What's the trouble? [Garnet/Elias]

[Garnet]

OoC: Starting at Reply #40 of A Few Good Men in Sacae.

BiC:

Garnet couldn't help but be entertained as Elias peeled off a whole fatastical tale about the doomwolf hides he'd collected. even if the mage clearly wasn't amused himself. He was amused, until it came to the part about Elias dying, that is. This only brought a scowl and a frown from the mercenary.

"So...." Garnet was trying to play with Elias now. It was something of a defense mechanism for his own troubles. "You're upset that I haven't asked you to leave yet?" He kept a straight face for a few seconds before a guilty grin of concern crept through.

"I'm teasing you Elias.... but I only do it out of concern for you. You've had it rough since we left that labyrinth...."

The red-headed mer recalled the phantom of his uncle that he'd been challenged by. He'd been tempted to live out the rest of his days in a quiet, peaceful, and fake world. In the end, only his uncle's consistent teachings about responsibility had been what saved him from his a meaningless existence of doing nothing. He wondered if Elias had had a similar challenge.

"... I don't know that I could go back there." Garnet looked down and away, trying to forget how real the phantasm had felt.

[Elias]

"Upset isn't the right word. Surprised, astounded, befuddled, and thinking that you may be a lunatic." He had a half-hearted smile on his face, more of a trained reaction then any particular happiness. "I think I told you before, but a lot of people don't really like me that much. They get annoyed and tell me to leave them alone." Eesh, he was such a dorky whiny whiner right now. He hated it, he hated him. Of course hating his self only drove him to be even more whiny which in turn made him hate his self more.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so super serious." Was he really turning into that which he hated? The super serious? The ones who get mad because you just had to sing something when you're happy? The ones who have fits when you do anything out of their predesignated contingencies entail? "I've had it fine since we left. I have no reason to act this way." He was unconscious for a while, but Garnet still dragged him along. If he really wanted to, he could of easily just ditched the kid along the way. It wouldn't of been hard at all, in fact Elias was surprised he just didn't.

"I will never go back there." Just thinking about that place was painful. "I wonder... How is Mana and the others doing? They left to do their own things... but I kinda miss them. I never really got a chance to talk to Razzle. That's particularly bad, I had something I needed to tell her. Then again it probably doesn't matter, as long as she stays away from me it doesn't really matter."

[Garnet]

Oh... That again. Garnet thought as Elias explained that he hadn't expected the swordsman to drag him along. He shouldn't think of it as "again", he realized. That wasn't how you treated a friend, and Elias had had to deal with something akin to shunning all his life by the sounds of it.

"Perhaps you just bond well with the guard-turned-vigilante types." The mercenary had grown more comfortable with the word over the months. Originally, he'd abhorred the idea of vigilantism, but now he'd decided that every citizen of Etruria who didn't want to live under a dictatorship of oppression would need to wear the name of rabble until the country was restored to order. That was something that few would have the strength to do, and even fewer would be willing to commit to. The step from lawman to fugitive was a hard one to make.

His comment about having something to share with "Razzle" caught Garnet's attention. They'd seemed to have some sort of connection.... Hadn't she been sent to seek Elias out?

"Razzle... She was that blonde lass, right? The one who found us in the forest. Why didn't you say it?"

The merc grinned and leaned back in his bed, lifting his booted feet so they rested just over the edge. He crossed his arms over his chest, seeming fairly relaxed as he continued.

"Was it of a personal nature?" Garnet wanted to know if he needed to pry any deeper

[Elias]

"I guess you could say that." The man who acted like a boy drew his knee into his chest while sitting on his bed, his head resting on the top of it. "I never really got a chance to talk to her, I was too... focused on what we were doing. Fat lot of help that was." He chuckled. "The person who found her and sent her to find us was my father. The fact he was able to find us and tell her to find us means I probably have something on me that he's using to track me. Probably something enchanted that he tracks using his underdeveloped scrying abilities, or something different." This was all very interesting and all, but they weren't the issue at hand, and not the question he asked.

"Anyways, I was gonna tell her to avoid the man. Dealing with my father can only be bad news for an aspiring young mage like her." There was a specific reason he probably sent her to find Elias, something he wasn't going to do anymore, but he wouldn't put it past his father to assume he would. "Ugh, it doesn't matter." He added with a sigh and groan.

"Garnet." He said, thinking a moment before speaking again. "What... was your nightmare like? I mean, you don't have to tell me or anything I understand that is fine. In fact forget I asked." He couldn't help but get the feeling that Garnet was getting a bit irritated with how he was acting. Not that he'd blame him, Elias was being irrationally whiny and mopey. He didn't get depressed much, so when it finally hit him. When it ALL finally hit him like it did back at the ruins. The psychological haymaker that made his entire life revealed to be nothing more then the feverish delusions of a giant child, well he wasn't taking it as well as he could of.

[Garnet]

Garnet was no mage. Not really. He didn't know what to make of scrying, or other things of that nature. Not beyond the basic interest and knowledge that magic was impressive. And beyond his comprehension. What wasn't beyond him was that there were a few things Elias was trying to avoid. The merc wasn't about to pry though.

Then his friend asked about the nightmare from the labyrinth. He wasn't even sure how much he'd shared with Elias about his past. This nightmare had offered him a chance to get everything he'd lost back, or so he thought. All he'd had to do was give up his purpose in life, and settle into the illusion. Probably die too.... Purpose was something he wouldn't give up though

He remained quiet for a bit, deciding some things. "...It was my family. My home.... It offered to restore everything I'd lost...."

His voice was calm and quiet as he spoke. He was trying to pass it off as something he was over, but there was a strange quality to his voice which seemed to reveal that it wasn't completely dealt with yet.

[Elias]

"Ah, I see..." Elias shifted uncomfortably. "It offered you something you wanted. Probably more then anything. That's intense, you're a much stronger person then I. If I was offered that kind of temptation, I'd probably never let it go." This wasn't something to laugh about, not everyone something that should provoke a smile or anything of the sort. It was morose, dreary, and all around depressing. Still, in spite of all that, Elias cracked a small self-depreciative chuckle.

He didn't know what happened, but this wasn't the first time the man had mentioned that he'd lost his home. That was something that Elias could never even imagine, his father has always been there as a constant in his life. It was hard to imagine how it would of been different if one day he just wasn't there anymore. He remembered back a bit to the conversation he had with Garnet before, at the ruins. It felt so long ago, and he felt like it was a completely different person talking at the time. That kind of scared him, depressed him even. Had he really been that stupid this whole time? No wonder no one liked him.

"What happened?" Not that it was any of his business. "You told me it could be a symbol of what Kraft has done, that his zealots caused it. Why?" Diving right into the heart of the matter, the red headed mage didn't leave much room to dance around the issue.

[Garnet]

"I wouldn't have come back if it wasn't counter to everything I'd been taught." It was sobering to realize just how close to being defeated, being swallowed up by a fantasy realm, he had come. In the end, only the memory of the real thing had saved him.

"I'll share, but it's not a happy story.... I'm sure there are plenty of other people with similar tales though." Garnet leaned back against the wall, pillowing his hands behind his head as he settled in.

"I was raised by my Uncle, in Etruria. He took me there when I was very young. My parents had died in a plague in eastern Lycia, doing some kind of mage work there. I'm told that they cured it, but I don't know much of Lycia, or even my parents." Garnet realized that he was dangerously close to going on a ramble, and steered himself back on course.

"Anyway, Uncle Bryant was a good dad. Worked in the town guard. Taught me much of what I know today.... Became the Captain of the guard shortly after I stopped being considered the new guy on the troop...."

Garnet sighed. He didn't really feel like talking about this. It was something that had haunted him ever since it had occurred.

"In short, there was an... a mob of sorts. I can only assume that my Uncle's less than faavorable view of the Prophet and his Flunkies attracted the wrong sort of attention. A mob came. It burned the town.... I saw my Uncle go down." The inflections in his voice had nearly vanished, leaving a cold monotone sound to the merc's usually expressive voice.

"It was just gone. I know I should be thankful to have survived, but it took me about a year of wandering to realize that. It was shocking to lose the central piece of my life in such a barbaric way."

[Elias]

"Kraft is... the Prophet?" He stood there silently, his mind processing this little bit of information. It made sense, in hindsight. He had only heard of the man as the Prophet, and then he heard of Kraft in the same way. Of course he was too busy trying to balance his head on his own shoulders to put two and two together. It made more sense, and made him a bit... well sorrowful. He regretted leaving Etruria now, but he wasn't about to go back. Not when this group needed him so badly haha! Ha.. ha... oh man, it was so hard to be boastful right now.

Still, that information seemed unimportant next to what he said next. That was... so... crap. Like really, just crap. Like a big pile of crap fell out of the heavens and landed right atop his life. It was so bad. It felt weird to feel bad about his own circumstances when others just wade through this quagmire of crap their whole lifes. His father may of been... his father. But at least he was still alive for magic's sake. "That's..." Hrm, how does someone reply to that? Elias, and his wealth of social graces that were worth less then his toy ring, didn't know how to deal with this. It was, like... Woah. Heavy. Sucks to hear that. That isn't what he'd like to hear if he said that, but he couldn't think of what he WOULD like.

Still, there was nothing worse then just staying silent. Well, maybe telling him to stop being a wussy and man up. Oh god that was so horrible just thinking it. Bad Elias. Apathy was still pretty bad. "I'm sorry." He said, hoping his sympathy oozed through the generic words.

Maybe I should tell him something. Um... The mage struggled to think of something, scrunching his nose as if he had just smelled something horrible. Like Big Red's sock's. Not that he's actually smelt them, but he could imagine. Eugh. "Atleast... He died for what he believed in. Instead of just because of some random arbitrary reason. It... doesn't look good on his attacker, but it makes him the kind of man who was strong in his own beliefs. That's something I know I respect..." Was that good? Was that alright? Was it uncalled for?

[Garnet]

Garnet could see that Elias was trying to be helpful. He appreciated the sentiment, but he wasn't in danger of breaking down anymore.

"Yeah, it's bad, but I was in the area a bit before we joined up, and I heard that most of the people regretted what they'd done. It doesn't help me, but hopefully they won't be quite as fired by religious fervor anymore...."

Garnet sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed again, letting his booted feet hit the floor. "I want to go back someday. I've heard that there are those who are gathering opposition outside of Etruria. Resisting the armies he's sending out.... But right now...." Garnet shook his head. "I just needed to get away for a bit."

[Elias]

"I know that feeling." He muttered, swinging his legs as he sat on the bed. Not looking up, but rather down and his deliberately red shoes, cringing ever so slightly. He knew the feeling for different reasons mind you, but the desire to just get away from everything was a strong one in this boy who had yet to truly become a man.

So he sat there, in silence. Holding on to his elbows, bringing his arms close to his body without a word. The mop of auburn hair atop his head drooping into his eyes slightly. "Well... since you shared something. I guess it's only polite that I do the same, right?" He didn't know if Garnet wanted to hear it, but then again he did ask what was wrong in the first place and this was all tied to it.

"I was... Adopted. I told you that, right? I was only four or so at the time, so I don't remember it well. What I do know was why I was adopted. My father was injured by something. He never really told me what, I think it was because it was a sore spot in his pride. He had to quit his adventures long before they got anywhere, being a young man filled to burst with ambition getting cut down in his prime." He talked, not much emotion in his voice. Just recounting a story. "So he visited orphanage after orphanage to find a child worthy of continuing his legacy that was cut short. He interviewed child after child, looking for ones that had the gift of magic."

Turning his head to the side, he had a slightly sheepish grin. "And I was the best, I suppose. I wouldn't of been adopted otherwise, he wanted the best after all." He kind of wanted to stop there, mostly because he felt like he was rambling and that he seriously doubted Garnet gave a single care about what he was saying. Then again when did Elias let what other people thing stop him from doing what he wanted? Maybe recently, his ego mostly battered and bruised, realizing what a pompous idiot he was and that he was no better then anyone else. In fact he was probably worse.

"So, um, he adopted me and trained me. In a little village. I don't think the people there liked my father much though. They didn't really like me either. Though I suppose I said that before." Now he was rambling for sure. "Am I bothering you? I can stop."

[Garnet]

Well, the red-headed mercenary wasn't about to twist the mage's arm off to get his story, but he was wondering about Elias' history now. He had known about Elias being adopted, and the crimson mage's obvious talent with arcane flames was explained when he mentioned that his adoptive father had been sreening children for magic talent,

Then the story stopped. Elias! You dork! Stop worrying about offending me, and get on with the story! Recently, Garnet was beginning to want to shake the mage a bit, but he held back. For some reason, Elias seemed to expect the worst of his friend. Supposedly because that's all he'd known before. If that was the case, then Garnet felt the need to be an exemplary friend. A stand up guy. All those things that the great and benevolent heroes were made of.

"Don't stop, Elias.... I can't begin to guess what you felt when you were adopted."

[Elias]

How he felt? How did he feel? There was nothing he could do but shrug. "I don't really remember it all that well. Though as much as I'm complaining, it's for the best. I prefer life with a family as opposed to in an orphanage. That would make my life story unnecessarily bleak and unsettling." Hrm... He couldn't help but think this all through, bringing a hand to face, gently grabbing the area around the chin as thoughts danced around his fiery head. He needed a beard.

"So you're sure you want me to continue? Well, don't say I didn't warn you. Time to get into the heavy, jaw dropping, gut wrenching and all around depressing stuff." It was weird, somehow he was feeling a bit better. Just a bit, finally able to make jokes again. Not that his jokes are particularly good, mind you, but it was miles better then the stuttering and depressed fool he was a minute ago. It wasn't so much the actual telling of his story, but the interest that Garnet showed. It made him feel... what's the word? Drat, it's on the tip of the tongue. It was a mostly alien feeling too, one that he wasn't particularly used to at least. The last time he felt it being all the ways back in Ilia.

"Well then..." The gears began to grind as he recalled the bits and pieces of history that he'd prefer forgotten. It was hard to forget when they assaulted your mind as you slept, but that only made him want to forget even more. "My father was a bit, hrm, eccentric. He had a very high opinion of his self, and very low opinion of everyone else. He was obsessed with magic, all kinds of magic. Especially the more forgotten arts like Alchemy and Scrying. He felt that he could bring these things back to life, and he was marginally successful in that regard. He is obviously spying on me in some form, and I remember heated afternoons where I felt light headed from all the fumes coming from his workstation."

This wasn't really going anywhere, or at least it felt like it wasn't. Still it felt nice to say, maybe that why some people just love to drone on an on about their problems? Having someone else know makes it feel smaller, somehow. "Anyways, that wasn't all he loved to do. He trained me, rigorously for that matter. I don't remember having all that much free time, but what little I did I squandered it doing things. Things that seem so foolish now that I think about it. Chasing chickens, trying to be a farmer, I think I was trying to fit in with my neighbors in hindsight. I... Kinda wanted them to like me." It was probably just an offshoot of his wanting to be a hero. Might as well start locally, right? Maybe he'd grow a gigantic carrot! Or his chicken would be the last chicken left after a wolf attack and he could share the eggs with the town and they'd love him for it.

"There were certain people who came by to visit my father. Mages, shamans, sages, acolytes, the whole spectrum of magical forces. My father, despite being more or less a hermit, was still quite famous in the magical world. Mostly because of his leading research on the many dead magic arts, and his almost disturbingly large collection of information on the heroes of old. I suppose that was what he wanted though, to be famous. It was a pity only magic users heard of him, otherwise he might of fulfilled his dream of being a hero." There was a sort of... painful look on Elias' face. One that implied that this wasn't particularly easy to say or remember. It wasn't, his mind became awash with a sea of smell.

"My father, he had them fight me. Throughout my training, from when I was just a child to a few days before I left. I was bombarded with magic, from the piercing lightning to the deafening flux. I can't even remember who did what, all their faces just blend together. You see, my father wouldn't allow them to ask questions or get help unless they bested me in a duel. Direly needing that information, most obliged. I've been beaten to the brink of my life so many times I don't care to keep count." Over time all of the magics, the attacks, they seemed to stand out only in their smell. It was almost like a game, dark magic was onions, light magic was peaches, while anima was charcoal. There was probably a reason for these connections, but he couldn't recall. Still it felt like it was hiding in a little dark spot in the corner of his mind, where no matter how hard he tried it didn't quite come out.

"It was his way of preparing me, he said. To be honest, he helped those who lost too. He wasn't a heartless man, he just wanted me to be stronger. I usually lost, but sometimes I won. It hurt though. It made me a better fighter, but it hurt a lot." He looked away with a small sigh. It was kinda pathetic, his life hasn't been that hard yet here he was talking like a bandit killed his entire family and raped the remains. "The reason he sent Razzle to me... I'm not entirely sure. It could of been anything. She was a practitioner of the elder magics, like my father. I don't know what he assumed I could do for her. I don't know dark magic, I don't like dark magic. I've spent my entire life in the shadow of dark magic." He shrugged with a sigh. "I think... I more hated the connection she had to my father. Like a petty child, I know." He always seemed to care far more for others then for him.

A sigh, that was all that could be mustered as Elias tried to pick up the pieces and frantically collect his self. "I've talked a lot, sorry. I guess you're just the first person I've ever talked to about this. So I, uhm, got kinda carried away. You get a free rambling card to make up for it all though!" He laughed, not loud but a small laugh. "The rest can be a story for another day. If, well, um, you're interested that... is." He chuckled, feeling much much better. There was more, of course. He never even mentioned his dream, but he was sure Garnet had heard enough. He has enough of his own problems with Elias adding on to them. "Thank you."