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[Hey Ryn guess what, we're going to the onsen today, but unlike previous visits to the onsen, upon arrival Thancred embarks on a quick journey of:
1) casing the premises to ensure they're alone
2) barricading the door
3) setting up a bunch of stuff that'll fall and make a loud noise if someone tries to force the door anyway
before finally slinging an arm around Ryn's waist and nodding in the direction of the hotsprings.]
...Can I tempt you with a soak? As there's no one here but us.
2) barricading the door
3) setting up a bunch of stuff that'll fall and make a loud noise if someone tries to force the door anyway
before finally slinging an arm around Ryn's waist and nodding in the direction of the hotsprings.]
...Can I tempt you with a soak? As there's no one here but us.
If it's anything like the ones from my star, the mineral water is supposed to have some minor restorative properties. Though I suppose it's up to you, what you think is best.
[He shrugs, a little helplessly.]
Even if you'd rather not, the side rooms are comfortable enough for a rest. I should know, I've spent a fair few days here myself, this week. The one on the left has an especially comfortable mediocre cushion.
[He shrugs, a little helplessly.]
Even if you'd rather not, the side rooms are comfortable enough for a rest. I should know, I've spent a fair few days here myself, this week. The one on the left has an especially comfortable mediocre cushion.
All right. We've plenty of time, for now.
[And it's not like that was an invitation to scoop him up and carry him again, but guess what! When you're Thancred you don't need an invitation to do stupid things, it's just part of your charm.]
Try to gather what strength you can. Tomorrow will almost certainly be twice as much chaos as usual.
[And it's not like that was an invitation to scoop him up and carry him again, but guess what! When you're Thancred you don't need an invitation to do stupid things, it's just part of your charm.]
Try to gather what strength you can. Tomorrow will almost certainly be twice as much chaos as usual.
You have a hand. My hand, specifically, along with two arms, two legs, and a capable back.
[And in they go to Thancred's favorite (by some definitions of favorite) little onsen side room, where he carefully settles Ryn down on the cushioned bed before hopping up with him, shifting them so that they're sitting back-to-chest, letting Ryn lie back against him as he likes while his legs spread into a casual V on either side of him.]
Comfortable?
[And in they go to Thancred's favorite (by some definitions of favorite) little onsen side room, where he carefully settles Ryn down on the cushioned bed before hopping up with him, shifting them so that they're sitting back-to-chest, letting Ryn lie back against him as he likes while his legs spread into a casual V on either side of him.]
Comfortable?
What I think would have happened?
[He lies back into the sand, stretching his limbs out like he wants it to consume him, to just sink into the earth and let it reclaim him. Wouldn't that be nice.]
I think everyone would have agreed that you didn't have the capacity to be involved. You weren't mobile enough. Too many pieces didn't fit. And then we would have gone around and around in circles until time forced our hand, made us all reckless.
Then someone would've said, well, we don't have a better answer, and there's only one person here with blood of that hue, and it's not much but it's not nothing. Mayhap someone would've tried to defend you, insist on your innocence. And then the question would've come, well. If not you, then who? How do we choose? Do we just descend into favoritism and personal bias? At that point, I expect most would welcome the opportunity to hang a volunteer for the cause.
For what little it's worth, I would've given you the choice. After everything, I wouldn't have forced you to watch me die in your place. But I would have done it, willingly, if it had turned out that you were more afraid of dying for someone else's crimes than you were of losing me.
[He lies back into the sand, stretching his limbs out like he wants it to consume him, to just sink into the earth and let it reclaim him. Wouldn't that be nice.]
I think everyone would have agreed that you didn't have the capacity to be involved. You weren't mobile enough. Too many pieces didn't fit. And then we would have gone around and around in circles until time forced our hand, made us all reckless.
Then someone would've said, well, we don't have a better answer, and there's only one person here with blood of that hue, and it's not much but it's not nothing. Mayhap someone would've tried to defend you, insist on your innocence. And then the question would've come, well. If not you, then who? How do we choose? Do we just descend into favoritism and personal bias? At that point, I expect most would welcome the opportunity to hang a volunteer for the cause.
For what little it's worth, I would've given you the choice. After everything, I wouldn't have forced you to watch me die in your place. But I would have done it, willingly, if it had turned out that you were more afraid of dying for someone else's crimes than you were of losing me.
Nav's yet to be implicated in any of our investigations, but I wouldn't hesitate to throw myself in front of it for her, either. If it had been her sword the only match to the hole in Chandra's throat, instead of something resembling your blood scattered about.
[He scrubs at his eyes with the back of his hand.]
We didn't have an answer, Ryn. I couldn't risk letting them hang you for nothing but that.
[He scrubs at his eyes with the back of his hand.]
We didn't have an answer, Ryn. I couldn't risk letting them hang you for nothing but that.
Oh no you don't. You were fully prepared to do it, you're not getting off as easily as saying well, but it didn't actually happen, so it's fine-
[his ears twitch, laying a little more flat.]
Don't do that again. Someone else can throw themselves on that particular altar.
[his ears twitch, laying a little more flat.]
Don't do that again. Someone else can throw themselves on that particular altar.
Who else?
[It's more bitter than he means it to be, but that seems to be more frustration with the situation than with Ryn.]
We're not exactly a cadre of martyrs. Your roommate couldn't even be bothered to exonerate you until it suited him to give half a damn.
[It's more bitter than he means it to be, but that seems to be more frustration with the situation than with Ryn.]
We're not exactly a cadre of martyrs. Your roommate couldn't even be bothered to exonerate you until it suited him to give half a damn.
I don't know-- anyone else! Why do we need a martyr, anyway, for all we know we'd have voted for Scaramouche anyway for being resistant!
[another angry twitch of his ears.]
That's just what I expect from my roommate, at this point, it wasn't a surprise.
[another angry twitch of his ears.]
That's just what I expect from my roommate, at this point, it wasn't a surprise.
Don't make it out to sound as though I'm running around looking for swords to fall on. If everything that happened today had gone a different way, I would've been in position to do something for it. It turns out it didn't go that way, and that precaution wasn't needed.
I don't want to die and leave you either, Rynlan. But I couldn't have just done nothing.
I don't want to die and leave you either, Rynlan. But I couldn't have just done nothing.
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