Please Explain (Donovan/Perun C Support)

[Donovan]

Perun’s words on fighting against evil struck a cord in Donovan, he was silent for a moment before he responded to his friends wisdom. “After my father’s death, I didn’t really think of anyone but myself and my mother. Making sure that the two of us had enough money and security to live has been all that mattered to me for years now. But you are right. Sometimes we have to fight against impossible odds, to turn that tide back to a better way.”

When Donovan showed the orange giant his scar, Perun laughed loud enough that a trio of ravens shot out of the trees in fear. It was nice that the giant did not look down on his scars, or see them as a sign of weakness. Donovan had feared since he got them that others would see him as fragile or as an easy target because he’d sustained such a wound.

“I suppose that is very true! You’re father sounds like a smart man. If being young is biting off more than you can chew that I intend to bite off as much as I can get my teeth on! Here’s to living forever!” The mercenary laughed wildly. He supposed he still had some adrenaline from the fight pumping through his veins.

The orange Giant shifted the priest’s weight a little, and Donovan felt a little bad for not sharing the burden. “Do you want me to carry him for a little, Perun?” Then the Giant scratched vigorously as the top of his head, again. “What in the world is going on at the top of your head, mate?!”

[Perun]

Perun laughed at Donovan's sort of pun in the use of the word tide. Either that was a call back to when they had discussed the ocean, or it was simply a metaphor meant to address the topic and completely unconnected to what either had said about the waves. Even if it was the latter, it was a funny coincidence. "It is good thing you there for mother Duno-ven, but hopefully someone is being there for you, yes? No matter how strong someone is, they are always needing shoulder for when something so bad is happening." Perun patted Donovan on the back once more. "Perun is sure Duno-ven's father would be being proud of him."

The orange giant lifted the priest off his shoulder with ease, and held him in both his arms for a moment before flopping him onto his other shoulder. "Do you see this? It is being as if Perun has only just been picking up man. Besides, is not heavy, simply uncomfortable. Not meaning to offend Duno-ven but Perun is strong enough to lift alone, Duno-ven can walk without man's hand hitting his back." Perun smiled again.

As for the top of Perun's head, he had about as much of a clue as Donovan did for what was the cause of his discomfort. "Perun is not know, he is taking a bath at little village just last week. Perun would not be dirty enough to get caught by fleas in a weak." Perun scratched his head once more, this time it was not for the itch, but instead in his search for an answer.

[Donovan]

The mercenary chuckled morbidly, he didn’t feel like he had any shoulders to cry on since his father’s death. His mother needed him to be strong, so he became strong. He always felt like she needed him more than he needed anyone else. But he was starting to realize that that might not actually be the case. “Thank you, Perun. I appreciate that.” Donovan was beginning to realize that the warrior was a far wiser person than anyone probably gave him credit. Its funny how an accent can be enough to make people think you aren’t clever.

The orange giant began to shift the body onto his other shoulder. Perun was basically able to juggle the acolyte’s body as easily as Donovan’s father might have juggled a ball. The green clad mercenary was given then a true insight into just how mind bogglingly strong his new friend was. “If you say so, Big Guy. I’m fine with you doing the heavy lifting. I mean, heavy lifting for me, clearly this is as easy as caring a jug of water home from the river for you.” The mercenary thought for a second. “Do you know how much you can lift before the weight gets to be too heavy?”

So Perun had bathed a week ago? That wasn’t enough time for bugs to worm their way through that knot of hair on his head. “Maybe we should get you some ointment or something in town, might help. You could always go visit my mother, too, she’s a healer.”

[Perun]

Perun scratched the top of his head one more time, with feeling. His mother had always told him that if you ignore an itch, it goes away. However, Perun was never a man very good at ignoring something that felt like a snake was crawling and slithering along his skin. However, he let out a large breath from his nose, and decided that would be the last time he would scratch his head until he counted to a hundred. Then he could scratch again, but he would have to wait until he reached two hundred. Eventually, he would get so high that he could ignore the itch, or it would simply go away. Either way, he needed to stop indulging himself.

The orange giant lifted his arm to scratch his head in thought, but stopped himself, instead he scratched his neck. "Perun is not knowing the exact limits of his strength. Men in Perun village very much strong. Weakest men in village stronger than most people Perun is meeting outside. Every year, men in village gather shields, and two men will push them against each other. Men who falls loses, and men are winning go against other men who are winning, until only one man is stand with shield. Perun was being in shield contest since being five and ten springs old, and Perun is never getting knocked down after he is twenty and one spring old." He had slipped the first year. The second year, he had agreed to fall against his brother so that his brother would look good and be taken on a raid. The third year he had lost to his father, and the fourth he had slipped in the mud a second time. The last two years had both been draws with the chief of his clan, and Perun had fallen to his right knee to avoid his actions being seen as a direct challenge. After that year however, he had not allowed any man to put him on his back.

"The most Perun has been lifting is great big log almost the size of Perun. Perun is thinking he could have lifted over his head if thing was not being so tall. Once Perun was getting it to his chest, it started to tip. Perun is really not knowing how much he is can be lifting." Perun squinted ahead if the two, and saw the village in the distance. Perun said to his friend, "Duno-ven's mother is being a healer? Perun's is being member of village council. Not as many people are going to Perun's mother for help Perun is guessing!"

[Donovan]

Donovan saw his friend begin to lift his hand up to scratch the top of his head again, and was surprised when he pulled his hand back down. The green clad mercenary was not surprised to hear that Perun came from a village with men similar in strength. “That sounds like a pretty fun sport. Also like the kind of thing that would end with me falling flat on my a**.” The mercenary laughed. He looked down at his left arm, where he had worn a shield during his time fighting for Grev’s caravan. It wouldn’t have come in any use against the acolyte, but he felt like he should find a new one, for when he eventually had to face off against some enemies armed with more defendable weaponry.

“You did not lift up something that big!?” The mercenary laughed wildly, “Do you actually expect me to believe that you lifted a tree on your own?” He shook his head, but tilted his head as he sized up the giant again. “On second thought, you definitely could.”

“You’re mother’s a politician?” That was one of the more surprising things Donovan had heard today, he chuckled. “I think we’re getting pretty close to town. Remember, when we get in there, we need to take the body over to the constables as quickly as possible. Something tells me that we wouldn’t be very well received in these parts, two outsiders carrying an monk’s dead body.” Small towns like this could be notoriously cruel to outsiders. And notoriously zealous in their devotion to the church. If there were too many witnesses, then they may have some trouble.

[Perun]

Perun threw his head back in laughter once more, before saying, Perun is not going to be lying to you Duno-ven, you might make it through first or second round on shield wall! But Perun is also not saying he lift tree, only piece of tree, maybe size of small tree. Perun wonders if it is way that he was lifting log that made it tip." Perun scratched at his neck to try and trick the part of his mind telling him to scratch his head. He was going to beat this itch, he was determined to.

"Perun would not be saying his mother is political woman. Women in Perun's village are being more like... what is word? Judges! Women in Perun village are like outside world judges. If person is doing something and the consequence are being confusing, it is women in Perun's village who decide what happens to them. Women do other things too if they are wanting, but all women are expected to be participating in councils. They are also deciding when wars are starting and ending." Sometimes they held off far too long on that decision, and people were killed. People had told Perun of the wars seizing this country, and they for the most part sounded base, like they weren't worth fighting for. The only conflicts he would get into would be the battle against Etruria and their goddess. If she was real, and played a part in mortal's lives, Perun would struggle to be the one who rung her neck.

Perun hiked the priest up once more. He laughed, "Perun is thinking that is good plan. Besides, Perun is scary enough for the small people without dead priest, Perun must be terrifying people now."

[Donovan]

The large orange warrior’s explanation made a lot more sense to the green clad mercenary. After all, it was often Donovan’s own mother who would act as the mediator during despots in the troupe. "That’s really interesting, Perun. I had no idea that Ilian tribes ran so much like a theatre troupe. Growing up, it was always my mother’s job as the matriarch to take care of all of the in fighting and feuds that would creep up on the road. She once had to strand someone in the middle of Laus, when they were caught stealing from our repairs fund. The bloke could have gotten us all killed if the wagons had suffered any damage before we found him out! My dad was never too good at the judging. He was always either too harsh or too soft. He couldn’t figure out how to balance people’s respect as a leader. But my mom can keep anyone in line!” The mercenary scratched the back of his head — I better not be getting some ridiculous itch on my head, too. “I can’t say that she ever declared a war, though. That’s a bit out of her pay range.” Donovan laughed hardily at the thought of his mother sending a band of actors and musicians to war with a rival troupe.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page, my friend. It would be a shame for us to rid this small village of such a…” He looked at the priest’s corpse and shook his head in disgust and shame, “terrible monster. Better for us to keep as low a profile as we can.”

[Perun]

The broad shouldered Ilian popped his elbow in the arm that was not preoccupied with the priest's body. He could hear the small sound of his joint shifting. When he had been twelve, he had fallen from a tree near his village, and had cascaded through the branches to land with his full weight on his right side. Ever since, there was always a popping noise when he moved that arm. He should have probably been worried, but for some strange reason, he only ever wanted to pop the thing instead of get it inspected. For almost twenty years his arm had held out since that day, and he doubted it would fall from that injury now.

Perun spit into a patch of grass on the side of the road. The orange giant was getting tired of carrying the priest now. Not physically tired, more upset with the mental strain that went along with hauling around a dead man. Even if the man was evil, it did not make Perun feel clean. "Yes it is hard thing, to be declaring war. Perun is not doubting a troupe of theatre is being somehow like Perun's tribe, but Perun's tribe is different with bloodshed. Perun is agreeing with Duno-ven, let us leave man for village to carry." Perun marched on for a few more moments in the silence of the road.

Perun smiled without showing any teeth as his eyes drifted to the sky. He had thought about things now that he had pushed aside for a long time. It was his young companion that brought them back, there was something in him that made Perun believe he was special. Perun had never been one to do much other than fight, but this boy clearly had other parts to his character. Perun would do his part to make sure the boy got his chance to do more than simply be a warrior. The two had crossed into the village now. "Perun is being very happy to have been meeting Duno-ven."

[Donovan]

The green clad mercenary cracked his neck, as the pair closed in on the city’s limits. It had been a very long time since he’d felt comfortable with anyone, even his own mother. He’d been fighting with along side hardened mercenaries or young and naive want-to-be heroes for months, neither were particularly good company. The older mercs were either had no interest or ability to hold a conversation, or they were the type who only ever cared about being on the job. The young “heroes” by contrast had a tendency to be overly chatty, not very bright, and had a unique penchant for getting killed or wounded trying to save the day against a group of low life bandits.

But Perun was friendly, a skilled fighter, and as far as the green clad mercenary could tell, an over all good guy. “I’m glad to have met you, too, Perun. It can be hard to find any decent people to work with when you’re in our line of work.” He looked over at the dead acolyte and felt a little sick to his stomach. “That was the first living man I’d ever killed… I don’t know how I feel about it, to be honest. I know he deserved it and that we most likely saved some innocent lives, but still. Growing up an actor, you never exactly expect to take another’s life.” He shook his head, as they passed back into the village. “Thank you for coming with me, my friend. I know that I wouldn’t have survived against him on my own.”

Donovan put on his sternest face as the pair entered the constable's office. Time to put on the show.

[End Thread]