#earthrunes

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Lord Hume has done a good job of staying out everyone's way

And Dame Claire has opinions

"Coradel, does he DO anything? I Mean while you were gone he was forced to, but I can tell you he avoids practice"

Coradel pauses in their sparring. "I believe he spends a great deal of time using computers and such. In his room."

"Great.. you know, I use a computer when I have to" she says "But he 'll need to learn to use a weapon when HE has to, but not once has he been out here, not to drill, spar, and if he needs lessons he's avoiding them. "

"Ugh. Fine. We might as well see what he's got, right now." She goes out to the hallway and locates a boggan. "Please ask Young Lord Hume to meet us here. He should dress prepared to exercise."

The boggan bows and says "Yes, Baroness." She withdraws

"Thank you," Claire says "We both know some weapon skill is expected of our leaders, fair or not, barbaric or ot"

Coradel makes an exasperated gesture. "I wouldn't mind so much if I had chosen him, I think."

"Of course not, who wants to play babysitter without warning?" She looks at her own midsection "Poor choice of words"

Then the boggan returns and bows "Lord Hume was asked, he said no thank you"

"True," she says to Claire.

Then she gives the boggan a very surprised look. "Did you phrase it as optional?"

"You told me to ask so I asked.. I didn't order.. or pass on an order.." The boggan looks sheepish "Is it an order?"

"It shouldn't have to be...." she mutters as she sweeps past the boggan and down the hall, on her way to Hume's rooms.

She finds Hume's room well enough, i was picked to be out of her way so she has to travel a bit but there it is.

A quick, sharp series of knocks on the door.

A moment, thenn the door opesn. Lord Hume wears a tee shirt that says 'Gone Phishing' and some blue jeans "Oh.. uhm Baroness?" He bows, that spine clickinng "I didn't expect you"

"Did you not? After declining the instruction to join me, you thought I would not have something to say about that?"

"Instruction?" He blinks "I was told I was asked.. I mean, you know, it was an option?" He almost stammers nervously

"I think that interpretation was not the most careful one you could have made. Why did you decline?"

"Well, it sounded like the sparring area? I don't use weapons or fight or stuff"

"Yet. You do not use them yet." She looks at his clothing. "Good enough. Come with me."

"Uh no, I don't use them.." But he follows "Ever. Those thinngs are dangerous"

"Yes. That is the point of them." She sets a quick pace. "You must have been very sheltered up until now."

"Well, the Duke is a Gwydion and he tried to get me trained...adn if the greatest warrior house can't make something of me..."

"Pfft! The greatest warrior house only tries to make the greatest warriors. I have no intention of attempting that. But you still need to exercise, and you need to be able to defend yourself in case of emergency."

"Isn' that what knights and thanes are for?"

"You really are so willing to surrender your defense to others? What if you are surrounded by those you cannot trust?"

"Well, i'll do background checks. I mean, you vet your people right?" he asks

An irritated sigh, and she stops. "Hume. You're to be my heir. Maybe you'll never need to fight, but I expect you to be prepared to defend yourself if necessary. This is a non-negotiable."

"But.. but.. I could get HURT" he says growin wide eyed as they enter the sparring ring

"Yes," she answers simply.

"I don't like pain, it stings!"

She stops and looks at him in the ring, and looks over to Dame Claire if she's still there. "He doesn't think he needs to learn to fight because he'll have thanes."

A sigh. "It stings. You get used to it. And you learn to defend yourself better to avoid getting hurt again."

Claire's piercing Ailil gaze locks on the boy, then she turns back to the Baroness "Perhaps he should think of how among the fae we expect our rulers to lead from the front while they're young"

"I'd like to live to be old" Hume says

"And that's why you need to learn to defend yourself; so you'll live long enough to age. Dame Claire, what do you think we should start him with."

"I suppose simple knife or dagger work might be wise."

"Staff might work too" A frown

"Look, this really isn't needful. I don't .. I'm not very brave" Hume explains

"For your sake, that's probably best. You won't go running into danger needlessly. Here." She tosses him a staff.

he tries to catch it, fumbles with it and drops it "uhm"

Claire mutters under her breath "Did we anger the gods?"

Coradel just sighs, then says, "Pick it up." She gets a staff for herself.

Hume picks it up, and holds it like a bat "Okay"

"Like this," she shows him how to hold it.

He holds it, if he were giving a hand shake it would be a limp fish