Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Infirmary

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa tried to smile, though she couldn't help chewing her cheek. "No hard feelings, then? I keep thinkin' I shoulda trusted the stats screen an' quit attackin'. I..."

Damnit, she'd been stupid. The Colo's instruments weren't always accurate, sure. It seemed like every other fight, someone got back up after hitting nil vitality. But the negatives, the scab-red indicators telling her Truffle was way past his limits...

"I'm sorry," she said, ever so quietly.

Luz gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Gal doesn't know her own strength, huh?"

Brisa shook her head. No excuses, please.

 

[Cresselia92]

Then, to Icetales, Truffle said, "My day has been... tumultuous. But I would also say it was very exciting and just what I would expect... from the saviors of Cibus. Hm?"

Icetales nodded and flashed a tiny smile. “Oh, indeed. It was most exciting for sure. Golly, good sir, thy mastery over the magic arts is truly outstanding. I was… amazed.”

But please, remove the “give a heart attack to folks” from thy repertory…

Icetales’ face became serious. “Howbeit, while I am glad that thou art recovering properly, I cannot help but ask: ‘Why?’ It was meant to be a lighthearted duel, so… why bring thyself to thy limits, Sir Truffle?” His ears dropped. “We… would have stopped. We wouldn’t have minded, really.”

In fact, we should have stopped…

 

[Namohysip]

Maple, silent through it all, gave Truffle a small glance, the same glance that Truffle recalled from Ionys the night before. Perhaps their spirits were tied in more ways than one.

"...It was none of your faults," Truffle replied. "I was... merely fighting at my best, was I not? And I had more to give. So, as a guardian, as a protector, it was my duty to continue such things... It worked, did it not? Leg ended the battle unscathed..."

Maple was digging her fingers into her palms, the Smeargle holding something back.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa closed her eyes a moment, biting back the acid comment that had come to mind first.

"I can't say I agree with all that, partner," she growled, softly. "It weren't an all-or-nothin' fight, it was a casual sportin' battle. Weren't appropriate fer you t'risk yer health like that."

She felt the stares of about a hundred disbelieving friends and allies on her for being the one to say that, but fuck 'em, Brisa didn't have a Cibusean retirement in store for herself, and therefore no reason to give a shit about her long term health.

Luz nodded. "She's right, sir. An' what's more, I figure Leg was none too happy 'bout havin' to resign the match on yer behalf. By which I mean, you owe yer daughter an apology fer scarin' her."

In her head, Brisa imagined demanding were you tryin' to die by my paw, you death-wishing fool?

She didn't say it, but Luz must have heard, judging by the tightening of her grip on Brisa's shoulder.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales’ eyes narrowed, still serious. “Hm. I must agree with Brisa and Luz here. What thou did was far more than giving thy best, sir. While I understand putting thy entire being in the middle to protect someone — believe me, as someone who took plenty of strikes for the team, I know that feeling all too well — what happened during the battle… it was almost like… there was something at stake, as if thy life depended on it.” His ears flicked. “Or perhaps… it was someone?”

 

[Namohysip]

That light in Truffle's eyes was flickering again, even more than before, like an illusion that was finally disappearing. Perhaps Ionys wasn't the true master of those after all.

"Leg..."

She pressed against him again, quiet.

"...I apologize for... frightening you. I must have gotten carried away with my resolve..."

He considered Icetales' words in particular. His eyes flitted about, like he was searching for the words that were floating in the room to guide him. "I was merely doing my duty... That is all. Really, it's... I merely got involved in the heat of the moment."

Again, Maple was silent, but the sharpness of her stare into nothing was so strong it was a miracle the wall hadn't been split in two.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa eyed Truffle, trying to see a path that ended with the old bird getting his head screwed on a bit more tightly, and not only a respected friend who she'd gravely wounded.

"Did anyone confer that 'duty' on you, or didja determine it fer yerself?" she asked, levelly.

 

[Namohysip]

Truffle didn't answer. Perhaps he no longer remembered. He only kept his focus on the empty space of the wall, absently petting Leg's disguise.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"You gotta retire, man," said Brisa, her heart heavier than lead.

 

[Cresselia92]

For some reason, that situation felt so very familiar. An individual who would go to great lengths for the sake of others, even if that meant sacrificing their health and safety… or more than that.

…Oh. Right. Icetales used to be like that, no? Overworked, exhausted, who only wished to keep others safe. It sure was weird to see someone who followed similar ideals from the other side of the mirror.

Well, then! Hopefully he knew how to tread that particular path.

“Sir… I would say that it is time for thee to assess what thou canst or cannot do,” said Icetales, his voice firm but with a veil of gentleness. “Throwing thyself in the fray so recklessly does not harm only thee, but it also harms the folks who are close to thee.”

He motioned toward Leg. “Like Miss Leg. Dost thou believe she would have been happy if thou suffered some more grave injuries? Perhaps thou could have spared the physical pain, but what about the emotional pain?”

 

[Namohysip]

Truffle still said nothing, like he was lost in thought. He heard them, perhaps, but something else was on his mind.

"Speak, Truffle. You owe them at least that," Maple finally said, and her voice was like a command.

Finally, he complied. "...I wasn't... thinking. I was clouded by... the will of a warrior. I..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"The will of a warrior," Brisa repeated. "What does that mean, exactly? You talkin' 'bout havin' a battleheart, or somethin' else? You practically seemed..."

Like Toffee, she thought. Though with a cheerful disposition and a defensive style, this was the second time she'd fought an insane bird in the Colo well past the threshold of reason. (And weren't those two seeing each other...? Not relevant. Probably.)

"Do you remember the fight?" she pressed.

 

[Cresselia92]

“…Hmm.”

Icetales mulled over those words, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. It seemed almost as if the line between sport and serious business had been crossed at some point during the fight, or something similar.

“Clouded by the will of a warrior, huh. Care to enlighten us about that?”

 

[Namohysip]

"...Perhaps I should not, for it isn't too important," Truffle said.

"That isn't entirely it, either," Maple replied darkly. "...You are going to say it, or I will."

Truffle tensed a little at that, then looked down at Leg, who was trying her best to get comfortable. It wasn't easy.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"It matters t'me," pressed Brisa. "An' I'd rather hear it from you."

She padded a little closer and sat on her haunches.

"Tell me what the hell I saw out there, fella."

 

[Cresselia92]

“Thou can be frank with us,” said Icetales, his tails swaying gently. He flashed a reassuring smile. “It’s not like some of us will even remember this conversation, and it would do thee some good to lift whatever weight thou have in thy heart.”

Then, he sat down, his posture calm and dignified. “Go ahead.”

 

[Namohysip]

The silence continued, but this time it looked like he was weighing how to say things, what to tell them, rather than whether to tell anything at all. Finally, however, he sighed, his voice like a little, low birdsong.

"...A Ward is meant to fall in battle before their allies. To allow an ally to fall before they do is a disgrace. And to not give all of your self to protecting your allies is to defile the title of Wardmaster. And..." He glanced at Maple, whose eyes suggested she was still dissatisfied. "...And... I fear that I have... lost opportunities. To... perform as a warrior. As a Wardmaster. I... I cannot retire. It is not my place to retire."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa's face soured, and she averted it from Truffle to hide her expression.

Luz filled the silence.

"I think we're all interpretin' that correctly. Truffle... You shouldn't've accepted the challenge without makin' yer opponents aware of those terms. Yer own ideals may be what they may, but it woulda torn these fighters' hearts apart to've... Well. To have accidentally slain you, sir."

Brisa swallowed hard, and spoke around the stone of anger lodged in her throat.

"Whatever the folks of yer homeworld would've expected of you... Yer duty to yer livin' family is greater than yer duty to that. ...Fella, I got like a fuckin' week left in this world and you woulda had me end it in absolute goddamn grief."

She brought her twitching face muscles under control and quelled her rising Blacklight.

"If I'd known, I would never've fought you. I'm certainly strong enough to kill you, Truffle. But I ain't strong enough to live with havin' done it. Let alone in front of a crowd of people I care about and those as most care about you."

 

[Cresselia92]

"...A Ward is meant to fall in battle before their allies. To allow an ally to fall before they do is a disgrace. And to not give all of your self to protecting your allies is to defile the title of Wardmaster. And..."

[…]

"...And... I fear that I have... lost opportunities. To... perform as a warrior. As a Wardmaster. I... I cannot retire. It is not my place to retire."

Icetales stared hard at Truffle, his expression a mix between disbelief and veiled horror. He had heard countless stories of warriors who sacrificed their lives for their beloved ones, but to fulfill to their duty until the end of something that is meant to be a pleasant low-stakes duel… that was something else entirely. It was like… he didn’t know the value of his own life, he could feel.

Clear clouds of ice and mist seeped from his nostrils as he fought to keep his mood in check. He pretty much agreed with everything that both his friends had just said and nodded in agreement.

“I… concur with Brisa and Luz here,” he said, his voice strained. “If we knew thou would have come to this extent, we would have never agreed to such duel!”

Another deep breath, then a head shake.

“Sir Truffle… I sort of understand thy point of view. Truly, I do. To give thy life to protect someone… many would consider that honorable, perhaps even heroic.” Then, his gaze and voice darkened. “But there is a chasm between heroism… and foolishness. And risking thy life for what was supposed to be a very lighthearted spectacle, in a perfectly safe environment, in order to fulfill thy duty and honor… that was foolish.”

He shook his head once more. “Apologies if I come across as blunt here, but… but thou must understand. To must learn to respect and value thy own life more than that! Other folks do, and would be beyond aggravated if something happened to thee, so… why dost not see that?”

 

[Namohysip]

"I apologize," Truffle said, closing his eyes. He spoke evenly. "It was... wrong of me to press on so far. Nobody else follows this way of the warrior."

"And you knew nobody else did," Maple said, suddenly unable to speak up. Truffle tensed, because he knew he hadn't said everything. "If you aren't going to address it directly, then I will.

"...Brisa. There is something you should know, specifically, about what it means to be a Voice of Life. Diyem would say the same. A Voice is the representation of every cry of defiance, every stubborn action to stay alive, every breath the world takes. I am Telum's will to continue. And therefore, I can see the flame of will... the desire to go on, within every life." Maple stared pointedly at Truffle. "His is gone. It disappeared with Ionys. And he planned to use you to right his 'wrong.'"

Leg had, for some reason, fallen asleep. It seemed to have been by a mysterious force.

"It's shameful, Truffle," Maple said flatly. "You blame yourself for his death, and now you would so willingly pass on that grief to another? Ionys was right to tell me about what he sensed in you during that fight. This isn't a warrior's phislosophy. It's been... twisted. The time for fighting for your life is over. That it was not your life that was lost is not something for you to correct."