Call Me Out - 2021

[mizu]

 

Or anybody from here!

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Comments

[sponsoredby]

It was pretty nasty, but everyone ended up mostly find after that.

...Everyone except me. It hurts like hell to be bitten by a thing like that, but no limb loss. Just massive bruising.

[ Sigh!!! ]

[battling]

You just seriously unlucky?

...

Oh yeah don't go tellin' Nero I died, he'll get pissy about it.

[sponsoredby]

You could say that. My luck ran pretty bad when we were there.

[ But he nods about that. ]

Sure thing. That kind of thing isn't exactly my place to be telling anyone anyway.

[battling]

[He holds up his drink before taking another sip.]

Great.

Did ya see a weird jelly blob too?

[sponsoredby]

[ He nods at him, taking a drink now, too. ]

I'm guessing you're talking about what was chasing us at the end...?

[battling]

Yeah, chases ya outta the castle 'cause you shouldn't be there or somethin'.

[sponsoredby]

Then yep, we ran into that, too, at the end. Barely made it out.

[battling]

Important part's gettin' out.

[sponsoredby]

Yeah. Good thing my luck didn't trip me up on the way out.

[ Imagine if you made me roll for it, Mira. ]

[battling]

[Thinks about your bad rolls. He may have eaten more shit.]

Lucky you~

[sponsoredby]

[ He totally would have. ]

I could have used that luck in other places, though.

[battling]

Yeah? Like gettin' your ass kicked by a dog? Or somethin' else.

[sponsoredby]

[ There's a twitch at the corner of his lips, letting in a little sadness. But it goes away quickly. ]

Wish it was just that.

[battling]

[Bradley's a marksman, he's got good eyes.]

Somethin' worse, huh?

[sponsoredby]

[ He gives a half shrug. ]

Multiple somethings.

[battling]

Don't wanna talk about it? That's fine.

[sponsoredby]

It's not just my story to tell and I don't even know where I'd begin.

... And I'm not exactly great at talking about this kind of thing, but...

[ He hesitates a little bit and rubs his neck. ]

I've had to see someone I love die right in front of me. With nothing I could do as he threw himself into the fray to try to protect me. He recklessly jumped in to help me when I faltered. Let me just say seeing him die was one of the most painful things I had to ever experience.

[ Maybe this means nothing to Bradley, hearing all this. But he felt he should say it anyway. Of course, he won't go into full detail of it, though. ]

[battling]

[He watches, careful and thoughtful. Bradley's seen plenty of his own die for all sorts of reasons. Sickness, protection, recklessness, devotion. Even if 600 years is nothing in comparison to the twins, he's faced his share of death and loss.]

People will always do what they want to, human or wizard, doesn't matter. Especially when they're runnin' off of impulse. It hurts, but you can't do anythin' but accept their actions.

You'll never be able to turn back time, no matter how much ya wanna.

[sponsoredby]

[ There's a shrug away that response. ]

Trust me, I already know there's no way to turn back time, but I also know writing it off as people are going to do what they want is a pretty lazy way of thinking.

[ He takes a slow drink and sighs. ]

I've always been the reckless type, diving in with my instincts and willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good. A hero's life. But being at that place, talking to people... really put a lot of things into perspective.

Selfishly, I never really considered how much sacrifice only brings sorrow to those around me. If I really care about them and really want to show it, I have to take care of myself, too.

What's the point of promising not to leave someone if I'm willing to throw my life away? It's going to be a struggle... That fine line of me wanting to save lives and being in dangerous situations versus actually putting myself in the line of fire unintentionally. Sometimes you have to change your ways for the people you love... or realize you might lose them if they're not important enough to do that.

[ Maybe this sounds like a lecture? Oops. ]

[battling]

A lazy way of thinkin'. [A derisive snort.]

I'm no hero. This whole Sage's Wizard thing doesn't suit me a bit. I'm a bandit, and the people know what they're getting into. I've made my peace with what I am, who I am, and what I like. There's a thrill in puttin' my life on the line.

That's my choice. That's the risk I accept.

I'm not enough of an idiot to know I'll won't come back one day. I'll get seriously injured, and that doesn't bother me. One day I will die, and nothin' will be left behind. Every wizard knows what happens to their bodies.

This is the life that satisfies me. Constantly testin' my limits to see just how far I can go 'n how much I can get away with.

[Nero might hate it, but they're both grown adults who live their lives the way they want.]

[sponsoredby]

Have either of you ever had this conversation?

[ Because it's honestly so beyond obvious how much Bradley cares about Nero even from this conversation. And some things he's pieced together. ]

Seems like you both enjoy avoiding topics you don't like.

... Which is actually pretty funny coming from me when my own brother has called me out for taking on a burden alone. My point still stands. Maybe I don't have as many years as you guys, but finding that one person to be honest with is a nice change of pace.

[battling]

We've had plenty of conversations 'bout it.

[Mind you it's Nero going "You're gonna die if you keep doing this" and Bradley going "Yes, that's true." (Nothing changes.)]

We're as honest as we wanna be.

[sponsoredby]

And that's the problem.

[ Because that doesn't sound like being fully honest. ]

Sometimes you have to be more honest than you want to be. Making yourself actually vulnerable sucks, but I feel like it's the best choice I've made.

Maybe I just got lucky that we were able to hold each other's souls. Literally. Makes you realize how much you can trust a person.

[battling]

[He's pretty sure he has been honest when it comes to Nero? He's not sure how to be any more honest.]

Your... souls?

[sponsoredby]

... Nero didn't mention the daemons?

[ Honesty issues, my boys. ]