okay. *walks over to Alci* So what is it, precisely, that you want me to do? * Alcinoe looks up at Istvan, evenly. "Exactly what he said. Ya give up adventuring or stop adventuring with us. If ya wanna keep doin' it? You apply yerself. But there's no halfway, Istvan." That's what I'm askin'. Define 'apply yourself'. What exactly do you guys want me to do? What you want to do. Not what's expected of ya. Ah want you to pick yer path and follow it because that's what you *want*, not 'cause it's the easiest way. If what ya really wanna do is go with us to assemble the altar? Then Ah think ya gotta be the best at fightin' ya possibly can. Not because it's easy. Not because Ah told ya to. Because ya believe it's right. I'm a warrior-smith. I do two things. I fight, and I smith. I do them both well. I work at both. But I split my attention and trainin', because I think they both come in handy when you're adventurin'. You don't do either of 'em well enough. Because you don't do them with everything you have. You don't devote yourself. You just drift. ... ah, there it is. You guys're all bent outta shape 'cause I don't have a cause, right? Tia doesn't have a cause. Max has no cause. * Alcinoe snorts. "Patrick don't got one." Patrick certainly does not. (I so do! It's just, um, lost.) (He does. It's me. ^_~) And neither do I. And somehow, I haven't needed you guys to bail me out repeatedly. You want me to train harder? Fine. I'll put in a couple more hours a day. Now get lost so I can do my work. You still don't understand. You're still trying to do the minimum to get along. And I'm telling you that my uncle Forgehammer did pretty damn well as a warrior-smith. You are not your uncle Forgehammer. And he had something you lacked. Well, yeah. I'm not a dwarf. And once again, you miss the point. No, actually at this point I'm just trying to make you go away. You can't make me go away, Istvan, not short of killing me or satisfying me. * Alcinoe shakes her head. "Ah pity you, Istvan." * Istvan takes off his goggles, and stares at Kenji. "Let me repeat myself. There is one way you can stop me from coming along. Put me in the hospital. If you don't have the stomach for it, then fuck off." And Alci... join the club. Your uncle was successful because he had something you lacked, Istvan. He had drive. Willpower. He also had friends who accepted him for who he was. Which apparently I lack. I'm coming along. End of story. No, you're not. You don't have friends, Istvan. You have victims. * Istvan turns around so that his back is to Kenji. "Then stab me in the back right now." 'cause I am SICK and FUCKING TIRED of this, and if that's what it'll take to shut you up, so be it. * HKenji draws his sword in a flash and cuts Istvan down like a blade of grass. [ Kenji draws a line of blood across Istvan's offered back, damaging the major muscles but leaving the spine intact. It hurts. A lot. ] * Istvan falls to one knee. "Now who's the coward..." You. * Alcinoe drops her armor, the clang echoing through the room, and takes a step forward. Her eyes are sharp, and upon seeing that Istvan's injured, but not dead, doesn't make another move. * Istvan coughs, and nearly topples over. "Says the guy who just slashed an unarmed man in the back." If you don't want me to do it, don't tell me to do it. You have no focus, Istvan. No drive. No _heart._ ... and you're a cowardly, backstabbing little bitch. I would do the same thing if you came at me with weapon and armor. Your foolish bravado has no place here. * Alcinoe walks over. "You asked for it, Istvan." She looks to Kenji. "But. Ah think you should go now." If you attempt to follow us on our quest, Istvan, I will kill you. * Istvan crawls over to a table, and tries to push himself up to his feet. He fails a couple of times, his eyes screwed shut so tight that his face is turning white, but after a while he manages to get upright with a barely muffled scream. * HKenji turns and walks out. * Alcinoe watches Istvan cooly, an odd look on someone like Alcinoe. "Got bandages down here?" The fuck do you care? I thought you were gonna help Kenji stop me. Shouldn't you be finishing me off? * Alcinoe helps Istvan pull off his shirt. "Got any bandages down here?" she repeats. ... first drawer on the left. First aid kit. * Alcinoe nods, frowns as it's causing too much trouble, and more or less rips the rest of the shirt off. She tosses it on the floor. "Hope ya won't be missin' that." She turns and heads over to the drawer to get his kit. * Alcinoe grabs the kit, walks back, and starts patching Istvan up. Not a word of prayer is uttered from her. * Istvan wobbles a bit, but seems determined to stay upright. His knuckles are white from gripping the table. "... bringing Kenji was your first mistake." Does it matter? Yeah. You, I like and respect. Him... I respect as a warrior. Not much else. *closes eyes* Bringing him along just guaranteed this gettin' ugly. It was gonna get ugly either way. Askin' someone ta change, when they're blind to the truth? Always ugly. * Istvan scowls. "... and startin' off by insultin' me didn't help either. Just gets me angry, less likely to listen." Ya'd get angry anyway. * Istvan looks back at Alci, grimicing as doing so calls on currently severed muscles. "How would you know? You never tried." * Alcinoe smiles thinly. "'Cause Ah know people like you, Istvan. You'd get angry. You'd be angry if it were just me, 'cause you'd stop likin' me. Ah'm far too much like Kenji." * Istvan shrugs, again grunting as he realizes that SHRUGGING BAD. "We'll never know now, will we?' 'Sides, ya don't care about the message, do ya? Just the presentation. Try kicing someone in the nuts, then trying to reason with them. Tell me how well it works. Tell me if yer actually thinkin' about what was said. Wasn't paying attention. Too busy trying to keep myself from smacking the smirk off of Kenji's face. *looks back* Done? [ ...smirk? ] ( I protest. Kenji does not smirk. He scowls. ) ( Figuratively speaking. ) In a bit. Tell me if yer thinkin' about it now. * Alcinoe looks through the kit, finds a needle, and threads it. Try again when I didn't just have my spine sliced in half by the messenger. You asked for it. Lie down. * Istvan lays down on the table. "I was under the impression that the samurai code said slashing unarmed men in the back was bad. I was wrong." Ah don't know all about the samurai code, but maybe they make an exception for people who literally ask for it. * Alcinoe eyes the wound. And then she starts stitching. Istvan can take it. Or he can scream like a girl, because goodness knows Alci's player would scream like a girl. ( So would Kenji's player. X_X ) (I'd be screaming like a girl already. x.x) ( MAx's player'd have passed out by now. ) * Istvan grits his teeth. Hard. ( The GM HOPES he would've passed out. ) ... could you maybe throw some salt on it? Doesn't hurt enough. * Alcinoe raises an eyebrow. "Is that you asking?" [The first aid kit doesn't have salt. But it does have rubbing alcohol!] * Istvan grunts as another stitch goes through his skin. "Well, since you seem to... nnm... wanna do this the most painful.... rrg... way possible..." Just without any help from Galahad, since ya don't wanna be beholden to gods or anythin'. Point... nng... taken. * Alcinoe keeps going. It's a long gash. Could take a while. You realize... fuckin' hell... that this ain't gonna stop me, right? Ah realize that the only person who can truly change you is you. The only thing that any of us can do is help show you the way. * Istvan looks back at Alci, and grins slightly through the pain. "Well, I gotta say, you'n Kenji are doin' a fuckin' fantastic job so far." * Alcinoe inserts the needle into skin and pushes it through. "Figured ya wouldn't listen otherwise. Gentler reminders go unnoticed." * Istvan takes a deep breath. He's dealing with the pain a bit better now... "You'd be surprised how well calm discussion works." Wouldn't stay calm. Ah wanted ta throw ya through the wall at a couple points. s'cause you guys got nasty, which made me get stubborn and nasty. And I learned stubborn and nasty from dwarves. Ah learned stubborn and nasty from passion. Ah'm afraid ya don't come close, in the end. * Istvan takes another deep breath. He's almost ignoring the stitches at this point, though the cut is still giving him an assload of pain. "Just sayin'. If you wanna talk to me about something, I'll listen. But I don't take orders or lectures." Ah'm lookin' out for the good of everyone, Istvan. Ya know what ya have to do. The only question is whether yer willin' ta do it. * Alcinoe pulls the needle. "'Cause that what it takes. Drive, willpower, and a willingness ta work and see the truth, even if it's not in a pretty package." She cuts the thread. Done? Nope. But yer gonna need ta sit or stand. Right. * Alcinoe puts the materials away and offers Istvan a hand. * Istvan ignores the hand, and, with a great deal of effort and a couple of near-faceplants, he manages to get himself standing. "If I were pettier, I'd report the fucking coward." Wouldn't amount to much anyway. * Alcinoe starts bandaging him. Still... feel like I should at least go up there and bleed on his nicest robe or somethin'. That's petty. So's slashing me. * Istvan winces as a slight movement sends pain shooting down - and up- his spine. "But I'm not gonna stoop to his level." You weren't willin' ta take steps ta get him to shut up, were you? So you went and made him move his hand. It fits with everything you do. I wasn't willing to kick his ass like he deserved, 'cause I'm tryin' to work on controllin' my temper since that little incident in the Headmistress' office. I'd think that'd be a good thing... done yet? * Alcinoe pulls the last binding tight. "Yeah." She packs everything else back in the kit, picks it up, and goes to put it away. Good. Thanks. * Istvan slowly but steadily heads out and upstairs. "Lock the door when you leave. And don't forget your armor." * Alcinoe nods, watching him go. "You think about what was said." You think about how to say it better. There's a difference between the spirit of a message an' the letter. Horse won't go where you want it to if you poke it in the eye first... *makes his way up the stairs* And ya make a *fine* horse, Istvan. ( Well, a fine half of a horse, anyway. ) ( Hey, no insulting the horse with two rear ends. :P ) * Alcinoe waits until Istvan's well away, then she picks up the singed hammer and slams it onto the anvil for an angry, loud clang. She tosses it back, goes to pick up her armor, locks up, and heads out. [ End, in here. ]