25 - [Voice/Action for Draftees]

[lunarianlegacy]

[It takes a good five minutes of standing stunned in his room away from the fighting for Ceodore to even process what happened. Teleported away at the worst time. He could have stopped that monster. He knows it. There's an enraged bellow from him and he throws his sword across the room to vent, before dropping to his knees. He failed his friends.

Comments

[voice]

[praygenius]

[For a moment there's only silence. Every breath she's had since the draft list went up has been spent on prayer and she desperately tries to break the pattern and choke out words that aren't the 76th line of the 16th oath of Minwu to little avail.]

-no.

[voice]

[lunarianlegacy]

Porom, I...

I'm so sorry.

[He'll be wallowing in self-blame forever and a day.]

[voice]

[praygenius]

It's not your fault, don't-

[There's almost a sob there. Almost. But no. Crying is useless for anything but catching foes off-guard. It won't change a thing.]

How are you faring?

[voice]

[lunarianlegacy]

[Lousy. And forever wallowing in guilt.]

I... I'm out of magic. I used the last trying to save Kain.

[Because derpy or not, Ceodore's still male and takes that sort of question as a true status report and not a discussion of emotions.]

[voice]

[praygenius]

[Honestly? That's how the question was meant. She didn't need to ask how he felt, she could guess. And status reports, strategy, logical and pragmatic things all come easily to her. They're comfortable.]

I understand. Are you done fighting?

[voice]

[lunarianlegacy]

No. I'm going back out there. I got teleported back to my room right after Kain fell. I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing.

[At least he'll give it his best shot.]

When we return, I will double my efforts to improve my magic.

[Not being able to revive Rydia infuriates him.]

[voice]

[praygenius]

I understand. Awaken your paladin abilities immediately as you enter battle and fall back to safety to recover as soon as you feel yourself weakening. Prioritize your own survival and that of others above all else.

[Hiding behind strategy is what she does best. She hopes that having instructions to follow will at least give him a distraction from that time-honoured Baron tradition of blaming oneself for everything that happens.]

We'll begin lessons as soon as you recover. I'll start preparations now.

[voice]

[lunarianlegacy]

[Out of habit, Ceodore nearly contradicts Porom. He's no paladin at all and today's ample proof of that. But that just doesn't seem like a battle worth fighting right now.]

Alright. Thank you.