Chapter 175: 175
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Gan chuckled and said, "I kind of figured that's how it would go. You are who you are. I'm happy knowing you accept me as I am. What's so hard about that? I never really thought-"
Orison said a little shakily, "I'm not done."
The scout gave the young mage a look very similar to the one a nice adult would give to a child whose being pushy for attention in a way they find cute. "Alright then. Get it all off your chest."
He took a moment to steady himself and then Orison said, "Because of that, the things I want, there's this line between us. I don't like that it makes what I tell you a little bit of a lie. It bothers me because there were so many of your own personal lines... You'll understand all that later.
With an unsteady hand from nerves, Orison poured himself one more shot to keep him going.
Seeing the young mage 'try' so hard, Gan tried to let him off the hook. "I think I get where you're going but you don't need to say more. It's fine. I appreciate the thought."
He ignored the scout and plowed on. "You'd be happier staying on the other side of that line. Eventually, when you got tired of only finding 'friends', you'd find a special person that you could be the number one of who made you their number one. Maybe it wouldn't last forever and all that but it would be yours. I'd suffer from a case of best friend jealousy because there would be this person with a claim to your time and energy that wasn't me but I'd get over it because I WANT you to be happy.
"I-if you ever feel that crossing that line is what you really want... then you have ONE shot. I'll pursue a woman who could accept that... you know... but you'd be mine just like her and I don't care how unreasonable that is. You would be all mine and she would be all mine and the two of you would be one half of my number one."
Gan looked at him blankly for a moment and started trembling as a tear came to the corner of his eye. Right as Orison began wondering if he should have waited to say that after it would be alright to pat the scout on the back or something, Gan started braying out laughter that he couldn't hold back anymore.
Between huge draws of air, the Northlander said, "I'm... sorry. It's just... try saying that again when you don't look like you're... ready to make a run for it."
Annoyed and with bruised pride, the young mage said, "Like I told you already, I'm never saying it again. Best remember it and see if you're laughing later this evening when it's your turn to get molly-whopped by future's past nonsense."
The young mage had never looked so much like a child in the scout's eyes as he did in that moment, arms folded and sulking. Sensing Gan's subconsciously judging gaze, Orison stowed away the ridiculousness of a laughed off declaration he hadn't even particularly wanted to make. The future that wouldn't pass held no power over the future that would.
He'd done what his conscience demanded and was satisfied. He still hoped Gan could find a happiness of his own. But if the scout wanted to walk the whole road from beginning to end with him, he'd honor his word and be glad for the company, if not so thrilled about it's accompanying responsibilities.
Silence reigned on their trip to the water park. For once, Orison had no idea at all what Gan was thinking but he had a mind full of thoughts himself. Foremost among them were the two women who made a lasting impression on him.
He didn't know if he'd had made any lasting impression on Lily but she had certainly left one on him. The aversion her mutilated mummy of a body left him with had long been replaced with the saucy smile framed with frizzy red hair. A person who could walk out of the nearly endless pain and despair of the Abyss with a carefree face could handle the small amount of emotional luggage Orison carried with him. The thing was, he wasn't so confident she would want to.
Wendy was a contradiction of strength and vulnerability. She was lonely but hopeful. As much as she projected the desire to have someone to lean on, she had a core of independence that kept her propped up fine on her own. The only obvious sore spot, she was a working woman and it looked like her boss was a real slave driver.
His intuition told him that Wendy could accept anything about him as long as he was willing to return that acceptance. The thing was, until he met her again, he wouldn't know what all he would have to be willing to accept in return. It was likely that her patron would be an indefinite source of disruption to their relationship at the very least.
It did little good to dwell on it. What would be would be. And as long as a climber lived, time wasn't a thing they typically had a shortage of. Though a climber's personal time was no rare commodity, the time they had with any one person was as uncertain as any mortal's life.
As soon as the cab dropped them off, Orison was bombarded with a sizable crowd all wanting to pay respects of some kind or other. Soon enough, the young mage was joined by his two teenage wards and ringed by four Planar Response members in water park 'field gear' for their 'undercover' security work. For things to be proper, he had to give a mission briefing before going off to do his own thing and that included socializing.
Everyone was wearing happy expressions while their 'duty lead' dispensed their responsibilities. "Turner, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to let your wife know how it feels to be the basted chicken. Don't worry, the tanning beach you baked at has it's settings tuned to wobble from the eight in the morning position starting at eight tonight... Additionally, try to set some time to mend things with Janet and Gina. "If not for their sake, for Babs. Your kids love her and that girl is enough of a loner as it is... I'm not asking for a miracle, just a chance. You think you can handle that mission?"
Turner gave a salute and said, "It would be an honor and a pleasure, sir. She won't admit it but Gina misses that woman. It's not like we didn't know she had some problems. It was just too much to see all that ugly at once but now that we know a little more about the whole situation, I think it'll be alright."
Orison dismissed him to fulfill his 'assignments' before turning to Roy, "Bud, I actually have one serious mission for you before that mission becomes serious fun. I need you to escort Stag, that's the green haired man that looks a little sluggish, to Eo Pan. Keep an eye out for him until he starts looking better.
"Once he's up to fending for himself, I do believe you've held a dear wish in your heart to go to Naked Truth Island? Do some reconnaissance there and self report only once you've uncovered its most interesting secrets. But before that, take this supplement and report its effectiveness."
Roy looked at the malted milk ball looking pellet for a second before chewing it up with a bitter look on his face. "Sir, it tastes awful but the aftertaste isn't so...whoa. Reporting... I feel refreshed and two-three years recovered. There seems to be a mild restoration to stress weaknesses in my magic channels."
Chuckling, Orison said, "I'm just going with the flow. The underlying message is 'enjoy yourself'... Feel up to your missions?"
Roy crisply saluted and said, "Sir, yes sir!... Uh, about the life force exchange payment..."
"News for another day, Specialist Roy," Orison replied.
The equipment specialist dropped his salute and headed out as the young mage turned to the last two. "El, Em, What you do before and after your assignment is entirely up to you. Around ten, er, 2200 hours I need the people on this handwritten list and two water transport platforms at a location halfway between the entrance to the Islands of Truth and the islands themselves. I also need that point to be fairly equidistant between Brutal Truth and Eo Pan.
"Sorry for giving you guys a very real and important assignment while everyone else gets to goof off. Being right in the middle of everything means that you can't quite unwind as much as everyone else either. I'll make it up to you with an extra... appetizer at the party tomorrow. Sound like a deal?"
El said, "It's alright, Sonny. This assignment knocked us back down the list for ocean border patrol. They suck."
Em nodded vigorously a few times and added, "They like to put us out there when the weather's the worst because we won't drown but they seem to forget that if our suits rip, we can still freeze to death. If you looked at our medical records you'd think our family has some sort of genetic disposition for pneumonia."
Once they had left, the young mage left the central security hub's briefing room. After giving a few 'potential problem' heads ups to actual security, he gave Gan the time for the Islands meetup and directed the scout to the locations of potential vendors that might have goods worth noting. To not be overly conspicuous about antisocial behavior when he orchestrated it all, the young mage made an hour long round with all the invites before breaking off to go his own way.
It didn't take long to realize there wouldn't be any peace before he prepped for the Islands meeting. Esme and Trish might be able to scare off most of the invitee girls but the park wasn't closed to the public before they came and far too many people were interested in him. Eventually, he begged off to have a 'serious meeting' with Adena and her father that he didn't really need to but he'd rather be 'Big Brother'ed to death while being glared at than deal with an entourage of people trying individually to get his attention.
After the young Firebrand said a few words and expressed her excitement about starting First Wave, Adena took the opportunity to go out and have some unsupervised fun. She fully intended on getting lost in the park well enough her dad would have a hard time finding her. After one look at the dour faced man with hair so yellow it was almost neon, he could see why.
"What did you want to talk about, Cantrip," the man said in a surly tone.
The young mage thought to himself, "I'd like to be your image consultant. Learn to smile more or slick back your hair. You look like a demon wearing a Grade School sunflower costume headpiece."
Facing down the irritable papa bear, he said, "Tuesday, the week after next, I plan on running my team through a trial by fire through Plague Barrens. Your thoughts?"
The man stared intensely at Orison and said, "You're either planning on failing in a way that won't embarrass you or passing with flying colors. What's your goal?"
The young mage stared back unflinchingly. "There are things that can't or shouldn't be discussed outside of secure places. I can say that you'll have a better idea after tomorrow's party. I know you originally turned down the RSVP that Rio sent to Adena earlier today. Reconsider. Better yet, come with her. I don't even want my mentor to come and he found a way to extort invitations for his wife, children AND mistress!"
While the man dithered, Orison wrote a note with spirit essence on a napkin and handed it over. After instructing Mr. Firebrand to read it with the faint amount of spiritual sense the man possessed, Mr. Firebrand burned it. The message was simple. The fiancee that he had set up for Adena and had begun trying to brow beat her into accepting, was a devil devotee. The young mage promised to give evidence at the party. After requesting a psychic scan from The Weird to make sure his mind or spirit hadn't been altered or influenced, Mr. Firebrand agreed to bring Adena to the young mage's party.
To burn some time til eight when the park would close its doors to all save vacationers and people training in some of the on site facilities, Orison tracked down Esme and Trish. In the process of trying to reach a friendly understanding with them, he discovered that HE was the one who misunderstood. The two young women were 'very close' friends and with Trish having broken up with the man that the two women had an 'understanding' with, Esme was looking to replace him with 'higher quality goods'.
What they wanted was fairly simple but difficult to find. Esme needed an 'interest' to parade in front of polite society or at least a name she could use as a shield. Trish was a big hearted girl trying her best to honor the love she had for a childhood best friend while easing the ache of more primal needs in the present while looking forward to more practical needs in the future.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't want to get involved with something so complicated. But due to a fresh perspective on the issue and knowledge of what was to come, he felt moved. Making no promises, he offered to stand in until situations made such an arrangement too difficult or they found a candidate more willing to commit.
After renting a room at the water park's vacation area, he demonstrated that he was more than capable of fulfilling present needs. Seeing Trish's satisfied look and Esme's complicated one, he felt that burning all his buffer time on the 'surprise project' was well worth the time spent. It wasn't just about the pleasure. It was the moment of gratitude the situation had generated in him towards Lyra for her 'teachings'. It helped him tackle the grudge he had held against the woman, allowing him to let the majority of it go.
As Esme put herself back together while Trish took a small nap, she said, "That's your idea of a quickie? What's it take to satisfy you!?"
He stepped out of the shower and used a dash of magic to dry off. "Last time I clocked it when I wasn't attention starved, around six hours, give or take."
She looked at him cynically and said, "Are we trying to show off with a little harmless bragging?"
Orison smiled bitterly, "No. It's the way the engine's built. When I'm willing, I can warm up fast but it takes a long time to cool down. It's all rain with no clouds until hour three or four. I'm honestly worried about it a little. I think most people who haven't, would like to experience a whole day of 'love' but too much of anything is bad and there's a lot of good things to be said about being able to feel satisfied after a few minutes of scratching an itch."
Esme asked hesitantly, "How old are you, really?"
"You tell me. What does the balance between an immature man in his mid thirties and a world weary young teenager equal out to? Between soul, body and memory, what does and doesn't matter? Unless you just want to look at physical age, which would be a huge mistake in Avalon, the answer to your question is more philosophical than even I'm comfortable with," Orison answered as honestly as he could.
Activating his teaser suit, he strode out to where Gan had been patiently waiting long enough to hear things that would bother the young mage if it was anyone else.
As they walked away, Esme stepped out of the room, pointed at the over robe Orison was donning and said, "I want one of those."
Without turning back, the young mage said, "Ask Trisha what she wants her show off gift to be along with whatever term of endearment I'm supposed to call you in public. In the mean time, keep from embarrassing Rio and I'll see what I can do before our one month anniversary."
Once they'd made it a distance, Gan chuckled against the awkward silence and said, "Why did that seem like a bit of business between business rather than some fun between business."
The young mage said wearily, "Because for Esme, that's what it was. To put it in a way you're more familiar with hearing, Esme and Trisha are shield sisters. Trisha just likes to hang her shield up on a man's mantle from time to time."
"It looked more like they welcomed a man to hang his sword on their mantle from time to time," Gan said wryly.
Orison shook his head and added, "This isn't your homeland. There are quite a few mantles that have an extra sword or shield and it's not always easy to tell which hangs over the other. It's not shameful to love who you will here and it's not shameful for a woman to be the decision maker but personal ability equals privilege.
"Sometimes that means people have strange home lives. People might get married for love but have children with someone else or even get a legacy compatibility match from the fertility clinic. You know this. I bet you never saw a decent looking or ability possessing C-class or better woman in the irregulars."
Gan said, "B-class men either. There were one or two who drifted in with a proud heart but left pretty fast with low heads."
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Gan chuckled and said, "I kind of figured that's how it would go. You are who you are. I'm happy knowing you accept me as I am. What's so hard about that? I never really thought-"
Orison said a little shakily, "I'm not done."
The scout gave the young mage a look very similar to the one a nice adult would give to a child whose being pushy for attention in a way they find cute. "Alright then. Get it all off your chest."
He took a moment to steady himself and then Orison said, "Because of that, the things I want, there's this line between us. I don't like that it makes what I tell you a little bit of a lie. It bothers me because there were so many of your own personal lines... You'll understand all that later.
With an unsteady hand from nerves, Orison poured himself one more shot to keep him going.
Seeing the young mage 'try' so hard, Gan tried to let him off the hook. "I think I get where you're going but you don't need to say more. It's fine. I appreciate the thought."
He ignored the scout and plowed on. "You'd be happier staying on the other side of that line. Eventually, when you got tired of only finding 'friends', you'd find a special person that you could be the number one of who made you their number one. Maybe it wouldn't last forever and all that but it would be yours. I'd suffer from a case of best friend jealousy because there would be this person with a claim to your time and energy that wasn't me but I'd get over it because I WANT you to be happy.
"I-if you ever feel that crossing that line is what you really want... then you have ONE shot. I'll pursue a woman who could accept that... you know... but you'd be mine just like her and I don't care how unreasonable that is. You would be all mine and she would be all mine and the two of you would be one half of my number one."
Gan looked at him blankly for a moment and started trembling as a tear came to the corner of his eye. Right as Orison began wondering if he should have waited to say that after it would be alright to pat the scout on the back or something, Gan started braying out laughter that he couldn't hold back anymore.
Between huge draws of air, the Northlander said, "I'm... sorry. It's just... try saying that again when you don't look like you're... ready to make a run for it."
Annoyed and with bruised pride, the young mage said, "Like I told you already, I'm never saying it again. Best remember it and see if you're laughing later this evening when it's your turn to get molly-whopped by future's past nonsense."
The young mage had never looked so much like a child in the scout's eyes as he did in that moment, arms folded and sulking. Sensing Gan's subconsciously judging gaze, Orison stowed away the ridiculousness of a laughed off declaration he hadn't even particularly wanted to make. The future that wouldn't pass held no power over the future that would.
He'd done what his conscience demanded and was satisfied. He still hoped Gan could find a happiness of his own. But if the scout wanted to walk the whole road from beginning to end with him, he'd honor his word and be glad for the company, if not so thrilled about it's accompanying responsibilities.
Silence reigned on their trip to the water park. For once, Orison had no idea at all what Gan was thinking but he had a mind full of thoughts himself. Foremost among them were the two women who made a lasting impression on him.
He didn't know if he'd had made any lasting impression on Lily but she had certainly left one on him. The aversion her mutilated mummy of a body left him with had long been replaced with the saucy smile framed with frizzy red hair. A person who could walk out of the nearly endless pain and despair of the Abyss with a carefree face could handle the small amount of emotional luggage Orison carried with him. The thing was, he wasn't so confident she would want to.
Wendy was a contradiction of strength and vulnerability. She was lonely but hopeful. As much as she projected the desire to have someone to lean on, she had a core of independence that kept her propped up fine on her own. The only obvious sore spot, she was a working woman and it looked like her boss was a real slave driver.
His intuition told him that Wendy could accept anything about him as long as he was willing to return that acceptance. The thing was, until he met her again, he wouldn't know what all he would have to be willing to accept in return. It was likely that her patron would be an indefinite source of disruption to their relationship at the very least.
It did little good to dwell on it. What would be would be. And as long as a climber lived, time wasn't a thing they typically had a shortage of. Though a climber's personal time was no rare commodity, the time they had with any one person was as uncertain as any mortal's life.
As soon as the cab dropped them off, Orison was bombarded with a sizable crowd all wanting to pay respects of some kind or other. Soon enough, the young mage was joined by his two teenage wards and ringed by four Planar Response members in water park 'field gear' for their 'undercover' security work. For things to be proper, he had to give a mission briefing before going off to do his own thing and that included socializing.
Everyone was wearing happy expressions while their 'duty lead' dispensed their responsibilities. "Turner, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to let your wife know how it feels to be the basted chicken. Don't worry, the tanning beach you baked at has it's settings tuned to wobble from the eight in the morning position starting at eight tonight... Additionally, try to set some time to mend things with Janet and Gina. "If not for their sake, for Babs. Your kids love her and that girl is enough of a loner as it is... I'm not asking for a miracle, just a chance. You think you can handle that mission?"
Turner gave a salute and said, "It would be an honor and a pleasure, sir. She won't admit it but Gina misses that woman. It's not like we didn't know she had some problems. It was just too much to see all that ugly at once but now that we know a little more about the whole situation, I think it'll be alright."
Orison dismissed him to fulfill his 'assignments' before turning to Roy, "Bud, I actually have one serious mission for you before that mission becomes serious fun. I need you to escort Stag, that's the green haired man that looks a little sluggish, to Eo Pan. Keep an eye out for him until he starts looking better.
"Once he's up to fending for himself, I do believe you've held a dear wish in your heart to go to Naked Truth Island? Do some reconnaissance there and self report only once you've uncovered its most interesting secrets. But before that, take this supplement and report its effectiveness."
Roy looked at the malted milk ball looking pellet for a second before chewing it up with a bitter look on his face. "Sir, it tastes awful but the aftertaste isn't so...whoa. Reporting... I feel refreshed and two-three years recovered. There seems to be a mild restoration to stress weaknesses in my magic channels."
Chuckling, Orison said, "I'm just going with the flow. The underlying message is 'enjoy yourself'... Feel up to your missions?"
Roy crisply saluted and said, "Sir, yes sir!... Uh, about the life force exchange payment..."
"News for another day, Specialist Roy," Orison replied.
The equipment specialist dropped his salute and headed out as the young mage turned to the last two. "El, Em, What you do before and after your assignment is entirely up to you. Around ten, er, 2200 hours I need the people on this handwritten list and two water transport platforms at a location halfway between the entrance to the Islands of Truth and the islands themselves. I also need that point to be fairly equidistant between Brutal Truth and Eo Pan.
"Sorry for giving you guys a very real and important assignment while everyone else gets to goof off. Being right in the middle of everything means that you can't quite unwind as much as everyone else either. I'll make it up to you with an extra... appetizer at the party tomorrow. Sound like a deal?"
El said, "It's alright, Sonny. This assignment knocked us back down the list for ocean border patrol. They suck."
Em nodded vigorously a few times and added, "They like to put us out there when the weather's the worst because we won't drown but they seem to forget that if our suits rip, we can still freeze to death. If you looked at our medical records you'd think our family has some sort of genetic disposition for pneumonia."
Once they had left, the young mage left the central security hub's briefing room. After giving a few 'potential problem' heads ups to actual security, he gave Gan the time for the Islands meetup and directed the scout to the locations of potential vendors that might have goods worth noting. To not be overly conspicuous about antisocial behavior when he orchestrated it all, the young mage made an hour long round with all the invites before breaking off to go his own way.
It didn't take long to realize there wouldn't be any peace before he prepped for the Islands meeting. Esme and Trish might be able to scare off most of the invitee girls but the park wasn't closed to the public before they came and far too many people were interested in him. Eventually, he begged off to have a 'serious meeting' with Adena and her father that he didn't really need to but he'd rather be 'Big Brother'ed to death while being glared at than deal with an entourage of people trying individually to get his attention.
After the young Firebrand said a few words and expressed her excitement about starting First Wave, Adena took the opportunity to go out and have some unsupervised fun. She fully intended on getting lost in the park well enough her dad would have a hard time finding her. After one look at the dour faced man with hair so yellow it was almost neon, he could see why.
"What did you want to talk about, Cantrip," the man said in a surly tone.
The young mage thought to himself, "I'd like to be your image consultant. Learn to smile more or slick back your hair. You look like a demon wearing a Grade School sunflower costume headpiece."
Facing down the irritable papa bear, he said, "Tuesday, the week after next, I plan on running my team through a trial by fire through Plague Barrens. Your thoughts?"
The man stared intensely at Orison and said, "You're either planning on failing in a way that won't embarrass you or passing with flying colors. What's your goal?"
The young mage stared back unflinchingly. "There are things that can't or shouldn't be discussed outside of secure places. I can say that you'll have a better idea after tomorrow's party. I know you originally turned down the RSVP that Rio sent to Adena earlier today. Reconsider. Better yet, come with her. I don't even want my mentor to come and he found a way to extort invitations for his wife, children AND mistress!"
While the man dithered, Orison wrote a note with spirit essence on a napkin and handed it over. After instructing Mr. Firebrand to read it with the faint amount of spiritual sense the man possessed, Mr. Firebrand burned it. The message was simple. The fiancee that he had set up for Adena and had begun trying to brow beat her into accepting, was a devil devotee. The young mage promised to give evidence at the party. After requesting a psychic scan from The Weird to make sure his mind or spirit hadn't been altered or influenced, Mr. Firebrand agreed to bring Adena to the young mage's party.
To burn some time til eight when the park would close its doors to all save vacationers and people training in some of the on site facilities, Orison tracked down Esme and Trish. In the process of trying to reach a friendly understanding with them, he discovered that HE was the one who misunderstood. The two young women were 'very close' friends and with Trish having broken up with the man that the two women had an 'understanding' with, Esme was looking to replace him with 'higher quality goods'.
What they wanted was fairly simple but difficult to find. Esme needed an 'interest' to parade in front of polite society or at least a name she could use as a shield. Trish was a big hearted girl trying her best to honor the love she had for a childhood best friend while easing the ache of more primal needs in the present while looking forward to more practical needs in the future.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't want to get involved with something so complicated. But due to a fresh perspective on the issue and knowledge of what was to come, he felt moved. Making no promises, he offered to stand in until situations made such an arrangement too difficult or they found a candidate more willing to commit.
After renting a room at the water park's vacation area, he demonstrated that he was more than capable of fulfilling present needs. Seeing Trish's satisfied look and Esme's complicated one, he felt that burning all his buffer time on the 'surprise project' was well worth the time spent. It wasn't just about the pleasure. It was the moment of gratitude the situation had generated in him towards Lyra for her 'teachings'. It helped him tackle the grudge he had held against the woman, allowing him to let the majority of it go.
As Esme put herself back together while Trish took a small nap, she said, "That's your idea of a quickie? What's it take to satisfy you!?"
He stepped out of the shower and used a dash of magic to dry off. "Last time I clocked it when I wasn't attention starved, around six hours, give or take."
She looked at him cynically and said, "Are we trying to show off with a little harmless bragging?"
Orison smiled bitterly, "No. It's the way the engine's built. When I'm willing, I can warm up fast but it takes a long time to cool down. It's all rain with no clouds until hour three or four. I'm honestly worried about it a little. I think most people who haven't, would like to experience a whole day of 'love' but too much of anything is bad and there's a lot of good things to be said about being able to feel satisfied after a few minutes of scratching an itch."
Esme asked hesitantly, "How old are you, really?"
"You tell me. What does the balance between an immature man in his mid thirties and a world weary young teenager equal out to? Between soul, body and memory, what does and doesn't matter? Unless you just want to look at physical age, which would be a huge mistake in Avalon, the answer to your question is more philosophical than even I'm comfortable with," Orison answered as honestly as he could.
Activating his teaser suit, he strode out to where Gan had been patiently waiting long enough to hear things that would bother the young mage if it was anyone else.
As they walked away, Esme stepped out of the room, pointed at the over robe Orison was donning and said, "I want one of those."
Without turning back, the young mage said, "Ask Trisha what she wants her show off gift to be along with whatever term of endearment I'm supposed to call you in public. In the mean time, keep from embarrassing Rio and I'll see what I can do before our one month anniversary."
Once they'd made it a distance, Gan chuckled against the awkward silence and said, "Why did that seem like a bit of business between business rather than some fun between business."
The young mage said wearily, "Because for Esme, that's what it was. To put it in a way you're more familiar with hearing, Esme and Trisha are shield sisters. Trisha just likes to hang her shield up on a man's mantle from time to time."
"It looked more like they welcomed a man to hang his sword on their mantle from time to time," Gan said wryly.
Orison shook his head and added, "This isn't your homeland. There are quite a few mantles that have an extra sword or shield and it's not always easy to tell which hangs over the other. It's not shameful to love who you will here and it's not shameful for a woman to be the decision maker but personal ability equals privilege.
"Sometimes that means people have strange home lives. People might get married for love but have children with someone else or even get a legacy compatibility match from the fertility clinic. You know this. I bet you never saw a decent looking or ability possessing C-class or better woman in the irregulars."
Gan said, "B-class men either. There were one or two who drifted in with a proud heart but left pretty fast with low heads."
Gan chuckled and said, "I kind of figured that's how it would go. You are who you are. I'm happy knowing you accept me as I am. What's so hard about that? I never really thought-" Orison said a little shakily, "I'm not done." The scout gave the young mage a look very similar to the one a nice adult would give to a child whose being pushy for attention in a way they find cute. "Alright then. Get it all off your chest." He took a moment to steady himself and then Orison said, "Because of that, the things I want, there's this line between us. I don't like that it makes what I tell you a little bit of a lie. It bothers me because there were so many of your own personal lines... You'll understand all that later. With an unsteady hand from nerves, Orison poured himself one more shot to keep him going. Seeing the young mage 'try' so hard, Gan tried to let him off the hook. "I think I get where you're going but you don't need to say more. It's fine. I appreciate the thought." He ignored the scout and plowed on. "You'd be happier staying on the other side of that line. Eventually, when you got tired of only finding 'friends', you'd find a special person that you could be the number one of who made you their number one. Maybe it wouldn't last forever and all that but it would be yours. I'd suffer from a case of best friend jealousy because there would be this person with a claim to your time and energy that wasn't me but I'd get over it because I WANT you to be happy. "I-if you ever feel that crossing that line is what you really want... then you have ONE shot. I'll pursue a woman who could accept that... you know... but you'd be mine just like her and I don't care how unreasonable that is. You would be all mine and she would be all mine and the two of you would be one half of my number one." Gan looked at him blankly for a moment and started trembling as a tear came to the corner of his eye. Right as Orison began wondering if he should have waited to say that after it would be alright to pat the scout on the back or something, Gan started braying out laughter that he couldn't hold back anymore. Between huge draws of air, the Northlander said, "I'm... sorry. It's just... try saying that again when you don't look like you're... ready to make a run for it." Annoyed and with bruised pride, the young mage said, "Like I told you already, I'm never saying it again. Best remember it and see if you're laughing later this evening when it's your turn to get molly-whopped by future's past nonsense." The young mage had never looked so much like a child in the scout's eyes as he did in that moment, arms folded and sulking. Sensing Gan's subconsciously judging gaze, Orison stowed away the ridiculousness of a laughed off declaration he hadn't even particularly wanted to make. The future that wouldn't pass held no power over the future that would. He'd done what his conscience demanded and was satisfied. He still hoped Gan could find a happiness of his own. But if the scout wanted to walk the whole road from beginning to end with him, he'd honor his word and be glad for the company, if not so thrilled about it's accompanying responsibilities. Silence reigned on their trip to the water park. For once, Orison had no idea at all what Gan was thinking but he had a mind full of thoughts himself. Foremost among them were the two women who made a lasting impression on him. He didn't know if he'd had made any lasting impression on Lily but she had certainly left one on him. The aversion her mutilated mummy of a body left him with had long been replaced with the saucy smile framed with frizzy red hair. A person who could walk out of the nearly endless pain and despair of the Abyss with a carefree face could handle the small amount of emotional luggage Orison carried with him. The thing was, he wasn't so confident she would want to. Wendy was a contradiction of strength and vulnerability. She was lonely but hopeful. As much as she projected the desire to have someone to lean on, she had a core of independence that kept her propped up fine on her own. The only obvious sore spot, she was a working woman and it looked like her boss was a real slave driver. His intuition told him that Wendy could accept anything about him as long as he was willing to return that acceptance. The thing was, until he met her again, he wouldn't know what all he would have to be willing to accept in return. It was likely that her patron would be an indefinite source of disruption to their relationship at the very least. It did little good to dwell on it. What would be would be. And as long as a climber lived, time wasn't a thing they typically had a shortage of. Though a climber's personal time was no rare commodity, the time they had with any one person was as uncertain as any mortal's life. As soon as the cab dropped them off, Orison was bombarded with a sizable crowd all wanting to pay respects of some kind or other. Soon enough, the young mage was joined by his two teenage wards and ringed by four Planar Response members in water park 'field gear' for their 'undercover' security work. For things to be proper, he had to give a mission briefing before going off to do his own thing and that included socializing. Everyone was wearing happy expressions while their 'duty lead' dispensed their responsibilities. "Turner, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to let your wife know how it feels to be the basted chicken. Don't worry, the tanning beach you baked at has it's settings tuned to wobble from the eight in the morning position starting at eight tonight... Additionally, try to set some time to mend things with Janet and Gina. "If not for their sake, for Babs. Your kids love her and that girl is enough of a loner as it is... I'm not asking for a miracle, just a chance. You think you can handle that mission?" Turner gave a salute and said, "It would be an honor and a pleasure, sir. She won't admit it but Gina misses that woman. It's not like we didn't know she had some problems. It was just too much to see all that ugly at once but now that we know a little more about the whole situation, I think it'll be alright." Orison dismissed him to fulfill his 'assignments' before turning to Roy, "Bud, I actually have one serious mission for you before that mission becomes serious fun. I need you to escort Stag, that's the green haired man that looks a little sluggish, to Eo Pan. Keep an eye out for him until he starts looking better. "Once he's up to fending for himself, I do believe you've held a dear wish in your heart to go to Naked Truth Island? Do some reconnaissance there and self report only once you've uncovered its most interesting secrets. But before that, take this supplement and report its effectiveness." Roy looked at the malted milk ball looking pellet for a second before chewing it up with a bitter look on his face. "Sir, it tastes awful but the aftertaste isn't so...whoa. Reporting... I feel refreshed and two-three years recovered. There seems to be a mild restoration to stress weaknesses in my magic channels." Chuckling, Orison said, "I'm just going with the flow. The underlying message is 'enjoy yourself'... Feel up to your missions?" Roy crisply saluted and said, "Sir, yes sir!... Uh, about the life force exchange payment..." "News for another day, Specialist Roy," Orison replied. The equipment specialist dropped his salute and headed out as the young mage turned to the last two. "El, Em, What you do before and after your assignment is entirely up to you. Around ten, er, 2200 hours I need the people on this handwritten list and two water transport platforms at a location halfway between the entrance to the Islands of Truth and the islands themselves. I also need that point to be fairly equidistant between Brutal Truth and Eo Pan. "Sorry for giving you guys a very real and important assignment while everyone else gets to goof off. Being right in the middle of everything means that you can't quite unwind as much as everyone else either. I'll make it up to you with an extra... appetizer at the party tomorrow. Sound like a deal?" El said, "It's alright, Sonny. This assignment knocked us back down the list for ocean border patrol. They suck." Em nodded vigorously a few times and added, "They like to put us out there when the weather's the worst because we won't drown but they seem to forget that if our suits rip, we can still freeze to death. If you looked at our medical records you'd think our family has some sort of genetic disposition for pneumonia." Once they had left, the young mage left the central security hub's briefing room. After giving a few 'potential problem' heads ups to actual security, he gave Gan the time for the Islands meetup and directed the scout to the locations of potential vendors that might have goods worth noting. To not be overly conspicuous about antisocial behavior when he orchestrated it all, the young mage made an hour long round with all the invites before breaking off to go his own way. It didn't take long to realize there wouldn't be any peace before he prepped for the Islands meeting. Esme and Trish might be able to scare off most of the invitee girls but the park wasn't closed to the public before they came and far too many people were interested in him. Eventually, he begged off to have a 'serious meeting' with Adena and her father that he didn't really need to but he'd rather be 'Big Brother'ed to death while being glared at than deal with an entourage of people trying individually to get his attention. After the young Firebrand said a few words and expressed her excitement about starting First Wave, Adena took the opportunity to go out and have some unsupervised fun. She fully intended on getting lost in the park well enough her dad would have a hard time finding her. After one look at the dour faced man with hair so yellow it was almost neon, he could see why. "What did you want to talk about, Cantrip," the man said in a surly tone. The young mage thought to himself, "I'd like to be your image consultant. Learn to smile more or slick back your hair. You look like a demon wearing a Grade School sunflower costume headpiece." Facing down the irritable papa bear, he said, "Tuesday, the week after next, I plan on running my team through a trial by fire through Plague Barrens. Your thoughts?" The man stared intensely at Orison and said, "You're either planning on failing in a way that won't embarrass you or passing with flying colors. What's your goal?" The young mage stared back unflinchingly. "There are things that can't or shouldn't be discussed outside of secure places. I can say that you'll have a better idea after tomorrow's party. I know you originally turned down the RSVP that Rio sent to Adena earlier today. Reconsider. Better yet, come with her. I don't even want my mentor to come and he found a way to extort invitations for his wife, children AND mistress!" While the man dithered, Orison wrote a note with spirit essence on a napkin and handed it over. After instructing Mr. Firebrand to read it with the faint amount of spiritual sense the man possessed, Mr. Firebrand burned it. The message was simple. The fiancee that he had set up for Adena and had begun trying to brow beat her into accepting, was a devil devotee. The young mage promised to give evidence at the party. After requesting a psychic scan from The Weird to make sure his mind or spirit hadn't been altered or influenced, Mr. Firebrand agreed to bring Adena to the young mage's party. To burn some time til eight when the park would close its doors to all save vacationers and people training in some of the on site facilities, Orison tracked down Esme and Trish. In the process of trying to reach a friendly understanding with them, he discovered that HE was the one who misunderstood. The two young women were 'very close' friends and with Trish having broken up with the man that the two women had an 'understanding' with, Esme was looking to replace him with 'higher quality goods'. What they wanted was fairly simple but difficult to find. Esme needed an 'interest' to parade in front of polite society or at least a name she could use as a shield. Trish was a big hearted girl trying her best to honor the love she had for a childhood best friend while easing the ache of more primal needs in the present while looking forward to more practical needs in the future. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't want to get involved with something so complicated. But due to a fresh perspective on the issue and knowledge of what was to come, he felt moved. Making no promises, he offered to stand in until situations made such an arrangement too difficult or they found a candidate more willing to commit. After renting a room at the water park's vacation area, he demonstrated that he was more than capable of fulfilling present needs. Seeing Trish's satisfied look and Esme's complicated one, he felt that burning all his buffer time on the 'surprise project' was well worth the time spent. It wasn't just about the pleasure. It was the moment of gratitude the situation had generated in him towards Lyra for her 'teachings'. It helped him tackle the grudge he had held against the woman, allowing him to let the majority of it go. As Esme put herself back together while Trish took a small nap, she said, "That's your idea of a quickie? What's it take to satisfy you!?" He stepped out of the shower and used a dash of magic to dry off. "Last time I clocked it when I wasn't attention starved, around six hours, give or take." She looked at him cynically and said, "Are we trying to show off with a little harmless bragging?" Orison smiled bitterly, "No. It's the way the engine's built. When I'm willing, I can warm up fast but it takes a long time to cool down. It's all rain with no clouds until hour three or four. I'm honestly worried about it a little. I think most people who haven't, would like to experience a whole day of 'love' but too much of anything is bad and there's a lot of good things to be said about being able to feel satisfied after a few minutes of scratching an itch." Esme asked hesitantly, "How old are you, really?" "You tell me. What does the balance between an immature man in his mid thirties and a world weary young teenager equal out to? Between soul, body and memory, what does and doesn't matter? Unless you just want to look at physical age, which would be a huge mistake in Avalon, the answer to your question is more philosophical than even I'm comfortable with," Orison answered as honestly as he could. Activating his teaser suit, he strode out to where Gan had been patiently waiting long enough to hear things that would bother the young mage if it was anyone else. As they walked away, Esme stepped out of the room, pointed at the over robe Orison was donning and said, "I want one of those." Without turning back, the young mage said, "Ask Trisha what she wants her show off gift to be along with whatever term of endearment I'm supposed to call you in public. In the mean time, keep from embarrassing Rio and I'll see what I can do before our one month anniversary." Once they'd made it a distance, Gan chuckled against the awkward silence and said, "Why did that seem like a bit of business between business rather than some fun between business." The young mage said wearily, "Because for Esme, that's what it was. To put it in a way you're more familiar with hearing, Esme and Trisha are shield sisters. Trisha just likes to hang her shield up on a man's mantle from time to time." "It looked more like they welcomed a man to hang his sword on their mantle from time to time," Gan said wryly. Orison shook his head and added, "This isn't your homeland. There are quite a few mantles that have an extra sword or shield and it's not always easy to tell which hangs over the other. It's not shameful to love who you will here and it's not shameful for a woman to be the decision maker but personal ability equals privilege. "Sometimes that means people have strange home lives. People might get married for love but have children with someone else or even get a legacy compatibility match from the fertility clinic. You know this. I bet you never saw a decent looking or ability possessing C-class or better woman in the irregulars." Gan said, "B-class men either. There were one or two who drifted in with a proud heart but left pretty fast with low heads."
