33 - Soldier | Dictated / Action

[radiantwingedone]

[ So Duke had woken up last night, a bit bewildered and confused as to where he was. But the quickly placed and frantically purring weight of his cat, and the intent humming of his Altaria had him... more or less just curling around them and going to sleep. He could deal with everything later.

And so he did. And it was a bit of a grumpy later, to be perfectly honest. Grumpy at the castle, grumpy at those Gentlemen creatures-

On that topic, he reaches over and... Oh, good, he can talk to the journal. ]

Assuming this means the.... gentlemen, were taken care of.

[ Duke's tone indicates if they got away with what they did, he's going to be fairly disappointed in all the residents. But on the other hand, he can talk again. Hopefully that means the damn things had been killed.

After that, Duke can be found either in the kitchen. He's pretty quick to avoid the table, though, despite his collection of snacks. ]

Comments

[peacockherald]

Perhaps... but maybe it can help me better for next time, when it matters again.

_{[ And it would always matter, if things happened to his friends. And Duke was his friend. So it would always, always matter. ]}

[radiantwingedone]

... Don't let it eat you until then.

[peacockherald]

Of course not. I learned, not to long ago, how to let go of the past when I must. Funny, how a small boy taught me that too.

[radiantwingedone]

[ Vanyel, that makes it sound like, at the moment, you think Duke is a small boy.

That doesn't make any sense. So clearly he learned something related to the topic from a small boy. ]

Children, or just those younger, do that occasionally.

[peacockherald]

It's startling, really. They have such clarity that I think we, as adults, lose somewhere along the way.

[radiantwingedone]

.... Anything that comes to mind as for why is terribly cynical.

[ ... Hey, at least he recognized that it would be- ]

[peacockherald]

It would have to be, wouldn't it?

[radiantwingedone]

[ A short amused noise. ]

True.

[peacockherald]

Regardless, he made some rather astute points. I think if they had come from anyone else, I wouldn't have listened.

[radiantwingedone]

... Understandable.

[ The idea that children see clearly or more simply, thus when they bring something up... ]

Of course, there is also the adult habit of ignoring children's words as nonsense. Seems to be a chance.

[ Sometimes children are silly. ]

[peacockherald]

Oh, they are not always wise, that I know well. But... I suppose this boy was special. He resembled someone I knew and cared for deeply, so hearing him say it... struck a cord.

[radiantwingedone]

... Also understandable.

[ Lowell, despite being a clearly different race and having a drastically different personality, had occasionally said things that made Duke look at him twice to make sure he hadn't gone mad, and saw or heard Elucifur there. ]

[peacockherald]

_{[ He made a soft sound. ]}

I hope he is doing all right. He was so young, but he had so much responsibility...

_{[ And suffered so much betrayal. Vanyel hoped his life might be better, but at a court like in that country... ]}