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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:39:42 GMT -6
So there had been a tournament. And Rhys had, so Aster was just now learning, entered behind his back. With the help of his TROD, no less. He wasn't sure how to take it. His first thought had been, Damn it, I'm giving her too much autonomy. His second had been, Does she just do whatever anyone asks her to? Admittedly, her track record wasn't great. So far as he could tell, it was more the half breed running the show between Rabbit and her ornery charge, and Rhys had apparently talked her into something that she had known Aster wouldn't like. So what he was learning was that his TROD was prone to being pushed around by sentient dragons. ... But no, he couldn't bring himself to reprimand her. Even if she was a robot, and he was maybe being a bit soft about this whole thing, he just couldn't... what, power her down? Revoke the autonomy? It just left a real bad taste in his mouth.
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:42:33 GMT -6
The worst he'd managed to do was give her a lecture, for all the good that would do him, since as far as he could tell, she was already aware of the fact that this was a transgression, and even most of Aster's reasoning as to why he hadn't wanted it to happen. And she nodded and agreed and said it wouldn't happen again, which he wasn't sure if he believed, but her fault began and ended at having agreed to do it.
No, the real culprit was accompanying him today to the quest board. And trying very hard not to make any eye contact with him while they were at it.
"You know we're going to have to talk about it," Aster said, though if he was being honest, he didn't know which of them was more reluctant to broach the subject. Rhys hadn't wanted to invoke Aster's ire, but it was clear that he had something to say.
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:44:55 GMT -6
Aster, on the other hand, just felt tired thinking about the whole thing. Clearly Rhys was alive and well, and Rabbit had informed him that at no point had Rhys died during the proceedings. Later, when he had interrogated her more closely, the TROD had admitted to a forfeit situation where she had had to step in to prevent it from happening.
... In which case he had no one but himself to blame. He knew what he had asked for when Rhys had been... designed: a strong willed creature, able to keep their head in dangerous situations, who could push through pain and stay alert. Which meant that if Rhys went down, it would be because his body was failing him in a last and final way.
The thing was, that had been meant as a measure to ensure that Rhys could get away from danger, not throw himself head long into it.
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:48:28 GMT -6
And there was a tiny, tiny part of Aster, the part that had made his career in the pits and had been raising generations of fighting drakes, that wanted to say, All that, and you didn't even win? But of course he didn't indulge it, because that wasn't the point.
... He hoped Rhys's telepathy didn't let him pick up on that.
Rhys was carrying his ears low, head and tail drooping as he kept pace beside Aster. {Well,} said the Felusine slowly, {I knew you wouldn't have let me...}
"Right, so you went behind my back and asked Rabbit, because you knew she'd be easier to convince," Aster said conversationally. "Look, I know you think I'm wrong, but---"
{You weren't listening!} In an outburst that caught Aster off guard, Rhys launched himself into the air, fluttering up until he was looking Aster in the eye after all. {I could tell! You weren't going to let me try anything no matter how much I asked.}
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:52:08 GMT -6
"You still should have asked," Aster said, to which Rhys gave a huff that sounded downright derisive.
{So you could stop me?} Rhys retorted. At that, Aster fell silent. There was no good answer to that question. Yes, so I could have known what you were planning and put a stop to it. And then they'd be right back where they started. And of course that would be no incentive to a creature who had been planning to buck his ruling to begin with.
{Look, I know that you're worried about me,} Rhys said, {but I'm not... I'm not fragile the way you think I am. And I want to try things, more things than this slow, gradual... plan that you have for me. And the fighting, it was kind of scary and I lost a lot, but there were healers, and everyone was my size. Nothing really bad could have happened.}
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:54:56 GMT -6
Aster wanted to contest that too--- boy did he ever. But what he'd been afraid of, which was deep and lasting trauma, had apparently not occurred after all.
He sighed. Okay, maybe he was being a little... fussy about the whole thing. Maybe. He still wasn't convinced, but he tried, at least, to open himself up to the possibility now, tried to remember what it had been like when he'd been told no by... by whom? The closest he'd ever had to any well meaning restrictive authority in his life had been when he'd been living with Marric and his clan.
... Which had been pretty suffocating. Alright. And come to that, he didn't really appreciate it when Summer nagged at him either, even if it was usually about sensible topics such as his safety, and maybe not tearing off a piece of his soul so he could do a few fancy magic tricks.
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 14:58:15 GMT -6
"Okay," Aster said, feeling the anger drain out of him with the sigh. "I won't stay mad about it. I still think... Gods, I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair, fingers carding through the feathers mixed into it, then sighed again. "I wish it hadn't gotten to that point, I guess. But you're right, I probably wouldn't have listened."
Rhys blinked. Evidently this wasn't the response he'd been expecting. {Oh,} said the Felusine, at a loss for a moment for words. {Really?}
"Don't think that means I'm happy about it," Aster grumbled. "Or that I think you should do it again. But I'll... I don't know, listen, I guess. I'll try to keep more of an open mind, and we can up the pace with your training, if that's what you really want. I can introduce you to the drakes, so you know a little more about what you'll be dealing with."
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 15:01:02 GMT -6
He shrugged. "We can figure it out. I'll try harder to listen, so you tell me what you really want, and we'll work something out. But I'd like it if you didn't go behind my back again. We can't have a real working relationship if we don't trust each other, right?"
He knew even as he said it that some of the fault genuinely lay with him. He hadn't trusted Rhys either, coddling him that way. The realization was only starting to settle in, but he could already feel that some weeks or months on, looking back at this, he was going to be cursing his own stupidity.
{Okay,} Rhys agreed, still a little stunned. {I can do that.}
"Good," Aster said. And then, eager to change the subject, he said, "But not right now. Right now we're going to the quest board, and see if we can find something to do to take our minds off it."
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 15:04:22 GMT -6
Because as much as they'd needed this talk, Aster also needed to not talk about it. He couldn't put it into words. Maybe it was more of that re-establishing trust mumbo jumbo, or maybe it was a form of... 'aftercare' wasn't the word he was looking for, but a similar concept, maybe. Something casual for them to do together without all the tension of confrontation.
It wasn't exactly a fun outing type of deal, and there had been a few quests he'd been on that had genuinely been dangerous, but for the most part they were pretty tame. And he had a feeling that both himself and Rhys needed to get out, get something out of their system.
As they reached the board, Aster began perusing it. "Hmm," he said. "Well, hey, this one says it wants folks to help with planting trees." That sounded nice and harmless--- something he thought but didn't say aloud.
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Post by Noa on Mar 20, 2020 15:07:29 GMT -6
At this point, saying so would probably have exacerbated the argument again, even though he really wasn't trying to be sheltering this time. He didn't think he could have handled anything of a higher intensity than that today.
{Trees?} said Rhys.
"Yeah, it's a... month of celebrating plants or something. I'm not too sure myself." Aster had never been one of those get involved with the community types. "But that's what they want us to do. What do you think? Feeling up to it?" He grinned lopsidedly at Rhys, whose ears had perked back up.
{Sure,} he said. {I don't know if I could lift any trees, but I think I can help you dig, at least.}
"Hey, you never know," Aster said. "The Injection gave you some telekinesis, didn't it? Maybe we can use this as a chance to practice."
{Can we?} Rhys's eyes positively lit up at that suggestion, and Aster didn't have the heart to tell him it had been a throwaway thought.
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Post by Renathan on Mar 20, 2020 17:07:23 GMT -6
You have rolled a success! Your QP will be added to the bank and your prize will be sent out shortly. You may continue roleplaying if you wish!
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