#bergen_county

"Want to know what I think? Or feel?"

Shrug. "You feel like talking?"

"Sure."

A gesture for him to go on.

"So, going on from here. I'm not holding any grudges. Chief wants us to work together, and we're supposed to work for her and defend the Balefire and the Freehold and the Barony and that's what I'm going to do the best I can."

"Gonna be different when they wake up the elf."

"Maybe. Sure. Probably. But I haven't yet, and no one knows how or why, so I kinda gotta deal with what's happening -now-, right?"

"Yeah, makes sense."

Another deep breath. "So yeah, I'm going to show up and I'm going to fight the best I can, and I've gotten better with my weapons and I have a fancy new sword that I'm training with too."

"Yeah, saw that."

He nods.

"If you're in charge, I do what you tell me to. I'll follow a plan as much as I can. I'll take my hits and I'll get up till I can't. Like ball."

An eyebrow.

"Do what I say, unless you don't like it?"

"In combat, or, like on a mission? Probably let you know what I think about it, yeah, but push comes to shove? I can follow a game plan."

"Right then."

"Ok."

"Like I said, I'll do my job."

"Cool."

"You remember all the Escheat stuff, right? What we talked about?"

"All the stuff we talked about, and all the stuff I've studied since. Yep."

"Good."

"And, for what it's worth, I'm in your Debt." Another deep breath. "You've got my regret and apology. Let me know... no, I'm working on it myself. If I figure it out how to make it up to you, I'll let you know. You want to have a poke at me, name the time and place; I'll be there. I don't want to be a bother to you or hurt you more. You want to tell me the best way to do that?"

A huff, frustrated. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm good with that."

"So stop talking and acting like I do."

"Ok."

"Do you get why I don't like it?"

"Code of Dagda? Chivalry, Might for Right, Protect the weak." A pause. "Not that I'm weak but.... comparatively."

"So, that's why I wouldn't do it, sure."

"But I mean, why I don't like you talking like that, that I'd want to hurt you."

"Other people might think it was true?"

"You seem to think it's true."

"That you want to hurt me? Well, I would understand why. And you were pretty worked up late night. But if you say you don't, you don't. I believe you. So I won't say it again."

"You though that before last night."

"Last night was a shit show but it... I feel like we should let it clear the air, right?"

"You know, I wasn't going around telling people that you wanted to hurt me or anything. All I ever said was that we didn't make a good match and you broke up with me. Not to bring up a sore subject but...."

"Why do you think I wanted to hurt you?"

" 'Cause I hurt you?" puzzled.

An odd expression, before - "You did hurt me."

"We weren't a good match, no. But you did hurt me."

"Yeah, and I figured that's why you'd want to hurt me if you -did- want to hurt me. And you were acting pretty, you know, distant and pissed off so hurting me seemed like maybe you would. But I didn't say that to anyone."

"So you don't think that that was a problem then?"

"That you wanted to hurt someone who hurt you? No, not really. Repay a Debt, right?"

Grunt.

"So no, you don't."

"Tell.... I mean, if you want, I'd like to learn."

"That's not repaying a debt."

"And how do you think it felt, watching you flinch and flee from me, for months?"

"Dag, I swear, I ...." He stops himself with a visible effort of will. "I guess..... I mean, it must have sucked a lot."