[ We find Will in his room after Miracleing himself there. He's got some mixed feelings about what just happened - the warm fuzzy of having just helped someone, and a collection of nagging doubts about the circumstances under which he did it. ] [ Session Start! ] * WillS walks around his room in circles, all the while mumbling to himself. "What to do now? What to do now? I did the right thing but..." * WillS stops suddenly after the umpteenth circle. "I know! I'll ask Alci for help! She'll know what to do!" * WillS turns and walks out the room to go search for Alci. [ After a hazardous search involving playing Sharades with various castle servants in an effort to convey that he's looking for the fire-haired woman, and NOT Kenji's mom, Will is led to Alcinoe's room, which is in a different section of the house as she isn't technically a guest. ] [ The servant bows and leaves Will outside the sliding paper door to Alci's room. ] * WillS thanks the servant before turning and knocks at the paper door. "Alci?" * Alcinoe speaks from the other side of the door: "C'mon in, Will." * WillS enters in hastily and blurts out. "Alci? I think I may be in trouble." * Alcinoe is seated crosslegged in her room, her kimono loosely on, and rubbing vigorously at her wet, curly hair with a towel. She looks up at Will through a few of the locks hanging down in her face. "What for?" * WillS doesn't even notice Alci's sensual look and walks a bit nervously about the room. "Well, I saved a man from being tortured today. But the man is wanted by the Ikoma here." * Alcinoe furrows her brow. "Tortured? An' wanted? What happened?" * WillS sighs and plops down on a seat opposite Alcinoe. "Well...I was walking around the hills when these Ikoma asked for my help to secure a demon summoner." * Alcinoe nods and shoves her curls out of her face. She gets at the top of her hair now. I said yes of course, and followed them to this village. But the word of the villager didn't seem right, and the Ikoma told me that they're just gonna torture the poor guy instead of going to court. I can't just let that happen! At which point the Ikoma drew his sword on him, and I asked Bahamut to bail us out of there. * Alcinoe gets up, tossing her towel onto her mat. "How much proof did they have?" None. Besides the accusing words of the village chief. * WillS frowns. "Something about going out at night, and smelling wierd. But I didn't smell anything wierd when I was there." And oh yeah, some wounds on his arms. An' they were gonna *torture* him? Where? These are samurai, right? Ikoma? At least that's what he told me. He said he was going to take him to the questioners directly, who were going to torture him. * Alcinoe nods once. She picks up her sheathed sword and doesn't bother buckling it, instead sliding on her sandals and walking purposefully out of the room. "C'mon." ( To the paladinmobile! You mean Tia? Yes. ) * WillS nods and follows behind Alci. "Ok. What do you think I should do?" ( XD ) * Alcinoe heads for where she figures Kenji is. "Talk ta Kenji." * WillS cringes a bit. "I was afraid you're gonna say that." Or ya could keep yer mouth shut an' try ta avoid the samurai best ya can. * Alcinoe keeps walking, clearly angry. "But it ain't what Ah'm gonna do." * WillS nods, clearly a bit affected by Alci's emotions. "Nah. Ah'm not gonna hide." (Yer also gonna talk like me.) * Alcinoe reaches Kenji's room and knocks three times on the doorframe. * Alcinoe shoves the door open and walks in, sword still in hand and hair still wet. * HKenji walks into his antechamber from the other end. The room has a small table with a goban and shogi board, and the walls aren't visible, due to rack after rack of scrolls. * WillS follows in too! No sword though, and a bit agitated. * HKenji eyes Alci. "Do you always walk around a castle with your sword?" Ah do now. What's this about torture? * HKenji blinks. "Torture?" Torture. Will says he saved someone from torture today, by Ikoma. * HKenji frowns. "How, and why?" * Alcinoe looks to Will. * WillS looks towards Kenji, "Some Ikoma asked me to help them secure a villager accused of being a demon summoner. He gave up without a fight, but I found out there wasn't going to be a court session. Just questioners who's gonna torture the poor guy." Demon Summoner. You mean , don't you. * HKenji isn't asking. Please tell me I just misheard, and you didn't just set a suspected maho tsukai free. * WillS frowns. "I think the term he used was...blood...blood wizard?" Yes. Maho tsukai. * HKenji stares straight into Will's eyes. "It didn't happen." * Alcinoe watches, getting more tense by the moment. But he was going to be tortured. No court session. No evidence of guilt! * HKenji advances quickly and stares up into Will's eyes, then says slowly, carefully, and with extreme emphasis, "It. Did. Not. Happen." What are you *talkin'* about? Of course it happened! Alcinoe, if it happened, then he set a suspected maho tsukai free, and I have to execute him. * WillS gulps and stares back. "And Bahamut helped him too. I'm sure he's not evil!" Suspected doesn't mean is, Kenji. It don't prove anythin'. The law is the law, Alcinoe. Setting a suspected maho-tsukai free before they've been cleared brands YOU as a maho tsukai. That results in your dishonorable execution. But there *is* no way to clear them. They just get tortured! If they have the strength of will to not confess, they are cleared of charges. Strength of WILL? This is a PEASANT, Kenji! He ain't no warrior! He'll confess jus' ta make the suffering *stop*! * WillS just stares at Kenji. Better that than to let a maho-tsukai go free. If one man dies, one man dies. If one maho-tsukai lives, hundreds or even thousands will die. * Alcinoe stares at Kenji, now. * Alcinoe takes a deep breath. "Kenji. Where is the torture chamber." Why? * Alcinoe keeps her eyes fixed on her brother's. "So Ah can see it. And destroy it." [ Speaking of strength of will... ] * HKenji sighs. "Second basement, end of the hall. I won't be coming with you. I have to make certain Will's little blunder is covered up." * Alcinoe relaxes, *very* slightly, and steps forward to give Kenji a tight hug. "Ah have faith in you," she tells him, and lets go to turn to Will, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And you." * Alcinoe lets go of Will's shoulder and walks out of the room, and soon she's heard running down the hall. * WillS tilts his head and looks questioningly at Kenji. * HKenji stares up at Will again. "You have a choice. You can shut your mouth and let me take care of it. Or you can raise your voice and force me to execute you." * HKenji watches Will's eyes carefully. "I will not think less of you if you choose death for your principles. That doesn't change the fact that I will execute you. But I will not think less of you." * WillS ponders in silence. * WillS looks into Kenji's eyes. "To say the truth, I don't wish to say anything. I believe I've done something good today and that's all that counts. If I see the same thing happening again, I'll do what I think is right without a second thought." * HKenji sighs. "That will have to do, for now." * WillS nods. Go back to your room. If anybody asks, you've been there all day, meditating and praying. * HKenji walks out. * WillS walks out too and goes back to his room to pray. He's gonna need some guidance from Bahamut today.