[ polite would be meeting someones gaze without a mask. which he is clearly unwilling to do. except he does glance over when he hears the question so, there is that.
[ more silence as he thinks broodily. once he's done with that, he reaches over to his side and drops the blade of his axe heavily into the ground. he holds it in place there with both hands propping up the handle. ]
This is my strength. You ask me for more than I can give, and I'm afraid I can come up with only one solution. [ a beat. ] I can cut down every man and woman here, save for you and Cynthia.
[ owain stands up, outraged at the suggestion. he's reaching out and grabbing gerome by the front of his armor, and pulling him towards him. sorry minerva, but your human is being stupid ]
You have more strength than that! Killing everyone located here is not the solution we need!
[ minerva lifts her head to watch but does nothing else.
as for gerome, he rises and grabs hold of owain's hand. not going to try forcing him to let go yet, but there is some pressure. ]
And what more would you have me do? My every sense has been honed for combat, every instinct sharpened for the sole purpose of delivering death. I have nothing more to give, and I will not ask you and Cynthia to dirty your hands with me. I alone can take on this task.
Don't brush me and Cynthia off! You're not the only one who's been trained to fight, to kill! Cynthia and I are just as capable of protecting you as you are at protecting us, because you know the both of us would gladly give up our lives if it meant that you would live. Don't you dare think that we wouldn't dirty our hands for you if needed.
[ and then he's pulling him downwards, closer to him ]
And don't you dare act in a way that would disappoint your parents.
[ if he intended on responding to the bit about owain and cynthia sacrifing themselves for him then the words die in his throat before seeing the light of day. he's a wolf that deals in death, they are royalty. he could never allow them to shed blood on his behalf like this.
in place of protesting, he hardens his grip and tries to pull owain's hand from him by force. ]
The dead can feel neither joy nor disappointment. If they had a wish for me, they should have spoken it before leaving our world, before leaving me.
[ nevermind the fact that it is entirely likely that both cynthia and owain have slain risen that would keep gerome safe. they're royals, sure, but at the end of the day, they value gerome far more than their titles. what good is it being royal if it means they sit by and watch as their friends die for them one by one. they've already seen their parents, and that's enough already.
owain is holding on tight, but gerome has always had more strength than him, so it's easy for him to pull owain's hand from him. but he's not moving away at all. ]
[ that doesn't change the fact that they were willing before. sure, the circumstances are vastly different, but in the end, they will protect gerome if the situation calls for it. but if gerome is the one doing the slaughtering-- well, justice must be served, even if it won't be quite as sweet.
but if gerome thinks that owain is going to drop this he's extremely wrong. ]
Speak of your delusions. Your words may serve as a beacon of light to some, but there is no room for that in a man like me. [ with that, he starts walking off.
minerva takes his forgotten axe in her mouth and follows him. ]
You're the first to know when I'm speaking of delusions. I'm telling you what you already know but don't want to admit. [ oh yeah he's following after ]
[ he stops moving only long enough to stare down at his gloved palm. it's momentary, however, and soon after he clenches his fist and silently keeps going. ]
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Talk, then.
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What are we going to do about this game the Staff wants us to play?
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then, back at the firepit. ]
A question best answered by someone else.
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We need to work together, regardless if any of us have minds for strategy.
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This is my strength. You ask me for more than I can give, and I'm afraid I can come up with only one solution. [ a beat. ] I can cut down every man and woman here, save for you and Cynthia.
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[ owain stands up, outraged at the suggestion. he's reaching out and grabbing gerome by the front of his armor, and pulling him towards him. sorry minerva, but your human is being stupid ]
You have more strength than that! Killing everyone located here is not the solution we need!
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as for gerome, he rises and grabs hold of owain's hand. not going to try forcing him to let go yet, but there is some pressure. ]
And what more would you have me do? My every sense has been honed for combat, every instinct sharpened for the sole purpose of delivering death. I have nothing more to give, and I will not ask you and Cynthia to dirty your hands with me. I alone can take on this task.
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damn you and your height advantage gerome. ]
Don't brush me and Cynthia off! You're not the only one who's been trained to fight, to kill! Cynthia and I are just as capable of protecting you as you are at protecting us, because you know the both of us would gladly give up our lives if it meant that you would live. Don't you dare think that we wouldn't dirty our hands for you if needed.
[ and then he's pulling him downwards, closer to him ]
And don't you dare act in a way that would disappoint your parents.
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in place of protesting, he hardens his grip and tries to pull owain's hand from him by force. ]
The dead can feel neither joy nor disappointment. If they had a wish for me, they should have spoken it before leaving our world, before leaving me.
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owain is holding on tight, but gerome has always had more strength than him, so it's easy for him to pull owain's hand from him. but he's not moving away at all. ]
They've never left you, Gerome!
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and if owain won't step back, don't worry. gerome will. he turns his back to owain and, as if sensing his intentions, minerva stands. ]
Don't.
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but if gerome thinks that owain is going to drop this he's extremely wrong. ]
Don't what? Tell you the truth?
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minerva takes his forgotten axe in her mouth and follows him. ]
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