Long Overdue

[Jirai]

It was a stone. It was not a pretty stone, at first glance. Rough, about palm sized. Nothing special. Not until one looked more closely and saw that the stone's roughness had nothing to do with nature and everything to do with tiny runes painstakingly etched into its surface. That wasn't all, though. Did a young rogueling hold this stone in his hand, the stone would twitch, a tiny but distinct movement in a particular direction. He had been told what the stone would do and doubtless he is meant to follow its urging.

If he followed it, the stone would lead him in a direct path through the woods, stopping its movement only when he reached a small clearing. There was nothing particularly special about this clearing, save the small fire hidden in a depression and the scarred teenager sitting cross-legged beside it.

[Glenn]

Being told what something would do and being told how to use it were two different things and Elliot Brown was not exactly the most instinctual young man. That said, he did know Niall and her magic better than most, and it only took him a little while to figure it out. It had been a particularly frustrating night, one that he was still recovering from, but at least he felt a little better about Chairknee and his jacket. That the boy had taken the effort to draw it all out for him was heartening too.

Elliot was feeling particularly alienated these days, save for his teacher. Even Nova's company brought him little solace, so broken and sullen was she. This was his last ditch effort to try to hang on to something that mattered to him before it all went black.

So there he was, missing one dagger out of many (and not a particularly special one at that, thankfully; there as a certain difficulty to treasuring weapons that you threw at people), was the rogueling. "Hey." His voice was soft, even as he tromped over to her and made to sit down on the other side of the fire.

[Jirai]

The once-squire arrived sooner, perhaps, than the girl might have expected. Then again, she was certainly having difficulty predicting Elliot's actions lately. He was here, though, and that meant something - though Niall did not know what. When he spoke, she glanced up and nodded slightly.

It was high summer and rather hot for a fire, but there was a skewer of some sort of meat roasting over the flames in explanation. Some of this she'd tear off and offer to Elliot as he moved to sit down. No words, not yet, just the simple offer of food.

[Glenn]

She offered food. He took it. They had rituals, or at least she did and he did, and the other tried to meet half way. That's what their friendship had been about. They never quite understood one another, but they were still able to find common ground somewhere in the middle. "I'm sorry you had to intervene last night. If you care why, 'll explain, but we have more important things to talk about. So if you'll just accept that I'll try to be more careful in the future, we can move on."

Then a pause, because he was sick of leaving some things unsaid right now. "You saw me through the daggers though. And catch the stone. And I was up on the roof, and ZIlliah was choking me with magic and I still was able to attack." His second pause was almost sheepish, as if he was trying not to turn red. "You saw me do all that stuff and I couldn't a year ago." Didn't that matter on some level?

[Jirai]

He took the food and she relaxed slightly. She hadn't been sure that he would, and her uncertainty in the matter had her on edge. Now, though, she was able to listen as he spoke. She was good at listening, much better at listening than she was at speaking. She listened, and at his first pause gestured her assent. True enough that they had other things to talk about. Other things that he'd continue to broach with his mention of daggers and stones and attacking.

She rocked back on her heels, then, a pause before she ventured to speak. "I did see." She confirmed. "And you could not have done that a year ago." Simple agreement, to start. "Learning this is good for you. But don't get killed before you learn it all."

"I would not have thrown the stone if I had not thought you'd catch it."

[Glenn]

He didn't ask what the meat was. It couldn't be stranger than the dry meat he pilfered from the Dagger, now and again. The boy had gotten by with eating very little for a good, long while. He would have no reason to offend his hostess now. First, he spoke, then as she responded, brief as it was, he ate. It gave him time to think through what she said, to be careful with his response instead of instinctive.

"I spent a long time not being able to do much. Just hiding behind you and poking at things. I guess now that I can do some, I'm .. I just do it too quickly. I'll be more careful." It took a lot to drive Elliot Brown to this level of reasonable. He thought things were slipping through his fingers, or had for a long time. Dirt between his fingers, until all he had left was whatever was stuck on.

Niall, however, still seemed to be stuck on, and in that desperation, he'd go half way. "I'll be more careful." He repeated. Then, softly. "I'm glad you threw the stone. I'm glad I'm here now."

[Jirai]

It couldn't be stranger than the tavern's meat, seeing as she frequently provided the tavern with the fruits of her hunt. She ate her own portion more slowly, bite by bite, nodding at his words about caution. Thinking, perhaps, about what to say.

And what ought one say? Moreover, what ought Niall, who has never been good with words, say? It is not the least bit surprising that she has no idea. Almost, she thinks, it would be easier were she like ChairKnee, and could therefore simply listen and nod.

"Here is good." Is what she comes up with. And another thought. "Does it bother you to not be a squire anymore?"

[Glenn]

They had a friendship based on convenience, based on the fact that very few would come to her and very few would stay with him. Their personalities had made them outcasts, of a sort, and they bonded over that. They made their own common interests. He'd hunt with her. She'd... take him hunting with her. They'd have their adventures. Then he started finding things to do with his time. The chocolate situation had schismed them a bit. More time spent with Solena and Nova had made it worse. They didn't talk about these things, though. He was a teenage boy. She was Niall. What were they going to talk about.

Yet, he was here now, and according to her, here was good.

And she even asked her question now. He seemed a little uncomfortable by it. It meant something when she asked a real question though, if only because it was so rare. His instinct was to hide from the question, but he would fight it because of that. "Sometimes. A lot at first. I liked people thinking well of me. Now I don't care so much anymore. I don't care what people think." Then, almost to contradict what he just said. "Does it bother you I'm not a squire anymore?"

[Jirai]

There was, in fact, another aspect - at least on Niall's side - to why they had spent so much time together. But it was not something she talked about. Not surprising at all, given that Niall is, well, Niall. And right now, Niall is very cautiously feeling her way through these questions and answers, listening carefully to his reply and thinking for a long moment before offering up a response of her own.

"No." What bothered her wasn't that he was no longer a squire, but perhaps that he was no longer -there.-

"Do other people not like that you are not a squire?"

[Glenn]

That Elliot was able to figure out even half of what he did was an accomplishment of note. He was not the brightest candle, by any means, and while the talk with Roschen had opened his eyes to some things, and while Solena did her best with him, he still had a very long way to go, and there was good reason to doubt whether or not he would ever get there. Still, perhaps by being here now, by answering these questions and, when she was done, asking his own, he'd get SOMEWHERE at least.

"Yeah, people like me less, trust me less." He was glad she didn't feel worse because of it. "I don't really blame them, I guess. Being a squire was pretty respectable. But I respect myself more now. Before I was just chasing a dream that didn't exist, and running away at the same time."

[Jirai]

She was silent for some time, but such silences were not unexpected from the girl. They'd lost some of their easiness together, with the loss of the chocolate and the changes in Elliot.

"I don't think you would have made a good squire anyway." She ventured. "You never got much past carrying that sword around, and you did that for a long time." In contrast to recently, when he'd found something he'd cared to work at and skills had begun to be earned.

[Glenn]

The loss of the chocolate. The realization that he had liked her more with it. The nagging fear of what her magic might have done to him, what it DID do to him. He felt so different afterwards and not all of it was puberty. Things mattered now that hadn't mattered at all before. It was maddening. It meant he was FORCING himself to make eye contact with her. One thing that had changed was that there was a bit more steel to his spine, at least.

"I didn't have teachers who could pay me attention." He lost so many of the knights. "And to be fair I probably needed a lot of attention."Not that he did now, all grown up and mature. Then with a little pause. "I'm going to be something special, Niall. If I keep training, I'm going to be so good. You'll see." Because really, outside of Solena, she was the one who he NEEDED to see the most.

[Jirai]

Without a doubt, she had been more likeable with it. Talking had come easier, and she'd been happy, in a way. She didn't like to think about it much now, for a whole lot of reasons. So, being Niall, she didn't think about it. Niall was quite good at ignoring things she wished to ignore.

"You've already gotten better." She said. He wasn't falling all over himself anymore. He hadn't broken his neck climbing around on the tavern roof.

[Glenn]

Elliot didn't like thinking about it either but it was harder to hold thoughts back since his talk with the tailor. How could one little, stupid talk with a crazy man change so much. Thankfully, when it came to his new skills, his new purpose, Solena had ALL The answers for him. Everything else, though? Everything else was so much harder.

"Better isn't enough. I need to be the best." This was a time for talking, for saying things they never would, but still, he had to fight in order to move further. "Sometimes, though, Niall.. I'm just not sure why. And why this. And why does it feel so good?"

[Jirai]

"Why what? Why you need to be the best?" That seemed pretty obvious to Niall - who wouldn't want to be the best? Maybe he was talking about something else. "Or why something else? And why does what feel good?" Too many whys! She was losing track of the conversation with all those whys.