Chapter 30: A Morning to Decide
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Chapter 30: A Morning to Decide
Tala snorted a laugh at Brands words as he passed over the jug full of coffee. Brand then seemed to notice Renix for the first time. He straightened, brushing off his apron, and put on a diplomats smile. Mageling Renix. He bowed slightly. How can I serve?
Renix shook his head. Nothing for me, thank you. I am simply walking with Mistress Tala.
Very good. Mageling, Mistress. He bowed to each of them in turn, then shut the door.
As they walked back out from between the moving wagons, Renix gestured back towards the closed door. Like that!
Tala frowned. What?
The cook! He anticipates your needs and works to meet them.
We havean understanding. He tried to kill me and doesnt want me to seek vengeance Was that all it was? No, weve come to an amicable understanding in truth.
Yes, but you seem to reach those with everyone you talk to. Your driver lets you spend most of the day on top of his wagon.
My wagon. But she didnt interrupt.
The guards lend you shields whenever you want.
Well, only at night. Id love one for shadeMaybe I should buy one in Alefast? Or a parasol? No, the hat is plenty.
The cooks, Ive already mentioned.
Stabbed, threatened, understanding reached, yes. She had uncorked the coffee and was beginning to drink. It was lukewarm and deliciously dark. Exactly what she needed.
Master Trent and Mistress Atrexia let you do as you wish. They dont like it, but they dont stop you.
Theyd have a hard time, if they tried. Well, her iron salve was a bit haphazard, at the moment. I should fix that.
And the passengers see you as a walking legend.
That was news to her. Oh?
Of course! How could they not? You fought a terror bird, driving it away without any harm coming to the caravan. You harvested from an ending tree. You punched out a thunder bull; what do you expect them to think?
Well, that last is a bit of a mischaracterization She sighed. I see your point. Do you want my answer, or do you wish to keep singing my virtues?
Renix blushed deeply and cleared his throat. Your answer, if youre willingMistress.
Talas lips quirked up in a wry smile. Be you.
He turned to her, frowning. I cant really be anyone else."
She shook her head. I mean, be true to what you want, how you want to act, what you want to do, who you want to be. That will require you to make sacrifices, as you cant expect the world to hand you anything, but every sacrifice to become more of who you are is easy to make, and you will never regret it. She paused, then her shoulders drooped just slightly, and she sighed. It can be lonely, Renix, being who you wish to be. You wont make as many friends, if you dont twist yourself into knots to please people, but those you do make will like you for you, not for who you are pretending to be. She smiled up at him, then took another long pull of coffee.
Renix didnt respond for a long while, as they continued to walk alongside the caravan.
Does that help?
Renix laughed briefly. Maybe? I dont know who I want to be, though How do I figure that out?
She smiled. Find one thing that you want and figure out what you need to achieve that. That is who you want to be.
What do you mean?
She shrugged. If you want to be a famous historian, you need to study history. Thus, even if you dont think that you want to read, you actually do, because reading widely and retaining in great detail is what will allow you to become a famous historian. As an example. I mean, even if you go explore ruins, you will need to be able to read and articulate what you find there.
Huh. He pondered, again, and Tala downed more of the coffee. I think I think I understand what you mean. I want to be strong, so even if I dont like exercising, I do want to exercise, because it will make me stronger.
She pointed at him firmly, her gaze intense. That! That is a better example.
He grinned back at her. I do think I understand.
Good. Let me know what you discover, yeah?
He nodded. I will. Thank you, Mistress Tala.
You are most welcome.
He turned, striding back towards his own wagon, and she picked up her pace to return to the wagon at the front. I hope that was the right thing to tell him It shouldnt hurt him, at the very least. As long as he doesnt expect everyone to immediately accept him for who he wants to be, he should be fine. You cant force that.
Sadly, the coffee didnt last for even the trip back to the cargo wagon, and she was left to shepherd an empty jug, at least until lunch.
* * *
Coffee gone, but well imbibed, Tala felt much more awake, though slightly saddened for the loss.
Its just coffee, Tala. There will be more, tomorrow. She didnt allow herself to dwell on it further.
Instead, she took out her magic detector and began sweeping herself to check how her iron salve was doing.
Not good.
She took the next hour to slowly, covertly, re-salve herself until the magic detector didnt register her at all.
After another sweep of the terrain, Adam turned to face her fully. I can teach you, some, if you wish, but Im not going to argue with you.
Thats fair.
You do what I say, when I say it. No arguing.
She shrugged. I suppose so.
Shirt off.
She grabbed the base of her shirt and started to lift. Adams eyes widened, and he spun around, clearly blushing deeply.
Stop! Stop.
Tala started to laugh, letting her shirt fall back over her stomach. That was a test, yes? You were trying to find an excuse to refuse?
Adam scratched the back of his neck, still not looking at her. Is your shirt on?
It is.
He turned back slowly, checking first. Not preciselyWe do something similar with new recruits, though for men its Drop your pants. Youd be surprised how few follow instructions.
So, you dont have to see pants-less men that often?
Or women, we do get some of those as recruits. He quirked a smile. Strangely, they seem more willing to comply with random commands than the men. Maybe something about proving their worth or justifying their being there. I should have remembered and expected you to act similarly.
So whats the point of the lesson? Or do you just like seeing who you can get pants-less?
He reddened, again, but less so this time. No, its to drive home a notion: No one should be obeyed absolutely. Sometimes your commanders are wrong. Now, we also go out of our way to build trust in those commanders, but we dont want blind obedience. That gets people killed.
Huh. Not what Id have expected from the Guardsman Guild.
He shrugged. We want our people to survive, same as any.
Fair enough. She waited for a long moment, as he continued to keep an eye on the surroundings. Soyoull teach me?
He smiled, again. I said I would, didnt I?
How do we begin?
We fix how you walk.
Tala frowned. Whats wrong with how I walk?
You move like a Mage.
and?
And you dont want to fight like one, so you shouldnt move like one. I want you to walk up and down the caravan and keep your center of balance inside your planted foot at all times.
Say again?
He smiled. You should be able to stop and be balanced almost instantly, no matter where in your stride you choose to stop. He thought of a moment, then nodded. Imagine your center of balance as a dot on the ground and keep it inside the foot that is on the ground, at all times. When you step, it will obviously move between the feet, but thats fine, while they are both down. Understand?
Somewhat She nodded. Ill see what I can do. What next?
Master that, then well talk.
She crossed her arms. Walking. You want to teach me walking.
Lets be clear. I gave you a direction, you will be teaching you how to walk. He grinned.
Tala rolled her eyes. Fine. She swung down onto the ladder and paused, looking back up towards Adam. Ill be back shortly.
He snorted. Well see.
She climbed down quickly and began walking. As she did, she bent her focus towards her balance, and began stopping herself at random intervals, noticing how unsteady she was much of the time. Im basically falling from one foot to the other, simply relying on my continued movement to catch me. Adam had been right.
Well, lets do this. And the real work began.
As it turned out, changing how she walked was hard.
Her body was used to moving certain ways, and it took active effort to change that. Worse, it didnt actually take all her effort. So, she was left having to focus, while not truly being distracted by what she was focusing on.
It
Was
Tedious
In order to distract the petulant part of her mind, while she was kinesthetically focused on her walking, she created and focused upon the Archon star spell-form.
Soon, she was walking, mind bent towards maintaining constant balance. She tested her progress by stopping and staying in place every so often, always aiming to be in a slightly different phase of her stride. In addition, she was locking the Archon star spell-form into place and slowly running power through it.
As she had no intention of expending a monumental amount of energy and having to sleep for hours, she also wasnt planning on cutting her finger and expelling the drop of blood containing the star. Thus, she formed it in her center, just behind her sternum. Even so, she did not put it in her heart. She knew better than that.
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Chapter 30: A Morning to Decide
Tala snorted a laugh at Brands words as he passed over the jug full of coffee. Brand then seemed to notice Renix for the first time. He straightened, brushing off his apron, and put on a diplomats smile. Mageling Renix. He bowed slightly. How can I serve?
Renix shook his head. Nothing for me, thank you. I am simply walking with Mistress Tala.
Very good. Mageling, Mistress. He bowed to each of them in turn, then shut the door.
As they walked back out from between the moving wagons, Renix gestured back towards the closed door. Like that!
Tala frowned. What?
The cook! He anticipates your needs and works to meet them.
We havean understanding. He tried to kill me and doesnt want me to seek vengeance Was that all it was? No, weve come to an amicable understanding in truth.
Yes, but you seem to reach those with everyone you talk to. Your driver lets you spend most of the day on top of his wagon.
My wagon. But she didnt interrupt.
The guards lend you shields whenever you want.
Well, only at night. Id love one for shadeMaybe I should buy one in Alefast? Or a parasol? No, the hat is plenty.
The cooks, Ive already mentioned.
Stabbed, threatened, understanding reached, yes. She had uncorked the coffee and was beginning to drink. It was lukewarm and deliciously dark. Exactly what she needed.
Master Trent and Mistress Atrexia let you do as you wish. They dont like it, but they dont stop you.
Theyd have a hard time, if they tried. Well, her iron salve was a bit haphazard, at the moment. I should fix that.
And the passengers see you as a walking legend.
That was news to her. Oh?
Of course! How could they not? You fought a terror bird, driving it away without any harm coming to the caravan. You harvested from an ending tree. You punched out a thunder bull; what do you expect them to think?
Well, that last is a bit of a mischaracterization She sighed. I see your point. Do you want my answer, or do you wish to keep singing my virtues?
Renix blushed deeply and cleared his throat. Your answer, if youre willingMistress.
Talas lips quirked up in a wry smile. Be you.
He turned to her, frowning. I cant really be anyone else."
She shook her head. I mean, be true to what you want, how you want to act, what you want to do, who you want to be. That will require you to make sacrifices, as you cant expect the world to hand you anything, but every sacrifice to become more of who you are is easy to make, and you will never regret it. She paused, then her shoulders drooped just slightly, and she sighed. It can be lonely, Renix, being who you wish to be. You wont make as many friends, if you dont twist yourself into knots to please people, but those you do make will like you for you, not for who you are pretending to be. She smiled up at him, then took another long pull of coffee.
Renix didnt respond for a long while, as they continued to walk alongside the caravan.
Does that help?
Renix laughed briefly. Maybe? I dont know who I want to be, though How do I figure that out?
She smiled. Find one thing that you want and figure out what you need to achieve that. That is who you want to be.
What do you mean?
She shrugged. If you want to be a famous historian, you need to study history. Thus, even if you dont think that you want to read, you actually do, because reading widely and retaining in great detail is what will allow you to become a famous historian. As an example. I mean, even if you go explore ruins, you will need to be able to read and articulate what you find there.
Huh. He pondered, again, and Tala downed more of the coffee. I think I think I understand what you mean. I want to be strong, so even if I dont like exercising, I do want to exercise, because it will make me stronger.
She pointed at him firmly, her gaze intense. That! That is a better example.
He grinned back at her. I do think I understand.
Good. Let me know what you discover, yeah?
He nodded. I will. Thank you, Mistress Tala.
You are most welcome.
He turned, striding back towards his own wagon, and she picked up her pace to return to the wagon at the front. I hope that was the right thing to tell him It shouldnt hurt him, at the very least. As long as he doesnt expect everyone to immediately accept him for who he wants to be, he should be fine. You cant force that.
Sadly, the coffee didnt last for even the trip back to the cargo wagon, and she was left to shepherd an empty jug, at least until lunch.
* * *
Coffee gone, but well imbibed, Tala felt much more awake, though slightly saddened for the loss.
Its just coffee, Tala. There will be more, tomorrow. She didnt allow herself to dwell on it further.
Instead, she took out her magic detector and began sweeping herself to check how her iron salve was doing.
Not good.
She took the next hour to slowly, covertly, re-salve herself until the magic detector didnt register her at all.
After another sweep of the terrain, Adam turned to face her fully. I can teach you, some, if you wish, but Im not going to argue with you.
Thats fair.
You do what I say, when I say it. No arguing.
She shrugged. I suppose so.
Shirt off.
She grabbed the base of her shirt and started to lift. Adams eyes widened, and he spun around, clearly blushing deeply.
Stop! Stop.
Tala started to laugh, letting her shirt fall back over her stomach. That was a test, yes? You were trying to find an excuse to refuse?
Adam scratched the back of his neck, still not looking at her. Is your shirt on?
It is.
He turned back slowly, checking first. Not preciselyWe do something similar with new recruits, though for men its Drop your pants. Youd be surprised how few follow instructions.
So, you dont have to see pants-less men that often?
Or women, we do get some of those as recruits. He quirked a smile. Strangely, they seem more willing to comply with random commands than the men. Maybe something about proving their worth or justifying their being there. I should have remembered and expected you to act similarly.
So whats the point of the lesson? Or do you just like seeing who you can get pants-less?
He reddened, again, but less so this time. No, its to drive home a notion: No one should be obeyed absolutely. Sometimes your commanders are wrong. Now, we also go out of our way to build trust in those commanders, but we dont want blind obedience. That gets people killed.
Huh. Not what Id have expected from the Guardsman Guild.
He shrugged. We want our people to survive, same as any.
Fair enough. She waited for a long moment, as he continued to keep an eye on the surroundings. Soyoull teach me?
He smiled, again. I said I would, didnt I?
How do we begin?
We fix how you walk.
Tala frowned. Whats wrong with how I walk?
You move like a Mage.
and?
And you dont want to fight like one, so you shouldnt move like one. I want you to walk up and down the caravan and keep your center of balance inside your planted foot at all times.
Say again?
He smiled. You should be able to stop and be balanced almost instantly, no matter where in your stride you choose to stop. He thought of a moment, then nodded. Imagine your center of balance as a dot on the ground and keep it inside the foot that is on the ground, at all times. When you step, it will obviously move between the feet, but thats fine, while they are both down. Understand?
Somewhat She nodded. Ill see what I can do. What next?
Master that, then well talk.
She crossed her arms. Walking. You want to teach me walking.
Lets be clear. I gave you a direction, you will be teaching you how to walk. He grinned.
Tala rolled her eyes. Fine. She swung down onto the ladder and paused, looking back up towards Adam. Ill be back shortly.
He snorted. Well see.
She climbed down quickly and began walking. As she did, she bent her focus towards her balance, and began stopping herself at random intervals, noticing how unsteady she was much of the time. Im basically falling from one foot to the other, simply relying on my continued movement to catch me. Adam had been right.
Well, lets do this. And the real work began.
As it turned out, changing how she walked was hard.
Her body was used to moving certain ways, and it took active effort to change that. Worse, it didnt actually take all her effort. So, she was left having to focus, while not truly being distracted by what she was focusing on.
It
Was
Tedious
In order to distract the petulant part of her mind, while she was kinesthetically focused on her walking, she created and focused upon the Archon star spell-form.
Soon, she was walking, mind bent towards maintaining constant balance. She tested her progress by stopping and staying in place every so often, always aiming to be in a slightly different phase of her stride. In addition, she was locking the Archon star spell-form into place and slowly running power through it.
As she had no intention of expending a monumental amount of energy and having to sleep for hours, she also wasnt planning on cutting her finger and expelling the drop of blood containing the star. Thus, she formed it in her center, just behind her sternum. Even so, she did not put it in her heart. She knew better than that.
Chapter 30: A Morning to DecideTala snorted a laugh at Brands words as he passed over the jug full of coffee. Brand then seemed to notice Renix for the first time. He straightened, brushing off his apron, and put on a diplomats smile. Mageling Renix. He bowed slightly. How can I serve?Renix shook his head. Nothing for me, thank you. I am simply walking with Mistress Tala.Very good. Mageling, Mistress. He bowed to each of them in turn, then shut the door.As they walked back out from between the moving wagons, Renix gestured back towards the closed door. Like that!Tala frowned. What?The cook! He anticipates your needs and works to meet them.We havean understanding. He tried to kill me and doesnt want me to seek vengeance Was that all it was? No, weve come to an amicable understanding in truth.Yes, but you seem to reach those with everyone you talk to. Your driver lets you spend most of the day on top of his wagon.My wagon. But she didnt interrupt.The guards lend you shields whenever you want.Well, only at night. Id love one for shadeMaybe I should buy one in Alefast? Or a parasol? No, the hat is plenty.The cooks, Ive already mentioned.Stabbed, threatened, understanding reached, yes. She had uncorked the coffee and was beginning to drink. It was lukewarm and deliciously dark. Exactly what she needed.Master Trent and Mistress Atrexia let you do as you wish. They dont like it, but they dont stop you.Theyd have a hard time, if they tried. Well, her iron salve was a bit haphazard, at the moment. I should fix that.And the passengers see you as a walking legend.That was news to her. Oh?Of course! How could they not? You fought a terror bird, driving it away without any harm coming to the caravan. You harvested from an ending tree. You punched out a thunder bull; what do you expect them to think?Well, that last is a bit of a mischaracterization She sighed. I see your point. Do you want my answer, or do you wish to keep singing my virtues?Renix blushed deeply and cleared his throat. Your answer, if youre willingMistress.Talas lips quirked up in a wry smile. Be you.He turned to her, frowning. I cant really be anyone else."She shook her head. I mean, be true to what you want, how you want to act, what you want to do, who you want to be. That will require you to make sacrifices, as you cant expect the world to hand you anything, but every sacrifice to become more of who you are is easy to make, and you will never regret it. She paused, then her shoulders drooped just slightly, and she sighed. It can be lonely, Renix, being who you wish to be. You wont make as many friends, if you dont twist yourself into knots to please people, but those you do make will like you for you, not for who you are pretending to be. She smiled up at him, then took another long pull of coffee.Renix didnt respond for a long while, as they continued to walk alongside the caravan.Does that help?Renix laughed briefly. Maybe? I dont know who I want to be, though How do I figure that out?She smiled. Find one thing that you want and figure out what you need to achieve that. That is who you want to be.What do you mean?She shrugged. If you want to be a famous historian, you need to study history. Thus, even if you dont think that you want to read, you actually do, because reading widely and retaining in great detail is what will allow you to become a famous historian. As an example. I mean, even if you go explore ruins, you will need to be able to read and articulate what you find there.Huh. He pondered, again, and Tala downed more of the coffee. I think I think I understand what you mean. I want to be strong, so even if I dont like exercising, I do want to exercise, because it will make me stronger.She pointed at him firmly, her gaze intense. That! That is a better example.He grinned back at her. I do think I understand.Good. Let me know what you discover, yeah?He nodded. I will. Thank you, Mistress Tala.You are most welcome.He turned, striding back towards his own wagon, and she picked up her pace to return to the wagon at the front. I hope that was the right thing to tell him It shouldnt hurt him, at the very least. As long as he doesnt expect everyone to immediately accept him for who he wants to be, he should be fine. You cant force that.Sadly, the coffee didnt last for even the trip back to the cargo wagon, and she was left to shepherd an empty jug, at least until lunch.* * *Coffee gone, but well imbibed, Tala felt much more awake, though slightly saddened for the loss.Its just coffee, Tala. There will be more, tomorrow. She didnt allow herself to dwell on it further.Instead, she took out her magic detector and began sweeping herself to check how her iron salve was doing.Not good.She took the next hour to slowly, covertly, re-salve herself until the magic detector didnt register her at all.After another sweep of the terrain, Adam turned to face her fully. I can teach you, some, if you wish, but Im not going to argue with you.Thats fair.You do what I say, when I say it. No arguing.She shrugged. I suppose so.Shirt off.She grabbed the base of her shirt and started to lift. Adams eyes widened, and he spun around, clearly blushing deeply.Stop! Stop.Tala started to laugh, letting her shirt fall back over her stomach. That was a test, yes? You were trying to find an excuse to refuse?Adam scratched the back of his neck, still not looking at her. Is your shirt on?It is.He turned back slowly, checking first. Not preciselyWe do something similar with new recruits, though for men its Drop your pants. Youd be surprised how few follow instructions.So, you dont have to see pants-less men that often?Or women, we do get some of those as recruits. He quirked a smile. Strangely, they seem more willing to comply with random commands than the men. Maybe something about proving their worth or justifying their being there. I should have remembered and expected you to act similarly.So whats the point of the lesson? Or do you just like seeing who you can get pants-less?He reddened, again, but less so this time. No, its to drive home a notion: No one should be obeyed absolutely. Sometimes your commanders are wrong. Now, we also go out of our way to build trust in those commanders, but we dont want blind obedience. That gets people killed.Huh. Not what Id have expected from the Guardsman Guild.He shrugged. We want our people to survive, same as any.Fair enough. She waited for a long moment, as he continued to keep an eye on the surroundings. Soyoull teach me?He smiled, again. I said I would, didnt I?How do we begin?We fix how you walk.Tala frowned. Whats wrong with how I walk?You move like a Mage.and?And you dont want to fight like one, so you shouldnt move like one. I want you to walk up and down the caravan and keep your center of balance inside your planted foot at all times.Say again?He smiled. You should be able to stop and be balanced almost instantly, no matter where in your stride you choose to stop. He thought of a moment, then nodded. Imagine your center of balance as a dot on the ground and keep it inside the foot that is on the ground, at all times. When you step, it will obviously move between the feet, but thats fine, while they are both down. Understand?Somewhat She nodded. Ill see what I can do. What next?Master that, then well talk.She crossed her arms. Walking. You want to teach me walking.Lets be clear. I gave you a direction, you will be teaching you how to walk. He grinned.Tala rolled her eyes. Fine. She swung down onto the ladder and paused, looking back up towards Adam. Ill be back shortly.He snorted. Well see.She climbed down quickly and began walking. As she did, she bent her focus towards her balance, and began stopping herself at random intervals, noticing how unsteady she was much of the time. Im basically falling from one foot to the other, simply relying on my continued movement to catch me. Adam had been right.Well, lets do this. And the real work began.As it turned out, changing how she walked was hard.Her body was used to moving certain ways, and it took active effort to change that. Worse, it didnt actually take all her effort. So, she was left having to focus, while not truly being distracted by what she was focusing on.ItWasTediousIn order to distract the petulant part of her mind, while she was kinesthetically focused on her walking, she created and focused upon the Archon star spell-form.Soon, she was walking, mind bent towards maintaining constant balance. She tested her progress by stopping and staying in place every so often, always aiming to be in a slightly different phase of her stride. In addition, she was locking the Archon star spell-form into place and slowly running power through it.As she had no intention of expending a monumental amount of energy and having to sleep for hours, she also wasnt planning on cutting her finger and expelling the drop of blood containing the star. Thus, she formed it in her center, just behind her sternum. Even so, she did not put it in her heart. She knew better than that.
